Cypress Park's Underground Art Scene

Welcome to the Cypress Village Tunnel!

Los Angeles' subway tunnels have become known for their public art -- but there's another kind of tunnel in town that's known for its artistic installations as well.

The City of Los Angeles has some 100 pedestrian tunnels, which were initially built in the 1920s near elementary schools, as a way for schoolchildren to safely cross the street and avoid the dangers of automobiles and streetcars (sort of like the 20th century version of Safe Routes To School). Since the 1960s, though, these tunnels have become magnets for crime, tagging, public urination, garbage dumping, drug deals, and any other thing parents wouldn't want their kids to get near, so many of them got locked up for good, only to become oversized trash pits and general urban blight. Some were filled in and removed altogether.

In the Northeast Los Angeles community of Cypress Park, local Yancey Quinones, owner of nearby Antigua Coffee House on the corner,  worked with then-councilman Ed Reyes and the City's Public Works department to convert one of these abandoned pedestrian underpasses, located on the corner of north Figueroa and Loreto streets, into a public art gallery, known as the Cypress Village Tunnel Art Walk. The tunnel is the focus of monthly Art Walk events, which take place on the 2nd Saturday of each month.

A block party on Saturday to celebrate the tunnel's 1st birthday as an art space.

This past Saturday, Loreto Street was closed down for a mini-street fair to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the opening of the tunnel. There was music, poetry, an arts and crafts fair, and an overall Eastside-centric good time.

The Militant also got to go into the tunnel for the first time, and was fascinated by not just the temporary art on exhibit by local artists, but by the permanent art painted on its walls (the western end even has an homage to the Los Angeles River culvert cats!). The cubbyholes where the light fixtures go into are also part of the exhibit, used to not only hold lighting, but other art pieces.

But the most impressive thing about the tunnel is (aside from the noticeable absence of urine or any other offending odors) the comforting quiet, despite the cars, trucks and buses speeding along Figueroa Street just a few feet above you. That, and being with others who are not just enjoying the art but the odd serenity of the tunnel space. Something certainly never felt in such a utilitarian structure before.

The tunnel has also inspired other pedestrian tunnels in the city to be converted into art spaces, such as one in El Sereno. Man, the Eastside has got it goin' on!

Volunteers continue to decorate the tunnel

If you want to experience the Cypress Village Tunnel yourself, check out the next art walk event on Saturday, June 14 (the second Saturday of the month), from 6 to 10 p.m. The tunnel floods during rainstorms, so art walk events are usually cancelled in the event of rain (We're in a drought right now, so we wouldn't have to worry about that for a while, heh...).

The Militant just loves these kinds of transformative projects, done by the community and for the community. Does your neighborhood have a tunnel that can serve this kind of purpose?

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...

Everybodylovesaparade

The Militant may or may not have missed yesterday's 65th Annual Northeast Los Angeles Holiday Parade, but thanks to NELA resident Cathy Davies, who sent the Militant this link, you don't have to either! And it only takes a minute! Enjoy!

The Militant Gets His Lummis On: Lummis Day 2009

The Militant first heard of this "Lummis Day" event a couple years ago, and kept missing it each year due to his various militant and extramilitant activities. However, he made it a point to go this year, taking the Gold Line on Sunday to the Southwest Museum station.

For those of you who may or may not know your Los Angeles history, the day was named in honor of Charles Fletcher Lummis, a late-19th century renaissance man of sorts, who was famous for not one, but many things: the first Los Angeles Times city editor, Los Angeles city librarian, writer, photographer, connoisseur of everything Southwest, the list goes on. No, he was no native, but he did something truly hardcore -- he walked the 3,507 miles from Cincinnatti, OH to Los Angeles, and wrote about it in weekly dispatches to the Times and other newspapers around the country. Guess you can say he was the first blogger!

The Militant will be honest: He was a little let down by how the festival came to be compared to his expectations. He thought locals would do total Lummis cosplay in 1890s garb, while schoolchildren would read some of his poems.

Instead it was a neighborhood festival, celebrating all things Northeast Los Angeles. He did dig the total local vibe - local food, local bands, local artists. The festival was spread out among three locations: Sycamore Grove Park on Figueroa Street, the normally-closed Southwest Museum's Casa de Adobe, adjacent to the Gold Line station and of course, Lummis' famed residence, El Alisal, (a.k.a. Lummis Home, pictured above). This was the Militant's first opportunity to check out Lummis' humble abode, which he built with his own hands. The home is now a museum to Lummis-bilia, as well as the home of the Historical Society of Southern California.

A half-mile walk to the north was the main festival site, Sycamore Park, which featured three stages of entertainment, which included artists like Carlos Guitarlos, Wil-Dog Abers from Ozomatli and 2/3rds of Culture Clash. There was some great chow to be had, from Korean BBQ, tacos (but not Korean BBQ tacos), shaved ice and baked goods.

Across the street, the Militant climbed up a stairway which lead to a parallel sidwalk path elevated above the regular sidewalk on the west side of Figueroa (pictured lower right)! Others walked along this path, from couple to parents with their kids. It was a nice, only-in-NELA experience, though that path is long overdue for a re-paving.

The Militant walked past houses and apartments, but was eventually led to the festival's third venue, the Casa de Adobe, which was transformed into a makeshift gallery for the day featuring work from local artists. The Militant stopped to say "hi" to an unspecified artist operative there.

The Militant unfortunately had to leave early due to some militant commitments on his militant calendar, but did stay long enough to chat with some locals in the community to learn more about the NELA vibe.

This year was the fourth iteration of the festival, so make it a point to check it out in 2010. The Militant May or May Not Be There!

Get Your Local History On! Los Angeles Heritage Day At Heritage Square!

An unspecified nerd with civic inclinations recently notified the Militant of this event happening on Sunday at Heritage Square Museum in Highland Park. It's the 2nd Annual Los Angeles Heritage Day (Ummm...and why didn't the Militant hear about the 1st annual one?) event going on from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is $5, or free if you print this out. It will be a day of panel discussions, kids' events and free tours of the museum, which is comprised of several houses of architectural significange, relocated from all over the City. Who knows, perhaps the Militant will finally get to meet the Nerd there (Now won't that be a FTW photo-op if there ever was one?), if he might or might not have already done that already.

Good Old L.A. (Farmer's Market)

Most transplants incorrectly assume (as usual) that our local farmer's markets are merely beacons of trendy upscale neighborhoods, but in reality they are part of a local tradition (yes, we actually do have traditions here, thank you) that harkens back to this City's agricultural heritage, when the only things sprawling were the orchards, the groves and the vineyards that once flourished across the Southland. After all, a famous local attraction consists of one such marketplace, in permanent form.

But the weekly farmers markets in our various communities create an energy that turns even the most mundane parking lots into valuable public spaces. The Militant recently stumbled upon one such event in Highland Park, called the Old L.A. Farmer's Market, which reference's Highland Parks as the City's first designated community (annexed in 1895) located outside of the Downtown area. Every Tuesday from 3 - 8 p.m., right in front of the (M) Gold Line Highland Park station (the mere sight of the marketplace alone made the Militant spontaneously get off the train just to check it out) , vendors sell fresh, mostly-organic produce, small antiques, used books and food, while street performers sing, play or dance.

It's even a family-friendly environment, as child-sized seats are brought out in the dining area. Locals sit at a table and engage in neighborhood gossip, as a trio of young women play Mexican folk songs (pictured right) while a Gold Line train darts in the background. Neighborhood folks push strollers, pull leashes and, especially in these warm summer evenings - just hang.

The Militant got to check out this nice little spot a few weeks ago, hanging out with one of his siblings, who may or may not live nearby, and just basked in the simple beauty of it all as the summer sun still lingered in the sky, seemingly longer than it had to. A vendor sold big-ass tamales for about $3 each and the Militant went for it. What a great spot for a farmer's market! And what a place to be.

And hey, would you look at that, it's Tuesday today...maybe you too can hop on the Gold Line and find something new in Old L.A.

The Old L.A. Certified Farmers Market is on every Tuesday from 3 - 8 p.m. along Avenue 58 and Marmion Way, next to the (M) Gold Line Highland Park Station. The Militant may or may not be there today - but you oughtta be!