Los Angeles Is...Defined By Its Street Signs

The streets of Los Angeles are not just mere infrastructure, but they create geographical identities, local cultures, microcultures and sub-cultures, and become the live stage of the urban theatre of daily life in The City of Angels. And the most significant identifier of those streets are the City's street signs.

Since The Militant is celebrating his 10th anniversary online this year (#StayMili10), he'd like to revisit one of his most legendary, epic posts.

On March 24, 2011, The Militant wrote a post on the history of street sign styles in Los Angeles.  It gave Angelenos the ability to distinguish between Blue Blades and Black Blades, Shotguns and Trapezoids.

It got such a reaction that it became the second-most read post ever on This Here Blog, and it also prompted a sequel later that month, going back farther into the history of Los Angeles street signs.
 
In fall of last year (meaning 2016, we can say that already), Filmmaker and Mar Vista resident Ian Rutherford completed a clever short film, $500 and four months in the making, called "LA.Is" that describes, though images of Los Angeles (and some neighboring city) street signs and set to a spoken-word poem (voiced by Tania Hunt) some of what Los Angeles represents.

Observe, and enjoy:



"The idea sort of came about just by driving around L.A.," Rutherford explained to The Militant via email, on the origins of his short film. "I'm a location scout and I kept seeing signs that were fun and unusual. Future street was the one that sort of convinced me to pursue the short. Also, I knew about Rutherford street several years ago and that was always in the back of my mind pushing me to do something."

Rutherford filmed the signs starting in June, 2016 and spent his weekends filming them, guided by a working Google map.

He also wrote the poem himself.

"Some verses came to me beforehand (sunset/sunrise). Some verses were written in the car (detour/chase/marathon). It was a slow writing process until I found the cadence in my head. Once I had that, it wrote itself...Every verse references something I love about L.A., even though it may seem abstract to others (future/vintage/future i was thinking about architecture, like Googie and Mid-Century). The only topic I didn't cover in verse is food. Never found the right way to express myself there."

Great work, Ian! The Militant was smiling under his camouflage bandana mask. No pictures of course, but take him at his word. Militant Approved! 

SF Giants Win The World Series, LOL!

Los Angeles vs. San Francisco, circa October, 2012. Note the incidental Dodgers-Giants team color contrast between the two pics.

The Militant, eternal Dodger fan he is, was downright crushed to learn that the hated SF Giants won their 2nd World Series title in three seasons on Sunday, sweeping the docile Detroit Tigers 4-0 in the 2012 Fall Classic. 

Fortunately, following the game, rioting, arson fires and people doing all sorts of crazy shit broke out in the streets of San Francisco. The Militant enjoyed reading #sfriots pics on Twitter and munched on popcorn as he watched live streaming video of their "celebration."

Oh sure, Los Angeles has been known for riots. But let's face it, it's all in the past. Lakers championship rioting has become mellower with each title since 2000. And when the Kings won the Stanley Cup this past June, aside from a couple newspaper stands getting knocked down on Figueroa, there was no riot. 

In the meantime, we had real cool stuff like CicLAvia, a big-ass rock and a big-ass spaceship go through our streets, and no one caused any problems. 

Maybe Los Angeles is finally progressing, and SF is regressing? Guess it's time for us to be the smug ones now.

Congrats on your World Series title, BTW. Besides, two is still less than five. Giants still suck.

Every Day I'm Shuttlin'

Endeavour waits for some Randy's Donuts along Manchester Ave on October 12.

Just a week after Los Angeles' streets were reserved for our 9-mile CicLAvia, we had our own 12-mile ShuttLAvia running through the streets of Los Angeles and Inglewood as the space shuttle Endeavour did some cruising from LAX to the California ScienCenter.

The Militant, of course, was there, and wouldn't miss it for the world, nor did hundreds of thousands of Angelenos who wanted to catch a glimpse of space history roll before their very eyes on the very same streets they walk, bike, ride a bus or drive on.

Los Angeles was already lucky to be one of the four locations to receive a space shuttle: The Discovery was flown to the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum's Steven V. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA (Suburban Washington D.C.) where it was simply rolled next door from the airport (Bo-ring...). The Atlantis was taken to...well, it wasn't really taken anywhere at all since it just stayed put at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL. Only the Enterprise was actually transported along the Hudson River via barge to the Intrepid Air and Sea Museum in New York. But sucks to be them, since the Enterprise never flew in space, only as a test glider over the Mojave Desert.

Wonder what the fine for not stopping is.

Yes, Los Angeles was the only place where a freakin' space shuttle that actually went to space was transported along the city streets. We got to see something special, because we're a special kinda place. After all, the space shuttle is a So Cal native -- conceived in Downey and born in Palmdale. People raised their families here from the '70s to the early '90s with space shuttle-related paychecks. This machine was our homegrown pride and joy, and the Militant is proud to know that we got to keep the last one of these that ever got built. So next time you hear someone diss on Los Angeles, ask them how their city's space shuttle is doing. Cos suckaz ain't got none!

