October 31, 2009

Atwater Chatter: Get Your Fright On

HALLOWEEN HORROR and mischief in and around this northeast Los Angeles neighborhood we call Atwater Village:

October 29, 2009

Friday: Trick-or-Treat on the Boo-levard

FRIDAY MARKS the 6th annual Trick-or-Treat on the Boo-levard, a fall festival put on by the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council and nearly 50 local businesses. Costumed kids hit the 3100 Block of Glendale Blvd., between Glenhurst and Revere, October 30, 2009, 4:30pm to 6:00pm. Might be the most villagey thing that happens in Atwater Village.

October 28, 2009

Burnt House Was Location of 1985 Kirk Douglas Film

"Amos" HouseTHROUGH AN INFORMATIVE reader comment we learn the Atwater Village house that caught fire last week was the location of "Amos," a 1985 made-for-TV movie starring Kirk Douglas. Look at a subtitled YouTube version. Perlita Avenue appears toward the end of the credits, around the 2:00 mark. And then take a look at how the house looked pre-fire on Google Street View. Good news: the commenter says the house will be rebuilt by summer.

October 26, 2009

Volunteers Needed for Atwater Village Halloween Event

IN PREPARATION for the annual Trick-or-Treat on the Boo-levard this Friday, the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council needs volunteers. Sign up as crossing guards, candy deliverers, and to help with setup and cleanup by contacting lgershman@atwatervillage.org.

October 22, 2009

Hyperion Bridge Lights Back On, But For How Long?

A WEEK AGO the Glendale-Hyperion bridge-viaduct system was dark, too dark many would say, at night. The pretty lampposts stayed off. The pedestrians, any brave enough, trudged in dangerous darkness over freeway and river. Phones were called, comments were posted. And tonight, and for at least the last 3 nights, the bridge is re-lit. This on-off-on switch has been flipped before, though. How long will it stay on now?

October 21, 2009

LAFD Knocks Down Atwater Village House Fire


View Perlita Avenue Fire in a larger map

THE HOUSE FIRE was labeled "stubborn" and "heavy" at first, but 50 firefighters took just 24 minutes this afternoon to extinguish it at 3507 W. Perlita Avenue in Atwater Village. From LAFD's Twitter feed:
  • Update #1: Structure fire through roof of 2-story home
  • Update #2: 50 Firefighters battling stubborn fire with heavy attic involvement
  • Update #3: Knockdown; 50 firefighters took just 24 minutes; No injury; Confined to 2nd floor and attic
MORE: In a later report from the LAFD, we learn one firefighter was injured with first- and second-degree burns. He was treated and released to remain off-duty. The cause of the fire "remains under active investigation."

October 18, 2009

Surprised? Atwater Village Loses Video Store

October 17, 2009

September Burglaries Continue in October

THE DAYTIME residential burglaries in Atwater Village, first reported in September, seem to be continuing. A reader writes:
"The house across the street from us on Valleybrink Road was burglarized last week! It was a weekday; not sure which one. During the day while the husband and wife were at work. The burglar(s) broke in thru a side window. They stole a huge flat screen TV, the wife’s jewelry, etc. The couple have a lab dog that stays in the backyard. Please alert your neighbors!"
Neighbors, you are on alert. Check windows and doors. Watch for interlopers. Report emergencies to 911, other police matters to 1-877-ASK-LAPD.

October 15, 2009

Believe It Or Not, Hyperion Bridge Has Street Lamps


bridge, originally uploaded by dan gabai.



THIS PHOTO by Dan Gabai was taken more than a year ago, Sept. 13, 2008, back when street lamps on the Glendale-Hyperion bridge viaduct system came on at night. These days, the lamps stay dark. The corners and shadows along and beneath the bridge and its staircases and sidewalks are even darker. What gives? Can't be all about money savings for the city, especially on a bridge where City Council spent $2,000 to install American flags. (Which, by the way, some might say, ought not be waving in the dark.)

UPDATE: Week later. Lights on.

October 13, 2009

Cops Blocking, Circling: Armed Suspects on Run?

YOU MAY BE noticing quite a ruckus during this evening's rush hour in Atwater Village. News, as it comes in, from the Twitters:
  • 6:13pm from AtwaterVillage: "Something afoot (and in air) on Revere Ave south of Los Feliz Blvd [Google Maps] ... cops blocking street & circling above"
  • 6:31pm from Fixer: "I live on Revere south of Los Feliz Blvd, I hope my dog doesn't eat anyone while I am not there."
  • 6:33pm from DougMcInnes: "Policed cordoned off a block of Brunswick, we talked to an officer and apparently there's a suspect running around possibly with a gun."
  • 6:50pm from Wambat: "My wife went out to the store and the cops cordoned off Los Feliz and Brunswick. She can't get back home."
  • 7:03pm from AtwaterVillage: "Cop copters still circling"
  • 7:16pm from Fixer: "LAPD NE has confirmed, the perimeter is set up and they are searching for 2 armed and dangerous suspects"
Also tracking it on the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council forum, where this report came at 9:02pm: "I called the precinct to see if they could tell me anything. They just said that there was an on-going investigation and to stay in my house. It went on for a long time ... so glad it's quiet again."

October 12, 2009

Green Hornet Invades Atwater Village


View Green Hornet Filming Locations in a larger map

FILMING CONTINUES Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights this week for Michel Gondry's Green Hornet feature film, starring Seth Rogen.

Friends of Atwater Village posts the specific locations -- here's a map -- mostly along Riverside Drive but also on Fletcher Drive (basically where Pulp Fiction was shot in Atwater Village) Oct. 12-14, 6:00pm to 6:00am.

The kids at the Riverglen Apartments should get great views of the action, though possibly little sleep, the next few nights. Expect, for example, "automatic gunfire, explosions ... and use of ramps to simulate rollover."

October 11, 2009

LA Tap Water: Suddenly Too Much Chlorine?

AT LEAST I know I'm not alone in this. A few Angelenos lately feel like Los Angeles tap water has been a bit over-chlorinated. From the Twitters:
As research at San Diego State Univeristy points out, "If you can smell the chlorine ... it is dangerously high." Their research was about pools, but what does the smell mean for the water we bathe in and drink, just last year judged tastiest in the world?

Homeless Getting Comfortable at Hyperion Bridge



YOU NOTICE IT when you're driving south along Glendale Blvd., just before crossing under the Hyperion Bridge toward Silver Lake. It's a homely little camp, blankets, shopping cart, all the amenities of street life spread out at the base of the pedestrian staircase. At least one or 2 homeless men have occupied this shady slice of Atwater Village, adjacent to a north I-5 on-ramp, for the last couple of weeks.

Two years ago this spot had become a trash heap. The city eventually came along and bagged it. Back then, no one lived there. So now, what will the city do? And how long will they wait to do it?

October 9, 2009

The Mystery School Bus in Front of Party City

A READER wants to know: "While it may not be doing anything wrong, maybe other people aren't noticing, but I have to know: What is the deal with that school bus on Los Feliz in front of Party City?! It has been there for weeks, day and night. It leaves every few days, but after a few hours, it's BACK. Is it serving a specific Atwater Village community service? Has the city run out of school bus parking and thought, 'Hey! In front of that Party City looks pretty empty.' Maybe it's not bothering anyone but me, but that doesn't make the curiosity any less intense."

October 8, 2009

Goodbye Gas Mart, Hello Valero

Food Mart

AN EAGLE-EYED reader questions changes at the petrol station formerly known as Gabriel's Gas Mart, 3047 Glendale Blvd. "Hey would you happen to know what is happening at the Gas Mart gas station on Glendale Blvd.? It's near the Crispy Crust and Starbucks." On Tuesday the reader saw the new Valero signs go up. "Was it sold or something?" he asks. "It's a shame to lose a family-ran gas station."

October 6, 2009

They Can Talk, But Can They Cook?

STEVE AND MIKE from KFI 640 AM Talk Radio are cooking at Atwater Village's Canele bistro, 3219 Glendale Blvd., for the Friends Cook series, Tuesday Oct. 6, 5:00pm to 10:00pm. Their 3-course, $32 dinner:
  • Braised artichoke on a fat toast with shaved pecorino
  • Seared halibut with cherry tomatoes, cracked olives, capers and basil
  • Apple and raisin crostata with ice cream

October 2, 2009

Monsters and Aliens Land at Atwater Elementary

TO RAISE FUNDS for Atwater Avenue Elementary School, a community organization is hosting a movie screening. The deets:
  • Friday Oct. 2, 6:00pm
  • Monsters Vs. Aliens
  • Atwater Avenue Elementary School field
  • 3271 Silver Lake Blvd.
  • $5 suggested donation

October 1, 2009

Something Fishy for Sale on Sunnynook Drive

MORE TIDBITS about that 2-story $1,096,000 listing on Sunnynook Drive: Turns out the seller is a musician named Ginger Fish, a drummer for Marilyn Manson. The Real Estalker gives the lowdown and adds a fresh opinion about our neighborhood:
"The 3 bedroom and 2 bathroom house is located in a modest section of Los Angeles called Atwater Village, a neighborhood with a Silver Lake zip code that borders Glendale, Elysian Valley, Glassell Park, Los Feliz, and the sprawling Griffith Park. Being the hub in a geographic wheel certainly makes Atwater Village accessible to and from many parts of the Tinseltown but, as far as Your Mama and the Dr. Cooter are concerned, it's far to [sic] hot and smoggy for our delicate constitutions..."
Real Estalker's POV aside, the Fish house adds another note (with Beastie Boys, Eels, Black Eyed Peas) to the musical history of Atwater Village.