Race Report: 10.24.2010 Inaugural Los Angeles Rock n Roll Half Marathon

I didn't turn in a personal best at the Los Angeles Rock n Roll Half Marathon, but I'm happy with my performance nonetheless. I hadn't trained enough, and the course was tougher than I remembered. There were a couple of demanding hills including a cruel one at mile 10 that had me feeling lightheaded as I ran up it. So for all that, it was a good race. It's the fastest half marathon in a couple of years and my third or fourth fastest ever.

With the downhill start I took off at a fast clip, running the first two miles around 7:50/mile. The fast start also prevented my legs from fully warming up and soon my calves were feeling stiff and seemed to not want to loosen up. I feared that it would remain stiff and even cramp up before I even reach mile 10. Thankfully, after 7 miles the calves loosened up. By then, though, I had settled on my 8:00/mile pace and stuck to it.

Apart from the tight calves I had no other issues the rest of the race. I did feel the lack of training as my attack of the hills had less vigor and I was huffing and puffing most of the run. It would have been great to finish under 1:45, but I'm just happy that I finished.

The race itself was very well organized. The Rock n Roll organizers really know what they're doing. I hope the LA Marathon folks took some notes. The shuttles were fast and efficient, and the gear check station, with the aid of UPS, were quick and easy. I will definitely do this again. I can' believe I haven't done CIty of Angels the last few years. Hopefully this will be the start of a streak.

April Fools

Happy April Fools Day courtesy of Rufus Wainwright. Check out the familiar L.A. locations like Shakespeare Bridge in Los Feliz.

Race Report: 03.21.2010 Los Angeles Marathon

Time: 3:57:01
Pace: 9:02/mile
Overall: 2286/22299
Gender: 1811/13189
Division: 288/1678

My tenth marathon is over and done with. Fittingly, the Los Angeles Marathon--the one that started it all way back in 2005--marked the event. It was my fifth L.A. Marathon, and thanks to a great new course it was the best yet even if it wasn't my fastest. I'm hoping the organizers can keep this course from here on in because it's just about perfect--scenic, diverse, challenging, fun, and never boring. As great as the course was, though, the event had some glaring flaws that hopefully will be corrected next year. I'll get to those in the recap.

I set my alarm for 2:30 a.m. on Sunday so that I could make myself a bacon and egg breakfast. I didn't physically get up, though, until 15 minutes later, but cooking the bacon and eggs didn't take long. I thought twice about eating bacon and eggs (and rice), but I was really craving it. I worried that I've never had a meal like it before a race and I wasn't sure how it would sit in my stomach. My craving, though, prevailed, but I compromised by cooking only two slices of bacon and one egg, a small serving of rice, and a cup of coffee. It was very satisfying. Whenever possible, I may just have bacon and eggs all the time before a marathon. Afterwards I showered, put on my gear, and I was out the door by 3:45 a.m.

I had made up my mind to take the bus to Santa Monica in order to catch the shuttle from there to Dodger Stadium. Sunday morning, though, I had a brief doubts about the plan. What if I get mugged waiting for the line 20 bus? That would have been an ignominious way to start the race. Luckily, I wasn't mugged. In fact, the 20 was pretty crowded at 4 in the morning, and since there was no traffic, the bus zoomed along and I was in Santa Monica in half an hour, way before my scheduled 5:30 a.m. shuttle. That wasn't a problem, though. I just hopped on board the shuttle and I was whisked off to Dodger Stadium. I was at Dodger Stadium by 5:30, two hours before the race was scheduled to start. So I did the only thing I could do: I went to the port-a-potty and took a much-needed piss then found a place to sit and wait out the time while listening to some slow tunes.

Although there was no line at the port-a-potties when I got there, I could tell that the organizers didn't get enough of them to serve the 25,000 runners who have been hydrating all weekend long. This could be a disaster, I thought. I was sort of right. The lines were long, but when people need to piss, they'll find a place. I saw a lot of people clambering up the hillsides around Chavez Ravine for some privacy or simply going behind a dumpster. Some barely found any privacy but just took a piss anyway.

The two hours actually passed quickly, and even though it was a mild morning and forecasts were for a warm day, I got chilly waiting out there. So rather than check in my gear early, I just held on to it until just before the race was supposed to start so I could stow the extra shirts I brought. When I checked in the gear, I sensed another disaster in the making. The volunteer tagged my bag as they ought to, but when it was handed off to someone else to be placed in the truck, it was arbitrarily tossed into the truck--a truck whose number assignment was for runners with numbers 9001-12000 on their bibs, so potentially 3,000 bags will be stowed in that truck. Tossing a bag into a truck is not a system for handling 3,000 bags. Uh oh.

I didn't worry about my bag at the time, though. I had a race to run, so I headed off to the start line and realized that it was basically one big corral. The race was already late in starting. It was scheduled to start at 7:25 a.m. but they made an announcement that the non-elite runners probably won't be starting until 7:45 or so. As the wheelchair competitors started and saw where they were headed, I saw another problem. The first mile is a lap around Dodger Stadium, so the route swirls around the stadium. The organizers, however, had the amazing foresight to place the few port-a-potties they did order just outside of this swirl, which meant that if you were using the port-a-potties, you would have to cut across the course to get to the start line. Anyone who has been involved in at least one marathon would know that runners will use port-a-potties up to the last minute. Some even use it even after the gun has gone off. It's one of the luxuries of chip timing. Now, I don't know why the organizers didn't see the problem in this. Did they think everyone would stop using the port-a-potties before the race started?

Unfortunately, I became one of the victims when I decided that I needed to use the restroom and hoped that I could beat the start of the main group and get back to the start line with no problem. I didn't beat the start. As I walked out to go back to the start, an onslaught of runners was just coming around like a giant stampede. To cross would mean I'd get trampled. I considered just joining them and skipping the start line, but that would mean my time may not count. So, I walked away from the start line and jumped in with the runners who already started and slowly made my way to the left so I could get into the start. I succeeded, but I wondered how the others who were also stranded managed.

Since my watch strap broke a while back, I decided to run watchless for the first time at a race. I'm usually a slave to my watch during a race, dutifully marking each split, calculating my pace, and estimating my finish time. I will adjust my speed based on my splits. Without a watch, though, I'd have to base it on how I was feeling and the time provided at each mile marker. I'm good enough in math that I can probably do a quick calculation without it. To my shock, though, there was no clock at the start line, which meant I had no idea how many minutes after the gun went off I was actually starting. Not only was there no clock at the start, I didn't see one for miles one nor two. When I finally saw one at mile 3, it read around 45 minutes, which either meant I started about fifteen minutes after the gun or I was running really slow, which would not have been surprising because of the crowd at the start which required me to do some weaving and even occasionally stop in my tracks. I assumed, though, that I had started 15 minutes behind and tried to pick up my pace.

I didn't feel great in the beginning. My right shin had been tender for the last week or so, and I could feel it in the early runs. Not running much the last week also made my legs feel heavy and sluggish. I prepared myself for the possibility that I may have to drop out if my shin became a problem. I have yet to drop out of a race and I hoped I wouldn't have to now. But then, as I was climbing the steep hill on 1st leading up to Grand in downtown, my inner thighs began to cramp up. It was only three miles into the race and I was already cramping? This is going to be a lousy race, I thought to myself. Yet I kept going. I would just have to see how far I can go. By then the relatively mild morning was feeling like a warm, humid day. I usually don't take a Gu until mile 8 but I told myself I'll take one around mile 6. Better safe than sorry.

Even though I was having a lousy run so far, I did enjoy running through Echo Park and Silver Lake. However, I was disappointed by the lack of hipster support for the race. I was hoping the area would be teeming. Then again, it was still early on Sunday. I did find a few hanging out at the usual areas, enjoying their coffee at Cafe Tropical and Intelligentsia. The crowd grew thicker, though, as we entered Los Feliz and East Hollywood, which was a convenient spot to cheer because of the Vermont/Sunset Red Line station. I took a Gu at this point, and I think it made a huge difference in how I felt and gave me a nice jolt.

As I entered Thai Town, I was feeling better. I didn't feel my shin any more and felt more upbeat about my prospects. My time calculations also showed that I was speeding up, which helped boost my confidence. I saw Prame from GLU as I ran through Thai Town and said hi. After that, I found more people I knew. Manny and Mary Lou were right in front of the Hollywood/Vine station, but I almost missed them and they me. I knew Jane would be at La Brea and Sunset, and sure enough she was. She took the picture of me above as I ran towards her. I'm probably saying, "JANE!" in the picture. I'm always grateful for friends who come out to cheer. They wait and wait only to see someone they know for a few seconds and soon they're off. Cheering is really a lot of just waiting but it is also fun to cheer on strangers and to take in the scenery. Still, getting up early on a Sunday morning and braving the crowds is a lot of work, and it means a lot to see a friendly face in the crowd, especially when you're feeling not so fresh. I didn't expect to see Katie at mile 21, for example. It took me a second to realize it was her I was so delirious, but she helped pep me up in that difficult part of the race. So did Sonia, who ran with me for a few minutes.

