"EVERY DAYS A SPECIAL DAY AT THRIFTIMART"

• LANKERSHIM & OXNARD
































-ancient Polaroid by Richard Sapiro -looking NORTH

Above Thriftmart, " Open 24 Hours"
across from Bekin's Moving and Storage
which now is a Leed's Mattress store
and in the same shopping center as a
Baskin Robbins Ice Cream store, one of the
first stores for that then Glendale company.
I went to NHHS with
Steve Baskin who's
family were part owners
of this unique
SoCal ice cream store.


A long gone supermarket chain of the 1950's
to 60's absorbed by Smart & Final.
There was one north of Oxnard on
Lankershim in North Hollywood
with it's tall " T " icon.
There was another in the Valley Plaza
just north of the north of the new LAUSD
middle school, where the Smart & Final is,
and that was a small shopping center with small shops
on one side of the market and also a shoe repair
and Chef's chicken bbq.


EVERY DAYS A SPECIAL DAY AT THRIFTIMART
EVERY DAYS A SPECIAL DAY FOR YOU
WHAT EVER YOU PUT IN YOUR SHOPPING CART
YOU'LL SAVE AND SAVE AT THRIFTIMART...

In Our L.A. Dreams...

• FUTURISTIC L.A.
(1912 VERSION)

In 1912 L.A. had mass traffic tie-ups
the drawing shows pedestrian ways,
cars going through buildings and
monorail type transit...

"Advanced Plan for Relief of Overcrowed Streets"

CHANDLER ART WALK & My Mom called it " VALLEY PLEASURE"...

• CHANDLER BOULEVARD
NOHO ART WALK

By Louis Elovitz
Digital Journalist

The Railroad Right of Way east to west in the
San Fernando Valley has been Chandler Blvd.
I know the RED CAR rode it's rails and I myself
remember freight trains moving though it.

Gone are the RED CARS, gone are the freight trains.
Hello METRO Subway Station. Now, going to the west
is the Orange Line, a concrete busway with futuristic vehicles.+


buses old
and new



Bus wise, I remember sitting on noisy hot tin can buses,
that was when I was young in the late 50's.
Don't get me wrong, I loved those buses,
and the RED CARS that still were running
from Downtown to Long Beach.



pacific electric red car




Going towards Burbank this Railway Right of Way
has been turned into a community event.
Families walking, skaters, bicyclers, dogs...





Burbank











Walkways, flowers, grass, benches
all line this form trainway.




If you go to the east most portion
it stops a block before Victory Blvd.
and you can still see a
stretch of the old Railroad.


-NOHO ART WALKWAY COMPLETION

I am happy to announce that NoHo has just finished
our addition continuing the same
Bike and Pedestrian Way
from Vineland east to Clyborn
at the Burbank city line.





NoHo

















Many of the warehouses and
businesses that line the tracks in NoHo have various art
painted on the building sides that used to face the tracks,
and they now line this new community walk/bikeway.















(click to enlarge pics)


• VALLEY PLAZA MEMORIES

By Louis Elovitz
Digital Journalist

Yes, my Mom called this old fashioned shopping center
the Valley Pleasure, and we would roam all over each
section she would be shopping in. That could include
this area on the north most portion off Laurel Cyn Blvd,
Here is that remainder of Valley Plaza.
Radio Shack and Smart & Final occupy a building the I
say was an original inside mall. The Radio Shack area
where shops which you would enter right inside the
Thriftimart Market. As you walked in to the right was
a kiosk like shoe repair. There was also a Chef's
Chicken BBQ. Further north the other buildings
included DRUCKERS Deli, a Jewish Bakery
and the Thrifty Drug with a fountain at the back.
The market at Archwood was originally called
Mc Donald's Market with a Scotsman logo.






























(enlarge:click)

"ART NOIR" Opening 2007

. .
NOHO GALLERY L.A
on Lankershim
Video of Opening....

OCTOBER 17 - NOVEMBER 16 2007...V..............





