The 5 Line: A Taste Of History In Eagle Rock

The Militant has long held the belief that Los Angeles' beauty is best discovered from a bike (rather than from a car). But five years later, he might have to change his belief.

No, this isn't his belated April Fool's post, but rather his Militant belief is more refined now...because there's even some things you'll miss from a bike.

The Militant was spending a nice Spring day walking down Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock on Monday, when he happened on an empty storefront near Caspar Avenue, next door to Corner Pizzeria.

The windows, covered up from inside, bore a poster of a proposed restaurant/bar's floor plan, accompanied by photos of old Los Angeles Railway Yellow Cars(!)

Naturally, The Militant took a closer look (Cautiously now, as it may or may not be a trap set forth by his enemies...)

Alas, some explanatory text in the window display revealed it all: The yet-to-be-opened restaurant is called 5 Line, a reference to the Yellow Car trolley route that ran all the way from Hawthorne to nearby Townsend Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock -- the longest line in the entire Los Angeles Railway system, which ran on narrow-gauge track and in more urbanized areas than its larger cousin, the Red Cars of the Pacific Electric.

The restaurant, the window display paragraph boasts, plans to pay homage to the Yellow Car line in its theme: "The interior design of the restaurant will derive influence from the streetcar system and contain historic images of the site with the 5 Line cars."

The nearby corner of Eagle Rock (then called "Central Avenue") and Colorado boulevards had a circular station area known as "The Merry-Go-Round" which was a local hangout spot in the neighborhood (and you all thought this public space thing was a new concept in this City...). The tracks ran in the median of Eagle Rock Boulevard, which is why it's so dang wide.

The Militant doesn't know about you, but he simply can not wait until this place opens...He doesn't even care if the food tastes like crap, he just wants to experience the place! Imagine taking the trouble to theme your restaurant with a slice of local history! Only someone with militantly Angeleno leanings would want to do that (The Militant will disclose that he is neither the owner nor has any stake in this establishment, so no looking in public records to find out his identity).

One nitpick though: The artist's rendering of the facade seems to clad the eatery with the green-and- white livery of the old '50s-'60s era Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority and not the classic yellow-and-green of the Los Angeles Railway, which the, you know, Yellow cars were best remembered as. But...dangit, The Militant can't wait for the future to experience history. Hurry up, Eagle Rock! The Militant is waiting to dine at the 5 Line!

Ea-gle, Ea-gle, ROCK YOU!

Though the Militant hasn't made much good on his New Year's Resolutions to increase his output lately, the recent phenomenon is mainly attributed to the fact that lately he hasn't strayed much from The Militant Compound, and when he does, it's in a part of town already covered in This Here Blog.

The Militant is no stranger to the venerable Northeast Los Angeles community of Eagle Rock, but he's noticed he hasn't yet given the place the props it deserves, so passing by the vicinity on Thursday, he decided to give some hot Militant Love on the MA Blog.

The community may be well known for its pizza institution, hipsters or the one-time residence of the President of the United States, but by far it's known for its eponymous geological feature: The Eagle Rock.

The 12 million year-old conglomerate rock formation stands like a sentry just north of the 134, a familiar sight for this Militant ever since his childhood, whenever the Militant's family trips took him to the Rose Parade or to relatives' houses in the San Gabriel Valley.

But something always bugged him about The Rock (no, not that one). It was the description of the geological feature: that the rock formation resembles "an eagle in flight."

Flight? WHUT? He don't see no wings! It's obviously an EAGLE HEAD. When the Militant's parents drove Lil' Mil down the 134 back in the day, they'd tell him, "Look at the Eagle Rock!" and Lil' Mil would say, "Yeah! I see the head of an eagle!" THE HEAD OF A FREAKING EAGLE! Yet no book, publication or website ever acknowledged this. Are they crazy or what? AN EAGLE HEAD!

Lookie:
What are these historians? Blind? See the beak? See the eye? IT'S AN EAGLE HEAD.

If they can't see it, and you can't see it, then - surprise - the Militant is the first Los Angeles writer/historian to acknowledge it as A FREAKING EAGLE HEAD.

Anyway, the Militant decided to take a closer look at the thing - and was pleasantly surprised. Most people simply pass this thing on the freeway at 65 miles an hour and never give it any more thought.

