This post comes to you from that alternate world of chance. By mere coincidence, chimatli and I happened to be taking a look (and pics) of an undeveloped lot in San Gabriel that was rumored to soon turn into a road for some new McMansions. Trying to snap pics over a fence, this voice comes from off in the corner “Do you want me to open that gate?” And that’s how we met Shorty.
There are two places in LH that I know of with these fascinating doors that lead nowhere. Well, assuming you don’t want to go straight down in a hurry. I like the way they suggest hidden meaning, some purpose known only to those on the inside, leaving the outsider to create some fanciful reason for their existence. Were these docking stations made in preparation for the promised jetpack era? Extra exciting platforms for the company pool and trampoline parties? I bet somebody is going to ruin the fun by suggesting some lame practical application (“that’s how they get the phone equipment to the third floor”) but I still prefer to imagine there is something much more interesting going on.
Above you see the PacBell building, site where all the local DSL connections branch out to your homes. After the jump, the site where the Toy Loan center used to be based.
This might seem like a repeat but it isn’t. I’d noticed some time ago that the restaurant near the County Hospital had been converted into a Tamales Liliana’s, that popular Eastside eatery I reviewed before, making this the third location. I like some of their food at the East Los spot, how convenient to have one so nearby! I don’t care for the HR’s at the original but I thought I’d give these a try, just in case. Unfortunately, they turned out to be similar with that really tart green sauce and overcooked eggs, not for me. The real downer though were the beans: why do places have to ruin beans by adding meat to them? I feel like starting up a restaurant just so I can sell a meat dish and then surprise the customer by mashing some pinto beans into that little slice of carne, see how you like that!
Tamales Liliana’s 2042 E. Marengo St. 323.224.9466
On May Day we celebrate that incremental step that limited how many hours of the day we can be at the mercy of those that own our world: we remember those that died, or were hanged, in the the struggle for the 8 hour workday. Need I mention they were Anarchists? For this story, I think I do. Let’s just say the police accused Anarchists of throwing a bomb during a public meeting, thus permitting themselves to shoot and beat all those in attendance.
Fast forward to the May Day protests of the past two years and the struggle of the immigrants. It’s no coincidence that they fall on this day. In a world where Capital can cross international borders at will, it’s mandatory that workers be able to do the same. Case closed, mofo.
I went to the Downtown May Day march, the one that asked people to skip shopping, school, and work (woot!) which seemed like a perfectly reasonable request, and turned out to be a very pleasant day walking around Downtown. The MacArthur Park protest was the safer don’t-skip-work-or-school march happening later in the day, endorsed by the mainstream groups (including the Catholic Church) and permitted to “march” on the sidewalk. Boring. Yet, thanks to the violence prone LAPD, it turned out to be the one with the most coverage since the cops went on a beat-a-thon against everyone. There are many angles to this story (a good round-up can be found here) but the most absurd has to be the resuscitation of the Anarchist Bogeyman that Bratton has conjured up. He claimed that some sort of tactical group instigated the cops to act like morons, composed of a 3 line offensive tackle with a woman in front, a row of cameras behind her, and a last row of agitators throwing shit at the police; fucking lame! Strangely, even the LA Times has gone out of their way to point out the obvious; Anarchists were not the instigators of the police violence. It’s odd to see modern events parallel with mostly forgotten moments in history, that is some weird shit.
I was getting frustrated with the false accusations the cops and media were making about the Anarchists but instead I decided this: fuck it. It doesn’t really matter, they get it wrong all the time. Besides, I have more important things to do, like proving the point that LA protests have the best food! Don’t believe me? Click ahead cuz I took some pics, Simon que Yes!
As a single working father of 8, CFO of a major taco sauce company, weekend valet at an overrated Pizza joint, and part-time accordion player with the LA phil, I know that sometimes we’re all so busy that we need to dip into that stash of easy foods: be it frozen, dried, or canned, sometimes you just need some quick calories. And even though I’ve been known to throw uncooked packs of ramen noodles, bags of flaked oats, and 24 slices of Kraft Cheez into my child pen, I was still appalled by the nod to extreme laziness by these two new items that have made their way out of product development and into our grocery shelves.
My recent posts at LA Eastside.com
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