My Weekend Passport » Downtown

Crash and Burn at the 2009 Red Bull Soap Box Derby

Alex @mwp — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:05:00 +0000

It used to be that when I thought of Soap Box Derbies, I think of a boy and his pops building something out of scrap metal and discarded bicycle tires in their garage. Then I watched Cool Runnings and the idea of making a push car totally caught me for a few weeks. Well, this weekend, another evolution of the soap box occurred in Downtown LA. Sponsored by Red Bull, the 2009 LA Soap Box Race inspired the likes of half-baked college students, fire fighters, young professionals, and plenty of strange characters to take to the hill in the most creative soap boxes they could build.

It’s hard to describe this scene to those that weren’t there. I’ve never seen the streets of Downtown so alive and buzzing with people. Turns out people will come from all over the county for a free event. There literally was nowhere to walk on Grand or 5th street throughout the duration of the race, and some people turned out at 10am, 3 hours before the race, to secure a prime location. I lived half a block away from the starting line, so I stayed in my room until 1am thinking I could get a good spot still, but boy was I wrong.

The Red Bull peeps quoted that over 100,000 people showed up to the streets. I didn’t believe it at first, but looking at this picture again, it doesn’t seem all that unrealistic. This many people on the streets probably could occupy the entire Coliseum.

The race course began on top of Bunker Hill at Grand and 4th, snaking it’s way down Grand, turning at the intersection of 5th and Grand, and continuing down 5th street until the conclusion at Olive street. During the course of the race, the drivers would have to maneuver a serpentine path down the hill, tackle a high speed banked 90 degree turn, and land two jumps off one foot tall ramps. Points were awarded on creativity, driving skill, and crowd pleasure. Frankly, if you made it down the hill in one piece, I would declare you a winner, but everyone wants to see a show. They want to see some crashes!

Speeds of 45 mph were reached by some cars, and brutal face-dives into gravel and haystacks were witnessed. There was something to see for everyone.

So it’s really all about the soap boxes that were built, and there were some really creative ones. There was a Baywatch (“Babe Watch”) themed group that drove a lifeguard tower down the course, bananas that rode a banana hammock, and Marty McFly went Back to the Future. As you see here, there was a group driving a stripper pole, but unfortunately I was busy getting food so I didn’t see whether actual people were dancing on the way down. That would be cool though.

Some frats and engineering clubs from all the local universities were represented here. You could tell which carts were designed by frats and which ones were designed by engineers pretty easily. The latter’s, of course, didn’t fall apart before the first turn.

The eternal debate between USC and UCLA wasn’t settled on the streets today. They both crashed and burned, but I love the post Washington-defeat taunting that UCLA threw on prior to the race. Oh and I learned that UCLA really means University of Caucasians Lost among Asians. Clever.

I would say half the competitors never made it to the finish line in one piece. Those that did deserve a gold star, because that is not an easy track to complete. I held my breath every time I saw a car attempt to scale the banked wall.

My fave of the bunch has to be the Spaceballs group. They had the best opening skit highlighted by a ring-saber battle between Lord Helmet and Bill Pullman. All the characters, other than Yogurt, were in attendance. And the winnebago actually survived the course with a very admirable time. Easily the crowd favorite of the day.

Okay, next year, I’ll definitely be back. Hell, I might even assemble a team! This looks like fun.

http://www.redbullsoapboxusa.com/

Lakers Victory Parade

Alex @mwp — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:35:10 +0000

Lakers win the championship! Time to celebrate!

Despite all of the negativity swirling around the parade in our city during a time of economic recession, I believe it’s important for us to have a parade. Your team wins the championship, you throw a parade. It’s just what every city does. It also does much to bring up city morale, and I was able to feel the buzz from the crowd. Wednesday was just a really happy day.

Here’s the story of my victory parade journey in its entirety. We covered about 10 miles of ground between Downtown and South Central, visited the ghettoest street parties on MLK, ate about a pound of bacon wrapped dirty dogs between us, and oh yeah, saw some Lakers.

It’s starting! Hurry!

Me and my partner-in-crime, Elliot (Elle) Derek Fisher Fan Barton, walked down from our offices on top of Bunker Hill to LA Live. The parade starts on 11th Street at LA Live/Staples Center. Our starting point was 3rd street, so we’ve already logged a mile just to get to the parade.

Everyone gathering @ LA Live. I can’t even describe how many people were there, it was insane. There’s all the 12.5% unemployed in LA in one place, plus a few ppl cruising over on their lunch breaks. I accidentally made mine a 2.5 hour lunch break due to some bad judgment.

