Rendering of the proposed pocket park at 9th & Hill. Photo by .

The community group behind the effort to get a park on the northeast corner of 9th and Hill will hold a meeting on Thursday, March 25, to update folks interested in the project on what the next steps are now that a state grant request has been submitted.

That grant could provide $5 million, 75% of the $6.6 million that the group believes it would take to purchase the land and develop the project. The rest of the money would come from Quimby funds and private donations.

The 7pm meeting, which will take place at the Wurlitzer Building, 816 S. Broadway, could have some high-profile names. An email sent out by the project this week says that Councilman Jose Huizar and State Assembly Speaker John Perez will attend.

The state's Prop 84 funding awards will be announced this summer.

By Eric Richardson.

This story is an installment of Filming Closures.

Photo by Eric Richardson.

Navigating Downtown can be tricky enough without running into an unexpected street closure. We'll try to help you out, posting notices from film shoots that include full street closures.

The two blocks on the backside of Disney Concert Hall will be closed on Sunday evening as Gravy Productions shoots scenes for a Harley Davidson spot.

Upper 2nd street (not the 2nd street tunnel) and Hope street from 1st to 2nd will be closed from 7:30pm to 2am. Filming is permitted until 2am, so residents in nearby Promenade Plaza, Bunker Hill Towers and Grand Tower could have a rumbly evening.

DESCRIPTION OF SCENE: Driving scenes. Equipment on sidewalk & across the street. Exterior establishing shots. Exterior models against scenery. Occasional traffic and pedestrian control. Wetting of street. Picture motorcycles with scenery. Generator, picture vehicles and scissor lift.

Film closure information is subject to change. For more information about filming activities, consider subscribing to FilmL.A.'s eNotifications.

Filming Closures

Navigating Downtown can be tricky enough without running into an unexpected street closure. We'll try to help you out, posting notices from film shoots that include full street closures.

By Eric Richardson.

This story is an installment of Filming Closures.

Photo by Eric Richardson.

Navigating Downtown can be tricky enough without running into an unexpected street closure. We'll try to help you out, posting notices from film shoots that include full street closures.

You have to admire Columbia Pictures' moxie in scheduling an exterior shoot for 'Bad Teacher' at City Hall on the day in which the LA Marathon brings 25,000 runners past two sides of the building. Still, perhaps with traffic already so disrupted citywide, one block of Spring just won't matter.

The shoot will have Spring street shut down between 1st and Temple from 5am on Sunday, March 21 to 5am on Monday, March 22.

The film stars Justin Timberlake, Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel.

DESCRIPTION OF SCENE: Driving scenes. Equipment on property, sidewalk, in curb lane & across street. Interior dialogue. Intermittent traffic and pedestrian control. Wetting down of the street. Extras holding in Board of Public Works Room, hanging banner in archway of forecourt, placing set dressing on property. 20 x 20 frames on the sidewalk. Class field trip scene. Generator. Picture vehicles. Scissor lifts.

Film closure information is subject to change. For more information about filming activities, consider subscribing to FilmL.A.'s eNotifications.

Filming Closures

Navigating Downtown can be tricky enough without running into an unexpected street closure. We'll try to help you out, posting notices from film shoots that include full street closures.

By Eric Richardson.

Deputy Chief Sergio Diaz is retiring from LAPD on March 31. Photo by Ed Fuentes.

With a retirement date set for March 31, LAPD Deputy Chief Sergio Diaz is making some final rounds around the city he's served for 33 years.

On Monday, the former street cop led a bike tour through Downtown with two-wheeled patrols manned by LAPD and Downtown's BIDs. Together, the entourage surveyed the changes made in the city before taking a brief break at the base of Angels Flight.

Diaz rose through the ranks to his current post as Deputy Chief, which he was assigned after the 2007 May Day demonstration that began Downtown and later became confrontational in MacArthur Park.

Yet, it's the lower crime rates throughout LAPD's Central Bureau that had Diaz out on Monday morning, a trip that may not have been made if he had retired a few years earlier. “It certainly would have been different,” he said. “Of all the places in L.A., this is where we see the big difference. It wasn’t just LAPD. It was the work of other organizations, like the BIDs, that made a contribution to these changes."

The last ride through a changed Downtown happened on the day Angels Flight resumed a regular operating schedule. “It was a coincidence with these cars, such a visible symbol of the city,’ Diaz said with the soft rumble of twin cars Olivet and Sinai behind him. “I can’t believe there isn’t some significance to it.”

