Beer at the Nickel

As most folks who know me, know one of my favorite places to eat is the Nickel Diner. I have several posts about the place and have joked in the past often this should be my Nickel Diner blog.. "so what you eat this week??" Actually, it's been a while.. in part because I've been out of town a lot the last couple months. Then there's the diet. Going on Weight Watchers new program had me anxious to see if I could even go out to eat, let alone enjoy my favorite places.

Having a mad craving for meat, we headed to the Nickel so I would be sated. The surprise waiting for us was Kristen Trattner, noticing the Sean's NOFD tshirt mentioned she had a bottle of Dixie for him to try. "What?!"


Sean taking a sip of his Dixie..

Turns out their beer & wine license went through the beginning of the year. Kristen says they should have it on the menu officially next week and will carry about five or six different beers at a time. Like the soda they offer, she says they plan to mix it up and 'keep it fun'.. So at least for now, they plan to have different brands available.

This was Sean's first Dixie (I got him hooked on Abita) and agreed with Kristen it's definitely an 'everyman's beer' and similar to a PBR. So there you go. =)

Big Thanks to Kristen for sharing the news with us. It's a long time coming for that beer and wine license.

As for me, I did alright!



I ordered the lowrider burger (Ano chilis, pepperjack cheese, red onions, lettuce, tomatoes) w/ a salad instead of fries. I asked for the dressing on the side. I did good earlier in the day so I actually had just enough to be able to eat the burger (leaving the bun). It was just the thing!

Next time I'll get that steak salad.. sometimes a cheeseburger is all you really want.

Just Another Saturday on Main

An average weekend (or weekday) will find traffic stopped on Main so that filming of some kind can occur. I get so many FilmLA notices (one must subscribe to email updates as the posting of FilmLA notices are erratic or non-existent), I'm not sure if this was an 'action' shot or just a messed up car commercial.

If you see the video the car is being driven South-bound on a normally North-bound ONLY Main Street. Basically all day long traffic is stopped, shouting occurs to silence the neighborhood and then a 'take' is shot, then repeated several times over several hours. Most people who live downtown are familiar with this as it seems Downtown LA is the location for any number of programs, (like CSI: NY or Castle) commercials and movies (too many to name).

This one was fairly innocuous, as far as noise and light (night shots can often be bad as giant spotlights are shone into buildings as they light the block up and shooting on sidewalks can be annoying if you have some jerk PA trying to tell you you can't walk on your own sidewalk out of your building). I can't speak for anyone dealing with the traffic stoppage though.

2011 Resolution Re-do..

One of my more successful resolutions.. to read more is getting renewed for another year.

I know New Year Resolutions are a joke. Most of the time they aren't kept or, attempted halfheartedly. I have a new crop of ideas that I hope some will shake themselves out to a positive effort. Some are just things I want to change about myself.. thought processes and bad habits. What it comes down to I think, is de-cluttering. So far I'm not doing so good & I'd like to think it's because I've spent the first part of the new year w/ the never-ending sinus cold. Never-mind that, here's my list I came up w/ on the flight home from Florida late last month:

2011 GOALS

read at least 2 books a month (since 1book a month seemed so easy)

start writing letters (you know, 'snail mail')

take a creative writing class!

go back 'on program' (this I've started on Jan 3rd! enrolling in Weight Watchers revamped program:"points plus" so if I talk about #ww that's what that is).

go 'home' more.. and by 'home' I mean the Bay Area.. When we moved so many years ago, I really did think we'd get back at least once a month like we seemed to do when we would head to Disneyland from Berkeley.. OK, or every other month realistically..I'd be happy if we could get up there maybe 2x a year?? to start?)

get a passport. I finally am curious enough to go on a cruise or if I ever hope to go to Tokyo or anywhere else in the world ever again).

bike, walk, or wii a day! (gotten to a rocky start with the cold but.. so far so good)

register for & DO a "minnie 5K" or whatever you call those things they do at the parks.. walking first then running.

'walk' the cornfield. I know this sounds lame but getting my butt over there to walk the track just hasn't happened yet.

organize the loft: We aren't hoarders I swear! but one of the bummer things about lofts is the lack of storage. Yesterday I actually priced a storage place to put all the stuff we want to keep but not have you know, 'out'..

re-write my manuscripts: I liked doing NaNoWriMo last year despite not getting to the 50k word minimum, but it did force me to sit down and write a few hours a day. More of that would be good.

Find lost siblings. One of the oddball things of the last year or so is that my biological older sister 'found' me on Facebook. So I found out I have half-siblings from my biological father's previous marriage. I joined Ancestry (which is fun!) and so I'm working on that some. It's not good for finding living people so much, but for doing my family trees, it's interesting. I want to find these half-siblings mostly for my biological sister.. If I can find at least one person this year that'd be good. Right? =)

convert our old videos: both VHS and those mini VCR and Hi-8 tapes of home movies we made at Disney World on our various vacations... Besides the convenience of stream-lining it all, the older they get, the more they degrade.

That last one is harder than it sounds.. I think at some point it's going to take a hardware upgrade (plus I don't know if I have what I need yet to do the conversions).

I think I would add to the list of 'goals' for this year:

visit my dear friend Joe in Eureka. I haven't seen him since he moved up there & I miss him bunches. It'll just be very difficult to get out there w/ out a car.

Find another place to have my afternoon tea and hang out..since Banquette closed New Year's Day..

See more movies! I have about 8 movies I want to go see right now.. and no, they're not all Disney!)

get my macbook looked at The tracking pad has been sticking & it's frustrating.

We'll see how I do. Go ahead and laugh. I already am.

HAPPY 2011!!

how I'm spending my new year's morning.. watching the Rose Parade w/ a bit of a cold.

Spent a quiet NYE celebrating at home after dinner at Pete's. I think a lot of our downtown neighbors and friends celebrated too in their own way, (whether it was staying at home or going to a local club like La Cita or Villains Tavern). However you spent it, hoping you're all having a wonderful & hangover free New Year's Day!

Whatever 2011 brings, may it work out for everyone eventually.. and that you have health, happiness, and as ever, friendship.

Christmas on Main

wreath on the Old Bank at 4th and Main..

Merry Christmas Downtown Neighbors!

Haven't been home the last couple weeks.. Missed Art Walk and any number of things going on in the neighborhood.. and plan to spend Christmas with a dear old friend from out of town... but otherwise enjoying the holidays downtown..

When it seems like the city has closed down for the holiday take a minute to enjoy the silence.. or at least a hot toddy at Pete's I guess. I would be surprised if they were closed.

OtoH today is your last chance to enjoy holiday shopping downtown as many businesses will be closed for the next couple days..

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Downtown! =)

I haven't posted much as I haven't spent a lot of time out & about this month. Instead I spent a couple days in Florida to celebrate my mom's birthday at our DVC home resort, Kidani Village..

The rest of this month I've been attempting NaNoWriMo; 50,000 words in 30 days.. or in my case 25 days.. I'm several thousand words behind at this point.. but I have a few more days. =)

I'm very out of practice for writing fiction. I was thinking contributing to a news blog would give me practice, but it's a different sort of writing altogether. It makes me wonder how Carl Hiassen does it.. (as I guess he still writes for the Miami Herald).

I'm definitely considering taking a writing or extension course early next year. My writing needs help!

Last weekend, the 20th I took another day off from writing to attempt the 2010 "Great Los Angeles Walk" This year they were back to Wilshire Blvd. and since we were unable to really attend it (for long) the first time around 4 years ago, I made sure to make it rain or shine..

Meeting up at Pershing Square (Sean tells me it's 7/10 mi from 4th & Main to One Wilshire) about 100 of us set out from One Wilshire and walked to the Ocean.. Well, I made it to 20th & Wilshire in Santa Monica.. that's when a kind-hearted soul named Michael offered me a lift to Border Grill =)

So Sean tells me that's 14.35 miles of the 16 miles to the beach (or 15mi total from our building.. LOL!). I guess that's not bad for not walking near at all this last year. I am a bit disappointed in myself but I knew if I let the big group get ahead of me by much near the end I would just keep getting behind..


one of my group shots..

my Great LA Walk 2010 flickr set

Today we're taking it easy, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, calling family and later we'll head to Pete's Cafe for T-day dinner and I've got what's left of our Cajun Kringle to eat for dessert later.. Ordered from New Orleans it's really yummy!



Eventually we'll be braving those "so early it's late" Black Friday specials.. but for now, wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.. however you spend it.

Tweet the Vote!

Today all over California (and elsewhere around the country) people are queuing up at their polling places to vote their choice for Governor, LT Gov., Senator and other representatives.. Foursquare is in on it with a "I voted 2010" badge..



If you already voted by mail (which is what I did) you can still get in on the badge by giving a shout-out to your friends.. "I voted" and even if you don't get that sticker that others may be getting by going to their polling place, you got your badge. =)

However you vote.. just make sure you do! Let your voice and your vote be counted!

Art Shows Closing at 5th and Main

Tomorrow spotlights two separate exhibitions closing at the home of Gallery Row, 5th and Main. Bert Green Fine Art (BGFA) hosted artists Jeff Gillette and Scott Horsley. Edgar Varela Fine Art (EVFA) whose gallery fills the back space at 5th and Main, hosted Ivan Limas. I was lucky to speak to all three artists at their respective openings last month on September 22nd.

Jeff Gillette


Gillette standing in front of his piece "Charpi" (2010)

Jeff Gillette got inspiration for his "Slumscape" series from his experiences in the Peace Corps in the late 80s. Having spent two years in Calcutta, India seeing the immense filth of the slums he found a beauty in the "cacophony of debris" and compared it to modern art sculptures. Since then he's made several trips back to India and Nepal getting new ideas and material for his series, which he first painted in 1995.

Gillette's new series of "Slumscapes" might have people questioning. "What's with the Mickey Mouse?" Noting that many, if not all of his current "Slumscape" works incorporate the mouse icon in some way or another.

"No one likes looking at this (stuff)." He says "They hate it, they try to go around it. This is like an access to it. It forces people to indulge. People will be like "look it's Mickey!" and they'll be drawn into it.. and what are you getting drawn into? It's a toilet."


"Dread/Coca" (2010) Jeff Gillette acrylic and collage on canvas $2,000

"Everyone loves Mickey Mouse," Gillette insists. Using the Disney icon as an access point to his art, it brings social awareness and allows the art-goer to see everything. He further explains that while people don't like to look at slums and the filth and garbage, they will look at Mickey. "It allows them an access point to engage."


Scott Horsley


Horsley with Recreation I and Recreation II

Horsley, who grew up in New York,received his graduate degree at UC San Diego. He met Bert Green at a show a few years ago and has been in a few of his shows including the LA Art Show.

Horsley now spends most of his time at the University of Florida at Gainsville where he teaches.

Having got his start with painting, he found it became busy and he's cut down to the basics. "Paper and pencil appeal to me," he says, expressing the purity and raw nature of graphite on paper. His graphite on Luxe paper drawings explore the relationship of sex and the absurd, how fear and ecstasy intermingle when faced with death or tragedy. His current series are full of "ecstatic joy in the grip of a sinking ship."

Many of his works seem to book-end each other, whether it's "The Expression of Truckliness" a duel piece about the concept of what truck-ownership might envision.. or "Recreation" a somewhat startling image of what seems to be duel hangings were actually contrasting images Horsley happened upon in the news. He explains on one page was an image of several soldiers witnessing an execution in Kabul, and on the opposite page, a group of people watching Patriots cheerleader tryouts. In both images the heads were cut out of the photos, "It was like the exact same photograph," said Horsley. "The images were so similar and so diametrically opposed, that like 'death' and that ecstatic sexual moment so those things back to back.. I couldn't believe it that they existed together."

Again, the shows end tomorrow, the 30th of October, which will culminate in an artist's talk with Jeff Gillette at 4pm. Don't miss it as Gillette will be sharing slides from his travels to the various slums that are the inspiration for his art.


Bert Green Fine Art
102 West 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013 ·
213-842-8574


EVFA presents Ivan Limas "Free to Behave"


Ivan Limas at his show's opening last month.