And though some people ridiculed the choice of the areas and streets the shuttle paraded through, there were zero arrests during the three-day journey. ZERO. Everyone dug it, and it made some of these neighborhoods considered "the ghetto" by many to earn a certain amount of prestige. Did the $1.7-billion spaceship roll through Brentwood? Newport Beach? Bel-Air? Beverly Hills? Nope. Knowing the NIMBY-types that live in those neighborhoods, they would probably blow up the shuttle before it got anywhere near their pristine fiefdoms...just speakin' the truth here!

The shuttle will go on display on October 30, so all you have to do is ride the (M) Expo Line to the Expo Park/USC or Expo/Vermont station. If you decide to go all astronaut cosplay for Halloween, y'all know where the party's at. In 2017, they'll build a new permanent exhibit for the shuttle, and have it reunite with its booster rocket and external tank friends in a simulated launch position...which The Militant isn't exactly cool with, since the active shuttle only landed and never launched round these here parts (though it almost did...). Plus it's one more thing to worry about during an earthquake, A shuttle in landing position would have been apropo and ideal for the Los Angeles exhibit, but dude, we got a space shuttle now!

Just this year alone, we got a big-ass rock, a battleship and now a space shuttle. What next for our great City?

MORE PICS (Because you haven't had enough of 'em)!

All this waiting for a stupid Toyota truck? (October 12)

The crowd at Crenshaw & Martin Luther King (October 13)

Endeavour in front of the Krispy Kreme on King & Crenshaw. Wassup with the shuttle and donuts? (October 13)

No Cruising on Crenshaw. (October 13)

Car-free streets for everyone at ShuttLAvia! (October 13

Victory Signs

The Militant wasn't kidding when he opened his last post, a paean to The Los Angeles Kings Fan, with a "May Or May Not" in terms of predicting a Stanley Cup clinch on Wednesday.

Now that the game has gone back on the road (which isn't a bad thing at all), and speaking of roads, The Militant noticed a couple street signs in town lately. As you know, The Militant is obsessed with our City's street signs. And then some. And this isn't the first time a sports team has been revealed through our City's street signs.

Along Beverly Boulevard, there is a "Kings Road" (pictured above) It takes 16 wins in the NHL playoffs to get Lord Stanley's Cup.

Since the Kings are playing the team representing the East, we head east. For 16 blocks, one block representing a playoff win.

So what street do we hit 16 blocks east of "Kings Rd?"

The Militant kids you not.

The Kings are also undefeated in Game 5s during the Playoffs.

We be gettin' the cup.

Go Kings Go!

Silver Lakers' Triangle Defense

As you may or may not know, CicLAvia is a totally awesome event that occurs on a handful of Sundays each year, closing streets to automobiles and opening them to bikes, pedestrians and any other human-powered transport.

After experiencing the awesomeness of CicLAvia for all three of its iterations so far, The Militant is inclined to say, "Shouldn't we have CicLAvia every Sunday?"

Do cyclists really lock their bikes up to a rack
that looks like a bike?

Well for a small section of Silver Lake (always remember -- Silver Lake is two words, not one) starting this past Sunday, you needn't wait six more weeks for the next dose of Los Angeles Street Awesomeness. In fact, you can has CicLAvia every day.

The Silver Lake Triangle (a.k.a. Sunset Triangle) is the junction of Sunset Boulevard, Griffith Park Boulevard and Edgecliffe Drive. Home to a tiny park with a fountain and the twice-weekly Silver Lake Farmers Market, this little area of public space is a popular one in the community.

Now the space got a little bigger with the Sunset Triangle Plaza, boasted as "Los Angeles' First Pedestrian Plaza" (Um, The Militiant disagrees with that little superlative...sounds like transplantspeak...didn't they ever hear of oh...Olvera Street or the Venice Boardwalk?) Anyway, Sunset Triangle Plaza takes about 300 feet of Griffith Park Boulevard and turns it into a big-ass lime green Twister board.

The space got its formal opening on this day,  and even afterward, adults, children, pets and even hipsters got to hang out on the space, sitting in umbrella cafe tables (pictured left) on this 85-degree Winter day. Large planters with non-native, but drought-tolerant flora serve as physical barricades to keep cars, trucks, buses and elderly drivers safely away.

The organization Streets For People (People on Streets! De-Da-De-Da-Day!) in cooperation with the Silver Lake Improvement Association were responsible for making it happen, a concept that had been in the planning for some six years.

This is apparently a pilot project, which means if successful, "Los Angeles' Second Pedestrian Plaza" may or may not be coming to a street near you.

In the meantime, come by to Silver Lake and enjoy this thing. The Sunset Boulevard bike lanes take you there, and Metro Local lines 2 and 4 stop nearby at Maltman. For the kids, it's a prime surface to go planking on, and the lime green paint scheme make it a perfect candidate for a St. Patrick's Day Flash Mob Street Party next weekend. Tell 'em The Militant sent ya!