By Ed Fuentes.

Participants in the 2009 LA Marathon start their run on Figueroa street. Photo by Eric Richardson.

A sold-out LA Marathon will bring 25,000 runners through the north edge of Downtown on Sunday morning, early in their 26.2 mile journey from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica.

Downtowners interested in checking out the race no longer get to roll out of bed just in time for the finish, but the scenes of runners and wheelchair racers are worth getting up early.

The new "Stadium to the Sea" route starts at Dodger Stadium, making its way to Cesar Chavez and crossing the 101 freeway on Main. There's a right turn at 1st, then another at Grand and a left turn on Temple and the run makes its way west.

Wheelchairs start at 6:55am, followed by hand cycles at 7am, the elite women around 7:03am and the rest of the field at 7:24am. Given that the Downtown leg falls between miles 3 and 4, spectators would do well to be in place by 7am to catch the wheelchairs, with the runners following soon after.

Folks who live on Bunker Hill may get a rhythmic early wake-up, as Little Tokyo's Taiko Drummers will be providing entertainment at 1st and Grand.

Traffic impacts for Downtown should be minimal. Drivers needing to get from Downtown to the north should consider looping around from the east, either via heading north on Alameda or by crossing the river and catching the 5 North. Street closures along the route's Downtown segment will begin around 3:15am.

Photos

By Eric Richardson.

Judges unanimously scored Wednesday night's final bout for Jesus Rodrigues (black shorts) as he won his pro debut against Juan Sandoval. Photo by Eric Richardson.

Boxing may be dying, but it's hard to tell it at L.A. Live. Over the last two years the complex has hosted fights of all sizes inside Staples Center, the Nokia Theatre and Club Nokia.

Yesterday, a fourth venue was added as Fight Night Club took its show outside for a special St. Patrick's Day edition on Nokia Plaza.

The series, put on by Oscar de la Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions and AEG, typically takes place inside Club Nokia on the last Thursday of the month, with matches televised on Fox Sports Net.

Wednesday night's event was free to the public, and brought out a healthy crowd to cheer on local fighters new to the pro ranks. The biggest cheers of the night were for Jesus Rodrigues, who won the night's fourth and final fight in a unanimous decision over Juan Sandoval.

Four sites may be the limit for L.A. Live. Other than the complex' Event Deck -- the roof of a parking garage behind Nokia Theatre that sometimes hosts events -- it's hard to imagine there being anywhere else on-site that's large enough to host a fight.

Photo Gallery

By Eric Richardson.

This story is an installment of Filming Closures.

Photo by Eric Richardson.

Navigating Downtown can be tricky enough without running into an unexpected street closure. We'll try to help you out, posting notices from film shoots that include full street closures.

Wilshire Boulevard's dead-end at Grand Avenue will be closed both Saturday and Sunday this weekend as 20th Century Fox Television films scenes for the Tom Spezialy / Brett Ratner pilot 'Chaos,' destined for CBS.

Wilshire will be closed east of Hope, while Grand Avenue will be shut down between 6th and 7th. Both shutdowns run from 6am to 10pm.

According to The Wrap, the show focuses on a team of CIA operatives who cut through red tape.

DESCRIPTION OF SCENE: Atmospheric smoke effects. Car-to-car. Driving scenes. Equipment on sidewalk and street. Exterior dialogue. Intermittent traffic and pedestrian control. Precision driving. Wetting down of the street. Camera position in median. Car chase scene. Car driving on sidewalk. Condor. Crane. Generator. Picture vehicles.

Film closure information is subject to change. For more information about filming activities, consider subscribing to FilmL.A.'s eNotifications.

Filming Closures

Navigating Downtown can be tricky enough without running into an unexpected street closure. We'll try to help you out, posting notices from film shoots that include full street closures.

By Eric Richardson.

Angeleno Mary O'Neil was all Irish at L.A. Live's Nokia Plaza. Photo by Ed Fuentes.

Billed as the city's largest St. Patrick's Day celebration, L.A. Live's inaugural go at a salute to Public Safety and Irish Pride took place today out in the sun of Nokia Plaza. While perhaps not as well attended as recent events at Pershing Square, there were still plenty of celebrators.

With a beer garden, entertainment and displays, there were enough ways to toast your Irish Heritage to bring in even those without a drop of Dubliner in them.

