When You Break Your Car Key in the Trunk Lock

After a lovely 3-day, 2-night backpacking trip along the Skyline to the Sea Trail with friends (see Carol's write-up), I arrived at my temporary home-base in Daly City at around 7PM. I open the trunk using my usual insert key-twist-lift motion, began to unload, and then needed to get into the driver's side door again. When I reached for the key to unlock the door, I saw to my confusion and dismay that the end of the key was gone. Then, I went to look at the trunk, and sure enough, there was a bit of silver showing inside the lock.

I went up to my friend's apartment and called AAA. They told me that to have someone come out right then would cost me $235, and $135 if I waited until morning. Being that I'm in transition, I opted to wait until morning. And in the morning, I decided to see if I could somehow get the bit of key out of the lock myself. When I inserted the broken key into the lock, I was still able to turn the lock. This led me to come up with what I realized later was a silly idea to put superglue on the part of the key in my hand, then shove it into the lock and get the other end stuck to it to pull it out. I didn't fully consider the repercussions of getting superglue on other parts inside the lock.

Luckily, my search for superglue in my friend's apartment was fruitless, and when I went to the auto service station around the corner, the workers there seemed dubious enough about my plan that when I finally got Loctite from one of the staff, I paused and tried to figure out some way to compromise between my DIY plan and the pay-someone-to-do-it option.  I lifted the trunk and looked at the lock from behind, and saw that the mechanism holding it in place was relatively simple, just one large and one small metal clip. I used a small screwdriver to pry the clips out of the way, and had my hefty, somewhat greasy little lock in my hand. This took about five minutes. I didn't use the internet, though I could have. I've never done more than jump-start a car and check oil levels, but having an auto mechanic uncle and being around car repairs most of my life probably gave me more motivation to figure it out.

Lock in hand, I walked the mile or so up Mission Boulevard to Daly City Locksmith, which I'd been to once before years ago. They weren't too busy, and Jay was able to remove the key bit and cut me two new keys (somehow I've lost track of all my spares-- they're... somewhere) within about fifteen minutes, and it cost me over $100 less than if I'd had roadside service. I had spent nearly two hours finagling with solutions to get to that point. Going by the penny-saved, penny-earned maxim, I made $50 an hour. Not bad. I'm really lucky the key broke in the most easily removable lock on the car, or else this would have been much more expensive and complicated and stressful. On top of that, I would have gotten a parking ticket the next day if I couldn't move my car.

I was so relieved and grateful that I told Jay and Yvette that I would say nice things about them on the internet. Yvette said to check out Yelp and see the "essay" review on there. Indeed, there have been a few people who were not very happy with their service. Well, it's inevitable that there are bad days now and then, with customers and with staff, and it's a good rule of thumb to always take reviews with a grain of salt. Since I experienced friendly, affordable, quick service from them, I'll be going back.

Other things I ought to write about: the backpacking trip I mentioned, my new occasional gig at a climbing gym, upcoming travel plans, new climbing-related endeavors, and a project picking up again. All in good time.

Fashion District Developer Seeks Rooftop Gardening Restauranteur

I saw an ad soliciting a restaurant & urban garden operation and wrote to the solicitor looking to find out more. My note is below.

11 January 2012 

Hello Mr. Aryeh,
I recently noticed your post looking for a farm/restaurant in your building: http://www.cityfarmer.info/2012/01/09/wanted-farmers-to-farm-a-rooftop-in-los-angeles/. I'm a community member and casual blogger with a keen interest in gardening and public space, so this post really caught my attention. 

First of all, it's wonderful that you're encouraging this kind of venture-- it makes so much sense in Los Angeles to have green rooftop space, considering how our weather is suitable for growing so many things year round. I wonder whether the owners would be interested in the idea of opening the garden to the community? Perhaps providing allotments for a small yearly fee to residents in the nearby buildings? Urban gardening has really gained momentum in these last few years, so it's a great time to start a project like this.  

I look forward to hearing from you! 

Best,
Narinda

So far, no response. Understandable. I wonder how long it will take for our sunny Los Angeles catch on to the rooftop gardening movement that's already happening in other urban areas. Does Los Angeles building code have more lax requirements for how strong a rooftop must be than New York City? When I visited LA Community Action Network's rooftop garden, that seemed to be one of the bigger concerns.