On 11/11/11, This Militant Goes To 11

Gotta love being on the front end of the millennium. Some people say we're living in End Times, but in terms of dates, we're living in fun times. Two years, two months and two days ago, The Militant gave a big-up to the 99 Cents Only Stores on 9/9/09. On 10/10/10, The Militant joined tens of thousands at the inaugural CicLAvia.

So today, on 11/11/11, out of the four million people in Los Angeles, The Militant Angeleno was the only one who thought of no more appropriate place to be on that magic second than...1111 11th Street.

Of course, there's a West 11th Street and an East 11th Street, as well as an 11th Street down in San Pedro. Well 'Pedro is a long-ass bike ride, and West 11th Street? Though a major sports venue and entertainment center are located there, the 1100th block actually doesn't exist anymore, thanks to a legendary sports announcer.

So it left one solitary choice - 1111 East 11th Street, just off of Central Avenue. The Militant was in this area not too long ago, for last month's CicLAvia, but this place looked much different on a weekday.

The entire block is occupied by car stereo shops, as well as DJ/lighting stores. The area sounds like a mashup cacophony of rap and reggaeton music pumping out of demo speakers and fresh installs while, cars and trucks back in and out of shop driveways and day laborers hail every car that passes by in hopes of scoring a car stereo installation gig.

The Militant has come across unexpected retail areas of Los Angeles before, such as The Hair District on Wilshire Boulevard, but this is a new one...call it the Car Stereo District, Bass City or BOOMtown.

But on 11:11:11 a.m., on Friday, 11/11/11, The Militant spent the once-in-a-millennium moment here, on front of Sam's Music, on 1111 E. 11th Street:

And one of the store's employees had the most "WTF are you doing?!" look on his face.

So, Angelenos,  now you know where to get your boomin' system...on the 1100th block of East 11th Street. Where every day during business hours, the retailers on that block turn it up...to 11.

Happy 11/11/11, Everyone!

Conan's (Street) Sign Of The Times

The Mayor's office has responded to talk show host Conan O'Brien's request to have his own eponymous Los Angeles City Street. And lookie lookie, it also features one o' dem new-fangled Chevy logo/UFO street signs that The Militant talked about in great detail a few months ago.

The gist of the video response is that Coco needs to prove his worth to the City by giving back in some form or another. Though The Miltant has had his criticisms of Villaraigosa through the years (most of them non-transportation-related though), The Militant is 100% in agreement that the Boston-area native-via-NYC transplant has to sow, and not just reap, in this urban farmland of Los Angeles.

The Militant may or may not be a Conan fan of course, but the "giving back" mandate should apply to  everyone in the entertainment industry. Do we not have a huge divide between the money-grubbing entertainment industry and the countless urban needs in this City? Imagine if all the entertainment companies would "prove their worth" in this City (other than sponsoring the annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles, which seems to be the sole token example of community support the entertainment industry really does).

Furthermore, when the Angelenos listed their litany of community give-backs in the Mayor's video, The Militant couldn't help but realize that he's already done most of these things already.

The Militant has been living in Los Angeles longer than Conan O'Brien obviously, but his blog (4 years) has long outlasted the talk show host's 15-month stint here (7 months at NBC, 8 months at TBS).

So where's Militant Angeleno Street? RECOGNIZE!

(More) (Street) Signs Of The Times

Apparently The Militant's post last week on Los Angeles street signs was such a hit with y'all, spawning lots of retweets and links from other blog sites (thanks, yo!), that it reinvigorated The Militant's desire to post. No, really, if you take notice of The Militant's post count from 2009 on, it seems as though there's a noticeable drop in blog entries. Part of that is due to the Militant's busy and active extramilitant lifestyle, which has him do things like...(oh wait, he can't tell you that!) But part of it was a sense that...[snif...] no one was reading his stuff anymore, so why bother? But the response from the "Signs" post made him realize that despite other sites comin' out of nowhere, tryin' to rip off his game, The Militant still has readers [snif...]

Anyways, a few of the comments from the "Signs" post asked about pre-1946 Los Angeles street signs. He doesn't have the historical background on these, but he figured it would be cool to at least show you what they looked like, so here goes. Only because The Militant loves all y'all [snif...]. Back in time we go!

The "Plank" Sign: This was the sign that the "Shotgun" signs replaced. Incidentally, this exact sign, taken in 1947, was eventually replaced in the 1970s by the Blue Blade example from last week's post. These simple rectangular signs featured white letters on a black background, with the street type, abbreviated, shown in smaller font. No block number or direction were indicated. Apparently these became obvious collector's items -- one sign from Scott Avenue in Echo Park currently lives in someone's backyard.

The "Four-Sided Trapezoid" Sign: This example, which may or may not have been a City standard sign, was taken in 1937 on the corner of Bonnie Brae Street and Wilshire Blvd (below the street sign was a speed limit sign indicating 20 mph...so times haven't really changed, lol) in the Westlake District. The sign was placed on a lamp post and has four sides, two of which indicate the street the sign face is parallel to. The sign had white letter on a dark (black we assume) background, and featured the street name in large all-caps typeface, street type in smaller typeface and the block number at the bottom. It was also made of wood, and is so far is the only example the Militant has seen, so it may or may not be unique to the Wilshire Blvd corridor.

