Coordinates: 6671 Sunset Boulevard

LOCATED ON Sunset Boulevard and Las Palmas in Los Angeles, Cross Roads of the World is considered America's first outdoor shopping mall.  The mall features a central building designed to resemble an ocean liner surrounded by a small village of cottage style bungalows. According to the Cross Roads of the World website, it was designed by Robert V. Derrah and built in 1936.

       It was once a busy shopping center, the Crossroads now hosts private offices, primarily for the entertainment industry. It has been used for location shooting in many films, T.V. shows, and commercials.  According to the official website, a reproduction of Crossroads' iconic tower and spinning globe can be seen just inside the entrance to Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida!

  

     Today, Cross Roads of the World is the creative home of a variety of "unique offices" and Eckankar, a new church that "promises a personal experience with God every day".  Some of the "unique offices" that I saw while exploring the Cross Roads were offices for music publishers and producers, television and film script writers, film and recording companies, novelists, costume designers, publicists and casting agencies.
     While the monument still stands the same as it did 76 years ago, everything else has changed around it.  The fact that it stood the test of time and has been preserved shows that not all aspects of Hollywood are easy to paint over and use as movie sets.  That there are certains things, perhaps "firsts" in Hollywood, that are seemingly off limits in terms of tearing down.  The pictures below demonstrate the contrast from 76 years ago to today.  If you look at the bottom layer of the original building it still is exactly the same, only a difference in the inhabitants and businesses, perhaps acting as a microcosm for Hollywood and its movie sets: the sets remain the same, but the movies and actors are constantly changing, trying to stay fresh and relevant.

--Julian 

Photo Credit:  Present day ones are mine

Old photo is from the official website

Little Ethiopia

I WANTED to explore an area in Los Angeles that I had only visited a couple of times but have always wanted to go back and visit. The community/neighborhood is Little Ethiopia. Little Ethiopia is located on Fairfax Ave. between Olympic Blvd and Pico Blvd. To be more specific, it is located 5 minutes east of Beverly Hills and 10 minutes south of Hollywood hills, 15 minutes Universal Studios, 15 minutes to Downtown L.A., 20 minutes to Santa Monica, Venice Beach and LAX on Fairfax Avenue this newest LA Ethnic enclave was christened in 2001.


I was able to browse an Ethiopian store, which is definitely one of a kind and talk to the owner’s son about the store's life (or working life since no one actually lives here) in Little Ethiopia. He preferred not to be named or photographed because he said he was shy. But he was still very helpful in giving me details about LE and letting me take pictures of the store. His mother founded the store in the early 1990’s and it has been a staple in the Ethiopian community for more than two decades. Currently his mom is in Ethiopia, she left for six weeks to pick up new items and bring them back to the store. It is very important to her to have authentic clothes from their country. He said it would be insulting to their customers if they tried to pass off U.S. made clothes as Ethiopian. Everything is imported no matter if it is at a greater cost to the owner and the store because it is a point of pride that they are able to provide their community with little pieces of home.


Little Ethiopia is a really small area physically and socially, so everyone knows everyone and there is a little bit of competition since there are so many restaurants in the area. I was even able to get inside details about each of the restaurants and their owners which was very interesting. For example, one restaurant has never been filled to capacity and everyone in the community knows it’s not a very good restaurant and the only way that particular restaurant stays in business is by attracting tourist and non-locals. In fact I was shocked to learn that the best Ethiopian restaurant, which always has a waiting time of about an hour to be seated, is actually not in Little Ethiopia on Fairfax Ave! It is a couple of streets over on Olympic Blvd., but that is still fairly close to LE and the central focus of the community, which is Fairfax.


Finally we talked about his life for a few min. I found out that he doesn’t wear traditional Ethiopian clothes because he feels that when in traditional garb he sticks out and that makes him feel uncomfortable. Even in LE he doesn’t like to wear traditional Ethiopian clothing because LE is not the only place he is in. He works in LE, lives in another part of Los Angeles, while visiting friends in a completely different part of the city. He expressed that it is hard for him to be a chameleon and change his clothing according to what he is expected to wear.

