Hi everyone! I moved to LA in June, though I have travelling to the city fairly frequently for the past two years. I am creating this thread for the possibly thousands of photos that I take during my time here.

Recently I went for a stroll around Broadway, and I thought I would start with some pictures from there. I am a big supporter of both historic preservation and urban renewal, and I sincerely hope this area is restored to its former greatness some day.

For anyone unfamiliar with Broadway, it used to be LA's main entertainment and shopping street before WWII. With decentralization of the city, white flight, etc after World War II, the area declined, together with the rest of downtown LA. Broadway found a second life as the main commercial street for the city's working class latino community, and as such at least remains a vibrant (though unaffluent) locale. While gentrification has started to creep into the corners of downtown, this area still retains a somewhat seedy and gritty character. Despite that, there is great potential here. There are no less than 12 historic theaters in close proximity to each other, waiting to find a second lease on life, and many other beautiful old buildings besides, that could become home to apartments if the area becomes more attractive.

But anywho, I parked and started out near Pershing Square...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02064.jpg

Pershing Square was LA's first (if I'm not mistaken)...and today has a wonderful architectural backdrop combining old-school buildings like the Biltmore Hotel with newer skyscrapers and other buildings. The square itself...is so-so. While it's not bad, and is certainly colorful, I think the space uses too much concrete and is fragmented into too many sections and levels. Unaviodably, there is also some of the seediness of the general area. Still, with a thoughtful redesign, and with general uplifting of the neighborhood, this could easily become a truly great square.

Biltmore to the fore...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02068.jpg

This nice deco building is on the northeast corner of the square...I think it's the former Ohio Oil Building?

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02066.jpg

...and this oldie with attractive brickwork is in the southwest corner...the color and patterns are similar to the Biltmore's...I believe it was the Associated Realty Building, or something like that. Next to it, another nice oldie with a clock on top...I think formerly known as the James Oviatt Building.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02069.jpg

A picture of Assoc. Realty with Aon Tower in the background...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/CopyofDSC02073.jpg

More coming up...but it's about time for me to hit the sack today...

Wow...very good shots

^^ Thanks

I went down 7th Street, with primary intent of taking a peek at the old Warner Brothers Theater.

A couple of random shots:

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This (below) is the Warner Bros. Theater Building...which was the main showpiece for the studio back in the 1920s. Today it is part of Downtown LA's Jewellery District.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02059.jpg

The theater survives largely intact but the interior has been partitioned to accomodate its current function. I've read that the current owners generally don't mind people interested in photographing the interior...I'll try that some other time. Subsequent to this theater the Warners built a number of art deco gems around town. The largest is in Hollywood and sits abandoned, waiting for some TLC. There are also fine examples in San Pedro and Huntington Park. A truly beautiful Warner theater in Beverly Hills was sadly demo'd in 1988 and replaced with...a parking lot.

In the pic below, the Downtown Warner is to the right. I believe the building on the right was called the Foreman Building.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02061.jpg

This great little example of example of art deco is between 7th St and Pershing Sq...I think it's on Hill St, if I remember correctly. The glazed sea-green veneer is reminiscent of two of LA's more famous deco edifices - the Wiltern Theater and the Eastern Columbia Bldg.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02062.jpg

I think this is 6th St, looking east:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02077.jpg

These buildings look very business-like, yet with ornate details as typical of yesteryear...

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Same buildings to the left, looking south on Hill St, if I remember correctly...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02076.jpg

Obviously no central air in those buildings. These are great pics! Do you know Apu Nahasapemapetalan?

Welcome to LA. Are you from Armenia?

^Bangladesh?

^^ Yes, I'm originally from Bangladesh.

I got the idea for the Sanjay pic from another forumer who had Apu's (the two are supposed to be the same ethnicity as me).

And yes my screen name sounds Armenian but that has to do with yet another Simpsons related matter that would take too long to explain.

...and just to clarify...I'm really not that much of a Simpsons nut...but these two aspects of my SSC identity just happened to relate to the series.