Entire streets around LA Live were filled with people. There was nowhere to stand. Figueroa was lined with people three or four rows deep for THREE miles. The 94,000 seat Coliseum was at max capacity. AND there was almost as many outside trying to get in (though most of them were crackheads selling weird shit).

The parade is about to start, but we can’t see anything, so we decide to move south along the parade route to find some clearing.

Walking down to Venice, as you can see it’s still packed with people by the Convention Center.

After we walk under I-10, we reach 18th street (2 miles now) and find some clearing. The parade starts where that tall unfinished hotel tower is located… kinda far looking now.

Hello ladies!

After 4 fire engines of the Laker girls and the band, here come the buses! The crowd loves it. And check out the mexican kid in the Kobe jersey with a birdman do.

Derek Fisher! Elle screams.

Mr. Skyhook. Damn, look at those hands. You know what they say about your hands being bigger than your face, right?

Sun Yue and Josh Powell on this bus.

Ariza’s totally blocked behind the guy in purple in the picture, too bad. I heard someone behind me go “Mira! those ears!” when Farmar went by.

And the MVP. #24. Black Mamba. Kobe Bryant.

Here he is visibly with his entire family again. He has a hot wife, adorable daughters, a gold medal, and four rings. Not bad. I dig that T-shirt, but why does he look pregnant in it?

Okay, this is when shit gets kinda crazy. The entire fucking crowd starts to run and follow the Kobe bus to the Coliseum. Me and Elle decide to give chase as well. Maybe we can get in and attend the rally too!

Figueroa is packed with people watching the parade still, so we decide to take Flower and sprint through South Central with some other crazy nuts.

Some people bike to get there faster… Others on skateboards, Harleys, scooters… I saw 9 guys packed inside a Cadillac cruising down the street. We’re keeping pace with the buses, as you can see!

We reach Grand & 39th (THIRTY NINE!), underneath the freeway after 20 minutes of running and sheer stupidity only to find…

“oh SHIT, look at all those people in the stadium” -Elle

This cop and his flimsy rope is what’s standing in the way between us and Kobe & Phil’s victory speech.

“Hey, where are you going Elle?” – “I’m going to go talk to him”

She convinces him that she goes to USC (probably cause we were the only unghetto looking people there) and he lets us past the barricade. FAIL #2 happens when we get to the stadium gate and they tell us we can’t get in again. Well, what do we do now.. walk back?

We can’t even figure out how to get back to Flower with all the barricades and somehow end up with people on MLK Blvd. This begins the ghettoest street party I’ve ever seen. I have stories.

I bought a soda from a guy and he said “Thank you. You’ve just made a meaniful contribution which proceeds benefit the cause of me.. getting HIGH later tonight!”

Although you don’t really need any weed of your own to get high. I probably couldn’t pass a drug test right now from all the secondhand wheeze I inhaled here.

It’s not a place for a girl or children. I abandoned Elle to get a soda and she was mobbed by some cholos and ghetto dudes. “ey what’s your name?” “you look tired, want me to carry you home?” I overheard as she came running back.

Haha. Seriously, I can’t believe this bus.

If you look closely, you’ll see they’ve hung tablecloths over the windows. Makes me wonder what’s going on inside the party bus?

The guy on the loudspeaker was chanting “riot… riot… riot…”

Wednesday was a good day to sell anything Purple or Gold. I wish I took more pictures of the crazier vendors I saw on MLK.

Ughhh. That hotel tower looks SO FAR AWAY.

Finally back at LA Live. Time to get a beer. Congratulations, Lakers.

UMAMI: Japanese for “damn, this is a tasty burger”

Alex @mwp — Mon, 11 May 2009 21:49:23 +0000

This fancy burger joint has been hotter than Megan Fox on the Yelp charts for the last two months.

My foodie friend from NY came down a month ago and had read all about this place (even across the country), so we decided to come down on a Friday and grab lunch.

Down the 10 and off on La Brea and.. there it is! Just past the giant stuffed tiger shop on the right. I turn into their parking lot and there’s just absolutely nowhere to go, so this helpful Korean lady from the copy shop comes out to help us double park behind another car. Thanks! I hope you know we’re not here to come to your store.

Already I’m a little peeved because of the traffic and hard parking. I’m thinking to myself, why would I come back here? This place isn’t even big enough for all the hype. And then, after a wait, comes the food…

UMAMI! It is a Japanese word used to describe taste. While it has no direct English translation, it’s reserved for things tasty and great. The Japanese also have another word “umai”, which means delicious. They’re so close, that both would be acceptable to use in this restaurant.

