viewfromaloft

A Palin Palm Pilot.

DOTDOTDASH: I don't plan to stray away from Downtown Art notes or Arts District neighborhood news for national politics. Still, e-mails are showing Arts District locals are puzzled over Sarah Palin's rock star reception from Tea Party Nation  . . –– This side of the Alameda curtain, after all, is Obama country. TALK TO THE HAND: These Traction Ave liberals have smirked at Palin's line tweaking President Obama as a “charismatic guy with a teleprompter” before a number of cameras show her reading crib notes written on her iSarah . . . on her left wing.

DOTDOTDASH: GOLD LINE TALK

 

 

Little Tokyo / Arts District Station.

SUBWAY TO THE SI: Eastern Group Publications ride on the Gold Line media test run was a chance to give the Eastside community groups who have long advocated for public transportation some extra attention . . ––  Groups like the Resident Advisory Committee, aka RAC, and the Mothers of East LA, aka Mothers of East LA, spent years following the trail of bonds first approved in 1982. Yes, they are glad its about to open, yet there is still some disappointment that the Gold Line is not underground.

LIGHT RAIL ISSUES: Even with the line opening, RAC may be dealing with safety concern as liaisons to the community at large, and often found themselves thrown to the East L.A. lions when information was slow coming out of Metro . . ––  It's part two of a four part series. Last week EGP reviewed the path for funding, and next week the series will survey Gold Line's Public Art.

CONNECTION SECTION:  LAist links to The Gold Line Eastside Extension Map showing bus-to-rail connections. To add details for the Little Tokyo / Arts District Station, DASH A stops at the southwest corner of First and Alameda before heading toward the Arts District's Joel Bloom Square/ Wurstküche stop at Hewitt and Traction. ALMOST, BUT NOT QUITE A CONNECTOR: DASH A's extended trip around Civic Center,  and maddening layover in Little Tokyo,  makes for a long and winding road to the Blue Line at the 7th Street Metro Center Stop . . –– DASH D and the Metro 31/30 stops at north end of the LT/AD station, a few steps east on Temple.

DOTDOTDASH: The Politics of Art Edition

NEAR 7TH AND BROADWAY:  Two alleged street poets (above) were seen tussling in a heated debate; one says the epigram resolves verse on urban conflict with more brevity than iambic pentameter. The other did not agree.  More politics of art in Dot Dot Dash prose after the jump:

Nice View From Former Marshlands

DOT DOT DUST: The dust-raising makeshift soccer field in the former marshland now known as  MacArthur Park appears to be moving forward to its new incarnation . . ––  It will be a 37,000-square-foot synthetic field and children's meadow; that's a fancy name for soccer field) . . ––  The $2.5-million renovation project, that had a big send off by Council member Ed Reyes this past October, is projected to be completed by June.

Fairey Unveiled in Washington and Exposed on Colbert

MORE HOPE: Shepard Fairey's large-scale portrait of Barack Obama  was unveiled Saturday at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.  The image, this time as mixed-media stenciled collage, is considered an icon of a campaign as well as the candidate. It reaches Washington before Obama is sworn-in as president . . ––  "You are a criminal" declares Stephan Colbert  interviewing Fairey on the Colbert Report earlier in the week . . –– Fairey explains his arrest record as a street artist have him first contribute the image under the radar.

Photo: Full set from Cliff1066 at Flickr

DotDotDash: "not being PC for one day" Edition.

'Hello, I'm a Mac': Microsoft is responding to Apple's "Get a Mac" with a new campaign becoming known as "I'm a P.C." . . –– Armed with the tagline "Life without Walls," ad agency Crispin, Porter + Bogusky tells the world that PC users are also normal and creative, not just a nerd wearing glasses and a ill fitting suit. 

Man One Point "O"? Hes' an Aerosol Can: Briefly appearing in the television campaign is Crewest's Man One. The new PCnista adds style points for Windows by breaking the rules, while wearing glasses. 

Alt/Delete: LuisDS is a Flickr user who found “I’m a PC” metadata exposing some was produced on a Mac running Adobe Creative Suite 3  . .–– The revealing techy-info has since, as grafitti artists would say, been whitewashed.

