Seen From the Loft

Big Man Bakes gets its new signage up..

I scampered downstairs to get a better view..


the store location is just south of the Hellman building in one of the OBD garage build outs. (click image for larger view)



Big Man Bakes is open.. and had their grand opening on September 10th..

Big Man Bakes
413 S. Main Street
twitter @BigManBakes

Autumn Lights

a couple shots from last night's Autumn Lights, curated by Lilli Muller and included some 50 area artists in various mixed mediums.. The evening's event was from 7pm-1am and used every available space in Pershing Square.

It's possible they make this a weekend long event in future years..

My point & shoot isn't reliable so I used my cel.. so not the best quality images either.. (but I do have video!) I'm sure you will see better images around the web elsewhere, but this is what I got.

This one's my favorite:

plastic water containers illuminated from within and hung from a tree..


spotlights in the trees..


wall art..


plastic bags become flowers (lit from within) Yes that one in the front is a Disneyland bag..

and one of the many pieces with moving lights:


projected onto the wall at the fountain.. shutting doors..

more cupcakes.. for culture!

Latin American Heritage Month (or National Hispanic Heritage Month as it's also known) starts officially September 15th, and you can celebrate all month at Lot 44 Coffee.. with a Blue Cupcake treat.

Latin American Heritage Month was started in 1968 under President Johnson as a week-long celebration, then later expanded under President Reagan for a full month (Sept 15- Oct 15) celebrating the culture and heritage of the Latin American people.

So what's this got to do with cupcakes, you ask?? In honor of the month-long celebration, Lot 44 is the place to get Dulce de Leche and Mojito cupcakes..


You know I tried the Mojito!

the buttercream frosting is infused with bits of mint.. very light hints will hit your mouth.. then the rum cake & lime filling will add a refreshing taste.

Did someone say lime??

The overall flavor and texture is light and flavorful.. a perfect cupcake for a hot September day.

The dulce de leche will have to be tried next time.. (but why wait? go check them out yourself!) Seriously.. these are amazing cupcakes.. I have loved every single one I've tried so far. The red velvet, the mocha espresso, the lime (fantastic!), the black raspberry chocolate.. and now the mojito.

There are plenty of other flavors.. six 'standard' flavors, but each week there may be a couple new flavors added and rotating to the selection. These 2 new flavors are special for Latin American Heritage Month.. and they all go great with coffee or something cold.

Yeah, I like cupcakes.

Regent Changes its Hue..

After a little over a year and a half, the "Main Street Recovery" mural came down today. A fresh new coat of bright yellow paint is now gracing the facade of the Regent Theatre..


The mural as seen from spring of 2008. The mural was originally installed on the Regent Theatre the 30th of January, 2008. Each part of the mural tells a story of Main Street's changes and the changes in Downtown. It was a temporary installation, but one can't help but think it had become a part of the landscape of Main Street.

This morning.. the scaffolding was being raised:






By late afternoon, the mural was halfway down.. and much of the new paint had been applied.






and then a little after 7pm.. this is what the Regent looked like:


As for the "Main Street Recovery" mural, it's rumored that it may make future appearances around the Old Bank District at some point. As for now, for the immediate future, the Regent will be grooving out in bright yellow.

Main in Bloom

Stella waters her sunflowers.. You can see them blossoming outside Stella Dottir dress shop near Winston & Main.

Around the Historic Core

Walking around the neighborhood..

cleaning up the Rosslyn Hotel sign..


This side all done!

7-11 7-11!

opposite Rite-Aid..

future location of a new 7-11 at 5th & Broadway.

and lastly, (but NOT least!) in the Old Bank District..


Old Bank DVD will be headed around the corner..


sometime soon** ("AUGUST") Old Bank DVD will be relocated.. They will be in the same building (San Fernando Bldg @ 4th & Main) but taking over the currently empty former home of MJ Higgins Gallery.

**update: 22 August 2009 After talking to Old Bank DVD it may be late August or early September for the relocation of the store.

Cupcake Day

Some sites suggest that yesterday, August 18th was "National Cupcake Day" while other sites suggest it's not til December. Regardless, I was out & about and made a point to stop in at Lot 44. Lot 44 is your downtown location for "Blue Cupcake" varieties.

They had several of their familiar flavors: strawberry red velvet, coconut, PB&J.. coconut.. lime, and a new one.. blackberry chocolate! I wanted to try a couple flavors so the mini cupcake at about $1.35 ea was the way to go.


mini "Blue Cupcake" cupcakes @ Lot 44 Coffee.


Look at that yummy filling.. was like biting into a blackberry chocolate truffle. Good stuff!