The "Paddle" Sign: Speaking of Wilshire Blvd, this sign was taken at Wilshire and Bronson Ave, circa early 1920s. They were affixed to opposite sides of a light pole and have black letters on a white background. No street type, block number or direction were indicated.




So there you go! Hope you dig it. Meanwhile, the Militant will be in search of photos (well, more likely paintings) of 19th-century street signs, and maybe even Mexican and Spanish-era signs! That would be hardcore!

(Street) Signs Of The Times

Have you noticed the new Los Angeles City street signs lately? The Militant has!

You can find them along the 1st Street corridor in Downtown Los Angeles, in the Civic Center and Little Tokyo areas. The aluminum signs are slightly larger than the current city street signage and have "wings" on the top and bottom, displaying the City Seal on the top wing and the block number and direction on the bottom wing.

These signs aren't all that new; they were first spotted in June of 2009, like the Main Street sign pictured above left. You would have expected The Militant to do a post on the signs back then, but he was too lazy-ass to do it. wasn't sure whether it was some sort of "pilot project" (as the City is prone to doing) or whether this particular signage style was supposed to be unique to the Civic Center. Some more information was needed.

This week, though, The Militant noticed more of these signs popping up - this time outside the Civic Center, like this sign (pictured right) on 1st and Alameda.

When he first saw the signs nearly two years ago, he thought they were kind of strange, mainly because of their UFO/Chevrolet logo shape, but admittedly, they have grown on him. They're large, and have larger lettering, which means they are more visible to motorists and pedestrians (and cyclists, too, of course) alike. Second, they are the first Los Angeles street signage to acknowledge the City of Los Angeles outright. Very important in this region of nearly 90 suburbs, satellite cities and unincorporated areas, of which street signage is the one of two tell-tale ways to know exactly which city you are in (calling 9-1-1 and seeing which police department shows up is the other, but The Militant doesn't recommend you do that...).

The street signs are the first new signs to pop up on Los Angeles streets in some 25 years, and are now the 5th commonly-found street sign type in town. It would be awesome if our City's street signs were all eventually uniformly updated to this one (though with the City budget ish, keep dreamin'...of course, the City can probably make some sweet revenue selling the old street signs for $50-$100 a pop, but you know an idea like that won't go nowhere in the City's bureaucracy...). Here's a little historical primer of Los Angeles street signs from the past several decades:

The "Shotgun" Sign (made 1946-1962) - Supposedly called because of the resemblance of the sign's shape to a shotgun, these signs are the oldest common street signs found in Los Angeles (though older ones still exist in various spots). These porcelain signs feature two faces and a hollow center. They are black with white upper-case block lettering, and the street type and direction contain a period at the end of the abbreviation. Though over 60 years old, these signs are the second most-commonly found street sign type in the City.

The "Black Blade" Sign (1967-1973) - These signs were made of aluminum and came in two pieces: The larger one with the street name and type, and a smaller one below with the block number and direction. Note the lack of the period at the end of the abbreviation. Also, these signs are supposedly the first street signs in America to feature lower-case letters. The lettering and border trim are made of reflective material for better visibility at night. BTW, Royalton Place is up in the hills near Coldwater Canyon Drive.

The "Blue Blade" Sign - (1973-1985) Here we have the world's most famous intersection showing off two examples of this sign, which is generally an update of the Black Blade sign. Also made of aluminum, this sign is made on a blue reflective background. Many of these signs are still visible on the City's streets today. Interestingly, unincorporated Los Angeles County streets use a nearly-identical sign type, (with a slightly lighter shade of blue) for their streets.


The "Trapezoid" Sign - (1985-Present) Unlike the previous two designs, this sign features the street name, type, block number and direction on the same piece. Made of porcelain-coated steel (with a thin hollow center), this particular sign type started appearing in 1985 and is the current and most commonly-found street sign used in Los Angeles. The angled outside edge of the sign gives it a trapezoidal shape.

Of course, this primer only covers the standard street signs placed on street corners and not the larger motorist-oriented boulevard signs that hang from traffic lights. That would be another post for another day. But you might want to check out this experimental LED boulevard sign in Downtown that the city sprang $3,000 for (the regular ones only cost $70)! But now you know all about Los Angeles' street sign types (dare The Militant say, you're now, "Street Smart?"), and you will surely now become The Life of the Party* with your newly-gained militant knowledge!

* You know The Militant is!

Chasing Arbor Vitae

The Militant had to drop off one of his unspecified siblings at LAX on Wednesday afternoon, and although the Militant was bike-less, he nevertheless couldn't pass up an opportunity to go on a Militant adventure.

The Militant firmly believes that the streets of Los Angeles and its environs tell stories, whether you read up on the history or not. All you got to do is pay attention.