“The Scream” hallowed out by Edvard Munch is still being heard today;
the missing ear gouged out by Van Gogh is bandaged in his self portrait
but far from concealed by our imagination; the “Freak” photos of
Diane Arbus, haunting her perhaps to end her life even though her
insight lives on - these are a few of many art noir creators, bringing
to light the fact that dark art is indeed enlightening.

NoHo Gallery LA is pleased to present a group showing of “Art Noir”
artists featuring Tara Greer’s paintings & breathtaking triptych oil
tapestries on canvas portraying the evolution of darkness into the light.

Free & Open to the Public

.
.

NoHo Scene October 6, 2007

Saturday
in NoHo


Ton's of Events with
art, theater and music
headlining in the evening




∆∆∆ NoHo Scene VIDEO Below ∆∆∆
HERE ARE SOME PICS OF THE DAY

"Time Terrorists" Attempt To Drive Wedge Between NoHo Scene and Neighborhood Council

At its most recent meeting, the Midtown North Hollywood Neighborhood Council was unable to act on a last minute request for funding from organizers of the NoHo Scene festival to be held October 6th in the NoHo Arts District.

The Council's Board of Directors could not approve the requested funding due to the lack of a quorum at the meeting. Additionally members of the Board of Directors felt uncomfortable approving the funds without sufficient time to study the proposal.

In the last few days a crude hand produced flyer started appearing around town. The flyer seems to represent itself as a publication from the Council and claims that local artists and others intend to boycott the event. As well it infers that the Council and an unidentified Neighborhood Watch group do not support the event.

Mid Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council President Cary Adams, in a letter to NoHo Scene organizers denied that the Council is not in support of the Festival. Other community leaders referred to the bogus publication as a shame and derided its anonymous author(s).

Leave LA?: My Decision

Originally published at Mayor Sam's Sister City.

Over at my main blog, for the last couple of weeks, I've considered whether or not I should leave Los Angeles. I was quite touched to see some other blogs picked up on the story here and here and here.

I recently visited where my family is historically from, Iowa and where my parents were born and raised. It had been some time since I had been to the Hawkeye state and my first time as an adult. The pace of life, the difference between a major city like Los Angeles and a small city such as Waterloo in Iowa and the attractiveness of being close to many family members was a magnet to me.

We've looked at a lot of reasons to leave including cost of living, arts and culture and even the blogosphere in Iowa.

And of course LA quite frankly sucks in many ways.

Indeed, there are reasons not to move to a small, Midwestern city like Waterloo, the lack of wonderful things like sushi and the frigid winters among them.

So I am staying.

But its not a dearth or raw fish or a fear of snow that has me keeping put. Its a lot more than that.

To uproot myself, even to an area where there is more family than here in Los Angeles would indeed be a bit traumatic. It would require a lot of work and upfront expense. And there is no guarantee life would be better in the new location.

More importantly I more or less like where I live. The rest of LA may suck but my hometown of NoHo and the spot I moved to a year ago is kind of cool.

Missing out on HOWS Market alone would be something I would have trouble adjusting to.

Ultimately, there is still a lot to do here and if I can contribute in some way, well, I have not generally been someone who's a quitter. I've felt that LA's best days may be behind it but its worth a shot.

My immediate family is all here in the Valley, I have some wonderful friends here, an excellent day gig and lots of opportunity for fun, expression and socializing. And of course this damn old blog which just keeps growing every day.

So much to the displeasure of many of you, you're stuck with me.

NoHo Stakeholders Claim MTA/City Kept Them Out Of Discussion on Major Development

Originally published at Mayor Sam's Sister City.

Last week MTA officials approved plans to negotiate with developer Lowe Enterprises to build a $1 billion real estate development at and around the North Hollywood Red Line and Orange Line Stations near Chandler Street and Lankershim Boulevard.

The proposed development - which Curbed LA calls "insanley huge"- would nearly two million square feet of commercial, retail and residential space. Most of the land involved is owned by the MTA.

However a number of local leaders are expressing concern that officials from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority - as well as local elected officials including area Councilman Tom LaBonge - discussed the project with little or no public input.

