Results tagged “chinatown”

       

FILM To anyone who has ever had a dream and seen that dream gone unfulfilled, I implore you to see Anvil!: The Story of Anvil and perhaps re-discover the inspiration to continue pursuing that elusive prize. Some have described Sacha Gervasi's hilarious doc as a real-life version of Spinal Tap, but the reality goes much deeper. So many would-be artists pursue success only to give up after a few years of failure. The boys of Anvil demonstrate how a true love of your craft compels you to never quit. Oh, and did I mention it was also fucking funny?

On Saturday night, Councilman Tom LaBonge showed off prototype neighborhood sign for the maybe-future Little Italy neighborhood in the downtown area. "The borders of what would make up a Little Italy would certainly take debate," noted Ed Fuentes of blogdowntown. "The Italian community in Los Angeles was originally centered in land that is today occupied by Chinatown." Last weekend's 1st Annual Taste of Italy was held at Italian Hall where in 2010, a museum is slated to open with exhibits intended to educate the public about Italian-American Angelenos.

It's been closed for a handful a years, but the Downey Pool between Chinatown and Lincoln Heights has begun construction and is expected to open next year June. The $2.2 million project includes a 3,000-square-foot lap pool, an 1,800-square-foot splash pad, and a 500-square-foot structure that will house new pumps and filter equipment, and chemical rooms. A pool in this park was original built in 1919, according to city documents.

            

Story by Gareen Darakjian, Special to LAist

Sewer work on a small section of Cesar E. Chavez Ave. between North Broadway and New High will resume today lasting up to two weeks (.pdf). Crews will reduce traffic lanes on North Broadway and Cesar E. Chavez Ave. to rehabilitate aging pipeline as part of a $2 billion settlement agreement with the EPA and Santa Monica Baykeeper. In 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency sued the city of Los Angeles over frequent sewage spills, which were reported to happen on average two times a day. Between 1994 and 2004--when the settlement was reached--it was estimated that Los Angeles had experienced more than 4,500 spills.

Jerry Seinfeld will be returning to TV as the producer and creator of "The Marriage Ref", a new series for NBC. No premiere date or time slot has been selected.

Instead of throwing all the unused food away, Doomie of Chinatown's about-to-be-closed vegan restaurant eponymously named after him will have a $10 all you can eat grub fest this weekend. But there's one catch, it's not going to be in Chinatown, it will be in... South Gate. The money raised will go towards them opening a new restaurant sometime in the near future, but many are hoping it's going to be much closer than... South Gate. More about the restaurant can be read here.

Doomie's Home Cookin', which just opened last October, has shut its doors in search of a more permanent home. "I don’t know what to say, I am completely and utterly shocked and saddened by this news. they were one of my favorite spots in los angeles, no doubt," vegan blogger Quarrygirl lamented this weekend. Doomie's opened when the dance club in the space temporarily shut down--it was a product of "hey, let's use the space for at least something while the doors are shut on the club." The restaurant became known as one a hot vegan junkfood spot, serving up amazing vegan chili cheese nachos, cookies and other homemade meals. They expect to open somewhere by the end of the year. to Quarrygirl, that's far off: "Unfortunately, on the first day of february, the end of the year is a long, long way away."

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy 4707! If there was every a time we needed a "Year of the Ox" it's right now. That's because "the Ox is thought to be the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work," and is a sign of power and modesty. Patience, dependability, achievement through steady focus--that's what this year is all about.

       

What do you do when the club you DJ at closes down temporarily? You can either get a new job, do nothing or follow a dream you've always wanted to do--open a restaurant. And that's exactly what Chef Doomie (some may know him as DJ Doomie) did when Roberto's closed down and the owners gave the "ok" to use the kitchen to start a comfort food (yes, not Thai) vegan restaurant in the space.

Tonight marks the celebration of the mid-Autumn or Moon festival, a romantic and legendary tradition cherished in the Chinese culture, but open to celebration for all. Going back over 3,000 years, the event is similar to a harvest festival, and is a time for families to come together.

Caught out on the streets of Chinatown...

The vermin are back this weekend as Jim Ruland's must-attend night of readings, Vermin on the Mount, features four indie writers tomorrow at 8pm @ Chinatown's Mountain Bar:
• Jim Krusoe, who teaches fiction at Santa Monica College, will read from his just-out Girl Factory which we highlighted not so long ago for its wacky incoroporation of LA yogurt culture.
• Sean Carswell, novelist, short story writer and publisher, will read from Train Wreck Girl.
• Tosh Berman, publisher of Tam Tam books, will read from Boris Vian's The Dead All Have the Same Skin.
• Dicky Murphy, who writes for television, will read from his collection World Cup Eagle.