Ken O’ Malley and the Twilight Lords played traditional Irish music and rock and roll on a stage that also featured performances by the 20-piece Los Angeles Emerald Society Bagpipe Band and the Dublin All-Stars Marching Band.

Just before Councilmember Tom “O”LaBonge was about to step on the stage, he assured blogdowntown that the missing parade will be back in 2011 after budget limitations prevented it from being held this year. “We’re working on having it on 11th Street,” LaBonge added.

While the dancing Leprechaun on stage with Ken O’ Malley is what many people may consider a traditional Irish celebration, there were some sincere moments. Honored were Kenneth Cassidy, LAFD Captain of the Year, and William Murphy, LAPD Captain of the Year. Actor Jack McGee sang the anthem in a traditonal tenor, and one young-at-heart woman stood proudly in the sun to gently wave an Irish flag as bagpipers played their set.

Photo Gallery

By Ed Fuentes.

Photo by Ed Fuentes.

The bar may be closed, but the Craby Joe's neon has had heard more last calls then the clients that walked into the 7th and Main watering hole ever did. The sign that once welcomed boozers and dreamers will have an official dedication in Raw Materials, its new transitional housing, on Saturday, March 27 at 4pm.

Presented by The Museum of Neon Art, Raw Materials, sign guardian Jeremy Hansen and Bert Green Fine Art, the Craby Joe's historic neon (if the timer is set on 11) is a flickering frenzy of blue and pink light that bounces off the white walls like a bad flashback.

The same year the "Volstead Act" was repealed, ending prohibition, the oddly spelled Craby Joe’s became part of Downtown’s landscape at 7th and Main. One story is that the original name of the bar was set to be Crazy Joe's until the "z" was switched with a "b" during the sign's manufacturing. No one knows for sure.

The sign was once part of a street filled with neon, but it became a loner as Skid Row took over that section of Main street. The neighborhood changed and the bar was ordered to close as part of a crackdown on drug sales. In December of 2007, fans of the bar and sign had a round on Christmas Eve, and in January 2008, the sign was noted as missing.

It was saved by Jeremy Hansen, and -- with the apostrophe never lit -- has been on temporary loan at MONA. For less than a few days, Craby Joe's neon skeleton was reinterpreted as an abstract by Richard Ankrom in the windows of Bert Green Fine Art.

Somehow, the sign also represents nefarious activity, the grit and edge that is John Fante-begat-Charles-Bukowski pop-culture identity.

The Nickel Diner and its Smack 'n Cheese; the Down N Out with its wall of celebrity mug shots and now infamous mural; Crack Gallery; the speakeasy knock-on-the-door bars near 5th and Main, all are reminders of Downtown's influence in literature and film.

Even today, the sign is a visual reference. The cover of James Ellroy's 2009 "Blood's A Rover" shows a moody 7th and Main at night, with Craby Joe's neon sign unlit.

Photo Gallery

By Ed Fuentes.

Photo by Eric Richardson.

The revitalized Downtown appears set to suffer one of its first high-profile restaurant casualties, as landlord 800 Wilshire today was given the go-ahead for eviction proceedings against chef Gabriel Morales' Provecho.

The corporation that controls the Mexican restaurant and martini lounge Remedy, both of which opened in late 2008, filed for bankruptcy protection on February 8, claiming nearly $2 million in debts.

Today, Judge Alan Ahart gave the restaurant's landlord permission to continue eviction proceedings. On January 27, 800 Wilshire gave the restaurant a five day notice to surrender the premises or pay $39,743 in back rent. When the restaurant did neither, the building filed an unlawful detainer case on February 8. That same day, the restaurant's 800 Wilshire Group, LLC filed for bankruptcy protection.

Court filings show a long list of creditors. The restaurant says that it owes the state nearly $144,000 in sales taxes, and a laundry list of vendors show up among those with claims.

A drawn-out opening couldn't have helped the company's books. Morales and wife Jill Bigelow first signed a lease on the nearly 8,000 square foot space in July of 2007. Delays and permit issues kept the doors from opening until December of 2008.

Building manager Anthony Khuns said today that he was sorry to see the restaurant fall on financial hard times. "They're a great restaurant and they've had a tough time," he said. "They've been good for the building."

Today's ruling allows the building's eviction case to move forward, but provides no immediate resolution.