Community activist Ron Bitzer who lives northwest of the proposed project told the Los Angeles Times he would have preferred to see "a little more discussion" with the community about the project. Another activist privately told the Sister City that previous city administrations would have engaged in more "transparency" in a decision like this.

Wow! More Stuff Coming To NoHo!

The latest massive development to hit the NoHo Arts District was announced Thursday. In addition to a couple thousand apartments, a cool HOWS Market and a coming Laemmle movie theater (and even more apartments under construction), the MTA announced plans to begin negotiations with developer Lowe Enterprises for a 15.6 acre mixed use site near the North Hollywood Red Line and Orange Line stations. The 1.7 million square foot space will contain "a mix of uses including office, retail and residential with substantial community and public spaces."

NoHo Coach Jack Witt Offers A Pamper Package!

Pamper Package

Only $199
-(1) 60 Minute Professional Massage
-(1) Half-Hour Mini-Facial
-(1) Dental Office Teeth Whitening
-(2) Personal Fitness Training Sessions
-(2) Online Personal Fitness Sessions
-(1) Owners Manual for your Body

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818-760-3891
www.getfitwithWitt.com

" ART UNITES " in NoHo

. .
• NoHo Gallery L.A. September Opening

This month NoHo celebrates ART UNITES
sponsored by the ART DIRECTORS GUILD.



















Gallery curator DanCoronado DeBevoise and
Guild Director Denis Olsen put this exhibit of
various artists here in Southern California.






Jazz guitarist Tim Moran provided background
music acompanying Scottie Austin vocals.

Cinema Celebration in NoHo

..
.NoHo Art Shows

new
review



.
VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
...












I have some info on the
VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
which was in September ...

It's the seventh year of the film showings

the Valley Film Festival opens it's 2007 season.

Films from producers throughout the '818' as they say

bring their accomplishments to the 1929 El Portal Theater

in North Hollywood, Ca. The eighties teen classic

"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" opens the event

with this comedy that brought to age many of the

current film makers of today's genre.



WEDNESDAY Sept 12 at El Portal with

FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH 1982
















Thursday Sept 13 cocktails at 5 then

Dramatic Shorts and features at 7:30

Friday Sept 14 comedy shorts and features after 7:30

Saturday Matinee Sept 15 11am

family shorts and features until 7pm

horror fest and features

Sunday Sept 16 Noon +

feature programs

girl short films 2:30

4pm NEVER SAY MACBETH
(I'm reviewed this, see previous post)

Closing "MADE IN 818" shorts.


The VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
starts Wednesday September 12, 2007

at the El Portal Theater in NoHo.
Info- http://www.valleyfilmfest.com

Shakespeare in North Hollywood

.
.
Would William Say 'NoHo'
by Louis Elovitz















NEVER SAY MACBETH

Consequences unfold when a man comes to see his actress

girlfriend and has contact with cast members of the said,

I mean 'never said', play by The Bard.

Freak-out occurs when the word is used and all the age

old superstitions come out that thespians have held

for hundreds of years. The film manifests itself with great

cinematographic skills and superior lighting, showing all

the ghosts and the fears that these young people endure

in order to serve their art and exhibit their production.

This is all done in parodistic style. After a quick 101 about

Never Saying that name, the man, a teacher, is drafted

into the play and finds himself at odds with this acting stuff

and the triangle between himself, his girlfriend, and another

actor. From street clothes to the dressing rooms, rehearsals,

to the play itself, with all the Shakespearean overtures to

the Ghosts in the Theater, this film contains all the authenticity

and embraces the essence of the original play itself.

Set to show on the final day of the Valley Film Festival

on Sunday September 16 at 4 p.m.



The VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
starts Wednesday September 12, 2007

at the El Portal Theater in NoHo.
Info- http://www.valleyfilmfest.com

NEVER SAY MACBETH
Tammy Caplan Producer neversaymacbeth.com


Louis Elovitz
DownTown NoHo Times
downtownnoho.blogspot.com
.
.