              

Saturday night was hopping in Chinatown, from Hop Louie's to the Lindy Hop on the dance floor as the iconic neighborhood celebrated their 70th anniversary. A big band was on hand to provide the tunes, folks in 30s and 40s garb milled about, the shops were open, and the Central Plaza was abuzz with young and old alike celebrating Chinatown's history. To learn more about the area's features and stories (like why it's called "New" Chinatown!), check out LAist's Neighborhood Project: Chinatown.

              

After no less than seven LAPD squad cars paid a visit to his show on Wednesday night, Mr. Free & The Satellite Freakouts moved their Thursday night show to a new location. That's the freedom you get when the venue you play in a gutted out, filled with graffiti-art, orange school bus you own and drive across the country. So Mr. Free settled on an isolated spot on Broadway, overlooking the Corn Fields and Metro's Gold Line.

Over at B's Wonton Noodle House in Chinatown, LAist Featured Photos contributor ~db~ has a dilemma. "There are still literally dozens of soups I haven't tried at B's, yet the BBQ pork wonton is so incredibly good, I don't know if I'll ever get to the others... I think all this cost about 5 bucks. I could barely finish it, but of course I did."

One of most prolific LAist Featured Photo contributors, ~db~, submitted this salivating shot of his lunch at Philippe The Original in Chinatown with a mini-review: "The sandwich was surprisingly flavorless. The slaw was too sweet. The soup & tea rocked."

                    

Walking through the Broadway Arcade mall near the Jewelry District, Charles Phoenix rued the changing face of Downtown. The mall, built in 1922 and billed as Los Angeles's oldest shopping center, was the fourth stop on what could be Phoenix's last tour of some of the oldest and grandest sites in a city long accused of lacking history. But it was in the mall, where naked upper floors could continue the loftization of Downtown, that Phoenix revealed his love/hate relationship with L.A.'s true city center.

Yesterday, on the anniversary of his death, Chinatown honored the memory of Sun Yat Sen, who many consider to be the father of modern China. One of the local merchants searched for the right words to describe him, "He is like our George Washington." The statue of Sun Yat Sen that sits at the entrance to the East Gate was decorated with yellow flowers, and each ribbon on each arrangement was carefully placed so that the lettering would be visible.

As reports and tweets comes out of of SXSW in Austin, TX where BusinessWeek's Sarah Lacy reportedly held a disastrous interview with 23-year-old Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, news of the popular social networking site with more of a national and local business twist hit the wires: Paramount will offer movie clips via a Facebook application, a first for the movie industry.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has begun to get the word out that he plans on running for a second term. According to the LA Times, Mayor Tony made mention of his plans, along with "his most personal remarks to date about the political fallout from his extramarital affair" on Wednesday during an interview on the Charlie Rose show.

The annual Lunar New Year Festival continues today in Chinatown. Catch pan- Asian entertainers including Chinese acrobats, as well as Thai dancers and Taiko drummers. Food, games, children’s activities, and more will also be on tap during the free festival.

Come celebrate at LA's annual Lunar New Year Festival! Today the Golden Dragon Parade featuring lion and dragon dancers will thrill over 100,000 spectators along North Broadway. The festival continues until 8pm tonight, and runs from 10am to 3pm tomorrow at Broadway and Cesar Chavez.

The Lunar New Year has officially started, and pigs are like soooo last year. To usher in the Year of the Mouse and Rat, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles is hosting the 109th Annual Golden Dragon Parade and festival on February 9th and 10th. Performers from Beijing will lead the parade, followed by assorted city officials (Villaraigosa et al.), Mickey Mouse as grand Marshall, flower drum dances, a plethora of beauty queens, and lots of floats, costumes, and dragons.

Dedicated bike paths, more bike lanes, and bike rental programs, oh my!

ExperienceLA.com and Lonely Planet are running a community based Downtown photo contest. If you win, you're photo will be on the cover of the free guide that will distributed around LA and all over the world. And while you're Downtown shooting photos, drop by Pershing Square to go ice skating through the holidays. The tunnel on the 5 Freeway where a fiery crash killed three, shutting down the tunnel for over a month, reopened...

Looking for something fun to do this crisp Monday night before Halloween? Look no further, one of our favorite independent design companies, Enchanted Royals, who we highlighted almost a year ago for their adorable hand painted sneakers, T-Shirts and baby onesies, is having their website launch party tonight in Chinatown.

For the fifth year in a row, Liquid Kitty on Pico has won Citysearch's title of Best Martini in LA. Liquid Kitty harkens back to LA's dark, Chandleresque side, with dim lights and strong drinks. It reminds me of both the rat pack martini bar Olive, and a little bit of Yee Mee Loo's, an historic Chinatown bar. The Hollywood speakeasy feel is enhanced by the lack of any kind of sign out front with...