binary Los Angeles: March 2005

Campbell Feed Store

Curtis Gallery

Crown City

Ghirardelli
Ghost signs are faded painted commercial signs that are typical the only vestige of a once vestige of a once vibrant business district. These ghost signs were take in Old Towne Pasadena, whose building were saved by the redevelopment wrecking ball in the late 1970s -- unlike the shops where Paseo Colorado is today.

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Starbucks

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In the late 1980s when I was in high school, the only place to purchase a cup of coffee for a late night cramming was Winchell’s or 7-11. The only coffeehouse in town was the E-bar (e for espresso) located in a back alley in the low rent area that is now Old Towne Pasadena. The E-bar attached the Arts Center crowd and high school students who did not have fake IDs for late socializing. In college during the early 1990s, there were about there were about a half dozen cafes – which served espresso – but not coffeehouses. In 1993 or so the second Starbucks opened on the Westside across the Westside Pavilion. During the morning rush, one could expect to stand in line 20 deep for an espresso drink and wait 10 or 15 minutes for a drink. It seems to me that Starbucks created the premium coffee market and coffeehouse culture in the United States.

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tattoo

bohemian

Pregnant

Lady in Red

Public space allows for the widest range of activities for the widest number of people. In Los Angeles privatized public space, like City Walk and The Grove, serves that function. Venice Beach is perhaps the most idealized Los Angeles public realm with its open access and egalitarian mix people.

These pictures were with my Nikon N75 and the negatives were scanned with a HP flatbed scanned and color adjustments using curves in Photoshop.

No Bush

An American

Whole World in his Hands

Freedom of Expression

Fraud

Veterans for Peace

Since the election in November and I have become conformable numb to the events in Middle East. Instead, I have turned my attention to other pursuits like photography. At this Anti-Bush march through Hollywood to coincided with the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, the political rhetoric also has seemed to have shift to national and regional issues, like health care and social security.

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A traveling exhibit, memorial and protest relating to the causalities of the war in Iraq were on display at Lincoln Park today in Long Beach.

Dingbat

New Construction

Three Periods of Growth

Fourplexes

Mixed Housing Styles

Uneven Scale

The Slums of Beverly Hills is characterized by a mix of duplexes and dingbat apartment buildings. Although not within Beverly Hills proper, many of its dingbats were predominately featured in the movie of the same name. Unlike its easterly neighbor South Carthay, many of its historic 1930s duplexes have been demolished in the 1950s for the development of dingbats. In turn during the 1980s, many of the dingbats were demolished to make way for hyper dingbats, three-story stucco boxes with on grade parking.