But at the foot of the rock - right at the very northernmost reach of Figueroa Street - is a neato little public park, with benches and all, decorated with native flora (pictured left). There's also a narrow, 1-mile hiking path called the Eagle Rock Canyon Trail, which the Militant walked for a few yards, ultimately deciding to cover this hike in a future blog post (don't wanna put all his eagle eggs in one basket!).

It turns out the little park and the trail are relatively new, just installed nearly two years ago by The Collaborative Eagle Rock Beautiful. Feel free to visit the park and walk the trail (treaded shoes/boots recommended) and you just might see native tobacco plants used by the Tongva Indian tribe and the caves used as a hideout by desperados ages ago.

He also discovered one lucky Eagle Rock resident lives right below the rock - there's a single-story house right at the base. Imagine looking up at that every morning (surely the occupant must take the whole thing for granted by now...).

The Militant spent the rest of the day with nearby operatives who weren't aware of the history, which wasn't very fun. But the Militant can change all that one day by taking them on a little hike...

Los Obamangeles

Obama banner outside Los Angeles Sentinel office on Crenshaw Blvd.

Obama sign outlined in lights, Conrad Hair Salon on Fountain Avenue, Silver Lake.

Now that President Barack Obama is officially livin' large and in charge, it makes the Militant proud that we have a president who was - at least for two years - an Angeleno. Though the president is more associated with Chicago, Honolulu, or even Jakarta, Los Angeles was one of the places where he once lived (his first exposure living in the continental United States), and it no doubt had an influence on him.

According to a Times article published last year, a high school-aged Obama met a tourist girl on the beaches of Hawaii who lived in Brentwood, and told him exciting stories about about her hometown, so the young Obama headed "out east" to Los Angeles' Occidental College in Eagle Rock for his undergraduate studies. He must have learned something here, since he arrived as "Barry" and left as Barack. So our City deserves some credit for shaping the guy.

Obama joins Richard Nixon (Yorba Linda, Whittier, San Clemente), Gerald Ford (Rancho Mirage), Ronald Reagan (Bel-Air, Santa Barbara, Brentwood) and George H.W. Bush (Ventura) as the only presidents who have lived in Southern California at some point in their lives (Only Reagan and Obama have lived in Los Angeles City proper).

After much Militant research, the Militant has compiled a map showing 15 points of interest around Los Angeles with a significant connection to the president:


View Larger Map

Click on the blue markers for a detailed description. Here are the places, in chronological order:

Occidental College's Haines Hall dormitory, Obama's first home in Los Angeles.
Courtesy of Hijo De E-Ho.

1979-1981: Occidental College, Eagle Rock - Obama's first two years of college were spent here.

1979-1981: Casa Bianca, Eagle Rock - Obama's fave pizzeria.

Feb 20, 2007: Rancho Cienega Park, Crenshaw District - First campaign appearance, 10 days after announcing candidacy.

Feb 20, 2007: Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills - Celebrity fundraiser.

Oct 20, 2007: Garfield High School, East Los Angeles - Spoke at Town Hall event.

November 2007: The Wiltern, Koreatown - Former site of Shepard Fairey's art studio, where iconic Obama illustration was first designed.

Dec 10, 2007: Gibson Ampitheatre, Universal City - "Generation Obama" concert, also featuring Ne-Yo and the Goo Goo Dolls.

Jan 31, 2008: Los Angeles Trade Tech College, Downtown - Campaign appearance.

Jan 31, 2008: Kodak Theatre, Hollywood - Site of Democratic debate vs. Hillary Clinton.

Jan 2008: Shepard Fairey Studio One, Elysian Park - Fairey's new studio location, site of large Obama illustration.

Feb 1, 2008: East Los Angeles College, East Los Angeles - Site of Obama rally featuring Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Feb 3, 2008: UCLA Pauley Pavilion, Westwood - Site of Obama rally featuring Michelle Obama, Oprah Wonfrey, Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver.

June 23, 2008: Dorothy Chandler Paviliion, Downtown - Site of another celebrity fundraiser.

2008: Conrad Hair Salon, Silver Lake - Site of large "OBAMA" sign in lights.

2008-2009: Crenshaw Boulevard - Where Obama merchandise is sold by street vendors, mostly between Adams and Exposition.