In the EVFA Gallery, Ivan Limas filled the room with his vibrant project-based works. Limas, who lives and works in the Santa Fe Art Colony, is a life-long Angeleno. He spent his childhood growing up in various parts of LA like Compton (and later La Merada) and says it had a big impact on his life. While some of the kids he grew up with were into the gang culture or graffiti art, he stuck to drawing comics, but his drawings eventually moved him to explore ideas in culture, and experience.

"A lot of my work is about defiance, exploration and self-perception.. cultural perception."

Immersed in the comic culture in his youth, he was surrounded by various subcultures whether it was anime, the machismo of Mexican-American, gang culture or graffiti art. He brings his personal experiences to bare. He'll get many ideas from his walks around LA or the conversations he hears. He said a lot of his work might be about the polarities of those sub-cultures and understanding those persona.

Most of his work in this show are oil on canvas paintings. He explained how he learns from his environment, often "doodling" while listening to lectures or conversations when growing up. He used this technique for several of his paintings in his current show. When going to a location, he would create several drawings based on the sounds and voices he hears and then photographing the environment. "I let the environment affect me," he says. He creates the larger oil paintings based on the drawings he created earlier at the project's location.

His work varies from video or mixed media sculpture, or performance pieces where he wrapped himself up in bandannas.

"Bandannas to me are like these mini flags.."

He talks about visual signifiers, like those communicated through items like a common bandanna. The bandanna having many meanings in different cultures, and he thinks about where the bandanna originated from, whether it's from Mexico,Spain or somewhere else. His hope is to "contextualize it into contemporary dialogue.". He has created a series of 3 bandannas with ironed transfers that might hint different places to different people. Discussion of the pieces range from the language expressed in the wearing of bandannas, the color significance in gang culture, or any number of things.

He wants his work to be available to everyone, not restricted to any one group. Bringing the idea of an item that's not necessarily considered art and having people think about it in a new way, or bring their own experience to the interpretation. Whether it's a synthetic ostrich skin-encased vacuum cleaner or a video installation of Ivan cutting off his own tongue.

His show also wraps on 30 October, when Limas is scheduled to have an artist talk in the EVFA gallery where he will discuss more about his history and background. It's possible he may bring up his earlier work on a comic book that he wrote and illustrated for use as his college thesis. While the work never got published, "It made me realize I wanted to go from a painter to multimedia."

EVFA

DTLA Car-less, the MetroLink Way

I finally got around to editing a short clip from our return into Downtown LA late last month as we cross over the LA River and into the rail-yards of downtown.. I suggest turning down the volume as the iMovie 'theme' music wears on the nerves after a minute

Portofino Cucina Italiana is Open (again) !

The new Italian restaurant opened on the seemingly cursed corner of 5th and Main a little over a month ago. As happy as everyone was the place was now home to a well-meaning, determined restaurateur Diego Ortoli , it closed to as much sadness as they battled plumbing issues.

Diego thought it best to close while he worked out the plumbing fix. About three weeks later, he opened back up this past Monday. The food is just as good (if not even better than we recall).

One of my neighbors had gushed about the gnocci, so I knew exactly what I had to order.. Gnocchi piccanti


from the menu: "Home made potato dumplings with broccoli, roasted garlic, jalapeno and imported romano cheese"

While I didn't notice broccoli so much, the roasted garlic was deliciously prevalent and the jalapeno added just the touch to make a cheesy, spicy, garlic-y goodness. I was wishing I had a spoon so I could scrape every last drop of the sauce from the bowl. Seriously.


The spouse ordered the Scaloppine di manzo alla Piemontese:

from the menu: "Thinly sliced Sirloin steak sautéed with garlic, parsley, roasted bell peppers and basil in a white wine sauce, topped with fresh mozzarella, served with roasted rosemary potatoes and vegetables"

I am in love with these rosemary potatoes!! I swiped a couple from Sean so I could use them to mop up the last bits of my gnocchi sauce. The steak was tender, and IMHO ran a little towards sweet.. (Sean disagrees with me on the 'sweet' description, but this is why I don't do reviews usually).

