You'll forgive me, I hope, for taking us on a detour a mere 15 minutes southwest of South Pasadena on the Gold Line.
As I mentioned Sunday, Karin, Bellis and I had the good fortune to be squired around Lincoln Heights by neighborhood booster, family man, professional, host and fine storyteller Manny Rodriguez. Read Karin's tale of our trek here. Karin's another fine storyteller and I don't need to tell it too, at least not in so many words.What I'd like to do for the rest of the week is tell the Lincoln Heights story the way I saw it in pictures, through its architecture, art, views and juxtapositions. There are many juxtapositions.
Los Angeles is made up of countless worlds and as long as they have history and people, I'll bet they're all as interesting as Lincoln Heights. It helps, though, to have a guide like Manny.
14 comments:
Cool to see more Lincoln Heights photos; I'm starting to get more of a sense of the area. The Columbia Mills sign is a fun peek into the past. Any idea what it used to mill?
@Katie---it was coffee, at least, when I knew it.
@Petrea---love the pics you and Karin are posting. I spent a lot of time in the 80's here---whether with my best friend, or when I was working near the beach and living in SoPas. I had some great drives home thru this neighborhood when traffic was bad on the 110 (ahem, like, every day?).
Thanks, Trish. I didn't know the answer to Katie's question. I just liked the building. Near the train station there's some gentrification going on: new condos going up for commuters, and older buildings being renovated as artist's lofts and studios. I don't know how the Columbia Mills building is being used but just north of it there's a great old brick building that's a production studio and artists collective.
A splendid start to a week in Lincoln Heights. Atmospheric and mysterious. I look forward to Manny guiding you deeper into the neighbourhood.
I like the building and the post. Nice work.
Thanks Dive, thanks Abe. I narrowed my photos down from over 300 to 40 but I promise not to show all 40. Gotta narrow those down, too.
I only know because there used to be a spring place nearby (auto parts) and I'd get this whiff of not quite ripe coffee (occasionally burnt too) when I went to get springs, until we stopped using that vendor.
"only" 300 shots? slow day, eh? ;-) I know the feeling of having to cull not to bore people. have fun!
It's wonderful to have both your and Karin's stories about Lincoln Heights. Good start -- and looking forward to more this week.
Hats off to Manny for being a great tour guide and a great citizen. Hey Manny. Let's take in a Dodger game sometime. I think Matt Kemp is the real deal.
I'm just putting together tomorrow's post and it's a LOT of pictures! There's a difference between innovative photography (where you try fun angles and lighting, etc) and just representational photography (where you simply take the picture of the thing). Tomorrow's photos are mostly representational, not much innovation on my part. But I think you'll enjoy them and they'll give you an idea of the variety in Lincoln Heights.
Interesting building. I like those old painted surfaces, Little surprised it's still there with the amount of tagging in that area
There was a good deal of tagging on the very highest part of the roof, PA. I don't know how anybody got up there. I agree, it's amazing this is in such good shape, considering.
Many people don't understand Los Angeles. If you've only visited or are a new transplant it seems like this huge, scary megalopolis. In reality, Los Angeles is a conglomeration of small neighborhoods, all interconnected, but each with its own distinct vibe. Los Angeles is much more than the borders of the city of 4 million people. South Pasadena, Pasadena, Glendale, Alhambra, and all 88 cities in the county are part of Los Angeles along with the separate neighborhoods like Lincoln Heights that fall within its political boundaries. It takes time and travel to understand the uniqueness of these communities. Lincoln Heights is just one example. It's a great neighborhood with a remarkable history of diversity, architecture, and culture. It's why Los Angeles is one of the most vibrant cities in the world.
I agree, dbdubya. I think people are afraid to travel around, not knowing which neighborhoods are "safe" and which aren't. But Los Angeles is vast and diverse and exploration of it holds rich rewards.
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