^ Awesome! LA could use some more Bangladeshi folks. :tongue3:

Did you know that we have a Little Bangladesh? It's a four-block stretch of 3rd Street between New Hampshire and Alexandria. :lol:

^^ Yes, we Bangladeshis are known for our small numbers. I'll have to check that area some time :)

Anywhos...some more pics.

Finally getting to Broadway...the very ornate building with the arch is the Arcade Building. Next to it are three surviving theaters. Right to left, they are the Arcade, Cameo, and Roxie Theaters...all three in disuse, I think (but at least, all still intact).

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02103.jpg

The Arcade Building, does, in fact, have an arcade (photo below). This hall provides a passage from Broadway to Spring St. Today it serves as home to a variety of small vendors...but it's not difficult to imagine it spruced up as a classy home to shops and eateries.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02104.jpg

Just to the south are two of the most important theaters, the Palace and the Los Angeles. The Palace, on the east side of the street, was the main showcase for RKO (one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age, together with MGM, Paramout, Warners, and Fox) before the construction of the grander Orpheum Theater down the street. Across from the Palace on the west side of the street is the Los Angeles, which has perhaps the glitziest interior of all of LA's historic theaters. The image below, the Palace marquee is on the right, and the LA is on the left.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02080.jpg

Here is a view of the Palace from the east side of the street...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02101.jpg

...and here is a close up of the Los Angeles.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02102.jpg

I think this theater is modeled on the San Francisco Fox Theater. The latter I consider a contender for the most beautiful movie palace ever built, and it was also twice the size of the LAT. However, the LA Theater is still here...whereas the SF Fox, like many of the greatest movie houses, was torn down (in 1960, I think).

On another note, anyone visiting Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim may note that the facade of the "Hyperion" Theater is actually based on that of the LAT.

Very nice pictures!

Nice work Tanzirian... the city of LA in a different lense, I like it.

^^ Thanks.

Some more theaters... Here is one of my favorite, the Tower Theater. This one is smaller than some of the others, and has a somewhat uniquely shaped interior. The exterior is quite distinctive, too:

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While most of the theaters on Broadway are in need of restoration, the one that already been spruced up (and one of the best) is the Orpheum Theater. This became the main showcase for RKO Studios, taking over from the Palace. I fully intend to attend a show here in the upcoming months, and will take some pics for SSC when I do.

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This shot has three nice buildings in one pic...the Orpheum on the left, United Artists Theater in the background in the middle, and Eastern Columbia Bldg to the right of center.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02086.jpg

Great pictures. As is obvious, most of DT's aesthetic problems are at street level not in the buildings (although some buildings not pictured are expendable). We need more medians; better sidewalks; some streets closed to traffic; tougher signage rules. Otherwise a huge asset is being wasted.

I am even wondering if there should be much push for more office business in "old DT" or if it should be pushed toward housing and retail, with Bunker Hill and Civic Center staying as commercial and institutional.

Great pictures. As is obvious, most of DT's aesthetic problems are at street level not in the buildings (although some buildings not pictured are expendable). We need more medians; better sidewalks; some streets closed to traffic; tougher signage rules. Otherwise a huge asset is being wasted.

I am even wondering if there should be much push for more office business in "old DT" or if it should be pushed toward housing and retail, with Bunker Hill and Civic Center staying as commercial and institutional.

I would lean towards residential. I am not sure how good these old buildings are for modern business. But downtown is not lacking in modern office space. What it needs are for more people to want to live there. A restoration of the historic district, which has so much potential character...together with concurrent improvements in cleanliness and safety...would help towards achieving that goal.

The southern end of the main section has two great buildings, the Eastern Columbia Bldg and United Artists Theater Bldg. The Eastern Columbia is a fine example of art deco, with two distinctive elements - a green glazed veneer and big clock on top.

Here it is in the glare of the sun, in this view looking north...with the UA Theater in the foreground left.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02090.jpg

A closer shot of some entrance details:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02095.jpg

Unfortunately I did not get pics that do justice to the UA building. This Spanish-gothic delight is my favorite theater / tower combo in all LA, together with the Wiltern on Wilshire Blvd. Some day, I will get better pics, including hopefully the interior of the theater, which is currently a church. Till then though, these two:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02091.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02092.jpg

Gorgeous pics. Very informative. Was at Artwalk last night and downtown has so much potential....

Artwalk shows that downtown isn't about potential but more about actual.

Great tour Tanzirian. I can't wait to see more.

^^ Thanks all

Just a few other random pics...

The building below houses Loew's State Theater. MGM was Hollywood's biggest studio during much of the "golden age"...and Loew's was its theater chain. Sorry that I didn't get a picture that does the building justice...it has really attractive brickwork in a lush red color. I'll rectify that some other time.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02084.jpg

Just a random but nicely detailed doorway a little south of the Orpheum...
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02094.jpg

...and another shot of the Orpheum just for good measure.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02096.jpg

Before leaving downtown for an evening invite, I stopped by to get a membership with the public library. The main entrance is on Flower St:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02106.jpg

There is beautiful rotunda half hidden away on the second level:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSC02112.jpg

There was also a nice modern atrium that I neglected to take pictures of...will remember to do so next time. And that's all the pics for just now, but many more will follow periodically, including interiors and further details of some of the theaters.

I was in Downtown recently and walked through the Arts District, Little Tokyo, Civic Center, Historic Core, South Park, and the Financial District. Yes, it is just amazing how much potential there is around every corner.

Nice shots! My friend from NY came for the first time, I took him to Broadway and he was surprised to see so many theaters (former theaters) congregated in one place. There's a segment where every block has one or two.

^^ Thanks! Some day in the not too distant future, I plan on taking the LA Conservancy's tour so I can see the interior of some of these places.

LA's Broadway / downtown is very fortunate in that most of its old theaters are still surviving in one form or another. In fact I would say the only major theater to be demolished...and needlessly so...was the Paramount / Grauman's Metropolitan. This was the largest of LA's movie palaces. It was torn down in the 60s with the intention of being replaced by a 35 story box. However, although the theater got demo'd, that replacement never got built. Instead the site lay vacant for years afterwards until finally a generic midrise got built on it. When I get a chance I will some pictures of the Paramount on the Historic LA thread.

The history of NY's broadway...I am not so well versed in...but I do know that quite a few of the historic theaters which once lined it are no more.

^^ Thanks! Some day in the not too distant future, I plan on taking the LA Conservancy's tour so I can see the interior of some of these places.

LA's Broadway / downtown is very fortunate in that most of its old theaters are still surviving in one form or another. In fact I would say the only major theater to be demolished...and needlessly so...was the Paramount / Grauman's Metropolitan. This was the largest of LA's movie palaces. It was torn down in the 60s with the intention of being replaced by a 35 story box. However, although the theater got demo'd, that replacement never got built. Instead the site lay vacant for years afterwards until finally a generic midrise got built on it. When I get a chance I will some pictures of the Paramount on the Historic LA thread.

The history of NY's broadway...I am not so well versed in...but I do know that quite a few of the historic theaters which once lined it are no more.

I would also love to go on those kinds of tours. I decided to sign up to LA Conservancy email lists right noe, maybe I can attend some tours in the future.

^^ The conservancy also screens classic films in some of the theaters...once a year I believe...a program called "The Last Remaining Seats." There was also a picture book published of that name, back in the 1990s, I believe. Years ago, long before I lived in LA, I found the book at my public library at a point when I had become interested in the architecture of old movie palaces. That's when I first learnt about LA's old theaters.

McArthur Park...

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Feathery Angelinos at McArthur...

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^^ Some more from yesterday...awaiting concert at Club Nokia...

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UCLA - Royce Hall etc.

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Nice. I love Mac Arthur Park.

Hail the hills of Westwood!

Love Westlake too. In 20 years, I dream of hundreds of revitalized old buildings and hundreds of new ones.

Some Santa Monica pics I took a little while back...