Suffice to say I liked his dish enough I want to order that next time we go. Diego says he has a lot of new staff (3 weeks is a long time to go without regular work honestly) including a new chef who has over 20 years in the cruiseline business. He came out to our table and checked on us, and me not being in my "nosy blogger" mode I didn't get his name, but he seemed friendly and his food is great!

Sean wasn't wanting dessert, but I still had room to split something, so Diego surprised me with this great cinnamon-y apple cake/torte:


if you order this, try it without the chocolate first.. the cinnamon and apple is light and clean (and very filling) and I thought the chocolate murdered the cinnamon. In the words of Sean when I asked him what he thought of the cinnamon, he said "what cinnamon" but he had drenched his first bite in the chocolate drizzle.

I asked Diego if he'd be doing breakfast again and he said for now, no.. I guess there weren't enough people knowing he was open for breakfast.. so I can only hope that'll come back eventually..


NOW FOR THE COOL SURPRISE!!

Diego mentioned that he found out from his legal adviser that he can do BYOB Wine! So as long as he has "nothing to do with it," you can bring your wine bottle in a paper-bag, along with your own glasses & corkscrew and have that wine with your pasta. So all my friends whinging about "what's pasta without wine?!" you can stop whining and have your wine. =)

Just stay classy ok??? ;P

so.. you know the deal..

Portofino Cucina Italiana
464 S. Main
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Portofino Cucina Italiana"




the blogdowntown article:
Portofino Cucina Italiana Opens at 5th and Main"

Get Ready for Autumn Lights!

Autumn Lights, an Art Walk of a different kind, will once again take over Pershing Square this weekend.


Emmeric in front of his work "The Horse He Rode in On"

Art Walk night, Emmeric Konrad was creating live art on canvas hung in a empty shop window of the Medallion Apartments. His painting, on a white canvas sheet started shortly after 7pm was a work in progress, as images from the 2009 "Autumn Lights" were projected onto the center of the canvas. Attendees could see him wrapping up his work titled "The Horse He Rode in On", around 1030 PM.

He was there in support of Artist/Curator Lilli Muller who was getting the word out about this year's "Autumn Lights." While the Muller produced and curated event is partially funded by the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, Muller has put most of her own money into this event, now in its 6th year. She was hoping to drum up more support of the artistic and fund-raising kind for this year's event.

Over 70 artists and counting will be creating unique installations within Pershing Square this Saturday, September 25th. Muller says "It's going to be pretty intense."

"I want this to happen for the city and I want it to grow for next year."

"The cool thing will be that there will be more performing things going on as you are walking through it, so it's more interactive."

"There's a very eclectic music schedule," Killsonic will be opening performers, "Ruby Friedman Orchestra," as well the ukulele band "The Ooks of Hazzard" among others.

Attendees last year might recall the amazing projections on the walls of Pershing Square, digital and laser lights, black-lit art installations, and many creative pieces that were made especially for Autumn Lights by local artists.

Emmeric dropped a hint about one of the pieces you may be seeing this year: "Suzi Moon is doing a thing with women's underwear. She's tearing them apart so they look like jellyfish.. and they're black-lit."

Along with Emmeric (and aforementioned Suzi Moon), other featured artists include: Jerico Woggon, Rush Varella, DJ Vader, Flip One, Rick Mendoza, Shane Guffog, Anna Broome, and several dozen more.

With three times as many artists and performers getting involved one may wonder what next year holds for "Autumn Lights," and Lilli seems to have great visions for next year, "I'd like to create a corridor and get California Plaza and MOCA involved." Noting the Fall fund raising event at MOCA, she imagines working together and possibly doing "Autumn Lights" in cooperation with the LA Film Festival. "Creating a backdrop for events."

"All these walls, it would be really cool do something like that."

Until then, you can enjoy this year's event at Pershing Square. The event runs from 7 PM til 1 AM on September 25th. To see more detail about the event, including a list of artists and performers participating go to:

Autumn Lights LA 2010

Donations I believe are still welcome and can made by contacting Lilli Muller at: lillim99@gmail.com

here's my mini set from Autumn Lights 2009 which includes this: