For the most part, San Pedro still fits its ancient reputation as a hardscrabble, blue-collar port city. We took a spin through San Pedro early last month and really enjoyed the place. A particular highlight was the window display at Williams Book Store. Any establishment that gives the patron saint of late-blooming problem drinkers with literary talent a place of honor is alright by the Fake Angeleno.
This likeness bears an unfortunate overtone of Dennis Miller...
Arts & Letters - San Pedro style at Williams Book Store.
Jessica saw a funny ad in the New Yorker the other day for a book called "Sixty, Sexy, and Successful." We were considering passing it on to some friends as a gag gift, so we looked it up on Amazon.
Hilariously enough, almost ALL of the reviews complained about ... the tiny typeface!
Now that's like rain on a rainy day ... forty years after Woodstock.
Enjoy the photo above? You'll want to pay a visit to the excellent East of West L.A. photo blog. The proprietor says he's "photographing L.A. -- all of it." [East of West L.A.]
Despite a ghetto design and UI, this bike routing site for Los Angeles actually looks like it might be useful. (Also has 95 Delicious bookmarks...) [Bike Metro]
Ugly Angel is a blog devoted to "an ongoing critical examination of Los Angeles architecture and urban development," and I just had a big laugh at their latest architectural "crime of the week" post. [Ugly Angel]
I snapped this picture many months ago and then forgot I'd taken it. I've never seen this vehicle before or since, but it was as if Daddy Warbucks had come to visit from 1933. Enjoy...
Attention local iPhone app enthusiasts and web developers: The new L.A. Metro development beta site is "a community website for individuals and entities who are using transportation and multi-modal data in interesting ways." [Metro Development Beta]
Unsurprisingly, LAist has a great rundown on the new site, which it sees as a harbinger of Google Transit's imminent integration with Metro... [LAist]
Speaking of which, here's a great blog post about open source urban planning which mentions our friends at the LA Streetsblog. [Wired]
Further speaking of which, be sure to read the Streetsblog post "Everyone agrees: Measure R should be used for cyclists and pedestrians." [LA Streetsblog]
According the the California State Parks Foundation, most of California's state parks are slated to be closed after Labor Day thanks to the budget dysfunction in Sacramento.
What a shame this would be for the Fake Angeleno's fall and winter travel plans -- not to mention nature loving Californians everywhere...
Want to protest/ lend a hand in the effort to keep our parks open for the public to enjoy? The video below has some details on the upcoming "Save Our State Parks" weekend June 20-21.
Gawker calls L.A. "just one big weed spot," thanks to the rapidly metastisizing marijuana dispensary scene here in town. [Gawker]
Overwhelmed by all the new weed spots offering formerly illicit substances? The Dispensary Guide can help you make an informed decision about where to fill your "glaucoma prescription." [Dispensary Guide - California Medical Cannabis Dispensaries]
Maybe Gawker is onto something: According to a recent L.A. Times article, half a dozen applications to open dispensaries are filed with the city clerk every DAY. [LAT]
One of the very few frustrations of not living in New York any longer is missing out on the new music/performance pursuits that my friends are up to.
Case in point -- The Dead Sextons... Joe Sullivan on sax.
Here's how Shadowtimenyc recently described the band:
“Saw this strange, swampy band before The Hunt played a few weeks back.
The Dead Sextons incorporate the croon of Nick Cave, the existential
sleaze of Tom Waits, and the undead Elvis rockabilly quiver of the
Cramps all steeped in the Delta blues. Not too hot on the outfits and
the MySpace tracks aren’t as down and dirty as most of the stuff I
heard live, but I gotta give the singer props for incorporating blood
into the set. All I can say is I’m determined to find out more…”
He's not kidding about the Nick Cave influence -- a video I saw of the band recently made me think of Cave's appearance in Wings of Desire. Speaking of videos...
The genesis of the band's name is pretty entertaining. A "sexton," I recently learned, is the cemetery attendant responsible for making sure the bodies get buried and the graves are looked after. Which leads us to the conundrum: Who buries and watches over the grave of the dead sexton? An existential question fit for a rock 'n' roll band, my friends. I hope you'll go hear them at earliest convenience.
