Chicago to LA - Three Month Report Card: Things We Like About LA

Inspired by the series over at The Fake Angeleno I thought we would take inventory of our first three months here in LA and issue a series titled: Chicago to LA - 3 Month Report Card.

Kicking things off in the series are Things We Like About LA. This blog has given Los Angeles a tough go of it from time to time, but today H and I would like to tell you about some of the things we’ve come to like/love living here.

The Re-Development of Downtown - Back in January when we made our first visit to Los Angeles people kept telling us about the re-development of downtown; how much things are changing and what an exciting time it is here in the heart of the city. After three months we both agree how exhilarating it can be at times to walk amongst the construction and see a new skyline being born in our backyard. Sure the constant backup beeping and the dirt and dust get old quick but it’s a small price to pay in order to speak proudly when someone asks you were you live. Neither of us are convinced the city has it all figured out - there is little greenspace and no action to create any in the immediate future; delays in permits and inspections halt the timely opening of new business; the lack of well known retailers in the core isn’t conducive in keeping residents in the city for their shopping; and there are plenty of socio-econimc problems to be addressed. All that aside, it certainly is fun to see a new floor go up each week on the building across the street from us as well as running into new neighbors and hearing about their new found downtown experience.

Watching Hollywood in Action - We’ve seen movies being filmed before including the last two Batmans in Chicago. Back when I lived in Canada a certain scene from the first X-Men movie was on my way to school every day. But only in LA can you see Hollywood in action - commercials being filmed and all of a sudden weeks later you are sitting there watching it all unfold in-between the latest episode of Big Brother. Television shows and their stars hang out on the sidewalk and mingle amongst downtown residents for an hour as the crew prepares a scene that will last no more than 10 seconds on air. The other day we’re at the Grove and park our car over looking a CBS lot. Another time we are in Burbank and drive past the Disney and Warner Brothers studios. It’s just a little strange to see all those things on tv being created right here in your backyard. I know a lot of downtown residents complain about FilmLA and the studios filming in the city but it’s never an issue with us and I don’t think it ever would be.

The Ocean - The Pacific right? Just checking … It’s always fun to hop in the car and half an hour later be walking with my feet in the ocean. I’ve always grown up around the water, at least having it close by. It’s one thing to be near a harbor or Lake Michigan, but there is a certain allure of being around the ocean. Neither H nor I are beach people in that you won’t find us packing up our stuff and heading to lay in the sand for hours at a time. But we do enjoy walking along the water or driving up and down the Pacific Coast Highway and hearing the water crash against the rocks.

Bugs - Every time we toured an apartment we kept asking why there were no screens in the windows. Of course very few people had an answer but no so long after being here we realized it’s because there are very few bugs. Yeah the moths were kind of crazy during the month of April but we never see flies, no mosquitoes, nothing. Why is that? Honestly if I don’t get an answer I will be just fine because I am not big on bugs and I am glad they aren’t around as much here. For you people in other areas or recent transplants to LA - can you imagine having your window open for hours on end back home on a warm summer night without screens? Impossible.

Weather - Only in LA can you make plans that involve being outdoors and not having to worry about things falling through. Sure it’s a little strange for the weather to be in the 80s every day without a drop of rain in months but at least there is no humidity. Morning, afternoon and evening walks never leaving you gasping for breath the way humidity does in other parts of North America. We also love the fact you can go to the beach and it’s never so hot out that you can stand it because the temperature is always 10 degrees cooler by the water. I swear Carter always found it fun to hang outside and sniff around when it was pouring down rain in Chicago or if it was -20 with a foot of snow. Here in LA you know it’s going to be picture perfect each and every time we walk him outside.

Wild Animals - This one still gets us once in a while. It’s strange that we have not seen a squirrel the entire time we’ve been here but how crazy is it to walk on the beach and see dolphins jumping out of the water in the distance? Or walking along the shoreline in Long Beach and having a seal-lion sit there in the sun 10 feet away from you. Sure there are some crazy wild animals including the ones that come out of the hills and try to carry off little kids but what can you do.

There are surely a few other things we like about LA and perhaps when our six month review rolls around we will have more to say. Please check back tomorrow for our list of Things We Don’t Like About LA …

Let’s Talk Real Issues in Downtown … Fast Food?

