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| Jan Perry. Photo by Gary Leonard. |
For When Not Everything Fits in a Simple Category
READERS' CHOICE
Third Hottest Politician: Jan Perry
2nd Place: Police Chief William Bratton
EDITORS' CHOICE
Best Landmark: Aoyama Tree
Best Place to Park for Free: Office Depot Lot at Second and Central
Best Alternative Mode of Transportation: Scooter
Best Lemonade: Angela's Green Potion at Homegirl Cafe
Best Cup of Coffee: Salvadorian Blend at Cafe Corsa
Best Lunch Break Park: Urban Garden at Disney Hall
Best Rooftop: TenTen Wilshire
Best Website: blogdowntown.com
Best Community Cause: Bring Back the Streetcar!
THIRD HOTTEST POLITICIAN
Jan Perry
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council President Eric Garcetti dominated the Hottest Politician category for the past few years, so Los Angeles Downtown News decided it was time to recognize some other hotness. Hence, the Ninth District's own Jan Perry. She's a graduate of USC and worked in city government for many years before she was first elected in 2001. Since taking office, she has been passionate about community issues, working bravely and tirelessly to improve Skid Row, and she has also been a big backer of certain business/development projects, including L.A. Live. She serves on about a half-dozen committees and is vice chair of the Grand Avenue Authority, so it's easy to see that she cares about this city, and a woman that cares that much about anything is always hot. At 200 N. Spring St., Room 420 or lacity.org/council/cd9.-Richard Guzman
BEST LANDMARK
Aoyama Tree
For almost 90 years, as skyscrapers popped up in Downtown, and buildings came and went or were reinvented in Little Tokyo, a 50-foot-tall Moreton Bay fig tree has stood firm and proud. After an effort by the Little Tokyo Historical Society, the Aoyama Tree on May 20 was declared Downtown's first living city Historical-Cultural Monument. Planted in 1920 by members of the Koyosan Buddhist Temple, the tree, noticeable by its shady green canopy, stands on a pedestrian walkway near Central Avenue and First Street. It is seen as an important symbolic figure for the city's Asian community, but it's also a great place to plop down under and escape the sun on a hot summer day. At Central Avenue and First Street.-Richard Guzman
BEST PLACE TO PARK FOR FREE
Office Depot Lot at Second and Central
In Downtown, finding a free parking spot is like hitting the jackpot. One of the best places to strike it rich is the Office Depot lot at Second Street and Central Avenue in Little Tokyo. It is free with validation, but there is a bonus: Although signs say validation is always required, often it is only enforced during the lunch hour when you park there and patronize places such as Quiznos, Green Bamboo or Starbucks. Most other times no one is checking for validation or even giving out tickets to be stamped, so you can still grab a bite or a latte without worrying about time limits or anything else. But don't tell anyone about this - we'd hate to see them clamp down. At Second Street and Central Avenue.-Richard Guzman
BEST ALTERNATIVE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION
Scooter
You have seen them whizzing around Downtown, darting through cars idling in traffic jams. Or you may have seen them parked near bicycle racks, with riders getting off, going about their business, then getting back on, often before most car-bound drivers even find a place to park. Scooters are cheap, economical and practical in a Downtown with a growing residential base and gridlocked streets. And since they're easy to operate, just about anyone can ride one. We've even seen a few Downtowners in suits scooting around. -Richard Guzman
BEST LEMONADE
Angela's Green Potion at Homegirl Cafe
Reminiscent of the best mojito you've ever had, minus the rum, this brightly colored concoction is more addictive than its boozy cousin. The secret ingredients behind its hue are spinach and a generous helping of fresh mint leaves, which are blended into the sweet-tart lemonade. Created by Homegirl Cafe co-founder Patricia Zarate as a way to trick her kids into eating their veggies, and named for Zarate's daughter, the most satisfying batches are thick with ground mint and provide all the sustenance one needs to get through a scorching summer afternoon. At 130 W. Bruno St., (323) 526-1254, ext. 301 or homeboy-industries.org.-Anna Scott
BEST CUP OF COFFEE
Salvadorian Blend at Cafe Corsa
If you really love coffee, and you really love talking about coffee over a good cup of coffee, then order the Salvadorian blend at Cafe Corsa and chat up owner Rick Weiche when you visit the caffeine joint near USC. The Salvadorian Blend comes, of course, from growers in El Salvador. The coffee is strong, has an alluring aroma and is best taken black. It'll certainly perk you up and might even make you feel worldlier. At 2238 S. Figueroa St., (213) 746-2604.-Richard Guzman
BEST LUNCH BREAK PARK
Urban Garden at Disney Hall
Tired of hitting the same lunch spots? Not enough restaurants with outdoor seating? Try packing your own and taking it to the open-air gardens and terrace at Disney Hall. Cradled in the upper corners of Frank Gehry's visual playground of a building is an al fresco experience with plenty of perches suitable for a solo snack and scattered tables big enough for group picnics or lunches with colleagues. Accessible via two stairways (one at Grand Avenue and First Street, the other at Tom Bradley Boulevard) this rarely crowded terrace also makes a great place to picnic with your sweetheart when the sun goes down. At 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-7211 or musiccenter.org.-Ryan Vaillancourt
