Walking music for your weekend: Ane Brun

I'm kind of obsessed with the tune " "Do You Remember" from Norwegian-born artist Ane Brun.
Since the 2011 release of her latest album, "It All Starts With One", Brun has toured with two other artists that I hold in the highest regard - Peter Gabriel and Ani Difranco; she's also featured on Gabriel's most recent album, New Blood, where she lends her glorious voice to the classically beautiful track, "Don't Give Up".


Ms. Brun is definately one to watch.
enjoy!

Historic Hermon

Who knew there was a quaint historic district of LA called Hermon? I certainly did not... until a friend took me there the other day for a walk-about. It was quite a treat. The neighborhood once featured an elevated bicycle "freeway" which served as a pre-automobile through-way between downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena in the late 1800s/early 1900s.  Today all that remains of the "cycleway" is a set of old stairs.

California Cycleway, via Wikipedia

Officially established in 1903, Hermon boasts a quaint downtown business district, lovely historic homes, several schools and fantastic public parks...and most importantly, maintains a small-town feel despite it's central location.

Check out some gorgeous area homes after the jump: 

Venice Neighborhood Meet

It was a beautiful day in my neighborhood on Saturday so I strolled down to Abbot Kinney to check out The Venice Meet - an open air marketplace featuring a curated  assembly of "local craftspeople, independent musicians, and specialty food artisans".  The eclectic selection of handmade wares and edible offerings along with the welcoming vibe, contributed to what I found to be a very enjoyable community event and a great way to spend a lovely spring day. I'm glad that the founders of Venice Meet have planned for it to be a monthly occurrence!


Here are some highlights to wet your appetite for next month's market:

Walking music for your weekend: Emeli Sandé

This soulful jam from British/Scottish R&B singer/songwriter Emeli Sandé will put some pep in your step.

Thanks to Andrea at Fly Girl Blog for making the intro!

Sunny Day in Silver Lake

Oh how I love Sunset Junction, the wildly eclectic enclave nestled in LA's Silver Lake district. With its slightly gritty feel and unique mix of locally-owned boutiques, ethnic eateries, apothecaries and watering holes, the area often draws comparisons to Brooklyn, NY (mostly from east coast refugees).  Locals are extremely loyal to - and protective of - the neighborhood...and with good reason; a large part of the charm is due to the  "ma and pop shop" feel and absence of big box chain stores and commercial retailers.

"Sunset Triangle" images courtesy of rchstuldios.com

Sunset Junction recently gained yet another attractive feature when one of the adjoining streets was transformed into a pedestrian friendly plaza alternately known as Sunset Triangle.  The 11,000 square foot site now serves as an informal town square triangle and community gathering place thanks to the City of Los Angeles Planning Committee's Streets for People (S4P) initiative, which converts underutilized areas into public spaces:

Country Club Park

Country Club Park sign @ 12th and Arlington 

Located between Olympic and Pico (to the north and south), and Western and Crenshaw (to the east and west), the historic Country Club Park neighborhood was named for its close proximity to the original Los Angeles Country Club (which has since moved to Wilshire Boulevard, just west of Beverly Hills). Despite a somewhat obscure location by today's standards, the area boasts a coterie of beautifully maintained early 20th century residences that make you feel as if you're taking a stroll through the Golden Age of Californian history.

Definitely worth a walk.

Here are some of the architectural wonders you will see if you take the time to follow suit.

Gorgeous Country Club Park house

they sure don't make 'em like they used to...

Koreatown Love. (part 3)

In my latest tribute to Koreatown, I'm shining a spotlight on one of the most historically significant architectural feats that Los Angeles has yet to boast. The famed Ambassador Hotel, where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, was demolished in 2006 after years of disuse.  In its place now stand a public memorial park and the sprawling environmentally sound campus of RFK community schools.  Despite its completion  in 2010, I wasn't fully aware of project until until I laid eyes on its magnificence earlier this week!  It only goes to show how redemptive a good walk can be.