Having a restaurant tenant might be more profitable in dollars than having a community garden, especially considering liability issues, but building goodwill in a community is an important endeavor that doesn't seem to get much attention anymore-- at least not until there's money to be made. This is a sad thing. (This is a general feeling that I can't pin on this particular development because I know little about the operation or building owners, but it is the sense that I get from my own and others' observations about what has been happening in Downtown LA for the last decade.)

Earthbound Cachet from Raw Materials

I get excited when I see new, interesting stores come to Downtown Los Angeles. Granted, I don't live there any more, but I look forward to returning to the neighborhood as a resident some day. For now, I work as a part-time marketing assistant for "the oldest professional theater of color in the nation" (mandatory disclaimer: I have no authority to speak on behalf of East West Players and anything I write is my personal opinion and in no way reflects the beliefs of EWP. Was this necessary? I don't know, but I thought I'd cover my bases) and thus commute from an undisclosed location far south of Downtown to Little Tokyo daily. On one of my meanderings around the "Nickel" (5th and main, after which the dear, delicious Nickel Diner is named), I picked up these:

 

I don't think you have to be a writer to appreciate a well-made notebook that feels good in your hand and under your pen. Above are my notebooks of choice lately for writing out the mad or mundane thoughts that have accumulated through the night. I got the "Earthbound" line of recycled sketchbooks from Cachet from Raw Materials, Downtown LA's art supply store. They opened sometime in 2008 and I'm happy to see that they're still going. Support them! They're good people. Check their website often for sales and drop by-- I happened to walk in on a day when these notebooks were 1/2 off.

The recycled paper in these notebooks has a wonderful weight to them, which is important since I am a bit heavy-handed when I write and I use Pilot "Ultra Fine" G-2 pens. The cardboard color is soothing in the morning, more inviting than threatening the way blank white pages can be.

Since I found these lovely notebooks, I won't be frequenting the Bargain section of Borders or Barnes & Noble any more. I look forward to a time when I have a long row of these in my bookshelf, all filled with a mass of morning scribbles.

Libros Revolucion

If you've been in Berkeley, then you must have seen the branch of Revolution Books nestled in a plaza downstairs by a parking garage. The Los Angeles, Spanish-language version is tucked away on 8th and Hill among the various clothing vendors, nestled next to a pet shop. After a visit to one of the first South Park Flea Markets (when it was held on Olive and 8th), a friend and I wandered around SoDo and spent some time at Libros Revolucion. I hadn't expected to come across this bookstore while wandering toward the Jewelry District, and was excited to go inside to peruse their stock of political texts and materials. The rear part of the store is an open space reserved for events and readings. I've yet to return since my first visit, unfortunately.

Being a proud bastian of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, it is not surprising that a Google Search revealed that Libros Revolucion faced serious harassment when it opened in the late 1980s. This letter published in the New York Review of Books in 1989 cites

"Uniformed and plainclothes police, right-wing religious fundamentalists with bullhorns, and callers identifying themselves as members of "death squads" appear to be working in concert to intimidate people associated with the store."

It's good to know that the store has stood strong for nearly twenty years.

Libros Revolucion
312 West 8th St.
90014
213-488-1303
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 12PM-8PM

El Sereno Loses Antigua

In the short months that I spent living in El Sereno, I found a warm, happy home at Antigua Cultural Coffeehouse. It was a place that was vibrant with community, with a commitment to social justice and to good, fair trade, beautifully roasted coffee. I was drawn to the bright yellow and green interior from the first time I drove by, and when I finally entered, I was amazed by quality of the coffee there. Antigua was where I performed spoken word for the very first time in Los Angeles in November, during a benefit for AB540 students that was organized by the Coalition for Latino Advancement. Months after seeing him perform at UC Irvine, I ran into Quese IMC while he was taking advantage of the Wi-Fi in the cafe. Antigua was always filled with good people and good energy.

I am extremely disappointed that the property owners have deigned not to extend a lease renewal to Antigua. El Sereno will be no longer be home to one of LA's best coffeehouses and a three-year-old community hub. The bright side: another location will be opening in Cypress Park.

Antigua Cultural Coffee House
4386 Huntington Drive South
90032

One Stop Mini Mart: Dangerous Convenience

I am addicted to condensed milk.

It started innocuously enough with the Vietnamese coffee that I would make myself in the morning. Then it made its way into my tea when I didn't have whole milk on hand. Then, about two weeks ago, I treated myself to a favorite childhood snack: condensed milk on toast. I think that was my downfall; next thing I knew, I found myself drizzling the sticky sweetness over bananas, mangoes, oatmeal-- my fingers.

For better or worse, I can easily replenish my supply even though the nearest supermarket is about two miles away, a Ralphs at 9th & Flower (the first to open in Downtown in over fifty years). The One Stop Mini Mart downstairs has not only my beloved condensed milk, but a variety of other pantry staples like canned beans, rice, onions, not to mention the array of random necessities like toilet paper, safety pins, and bleach.

The owner is a friendly man named Felipe who affectionately exclaims "Mirinda!" when I walk in. (He knows my name but is thoroughly amused by its similarity to the name of a soft drink popular in Mexico, which I encountered for the first time, thanks to Coca-Colonization, in Cambodia.)

I still trek over to Ralphs to get ground coffee (One Stop only has Folgers and Nescafe, unfortunately), but I try to give as much business as possible over to Felipe. He's only been in business at this location for about eight or nine months, and he is still waiting on his permit to sell dairy. I can't wait until I can buy eggs and milk from him.

One Stop Mini Mart
1835 S. Main. St.
90015

Route:
Walk downstairs, exit front door, turn right, walk about 12 yards.

Cost Summary:
Condensed Milk: $1.79

The Joint Downstairs: El Sombrero Restaurant

Looking for a Mexican restaurant with $1.25 soft carne asada tacos, an offering of assorted beers, leather booths, soccer on the television, and a jukebox filled with Spanish-language music? This is the place to go.

That is, if you can catch it when it's open. There have been some weekend nights that I've walked by at midnight and seen it closed, some weekday nights that it's been open.

The place is usually fairly empty, but after eating there on Monday night, I know it's certainly not because of the food. Admittedly, it's not that easy to mess up a carne asada taco but there are places that have certainly done it. We even got free chips with an excellent homemade salsa.

I will probably end up funneling my spare change into supporting this place by purchasing tacos there as often as I can. I just hope they stay open and by some miracle start posting their hours.

El Sombrero Restaurant
1825 S. Main St.
90015

Route:
Walk downstairs, exit front door, turn right, walk about 4 yards.

Cost Summary:
2 tacos: $2.50
Can of Sunkist soda: $1
Tip: $1
Total: $4.50

Genesis 2000 Progress & My Unit

I've gotten in touch with a representative over at Playa Vista Property Management who should be sending me more literature about the Genesis 2000 project "in the next few days," according to her email. Gary Haddock, president of Playa Vista, acquired the mixed-use buildings in hopes of bringing life to this neglected part of southern Downtown in 2000, and it seems that I arrived just as the results of the project began coming to fruition.

Nearly all of the retail spaces at street-level have been filled, and tonight I saw people moving furniture into a previously-empty space. A banner above the door announced (something like) "Marine Trading Post." A short exchange I had with one of the moving men revealed that a permanent tenant would take over within the next couple of months. Through the windows I saw enticing wooden chests and tables that I surely can't afford but will ogle longingly for as long as they're there.

The various businesses that are open or are preparing to open include:

Hilti (retail center for an international tool manufacturer I'd never heard of previously)
ReMax
Jackson-Hewitt Tax Services
One Stop Market
A Mexican Restaurant (whose name I've yet to learn and whose hours I can't decipher)
Downtown Community Job Center (technically not a part of the 1821-1839 property but is adjacent to it)
C2 Reprographics

I'll be interviewing these tenants to see what brought them here and to gain their insight about what the future holds for this area. I want to see this area developed further, but it's a mystery to me that the Da Capo buildings were built here at all, so far south of the Historic Core and isolated from most older buildings. Some time spent at Central Library's archives should bring some light to that question.

In the meantime, here is a press release from Playa Vista that was posted on LA Downtown News last November.

It claims:

The restored structures at 1821-1839 S. Main St. glow with turn of the 20th century charm. The units enjoy great views, a cooling breeze and are drenched in light.

"Drenched in light" is certainly not an exaggeration-- the amount of natural light was one of the reasons I fell in love with this place. A photo of my unit, taken at approximately 3PM:

The kitchen is through the doorway on the left side of the photo, and the bathroom and a fairly roomy closet are along the same wall. The blue wall in the window is the Famsa Furniture store across the alley. It actually doesn't obstruct the view much, and affords me some privacy from traffic:

It's definitely a space that is intended for single living, but from what I can discern, many of the tenants are small families. The demographic of the 90015 zip code is another subject I plan on examining more closely in future entries.

And I thought I would just talk about where I buy groceries and toiletries.