BEST ROOFTOP
TenTen Wilshire
If anything justifies living in the City West high-rise, where rents run from $3,000 to more than $11,000 (yes, that's per month), it's the roof. Overlooking the entirety of Downtown Los Angeles and beyond from 16 stories above the street, the spacious patio in the property developed by the Amidi Real Estate Group features a pool, sauna and steam room. The glass-enclosed rooftop gym, fully stocked with top-of-the-line treadmills, weight machines and other equipment, gives any of those chain gyms a run for their money. But perhaps most enticingly, the roof deck includes a fully stocked bar, and free happy hours for tenants and their guests are planned. Move-ins just started - better make friends fast! At 1010 Wilshire Blvd., (877) 338-1010 or 1010wilshire.com.-Anna Scott
BEST WEBSITE
blogdowntown.com
This category used to be called Best Blog, and we thought of retiring it after Eric Richardson's blogdowntown.com kept winning. Then Richardson turned the already successful blog upside down, effecting a redesign with serious Wow factor and adding contributors Ed Fuentes and Jeannine Denholm. The result is that blogdowntown now delivers loads of community-specific information and a variety of content, rendering it much more than the standard I-went-here-and-did-that-and-then-ate-this blog. These days, Richardson's longtime goal of making blogdowntown a source for community conversation is working better than ever, as eager Downtowners debate, sometimes fiercely, issues such as neighborhood council elections and the proposed Pershing Square renovation - the latter drew a staggering response, with more than 100 comments. At blogdowntown.com.-Jon Regardie
BEST COMMUNITY CAUSE
Bring Back the Streetcar!
When it comes to the next stage of public transit in Downtown, plenty of folks these days want to kick it - make that ride it - old school. While there have been calls for a trolley system in Downtown for decades, the idea is finally gaining traction. Councilman Jose Huizar's Bringing Back Broadway initiative has given energy (and helped direct money) toward a streetcar study, and in April a group of Downtowners traveled to check out streetcar systems in Portland and Seattle. There is even a streetcar planning session next month. While hurdles remain - the cost is unknown and it is expected to take a decade, at least - the idea of a streetcar is, for the first time in a long time, more about the future than nostalgia for the past. At bringingbackbroadway.com.-Jon Regardie
page 36, 7/21/2008
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
2nd Place: Police Chief William Bratton
EDITORS' CHOICE
THIRD HOTTEST POLITICIAN
Jan Perry
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council President Eric Garcetti dominated the Hottest Politician category for the past few years, so Los Angeles Downtown News decided it was time to recognize some other hotness. Hence, the Ninth District's own Jan Perry. She's a graduate of USC and worked in city government for many years before she was first elected in 2001. Since taking office, she has been passionate about community issues, working bravely and tirelessly to improve Skid Row, and she has also been a big backer of certain business/development projects, including L.A. Live. She serves on about a half-dozen committees and is vice chair of the Grand Avenue Authority, so it's easy to see that she cares about this city, and a woman that cares that much about anything is always hot. At 200 N. Spring St., Room 420 or lacity.org/council/cd9.-Richard Guzman
BEST LANDMARK
Aoyama Tree
For almost 90 years, as skyscrapers popped up in Downtown, and buildings came and went or were reinvented in Little Tokyo, a 50-foot-tall Moreton Bay fig tree has stood firm and proud. After an effort by the Little Tokyo Historical Society, the Aoyama Tree on May 20 was declared Downtown's first living city Historical-Cultural Monument. Planted in 1920 by members of the Koyosan Buddhist Temple, the tree, noticeable by its shady green canopy, stands on a pedestrian walkway near Central Avenue and First Street. It is seen as an important symbolic figure for the city's Asian community, but it's also a great place to plop down under and escape the sun on a hot summer day. At Central Avenue and First Street.-Richard Guzman
BEST PLACE TO PARK FOR FREE
Office Depot Lot at Second and Central
In Downtown, finding a free parking spot is like hitting the jackpot. One of the best places to strike it rich is the Office Depot lot at Second Street and Central Avenue in Little Tokyo. It is free with validation, but there is a bonus: Although signs say validation is always required, often it is only enforced during the lunch hour when you park there and patronize places such as Quiznos, Green Bamboo or Starbucks. Most other times no one is checking for validation or even giving out tickets to be stamped, so you can still grab a bite or a latte without worrying about time limits or anything else. But don't tell anyone about this - we'd hate to see them clamp down. At Second Street and Central Avenue.-Richard Guzman