9. 11. 01: We Will Never Forget

NoHo Trolley?

Zach Behrens at LAist is suggesting a trolley to run throughout NoHo. His routing would have the trolley creating sort of an hourglass shaped route that would run from Chandler to Moorpark along Lankershim and Vineland.

The idea - based on a similar proposal for Long Beach - is to create a circulator system that would connect the Metro Red and Metro Orange Line termini to various points in NoHo.

A better routing would be to run from the Metro Red Line at Universal City and run down the middle of Lankershim to the old Lankershim Train Station next to the Orange Line station. Stations could be placed about every 1/4 mile which would work to feed subway users to the various points in NoHo and Universal City including theatres, restaurants, shops, etc.

I can hear the chorus of voices as to why this is not a practical idea. But many cities including San Francisco (where even some of the old Pacific Electric rail cars from LA still operate) and even San Pedro here in Los Angeles have found success with creating local transit systems with historic type trolleys.

How about we think differently for a change?

COOL OFF NOHO !

.
.
.NoHo Art Shows

new review coming this week...





ANTARCTIC
WEATHER
IN NOHO
58 (fifty-eight)
YEARS AGO !

By Louis Elovitz
Digital Journalist

North Hollywood and all of L.A. fell under
a freak Winter storm in February of 1949.

COMPARE PICS 1949 versus 2006 in Noho.
My Dad once gave Dr. Fishbeck of Ch 7 News
weather copies of pics which were aired,
I think it was the 1970's. (Henry Elovitz)

.............. 1949 ............. .............. 2006 .............



















First the front
of the House
then the back
and that is the same
backyard FENCE.




This house I grew up in,
though I was only 9mths
old when this happened.
That's Vic Tanny in 2006




It WAS
FEBRUARY 1949,
just wanted
you all to
coooool off a little.
..

VALLEY PLAZA in the way back machine

.

MY MOM
LET US DO
helicopters
and Coca Cola
... IN NOHO !
By Louis Elovitz
Digital Journalist

With all this talk
of the future for Valley Plaza
I am going way way back
to my childhood events
in the Victory Van Owen Park
area of North Hollywood































up up and away...

I PERSONALLY KNOW
OF ONE AIRPORT IN
NORTH HOLLYWOOD,
and I grew up hearing
of another, both near
each other,
at different times. 

When I grew up an older friend
David Kennedy, said his Dad had
flown his airplanes landing in the
WASH that is now the 170 where
his house was approximately in
the area of Laurel Cyn and Burbank
NE near the WASH.


Movie Theater former
Alexander's Market



My Mom would always take us to shop. One area was
VALLEY PLAZA, or as she would jokingly call it,
"Valley Pleasure" the part SW of Sears by the Theater
which was an ALEXANDER'S MARKET.
Oh, the COKE MACHINE in this market on those hot
Valley days would dispense a bottle of COKE, 8oz,
that was so cold the first drinks were COKE SLUSH.


Victory Van Owen park
In Valley Plaza



The large parking lot is the same today leading to that
part of Victory Van Owen Park which WAS/IS on both
sides of the WASH/170FWY. The WASH was great
all that sand, and on the other side there was a slanting
concrete wall that we would get a piece of corrugated box
throw some sand and sliiiide!


Basically Victory Blvd
and Laurel Cyn


In 1957 (I looked it up on the web) L.A. Airways
paved a landing circle and road from Victory Blvd
to have a helicopter mail stop, which a man in a
station wagon would come and pick up US Mail.
My best friend Richard and I once took a passenger
trip on the noisy Korean Era helicopter leaving
VALLEY PLAZA going to Van Nuys, LAX,
Down Town L.A. and Burbank Airport
(BOB HOPE AIRPORT
originally LOCKHEED AIRCRAFT)
a very noisy but exciting flight.

SO, there you are
frozen Coke before Slurpees
and 2 (TWO) airports in NOHO,
a 'private' landing field once in the wash,
and the scheduled helicopter runs to/from
a small landing in the wash.
TOLD YA!.
.
.