We split three burgers in two: Socal Burger, Umami Burger, and the Blue Cheese.

I had the Socal burger, and at first bite, i thought it tastes very similar to an In-N-Out cheeseburger. It has all the ingredients–3/4 pound patty, lettuce, cheese, a thousand island dressing based sauce, and all sandwiched by fresh buns. Each ingredient is a major upgrade from In-N-Out. Their cheese is all made in-house. Their burger patties are incredibly savory and tasty. Their buns toasted slightly crispy on the edges but soft and spongy throughout. In fact, my friend could not stop raving about their buns.

The Umami burger was probably my favorite. Grilled mushrooms and tomatoes lend some sweetness to complement the savory meat. And the two contrasting tastes are divided by a crispy cheese chip. It’s like a ref holding two boxers back in the ring known as your mouth as they battle each other for taste supremacy.

Blue cheese can be overpowering, so unless you’re a huuuge fan of blue cheese and are eating with someone that doesn’t mind the smell of it, I would try a different burger.

For sides, the onion rings were fantastic. We skipped the fries from all the reviews saying they just don’t give you enough.

Unfortunately they were out of the pork burger that day (which seems to happen alot), so I made a separate trip to get one to go later on. It is just as marvelous as their beef burgers. Also recommended is the truffle burger. Oh, that makes another note… given that their parking sucks and the store is small, I highly recommend just getting your burger to go and eat it at the beach, park, or even your cubicle. I brought it back to my office in Hollywood and EVERYONE hated me.

This is the best burger I have had in my short time in LA, and probably deserves a spot in the perpetual debate of burger supremacy. Everyone should come here and try it at least once.

Umami Burger
850 S La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036

*All food photos taken by Alex. He wishes he took the one of Megan Fox.

Philippe’s and Cole’s: Battle for Dip Supremacy

Alex @mwp — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:07:56 +0000

There are two restaurants in Downtown LA that claim to be the originators of the French Dip. Both were established in 1908 and have histories as rich as the cities in which they lay their bricks on. Think about it, they were both selling french dipped sandwiches since they were going for a quarter each. Back when horse and rail were the only means of getting around LA (then confined to just a few miles instead of the massive urban sprawl it is today). Both claim the french dip was invented in 1908 in their restaurants, but it’s a matter that probably will never get settled. Actually, if two restaurants in LA invented this sandwich, why is it called the “French” dip then? Let’s just call it the beef dip sandwich for proprietary sake.

Enough about the history, more about the food. What is a beef dip sandwich anyway? It is in essence, a roast beef sandwich where the baguette which it’s served on is dipped into au jus (beef drippings from roasting). Then the sandwich is assembled with meat of choice and an optional slice of cheese. The juices in the bread make for a bit messier experience, but the flavors that come with it are so worth it.

Philippe’s:

Located in Chinatown, the restaurant has seen very few changes since its establishment in 1908. Back then, it was located adjacent to the original Union Station and has much of its storied history laid out in photographs on its walls. The store is a very throwback feel to the early 20th century: sandwich-making ladies still wear uniforms true to the times, there’s a classic candy counter, and they don’t take credit cards (because, well they just didn’t exist back in the day). My favorite thing here to get is a double-dipped lamb dip with jack cheese, side of coleslaw, and two lemonades. The seating is completely cafeteria style: open seating on long tables with a few booths on the sides. There’s a large TV in the center that’s a good place to catch Dodger and Laker games.

Their beef dips are juicy and delicious. Also well known in this store is their mustard, which has a very solid kick to it. Be careful not to overdo yourself on mustard your first time here. You will be crying for more lemonade, only to cry more when you see how small their 70 cent cups are.

Philippe’s – 1001 N Alameda St. – LA, CA 90012

Cole’s:

Cole’s is situated in the historic core of downtown LA at Sixth and Main. You can find images of their sign hung up when the streets all had rails running through downtown. It went through a lengthy reinvention of itself in 2007-2008 and now has opened its doors again to challenge Philippe’s for dip supremacy in LA. It’s managed by the 213 company, nightlife purveyors in the historic downtown area (they run popular watering holes Golden Gopher, Broadway Bar, and Seven Grand). Following in the style of those bars, the restaurant has a classic, roaring twenties style to it. Providing some separation from Philippe’s, Cole’s is a half bar, half dip sandwich restaurant combo. It opens later (til 2am some nights) and serves a wide variety of beers on tap from its bar. It’s crowds are not as insane as Philippe’s can get (mostly because parking in the area is non-existant), but later at night, the bar crawlers show up in droves for a tasty meal to go with their pint of Spaten.

Their prices are slightly higher than Philippe’s, but the existence of their saloon hours (3-7pm) even it out considerably. Half dips go for $4 and beers/wine are a dollar off or two for well drinks. They don’t have long tables here or sawdust on the floors. Seating is in comfortable, classic-looking booths or at the bar.

Au jus dip comes on the side instead at Cole’s (can be done at Philippe’s by request). They’re also known for their “atomic pickle” that comes with it. It must be pickled with chilies because it has a bit of a kick to it. Here I’ve decided that their best sandwich is the lamb sandwich with goat cheese.

Cole’s – 118 E. 6th Street – LA, CA 90014

Honestly, both dips were good and it’s hard to draw a line as to which is better. I think just about everyone would have to try for themselves. They’re also cheap meals, both less than $10. There’s no reason to not love either. Great simple meals with loads of history to boot!

Wikipedia on French Dips

Wurstkuche: Not Your Typical Brat

Alex @mwp — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:24:20 +0000

(taken from Yelp)

Wurstküche. Purveyor of Exotic Grilled Sausages.

That’s what they call themselves, and here in LA, there is no place like it. Yep, that’s right. That says “rattlesnake” right there. Well, there’s rattlesnake and rabbit meat in that sausage, actually. Topped off with onions, sauerkraut or your choice of other toppings and wrapped in toasted shell.

Wait, it really has rattlesnake and rabbit meat? Yes, check below.

Oh yeah, there’s some jalapenos in it also. They truly are purveyors of exotic sausages. I had this on a second trip back and it tastes delicious. My first foray into exotic sausages, I went with a buffalo meat based exotic. Tasty, but on the much safer side. It’s a rich sausage that pairs well with an amber ale… really well actually. With the rattlesnake, you definitely should go with a Chimay White. They have that on tap.

They have two dozen beers on tap, most of which are German and Belgian imports, along with several more beers and unique sodas in bottle form. Having that to go along with their extensive sausage menu allows for a lot of delicious combinations and entices many future visits.

They’ve got you covered from exotic sausages to your daily hot dogs (boring). I want to try all the exotics before too long. So far, two down, 4 more to go.

Oh and I can’t forget to mention their fries. They serve double dipped Belgian style fries. To go with them, they also offer a variety of dipping sauces. Some sauces, such as curry ketchup, can be just as exotic as their sausages.

You’ll find Wurstküche in the ever growing Arts District of Downtown. It’s close to the intersection of Traction and 3rd, and parking can be found relatively easily on the street within a block or two. Communal seating is in the back of the restaurant and it includes a bar, making it easier to get your second and third rounds. For about $20, you can enjoy a happy meal of exotic sausage, fries, and an adult beverage. It’s a bit expensive for a ‘hot dog’ if you think about it, but it’s worth the added unique experience that comes with it and should be shared with friends.

800 E 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 687-4444
www.wurstkucherestaurant.com

Lost Souls Cafe: Hidden secret in downtown

Alex @mwp — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:52:26 +0000

When it rains, it’s time to take shelter indoors. I had these great ideas for V-day that included a nice afternoon spent wine tasting followed by a nice dinner, but those notions will have to be scrapped for another day. We couldn’t even make it to the theaters and opted for whatever was on TV (which btw, was Transporter 2 and Serendipity. Yes, we could have done so much better).

Now that I’m miles away from Los Angeles, I’m reminded of one of my favorite spots in Downtown where I can take refuge indoors. Tucked away in an alleyway between Spring and Main Sts. on the south side of 4th is Lost Souls Cafe, an urban oasis in the Old Bank District. Ever since I moved to Downtown, this has been my favorite place to work from or to meet up with friends for a chat.

Harlem Place Alley: Entrance to Lost Souls Cafe

Lost Souls Cafe has just about everything you’d be looking for in a coffeehouse. Savory coffee drinks and food? Check. Wi-Fi? Check. Couches? Check. Board games, live music, and even a record shop? Check. The only thing they can’t seem to provide is parking, but that keeps this place feeling like a true secret urban hideaway.

Front seating area of Lost Souls during day

Most exciting times to come to Lost Souls is at night when they have a rotation of events like DJs, acoustic performances, open mic, etc. Come here during an Art Walk and you’ll find the place packed with an amalgam of hipsters, yuppies, westsiders, artists, and tourists… but that’s why Downtown LA is so great.

My workstation in the corner

To check out more of their menu and events, visit their website.

Lost Souls Cafe
124 W 4th St (Harlem Place Alley)
Los Angeles, CA 90013