Atwater Village Question of the Week

AN INTERESTING question from a Newbie reader: "Why does the Red Cross have a storage box at Chevy Chase Park [4165 Chevy Chase Drive]? What disaster are they preparing for (or creating)?" Great question. And what the heck is inside? Is it for donations? UPDATE: It's for distaster preparedness! Details in the comments.

The Best-Yelped Place in Atwater Village

CELEBRATING ITS FIRST anniversary this month, Atwater Village's 55 Degree Wine has quickly become a favorite in the neighborhood and on the review-anything site Yelp.com. More than 75% of Yelp reviews give the wine shop and tasting room 5 out of 5 stars. Just a sample: "All I can say is that the this store got it RIGHT. I was actually excited to spend my money - and look forward to spending more.  The best part is that as I was driving home, I felt like I had been on a little teeny European vacation." Mrs. Newbie and I stopped by last Friday night and have never seen the basement tasting room so crowded. (Might stick to weekdays from now on.) Tomorrow for Valentines Day: 55 Degree Wine offers a 3-course spread of cheeses and such and a bottle of wine for $69 per couple.

Migrating from Atwater Village to Miracle Mile?

DETAILS ABOUT an unexpected sighting of a great blue heron from Will Campbell at Metblogs LA.

Exclusive! About Those Police Choppers Last Night...

Hunter, originally uploaded by intention.

FOR 2 HOURS in the middle of the night, from midnight to 2:00 a.m. this morning, an LAPD helicopter circled South Atwater Village near Glendale Blvd. and Garden Avenue. I've seen nothing about it on TV or in any other news outlets, so this first-hand report from a Newbie reader is an exclusive: "...I have grown up in Atwater my entire 20 years. I have seen crime and lived through some drivebys back when it was a bit more common in Atwater. Today however, at midnight, may have been, for my family, the largest breach in our property. "At approximately twelve A.M. perps with flashlights tresspassed onto my family's backyard.... I do not know if they were searching for an escape from the police or looking to cause future harm but it was not long before Police choppers forced them to run. "I also know, because of the helicopter's megaphone, that they were armed though I do not know what kind of weapon. Luckily at least one of them was caught." Wow. We heard the megaphone from about half a mile away. What's the full story, LAPD? Chasing those guys out of Drew Street and into Atwater Village?

Crystal Springs Drive Closing March Through November

NEWS ABOUT A street closing in Griffith Park, just across the river from Atwater Village, from this Film L.A. production alert: Starting on March 16, 2009 and continuing through mid-November 2009, Crystal Springs Drive will be closed from Los Feliz Boulevard to Merry-go-Round Road.  Griffith Park Drive will be converted from a one-way street into a two-way street to accommodate traffic; however, the route will be impassible to cube trucks and larger vehicles.

How Does the 134 Make You Feel?

AT LEAST ONE driver feels like a song: "Hang On (Dr. Dog) will always remind me of the liberating feeling of driving down the 134 from Atwater Village to Pasadena with the mountains all around me and the sun penetrating my car."

Getting Rid of the Street Donuts: $110,000

THE LARGE 5-way intersection where Glenfeliz, Dover and Valleybrink meet in central Atwater Village is sporting some new tire marks. A neighbor provided a photo of these new Tokyo Drift-style donuts, just a block from Glenfeliz Elementary School, "made by a very large Chevy Silverado truck that could have easily lost control and ended up in one of our homes." The City of LA has a plan. An intersection improvement project, sponsored by City Council President Eric Garcetti's office, reduces the empty space in the intersection, making it less attractive for these types of vehicular shenanigans. (Blatantly rolling through the stop signs, though, will still be an option.) CD13 will pony up most of the $110,000 cost and this week asked the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council to contribute $20,000. Stay tuned for more details about the plan, and whether or not it impacts speeders on Valleybrink.

What $7,850 a Month Gets You on the Westside

SOMETIMES WE fantasize about moving from cozy Atwater Village to the idyllic west side of Los Angeles. Ah, the beach lifestyle. Sun, sand, pirates everywhere. And then we actually go and look at what's available to rent on the west side. This weekend: a loft condo on the water in Marina Del Rey. 3 bedrooms 2.5 bathrooms Listed for sale at $1,799,000 (down from $1,950,000) Also available for lease, furnished, at $7,850/month Part of a 4-unit condo building (the pirate mannequins belong to the guy upstairs) To be sure, a sweet pad. And it almost made us think of quadrupling our rent. Then we heard planes leaving LAX every 90 seconds. More scenes from the open house:

Why Drew Street Continues to Thrive as Gang Enclave

View Larger Drew Street Enclave Map

ACCORDING TO his Facebook profile today, Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti is "helping demolish" the Avenue Gangs headquarters at 3304 Drew Street (map, street view ) adjacent to Atwater Village. (More from the LA Times.)

Cops raided this corner of Glassell Park in June 2008. It's protected by "dead" space: literally, on 2 sides, by Forest Lawn cemetery. The third side is bounded by the 2 freeway.

The fourth boundary is made of 2 large unoccupied lots. One, the old Van de Kamp bakery, is where Los Angeles Community College is slowly building its northeast campus. The other, a former Kmart site, is where activists have fought development by the likes of Home Depot for being "incompatible" with community interests.

But it seems to me it's be better to have active, public spaces, even if they're commercially "incompatible," over large vacant lots that shield gang activity from civilian eyes.

Q: When Was Last Reported Rape in Atwater Village?

A: THIS SATURDAY. The crime was reported in the 5200 block of West San Fernando Road, just up from the "gentleman's club" on that industrial frontage road in North Atwater Village. (Parallel to the real San Fernando Road on Glendale's side of the train tracks.) According to the LAPD report, the crime happened at 3:00 a.m., Jan. 31. Before this, Atwater Village seems to have avoided the R word for years. In fact, this instance of "carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will" is the only one in Everyblock's crime database for ZIP 90039 so far this century. Take that for what it's worth.

Now Auditioning: People Who Live Near the LA River

ATWATER VILLAGERS, that's you! From fellow blog-LA-sphere member View from a Loft: The next Justice Cycle play, the Environmental Justice/LA River project written by Julie Hebert and directed by Juliette Carrillo... wants you to audition. They write: "We are looking to cast people who live, work, play and love the Los Angeles River. Are you a friend of the LA River? An activist? Do you live in Elysian Valley/Frogtown? Atwater Village? Glendale Narrows? Or another community along the LA River?" Make an appointment with Cornerstone Theater, (213) 613-1700, ext. 37. Auditions are at 708 Traction Ave., Feb. 21, 10:00 a.m. and Feb. 22, 12:00 noon. "No experience necessary. Only an adventurous spirit."