Experiencing Los Angeles

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Lincoln Blvd, Venice: Ugly?

In my previous two entries, I focused on the "funky" side of Lincoln Blvd in Venice. Lincoln Blvdis fun and funky, but as far as streets go, it's also pretty ugly.

In my opinion, it's one of the ugliest streets in Los Angeles. (If you think another street deserves this title, by all means, leave a comment and let me know!)

The street is flanked on both side by very tall electrical power lines. I don't know of any other major street in the city with such large, ugly structures.

Very few street trees, no parkways, and nothing in terms of a medium.

Imagine what Lincoln would look like with large street trees instead of power lines?

Traffic = ugly. This is traffic backed up from Washington Blvd.

The same intersection, looking north.

And "mini-malls." These started popping up all around the city in the 1980's, mostly taking over spots previously occupied by gas stations. They are, of course, several on Lincoln. They're obviously popular, and practical. But they're certainly maligned by a lot of people. My guess is because of an asphalt parking lot is the first thing you see, the chaotic feel of signage, and the bland and monotonous architecture. Topic for another blog entry. At least this one on Lincoln and Rose has a little landscaping up front.

More thoughts on the next blog entry: "Lincoln Blvd, Venice: Hungry?"

(originally posted 4/28/09)

Lincoln Blvd, Venice: Hungry?

Part four of a five part blog series on Lincoln Blvd. This one focusing on food and places to eat: "Tommy's" is a very famous local burger chain here in Los Angeles. There are numerous copy-cats, each with similar names: Tommies, Tomys, and (above) Thoma's on the corner of Lincoln and Rose. If you're looking for a burger, I'd recommend the original "Tommy's" www.originaltommys.com

McDonald's. Can't escape! They're everywhere, including - of course - Lincoln Blvd.

Taco trucks are not unique to Los Angeles, but I thought the grey bull painted on the side of Valentino's truck here gave it a very "authentic" look. Mmm, tacos.

Baby Blues BBQ was jumping! Saturday afternoon when I walked by the place was packed. Looks fun.

Casablanca is on the corner of Lincoln and Rose. My family and I ate here once with some friends. The food was pretty good, and as I remember they had a ton of mementos from the old Casablanca movie.

I expected to find the old "Pick & Save" discount store on the other corner of Lincoln and Rose. It's long gone and a Whole Foods" Market is in it's place. I'd say it's a step up (unless you were a big shopper at "Pick & Save").

I walked right by this earlier in the afternoon - missed it. I had my eye on Thoma's burger joint.

"Whole Foods" is a high end chain specializing in organic and/or locally grown food. We've purchased some things here. High quality, but also high prices. There's another "Whole Foods" in Santa Monica, which is a smaller store and tiny underground parking lot. It's really worth coming here.

Seeing "Whole Foods" as well as places like "Baby Blues BBQ" is a reminder that Venice is a community in transition. There continues to be a strong working class feel to the community, but there is also a growing gentrified class moving in. That's great for those who own property ... maybe not as great for long time renters (although both Santa Monica and Los Angeles have rent control). Final thoughts on my fifth installment "Lincoln Blvd, Venice: Thirsty?"

(originally posted 4/28/09)

Lincoln Blvd, Venice: Thirsty?

This fifth and final blog entry on my walk up and down Lincoln Blvd in Venice.

Part five: "Thirsty?" has nothing to do with bars or nightclubs.

It's based on the words of Jesus as found in John 7:37-39:

"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this He [Jesus] meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified."

I've driven up and down Lincoln Blvd hundreds of times. But it was only by walking up and down the same stretch of street that I noticed a few small churches that I had missed before.

The first was at Lincoln and California: Venice Beach Fellowship.

The church meets in a small strip mall, and has been in Venice since 2002. Here a link to their website.

Just outside were the church meets was this amazingly colorful textured wall. This could go in the "funky" side of Venice, for sure.

Venice, like much of the westside, has dozen of homeless people wandering and living on the streets. The majority are either mentally ill, have addiction problems, or both. Our family tries to play a small role in the work of Venice Bible Tabernacle, which has an extensive outreach to the homeless and those at risk in the community.

The Venice Bible Tabernacle is technically located on Washington Way, but their Thrift Store is right on Lincoln at Indiana Ave.

I've always admired the skateboard ramp that the United Methodist Church has set up. Thousands of people drive by this every day. Pretty cool outreach; I'm jealous (in a good way). I wish my church had something similar, but don't think their skate ramp on Lincoln has the same "neighbor and noise" issues ...

There were a group of teenagers and young adults with skateboards and BMX bikes when I walked by on a Saturday afternoon. Pretty cool, as extreme skating all stared with a group of kids from Venice and Santa Monica.

From what I understand, the older building off of Lincoln is technically their church's "Venice Center for Peace and Justice and the Arts." Their main church building is actually located on Victoria Ave, just off of Lincoln. I couldn't find a website, but they do have an article on wikipedia.

Sonrise Westside is a relatively new evangelical church serving Venice and the westside. They also got started in 2002, and are currently meeting Sunday mornings at the Boys and Girls Club (near the northeast corner of Lincoln & Venice Blvds.). Here's their website.