Miles 10-16 from Hollywood through West Hollywood and Beverly Hills were my best miles. I felt great and thought I was running a great race. I was basically running the whole thing without taking walk breaks like I usually do. The only time I would walk was to drink. As soon as I had finished drinking I would run again. Even if this wasn't my fastest marathon, I can mark it as the first marathon I ran (almost) completely through. Running through West Hollywood was great, and I wondered how the Christian runners, the ones with Bible verses written on their jerseys, will react as they run through a gauntlet of men dressed as nuns handing them water and not to mention the go-go dancers.

At Century City, with a gradual hill making things tougher, I began to tire. Not as bad as I would have thought earlier, but the race was starting to become tough. Still, I maintained my pace. The worst section was the mile through the Veterans Administration grounds. My legs just felt heavy and it seemed warmer there than at any point in the race. The sun was breaking through the marine layer and there was no shade to be had in the grounds. I was grateful, though, that they didn't make us run up the difficult hill on Federal to get to Brentwood. Instead we had the more gradual hills through the V.A. but even those were tough.

Having run on San Vicente before, I knew not to expect it to be easy. The first part was a gradual incline and then only after you peak do you get that wonderful downhill portion all the way to Santa Monica. I still had to get through the uphill portion. Somewhere on mile 21, though, I made the mistake of grabbing an oversized pretzel that someone was offering to runners. I had been taking just about everything spectators were offering me, mainly oranges and banana, with the hope that it would keep the cramping at bay. It seemed to work. No cramping, just hints that they were coming. However, that pretzel became a small problem. It's not the spectator's fault. At that point in the race, eating something so thick and starchy probably wasn't a good idea. The pretzel soaked up the saliva in my mouth and I couldn't swallow it. The mushy pretzel just sat in the pockets of my cheeks. I needed water. I couldn't even spit it out! As you would expect, when you want something you can't find it. It seemed like ages before I came across a water station. Thankfully I didn't choke on the pretzel and I was able to spit it out.

Mile 24 through the end was downhill and it felt great. The view of the ocean was a great sight telling me that I was almost done. The cooler temperatures and thicker marine layer also helped as I got a second wind and began picking up my pace a little the last two miles. When I turned on Ocean Ave. I could see the finish line in the distance and throngs of people lining both sides. So beautiful. This was one reason why I love running the L.A. Marathon, seeing the community out there cheering on strangers and just being supportive. The crowds were thick everywhere, even areas where I thought residents would be unsupportive of the new course. The people seemed to embrace it and it's such great motivation to be cheered on as you're struggling for one last push.

I crossed the finish line with the clock reading 4:12. My estimated 15 minute lag time turned out to be right. My chip time was 3:57:01. This was my fourth fastest marathon and the fifth time I finished under four hours. I passed Andy at mile 24, but he wasn't too far behind me at the finish. I waited for him and I ran into David too, who ran his first marathon. He posted a great time for his first and beat me by 43 seconds. I almost caught up to him!

All in all, I enjoyed the race. The course was beautiful. Too bad it was marred by the flaws I already mentioned. However, the worst part was the debacle that was bag claim. As I suspected, it became a big mess. The volunteers couldn't find bags right away and it seemed as if the bags were just thrown into the truck haphazardly. The runners were annoyed and the volunteers were becoming stressed. I had to wait at least half an hour to find my bag. It was aggravating. The worst part was that I had asked Andy and his girlfriend, Lisa, for a ride home, so they had to wait for me as I tried to find my bag. Bag check had never been a problem for me before. Hopefully this will be addressed next year.

If the organizers can keep this course, I don't see why the L.A. Marathon can't be a world class race, one that people everywhere would flock to run. It really serves as a great running tour of Los Angeles. You see all the tourist sights in one day, and you witness the diversity of the city. From downtown to Echo Park to Silver Lake to Hollywood to West Hollywood to Beverly Hills to the Westside to Santa Monica--the course was a great snapshot of the area.



For my post-marathon meal, a conversation about burgers with Andy got me hankering for one. After a nap, I persuaded Jane to join me for burgers and beer at Umami. I capped it off with a shake from Milk.

Then I slept some more.

Until the Sun Went Down Over Santa Monica Blvd.

I don't usually like a good beer buzz early in the morning, but I definitely longed for alcohol soon after completing the Great L.A. Walk yesterday. I ran a marathon last Sunday, and I can honestly say my legs and feet were more sore from walking yesterday than it was running 26.2 miles a week earlier. What can you expect from being on your feet for nine hours?