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again, cool pics!

^^ Thanks. Here are few more from the same day...views towards Malibu, the pier, and the Pacific...

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Edit: I'm removing and repositioning some pics to streamline the flow of this page.

Last month I attended the opening night of "Tangled" at the historic El Capitan. The film was preceded by a Wurlitzer organ performance and stage show that hit just the right mark for the setting and the film...melding old Hollywood nostalgia with more contemporary Disney characters.

Those of you who remember some of my earlier posts know that I have an interest in old movie palaces. If I had to chose just one for the finest such theater ever built, I would probably say the San Francisco Fox theater, which was torn down around 1960. The Wurlitzer in the El Capitan was originally in that lost gem.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN1250.jpg

Ticket booth:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN1257.jpg

Portico ceiling:
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Show:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN1276.jpg

Edit

Santa Barbara Mission, from last November. The main building was initiated by the Spanish in 1786, with rebuilding to the current structure completed in 1820. More to come...

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Continued...

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The Pacific in the distance...

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Santa Barbara Courthouse:

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Views from the top of the courthouse clocktower:

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http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN1181.jpg
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Santa Barbara looks like a town in Spain o Italia, beautiful.

Santa Barbara looks like a town in Spain o Italia, beautiful.

Yes, it does and it is. Another nice quality about SB is that, while it has a genteel feel about it, in the way many quaint coastal towns do, it also has a youthful vibe thanks to UCSB.

A few more...

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Just a few more to finish up this batch...

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In the background of this pic, across the water, is Channel Islands National Park. I hope to go there some day and climb up to Inspiration Point :)

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A few photos from another great day trip from back in November, to Joshua Tree National Park. Some more to follow...

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Some more from the same day...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN1354.jpg

In the pic below, Mt San Gorgonio, tallest peak in Southern California. On clear days you can see it from some places in LA.

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Just a few more to finish up this batch...

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I finally did something I had meant to do since moving to LA in June, which is to go on one of the LA Conservancy's tours. There are many more I would like to go on but this one was a good point to begin, and was called "Historic Downtown." To start with the day was overcast but the sun came out later on...meaning that my outdoor pics got better as the day progressed (considering the limits of my uber-fancy point-and-shoot camera). But bear with me and there should be decent shots, including a few lesser-seen interiors.

Starting out in Pershing Square...

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Clocktower of the Oviatt Building...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2606.jpg

Looking up at the Pacific Finance Building:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2611-1.jpg

View of our first stop, the Pacific Mutual Building:

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Looking from the barrel vaulted foyer to the main lobby, both spaces featuring rich appointments and coffered ceilings:

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The next few pics are of the Mayflower Hotel, currently the Hilton Checkers. On my first visit to LA as an adult (I also visited as a youngster in 1984) back in 2008, I stayed at this hotel. Maybe later I will repost some shots I took from my hotel room back then.


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Really nice... there are some gems in the Historic District. Is this a whole day tour? BTW I love your pics of the desert.

Really nice... there are some gems in the Historic District. Is this a whole day tour? BTW I love your pics of the desert.

Thanks for your comments! No, the tours are not all day...this one was about 2.5 hours. They are also cheap...$10 for nonmembers, $5 for members.

More pics coming later today...but in the meantime I've added a few pics of the Mayflower Hotel to my previous post.

In most instances an overcast sky does not do any favors for the point-and-shoot photographer, but sometimes it does make for some atmospheric shots...

The Towering Inferno (for those who recall):

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Our next stop, the Southern California Edison Building, is front and center in the pic below:

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Ceiling of the porte-cochere:

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The main doors:

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The gorgeous lobby, sheathed in tavertine and other fine stones, and intricately decorated:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2703.jpg

Southern California Edison details:

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By now the sun was coming out. Here, to the west of Pershing Square, the Biltmore...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2746.jpg

...and to the west of the square, a very similarly shaped building, called the Subway Terminal Building. Both buildings were designed by Schulz and Weaver, a firm most noted for the many grand hotels it built in that era. Back when the Red Cars ran through LA, there was in fact a terminal beneath this building, which was our next stop in the tour. It has some nice details, though nothing to write home about, and today houses private apartments. We briefly stepped into the lobby.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2747.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2755.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2764.jpg

City Hall peeping out from behind...