.  . ––

'Hello, I'm a Smac': That could a tagline for popular The Nickel Diner, packed even more this past Saturday morning, the day of the LAT Column One story featuring the Main St dive-by-design . . –– Flashback at The Nickel: A solo diner sat was reading his LAT and did a double-take realizing he was sitting the very same booth pictured among page A16's six color photos . . –– What's in a name?:  Critics wonder if dish names  like "Smac and Cheese" and the "Nickel Burger" are insensitive, yet locals feel it's bold branding inspired by Main Street's reputation. Still, if it becomes a trend,  don't call the takeout Crack in the Box.
.  . ––
'Hello, I'm a Hack': When a blogger has credibility as a reporter, or writes all positive press,  they are called citizen journalists. When the news falls out of PR's control, it's sometimes returns that same blogger to being one of those gossipy wannabes . . –– One restaurateur was asked when they will be finally  be opened,  they stated they were about to do a soft opening before opening sometime next week. Then they peered intently, as if they were speaking to an employee in the carefully controlled kitchen, and said  "You better not write that."  . . –– Keeping news away from advertising/pr  is the separation of Church and State.  Speaking of Church and State:  A restaurant with that name just had a soft opening, and the official opening is next week.

.  . ––

'Hello, I'm a Retract': Two weeks ago, I heard an answer that covered all the bases: "Off the record, I am not able to comment on that, and that's off the record . . . . Don't quote me on that."  I will only credit it to undisclosed sources.

CTA gets MTA FYI

Chicago-based playwright and Tribune news researcher Brenda Kilianski reports that her city could look to L.A. public transportation for some lessons. The only-when-she-has-to-be L.A. resident first scoffed at the idea: back when she lived near the hole in the ground at Sunset and Western in the early 90s she recalls thinking  "A subway station? In L.A.? Yeah. Right! Well, people call it La-La Land for a reason."

She's sold now. And in case Chicago hosts the 2016 Summer Olympics, she challenges the windy fathers to build a comparable system within 8 years:

Remarkably, it took only seven years to open up the 17-mile Red Line from downtown's Union Station to the North Hollywood station in the San Fernando Valley. Sixteen stations. And the rails and stations are earthquake-resistant too.

How was this possible?

Well, a lot of money was thrown into this project. About $4.5 billion.

But seven years? Sixteen stations? And earthquake-resistant?

Perhaps imagination played a part. It's also called vision—something that's sorely lacking in Chicago and Springfield.

The CTA's "Countdown to a new Brown"? How many years? How many stations? And earthquakes aren't part of our reconstruction equation. We don't open stations. We close them. We put up with slow zones, evacuations and even derailments. And then we're told to "Leave early. Leave late. Alternate."

<snip>

In a city where a good portion of the citizens actually believe the Cubs will eventually win a World Series, you can't accuse residents of not having imagination. So why not believe we can have better government for ourselves, better public transportation right now?

Despite the apologetic tone in wanting to compliment L.A., the perception that L.A.'s public transportation is a black hole with no transfer may be changing.  view [Those old transit blues].

DotDotDash: Public Space

Palm trees in East Los Angeles frame the bad moon rising.

DOGS PLEASE: The Downtown Dog Walkers will meet this Wednesday in Pershing Square at 6pm . .––  Dog owners, and accompanying K9 as well I presume, are being encouraged to wear their best Los Angeles Lakers gear. The walk will be quick ‘cause Game 5 tips off at 7:30 . .–– For new lofties, Laker colors are purple and gold, not unlike the Pershing Square color scheme.

DotDotDash: Quick Bites

In between beating some deadlines, we jump in the truck and flick on the neon sign for a quick DotDotDash.  Your to-go plate is after the jump:

DotDotDash: Quick Trip Around Town

SAVEY FARE: Traveling in style via East L.A. Latinos Taxi Cab company, DotDotDash take a little trip around Downtown with a look at a communications on pace, the use of green space, and some ice in public space. It's below the fold: