HTLA- Episode 52: Exploring Fairfax Where Hype Meets History

Brian De Los Santos  00:01

[outdoor ambi - people talking] From LAist studios, this is How To LA. [music in] I'm Brian De Los Santos. Today we're kicking off the New Year by getting back to our roots.

Patrick Vukovich  00:10

When I first moved here, it was full of Judaica stores, which have since turned over multiple times.

Brian De Los Santos  00:16

That's right. We're exploring LA's neighborhoods.

Patrick Vukovich  00:19

It's like, very interactive, people coming in and out of storefronts, super pedestrian friendly.

Brian De Los Santos  00:25

This time we're in Fairfax, one of the oldest and newest neighborhoods in LA, and we've got a real neighborhood pro to show us around.

Patrick Vukovich  00:34

I'm Patrick Vukovich. I've lived in the Fairfax District for 17 and a half years [street ambi- engine revs]. It's my favorite part of town not just because I live here, but because it represents so much about LA and its history.

Brian De Los Santos  00:46

Fairfax is one of those neighborhoods that represents something different for everybody.

Patrick Vukovich  00:51

Skate culture, street style, sneaker heads, hipster eateries like Prime Pizza, Sweet Chick, Cofax Coffee which has the best breakfast burritos, and then there's Supreme, which was really the big change in the neighborhood that brought in all the new apparel stores.

Brian De Los Santos  01:08

You've got Ripndip, GOLF from Tyler, the Creator, and other hype beasty stores where people wait all night in line to grab new releases.

Patrick Vukovich  01:17

Then you have like the old standards, like Canter's. They have been able to bridge so many iterations of this neighborhood.

Brian De Los Santos  01:23

So, Patrick's taking us through this neighborhood and its history, telling us all about the best [street ambi- engine revs] and worst parts of Fairfax.

Patrick Vukovich  01:32

Here's the worst thing about my neighborhood- I live between two malls. The Grove on one end, the Beverly Center on the other. Weekends in December are traffic nightmares. [music out]

Brian De Los Santos  01:43

[outdoor ambi - people talking] Okay, since you already kinda brought it up, let's go ahead and begin with Canter's. Tell me all about the spot.

Patrick Vukovich  01:55

Yeah! It's a Jewish deli, though it's not the original location. Canter's started in Boyle Heights, then moved here with the movement of the Jewish population in LA. They are known for their food, for their baked goods, their pastrami, the cheese blintzes are my favorite thing in the morning. And then they have the Kibitz Room, [live music plays] their little music venue. It was like maybe on the way up to the Sunset Strip kind of a thing, when the hair metal days were big. [live music swells- singing begins and fades] You know, even today there are bands that are rockin' the Kibitz Room.

Brian De Los Santos  02:32

Oh, yeah. Also wasn't Hinds' first show at Canter's? [different live music plays] [singing begins and fades out] Okay, so anyway, I'm a need your pro tip for dining at Canter's.

Patrick Vukovich  02:43

I am picky about one particular thing at Canter's, which is I find the main dining room, the southern most one, to be somewhat physically uncomfortable because of the fluorescent lights behind those weird tree patterned panels. Whereas the northern most dining room, which is very mid-century, kind of Googie architecture style, is really cool and has much more comfortable lighting, very LA glittery tabletops. Very, very cool.

Brian De Los Santos  03:11

There you have it. If you can swing it, sit in a northern room. [street ambi- motorcycle revs] Don't get me wrong. This is a very pedestrian friendly strip, but let me make something clear. It is not fun to drive here.

Patrick Vukovich  03:27

It is two lanes in either direction, but there's no turn lane. So, because of all the people pulling in and out of spots, it's a little bit of a traffic bottleneck. [street ambi- engine revs] Now we're walking by Fairfax High School- [outdoor ambi - people talking] Probably see a lot of the prime demographic for many of the retail shops here.

Brian De Los Santos  03:42

Yeah, I mean, like these stores- I've seen dozens and dozens of people just like, in line at places like Supreme or these other shops, trying to get inside on a Thursday morning or even on the weekend. It kinda defines the neighborhood in a way. [Patrick: Yeah.] Now I gotta ask you, do you shop here?

Patrick Vukovich  04:00

I don't feel cool enough to shop in any of the clothing stores on Fairfax. I'm not a skater; I'm not a sneaker head. Thrift shopping though, I do most of here. So, there's like high-end thrift or vintage, and then there's the Goodwill one block off Fairfax on Beverly. There's The Council thrift shop and a few smaller ones, where I found some really cool items.

Brian De Los Santos  04:21

Mmm, alright. Hold up! So, what are you grabbing here at the thrift store?

Patrick Vukovich  04:26

I had a birthday party this year. The theme was the color of the year, which is hot pink, [Brian laughs] as determined by what people were wearing to the Met Gala. [Brian: I love that.] So like, shopping for semi-novelty items like that.

Brian De Los Santos  04:39

Mmm, okay. It's cute. Maybe I guess we can hit the thrift store on our way out, but to be honest, I haven't eaten all day and I'm kinda hungry. Since you're the pro here, where are we gonna go eat?

