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pacific standard
21 Jan2012
Exhibitions for Pacific Standard Time are in full force across Southern California at the moment, and with the epicenter in LA, we visited two of the bigger participating institutions there last weekend. LACMA had a fantastic display of mid-century California design, including furniture, art, clothing and photographs from this defining period – the LA Times had a good writeup on it last fall. I especially liked the Julius Shulman images of sleek exteriors and interiors. Here’s a couple of photos from the vast Resnick Pavilion the exhibit is in, “the largest purpose-built, naturally lit, open-plan museum space in the world”, says Wikipedia:
The Resnick Pavilion, which opened in 2010, is part of LACMA’s near-$200 million transformation, which also includes a new Eli Broad building and a vibrant outdoor concourse area with a restaurant, bar and ticket booths. We hadn’t been to LACMA in years (1999 Van Gogh exhibit, anyone?) and all of this post-2003 construction made it feel like an entirely new museum.
The Broad gallery included Metropolis 2, the four-years-in-the-making crazy contraption shown below with 1100 cars whizzing about. It drew quite a crowd with visitors packed into the area around and above the “city”. One amusing part was seeing trains getting short shrift as they plodded along at the bottom of the buildings. Here’s a video.
The Broad also included these whimsical pieces…
…along with Glenn Ligon’s take on Mapplethorpe’s Black Book and other issues relating to race in America. This theme was echoed in Edward Kienholz’s controversial Five Car Stud exhibit in one of the older LACMA buildings, which depicts a group of white men castrating an African American under the glow of car headlights. Locked up in storage for the past 40 years, the powerful, life-size display can now be seen by a new generation.
On day two of our LA trip we stopped at Culver City’s vegan Native Foods (coming in March/April to Encinitas per their website) and made our way downtown to MOCA. Their downtown space had some interesting items, but the room upon room of Weegee photos got a bit old. We boarded a shuttle to the MOCA Geffen Museum space in Little Tokyo, where the Pacific Standard Time Under the Big Black Sun exhibit featured art works from 1974-81. These were definitely edgier than much of the previous PST displays we’d seen, and suggested that art underwent a sea change during this period. Afterward we strolled through Little Tokyo’s pedestrian area, then quaffed a beer by the outdoor courtyard at Far Bar, tucked down an alleyway between buildings:
Before heading home we stopped at LA Live – Staples Center is another place I hadn’t been to in years – and it’s amazing to see the transformation from what were grimy parking lots to a sleek entertainment complex featuring a near-Times Square of the West:
We never made it to the PST exhibits at the Getty’s, Norton Simon, etc., but the collaborative effort goes until June – plenty of time for a return trip to LA.
- In: Uncategorized
- Tags: la live, lacma, moca, pacific standard time
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not on my beach
16 Jan2012
The City Council is applying for a state grant to build a new park on Normal Street in Hillcrest where the weekly farmer’s market is held. It would tie in with the DMV redevelopment project bordering the street and feature walking paths, a children’s play area, and a plaza. It’s also where a 30-foot rainbow flag is planned on a 65-foot pole. With the brewpub concept going into the former Mandarin Dynasty location nearby (from the owners of Gossip Grill in the same strip mall), this could turn into another vibrant part of Hillcrest. Too bad the park won’t be built for another four years, at least.
- Another step forward for the pedestrian bridge to the Tijuana airport, with the County Board of Supervisors approving permits and an EIR for the project (rendering shown here). You’d check in on the U.S. side, cross the border in an elevated 525-foot passageway, and soon be on your way to direct flights to Shanghai and Tokyo. With our airport constraints, the project is a novel opportunity to increase San Diegans’ international flight options without having to drive to LA. Construction is set to begin late this year with an expected opening in 2013.
- Wang’s in North Park has their official grand opening set for Saturday, January 28th, and will be celebrating the Chinese New Year with a dragon dance. We chatted with Joel, the owner, on a recent Monday (they’re open 7 days a week now) and he said they’re opening up the upper level bar soon, so you’ll be able to watch the action down below over the railing. He also mentioned they’re going to start projecting videos on the large west wall of the lounge area. Check out their $3 Happy Hour, which has been gathering steam on Fridays…Smashburger is coming to Hillcrest, opening in the former Kazumi Sushi location across from Brazen BBQ, says Troy Johnson… Gingham, the newest Brian Malarkey restaurant, has opened in La Mesa and appears to be a hit. Could downtown La Mesa become a new dining destination?… Toma Sol Cafe (shown below) has been open for a couple of months now on Washington in the former location of two other coffee shops. They’ve done a great job creating a warm and comfortable interior, and the coffee was excellent.
