LA | Fairfax By Night

Los Angeles 2013 Circa 1988

On April 3, 1988 the Los Angeles Times Magazine published a futuristic expose of what life in Los Angeles would be like in 25 years entitled LA 2013. The article (click here for the full PDF) included everything from revolutionary technology that would modernize our daily lives, to our futuristic transportation system, to the transformed urban environment. One of the things I found most fascinating with the article were the absolutley stunning illustrations of the futuristic Los Angeles cityscape composed by reknowned designer Syd Mead. Famous for his visual contributions to the science fiction masterpiece Bladerunner, Mead’s creation envisions a future Los Angeles categorized by clean lines, high buildings, sleek transportation and few remnants of the 20th century.

Northern Grade Pop-Up Shop Los Angeles

Up until recently, the much lauded menswear pop-up shop Northern Grade had only opened up it’s flea market style boutique in it’s Midwest home of Minneapolis and Chicago. Now, the annual event is expanding out to other cities to showcase a wide variety of american made menswear apparel and goods, including Los Angeles this Saturday April 6th 11AM-7PM and Sunday April 7th 11Am-5PM. Sponsored by Apolis and Pierrepont Hicks, some of the best local and national brands in menswear will be attending, along with food and drinks from Handsome Coffee Roasters, Wurstkuche and Coolhaus. See the flyer above for more details.

LA Taco Madness 2013

While the rest of the country is enthralled with the NCAA Basketball march madness, us taco enthusiasts here in Los Angeles are just as pumped up for Taco Madness 2013. In it’s fifth year, Los Angeles taco blog LA Taco puts together a tournament style bracket of LA’s finest taco establishments to find out which one reigns supreme as taco champion. Head on over and submit your votes, or use this as an opportunity to discover some real authentic taco spots.

Classixx – Holding On

I always rave about these guys, and they always seem to deliver. The incredibly musically gifted (attended Berklee School of Music) Los Angeles based duo Classixx have proven yet again they are some of the most talented DJs/Producers/Musicians on the electronic music scene. Their signature disco/80′s/funk style that sets them apart from the rest is beautifully executed in their newly released track Holding On, full of snappy lyrics, a slammin’ beat and groovy bass line. To make it even better, the video they put together for this track pays great homage to our fine city, artfully piecing together authentic street scenes from all over Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Embodied In One Photograph

From skiing in the mountains, to watching the sunset at the beach in the same day. Last Sunday, this was my life, and can easily be any other winter weekend for us Angelenos. Forget what you see on TV and the movies, this is what Los Angeles REALLY is all about.

The History of In-N-Out Burger

Over the last month, Gear Patrol’s “Month Of Beef” has embarked on a well rounded journey through the wonderful world of beef. This week they pay tribute to the most sacred of hamburgers, an institution adored by all Southern Californians, the venerable In-N-Out Burger. From humble beginnings, the history of In-N-Out Burger is rooted in simple preparation and fresh ingredients that still hold true today, to make one of the nation’s most delicious hamburgers. Hop over to Gear Patrol to read the whole story.

Greatest Piece Of Taco Art Ever

Like many Angelenos, I am very passionate about our most treasured local cuisine, Tacos. All across our fine city of Los Angeles, there are hundreds of taco trucks serving some of the greatest Mexican food around. There even blogs like The Great Taco Hunt and Taco Maven dedicated solely to this wonderful cuisine. During my years here, I have definitely become acquainted with our local taco culture, and have eaten some of the best tacos in the city. Recently while dining at Tinga Taqueria on La Brea Ave, I became instantly enamored with what I believe to be the Greatest Piece Of Taco Art Ever. Located in their bathroom is wall mural depicting scenes of tacos: ninja tacos breaking into a house, tacos flying across the ceiling, a man happily content covered in tacos while his sulking girlfriend cries “All you do is spend money on tacos.” I was absolutely floored by this masterpiece.

History of California Map

My favorite source for old maps, the Big Map Blog, just published another magnificent piece of cartography, highlighting the young but storied History of California. With vivid depictions of our diverse environment from the mountains to the desert to the sea, this map shows the key dates on the timeline of California’s growth from a territory to a state. You can see how the Missions expanded up the coast along the El Camino Real, and when Los Angeles came to prominence with the introduction of the railroads and the port. Old maps are absolutely fascinating.

Skateboarding East Los Angeles

QUIK from Colin Kennedy on Vimeo.

Not only is this an awesome skateboard video by Quiksilver, but it’s also a strikingly accurate portrayal of the real Los Angeles, East Los Angeles. Captured using realistic camera angles and taken from a familiar “eye level” point of view, this film gives outsiders a real view of what our city is like, and makes native Angelenos nostalgic toward the unique urban environment we are so familiar. Miles of asphalt, street vendors, Mexican community, train tracks, historic buildings and grass covered hillsides. I’ve walked these sidewalks, driven these streets of East Los Angeles, and it’s extraordinary how well it is depicted.

Zack Herrera Photography

Photographer Zack Herrera has put together an extraordinary collection of photographs capturing Downtown Los Angeles at night entitled Downtown Oz. The photographs highlight how artificial light illuminates the urban landscape at night, unmasking the environment’s true identity. I am very fond of the photograph above which gives a new face to one of the several tunnels that run through Bunker Hill. [LAI'mYours]

Los Angeles Photograph

I was at a bar called the Dime on Fairfax Ave over the weekend, and became quickly enamored with this photograph on the wall. A dude skateboarding down a palm tree lined street in beautiful sunshine. This photograph is so perfectly Los Angeles, I love it. LA All Day.

Nightfall On Los Angeles

NightFall from Colin Rich on Vimeo.

Los Angeles is a magical place. As a sprawled out urban metropolis nestled between mountains and the ocean, the relationship between Los Angeles and the natural environment is one beauty and wonder, especially at nightfall. Photographer Colin Rich has produce this breathtaking entitled “Nightfall” video capturing Los Angeles in its transition from day to night from many urban and natural locales around the city. Using timelapse techniques and amazing slow motion panning, this video is masterpiece. Additionally, the music used from M83 compliments the progression of shots perfectly. I’ve watched this video multiple times, and am still in awe of our beautiful city.