The building with the partial red brick cladding is Grand Central Market, and the taller building to the right is the Million Dollar Theater, both seen here from the rear and at a diagonal.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2767.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2766.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2768.jpg

Across the street from the Subway Terminal Building...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2756.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2770.jpg

Continued...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2777.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2774.jpg

The north side of the Subway Terminal Bldg can be seen at lower left in the first pic...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2771.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2775.jpg

Angel's Flight...I was suprised to see this up and running. I hadn't realized it reopened last year after a gap of 14 years or so.

For those unfamiliar, in the old days...this funicular connected the mansions on Bunker Hill to the commercial areas down below. The funicular reopened in the 1990s after several decades then was closed shortly thereafter following a fatal accident. The current location is shifted several hundred feet south of where it originally was.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2776.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2780.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2781.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2783.jpg

Rear view of the Million Dollar Theater to the right...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2788.jpg

...and red-orange brick of the Bradbury Building beyond.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2790.jpg

Side and details of the Million Dollar Theater. The style is called Churriguerresque.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2793.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2794.jpg

Full view of the front facade, from across Broadway:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2803.jpg

Corner of the Million Dollar (left) from across Broadway:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2798.jpg

The Bradbury Building is fairly unassuming from the outside...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2795.jpg

...but the interior is among the most noteworthy of LA's oldie buildings. The space has taken it's place in popular culture, featuring in a number of Hollywood productions, most notably in the climax of "Blade Runner."

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2819.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2810.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2814.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2812.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2811.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2817.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2815.jpg

Moving on...I wanted to see what was at the top of Angel's Flight. It's called the Water Court, at the base of California Plaza. I had seen pictures of it before but didn't know where it was, so was happy to discover it. It's a nice little oasis in Downtown, with a nice view too. Bonus points for anyone who can spot the Disney Concert Hall in the last pic.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2826-1.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2827-1.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2829-1.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2831-1.jpg

Walking back towards the library, where my car was parked...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2832.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2835.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2837.jpg

Back to the library, where I started out from. When I took some pics of the library for the first page of this thread, I had photographed the historic rotunda, but not the more modern atrium. So this time I went and snapped a pic of the latter...it's the second shot below.

And that's all from my first LA Conservancy tour day.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2833.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2838.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN2840.jpg

These are great pics. I did the same thing, walking around downtown taking pictures, but I did it in 1978. I'll see if I can find them.

^^ Thanks. Will look forward to your photos if you find them.

Here's how Security Pacific Bank plaza, I mean, California plaza looks today ... . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/Fullscreencapture324201122043AM-1.jpg . ... and here's how United California Bank looked in February of 1980, 444 (Citigroup) would have been in the way of this view. . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/SCAN0019-1.jpg . Here's a close-up of the 1980 lunch crowd :) . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/SCAN0019-2.jpg . (This is the same little park where Richard Gere took of his shoes to walk barefoot in Pretty Woman 10 years later.) MILQUETOAST

Nice shot!

I was at the library this past tuesday and noticed how the many of the most prominent skyscrapers form a sort of cloister around the library garden. It was just a little while before sunset...the temp was pleasant, the fountains were splashing, and the sun lighting up the highrises with a nice glow...a very nice moment.

U2 Concert at Angels stadium yesterday...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060856.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060857.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060863.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060908.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060971.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070004.jpg

A few more...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060894.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070020.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060988.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070024.jpg

Some pics taken while visiting the Tim Burton exhibit at the LACMA's (relatively) new Resnick Pavilion a few weeks ago. We tried to see this exhibit back in 2009 at NYC's MOMA but it was sold out. The exhibit is highly recommended for anyone interested in pop culture. We could not take pictures inside the exhibit proper so that's not seen in these posts. The Resnick is a pretty simple but attractive modernist addition to the LACMA's cluster of buildings. A few more pics to follow...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060755.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060735.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060751.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060746.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060748.jpg

Great pics, Tanz!

^^ Thanks Milque. I'll post a few more when I get back home today.

A few more of the same...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060740.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060747.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060752.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060756.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1060757.jpg

I really like this shot I took last Memorial Day weekend, while flying over the LA basin, because just about all the important mountain groups around LA are peeping up above the clouds.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/dsc1-1.jpg

Pacific Design Center Update

As most of you know, a new addition to the Pacific Design Center - the Red Building - is under construction currently. Not so long ago I posted a picture in the Amazing LA photos thread which I thought to be one of the completed building...but as was pointed out, was just a CG render. So I decided to walk there and take some real pics, and also to check out the free MOCA gallery there. All pics taken on 8/6/11. The Center is about a 20-25 minute walk from my apartment, down chi-chi stretches of Robertson and Melrose. Some day I should do these shopping areas justice and take lots of pictures of them, since they really are quite beautiful...but I do feel self conscious going around snapping a bunch of shots of pricey stores, like an awestruck hillbilly.

Walking to the PDC (if you look closely, you can see it in the background of the first pic):

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3661.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3664.jpg

...And we're there! You can see the red building peeping out on the left.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3669.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3673.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3675.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3676.jpg

Popping inside the Center for just a bit, there was this render showing the complete complex. Otherwise the Center is closed on weekends so there wasn't much else to see (we did go inside the adjacent MOCA annex).

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3680.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3681.jpg

Seen from Santa Monica Blvd, only the tip of the exterior of the Red building remains to be built.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3683.jpg

The pic below is taken from across the Metrobus station parking lot. If you look closely at the background, you might notice another building under construction...which is a new office tower for Cedars Sinai, that I'll post on at another time.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3686.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/2a.jpg

How a subway stop is needed in this vicinity. I do like the pedestrian friendly frontage but it's a shame that most people will arrive by car (at least initially) and never interact with the fountains and outdoor seating.

^^ True for all West LA. That metrobus station I mentioned above looks for all the world like a subway station from the outside. But just buses...

Though I must say, I didn't get to interact much with the fountains myself. There was some event that was going to take place so the "sentries" didn't let me and the missus enter the plaza. We had to go around behind the MOCA annex to get to the entrance.

CARMAGEDDON DAY, last month...I was deathly afraid that my Disney Dollars would expire, so I braved the killer freeways and vamoosed down to Disney California Adventure.

For the benefit of anyone unfamiliar with this park, this second gate at Disneyland was built on the cheap in 2001 on the belief that people would visit it based on the Disney name alone, even if it was poorly themed and had few attractions. However, when those predictions didn't materialize, and after a change in administration, the company undertook a billion dollar makeover for the park which will be complete in 2012. There were significant improvements compared to my previous visit here a few years ago, and much construction still ongoing. Among the new additions that will debut in 2012 include a new icon for the park, based on LA's long-lost Carthay Circle Theater.

This view is much improved from before...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3525.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3549.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3582.jpg

There is a new Mermaid ride which is housed in an impressive showbuilding. Of architectural interest, the corner of this building, which is retained from an earlier attraction, is based on the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3584.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3524.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3528.jpg

More to follow...

Some more views of the park...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3552.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3585.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3546.jpg

A couple of shots from the ferris wheel...in the background of the first pic, is the under construction Radiator Springs Racers, set to open in 2012...and quite possibly the largest theme park ride ever built.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3589.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3590.jpg

The park has a Hollywood section, which was mostly built on the cheap in 2001. However, there are plans for big upgrades in the coming years. One plan calls for retheming the main theater here (which currently is little more than a concrete box)along the lines of the Tower Theater in downtown LA (I posted some pictures of the real theater on the first page of this thread). One of the smaller theaters in this land (pictured below) recently got a retheme to give it more period specific (20s - 40s) look, and the results are quite nice:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3599.jpg

World of Color is the (relatively) new nighttime grand finale...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3615.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3621.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3624.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3634.jpg

Part of the makeover for California Adventure is a new set of entry gates modeled on LA's deco-era Pan Pacific Auditorium, which burned down in 1989:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3652.jpg

This past Saturday me and the missus went up to the Griffith Planetarium and then hiked up to the top of Mt. Hollywood...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070950.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070964.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070960.jpg

More pics to follow...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070958.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070974.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070949.jpg

Awesome! Why don't I ever see this as the common image of LA when watching the telly?