--Julian

Photo Credit: Myself

Genius Loci - Nooks and Crannies

Photo Credit: Myself (Except for the Getty Museum picture, that was my friend Nishan)

Scientology in Inglewood

THE NEW Church of Scientology was dedicated November 5, 2011, in front of 5,000 Scientologists and their guests.  Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, was joined by civic leaders and government officials to commemorate the opening of a new Church in Inglewood.

The Church stands in the heart of downtown, at 315 South Market Street, and shows the attempts of the Church to branch out to a new demographic.  The neighboring community center stands just a few minutes away in South Los Angeles, at 8039 South Vermont Avenue. Together this Church and community center provide for all Scientology religious services as well as its many humanitarian initiatives and social betterment programs for the benefit of Inglewood and South Los Angeles.

Whether or not this church has been well received is still up for question, and something I don't foresee gaining many new members any time soon.  The location is actually housed in a historic art deco landmark that dates from the early 1930s. It features a 380-seat event hall, which is not surprisingly called the L. Ron Hubbard Community Auditorium.  It also has various class rooms and tutoring centers geared towards helping children to read and host community-wide initiatives.  While the "Church" is attempting to run initiatives to help the community, their presence alone may turn people off to the idea and perhaps scare them away from their help.

--Julian

Photo Credit: The Church of Scientology website

Stan the Man

SUPERHEROES DON'T often reveal their true identity, but in Hollywood, it's hard to stay hidden.  I met the man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Stan Lee.  For those that don't know him, Mr. Lee is the creator of Spiderman, The Hulk, X-Men, and Iron Man to name a few. 

I met him on the set of my internship a couple weeks ago; he was promoting his new comic book, "The Mighty 7", the world's first reality comic book — it stars fictional superpowered characters, of course, but also Archie head Jon Goldwater and "Stan the Man" himself. As I was anxiously watching his interview in the reception room I was running through all the questions I wanted to ask him: "How did you start writing?", "Who was your biggest inspiration?" "What drives you to keep writing?"

As I saw more and more "fans"(my coworkers) trickle in to the small reception room I came to the realization that I'd probably have to cut it down to one question and quick pic.  So as he came out of his interview, I mustered up the courage to ask a lifelong hero for a picture, and he happily agreed.  As we were posing for the photo, I asked him, "Any advice for an aspiring writer?"  He grabbed my shoulder, looked me square in the eye, and chuckled, "Write my boy!"

--Julian

Photo Credit: Heidi (Coworker)

KTLA 5

KTLA 5, the number one morning news station in Southern California, at least that's what we've been promoting this fiscal quarter.  I used to drive by the news station all the time as a kid, right off Sunset and the 101 freeway, little did I know I'd be interning there one day.  

I wake up at around 2:45 a.m., get ready and must be in the newsroom at 3:40 a.m. to edit scripts for the 4:00 a.m. anchors in the studio.  After editing scripts and making sure there are no errors, I print out 4 copies (2 for the anchors and 2 for the spanish translators) and literally run them over to the studio before we go live at the top of every hour.  The fun doesn't stop there.

After coming back from running the scripts there are still developing stories that are being written as the newscast is going on, and guess who gets to run them throughout the hour? Me.  As I'm editing scripts for the next newscast at the top of the hour, I also have to make sure that if a writer needs help on writing a story or adding photos I'm there to do it. It's controlled chaos.

There's never a dull moment in the newsroom, and rightfully so, we're in Los Angeles.  There's always news to cover, celebrities to interview, and SIG alerts to report. So tune in, to KTLA morning news with Chris Schauble and Megan Henderson.  KTLA news: Get Connected.  Oh yeah, and you can catch a glimpse of me on dance party Friday at 8:50 a.m. on that big yellow number up there.

Here's yesterday's (Warning: "The Robot" was utilized for maximum partying): 

Dance Party Friday

--JP

Photo Credit: Me

My LA: Eclectic Avenues

 WALKING THROUGH downtown Santa Monica this past weekend was a stark reminder of the eclecticism that is Los Angeles. A man with no shoes, dressed in rags, sits on the floor alongside a couple of businessmen, sitting at a patio table of an upscale restaurant.  The pattern continued as the journey progressed, outdoor patios with carefree patrons, and the homeless, sitting on the floor next to them, with signs of desperation.