So my elected representative on the city council is Jan Perry and I live in the 9th district. Various downtown blogs I follow have mentioned her by name and I figured she was the councilperson in our area but this morning I checked the riding and confirmed she is the shot caller in downtown.

When I pulled up a map to check out just how big the riding was I couldn’t believe the area covered, it’s massive!

I can only imagine the challenges she faces in her duties; developing social programs for those in need, economic development of her district, and the formation of public policy. Lots of heavy stuff, right?

Well apparently one of the big pressing issues Ms. Perry feels the need to tackle is what I eat and where I eat it.

You see yesterday an LA city council committee, led my councilwoman Perry, approved an ordinance that would ban the establishment of ‘fast food’ restaurants within a 32-mile radius. You can check out more on the issue here, here, and here.

I understand the theory behind the Ms. Perry’s movement - she would like to see additional affordable food options for certain areas of Los Angeles, particularly those at a socio-economic disadvantage. I get it, I really do. These areas traditionally do not have a large number of supermarkets and residents are eating unhealthy. But what kind of food choices do you hope to bring in? Will people in those areas be able to afford them?

The impact on me personally is two fold. One, I have been dying for Wendy’s since arriving out here and there isn’t one in downtown Los Angeles nor does it appear one will exist any time soon. Secondly, should government be telling me what I can eat in my neighborhood and when?

I like fast food as much as the next guy, and yes I know it isn’t all that good for me. But you know what? Neither are the creamy mashed potatoes I get at a fancy sit-down restaurant. While I don’t want my neighborhood to be littered with fast food options I certainly don’t want to live in a place where dinner will cost me $100 any time I want to eat out. Also, what kind of business constitutes fast food? Is ice-cream in the ban because it isn’t good for you?

Exaggerating? Sure I am, to a degree. But at the same time are there not more pressing issues for the city to throw their weight at than this?

I could spend the rest of the day listing issues that need more attention than hamburgers, fries and Coke. The homeless issue downtown is not going away on its own, so what is being done to tackle this issue head on in a real-time, real-life basis? Why does it take months on end for new businesses to get the permits and certifications required? They city is tough on jaywalkers, easy on public urination and indecent exposure.

I mentioned a few weeks ago who should be running this city if you want action; I mean real life in your face action.

Parking enforcement. Nobody works harder, seven days a week to get things done. If the city was run with the dedication and no-nonsense attitude of these people you would be looking at a world-class city.

Pay Phones in Downtown LA

Pay phones, remember them?

Before the days of everyone and their uncle having a cell phone, there were pay phones.

Prior to people walking around all day with their head blinking a constant blue pulse and looking like a cyborg, there were payphones.

The last time I used a pay phone was in the winter of 2004. Don’t ask me why I remember that, but I do. I was in a building that did not allow cell phones and I needed to make a call.

But not here in sunny downtown Los Angeles.

Pay phones are everywhere here! Within a two block radius of our place there are at least six of them, if not more. And here’s the thing — people are always using them! Let’s be clear that when I say people I mean individuals from all walks of life. Those who seems down and out on their luck … people who are speaking a language I don’t understand … people speaking the one language I do understand but would rather not hear their conversation in public …

You’re probably saying to yourself, “Hey you Canadian-Midwest transplant, don’t they have pay phones where you are from?”. The answer is yes they do still have pay phones back in Chicago and in Canada, however usually you have to seek them out in a building such as a mall or a public/government office; they are not randomly placed on a side street.

So we have the whole phone thing out of the way in the sense there are many more here in downtown LA than in other areas. Which leads to the ineviatble question …

Who are these people using them and who are they calling?

Weeneez? Hot Dogs? Apparently Not

Today was kind of a lazy Sunday; we had visitors since Tuesday and we were going to take it easy and just hang around. After getting some laundry started H decided to eat some left overs, I decided to wait and grab something when we were out on our walk. I wanted something simple and settled on a hot dog. Since you can’t get a hot dog from a street vendor without it being wrapped in bacon (don’t ask) I figured we would head up to Weeneez.

The place is called Weeneez. They sell hot dogs.

Just not on Sundays.

After walking forever in the heat we stepped inside and were immediately greeted by someone who asked if we were there for brunch?

“Brunch? No, I’d like a hot dog.”

“We don’t have hot dogs today.”