^^ Thanks! Out of coincidence, when we got home that night, there was this Jim Carrey film - "Yes Man" - on TV, with a scene up at the planetarium. Interestingly, there were no people to be seen, other than the actors! They must have closed the area off to the public for the shoot, or filmed early in the morning - considering the hordes that are usually there on a nice day.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070956.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070955.jpg

In the pic below, the hill on the right is Mt. Hollywood. That's the one we would climb a little later.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070962.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070957.jpg

Views heading up Mt. Hollywood...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070989.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070995.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070983-1.jpg

Trekking upward...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1070997.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080006.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080011.jpg

Almost at the top...view towards Glendale:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080012.jpg

... and we're at the top!!!

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080014.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080019.jpg

Wait...these guys aren't playing fair! While we trudged up, they were playing city slickers!

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080020.jpg

Be gone with ye...cheaters!

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080021.jpg

Looking back up on the way down:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080025.jpg

One last look:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080024.jpg

Just a few comments on the hike before moving on to new pics. The temperature was excellent, mild with a little breeze. The views were great too, though not nearly what they could be on a clear day. At this time of year in LA, the smog is generally quite terrible, severely limiting visibility. On a clear winter's day, especially after seasonal rainfall yielding fresh greenery and snowcap on the San Gabriels, the views / pics would be exponentially better. I hope to repeat this little hike on such a day.

Last Saturday we stopped to check out the MOCA:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3718.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3724.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3738.jpg

Continuing from the previous post...

This is when I shot the Broad and Civic Park construction pics I posted last week in the Museums & Parks thread. While doing so, I snapped a couple of shots of the Disney Hall and Music Center:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3727.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3731.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3734.jpg

Some shots from the Getty over the Thanksgiving weekend:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080569.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080571.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080585.jpg

Laguna Beach from Crescent Bay Point - last Friday

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/62877002.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/62877005.jpg

Sunset behind Catalina Island from Crescent Bay Point:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080630.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/P1080631.jpg

Dodger Stadium from a couple of months ago...a certain city from up north won that day, but at least I had a Dodger Dog to console me...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3995.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/DSCN3997.jpg

Taking off from LAX last week...pic 2 showing Westwood in the center, Century City on the right, and Marina del Rey in the foreground; pic 4 looking back at LA from Point Dume in Malibu.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc/DSCN4365.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc/DSCN4367.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc/DSCN4368.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc/DSCN4372.jpg

wow fantastic clarity!! beautiful

^^ Thanks...I also tried taking some night shots on the way back, but my not-so-fancy camera wasn't up to the task :)

Out for a evening stroll in Long Beach...my apartment building is visible in the first pic.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/DSCN4638.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/DSCN4642.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/DSCN4637.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/DSCN4645.jpg

Long Beach has potential, and is nice now.

It was a great sunny day in (greater) LA today...with superior visibility after rains yesterday...so the Missus and I went on a drive from Long Beach to Redondo Beach, through Palos Verdes. Some pics from the ride...in the first one, Catalina is visible across the water. Some more pics to follow...