Patrick Vukovich  04:51

Well, okay. So, aside from Cofax, which is currently closed because it's late afternoon, my next favorite place is Jon and Vinny's, which is pasta and pizza. [Brian: Oh, cool!] It has a little wine shop in the back. [Brian: Ooo.] It's hard to get in for dinner like, [Brian: Yeah.] you have to plan ahead, but my highest recommendation is to actually go for breakfast.

Brian De Los Santos  05:10

Okay, more pro tips. I love that. Oh, it's here. [restaurant ambi] Smells so good. There's mozzarella- There's a bar looking at the pizza oven. People are chillin', drinking wine.

Patrick Vukovich  05:24

On the back wall is a little, hot pink neon sign that says Helen's, which is the name of the wine store in the back. [Brian: It's the color of the year.] Yeah. [restaurant music in]

Ivy  05:35

Hi, my name is Ivy, and I'll be your server today.

Patrick Vukovich  05:37

Something that should be noted is Ivy's shirt, which is Jon and Vinny's, but it's in like, Hebrew-style font. [Ivy: That's right.] So very much the character of the neighborhood with the Jewish history [Ivy: Love it.]

Brian De Los Santos  05:49

And Italian colors.

Ivy  05:51

You're right. It is. [Patrick laughs] I don't have anything to add to that, other than I'm required to wear the shirt. [Patrick and Ivy laugh] [restaurant music- singing begins] Have you dined with us before?

Brian De Los Santos  06:02

I haven't. He's a local.

Patrick Vukovich  06:04

I have many times.

Ivy  06:05

Amazing. [Patrick: Yeah.] Welcome back. Welcome.

Patrick Vukovich  06:07

I have a question though.

Ivy  06:08

Sure.

Patrick Vukovich  06:08

Do you have a favorite pizza?

Ivy  06:10

I do. The White Lightning I love, because it's creamy. It's a white sauce, and then it has a little bit of a spice from the pickled jalapeño. The most popular pizza is the LA Woman- classic pizza sauce, and then when it comes out of the oven, the burrata is placed on top, so the burrata itself is cold.

Patrick Vukovich  06:26

White Lightning and an LA Woman.

Brian De Los Santos  06:28

Oh, while we're waiting for our food, I've got some more questions for Patrick. And a little warning here, we're getting into some very controversial territory.

Brian De Los Santos  06:38

So, tell me more about the farmer's market because it's a thing here in LA.

Patrick Vukovich  06:42

Yeah, the farmer's market- Weirdly, I remember visiting when I first came to LA on a family vacation in 1987. It's a huge institution. It's a great place to visit for souvenirs, for all kinds of food. What I love about it compared to the mall next door, which is The Grove, is that there's tons of history in the photographs they put up. There's little history displays, like these kiosks about the development of this neighborhood, the development of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, it all comes from oil, because it's the Gilmore Family, but I love that they keep it looking the way it's always looked, and they have this embrace of how LA became what it is, and sharing that with people in the display there. The opposite next door, The Grove, is designed to make you think you're on some like Parisian street, and make you forget entirely that you're in LA. It's completely fake, all national brands, it's the freakin' Cheesecake Factory. [Brian laughs] Like get over it.

Brian De Los Santos  07:42

Okay, so this is no shade or anything, but since you're already a pro at everything we've been talking about, I want to hear about your pro tip about the farmer's market.

Patrick Vukovich  07:50

My secret about the farmer's market is the upstairs seating. Have you ever been? [Brian: Mmm, no?] It's above the toy store, above Kip's Toyland. You can almost always find something. If you get a spot near the windows, you can people watch down below.

Brian De Los Santos  08:06

Oooh!

Ivy  08:06

Woo! Sorry. Here's the White Lightning pizza.

Brian De Los Santos  08:10

Let's dig in. It's the cheese, it's the cheese. I love that jalapeño, and then, what is this, these flakes?

Patrick Vukovich  08:21

More cheese? [Brian: More cheese.] There's at least three kinds of cheese on this, and I can't identify any of them. [laughs]

Brian De Los Santos  08:29

Look, y’all. I know you can't taste this, but it was so delicious. [music in] You gotta take my word for it and maybe visit one day. Alright, anyway- Let's go on with the tour. [music out] [sound effect- record scratch]

Pedestrian  08:42

[unintelligible] ...Australian driver's license. If you guys are gonna buy me a packet of gummies, I'll get you one too?

Patrick Vukovich  08:46

If I weren't in the middle of recording a podcast [Pedestrian: Oh, sorry! I didn't even realize.] That's okay, it's a small microphone.

