Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together...

...mass hysteria!

King Edward's update

The new owners (Erik Shomof, Izek Shomof, Naty Saidoff...oh as a sidenote, I love Corporation Wiki) of the King Edward Hotel property at 5th and Los Angeles sure love muraling over old painted signs and ghost signs. Just as they did with the Baltimore Hotel across the street, about a month ago the owners had a street artist (JR, methinks) add in his facework.

Lots happening on the inside and exterior of those aging hotels. Here's a photo of the basement of the Edward...

Prohibonyx

The Onyx Lounge opened last year with a good share of neighborhood folk vowing to never set foot in there because of the nasty way the previous tenant, The Must wine bar, was pushed aside. I've never had a stake in this...never patronized The Must, never patronized the Onyx...but I have noticed that more and more customers are in there these days. I'm not sure if time heals, time lets people forget, or time lets people move away and new neighbors move in.

I'm also not sure what they're going for with the decal image of a prohibition-era medical prescription for alcoholic drinks, but here's the sign company applying it to the entry windows...

Framing Baltimore

Baltimore roll up door no more

Love your enemy's mom

Alley-facing side of the Rosslyn Hotel...of course, loving your enemy only works if you accept your enemy's love...can you handle that?

Haltimore

I have mixed feelings about this new mural on the backside of the Baltimore Hotel in the low-lows of Downtown Los Angeles...it livens up the building at the expense of the old painted sign advertising the hotel. No more sign. This looks like the work of JR.

Riot suppression

Governor Jerry Brown still can't strike a budget deal with the Republicans in the state legislature. That's California politics for you.

Without the tide turning against the public sector unions in the middle of the budget negotiations, there's a huge pro-union march and rally happening in Downtown Los Angeles today...Ozomatli is going to play a set at Pershing Square.

Looks like the city's gearing up for a showdown in the streets...they're sending in the elite Burger Brigade...

Represented by the lights

There's a new window display at the Bert Green gallery. Not sure who the artist is, but the art has my eyeballs.

I know he had his reasons for going from a stroll-in-when-you-like storefront to an appointment-only business, but to me it feels like the neighborhood's lost something.

Hey, try to get your hands on the California Gold episode from several years back when Huell Howser paid Bert Green a visit. The fans hanging around the sidewalk and sharing stories were hella funny!

Party for your right to fight

You never know when a roving protest is going to come your way...

Carl Sagan is a sticker

Salooning

Nice new metal signs have just replaced the oversized panel signs that hung over the King Eddy Saloon doors. Did the owners get a cue from the Bringing Back Broadway signage requirements taking root a few blocks away?

I'm not much of a drinker so I haven't been inside yet, but the folks who walk out don't look hardly as wacky as the stories I hear...

My two bits...

I can't wait for the Two Bits Market to open up. Tenant improvements are still underway in an Alexandria Hotel suite that opens up to 6th Street. Sure, I know I could pick up fresh produce at one of the local farmers' markets, but I'm never close by during their limited daytime hours.

So my message to Two Bits...when you're up and running, please wait for me before you close.

Rosslyn lamp lights leave me lit right

A fakie porn shop was up one night on 5th Street for a film shoot. A pop-up porn shop, if you will. Even the Rosslyn Hotel roof sign was lit up for the occasion.