Of course, there are many more churches in and around Venice. But I was surprised -and very encouraged - to find Sonrise and Venice Beach Fellowship right there on Lincoln. Both of these new evangelical churches are renting small spaces and working to see Christian communities developed in the eclectic and urban environment that is Venice.

Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician and philosopher described a "God-shaped vacuum" in the heart of every individual. This is that same "thirst" that Jesus referred to that can never be satisfied by stuff, fun fixes, work, or even good things like family or relationships.

Many thanks to new churches here on the westside like Sonrise and Venice Beach Fellowship - as well as those that have been here for decades - that are working to help individuals satisfy that thirst that can only through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Welcome to the adventure.

(originally posted 4/28/09)

Sticker Shock: Cross Cultural Experience of Living in Los Angeles

photo: © heliphoto.net

Living on the "westside" of Los Angeles reminds us how different our community can be from the rest of the country:

--- hearing people in the grocery store wish each other "Happy New Year" in October (Rosh Hashanah = Jewish New Year)

--- having friends greet each other (and us) with what I call "the westside baise" (the European kiss on the of the cheek)

--- the dozen or more Spanish-speaking nannies on any given afternoon at the local playground.

Of course we're constantly amazed at what things cost here. And it's not just the cost of housing. Three things come to mind:

1. the local barber shop charges $30 for a regular men's haircut. Needless to say, I get my hair cut at a barber shop a few miles away on the southside of Santa Monica (in an area affectionately known as "Dogtown").

2. I know parking at some office buildings in Los Angeles can get pricey, but I had no idea how much. I had lunch and a meeting in Century City with someone from my church. Fortunately, his office picked up the cost of parking while I was there. Two hours parking was $32. Ironically, the parking cost more than the cost of lunch. Welcome to Los Angeles.

3. I took our kids to a carnival a local private school was having. Must have been a fund raiser, because the carnival rides were $5 - each. I quickly realized two kids on a 3 minute Ferris wheel would set me back $10, and that was just one ride. Then I saw they had "unlimited use" wrist bands. "Great, how much for a wrist band?" $100 - per person. We're not talking "Pirates of the Caribbean" or "Space Mountain" here, just simple carnival rides. I let my kids have $5 or so for some "games of chance" - which, fortunately, even if you lost, you won some kind of prize, sprung for some $2 cotton candy, and went home.

Living and ministering in this city, we're constantly trying to figure out what the Apostle Paul meant in I Cor. 7:29-31 when he wrote: "the time is short. From now on those who buy something [should live] as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of this world, as if not engrossed in them. For the world in its present form is passing away."

It all comes down to an issue of stewardship: how we invest the time, talent, and treasure (finances) the Lord has entrusted us with.

(originally posted 5/22/08)

Darth Vader at the "Computer Business Center"

Darth Vader mannequin at the "Computer Business Center" at Pico & 22nd.

I've been happy with the service there (the hard drive on my old laptop crashed a couple weeks back).

Love the brown tennis shoes.

"La Vida Lowrider" at the Petersen

"La Vida Lowrider" - was an exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Blvd. (at Fairfax) a couple of years back: www.petersen.org. Another homeschool dad and I took our kids there. There was a small exhibit featuring Pixar's "Cars" (the Pixar display was "good, but not great").

For me, because it was so different, so not part of my world, the lowriders were the best part of the museum. "Gypsy Rose" (pictured above and featured in the opening credits of NBC's old "Chico and the Man" series) was just one of about a dozen cars on display.

There is, of course, a negative side to the whole lowrider lifestyle - I'm certainly not endorsing that. But, living in Los Angeles and yet realizing the lowrider culture is so foreign to my own experience, I felt like a visitor from another country. And that part of the experience was actually refreshing.

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us." I Peter 2:11-12

(originally posted 5/14/08)

Pacific Ocean Park: 1958-1967

Pacific Ocean Park closed in 1967, six months before my family moved to Los Angeles.

I was jealous of my friends from elementary school who had been able to experience POP before it closed. To a seven year old boy, it sounded amazing.

Here's a map showing the size and layout of POP from a souvenir brochure.

Sea Serpent roller coaster and Union 76's miniature Ocean Highway

the International Promenade - a mini-world's fair section

Fisherman's Cove section

a final aerial photo of POP and surrounding community

A couple summers ago, I was with my own kids at the beach at Ocean Park and realized that we were standing just a few feet from where this huge seaside amusement park once stood. It's not as if there is something "better" in it's place - today, it's just beach and parking lot. Kind of sad. POP was actually owned by CBS - several of their TV shows were filmed there, including an episode of the old "Get Smart" series. POP closed in Fall of 1967. The photo below is very similar to the view we had from our home: POP closed but still intact.

It took several more years for fires to finally destroy it. The remaining debris and pier pilings were removed in the mid '70's.

I found the website: http://pacificoceanpark.tripod.com/ really helpful in terms of information on POP - and these photos. I also really enjoyed the book Venice California 'Coney Island of the Pacific' by Jeffrey Stanton (it's available for loan in the L.A. Public Library system). It's simply incredible to think 1/10th of the current population of Los Angeles was able to support three large amusement piers within a couple miles of each other.

Looking out to where POP once stood and seeing nothing but empty beach, I'm reminded of our own very brief lives and James 4:13&14- "Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes"

(originally posted 5/11/08)

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Saturday, May 22, 2010