Whether "National Cupcake Day" was yesterday or December.. Any day is a good day for a cupcake. Seems like Downtown has some good options out there whatever you're wanting.

I think I'll be back. Soon.


Blue Cupcake
Lot 44 Coffee

It's National Night Out!

Downtown/Skid Row Senior Lead Deon Joseph at last year's National Night Out (held in Little Tokyo).

Tonight is National Night Out.. a night out against crime. Block parties will be going on all over the city, and downtown LA is no exception. Downtown neighbors will want to head over to the Paseo Plaza at El Pueblo tonight as the party will be going on there from 6-10pm.

National Night out is a good opportunity to meet your SLO (Senior Lead Officer) in a fun, informal environment.. live music and food and possibly booths with local businesses and neighborhood committees might be there as well.

If you haven't seen it already, check out Downtown News article SLO Patrol about your Downtown Senior Lead Officers.

Believe it or not, the LAPD is very community minded, and the National Night Out is an excellent opportunity (among many) for residents and the community as a whole.

The LAFD should be there as well in a support mode. However, I hear from a very reliable source that they are also happy to meet the community! So say "Hi!" and if you want, thank them for their efforts. In a time of budget cuts, staffing cuts and State-wide deficits, they are still doing a most excellent job and deserve all our support.

PDF List of Events going on around LA

my (fuzzy) 2008 National Night Out flickr set

UC Berkeley for a Miyazaki Weekend

Headed off Main Street this weekend for a weekend of fun on the UC Berkeley campus. Sean and I headed up by car on Friday (up I-5) to Berkeley & Emeryville.. (in the Eastbay area of San Francisco Bay area)

We had General Admission tickets reserved for Ponyo on the Cliff (by the Sea) the latest animated film by Hayao Miyazaki.. the writer, animator, director of such classic films as My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, and Kiki's Delivery Service among many others.. Sean & I have all of his films (that are available that is) and so getting to see a special screening was a wonderful plus.


My ticket for "Ponyo.."

We already had special tickets for the "Conversation with Hayao Miyazaki" at Zellerbach Hall, so seeing the film before the discussion was great (we are also planning to see the special D23 screening of the film at the El Capitan Theatre Monday night).

Ponyo is a magical story of love and courage that little children will love.. (and I do mean LITTLE children). I could be wrong, but I think the audience for this film may be younger than the Totoro set.. still, it's a sweet film with a happy ending of course. =)

As we found out the next evening, Miyazaki says "Happy Endings are a requirement.."




Miyazaki is the 2nd recipient of the "Berkeley Japan Prize" given out by the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of California Berkeley.

This is the 2nd time we were to see Miyazaki in person. We first saw him in San Francisco at a panel with John Lassiter. IMHO, John Lassiter was a much better moderator/interviewer. We also at that time got to see Suzuki (film producer for Miyazaki's films) Suzuki San was there.. but observing from his spot in the audience, like ourselves.

Big Man Bakes OPEN!

Big Man Bakes cupcakes are now being sold at Ray's Old Bank District Market near 4th & Main.. "Extra Large Cupcakes" go for about $3.25 and $1 ea for the 'mini' cupcakes..

Went in there around lunch and they had their carrot cake cupcakes & the red velvet cupcakes. I'm a big fan of the carrot cake capcakes as they are very moist.. The red velvet was good too.. but the frosting was a little too sweet.. in a sugary-y birthday cake sort of way.. but still good. Yes, I'll be back..

There are many cupcake options out there. Please note some really good cupcakes can also be had at Pitfire Pizza at 2nd & Main. The Nickel Diner has an amazingly yummy red velvet cupcake. New options coming soon: Blue Cupcakes opening on the 20th of July (in cooperation with Lot 44 near 3rd & Spring). Babycakes NYC bakery coming to 6th & Main hopefully later this year.. The Historic Core is becoming cupcake central! Pace yourself and start checking out these new places.. Go to Big Man Bakes first!

Big Man Bakes
409 S. Main
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Happy Birthday Main Street USA!

Disneyland celebrates it's 54th birthday today..

the "Partners" statue at Disneyland..

Today, 17 July 2009.. the Disneyland Park (and the Disneyland Resort as a whole) celebrate its birthday.. Today I'll be making a quick trip to the park to attend a "D23" presented event.. "Disneyland USA" which includes a special screening of the aforementioned named film, with discussion and desert.

**Speaking of birthdays, you too can get in on the fun by getting a free day at the park ON your birthday.. (all is needed is to show valid ID with birthdate for admission).. this particular promotion concludes the end of this year.