Pedestrian  08:50

I thought you guys were needing directions, sorry. [Patrick laughs] I feel like an 18 year old trying to score booze. [Brian and Patrick laugh]

Brian De Los Santos  08:55

Y'all, this only happens in LA. [music in] Anyway, let's go on with the tour. [singing begins]

Patrick Vukovich  09:04

Now we're approaching a huge intersection. There's a gas station. There's a bank on one side. Right across is the historic Fairfax Theatre, which only a year ago was finally given historic preservation status by the City of LA, but the developer who bought it years ago still is probably gonna turn it into condos. I think we need housing in LA, so that's probably good, but there's probably an argument about the amount of traffic it will add to the area. Catty-corner from the Fairfax Theatre is CBS Television City, a windowless building surrounded by a parking lot, surrounded by a fence, and a hedge, essentially impenetrable, completely unwelcoming, but on the other hand, it's very LA. [music out] They do have actually, a lot of audience shows there, so it's something that somebody coming to LA would interact with. [Brian: Yeah.] I have special memories there because I went on The Price is Right once and won. [Brian: Oh, wo- You won! What'd you win?] A storage shed, a queen size bed and mattress set, a year supply of Mylanta, four bicycles, a clawfoot bathtub, and a party boat.

Brian De Los Santos  10:16

You still have that boat?

Patrick Vukovich  10:18

The boat I sold to a guy who had just bought his first house on Toluca Lake. His name is Nile Niami. He's since got really huge into property development, and he most recently built "The One," which is the largest house in California that he initially was gonna sell for $500 million, and then the price kept going down, and it eventually bankrupted him.

Brian De Los Santos  10:42

That sounds sad. It is very LA though.

Patrick Vukovich  10:47

Probably the most newsworthy event in my neighborhood two and a half years ago now, were the big protests following the killing of George Floyd, and there is a scar in the asphalt of one of the police cruisers that had been burnt out. [Brian: Mmm.] I kind of like that it's still there because it just reminds me of, like something really significant happened here. It's still fought over, it's still argued about, the problems underneath that still exist, and there it is. It's just like a weird stain on the road.

Brian De Los Santos  11:20

I know the exact photo you're talking about. I know a journalist friend who took it, and I'm just like, that was a moment in time that we didn't know where our history was moving toward, right? So, thank you for sharing that. It was- [Patrick: Yeah!] very- It's a, it's a moment.

Patrick Vukovich  11:33

Yeah, and it was an intense day to be just like, at home. People running everywhere, people like, trying to like, bust open car windows, and then there would be like a woman just walking her dog.

Brian De Los Santos  11:51

[music in] Okay, one last pro tip before we go. We've been in all this commotion of cars and the bustle and hustle of LA. We're walking around [street ambi - engine revs]. This is why I got here late. There's so much traffic. So, what's the best way to get to this neighborhood?

Patrick Vukovich  12:10

The secret is to take Crescent Heights [Brian: Oh yeah.] because Fairfax bottlenecks, La Cienega bottlenecks, La Brea has all the construction with the new metro. Forget about the major streets. Go up Crescent Heights. Deal with the stop signs. It's faster, I promise.

Brian De Los Santos  12:24

I feel like your neighborhood friends might hate you for that, for like saying it on a podcast, but you know, thank you for sharing that. [laughs]

Patrick Vukovich  12:29

[clothing hangers rattle] This is The Council thrift shop, or the National Council of Jewish Women thrift shop.

Brian De Los Santos  12:35

I actually have been wanting to go thrifting for a long time. [Let's] pick out something for each other. Let's see what- Let's see what happens.

Patrick Vukovich  12:43

This would go well with the color of the year theme.

Brian De Los Santos  12:45

Alrighty y'all. That's about all the time we've got for you today.

Brian De Los Santos  12:49

[hangers rattling] Did I see hot pink over there? Polka dots? That's a dress.

Patrick Vukovich  12:52

It won't surprise you, but most hot pink things are dresses. [Brian: Oh.] [Brian laughs]

Brian De Los Santos  12:56

Special thanks to Patrick Vukovich for touring us around Fairfax today.

Patrick Vukovich  13:00

First of all, what do you think these are? [Brian: They're shorts.] They're shorts?

Brian De Los Santos  13:03

They're shorts. Okay, they're shorts. They're kinda big.

Patrick Vukovich  13:06

They look like golf wear? [Brian: Oh.] Maybe? I don't know.

Brian De Los Santos  13:10

We'll be back on our normal schedule this week. We've got so many exciting stories to share with y'all in 2023, so you know what you gotta do. Subscribe to the show and leave us a review.

Brian De Los Santos  13:22

[hangers rattling] Oh, wow! This is something I would wear. It's a hot pink, uh, tank top.

Patrick Vukovich  13:28

The mesh poolside would be very hot in that hot pink. If it's a little chilly for the mesh, you know just put on the pink under- [Brian: I love how you're giving me fashion hacks here.] Thrift exclusively. I could not piece this together at a normal store. Yeah. [Brian mumbles] [Brian laughs]

Brian De Los Santos  13:42

Alright, cool. Well, should we get this?

Brian De Los Santos  13:44

Don't forget to subscribe to our daily newsletter over on LAist.com/HowToLA.

Cashier  13:49

Would you like a bag? [Brian: Yes, please.] $10.93, thank you.

Brian De Los Santos  13:54

How To LA is produced by Evan Jacoby, Megan Botel, and Victoria Alejandro. Aaricka Washington writes our newsletter. Chris Farias is our social media producer. Our intern is Olive Bieni. Our engineer is Hasmik Poghosyan. Megan Larson is our executive producer, and I'm your host, Brian De Los Santos. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. [music out]