Long a bastion of all that's cool about Southern California culture, the Santa Monica that was ruled by the Z-Boys is long gone, as PopMatters so aptly notes. Reader Boof emails us with some linkage to an article on the Horizon's West Surf & Skate Shop in Santa Monica. Via the email: "There's an interesting column on the website PopMatters about Dogtown and the Z-Boys. I especially like the description of South Santa Monica/Venice...
"But like the rest of west Los Angeles, the gentrification of today’s Dogtown is increasingly palpable. Much of Main Street, where Horizon West sits, is awash with $1,500-a-month studio apartments, upscale boutiques, cool vegan restaurants and the Prius-driving, latte drinking, liberal upper class predominately connected to the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, the homegrown locals, artists, and bohemian types that once embraced Dogtown have either been priced out or are clinging desperately to rent-controlled apartments as the city around them grows into a Beverly Hills for Ralph Nader voters." As mentioned previously on Curbed, Horizons West was spared the bulldozer and instead will be converted into another yuppie manifestation - mixed-use housing.
· Out of Context: Z-Boys, Cool Losers [PopMatters]
· Horizon's Surf Shop Survives [Curbed LA]
· Surfer Shop May Be Saved [Curbed LA]