Wait a second here — your place is called Weeneez, you serve hot dogs ever day of the week except Sunday. Why? If you want to serve brunch on Sunday, or everyday of the week, I don’t care. But don’t call your place Weeneez. Why advertise hot dogs if you aren’t going to sell them?

H and I have been to the place a few times and it’s always been alright. Nothing special, just hot dogs. Not as good as Portillo’s and not as good as something you would get off the street in New York City or Toronto. But it has always been a decent dog none the less.

I’ll assume they are trying to drum up more business and tap into the Sunday brunch crowd. Our friend Skid Row Dude was there today and enjoyed it which is great! I guess I just don’t understand where they are going and why I can’t get a hot dog on Sunday.

Parking Woes In Our Neighborhood — Parking Enforcement Still Sucks

Back in January and March when we were shopping for condos to rent, one of the ‘must haves’ on our list was parking. Some buildings offered a single spot, others two; some had indoor parking, others did not; some had parking on the premises, others you had to cross the street or go down the block; some had guest parking, others did not.

We have one car with no plans to purchase another.

Our building has a lot directly across the street — secured with a fence and a guard on duty. There is no guest parking. The permanent parking structure is being built next to our building as we speak but won’t be finished until some time in late 2009. When completed it will be available for residents of the Market Lofts, Gas Company Lofts and the new building going up around the corner on Flower.

So far our parking experience has been great.

Then we had visitors come with a car.

H’s parents are in town for the next few days, and yesterday they came into the city to see our place. They drove almost 2,500 miles across the country and we couldn’t track down a place for them to park for the day. There is metered parking outside from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. with a one-hour limit. We figured we would throw all of our spare change at the meter for the day and things would be fine. Well, as the first hour was about to come to an end I went downstairs with quarters in hand ready to feed the meter for the first of many times. It was then that building security told me our good friends at parking enforcement like to come through and mark the tires — you see you can only park in the spot for an hour, you can’t feed the meter for three hours and keep your car there the entire time.

Why does the city care whose car is in the spot so long as the meter is being fed? This is one more reason I am convinced downtown LA is not ready for a plethora of full-time residents.

It was suggested that my in-laws park down the street at a lot, but it was not all that convenient for them to make the walk from there back to our place.

So aside from our building not having parking for visitors, the city makes it near impossible for someone to visit you for more than an hour during the day time hours. Are you kidding me?

I hate to compare again, but back in Chicago we never had this issue. Even when we lived in Lincoln Park, notorious for being a tough place to find parking, we always managed to find a spot for guests. My family would come down and park for the day on the street. Another time some friends visited, parked their car for three days in the same spot and took the bus and train everywhere. At the time we lived in a high-rise condo building and they had valet guest parking, for a whole $8 a day.

The whole thing leaves me with two thoughts:

1. Los Angeles makes it so difficult for people to live, play or visit downtown.
2. Why in the world would people spend $500k for a place to live downtown with the knowledge it would be difficult for people to simply come and have a visit?

Good-bye Anime Convention Atendees - We’ll Miss you!

This past Thursday was the beginning of the Anime Expo here in Los Angeles. The convention takes place the first weekend of July each year and attracts more than 40,000 attendees. In addition to special guests and the opportunity to buy a ton of anime ’stuff’, there are karaoke contests, late-night dances and well I don’t know, other stuff. But there is one thing attendees do that provided me with entertainment for a solid four days.

Cosplay.

Do you know what cosplay is? It’s dressing up as your favourite character - the whole deal from the costume to accessories and makeup.

It’s highly entertaining, well at least for me.

Convention goers were all over the streets of downtown LA the last few days and I had the chance to see all kinds of anime characters. People were dressed in anything and everything - bunny ears, tails protruding from the back of their skirts, big shoes, little shoes, warriors of some kind … basically anything you could imagine and then everything else you could never think of.

Curiosity got the better of us on Saturday night so we decided to walk Carter over by LA Live where the event was being held. At one point on the way back H proclaims, “I think I could get into this. I like fantasy books and stories, and it’s fun to get dressed up”.

Right then a 20-something year old guy dressed in a karate outfit held one hand up near his head and began running after some friends in front of him yelling out some sort of tribal chant.

“So you want to hang out with that guy?”

“Well, not that guy but you know what I mean.”

So H has a year to figure out anime, whether or not she likes it and wants to attend next year’s convention.

In the mean time we will wait for the auto show to come to town.