L.A. Observed Meets and Greets the L.A. Journo Crowd

LA Observed‘s Kevin Roderick gathered a mix of local journalists, media types and bloggers Thursday night to celebrate the conclusion of the site’s script project.

The event, held on the roof balcony of West Hollywood’s famed Formosa Cafe, also marked L.A. Observed’s fifth anniversary.

I was only able to stay about an hour — wanted to get home in time to tuck in Blogger Preschooler — but still had a chance to make some rounds and catch up with several local bloggers and others.

Among those I had a chance to chat with: Carolyn Kellogg, who moved back to L.A. this summer and has been blogging at the L.A. Times’ “Jacket Copy” site; Darleene Powells; Eric Lynxwiler; Bob Timmermann; my former Variety colleague (now at W) Gabriel Snyder; Pat Saperstein; David Markland; and many others.

Were you there? Wish I could have met more folks — but Roderick is hinting at more events like this in the future, so perhaps I’ll see you there!

Last Chance for Half-Off Groceries

Today’s the last day to raid the West Hollywood Pavilion’s supermarket for half-off groceries, KTLA reports.

I gotta imagine most of the good stuff is already gone. But hey, you might wanna check. Pavilions is building a new store on the property, which wont open until next year.

What’s This? A Positive DMV Experience?

So we settled on a car — thanks to all of you who offered comments. Given the crappy economy and our desire to avoid car payments, we went ahead and went the used Honda CR-V route. So far, so good.

Now, to take over the car’s title, I had to make that dreaded visit to the DMV last Friday. Here’s the biggest shocker: It was not an entirely unpleasant experience.

That’s mostly because of the brand spanking new West Hollywood location, which just opened this spring.

The building is unlike any DMV you’ve seen: Bright, airy, functional. The rotating sign outside teases you into thinking you’re actually entering a fun store. Which, of course, you’re not. Particularly once you’re forced to bust open your checkbook. Ridiculous fees, of course, exist no matter how stylish the DMV.

More on the building:

Refurbishing a 1946 service garage, Shlemmer + Algaze +Associates Interiors and Architecture took the opportunity to create a building with a look-and-feel that is a throwback to the past. Using the attributes of the original structure, contractors were able to utilize the abundance of day lighting already streaming through the building minimizing the need for electricity. Other aspects of energy conservation efforts include state of the art heating and cooling equipment as well as a “cool roof” that deflects 70 percent of radiant sun energy.

I only had to wait about 18 minutes for my turn. Not bad… but then again, I’d signed up for a 9:30 appointment, and still had to wait until almost 9:50 for my turn. Which reminds me, you can dress it up in pretty architecture, but it’s still the DMV.

And one more thought: I’ve never understood the deal with the DMV’s terrible logo. It’s like someone doodled big, blocky, out-of-proportion letters on a sheet of paper and then demanded that it be used as the agency’s identifier.

Tower Records’ Last Sunset Strip Stand

(Flickr pic by Zona Girl.)

Our friend Lizzy recently returned to Los Angeles after several years abroad. We filled her in on some of the goings on with us, as well as Los Angeles. She was most surprised, though, to learn that Tower Records was history. “Wait, all of it? The entire chain?” Yup.

For what was once a mighty chain, Tower disappeared rather quickly. Signs still adorn empty stores in some location, serving as a reminder… but it’s still bizarre to think that Tower is completely gone. (Well, the website lives on, but owned by a different entity. That’s like saying Montgomery Ward survives, as someone bought that name and runs a website as well.)

Now, as the Los Angeles Times reports, the building that housed the most famous Tower of all — the Sunset Strip location — might not survive much longer.

Writes the paper:

Preservationists complain that city leaders blocked their application to have a former Tower Records building declared a historic resource because color photographs of the brightly painted building were attached to the paperwork instead of black-and-white pictures that officials said were required.

As activists hunted for black-and-whites to add to the paperwork, a Chicago developer planning a multimillion-dollar office and retail complex at the record store site filed his building request at City Hall.

Now the iconic music industry landmark at 8801 W. Sunset Blvd. famous for its hundreds of impromptu rock ‘n’ roll performances and album signings awaits demolition.

Its iconic yellow facade has been repainted somber blue. Some preservationists are beginning to feel the same way.

Granted, the 1971 building isn’t an architectural treasure; preservationists value it for its place in Sunset Strip and music lore. They’d like to turn it into a West Hollywood rock ‘n roll museum. The developer has his own idea for how to honor that legacy:

Brian Lewis, a spokesman for Barket, said the proposed building’s nod to the site’s iconic past might include something like rock ‘n’ roll-themed decorations in the gym.

“We don’t want to forget that Tower Records played a role here,” Lewis said.

That’s a joke, right?

Tower Records’ Last Sunset Strip Stand

(Flickr pic by Zona Girl.)

Our friend Lizzy recently returned to Los Angeles after several years abroad. We filled her in on some of the goings on with us, as well as Los Angeles. She was most surprised, though, to learn that Tower Records was history. “Wait, all of it? The entire chain?” Yup.

For what was once a mighty chain, Tower disappeared rather quickly. Signs still adorn empty stores in some location, serving as a reminder… but it’s still bizarre to think that Tower is completely gone. (Well, the website lives on, but owned by a different entity. That’s like saying Montgomery Ward survives, as someone bought that name and runs a website as well.)

Now, as the Los Angeles Times reports, the building that housed the most famous Tower of all — the Sunset Strip location — might not survive much longer.

Writes the paper:

Preservationists complain that city leaders blocked their application to have a former Tower Records building declared a historic resource because color photographs of the brightly painted building were attached to the paperwork instead of black-and-white pictures that officials said were required.

As activists hunted for black-and-whites to add to the paperwork, a Chicago developer planning a multimillion-dollar office and retail complex at the record store site filed his building request at City Hall.

Now the iconic music industry landmark at 8801 W. Sunset Blvd. famous for its hundreds of impromptu rock ‘n’ roll performances and album signings awaits demolition.

Its iconic yellow facade has been repainted somber blue. Some preservationists are beginning to feel the same way.

Granted, the 1971 building isn’t an architectural treasure; preservationists value it for its place in Sunset Strip and music lore. They’d like to turn it into a West Hollywood rock ‘n roll museum. The developer has his own idea for how to honor that legacy:

Brian Lewis, a spokesman for Barket, said the proposed building’s nod to the site’s iconic past might include something like rock ‘n’ roll-themed decorations in the gym.

“We don’t want to forget that Tower Records played a role here,” Lewis said.

That’s a joke, right?