angelenic: downtown los angeles

When the Spring Street contra-flow bus lane was removed a year or two ago, Main Street received a new bus-only lane, which operates at rush hours. At that time, the city also added a crosswalk push button at the Main Street crosswalk at Winston Street, between 4th & 5th Streets. Prior to its installation, the pedestrian signal was automatic with the timed change of the traffic light. Now pedestrians do not get a walk signal unless the button is pressed.

On this part of Main Street, except at rush hours, pedestrians outnumber cars. Yet the Department of Transportation seems to believe that cars should have priority at all times. In my opinion, this is bad policy, especially in light of recent efforts to encourage pedestrian scale development and a vibrant urban core. This push button discourages the use of the crosswalk, and invites jaywalking when the wait time is long or unpredictable.

Read more on the pedestrian crosswalk issue…

angelenic.com is the neighborhood resource for Downtown Los Angeles and environs.

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In 2003, not long after the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC) was formed, a group of citizens who comprised the Arts, Aesthetics and Culture committee (AAC) of DLANC requested that the City of Los Angeles designate of a portion of the Historic Core (Main and Spring Streets from 2nd to 9th) as “Gallery Row.”

The proposal was originated and presented by Kjell Hagen, owner of the Inshallah Gallery and Nic Cha Kim, an arts activist and playwright. At that time, there were only three galleries in the area: Inshallah Gallery on Main Street near 3rd, bank (Lorraine Molina) on Main Street near 4th, 727 Gallery on Spring Street near 7th (Adrian Rivas, James Rojas). The borders of the proposed district was largely driven by the desire for inclusion of the existing art venues, as well as the obvious potential for expansion and infill in the largely vacant district.

[Read more →]

Downtown Los Angeles was de-populated fifty years ago by a series of decisions at the highest level of local government and industry. Now, in a seemingly overnight rebirth (after a decade in the making), new residents are filling formerly commercial structures and new businesses are arriving. Where the old and new downtown meet, a thin red line runs, mapping out the desire lines of these two opposing forces. Isolated communities are springing up in pockets, and applying their urban expectations to what they find there.

Inspired by architectural critic Reyner Banham’s love of the City of Angels, tour company Esotouric’s new ‘Many Downtowns’ is a five-hour bus cruise of the major neighborhoods of Downtown, and how they have risen and fallen and are now rising again. It will look at the forces, government, big business and grass root efforts which are shaping and being shaped by this historic collection of buildings and lore.

How to get in on the fun after the jump…

Bert Green is a Downtown resident, art scene insider, and Gallery Director at Bert Green Fine Art.

It’s becoming common in the art world to think of Los Angeles as one of the most important emerging centers of art production, mainly due to the large numbers of artists living and working here.

More recently, the emergence of a large and high quality gallery and museum scene have catapulted Los Angeles into the top tier of world cities. The staggering number of cultural events to be found on any given day in Los Angeles is amazing, and certainly more than any one person could possibly manage.

Los Angeles is one of those places where you can focus your energy in one direction, whether it be music, art, or film, and have more than enough to keep you busy at all times.

More info after the split…