VALLEY PLAZA: going, going, ...

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• ... GONE TO THE MOVIES,
gone to NoHo.

By Louis Elovitz
Digital Journalist

My Mother called it
"Valley Pleasure",
it was a place
to shop,
go to the park,
play in the wash.


A place of my
enthnicity -delis and bakeries, shoe and candy stores.
Sears, See's, Woolworth's, Wetherby Kaiser. The foods
from the onion rolls and corn beef to the Chef's BBq.
















The Naval Reserve, the heliport where the freeway
is now by Victory Blvd. The "Air Raid Shelter"
sales lot where you could go down into the safety
you could have 'built at your house'. The fad of
trampolines which you 'rented time' to jump.
(I was too scared to do it) J.C. Penny, Longs Drugs
the stores behind Sears, oh you can see this area
on 'Reno 911' TV comedy all filmed here in NoHo.
















Alexander's Market
that had a Coke machine that dispensed 8oz bottles
so cold there was frosty iced coke, I think back,
the original 'slurpee'. The market became a theater.
Other stores in this part next to the park were
a barber and hair salon, a Two Guys, remember,
Italian food, and this was originally a
Curries Ice Cream Parlor with the 'mile high cone'
















The Lamplighter Restaurant which I fondely
remember as a Van De Camps Restaurant
I went to many times even though it had the 60's
notoriety of having a Civil Rights Sit Down
because the waitresses were, well like the name,
Scandinavian, you know all 'blonds'.

Some of these PHOTOS I GOT LAST FALL
OF SOME MOVIE MAKING ACTIVITY IN THE
SOON TO BE NON-EXISTENT "VALLEY PLAZA"










Bye Bye HELLO MEGA MALL
Bye Bye MAY CO/MACYS too
a 1950's era building going to condos.
Oh, that includes the earthquake had to be torn
down "Laurel Plaza" that was attached
to the May Co and housed a great ice rink.




















MORE ON
VALLEY PLAZA
helicopters&cokes
CLIC∆HERE

One last remark,
between the Sears and Smart and Final is
the fantastic LAUSD Romer Middle School
set to open with a beautiful campus.
(Right across from the 'BofA Shoot Out')


See a story
on the new
Middle School
below...

"EARTHSCAPES" in NoHo

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• at NoHo Gallery L.A.
"Earthscapes"


Tim Moran
performs
in NoHo
"What A Wonderful World"

NoHo Spring Arrival NU SKOOL

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• LAUSD ROMER
MIDDLE SCHOOL
shapes up on Laurel Canyon Blvd
video of the beginnings...below

















Things are moving in NoHo
when it comes to EDUCATION
new schools all over, including
the recent East Valley High a few
blocks from OUR METRO Station
and here is our new Middle School
named after former Supt Roy Romer.

THE SCHOOL SITE IS LOCATED ON Laurel Cyn Blvd
NORTH of Victory Blvd where there was a long time
group of stores including WOOLWORTHs and SEEs CANDY

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"WOMEN III" ART OPENING ON LANKERSHIM

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• "WOMEN III" NoHo Gallery L.A.
Slide show
of this opening
in North Hollywood

RED CAR TALK... (old RAPID TRANSIT)

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• RAIL LINES BLANKETED
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO,,,
some pics to reminisce- or LEARN...

There has been much talk about the growth
of DownTown L.A., lofts, art districts and
bringing back the Red Cars which were rail
lines that went from Canoga Park to Big Bear,
and Seal Beach to Santa Monica. You can
probably say, 'we got freeways to all these
places' and you would be more than correct.
Cars and Trucks and Buses follow these



routes and in our future, now, we have a couple
of rail lines that approximate those tracks.
If you go to San Pedro there is a small line
using a couple of newly made reconstructions
that run daily basically for tourists. They
want to add more to this line to expand on
the growing arts disrict in San Pedro.
The L.A. DownTown News says that would be
great for Broadway and that area's new growth.