So on Wednesday, he decided to follow a particular street that's stuck in his mind for years: Arbor Vitae St., which runs 2.4 miles from Airport Blvd in Los Angeles to Prairie Ave. in Inglewood, where the Hollywood Park racetrack property separates the street from a non-contiguous half-mile stretch to the east of it, where it turns into 92nd St. east of Van Ness Ave.

When the Militant was a kid, watching TV during the middle of the day, with a certain trade technical school advertising its services, and listing one of its locations at some "Arbor Vitae" place. Even as a kid, Lil'Mil was curious about an mysteriously-named street in Los Angeles that wasn't named after a local historical figure, a saint, a part of town or a number. Much less one named in Latin.

But you don't have to be the Pope to know that "Arbor Vitae" means "Tree of Life" (which sounds like something those Na'vi Avatar people would wanna hang out in).

The street runs in a straight line and cuts through industrial, commercial and residential areas, (in that order) from west to east. Unfortunately not much historical background onj the street could be found via online Militant research. There is such a species of tree as an "Arborvitae" which is a member of the cypress family. The Militant thought he had one of these trees on the grounds of his compound, but it was only an Italian cypress, which are pretty ubiquitous here in So Cal. On the other hand, most arborvitaes are found in colder climates such as Canada.

But alas, pay attention to the surroundings. Eventually the Militant stumbled on various Inglewood cross-streets with arbolesque nomenclature: Ash, Oak Cedar, Eucalyptus, Fir (and they weren't even in alphabetical order, like most cities are apt to do). And looking at a map, he also found other streets parallel to Arbor Vitae with such names: Magnolia, Elm, Lime, Olive.

So there you go, mystery solved. Arbor Vitae fits in with the theme. Inglewood isn't just the (once-upon-a-time) City of Champions, or The City Without A Mayor, but a City Of Streets Named After Trees.

Uncommon Encino

The Militant drove through the Valley, taking the long way back to the compound (as in the surface streets as opposed to the freeway, because that's how the Militant rolls sometimes) and happened upon this shining gateway over Ventura Blvd (pictured left).

It reads: "ENCINO COMMONS - The Valley's Miracle Mile."

O RLY? First off, the Militant couldn't help but chuckle that this part of Los Angeles has taken upon itself to make a comparison to...another part of Los Angeles. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but an illuminated archway over one of the biggest thoroughfares in the area should herald something more grandiose - more original, perhaps? Heck, you might as well go all the way with the hyperbole.

Second, aside from having a landscaped median, there's ironically very little in common with A.W. Ross' (no, not that Ross, but this one) retail thoroughfare over the hill. There's no art museum, no iconic art deco architecture, in fact no art anything (okay, fine, so there's a Color Me Mine down the street). There's no print or broadcast entertainment media companies (though this family in the neighborhood makes the tabloids often), nor are there any sticky prehistoric fossils to be found (and no, this guy doesn't count). Miracle Mile, the Militant's ass!

Further Militant research revealed that this sign was no fluke - it was the work of a local Business Improvement District, which, the Real Miracle Mile doesn't even have (do they even need one if miracles happen there?).

Now, this isn't a gratuitous knock against the 818. The Militant actually digs certain parts of the SFV, and would rather live there than, say Orange County or the Inland Empire (ugh). It's just that the boosters of "The Valley's Miracle Mile" ought to do a little research before making silly comparisons.

The businesses of Encino Commons have every right to beautify and promote their retail district, of course, so here's some alternate slogans they can use:

ENCINO COMMONS - The Valley's Encino Commons

ENCINO COMMONS - You're Not In Sherman Oaks Yet

ENCINO COMMONS - This is a Really Neat Sign

ENCINO COMMONS - If You're Reading This, You Should Be Watching The Road

If you happen to stumble upon "The Valley's Little Tokyo" or "The Valley's Highland Park" or "The Valley's Venice," please let the Militant know!

The Real Dodgertown: Russell Martin

Moving along on the Militant's "The Real Dodgertown" series, this week he highlights Dodger catcher Russell Martin:
Our Afro-Franco-Canadian behind-the-plate-kinda guy was born in suburban Toronto and raised in Paris, France and suburban Montreal, having attended the same high school as some dude named Gagné (no, not that one).

Often pointed out for his resemblance to Turtle from the HBO series Entourage, Martin was instantly promoted to the big leagues after then-catcher Dioner Navarro suffered an owie early in the 2006 season. Since then, Martin became a two-time All-Star (2007, 2008) and also earned Golden Glove and Silver Slugger accolades in 2007.

This season, his uniform bears the name "J. MARTIN" which led fans to scratch their heads and either wonder "WTF?" or assume he changed his first name to "Jussell" or is trying to do some J. Crew kinda thang. But he was only trying to give props to the surname of his mother, Suzanne Jeanson (pronounced "Johnson" or "Jenson," depending on how you parlez-vous français).

The Militant traveled to Los Feliz (which is incorrectly referred to as "The Eastside") to snap the photo of "Russell Ave.," which was taken at its intersection with Vermont Avenue. Nearby is the infamous late-night chow stop House of Pies, which serves up Canadian maple syrup in its pancakes and waffles.

The "Martin St." sign was taken in El Sereno (which is actually in The Eastside), where it crosses Budau Ave. - a name which is French in origin.

The Real Dodgertown: Casey Blake, Blake DeWitt

Continuing the Militant's on-going series on "The Real Dodgertown," where he attempts to amuse his readers with Los Angeles street signs whose names are the same as those of current Dodger players, the Militant is going 2-for-1 today.

In baseball, that doesn't make any sense, but you will get two players for the (free) price of one with this post.

The Militant roams around this City far and wide to do these kinds of things for y'all, so here it is:


Today's "Real Dodgertown" players are third basemen Casey Blake and Blake DeWitt!

Blake, as we all know, is the team's primary third-baseman, the first everyday hot corner occupant since that Adrian Beltre guy some five years ago. Acquired just before last year's trade deadline, the bearded former American League veteran has been one of the team's offensive and defensive constants this season.

The Militant took the picture of the "Casey Pl" sign off of Westmont Drive in northern San Pedro, and the "Blake Av" sign by Pirtle Avenue in Elysian Valley (a.k.a. Frogtown), just down the hill from The Stadium.

The team's other "Blake" 3rd baseman - Blake DeWitt (Incidentally, both of them sport a number "3" on their jerseys - Blake being #23; DeWitt being #33) , was best known as the minor leaguer, who, in 2008, got the call to be on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster, after Tony Abreu, Andy LaRoche and the brittle-boned Nomar Garciaparra were all on the disabled list.

In his first MLB at-bat, he got his first big league hit, and just weeks later got his first home-run. The phrase, "Is There Anything Blake DeWitt Can't Do?" was popular at the start of the 2008 season, with his first grand-slam projected for July, brokering Mid-East peace by October and curing cancer by December.

This season, he's racked up the most frequent-flyer miles of any Dodger in history as he spent most of this season being called-up (and re-called) to and from the minor leagues multiple times.

The Militant snapped the "De Witt Dr" (Okay, there's a space, but who's counting?) sign in the Cahuenga Pass area, off of Barham Blvd.

The Real Dodgertown: Orlando Hudson

Everybody knows the Militant loves Los Angeles, loves the Dodgers and loves the Los Angeles Dodgers. This year, although many hardcore Dodger fans lamented the team's closing of the Dodgertown training facility in Vero Beach, Fla and moving their Spring Training home to Glendale (no, not that one) Arizona, the upside was that Don Francisco McCourt has brought Dodgertown...to Los Angeles.

This year, Chavez Ravine has become "Dodgertown" itself, complete with its own zip code, and their "This Is My Town" ad campaign has spawned some billboards (both typical and atypical), as well as a way to get certain demographic groups to sell out some of the crappiest seats in the Stadium.

But after some Militant thought, "Dodgertown" has a deeper meaning: Perhaps it's been here all along.

There are hundreds of streets that crisscross this City (the fact that many of them are colored Dodger blue notwithstanding) and they can reveal some of the Dodgers themselves. Thus began the Militant's new on-going series, "The Real Dodgertown."

Today, the Militant kicks off the series featuring current Dodgers second baseman Orlando Hudson, a.k.a. O-DAWG!

The former Arizona Diamondbacks all-star was signed by the Dodgers over the offseason, coming off an injury with something to prove. It didn't take him long, as on Opening Day this year, he became the first Los Angeles Dodger to hit for the cycle at Dodger Stadium. Aside from his on-field skills, he's been a class act off the field as well.

The Militant took both of the above pictures on a bike ride along Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, where both Orlando and Hudsdon avenues intersect. He may or may not know whether there's some connection, but if O-Dawg is ever spotted shopping at, say, Crooks & Castles or having dinner at Osteria Mozza, the Militant would love to get a pic.

How Wide The Sidewalk?

The Militant may or may not have found himself walking in the rain somewhere in the Valley, in a somewhat familiar strip of Sepulveda Blvd. in North Hills. Shielded from the elements by his um-ba-rella (ella...ella...ella...eh...eh...eh...) he walked northbound along Sepulveda, walking ever...uh. Walking continuously...uh. Um.

Wait a minute.

Turns out the sidewalk was so narrow at some points that the Militant was literally blocked, and had to tip his umbrella at an angle just to pass, thereby allowing several drops of rain to dilute his camouflage garb, thus defeating the purpose of carrying any instrument designed to protect oneself from the effects of precipitation.

Could you imagine of the Militant experienced any cross-traffic with another umbrella'd pedestrian walking the other direction? Who would have the right of way? Would he and the other pedestrian be stalled there waiting for the other to pass? Oh the horror! But of course, this being the Valley, pedestrians were a woefully rare sight anyway, regardless of weather conditions.

So this got the Militant thinking, in terms of urban design standards -- Sidewalks should be wide enough for a person carrying a large umbrella to pass through unencumbered. A reasonable request, no?

Of course, so far, this has been a Valley problem, and the Miltant's short-term solution was to get out of there.

Hey DJ Won't You Play That Song...

The Militant always believed that there's a rhythm to this City. Or rather, many rhythms. Angeleno indie filmmakers Jerry Chan and Mitchel Dumlao recently made a 4-minute short film, entitled DJ:LA, proving just that. Just d-d-d-d-dig it (Note: The above YouTube video is just a one-minute preview; the short in its entirely can be seen here: http://www.slamdance.com/videos/products/662.html).

Special props to Militant Operative Valleypinoy for the tip!

The First Last Great Hamburger Stand?

Like the Militant always says, you see more of the City when you're not driving in your car. So when the Militant rode up Western Avenue after watching the Kingdom Day Parade on Monday, he had an, as Blogging.la calls it, ICME moment.

Behold, on the west side of Western Avenue halfway between 30th and 31st streets, stands a boarded-up teal-colored shack, boasting itself as being "The Original Fatburger."

Fatburger's corporate history site makes only scant reference to its past - that the iconic La Cienega location is not the first Fatburger, and that the chain was founded by a Ms. Lovie Yancey in 1952.

The official site does show a photo of the original stand (pictured right) which does bear a strong resemblance to the main photo above (especially in the neon sign and the front awning) but no acknowledgment of its Western Avenue roots. Can anyone point to the Militant any solid proof that this was indeed the first Fatburger? And when did it close?

Similarly, Carl's Jr's corporate history lets you know exactly how much the late Carl Karcher invested in his hot dog cart operation, but doesn't mention that his most famous cart operated out of the corner of Florence and Western (Wiki Wiki Wiki). Does this street get any respect?

Though both chains are synonymous with the West, they now have grown to where their franchises can be found in other countries, even other continents. But it all supposedly began on this one street, which doesn't get any props for its history?

Overlooked Los Angeles: The Washington Blvd. Buddha

Washington Blvd., obviously named after the first President of the United States, was part of the City of Los Angeles' plan to designate a series of major east-west thoroughfares after every U.S. president (hence boulevards Adams and Jefferson), but eventually hit a snag in 1912 when the City annexed the town of Colegrove (now part of today's East Hollywood and Koreatown districts), which already had streets named in honor of presidents Madison and Monroe (plus, how would the city honor the nation's 5th president -- another Adams Blvd?).

With Washington having been somewhat of an industrious man, it was perhaps a lucky coincidence that our street named after him would be somewhat industrial in nature, with large bakeries towards the western end, mortuaries (serving the nearby Rosedale Cemetery) in the middle, and more heavier industrial warehouses towards the east.

The other week, the Militant biked down the latter portion of Washington, where the rows of tacquerias and pupuserias transition into more bulky, spartan facades. Here, at the corner of Washington Blvd and Long Beach Ave (in a neighborhood known as Menlo Park), where (M) Blue Line trains snake through the middle of the street on their way to and from the high-speed dedicated right-of-way, stands a nondescript red brick building displaying nothing but a big blue and white sign bearing the name "Hanson Tank" in large block letters -- and a curious weathered concrete object, just a little over a foot tall, nestled in its own little alcove, above a doorway. Whatever could it be?

Years ago, a slightly younger Militant took a makeshift Blue Line tour with a handful transit enthusiast friends and acquaintances. One of them invited a tour guide, whom the Militant will call the Militant Elder (really, his name slipped from the Militant's mind), whose descriptions of otherwise overlooked structures, objects and sights helped change the way the Militant Angeleno sees the city.

The Militant Elder stood up in the aisle of the moving light rail car and pointed to the object in the Hanson Tank building. He told the group that during World War II, when most Japanese Americans were put into internment camps, there were some who avoided being sent to camps and lived secretly among society. So this building, during the War, served as a clandestine temple where Japanese Buddhists were allowed to worship in secret.

The Militant was blown away for many reasons - that in a country where people were supposedly guaranteed freedom of religion that they had to worship secretly, that Japanese Americans had to go through so much during the war, whether interned or not, and that there were little nooks and crannies overlooked by Angelenos every day, only after being discovered did they yield stories unto themselves. But the most amazing thing was that the Washington Blvd Buddha was not a victim of erased history. The Roy E. Hansen, Jr. Manufacturing company, which sells pressurized tanks for industrial use, deserves a lot of credit for letting that little tidbit of culture, faith and history remain, especially when they could have easily removed the statue and covered the alcove with bricks like what was done to some of the windows in the building. But then, that would have just been bad karma.

Councilman LaBonge Backpedals (And That's A Good Thing)

Not to be outdone by half a dozen or so members of his colleague Eric Garcetti's staff participating in a Midnight Ridazz tour a couple weeks ago, Los Anga-les City Councilman Tom LaBonge (pictured left) took to a bike himself on Thursday evening and joined riders on a 6-mile round-trip ride along the 4th Street corridor - the extreme southeast corner of his own 4th district. Organized in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, the ride was both a social event to meet the councilman and a way to help promote 4th Street as a bicycle-friendly boulevard.