- One of the biggest architectural eyesores in San Diego has to be the boxy Coronado Shores towers that dwarf the iconic Hotel Del Coronado as you cross the Coronado Bridge. Looking like a set of 60′s-era inner-city public housing, the building of these structures helped usher in the Coastal Commission that would never allow beachfront towers to be built on the California coastline again. Now the wealthy residents of Coronado Shores are opposed to the construction of a public restroom (rendering below) on the beach, calling it a “smelly eyesore”, and saying it will provide a place for “illegals to shower”. The best comment is the resident saying that his view will “never be compromised”, while living in towers that have compromised everyone else’s view. From the Shores’ developer who profited at the public’s expense, to selfish residents like the one above, Coronado Shores represents San Diego at its worst.
- More stuff:
- Atlantic Cities summarizes the fight for San Diego’s transportation future
- Downtown library gets 15 million dollar anonymous donation, putting it over the top
- Events mark the 100-year anniversary of San Diegans getting the tar beaten out of them for standing up for free speech
7 Responses to not on my beach
OK, I’ll probably get creamed for this one, but I have always liked the classic international style design of these minimalist towers. I think they are good looking.
Now, why can’t they design a restroom that compliments the modern style of the towers, instead of one that looks like it belongs in Yellowstone National Park?
Hi Walt, thanks for your comments. Good point about using a similar style for the beach restroom building… like how the new Scripps Paine Forum building at SIO follows the design of the lifeguard towers there.
Andrew
I actually like the towers as well. For some reason I’ve always really liked the contrast between their modern style and the Hotel del next door. Their residents’ attitudes towards public restrooms notwithstanding.
Tyler
January 26th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
Quick note about Toma Sol Cafe. My CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) ‘Veggie Box’ pickup is now inside Toma Sol Cafe every Sunday from 9am-11am. Garden of Eden Organics. Good diversity, good prices, and good people. If you want to try a CSA, check them out at Toma Sol Cafe! http://www.goeorganics.com/
Thanks for the info Tyler. Our neighbors do a CSA too but it has a waiting list I believe. Will check out Garden of Eden.
I also have to add that I love the Coronado Shores towers. I appreciate their minimalist, mid-century modern style and also the contrast to the Hotel Del next door. And their cantilevered balconies and glass walls are really striking when seen lit at night…
You may be interested to know they were designed by William Krisel, a renowned architect who was responsible for much of Palm Springs 50s modernist design and built homes there for Dean Martin and Peter Lawford, among others. The home where Elvis and Priscilla lived and honeymooned was also designed by him. But if you want to talk about ugly, the hotel’s own modern tower is a much bigger eyesore, in my opinion.
Thanks for the information Darren, didn’t know Krisel designed them. Will try to be more objective about the towers (but not their location). 
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all parked out
8 Jan2012
Uptown News has an article on the recent closing of four businesses on the 3800 block of 5th Ave in Hillcrest, including Cafe Vergnano, whose owners had dumped 500K into their space (ouch). Lack of parking gets the blame for the closures in the article, but for a lackluster restaurant like Cote Sud, I’m not so sure. Still, the perceived lack of parking in Hillcrest definitely doesn’t help – as much as I’d like to imagine an urban utopia where everyone can walk or cycle to their business of choice, it’s probably not realistic. And it’s been a long-term “problem”, according to the quotes on this Hillquest page.
Is there a lack of parking in that part of Hillcrest, or just a lack of close-in street parking? Just down the street, there’s a pay-option Rite Aid parking lot, which often fills in the evening. One block east, there’s a new paid lot in the former Pernicano’s parking lot, next to a smaller lot. And one block north, there’s the large underground parking garage for Landmark Theaters. So it’s debatable whether there’s truly a lack of (paid) parking.
I get the impression folks want to be able to drive up to their business of choice and find street parking out front – having to walk a few blocks isn’t considered. And if you’re in a rush to get a coffee on the way to work, that’s understandable – although Starbucks seems to be doing just fine on that same block. Yet it isn’t realistic to think everyone can pull up to their business of choice and just find a spot. Here’s a neat quote I tweeted recently from a New York Times article on creative uses of parking lots:
As the critic Lewis Mumford wrote half a century ago, “The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is the right to destroy the city.” Yet we continue to produce parking lots, in cities as well as in suburbs, in the same way we consume all those billions of plastic bottles of water and disposable diapers.
So what’s the answer? Higher density would help (more residents within walking distance), but with the current challenges to secure financing for such projects, it’s not a solution in the near-term. Plus, state redevelopment dollars used on new affordable housing projects are gone. Actually, a lot of the customers going to these businesses are driving in from outside the neighborhood, and need a place to park – that’s probably always going to be the case. So do we build more surface parking lots? I can’t think of any nearby structures that should be torn down for such a purpose – well, maybe that AT&T monstrosity on 6th. How about a new parking garage with ground-level retail, like in North Park? This may be a better idea, but again, where?
I’ve been thinking about this article since it came out and about all I can come up with is angled parking on 5th. This would probably reduce 5th from three auto lanes to two, which might not be a bad thing – in the article, the owner of Which Wich said it’s difficult to parallel park on that block with traffic coming up on you so fast. So, one less lane of traffic, angled parking, and throw in a bike lane while we’re at it! Problem solved and forwarded on to the Uptown Community Parking District, which is being revived after failing to deliver on its promise of more parking. If only it were that easy…
On the Hillquest page above, they mention a free shuttle for the area, and I’ll go one step further – how about a streetcar running up 5th from downtown, down University, then back downtown via Park, dropping off tourists at Balboa Park in both directions. Yes, it’s been proposed before, and there are bus lines on these routes already, but there seems to be some sort of stigma that many people have against riding the bus, unfortunately.
These are just ideas being tossed out, but in the end it probably take a bit more effort from some drivers, too. Until they realize that their unwillingness to walk a block or two to their destination has a detrimental effect on the businesses in urban neighborhoods, we’re going to be a nation that favors strip malls and sprawl, the latter of which is proving to be more unsustainable over time.
- We enjoyed a great lunch yesterday at Carnitas Snack Shack on University in North Park. What a transformation from the claustrophobic rear dining room at the former Vo’s Cafe to the open, airy space now. Why don’t more establishments take advantage of San Diego’s climate like they’ve done here:
Our food was delicious – pork tacos with guacamole, and a pulled pork sandwich with bacon and fried pork schnitzel. A creamy corn side and an order of fries rounded things out:
My nerdiness is showing, but it’s exciting when places that serve up creative dishes and think outside the box design-wise like Carnitas open in the neighborhood.
- In: Uncategorized
- Tags: carnitas snack shack, hillcrest, parking, uptown partnership
3 Responses to all parked out
Dennis A. Dizon
I totally agree with your recommendation on angled parking at 5th Ave. Hopefully Todd G. reads your blog.
Scott Breffle
I’m not convinced lack of parking was the downfall of Cafe Vergnano. The newly opened Snooze is just on the other side of University, with the same parking issues, and is mobbed.
That said, I like the idea of angled parking and 1 less traffic lane.
There is plenty of parking in the Central Business District of Hillcrest. A survey I did last spring shows that there are approximately 1,100- 1,200 (depending on time of day) off street parking spaces. Of course, most of it is pay-to-park.
The real issue – you framed it correctly – is PEOPLE. The low density of that area cannot support the number of shops, restaurants, etc. You also hit the nail on the head when you talked about desirability. If a neighborhood is really desirable people will come regardless of parking … in the same way that a hip nightclub will have an hour wait line to get in, but the club on the next block has no line.
To be a truly successful neighborhood, Hillcrest should focus on improving livability for people, not on making life better for cars.
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portlandia
7 Jan2012
I missed the news over the holidays that bike shop Velo Cult in South Park has moved is moving their store and staff to Portland. There’s a thread up on SD Bike Commuter about it. The site was set up by Velo Cult owner Sky Boyer and offered business discounts to cyclists who arrived by bike. Linkery and El Take it Easy owner Jay Porter references Velo Cult’s move in a recent post, where he correctly points out that San Diego’s not exactly the best place to go car-free, or even bike comfortably in much of the city, two things he’d like to do more often.
Portland had also been on my mind because of their major ($147 million) streetcar expansion to the east side of the city, which is scheduled for completion in September. The route takes it through densely-populated neighborhoods and connects with existing service downtown. If you’re transit-oriented, you can’t help but compare it to the outlook for streetcars in San Diego (largely a pipe dream in the highway-focused SANDAG plan), and the trolley, which bypasses uptown neighborhoods and didn’t make this nationwide list of 2012 construction starts. To be fair, the Mid-Coast line is set to begin construction in 2014, so I’m not sure why it’s not on the expanded list.
Portland is facing a funding shortfall for their streetcar expansion, and the comments in a recent Oregonian article (gone missing) revealed a resistance to public transit that sounds awfully familiar to San Diegans. One commenter said that the streetcar line shouldn’t be built because “I want to drive my car”, which sums up that viewpoint perfectly – some oppose public transit simply because it doesn’t benefit them, no matter how progressive their city might be.
Having said that, Portland is still miles ahead of San Diego when it comes to cycling, public transit and the other quality of life items Jay mentioned. I’m looking forward to a trip up there this summer – when the sun is actually out. Because for all of the valid criticisms we make about San Diego, the climate and geography will keep me here for life.
