As Angelenos rush to finish their taxes today -- Tax Day -- they will not be able to rush through Downtown Los Angeles during lunchtime. Over 1,000 people will march in protest of corporate tax dodgers beginning at noon. Locals may have already spotted banners hanging from Downtown overpasses and activists at Downtown intersections during their morning commutes, and the march is expected to cause serious traffic delays and rolling street closures. more ›

If you're sweating to an Ab Circle Pro machine, wipe those brows and confirm whether or not you're using a legit model. Sok Hun Kin, also known as Eric Jin, was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison for trafficking over 2,300 counterfeit, Chinese-made said machines plus DVDs, manuals and stickers for the product into the United States. Jin is a resident of downtown L.A. more ›

If you're in Downtown L.A. this morning, hop (or pedal) over to MacArthur Park on the park side at 7th and Alvarado Streets at 9am. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) will paint the final bicycle marking to complete downtown's first phase of bike lanes on 7th Street. more ›

Downtown L.A. bicyclists rejoice. You may finally enjoy the luxury necessity of bike lanes. Painted only on 7th Street, the lanes reach "through City West and MacArthur Park to Catalina Street, where 7th is interrupted by the site of the former Ambassador Hotel," according to Blogdowntown. more ›

Downtown L.A. residents are an inspiring bunch. According to an infographic released today as part of 2011's DTLA Demographic Study, the 'hood boasts young, smart, professional, pet-loving dames and dudes. more ›

LAPD released a detailed surveillance video of two women collaborating in the theft of a wallet from a baby stroller at a downtown swap meet. In the video, which is complete with blue-screen text commentary, one woman is seen screening another who tries several times to grab the wallet out of the stroller, before finally succeeding, at a store on the 500 block of South Los Angeles Street. more ›

Didn't get enough of your L.A. Noire fix with last week's then-and-now photo gallery? Check out the map above to find the modern-day locations of the buildings and landmarks featured in last Wednesday's post. Many of the spots are conveniently located within walking distance to Red Line Metro stops. more ›

The much-anticipated condos at L.A. Live are scheduled to open starting this month. The first escrow is set to close on Tuesday in the high-rise, luxury condominium complex located at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, according to the LA Times. Last summer, developer AEG reduced the prices on the condos between 10% to 20%. more ›

Downtown residents and visitors know the tell-tale signs: motorcycle cops standing next to their bikes at key locations, cones blocking streets, fake police cars for a city we don't live in whizzing by, star wagons clustered a parking lot away, detours a-plenty and no parking for blocks means there's yet another film shoot taking place. Filming in DTLA is up 20% and old frustrations are cropping up right along with it, according to Downtown News. more ›

Theft of electronic devices in downtown L.A. increases dramatically during the holidays and the LAPD is enlisting your favorite servers and bartenders to help you keep your cell safe, according to the LA Times. Police Lt. Paul Vernon is asking that servers at downtown eateries, bars and clubs keep a close eye on stray cell phones, cameras and other mobile devices that patrons may leave unattended while enjoying dinner and drinks out. more ›

Petula Clark is not the only one who knows that downtown is where you can go to forget all your troubles and all your cares. In the past year, 1,800 new apartment units have been added to downtown, according to blogdowntown. That's 54% of all new apartments added in Los Angeles County! That's...whoa. Despite the increase in available space, the rents in downtown are also getting a little bit...whoa. more ›

I'm thankful to live in Los Angeles - a city like no other. A boisterous mecca of people, places, experiences, movements, quirkiness and stunning beauty that's just as flawed as each one of us in some way. Instead of focusing on the many ways I hope L.A. gets better with age, today I'm celebrating a few only-in-LA experiences that I'm lucky enough to enjoy and that keep me sane when the traffic is overwhelming. more ›

Downtown LA's Central Library was just included on Flavorpill's list of the Ten Most Beautiful Public Libraries in the U.S. While we didn't need a list to remind us that the Richard Riordan Central Library, designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, is a gem to treasure, we'll take this chance to celebrate it anew. Not only does the library house over 6 million volumes making it one of the largest publicly funded libraries in the world, it's an architectural stunner. more ›

It’s been a couple of months, so bring on the NFL to LA stories! Ed Roski and that City of Industry Stadium was so last year. They got their environmental impact reports done and settled most of the lawsuits by the NIMBY folks out in Walnut, Diamond Bar and other environs heretofore unexplored. But since their plan is incumbent on owning an NFL team, this plan has fallen by the wayside. more ›

The Huffington Post released today a Los Angeles Magazine list of get-down joints in Downtown for outbound bar and club goers in their 20s and 30s and 40s (for example: Villains Tavern and Bottega Louie and Rivera, respectively). Why does the list only go to 40s? Because this is Los Angeles and at 50 you turn into a pumpkin, see a surgeon, spray on some money and start telling people you're 32. It's the circle of life. Mufasa. more ›

Sneaky Nietzsche, a collaborative and interactive theatre project, enjoys its world premiere today in downtown Los Angeles. With a burlesque dance troupe, homebrew beer, actors and a musical concert "performed by a fictional band of creatures," audience members can expect to be immersed in an "urban forest underworld" according to director Sheila Vand. Fanciful and deeply imaginative, this show is not to be missed. more ›

Devil’s Night, a Los Angeles production company and radio station, starts its drive-in summer series this Saturday night with the John Hughes’ classic Pretty in Pink. The summer series continues with two films per month into September. Located on an elevated parking lot downtown, the drive-in offers a needful escape from summer in the city. Patrons have the option of driving in and staying in the car or enjoying the film on Astroturf provided by staff. According to Devil’s Night owner Morgan Higby Night, the lot, located on Broadway and Fourth, “has this great feeling of seclusion and a great view of the skyline.” more ›

Wednesday night LAist accepted a dinner invitation to test out the dineLA menu. The first thing we noticed were the vegetarian options, assuming the risotto is cooked without chicken broth. The menu seems basic upon first glance, but the high quality of the ingredients and careful execution made the simplest-sounding dishes exquisite. more ›

Last night Cirque Berzerk opened their big top flaps to an enthusiastic crowd. Lucky for us, they invited LAist to check out what is happening behind the scenes when they are getting ready to perform in their huge new tent. Cirque Berzerk is running through July 5th downtown at Los Angeles State Historic Park. more ›

We took a visit to Gladys Park in Skid Row to watch the Central Station LAPD play another game against the Skid Row 3 on 3 League All-Stars. In last year's game Skid Row took it to the LAPD. However, this time around the LAPD got the best of Skid Row. It was a great game and the crowd (including some very interested policemen) were into it. More importantly though, it showed the positive programs that are trying to take root in the much maligned area. The League Commissioner Manuel "OG Man" Compito and his associates put a lot of work into the game and the event and it showed. He states that the game between LAPD and a team that includes some known gang members " is a testament to the great community spirit that Skid Row has." We agree... and look forward to more! For more information about the league and future events or how you can help, you can contact OG Man via email. Here is some of what we saw. more ›

Suede Bar, downtown's newest lounge, opened last week with little fanfare. Can the red suede bar that promises "beautiful staff" and a "sexy ambience" save The Westin Bonaventure from its tacky self or is it just more of the same? more ›

Last night we hit downtown L.A. for the Edison's weekly event, Incandescence, where vaudeville circus/dance troupe Lucent Dossier was performing from the stage, from the rafters, from the floor amid the audience. We sampled the absinthe cocktails which were served to us in vintage-looking glass bottles that we were allowed to take home. And even some of the liquor shots were handed to us in corked glass bottles that resembled those miracle elixirs con men used to shill back in the day. "Promise this will make us tipsy? Hey! It works!" more ›

Russian Tatiana Aryasova won the LA Marathon, and the $100,000 "Banco Popular Challenge" with an unofficial time of 2:09:32*, beating out the top "elite" male runner, Laban Moiben of Kenya, who clocked in with an unofficial time of 2:13:50. The petite Aryasova is in peak shape; she recently gave birth and resumed her training rapidly. more ›

Last Thursday evening, photographer/director Octavio "Winkytiki" Arizala (MySpace) celebrated the release of his Vivid-Alt (MySpace) movie at the Redwood Bar & Grill in Downtown LA. more ›

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For the last ten years, state representatives from Los Angeles have dominated the role of Speaker of the Assembly, including Mayor Villaraigosa, LA City Council Herb Wesson and Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle. Today, Karen Bass, the assemblywoman who represents neighborhoods from West LA to Culver City to Baldwin Hills, had enough votes to become Speaker of the Assembly up in Sacramento. more ›

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• Five are dead and one person was hurt in an apparent murder-suicide in Yorba Linda, close to the Richard Nixon Library. A 14-year-old called in to report that his father had shot him. Police later found that the gunman shot his wife and 3 of his children before turning the gun on himself.
• As we have pointed out before, it's not a good time to be a Republican. The state GOP is meeting in San Francisco (of all places) to talk about ways to help the party in which a deep rift has developed between those on the right and those to the right of them.
• In a headline nearly as long as the entire article, the Daily News tells us: Yes, you're paying more for gas. Average is now $3.10. We need to invest in alternative fuels. We need to elect a Democrat who will explore alternative fuels. We need to elect a Repuiblican who will drill in Alaska. We need to drive more hybrids. Fuck it, I'm off to catch the bus.
• Is Councilman Herb Wesson gearing up for a mayoral run? Hmmmmm. At least one blog might support some opposition.
• LAX could receive greater scrutiny if a study is approved Monday that would look into diesel emissions and how noise from arriving and departing planes affects surrounding homes. It's something that Bob Hope Airport in Burbank continues to grapple with.
• The nod for best movie may go to "No Country For Old Men," but the award for best tasting tap water has gone to Los Angeles. A panel of 10 journalists and food critics sampled sparkling, tap and bottled water from 19 states and other countries, including New Zealand, Romania, Macedonia and the Philippines before calling it for Los Angeles.
• And speaking of Oscars, if you are reading this, it means you are not reading our Academy Awards Live- Blogging. Even if you are not a fan of the glitz and glamor, I know you like our wit, and it's being served in 10-minute increments. more ›

Remember the good old days, when you would just end up at a random artspace downtown sometime after midnight? People would be walking around wearing bowler hats and bunny suits while loud noise/music/artistic expression screeched out from the next room. So you would wander into the next room and find someone bellydancing or putting on a burlesque show. And you would think to yourself, "Oh my God! Who are these people? How did I get here? and how am I getting home?" A few hours later, you would find yourself in some Little Tokyo hole-in-the-wall drunkenly slurping up noodles. more ›