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69516852.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69516855.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69516858.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69516867.jpg

Gorgeous pics. Very informative. Was at Artwalk last night and downtown has so much potential.. http://www.momshelper.info/wanhuan2.jpghttp://www.momshelper.info/2.jpghttp://www.momshelper.info/3.jpghttp://www.momshelper.info/6.jpg

^^ Thanks :)

Some more pics from Palos Verdes. The last pic is of the Wayfarer's chapel, designed by architect Lloyd Wright. I wanted to get some more pics of the building, but a wedding was in progress... Also, a comment on the water color...it was exceptionally blue yesterday, with turquoise shades around the cliff bottoms. Rather different from the standard SoCal grays...and more akin to my previous haunt in South Florida.

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69517286.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69517290.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69517295.jpg

yesterday was an epic, beautiful day. I was also at the beach. the best time to go to the beach in LA is from February - May, July - September in my opinion. always so crisp and clear

Continued from above... Looking towards Los Angeles...

In the first pic, downtown is right of center. The second pic is a wider shot of the first. The third pic is looking towards Malibu.

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69570471.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69570479.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69570485.jpg

Where did you take these 3 photos?

Where did you take these 3 photos?

Near where Palos Verdes Drive meets Paseo Del Mar in Palos Verdes, there's a nice park / green space along the top of the cliffs. The view is always nice, but on smoggy days you can't see downtown. With terrific visibility like Sunday, the vista is exceptional.

Beautiful stuff...

yes this malibu pics are amazing

Thanks.

Bluff Cove
33.789,-118.41047

From a stroll a few weekends ago..

An inlet in Long Beach:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/P1090398.jpg

Seal Beach from the pier, with the peaks of the Saddleback in the background:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/P1090400.jpg

Silhouette of downtown Long Beach from Seal Beach pier:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/P1090402.jpg

The San Gabriel Mountains rise behind Los Angeles. My in-laws live near the base of Cucamonga Peak. I was visiting there a couple of weeks ago, and there was some nice snow-pack on the peaks:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/IMG_0199.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/IMG_0207.jpg

A stop at Crescent Bay Point a few weeks ago:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/IMG_0113.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/IMG_0121.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/IMG_0124.jpg

It was a great sunny day in (greater) LA today...with superior visibility after rains yesterday...so the Missus and I went on a drive from Long Beach to Redondo Beach, through Palos Verdes. Some pics from the ride...in the first one, Catalina is visible across the water. Some more pics to follow...

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69516852.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69516855.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69516858.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/69516867.jpg

beautiful light blue water. as well as crescent bay in Laguna Beach

^^ Thanks. A couple more to go with post #124:

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/IMG_0123.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/IMG_0125.jpg

^Feel like spring in the Southland... beautiful pic Tanz

Mr. Tanz is inside the house. YO!

^^ Thanks, all :)

I was at Century City this past weekend on a work related matter...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/DSCN4745.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/Untitled-7.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/DSCN4741.jpg

TANZ? YOU DA MANZ!!

^^ Thanks, Milque.

Just a comment on the second pic in post #129 - as you guys probably know, the building in the center is The Century, a residential tower that was completed in 2009. The top floors is a massive apartment owned by Candy Spelling, the widow of producer Aaron Spelling. There is show on HGTV called "Selling Spelling Manor" which chronicles her selling her former home (the largest house in the LA area) and "downsizing" into this apartment. While I can't say I share her decorative tastes, the apartment would be any Angelino apartment dweller's dream.

Century City is marvelous!

^^ I like the twin Century Towers...they are very classy.

We were at the Disney Hall for a concert earlier this week, on occasion of a birthday. Mr. Dudamel, LA's own celebrity conductor, was supposed to be orchestrating matters...but he bailed out a few days earlier, with an email stating that Mr. Dudamel had to practice for some other more important event, and that someone else would sub. However, we had dinner at Patina (adjacent to the concert hall) before the show, and who should be there, munching away, but Mr. Dudamel himself. When we left for the show, he was still there, wining and dining (I suppose he practices at the dinner table :) )... One big disappointment for me was that no pictures were allowed inside...other than at the base of escalators, where there is honestly nothing worth photographing. Anywho, I snapped a few shots outside after the performance....

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/IMG_0306.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/IMG_0308.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/IMG_0310.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/tanzirian/misc2/IMG_0312.jpg