Co-editor Josh is slowly recovering from paying the taxman. But we took on this week's R&B, and dammit, we will see it though to the end. Unfortunately, all of you were too busy meeting with your accountants or preparing for Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day to offer up much info for us. So we'll just go with what we got. Ahoy! Onto the answers!
1) Los Angeles: You asked about the Metro's upcoming TAP program since you hate carrying so much cash: "Is there any word about when the Metro TAP card program is going into effect, if at all?" YOu answered...well, you didn't really answer. But one of you is participating in the testing phase currently going on: "Well, if you're want to ditch your job and go back to school, UCLA already has the TAP program in effect, and, let me tell you, it's AWESOME! but it's not that you put money on it and let it dwindle...it's just a monthly pass that you tap instead of showing to the operator (at least that's how the ucla beta is working...). it has it's glitches sometimes (doesn't register right), and you can't share the pass the way you can the metro fun pass in ny or the metra pass in chicago, but it's still pretty nice..." According to the LA Times, the program will be rolled out over the next two years. How's that for vague?
2) Mid-City: A reader inquired into the status of a mixed use project on La Brea and Wilshire. You say preservation issues may be holding up development, with some mysterious rumors of hidden deco somewhere in a strip mall: "It's all preliminary. That parcel is in the Miracle Mile plan, which requires very specific style, etc. Also, the strip mall south of the church is special; I think it's got deco buried in there somewhere. Expect to see a lot of new projects starting to pop on La Brea north of Wilshire, though. A small mixed-use condo project was just approved at the northeast corner of La Brea and Rosewood."
3) Beverly Hills: One reader needed to know who the paparazzi were stalking on Mulholland and Coldwater Canyon when they're not hanging out across from the Ivy, hoping to catch an Olsen or Hilton. One of you reports its our favorite former teenage sweetheart, self-shaving, panty-eschewing, backup dancer-marrying and divorcing, alleged cokehead, baby mama Britney, making it very difficult for our reader to visit his or her dear old granddad: "Her new home is inside that community. Bald b!tch is causing quite a ruckus. Used to be easy to see my grandpa and now it is very very difficult." Poor grandpa. Poor Britney. Poor reader. No one wins here.
4) Hollywood: This is where we have all failed miserably. Now no one will ever know if the building on Franklin and El Cerrito was abandoned in haste because it was damaged in an earthquake or haunted by the ghost of some long-ago OD'ed 1960s rock star. And no one has chimed in on the fate of the large apartment complex with some leftover furniture and cars in the lot. Perhaps we will update this one in the future.
5) Hollywood: A potential buyer wanted the expert opinion on a condo he or she was considering purchasing in the Hollywood Regis at 7320 Hawthorn. The future buyer was impressed by location near Runyon Canyon, cabana-style pool, small gym, and most of all, killer views of downtown. Sounded great, but what he or she really wanted to know: is $640/square foot too much> You lent your opinion, and we have no way of knowing if you work for the developer or not, but we tend to put our complete faith in anything we read on the internets. The internets never lies. So you say: "The Regis is actually very nice, and in my opinion, would be worth it. Great Views as you said and a fantastic location." You also say: "Real estate here doesn't run on logic, it's fuled by emotion. "Gotta have that view!" so it's a hard thing to pin-point. The thing to remember is that Hollywood has hundreds upon hundreds of new condo being constructed and converted within the next 3 years - will they all have buyers or are we going to see a Hollywood Condo Saturation which would not be a good thing for your investment. The first developers in, like The Broadway for example, are going to bank on the high prices because nice, modern, new condo's are still rare in Hollywood. Will the prices be sustainable with all the new ones coming in? Who the f*ck knows in this town but this style of massive condo influx didn't treat other cities like Dallas very well. My advice, if you love it, negotiate - seems a tad high, Runyon Canyon is not the new Pacific Ocean but you will have Ron Jeremy as a neighbor!" We'd pay a premium to live near The Hedghog any day, but that's just us.
Thanks for playing! And submit your questions for next week's R&B here when Josh is back on top of his game!