The reason I have come to hate L.A.: In 1997, I moved down to Los Angeles because Hollywood fascinated me...but I guess now I should say old Hollywood...which seems ridiculous seeing as how that was only 18yrs ago. In 1997, Hollywood was the home of fun little dive rock n roll bars like The Crush Bar, Goldfingers, The Coconut Teaser, The Crooked Bar, The Beauty Bar, Star Shoes, The Powerhouse...and who can forget the almighty Club Cherry. The small neighborhood shopping centers which had unique mom & pop stores, or old 24hr diners that were had a unique theme, like The Yukon Mining Co., tucked in the middle of all the Hollywood bungalows and Laverne & Shirley fourplexs, or parked next-door to the Warner Bros. Studio, or the Paramount Studio. The numerous one story buildings that lined the commercial streets of Hollywood which popped up in the 20s & 30s during the Glamorous Years of Hollywood which changed hands thousands of times and became store after store, but still had the essence of yesteryear...so much so that you could swear you caught a ghost of some Silver-screen icon from the corner of your eye dashing into the shadows. The places that really made L.A., or more specifically Hollywood, a distinct little corner of a large metropolis made up of iconic neighborhoods that stretched from the beach cities to to the San fernando Valley. Well those days are gone. Over the past 10 years, one by one those fun little dive rock bars closed turning into trendy, snobby, dress-code enforced, corporate owned, chain bars of which the mindless, low IQ, zombie hipsters flock to on a nightly basis like moths to a bug zapper, or cattle to a slaughter house. It happened slowly for a while, to which it was a sad day every time another one bites the dust, in the words of Freddie Mercury, but slowly enough that is wasnt so noticeable. I realize I have been spending more time on my Harley lately, but our cruise through Hollywood the other night was like gut punch. Most, if not all of these places have been leveled, or already rebuilt into something that made me want to vomit. Seeing the deep urban canyons which will soon become the multi-level underground parking structure of some enormous Target/Starbucks/Ulta/(insert chain store here) Godzilla-like megaplex, was revolting. Not that 15 floors of tightly packed underground parking spaces costing $20 per 3hrs doesnt fill my heart with joy, but the thought of being trapped on sub-level 14 when the big one hits is enough to throw the Dalai Lama into an anxiety attack. If its not one of these structures, then its a 25 story apartment/condo live/work palace with rent prices that rivals Dubai. All of which had the Britney Spears/Paris Hilton/Ashton Kutcher/Justin Bieber drones standing in front, quietly smoking, while there faces were firmly planted in their smart phones. Their colorful button down shirts and ties neatly tucked into their current-wash jeans, no socks, loafers, and disheveled hair tucked under their black Fedora...you know to make them and individual...even though 9 out of the 10 of them looked exactly like the guy next to him. Its was like a Calvin Klein/Gap production line. Realizing that over the last year and a half, the production of these high-rises that is turning obscure, weird, fun Hollywood into Anytown, USA...or a clone of Las Vegas sans the casinos, I realize I cant get home to NORCAL fast enough. Now I hear the iconic Sunet House of Blues is slated for the wrecking ball to make way for one of these tower monstrosities...I thought the unique things that made our famous cities in the US desirable, were the things that made you WANT to travel to them...encouraging spending money and boosting the economy...if they all look the same...whats the point?
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 17:36:21 +0000
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