Koreatown Love. (part 2)

Per my last post, Korea Town is a fantastic destination for exploration in Los Angeles.  But in order to enjoy the neighborhood's vast wonders, you've gotta be willing to get out of your car and walk around.  If you do, you will be rewarded by discovering an infinite number of exotic dining options, delightful tea/coffee houses, affordable spas, intriguing skincare boutiques, and even the odd indoor driving range. But today's post is all about the magnificent historic architecture that generously peppers the area. It would take several week's time to cover the entire 3-square-mile area on foot, but here's a taste of what I glimpsed while walking the perimeter of only 6 blocks earlier this week:

Located At 6th Street and Kenmore, The Chapman Market was the country's first drive-through market when it opened in 1929.  Today, magnificent Spanish revival structure is home to a handful of local businesses.

Named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire, one of the most prominent real estate moguls of his time (and namesake of Wilshire Boulevard), The Gaylord Apartments is an iconic  landmark from the Golden Age of Hollywood and beyond.  Built in 1924 as a hotel, the iconic building was strategically located across from the famed Ambassador Hotel and is said to have hosted John Barrymore, Richard Nixon and numerous stars of stage and screen. While the building has undoubtedly seen better days, the storied history maintains its cache for modern day residents.

Koreatown Love.

There will forever be a special place in my heart for Korea Town; it's the first neighborhood I lived in upon arriving to L.A. ten years ago. What can appear to be an incongruous expanse of urban sprawl to anyone simply driving through the area on their way downtown, is in actuality a culturally rich wonderland that is best explored on foot.

Earlier this week I took a long overdue field trip to my erstwhile hood to rediscover some of the things I once knew and still love; along the way I happened upon an infinite number of new sights and discoveries and was reminded once again why Korea Town is, and always will be, my kind of town.

I used to love frequenting the Korean shopping malls near Olympic and Western, so I decided to begin my journey at a location I'd often passed by (in my car) but had yet to visit; City Center on 6th.
Enjoy the rest of my photo journal below the jump!

Stop and smell the orange blossoms

The impetus for this project was, indeed, a cluster of budding orange blossoms.
Several weeks ago I was at an art opening at Bergamont Station with an artist friend who was visiting from out of town. As we walked from one art gallery to the next, my friend exclaimed, "Oh my goodness, can you smell the orange blossoms? The scent is AMAZING." (or some such comment). I in fact, had not even noticed the large pots of orange trees prominently lining the thoroughfare; I was so preoccupied with getting from one place to the next - as we so often do in life - that I almost missed out on one of life's simple pleasures. A similar sensory "miss" had occurred earlier that day when the same friend, while in route to SMMoA, remarked on the beauty of a canopy of camphor trees lining a street (near my home of 2+ years) that I frequently traverse.

It was indeed lovely and I had never noticed it before.

I started thinking about all of the wonderful things I have missed out on as a result of moving too fast (literally and figuratively), driving too much, or simply not taking  time to notice.  What's happened to me? I thought.  I'm a naturally curious and inquisitive person but somewhere along the way, I've started taking my life for granted.

I was determined to change my behavior and subsequent thought process  (or lack thereof) STAT.
Thus, I've started a blog/self-improvement project - "Walk This Way" - dedicated to observations and discoveries made during future frequent explorations in my back yard (i.e. home city/Los Angeles).  I will chronicle observations made and experiences had while taking weekly (sometimes twice or thrice weekly) walks through different neighborhoods in  LA.

My primary purpose here is to rediscover my erstwhile love of life and self - discovery, because exploration and discovery truly make me feel happy and alive.  ...However, if this somehow turns into a Jonathan Gold-style guide to Los Angeles (subbing spaces and places for food) for others to enjoy, I will have no problem with that.

Please feel free to make comments and suggestions and/or tell me about your own walk.

Special thanks to my friend, Lisa Lala, for helping me see what I was missing. It's time to start celebrating life's simple pleasures.