But it was all worth it. I had a blast! Our merry band of walkers fell behind early on and never caught up the big group. It was my fault as I led them on an excursion to find Carroll Avenue so I can show off the great houses there. Unfortunately we got a little turned around and my friends got cranky at the hilly sidetrip we took. But we had a blast the rest of the way. We took yummy pit stops at Cafe Tropical in Silver Lake, Sasoun Bakery in Little Armenia, and Fulfilled Pastries in Beverly Hills, which made up for our run-of-the-mill lunch at the French Market Place.

Last year I did the Pico Walk on my own and stuck mostly with the main pack. But this year, as part of a group, including Sameer, who I met at last year's walk, I had a whole different experience. We may have been the last group to arrive, but we surely had an amazing experience. I can't wait to do it again next year.

A sampling of photos from the Walk. More on Flickr.

400th Post!

It's been a while since I've posted anything. I'd like to say that it's because I wanted something special for my 400th post, but really I've just been busy. Lots of changes! I started seeing someone, I moved and other things in life just kept me from posting, but I'll try to be better.

I haven't been running very much since San Diego, though. I'm out of shape. I ran a couple of weekends, but with a half marathon in three weeks, I'm not in the best shape. To get back into it, I went for a run last night around my new neighborhood. I mapped out a scenic five mile course that took me down Sixth Street to Rossmore. I continued on Rossmore to Beverly then to Larchmont. I then took 2nd Street all the way back home.

According to my watch it took me 43 minutes. Either I was fast or Google Maps is wrong in its calculation. Maybe it helped that I did stop halfway at Larchmont Village to buy a cupcake at the newly opened Crumbs Bakeshop. I ate half of it and took the other half home. Is eating a cupcake counterproductive during a run? Perhaps, but I won't make it a habit. Next time I'll map a course that takes me by Scoops Ice Cream.

When I got home I also bought two tacos al pastor from the taco truck in front of my apartment. How many of you have your own taco truck?

Save the Taco Truck, Save L.A.?

Taco Truck 1 am, originally uploaded by janelbot.

I checked out Zocalo's panel discussion on taco trucks called "Remember the Taco Truck!" at the L.A. Theatre Center last night. It was all last minute since I didn't find out until half an hour before. Thankfully I wasn't too far from the theater. L.A. Weekly food critic, Jonathan Gold, was part of the panel, as well as Chris Rutherford, one of the guys spearheading the online petition to save the taco trucks. Chris and I went to graduate school together and it was great to catch up with him afterwards and reminisce about the film class we took together--a class with only four students that we took turns teaching.

The panel was admittedly one-sided. Everyone there was in favor of taco trucks, although Barry Glassner was a voice of reason. He viewed the current ordinance as preposterous but believes the ordinance is seeking to address legitimate concerns. But everyone agreed that the one hour restriction is preposterous, not to mention the fine and six-month jail time truck operators might face. Hopefully a compromise can be reached, perhaps one that requires a truck not to park within 500 feet of another restaurant.

I think the discussion could have been better moderated as the moderator tended to draw attention to himself rather than keep the dialogue going. It was basically a taco truck love-in. Maybe everyone just loves taco trucks.

After the panel discussion a reception took place in front of the theater where a taco truck, Gorditas Lupita's, was parked and served complimentary food. I had the torta al pastor with a bottle of Jarritos. Ironically, a cop came by near the end of the reception and ordered them to move the truck. It was a beautiful scene as we all stood on the sidewalk with our food and clapped and waved as the truck packed up and drove off.

I don't eat at taco trucks very often, but I have never had a bad experience. The food is always great. I agree with the panelists that the taco truck helps create a street scene that is sorely lacking in LA. There are few places I can think of where people congregate with the various types of people who inhabit LA and the taco truck do just that. Concerns about safety is silly too. I've eaten at taco trucks in neighborhoods I would be scared of walking around in, but under the lights of a parking lot with dozens of people surrounding a taco turck, there is no safer place to be.

Race Report: LA Marathon - 03.02.2008

Mile 26!, originally uploaded by savemejebus.

Time: 4:47:26
Pace: 10:57/mile

It wasn't my fastest marathon--just seven minutes faster than my very first LA Marathon--but it was certainly the easiest, the most relaxed and the most fun. It was the first time I ran a marathon all the way through with others, and it made a huge difference. It took us almost five hours but the miles flew by. The next thing I knew we were in downtown heading out for the final six miles.

The weather turned out to be not much of a factor. It was sunny and warm, but it didn't bother me too much. Still, I would have preferred running the race during Saturday's weather.

FJ, Andy and I ran a very even race. We stuck to about an 11 minute pace and got through the run with no major hassles. Andy held up extremely well in his first marathon even though his longest run was an 18 miler. Truth be told, though, he has been training for his first marathon for the last three years. The anticipation was so great that an entourage followed Andy to support him. By mile 19 our entourage grew with the addition of Jimmy and Kate who ran the rest of the way with us and Katie joined as we were going over the 6th Street bridge. Even without the big posse, though, Andy said he realized with an hour left in the race that he was going to finish. And we did!

When I got home I ordered Thai food and tried to sleep. The sleep wouldn't come though and I wound up staying up until 2 AM. The food, though, was tasty. For dinner I cooked a steak, but the Thai food was what hit the spot. When I woke up this morning, I was barely sore. It felt like I had just gone on a 16 mile training run. Perhaps the days of incapacitating soreness after a marathon are gone. Recovery is faster as the soreness subsides within a day. During the race, though, my legs felt quite heavy while my breathing remained calm and steady.

The count now stands: 4 straight L.A. Marathons, 6th overall, and many more to come.

Just When I Think I'm Out...

26 Mile, originally uploaded by savemejebus.

Before last year's Los Angeles Marathon I told myself that it would be my last one for a while. There are many other marathons out there that I have to run and three was enough--for now--of the L.A. Marathon. For the rest of the year I was secure and satisfied with the decision and looked forward to cheering friends on in the race. With my recent move to Hollywood, it also put me in the perfect location to catch the runners at mile 3 at Hollywood and Highland, hop on the subway and catch them again in Koreatown, then to downtown. I was happy.

Two weeks ago, I got the itch. I looked up at a billboard promoting the marathon and I thought it looked cool. I bet the shirt would be awesome this year. Maybe I ought to run it and get the shirt, I thought. A shirt! $100 and 26.2 miles of running for a shirt! I quickly dismissed it but the seed had been planted. I then let it drop to my running buddies that I'm "mildly considering" running the race. It took very little persuading, actually no persuading, and I agreed to do the race.

I guess I really did want to do the marathon after all, but this year will be different in that I'm running it for fun. Honest. I'm not trained well for it, I still have a nagging issue with my knee, and I'm just not in the mindset to run a fast race. FJ and I are doing it to support Andy on his first marathon. If we post a PR, which I doubt, it would be fantastic. I'll be there to soak in the crowds, run with friends for the first time after being very much a solo runner at my previous marathons, and enjoying the wonderful soreness that will follow.

So look for me somewhere on the course. This will be L.A. Marathon #4 and my 6th overall. See you there, L.A.

No City For Old Men (and Women and Children)

Los Angeles::Downtown Los Angeles and vicinity, originally uploaded by mike_s_etc.

Much is being said over at the LA Times' LA Land blog about the report released today that shows more people leaving Los Angeles county and the state than moving in. Due to immigration and child birth, though, the state and local population continues to grow, but in terms of "domestic migration" we're losing more than we're gaining. The culprits appear to be cost and quality of living, but the comments on the blog also point towards xenophobia. If the increasing Latino population is the reason some people are moving out then I'm glad to lose those people.

I've grown up in southern California, so I'm a bit biased, but I love the place. Still, I think it's a difficult place to live in, and I'm always impressed by those who move here not knowing anyone. It's a tough road. New York City isn't the only city "where if you can make it there you can make it anywhere." If anything, Los Angeles may be even more of a make-or-break kind of city. It's certainly a difficult place to navigate, but once you've succeeded and conquered it, you know you can live just about anywhere. Whether you'd want to is another question.

Pico By Foot

Pico Blvd. Safari, originally uploaded by savemejebus.

Michelle Shocked once sang that you can travel for miles and never leave L.A. That wasn't quite the case yesterday when dozens of Angelenos set off by foot to traverse the entire span of Pico Boulevard from Central Ave. in downtown to Ocean Way in Santa Monica. We didn't quite stay within L.A. city limits, but she does have a point. There's so much of this city to see that even a lifetime lived here cannot guarantee a complete understanding of the city, and this fact was apparent as I made my way down one street in this city.

To be fair, I didn't quite walk the entirety of Pico. I got to downtown late and met up with the rest of the walkers at the Garment District, but I promise to make up what I missed some other time.

I'm tempted to describe the Great LA Walk in poetic terms as a triumph of the human spirit type of ordeal. It wasn't--at least for me. However, what it did do for me was remind me that there are innumerable wonderful people who make up this city who truly and proudly call themselves Angelenos. An event like this attracts the city's cream of the crop. I didn't get an opportuntity to talk to everyone, but I'm grateful for those I got a chance to speak with during the hours spent walking.

I just got back from seeing Before the Devil Knows You're Dead at the Westside Pavilion. On the way home I took Pico down to La Brea. It's a street I haven't regarded very much, but after yesterday's walk it feels reassuringly familiar.

Thanks again to Franklin Avenue for organizing the Walk. I look forward to doing it again next year.

More pictures from the Walk at my Flickr page.

Great LA Walk

Next weekend I will be doing 15 miles--the longest I've done since the San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon in June. Instead of running, though, I will be walking.

I am participating in the Great Los Angeles Walk organized by Mike and Maria over at Franklin Avenue. On Saturday, starting at 9AM, we will be walking the entire length of Pico Boulevard from downtown to Santa Monica--all 15 miles or so of it. This is the second year of the Walk. Last year the crew walked the entire length of Wilshire Boulevard, but this year's walk should draw more participants.

If you want to join us, e-mail Mike and Maria at franklin_avenue@yahoo.com. You don't have to do the entire distance--you can do all or just part of the walk.

Check out the Great LA Walk website for details. I can't wait!

No Plans on Sunday?

I'll be running a half marathon in San Jose on Sunday, but if you have nothing to do that day, I recommend you splurge a little and explore downtown Los Angeles in style by taking part in Charles Phoenix's famous Disneyland Tour of Downtown Los Angeles.

I did it this spring and it was delightful. A good time will be had by all and it's a wonderful opportunity to learn about Los Angeles arcana, the stuff the Hollywood tours never tell you. Have lunch at Clifton's Cafeteria, watch a puppet show at Bob Baker's theater, and have some ice cream afterwards. If not this Sunday then the following Sunday.

Sleepy State

I've had problems waking up the last two mornings. I should arise at 7 with enough time to iron a shirt, shower, get dressed and make it to work by 8:30. Yesterday I woke up at 7:10. Not so bad, but I wound up leisurely taking care of things. I even made myself a breakfast. I blame my sleepiness then on the late night I had. I had gone to see Avenue Q and had a late dinner, so it made me very sleep.

Today, though, I woke up at 7:45. I remember the alarm going off at 6:45 but then turning it off. Sleep was just so good! I fell asleep at 11:15--early for me--and had one of the best nights of sleep recently. The brisk cool mornings also don't help matters. Perhaps it's time for me to shut my windows.

In any event, I can't make this a habit. If only there were 25 hours in a day I wouldn't be so sleep-deprived.

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The LA Times had a big article about the opening of the Nokia Theatre. Hopefully this isn't another Staples Center journalistic debacle. With the completion of the Nokia Theatre and the entire LA Live project in 2010, there are hopes that it will become LA's Times Square. It's quite possible, and I can envision downtown being more of an inviting place to visit in three years. It's not really gentrification, even. Unlike areas like Echo Park and Silver Lake, downtown is being "gentrified" through sheer force by civic leaders and developers. It would be interesting to see if they succeed, and I certainly hope they do.

EDIT: The Daily News has a list of events scheduled at the Nokia Theatre. Judging from the list, it will be a long time before I ever go see anything there. Anita Baker? Enrique Iglesias? Larry the Cable Guy? Lame.

Scenes From the Eagle Rock Music Festival

The Oinkster. I had a burger, fries and root beer. I craved an ube shake, but since I had a halo halo earlier, I resisted the urge.



A punk band called Get Out singing a song about Asian girls.



Teddy's Cheer Club. They were quite good.



Jessica Fichot singing songs in French (and Russian and Chinese and English). I picked up her CD. It's delightful!



Random scenes at the festival.

It was a great event--and free! Unfortunately my camera's batteries died on me during Fichot's set, so I have no pictures to show of other great bands like Bodies of Water and Dengue Fever. I left two songs into Under the Influence of Giant's set. They just weren't rocking my world. I highly recommend the festival, though. It's well-organized and the music, atmosphere and participants are awesome.

You rock, Eagle Rock!

The Earth Quaked

Did anyone else feel that? I'm pretty sure that was an earthquake. When I heard the story about a tornado in New York, I thought of how great it is here in California. We only have to deal with earthquakes, and it's been years since the last one. I jinxed it. At least it was a small one, but at the same time it means that a big one has yet to hit. We're overdue. I've almost forgotten what they felt like.

EDIT: The Los Angeles Times confirms it. Magnitude 4.5. I'm not delusional.

When Bowling Was King

Curbed LA posted this YouTube video yesterday, a mini profile of Chris Nichols who just published a book on Bob’s Big Boy architect Wayne McAllister. He’s been a leader in preserving and saving mid-century modern structures as former president of the LA Conservancy’s Modern Committee.

It’s a nice little piece on Chris, but it’s doubly interesting because it features very briefly Covina Bowl. There are very few structures in Covina now that vividly evoke the city’s years of rapid growth from orange groves to suburban living. Those still standing have fallen into disrepair, while most have been razed and in their place stucco buildings have gone up. Covina Bowl still stands, but I continually think it won’t last either. Inside it’s not in the best shape even though its pyramid entrance is still a striking design element. Nowadays there are more “fun” bowling alleys to go to (Lucky Strike?) but Covina Bowl is a reminder of the days when bowling was at its most popular. It wasn’t just for kids, teenagers with nowhere else to go before their curfew is up, or the parents who were dragged there. Everyone went bowling!

As evidence of what Covina Bowl was like fifty years ago, just check out one of my favorite slides from Charles Phoenix. This woman is enjoying some fine dining at Covina Bowl.

While You Were Working

How do bloggers with full time jobs do it? Work has been very busy. Throw in the long commute, overtime and a messed up sleep pattern, and what's left is a couple of hours to eat and relax. It hasn't been all work, though. The long weekend allowed for some entertainment.

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SUNDAY
Saturday found me bored out of my mind. I sat at home and edited the tags on my posts. I had been putting it off for a while, so the lazy day was put to good use in taking care of a neglected chore. Regardless of how useful the free hours were, I had no intention of staying at home all weekend.

While reading my e-mail, I came across Charles Phoenix's Slide of the Week e-mail, which then led to me visiting his website. It was on there that I found out that there were still spaces for Phoenix's (possibly) last Disneyland tour of Downtown Los Angeles. I had been dragging my feet about doing it, mostly because of the price, so that I ultimately decided to put it off another day. I was also under the impression that the tour had been sold out. Faced with no major plans for the weekend and the fear of missing out on a one-of-a-kind tour of downtown, I went ahead and booked a spot on the tour.

I'm so glad I did. The tour was a blast. Phoenix is a true LA original. I saw his slide show a few weeks ago and had a terrific time. He's funny and also quite knowledgable. For the tour, Phoenix sought out to show that Southern California has two Disneylands, the second being found amidst the living, breathing surroundings of downtown Los Angeles. We started off at Union Station where we then took the Monorail--er, the Gold Line--to the next stop in Chinatown. We explored the various shops in Chinatown and then boarded our yellow school bus for Olvera Street, or as Charles called it: Old Town Los Angeles. Charles treated us to a taquito.

The tour included stops at Clifton's Cafeteria for lunch, a walk through the Arcade--LA's oldest shopping mall, a visit to the Bradbury Building, Grand Central Market and an old Dutch chocolate factory. Our next stop was at Bob Baker's Marionette Theater where we were treated to a short show. I thought puppeteering was a dying craft, but here they were training young men to be the next great puppeteers. Bob Baker, himself, came out to perform an amazing tap dance routine with his puppet. After the show, we we had some cake and ice cream while Bob Baker took questions. We then took the bus to Angelino Heights and the Victorian houses on Carroll Avenue before finishing up at Bunker Hill for a scenic walk through the sunken garden, then up to Disney Hall. On the bus back from Disney Hall, Charles and his crew gave us parting gifts, which included a marionette from Bob Baker's theater. Six hours after we started, we finished back at Union Station, said our good byes and looked forward to the next tour. Pictures from the tour can be found on my Flickr page.

Still not wanting to go home, I stopped by Audrey and Nate's neighborhood and had some bbq.

MONDAY
Despite drinking a bit of wine and beer at Nate's, I woke up early to meet up with FJ for an eight mile run. Again not the best run, but we finished strong. I doubt I'll be setting any personal bests in San Diego, but I think I should at least finish. Breakfast afterwards with Audrey was a debacle. The restaurant was understaffed and, of all things, took forever to bring Audrey's oatmeal--the simplest dish we ordered. It took us two hours to finish our meal, most of it spent waiting for food.

FJ invited me to a bbq at his place later in the day. He warned me that all the guests are neighbors and to expect old fogies and their little spawns. I had a great time talking to FJ's neighbors even though I was the only single non-parent there. I felt like I was living out a scene from Little Children. Still I had a good time and ate some great food.

The rest of the evening was laundry.

TUESDAY
To kill time as traffic died down after work, I went to see Voxtrot at the El Rey. Good show, but I was kicking myself that I didn't get Erica and Liz's phone call. Apparently they had an extra ticket for the Arcade Fire show. I missed it!

WEDNESDAY
Work. Work. Work. After work I ran six miles at the gym.

THURSDAY
Drove to San Diego for work. The event went well but the drive was rough.

FRIDAY
Quiet day at work.

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So that was the week. Tomorrow I drive back to San Diego to sign up for the marathon. If all goes well I should finish the race in about four hours.

I'm dog tired. Time to sleep!

Your New Favorite Waster of Time

I think I'm going to spend the next week or so digging through the UCLA Library's browsable website of 5,700 images from the three million Los Angeles Daily News and L.A. Times news photographs it owns. I love seeing how the city and the region looked years ago. It's a reminder of how--for better or worse--the area keeps evolving and shifting to meet the demands of its residents.

One of my favorite images is this one of an old Victorian house called "the Castle" that used to sit atop Bunker Hill juxtaposed against the rising behemoth of a skyscraper.



This picture defines much of what goes on in L.A. The old must give way to the young. It's still true today.

It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I discovered that the downtown I knew, the downtown I used to work at, was a recent development. Little did I know that gorgeous Victorian homes once stood where my old office building was, in an area that used to be the Brentwood of its day prior to the arrival of movie stars. I've seen old pictures of Bunker Hill and it's just about unrecognizable. Modern downtown LA has its charm, but it would have been something wonderful had both the new high rises could have co-existed with the old Victorians. The house shown above was supposed to have been preserved and restored, along with another house from Bunker Hill--the Salt Box, at the newly founded Heritage Square Museum. Both houses were moved with great effort to a park site in Lincoln Heights. Unfortunately, vandals broke in to the museum and carelessly caused both houses to catch fire and burn to the ground. Heritage Square now houses eight other marvelous structures, but none of them are from Bunker Hill.

Here are some other pics I found depicting life in Covina the way I don't remember it:


There was cattle grazing in Covina as late as 1976? I didn't even realize the land was used for ranching. I thought it was all citrus and walnut groves in the area.


I remember this campaign stop. I didn't attend, but it was a huge deal. I was in the fifth grade at the time. It's hard to fathom that this was almost twenty years ago. Sheesh!

It looks like I won't be bored for a good while with 5,700 pictures to sift through. Thanks, UCLA!

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Speaking of preserving local heritage, I attended a book signing tonight at Skylight Books for Chris Nichols's The Leisure Architecture of Wayne McAllister. It's quite an absorbing and beautifully presented book. As someone pointed out tonight, though built for practical, disposable gratification, McAllister's buildings were designed with a great deal of whimsy and personality, a far cry from the sterile, lifeless "leisure architecture" of today. McAllister is best known locally for Bob's Big Boy #6 on Riverside Drive in Burbank. He also designed the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.

Photos courtesy of the UCLA Library

Homefires

Griffith Park burned again last night. Just last month another part of it was on fire. Last night's fire coverage, though, had the added urgency of the possibility that multi-million dollar homes would burn down. Last I heard none of them did.

My favorite quote from the LA Times this morning was from one of the affected residents, Michael Widman, a New Yorker who has lived in Los Feliz for five years.

He said, "I'm done with L.A."

I say, "What a wimp!"

It would be interesting to find out if he means it. If he does, good riddance. If he doesn't, a good, big earthquake ought to do the trick.

Last night's fire was too far away to really affect us at the SGV. However, running in Arcadia just before sundown, my lungs were burning. It made for a miserable workout, but I still managed to get in seven or eight Yassos. I lost track. I also wound up missing most of "American Idol," so I can't really comment on the performances. It looks like LaKisha will be bidding us farewell tonight. Stayin' alive, she might not be.

Smog Still Gets In Your Eyes

Los Angeles once again topped the American Lung Association's list of metropolitan cities with the worst air. They do note that the air here has improved. As someone who grew up here, I can vouch for that. Back in the 1980s, growing up inland, the air can be so thick that you can feel it and taste it. I used to judge how good the air was based on whether I could see Mt. Baldy. If it was only 9am and I already couldn't see the mountain, then we were in for a rough day. I honestly can't recall the last time there was a strong smog warning. Are kids today still kept indoors when smog gets really bad?

If only people would stop moving here, maybe we can make some headway.

Oh, and this is my 200th post! YAY!