            Street performers and nonprofit workers filled the sidewalks.  Attempting to get donations and per chance get their name out there, or the organization they represent, these people put passion into their work, hoping that people would contribute to their cause.  I decided to stop and ask one person in particular about her situation, as she was asking for donations for her cats.  It turns out she was a part of a non-profit organization that helped rescue stray cats, and she herself had adopted all of the cats that she had with her, which amounted to about 15.  When I asked her why she decided to adopt all of these cats, instead of just drop them off at an animal shelter, she looked me directly in the eyes and passionately said, “Because if I wanted them to die, I would have left them where they were”. I felt embarrassed for asking and decided to donate to her cause, realizing that she was doing what she felt was the right thing.

            Most believe in the myth of Santa Monica. They see Santa Monica as a predominately upper- class area, with upscale shopping malls and five star restaurants to boot.  Most come to shop and perhaps visit the pier, and enjoy the beautiful ocean and view that it encompasses. The truth is there’s much more than that.  There are the people that inhabit it that make it a truly diverse community.  Whether it’s a beachfront property, or a park bench with nothing to comfort you but your guitar, these people are simply looking to make it in this city, no matter the age.

            I saw a little boy, no older than ten, walking by himself down the promenade, sporting bright red DJ style headphones covering his ears and bopping to the music. He was dressed in a plain black tee and brown skinny jeans, looking like the direct descendent of a “hipster” family, with high top Chuck Taylors to match.  This image made me realize just how eclectic this city is, and how my interpretation of reality and what is supposed to happen and how people are supposed to act, is really something only I’ve created.

--Julian Portera
Photo Credit: Myself

Iconic L.A.: Flower and 5th Street

AS I sat in front of the Citi Bank building, passively waiting for my father to come down from his office to have lunch, I looked around and realized just how contrary everyone was to me. I felt out of place, like a child in an office building, surrounded by all these grown ups in suits and ties, holding briefcases and Venti Starbucks coffees. I waited at an empty bench that looked like it had hardly been sat on, directly in front of the 48-story tower, and watched businessmen and women shuffle in and out of the building. Oddly enough, there were about ten palm trees that surrounded me, in this concrete jungle, with not other trace of plant life around. I wondered to myself where each person was going, and even tried to guess. One man had a silver snake skin suit and a metallic briefcase, with grey hair and beard to match. He had a hurried and deliberate pace, as if he knew exactly where he was going and what he planned to do when he got there. I then saw a woman, dressed in a black skirt suit, frantically typing away on her blackberry as she sped walked out towards the city, seemingly entranced by the glowing screen. Everyone I made eye contact with seemed concerned or preoccupied with the next task at hand, and not a single smile was returned.


Downtown Los Angeles has always intimidated me, even going back to when my father used to take me to work with him as a child. Perhaps it was from being surrounded by these behemoth buildings, seemingly blocking out the sun and sky that created such a feeling. Even as I grew older, and would go to Lakers’ games, I still felt that if I were to wander around Downtown Los Angeles alone, I’d get chewed up and spit out. Just driving there and finding parking was a feat in and of itself, and there’s good reason for that, it was deliberate. Before the 1984 Olympics, the streets were normal, not a bunch of convoluted one-way streets and cramped driving lanes. The goal was to alleviate traffic and congestion that was anticipated with the coming of the Olympics, but it didn’t quite turn out that way, and today’s streets are the end result.


A city still trying to find its identity to this day has worked at expanding and making its name known, sans city promoters of the early 20th century. I saw these buildings as a sign of progress, and over the years I have seen the city grow exponentially, building magnificent cathedrals and music halls along the way. Downtown Los Angeles is a thriving city with thriving people in it, but they must remember not to get completely consumed by the city and their endless tasks, because it will chew you up and spit you out.



--Julian Portera
Photo Credit: Myself