BEST ALTERNATIVE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION
Scooter
You have seen them whizzing around Downtown, darting through cars idling in traffic jams. Or you may have seen them parked near bicycle racks, with riders getting off, going about their business, then getting back on, often before most car-bound drivers even find a place to park. Scooters are cheap, economical and practical in a Downtown with a growing residential base and gridlocked streets. And since they're easy to operate, just about anyone can ride one. We've even seen a few Downtowners in suits scooting around. -Richard Guzman
BEST LEMONADE
Angela's Green Potion at Homegirl Cafe
Reminiscent of the best mojito you've ever had, minus the rum, this brightly colored concoction is more addictive than its boozy cousin. The secret ingredients behind its hue are spinach and a generous helping of fresh mint leaves, which are blended into the sweet-tart lemonade. Created by Homegirl Cafe co-founder Patricia Zarate as a way to trick her kids into eating their veggies, and named for Zarate's daughter, the most satisfying batches are thick with ground mint and provide all the sustenance one needs to get through a scorching summer afternoon. At 130 W. Bruno St., (323) 526-1254, ext. 301 or homeboy-industries.org.-Anna Scott
BEST CUP OF COFFEE
Salvadorian Blend at Cafe Corsa
If you really love coffee, and you really love talking about coffee over a good cup of coffee, then order the Salvadorian blend at Cafe Corsa and chat up owner Rick Weiche when you visit the caffeine joint near USC. The Salvadorian Blend comes, of course, from growers in El Salvador. The coffee is strong, has an alluring aroma and is best taken black. It'll certainly perk you up and might even make you feel worldlier. At 2238 S. Figueroa St., (213) 746-2604.-Richard Guzman
BEST LUNCH BREAK PARK
Urban Garden at Disney Hall
Tired of hitting the same lunch spots? Not enough restaurants with outdoor seating? Try packing your own and taking it to the open-air gardens and terrace at Disney Hall. Cradled in the upper corners of Frank Gehry's visual playground of a building is an al fresco experience with plenty of perches suitable for a solo snack and scattered tables big enough for group picnics or lunches with colleagues. Accessible via two stairways (one at Grand Avenue and First Street, the other at Tom Bradley Boulevard) this rarely crowded terrace also makes a great place to picnic with your sweetheart when the sun goes down. At 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-7211 or musiccenter.org.-Ryan Vaillancourt
BEST ROOFTOP
TenTen Wilshire
If anything justifies living in the City West high-rise, where rents run from $3,000 to more than $11,000 (yes, that's per month), it's the roof. Overlooking the entirety of Downtown Los Angeles and beyond from 16 stories above the street, the spacious patio in the property developed by the Amidi Real Estate Group features a pool, sauna and steam room. The glass-enclosed rooftop gym, fully stocked with top-of-the-line treadmills, weight machines and other equipment, gives any of those chain gyms a run for their money. But perhaps most enticingly, the roof deck includes a fully stocked bar, and free happy hours for tenants and their guests are planned. Move-ins just started - better make friends fast! At 1010 Wilshire Blvd., (877) 338-1010 or 1010wilshire.com.-Anna Scott
BEST WEBSITE
blogdowntown.com
This category used to be called Best Blog, and we thought of retiring it after Eric Richardson's blogdowntown.com kept winning. Then Richardson turned the already successful blog upside down, effecting a redesign with serious Wow factor and adding contributors Ed Fuentes and Jeannine Denholm. The result is that blogdowntown now delivers loads of community-specific information and a variety of content, rendering it much more than the standard I-went-here-and-did-that-and-then-ate-this blog. These days, Richardson's longtime goal of making blogdowntown a source for community conversation is working better than ever, as eager Downtowners debate, sometimes fiercely, issues such as neighborhood council elections and the proposed Pershing Square renovation - the latter drew a staggering response, with more than 100 comments. At blogdowntown.com.-Jon Regardie
BEST COMMUNITY CAUSE
Bring Back the Streetcar!
When it comes to the next stage of public transit in Downtown, plenty of folks these days want to kick it - make that ride it - old school. While there have been calls for a trolley system in Downtown for decades, the idea is finally gaining traction. Councilman Jose Huizar's Bringing Back Broadway initiative has given energy (and helped direct money) toward a streetcar study, and in April a group of Downtowners traveled to check out streetcar systems in Portland and Seattle. There is even a streetcar planning session next month. While hurdles remain - the cost is unknown and it is expected to take a decade, at least - the idea of a streetcar is, for the first time in a long time, more about the future than nostalgia for the past. At bringingbackbroadway.com.-Jon Regardie
page 36, 7/21/2008
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
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