For now, the restaurant remains open. A flyer sent out today advertises its St. Patrick's Day specials, including $3 green beer and $1 corned beef tacos.

By Eric Richardson.

Market Cafe at the AT&T Center, a new casual cafe from the Patina Restaurant Group. Photo by Eric Richardson.

Not quite visible enough to be a destination, yet too fun to classify as a building cafeteria, Patina Restaurant Group's newest Market Cafe at the AT&T Center is an affordable eatery in a part of Downtown that's light on lunch options.

It's also just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the company's operations in the building, which take up 15,000 square feet and include the company's headquarters, catering kitchen, pastry kitchen and handling bookings for the two glass-walled floors at the top of the 32-story tower.

Food and pastries for the casual cafe are prepared in the company's catering kitchen, which services a range of events from small to large. Connected is Patina's pastry kitchen, which services all of the restaurant group's restaurants.

The menu, which features nothing over $10, is designed to be changed up constantly.

In part, that's a nod to the office workers who will be the eatery's primary customers. "When you serve the same clientele, you have to be very creative in your menu," notes Chef Joachim Splichal, who opened Patina Restaurant in 1989.

Those who don't work in the building currently have to navigate the office building's protocols, stopping at security to get a visitor sticker that must be returned on departure. They must then take an escalator down to the building's "Garden Level," where the cafe and kitchens are located.

It's a bit of a trek, but Splichal believes that it's worth it. "The quality we serve is exceptional," he said, "so I think people will go through it."

Along with the fresh food, a variety of gourmet packaged goods are on sale. The space will serve as a model for upcoming tweaks to other Market Cafe locations at the Wells Fargo Center and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

High above the AT&T Center cafe, Patina is also handling private bookings for the building's 30th and 32nd floors, which once housed a restaurant but are now 6,000 square feet of glass-walled raw space. Upcoming bookings include a wedding. Splichal said that his company is also working with building owner LBA Realty on putting the building's auditorium to good use, with film screenings potentially on the horizon.

Market Cafe at AT&T Center / 1150 S. Olive / 6:30am - 3pm / 213-536-4090

Photo Gallery

By Eric Richardson.

Russell Wonder Photo by Monk Turner.

If Stevie Wonder had a 'brother from another mother' living in Downtown L.A., it would be Russell Walters. Even though Russell is a white guy from the backwoods of Michigan with 20/20 vision, soul music drips from his fingers when he gets on the bass. Stevie Wonder's influence runs deep within this four string warrior; he even has the tattoo to prove it.

I met up with Russell to see what groups he has been playing with and get a sense of what life is like across from L.A. Live.

MONK TURNER: You had an interesting introduction to the South Park district of downtown...

RUSSELL WALTERS: We were in the valley and looking for a place to live downtown. Our landlord brought us down to the Pico Blue Line to show us the place. There was a homeless man out front asking me 'how much does this place go for a month?' as he was taking a piss. I wanted to tell him 'it was $1,800 but it just went down to $1,200.' [laughter]

MT: Since that day, have things changed much around here?

RW: Yeah. It can look like a rough place with the homeless guy taking a piss and I'm sure that still happens. Less break ins, it is nicer. It seemed a bit threatening at first but now I'm used to it.

MT: And now this is home base. What are some groups you play with?

RW: I'm in a handful of cover band projects that are down in the South Bay. I play with a guy named Scott Whyte who I play at the Shark's Cove in Manhattan Beach and Cafe Boogaloo in Hermosa Beach. I play with a group called Retrofit which is a 3 piece that does cool vocal harmonies. We do Steely Dan which is one of my favorite groups. We play at Ricky Finns and Henessys in Redondo Beach.

MT: What about Downtown? [laughter]

RW: Well I do play downtown. Sort of. I play in Chinatown with Midtones. But I'm not the guy who gets the gigs. I'm the guy who shows up and sees who wants to keep me around.

MT: Living a stones throw from L.A. Live, do you find yourself over there quite a bit?

RW: I've been over there twice. [laughter]

MT: And are you proud or ashamed of that?

RW: I guess I'm proud that I'm saving money. [laughter] But I'm ashamed I'm not spending any of it to meet any hot downtown girls. [laughter]

MT: What are the best parts of being a downtown resident?

RW: I like the action. The people out doing things. The events. I like it and I don't like it because there is no parking and everyone is here at your house vacationing and I'm like 'I live here.'