- San Diego made the New York Times “45 Places to Go in 2012” list, good to see Bottlecraft, Hamiltons and Local Habit in the slide show… Smashburger is going into the old Sushi Bar Kazumi in the Hillcrest Landmark plaza… San Diego Magazine reports the next several items: the BASIC Pizza folks are opening Asian restaurant Gang Kitchen next door to Broken Yolk on 6th Ave downtown… Next door to that, the Culy Warehouse space will become Block 16 Union & Spirits, a club/bar, and the former Dizzy’s next door (7th ave side?) will be an old-style lunch counter and late-night hot dog stand. They’re from the owner of Bub’s across 7th, and should continue to liven up this formerly quiet block… Both Bencotto in Little Italy and Smoking Goat in North Park are expanding into their respective next door spaces… Red Light District is going in to former Sushi Itto location across from Horton Plaza at 4th and E, and opens later this month.
- In: Uncategorized
- Tags: downtown, hillcrest, portland
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happy new year
2 Jan2012
After a beautiful start to the new year in San Diego today, it seems like a good time to look back at the changes 2011 brought. Of all the urban neighborhoods, North Park continued to undergo the biggest transformation, with several restaurants/bars opening. Urbn Pizza, Sipz, Wangs, Riki Sushi, Tiger Tiger, Carnitas, and Streetside Thai all made their debut, and 2012 promises whiskey bar 7 Grand out of L.A., and Casa de Luz straight from Austin. Meanwhile Hillcrest saw its share of changes: hello Brazen BBQ, Freebirds, Snooze, Local Habit, Modo Mio, Luna Grill, Fig Tree Cafe, Empire House and The Range; goodbye Pizza Nova and Cafe Vergnano.
More in Hillcrest: there was an ownership change at Park Manor Hotel, where they’ll be pitching time shares to tourists and still somehow hosting a big gay Friday Happy Hour on the rooftop. Babycakes’ bar kicked into full swing and became the Sunday afternoon gay hot spot. Over in University Heights, Lei Lounge closed and Hanna’s Cafe opened, while Twiggs on Adams added a new chef and established a solid breakfast following. Down the street, Sabuku finally brought sushi to Adams, while Blind Lady continued to pack them in, even in their new expanded space.
Too many changes to count downtown – some of the bigger ones: Hodads opening in East Village, new Hamilton’s spin-off Monkey Paw serving up beer and food, and India Street’s restaurant upgrades, with Davanti Enoteca and La Villa sprucing up the same block where Prep Kitchen will open, and the long-running Solunto Bakery will become Panetteria restaurant in 2012. They’ll be serving wine and staying open later. And there’s still no new tenant(s) for the Borders building that closed in the Gaslamp this year. Finally, Lion’s Share opened in this out-of-the-way location at the foot of Kettner:
Coronado showed signs of culinary life with the opening of farm-to-table and craft beer joint Leroy’s (shown below), which could be mistaken for Point Loma’s Sessions Public inside. We enjoyed our dinners there on a busy Friday recently; the menu skews toward comfort food with items like pork skewers, bavarian pretzels and the requisite Nieman Ranch burger.
A big loss was the passing of Naomi Wise, restaurant critic for the Reader. Her honest reviews and in-depth food knowledge will be missed.
One thing I’m looking forward to in 2012 is the start of the bayfront revitalization, and plans to program the area with events like night markets and concerts. One item not mentioned that could help draw a crowd to the often under-utilized area: food trucks.
Let’s hope that even with the death of redevelopment in San Diego, the city’s cultural and culinary offerings will continue to improve in 2012. The lists above convey some of the smaller changes, but there are larger projects on the way, like I.D.E.A., the 93-acre mixed-use arts district planned for East Village, the convention center’s expansion to accommodate Comic Con and other conventions, and the 2012 completion of the Mercado in Barrio Logan, which can now be seen peeking over the Coronado Bridge.
- In: Uncategorized
- Tags: 2011, bayfront, i.d.e.a., mercado
2 Responses to pacific standard
Tyler
January 26th, 2012 at 11:22 pm
Summer 2011 – “Native foods coming soon!” (sdurban.com)
“Native foods in Encinitas this fall!” – Native Foods Costa Mesa
“January!” – Native Foods Palm Springs 11/2011
“End of Feb!” – Native Foods Costa Mesa 1/15/2012
“March!” – Native Foods Aliso Viejo 1/22/2012
“March / April 2012″ sdurban.com
I hope it finally happens! Once it really gets open and gets packed, I hope the uptown / downtown 2nd location actually happens in 2012 or 2013!
Tyler
January 27th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
May bad, sdurban reported on it NOT being in hillcrest way back in April 2011 http://sdurban.com/?p=1157 so they were thinking of moving into hillcrest probably late 2010 / early 2011.. Come on Native Foods, get that vegan butt in gear!