Hottest Brokers Round 2, Heat 2: Julie Mollo vs. Keith Scaduto
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1. 1940s Cottage by Harwell Hamilton Harris in Echo Park Hills
2. East LA’s Golden Gate Theater Reborn as Most Beautiful CVS
3. Artist’s Long-Time House in Mt. Washington Asking $360k
4. Meet Measure R’s Brother, Transit-Accelerating Measure J
5. "The White Elf’s" Angular Eco-House Above Big Sur
6. 1954 Cliff May With Koi Pond For Rent in the Studio City Hills
7. Apartments or Park For Silver Lake’s Corralitas Red Car Site?
8. 9 Ways Old-Timey Angelenos Kept Cool in the Summer Heat
9. Restored Craftsman off Hollywood Boulevard
10. Touring LA’s First Sundance Cinemas, Opening August 31
Guy in Minnesota Owns What's Left of Original Hollywood Sign
Bill Mack has restored the H of the original Hollywood Sign. That H stands 45 feet high. It is currently standing at Bill Mack’s studios in Minneapolis. The H that was shown on this blog is only a small edition of the restored H. If the person who wrote this blog had spent some time looking into the facts before revealing bogus information all you people who have responded would be have a different opinion of the H.
Chris Harris
Publicist
Westwood Is Dying Twitter Chronicles Retail Death of Westwood
Westwood works well for food, grocery and limited instances of retail (such as Urban Outfitters). Once the movie theater capital of the World, Westwood has been trumped by the giant multiplexes of Century City, the Grove, etc., and it is unlikely it will ever regain its former title. [Westwood had the chance decades ago to have modern multiplex theaters — but the neighbors and the area’s specific plan firmly prevented any such projects.] Yet Westwood can become great again if the specific plan’s use restrictions are scrapped to rid the Village of prohibitions again additional food establishments, evening music and dancing, and other unique entertainment venues like a bowling alley or a Dave & Busters.
Parking is also a huge problem – both in perception and reality. UCLA Professor and "Economics of Parking" Expert Donald Shoup [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Shoup] showed that Westwood’s relative low cost parking meters causes problems as cars "circle the block … in order to find an unoccupied parking space. This small search time per car creates a surprisingly large amount of traffic congestion, because typically, many cars are searching for parking simultaneously during peak driving times." Add that to the 40% of meters taken by handicapped placards and you have enough of a headache to drive many would-be-patrons away. The solution is to (1) raise parking meter prices, (2) run a sting on bogus placards, and (3) make the ample public parking lot options more visible and economical. Westwood’s BID is helping with visibility by promoting parking locating apps on its website [http://westwoodvillagedistrict.com/].
Finally, although UCLA is a great potential source of patrons, the university has been fickle as to its support. Westwood is the gateway to UCLA, and UCLA still tours their perspective students through the Village, yet they have also built a stunning amount of competing retail and food venues on campus making it more difficult for Village vendors to be successful. If the University would provide more convenient and "always-on" transportation for its students [such as trolleys driving in a constant loop from campus to the heart of Westwood], it would be a big step in the right direction. [UCLA has the "Bruin Bus" driving through the Village, but I believe this is more of a FlyAway / Parking connector.]
Westwood Is Dying Twitter Chronicles Retail Death of Westwood
@Chris Hamilton: Chris, you really should step away from the computer and actually visit and use the services in the location if you are going to write such a long comment. It might cut down on the glaring errors in your perception.
Westwood parking is just as expensive as the rest of the city. You are basing your opinion on outdated information.
The campus shuttles are not flyaway connectors. A number of the routes do stop at the same parking structure as the flyaway but that is because that structure is UCLA’s most centrally located structure IN the village. Even without leaving your chair, you could have checked the campus shuttle maps and schedules.
As for the competing campus facilities, it is true. ASUCLA (Associated Students, not UC Regents) operates dining and retail facilities on campus. These facilities are necessary because the campus is 400 acres. You can’t take a shuttle or walk to the village between most classes. You need facilities where your class are.
LAX's New Curbside Look Will Light Up in Sync With Its Pylons
Looks like just a coat of gloss on an undesirable airport. There’s nothing being done to hasten getting in and out of the airport to depart or arrive, or to draw people in to hang around in the area any longer for that matter. It could be direct access to the Metro Rail light rail network and an art museum or something cultural that makes this airport more relevant other than for that being angrily driven to for a flight.
Take a Tour Around the Civic Center's Huge New Grand Park
I enjoy this park, its a welcome addition to DTLA. I’m sure with time it will further find its place with the activity in Downtown with people streaming out of the Civic Center subway station (and near-future streetcar line), Bunker Hill towers, government offices, and what performances that are set. I do hope that pavers will be used on the intersecting streets (along with more pedestrian priority) to continue the theme that this is a contiguous park space.