MT: People peeing on your doorstep. [laughter]

RW: Yeah. But I guess I sort of like that because I'm from a small town where we didn't have all that. I just like looking out every morning and seeing where the Lakers play.

Unfortunately, if you want to see Russell play, you can't just look out your window. You will have to venture down to the South Bay. Another option is to come check him out at Midtones twice a month at the Grandstar in Chinatown. Stevie, if you're reading this, please give Russell a call if you're looking for a bass player.

Photo Gallery

By Monk Turner.

Workers assemble a tower crane at the YWCA Job Corp construction site in South Park. Photo by Eric Richardson.

While work at YWCA's $73-million Job Corp center has been moving steadily since the beginning of the year, the effort became a lot more visible today when a tower crane was added to the construction works.

The seven-story, 154,000 square-foot facility, to be located on Olive street between Olympic and 11th, will house a classrooms, a library, computer lab, medical facilities and residential units for 400 students.

The YWCA has owned the site since 2004, but finance issues delayed the project start. It finally got underway this year after the commitment of federal stimulus funds and New Markets Tax Credits.

YWCA has administered the Los Angeles Job Corps Program since 1965, operating out of a handful of buildings centered around a 13-story former hotel at 11th and Broadway.

By Eric Richardson.

A rendering of the Spring Street Park site, which sits between 4th and 5th streets. Photo by .

The Historic Core community will get its second chance to weigh in on the design of a park slated to go on Spring street between 4th and 5th on Thursday. The city acquired the 0.8 acre site at the beginning of 2009, and a first design session was held in July.

Thursday's session will include the presentation of a conceptual design for the space, which sits between the Rowan Lofts, Rosslyn Lofts and El Dorado. The meeting is hosted by Councilwoman Jan Perry, the Department of Recreation and Parks, the Bureau of Engineering and the Downtown L.A. Neighborhood Council.

The meeting will run from 5 to 7pm, and will take place at The Exchange, 114 W. 5th.

By Eric Richardson.

Photo by .

Your odds of getting in may vary as final tweaks take place, but 213's members-only Doheny is currently soft-open as the new Caña Rum Bar at the Doheny. Membership is still required, but dues have dropped to a much more affordable $20 and only one guest in the party needs to be a member.

The Doheny interior is staying largely intact, but 213 designer Ricki Kline is making a few subtle changes to the small venue.

Most of the changes are in the menu, which now features rums from around the world. The price drop has extended to more than just dues; drinks are sporting more reasonable price tags as well.

The change gives 213 a trio of bars built around a particular drink, with Seven Grand (whisky), Las Perlas (tequila & mezcal) and now Caña (rum).

An official opening date has yet to be set.

Update (Wednesday): Official info for Caña went out today. Official soft-open is on Thursday, March 18. They're saying "over 140 small-batch rums." 6pm to 2am Monday through Friday, 7pm to 2am on Saturday, private parties only on Sunday.

Cana Rum Bar at The Doheny / Petroleum Building / 714 W. Olympic

By Eric Richardson.

The Los Angeles Police Emerald Society marches in the 2009 St. Patrick's Day Parade. Photo by Ed Fuentes.

Bag pipes and boxing are both on the menu for a pair of Wednesday St. Patrick's Day events at L.A. Live. The pair highlight a day that will see a host of Downtown restaurants and bars offering their own "green" events.

Running from 11am to 3:30pm, the St. Patrick's Day Festival at L.A. Live will feature many of the elements that have traditionally participated in the on-hiatus St. Patrick's Day parade. Ken O’Malley & The Twlight Lords, the Los Angeles Emerald Society Bagpipe Band, a display of classic fire trucks and police cars, and an Irish-themed beer garden are on tap.

At night, Nokia Plaza hosts a boxing ring as AEG and Golden Boy's Fight Night Club moves outdoors for a quartet of free fights. The Golden Boy himself, Oscar de la Hoya, will be in attendance. First bell rings at 7:30pm, but an early arrival is encouraged to grab seats with a ring view.

Downtown's traditional Irish headquarters, Casey's Bar & Grill, will host a live broadcast from Kevin and Bean of KROQ that will run from 6 to 10am. Food will be served until 5pm and a DJ will go into the night.

The Irish fare at Nick + Stef’s Steakhouse (PDF menu) runs for the next week, from March 15 - 21. Offerings include Dubliner stout grilled cheese, corned beef sliders, slow-cooked corned beef with bacon-braised cabbage and Kerrygold butter mashed potatoes and Guinness bread pudding.