About two dozen bicyclists that consisted of constituents, staffers, bike activists, three LAPD bike cops and at least two bloggers rode against the setting sun along 4th St. from Shatto Park in Koreatown, and up the socioeconomic ladder from the dense apartment blocks on the eastern side of the street to the stately near-mansions of Hancock Park, ending at Fire Station 61 near Park La Brea. Along the way, the police officers corked (velospeak for "blocking traffic to keep the mass of riders together") most of the cross streets, and even the councilman did some corking himself. An LAPD cruiser rode behind the pack to assist any possible flats or breakdowns. At the fire station, the riders were allowed to use "the facilities," as other participants chatted with officers, firefighters and fellow riders before riding through the station on the way back (pictured right).

The ride made a pit stop at Larchmont Village where most of the cyclists took over a metered parking spot (pictured left) right in front of the Above The Fold newsstand after an SUV just left.

"Let's see, how many bicycles can you park in this space?" the councilman asked aloud. "Seventeen!" he said, after tallying it himself, with room for a few more bikes to spare. The Bicycle Coalition folks got excited about not only the public demonstration of the bicycle-to-auto parking space ratio, but that a city councilman gave it his blessing.

At the pit stop, LaBonge treated the riders to a free cone of chocolate chip ice cream at the Larchmont Baskin-Robbins (the chain originated right here in Southern California) as the councilman chatted it up with not only the riders, but people who strolled along the village, including the daughter of KTLA reporter Stan Chambers. The councilman, wearing a light blue t-shirt and grey shorts, walked into the Louise's Trattoria next door, meeting and greeting folks. Los Angeles is LaBonge's small town as well.

The ride went along 2nd street for most of the way this time, the councilman calling out the route, and eventually landed back onto 4th Street at Kingsley Drive. There were definite signs of the "bike boulevard" concept in more than just the green "Bike Route" signs -- at Normandie Ave., the crosswalks were even outfitted with street crossing signal buttons for bicyclists! (pictured right)

The Militant even chatted with the councilman along the ride, telling the politico how he enjoys biking in streets of the Valley at night during the summer. It might have been because of the conversation, that near the end of the route, LaBonge announced to the riders that he would make this ride a monthly event, on the last Thursday of the month, and that the next one on September 27 would go from his Valley field office in Toluca Lake on through the Chandler Blvd. bike path in North Hollywood.

See? The Militant has proven he already has influence on our public officials.

Tom LaBonge's style has been described as loud, garish, grandstanding, extroverted, showy. But the Militant got to see another side of the councilman: The city geek. Which was a good thing, as a number of the riders were city geeks as well (most especially the blogging contingent). From mentioning the historical significance of nearby Hoover Street at the beginning of the ride (it was the original western boundary of the city when it was incorporated in 1850) to Western Avenue (the city's new western boundary in 1915) to chatting about the design of the Los Angeles River bridges, this guy not only knows the city, but seems to have fun with it. During the ride back, he led the pack, not just because he was the councilman but because he seemed so damn excited about doing this, including pushing the crosswalk buttons at major intersections. He even stopped to pick up a piece of paper left on the street and disposed of it in a nearby trash bin (of course, this was in Hancock Park...). Yeah, maybe he was showing off, but unlike many other local politicians who insist on getting chauffeured around town, LaBonge seemed to enjoy experiencing the city...which is probably as close to being Militant as far as a local public official can get...(well, for now, at least...).

Hidden Palms

The Militant went on a classified mission to The Westside on Sunday night, which was eventually aborted, but the silver lining in the cloud was that he discovered a little "village" atmosphere nestled away in Palms.

National Blvd, which was once a fine, straight thoroughfare before the Santa Monica Freeway got built in the late 1950s-early 1960s, was forced to go all twisty, resulting in confusing directions and strange 90-degree turns in many places (which has caused many an accident, including one on this night, where a white Chevy SUV dented the driver-side doors of a black Prius - pictured above). One of them is just west of Motor Ave. where a neato little retail district has been built around the sharp curve. Here sprouts Cheviot Farms market and deli, an Indonesian restaurant (the consul general-approved Indo Cafe, where the Militant conducted some research for his little ice dessert quest) and an Indonesian Market and Cafe (Simpang Asia, where the Militant sampled some fried, filled appetizer goodies called risoles and krokets). The street also sports a vegan restaurant, a Szechuan diner, a bar/karaoke joint, a gelato shop, an antique store and a hipster-ish hat shop.

Around the corner on Motor Ave. was a little neighborhood pizza joint, an Iranian Islamic mosque and cultural center and an Italian Restaurant But the biggest surprise for the Militant was inadvertently stumbling into The Palmer Room, which adjoins the restaurant and is one of the up-and-coming venues for music and comedy in town. The Militant, though an avowed non-Westsider, grudgingly admits that if he was forced to live in the Westside (via methods that would warrant some sort of human rights violation), he'd choose this little neighborhood...but not until after the second phase of the Exposition Line gets finished out there.