"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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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.