Here are some pics of OLD L.A. Transit,
maybe you would agree,
we need that incentive too,
HERE IN NOHO,





and by the way, WE HAVE
the ORIGINAL RAIL STATION
right at Chandler & Lankershim just
waiting for full restoration.
The above photos show the
CHANDLER & LANKERSHIM DEPOT, this
ORIGINAL STATION
STILL EXISTS ON ITS SITE !

You can see in the top photo that
Lankershim is in the background
THE BUSWAY is where the
Red Cars are shown with
buses also part of the
Pacific Electric Railway.
Chandler is to the right.

THE RED CAR ABOVE has traveled west from the Lankershim Depot
and is traversing the wash at Coldwater going down to Canoga Park.
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Pre-FREEWAY Route to The Valley

• BACK IN TIME
Cahuenga Pass RED CAR LINE

NOHO HISTORY of CALIFORNIA

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• CANNONS ROAR in NOHO
Campo de Cahuenga
January 2008
TREATY RE-ENACTMENT






Witness the proceedings "in the moment" in the surroundings of the
very place where General Andres Pico and Lt. Colonel John C. Fremont
placed their signatures on the document ending hostilities and bringing
peace with honor between the American forces and Californios under
Mexican Rule. Imagine the future, as Manifest Destiny was realized,
California quickly gained statehood and all local peoples united as
fellow Americans because of this momentous signing



(there are 3 firings of the cannons)
a film by Video Louis Elovitz
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Live Broadcast of Chamber Planning Session

Audio has been disable to protect the innocent.

SUNDAY in NoHo 1P.M. Treaty Re-enactment

THE RE-ENACTMENT of the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga in 1847.

I HEAR THEY ARE GOING
TO FIRE A CANNON !


1 P.M. on Lankershim across from Universal City next to Metro.


...then race up to the Great CAULK-US in Tujunga...

SUNDAY... NoHo ST COWABONGA CAULK-US

GIGANTOR DEBATE
in SUNLAND-TUJUNGA

• NoHo's Mayor Sam
Debates No Home Depot Joe

Joselito's on Foothill in Tujunga 4PM
Mayor Sam's State of the Cowabonga-

For months, the old, dead Republican mayor,
Michael "Mayor Sam" Higby has tortured the
citizenry of Sunland-Tujunga for their opposition
to the opening of a Home Depot store in their community.
Ever willing to be the lone voice of capitalism and free
enterprise, the Mayor has steadfast held to private
property rights as the ST residents seek to get the
City to block the store's construction and opening.

For all these months, the Mayor has unleashed
a written barrage, and the loyal troops in Sunland-Tujunga
have said "Mayor Sam! You've got to come and see how these
mega-corporation is trying to shoehorn a behemoth of a
super hardware store into our tiny, rural community.
Then tell us you're in favor of Home Depot!"

So the hammer has been thrown down and Mayor Sam has accepted.
Following a personal, private tour by hometown hero and head
Home Depot hater Joe Barrett, the No2Home Depot people,
Michael, neighbors and bloggy friends alike will gather for
libations and fine Mexican repast at Joselitos, the very
same cantina where the alleged and legendary
"Do-It Center" scheme was hatched.

At that time the old, dead Republican Mayor himself declare
- yay or nay on Home Depot.
And a good time will be had by all.

Everyone is invited - we hope to see you there!


posted by Video Louis Elovitz

NoHo Gallery LA's third annual "New Beginnings"

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∆ HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008 ∆

" New Beginnings " ( )

November 24 - December 28

Tommy Hollenstein

November is the start of the
holiday season and a time to
reflect on the things for which
we are most thankful. One local
art gallery is thankful for those
artists who have used their art
to overcome personal tragedy
& hardships in order to create
a "New Beginning"
for themselves and
art for all to enjoy.

NoHo Gallery L.A.
5108 Lankershim.
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SlideShow of Dec 1 Reception

"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

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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

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