South Park's Corkbar will feature live jazz from 6:30pm, with "a special Irish Stew created by our own Chef Albert" for $10. Happy Hour runs from 3 - 7pm, with "Nightcap" starting at 10pm.

By Eric Richardson.

Smoke pours out of a generator exhaust at 600 S. Spring on Saturday. Photo by Tricia Portelli.

Pedestrians went scurrying minutes ago as a trio of booms accompanied black smoke in billowing from a generator exhaust in SB Tower at 600 S. Spring. The smoke has been a regular occurrence in recent days, but the booms were a new feature to Monday and brought out a truck from LAFD.

The 14-story SB Tower is slated to open as residential rental units in the upcoming months. The 1960 structure was once the headquarters of California Bank.

By Eric Richardson.

A woman purchases her ticket at the hilltop Angels Flight station. Photo by Ed Fuentes.

The historic Angels Flight Railway began its official operating schedule this morning, re-opening with far less fanfare than accompanied its last return in 1996.

There were more media members than riders milling about the funicular mid-morning, but even early it was easy to see a mix of passengers adding the line back into their daily schedule.

Twin cars Olivet and Sinai are scheduled to make their up and down runs seven days a week, from 6:45am to 10pm. Fare is $0.25.

The foundation running the railroad warns that there may be a few disruptions in that schedule as last-minute tweaks are performed.

Short delays didn't seem to phase folks out to check out the rails this morning. After one run, the cars stopped and a PA announcement said that it would be five minutes before the cars resumed. 30 minutes later, testing ended and waiting tourists jumped on board, likely unaware that Angels Flight had been closed for nine years.

The railway first opened in 1901, rising alongside 3rd street to carry residents of Bunker Hill down to the shops below. It operated there until 1969, when it was torn down to make way for the Angelus Plaza senior housing complex.

Originally, plans were to accomodate a rebuilt Angels Flight in that development. That didn't happen, and plans were shifted to include the railway in the 1980s California Plaza office development. Early renderings called for the line to rise parallel to Hill street, connecting to the still-unbuild third tower.

Only in 1996 did the incline reappear in its present configuration. It ran until Feb. 1, 2001, when a cable failure caused one of the two cars to slide downhill, colliding with the other and killing one passenger.

The returned railway boasts several extra safety systems not present on the first rebuilt, including a second safety cable -- a feature of the original design -- and new working emergency brakes on each of the two "bullwheels."

Photo Gallery

By Ed Fuentes.

Photo by Eric Richardson.

A sting operation set up by LAPD detectives last Friday proved something that any experienced cyclist knows all too well: an unlocked or poorly locked bicycle isn't going to stick around too long.

Police arrested Matthew Mark Mellish, 28, after he attempted to ride away on a bicycle immediately after a detective left it outside the Coffee Bean at 9th and Hope.

“Most of the people had no idea what was happening as they saw the detectives pile out of a car and give chase,” Lt. Paul Vernon noted in a release.

Officers quickly caught up with Mellish, and one was able to kick the bike's back wheel. “Apparently, the thief hit his front break too hard which brought the rear wheel over the front,” Vernon said. “Obviously, he’s not a skilled rider.”

Mellish was arrested on a felony charge for committing a petty theft with a prior conviction. Bail was set at $20,000.

“The best thing about this arrest,” Vernon added, “was all the onlookers high-fiving the detectives after the arrest. Being a bike thief downtown won’t win you any friends.”

Bike thefts Downtown have been in the news a lot over the last few months, with Downtown's bike messengers getting in on the policing action themselves.

By Eric Richardson.

The Rowan at the March, 2010, Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk. Photo by Ed Fuentes.

The March Art Walk continued the trend of a bifurcated event, with the party crowd showing up even later in the evening. That made it easier to look at galleries and art early, before the younger crowd shows up for the mixed-use spaces armed with DJs and retail.

Joining me were two creative professionals who came Downtown as kids to shop with family, well before Gallery Row was founded. One was thrilled to see the way this part of Downtown has changed, the other was simply in disbelief. At one point, while walking past the Downtown Art Park, one asked "What's with the Art Swap Meet?"

While I think of an answer to that, here is a quick spin around the Downtown Art Walk for March, 2010.

Photo Gallery

By Ed Fuentes.