area newsletter NOVEMBER 2017 • LOS ANGELES
20 17
Community News Kaiser Permanente to expand in East Hollywood
Kaiser Permanente’s Los Angeles Medical Center, located on Sunset Blvd. between Alexandria and Vermont avenues, will be renovated and expanded in the coming years. The health care provider will alter their 15 acre campus significantly, with plans to clear 215,000 square feet of existing structures and to construct 425,000 square feet of new facilities. The renovation represents Kaiser’s effort to comply with SB 1953, the state law that requires hospitals to be significantly earthquake resistant. The project will be undertaken in three phases, with the first phase involving the property at 1317-1345 N. Vermont and 1388 N. New Hampshire, and expected to take place between 2020 and 2024. The second and third phases will begin in 2028 and involve parcels on Sunset, Edgement, and Alexandria.
Lyft proposes major Wilshire Blvd redesign
Ride-sharing company Lyft has teamed with Drive. ai, an artificial intelligence startup, to propose a major redesign of Wilshire Blvd. that would capitalize on selfdriving vehicles to alleviate traffic congestion. Under the plan, the current lane configuration would be altered to permit only 3 lanes of conventional vehicles, with 2 lanes designated for autonomous vehicles and ride-sharing pickup zones. The remaining space along Wilshire would be dedicated to bike lanes and wider sidewalks. The proposal suggests that automating a significant amount of car traffic will help traffic run smoothly. Critics, on the other hand, suggest that ridesharing has increased the number of vehicles on the roads, making traffic worse. Architecture firm Perkins + Will and transportation consultants Nelson/Nygaard also contributed to the proposal.
LA second busiest city for commercial construction
If you thought there were an abundance of construction cranes on the horizon lately, you were right. A recent survey has concluded that Los Angeles has the second busiest city in the U.S. for commercial construction, with 36 projects underway, as of July 2017. However, L.A.’s standing near the top of the leaderboard is a bit misleading, as Seattle is far-and-away the busiest city with 58 crane projects, and Toronto is tops on the continent with 81 projects. Other top U.S. cities include Denver (35 cranes), Chicago (34) and Portland, Oregon (32).
Community News LA bids for location of Amazon’s second HQ
Amazon estimates its investments in Seattle from 2010 through 2016 resulted in an additional $38 billion to the city’s economy – every dollar invested by Amazon in Seattle generated an additional $1.40 for the city’s economy overall. City officials have indicated that Los Angeles is bidding to host the second headquarters of retail giant Amazon. The Seattle-based company announced in September that they were seeking to expand to a second city, setting the deadline for pitches as October 19. The company is seeking a location that can offer 500,000 square feet of space initially, with an additional 7.5 million square feet available for expansion. Amazon’s other criteria include a local population of at least 1,000,000 and a close proximity to an international airport. The Los Angeles area would appear to be a strong contender for HQ2, as it’s being called, due to the depth of its labor pool and its existing connections to Amazon, which include Amazon Studios in Santa Monica and several fulfillment centers in the Inland Empire. Acquiring the HQ2 project would have a significant impact on the local economy, with Amazon estimating that they contributed $38 billion to the Seattle economy from 2010 to 2016.
Koreantown project draws opposition from green space advocates
The owners of the property at 3700 Wilshire have filed plans with the City of Los Angeles to build a 36-story tower on the lot. However, the green space at that location, known as Liberty Park, is beloved by many locals, leading advocates to file an application to have the property, including the adjoining Wilshire Park Place building, designated as a historical monument. If successful, the move would prevent the owners from undergoing any construction without the consideration of “preservation alternatives” to the project. Wilshire Park Place was built in 1967 and originally housed the headquarters of the Beneficial Standard Life Insurance Company. Currently, it’s most prominent tenant is Radio Korea and is best known for its 315 foot setback, which effectively created a privately-owned park that has often been utilized by the public. A similar preservation controversy occurred down the street in 2005 when the Los Angeles Unified School District moved to demolish the infamous Ambassador Hotel. Resistance to LAUSD’s plan to build a new school on the site of the shuttered hotel was only resolved through extensive litigation.
Restaurant
Spotlight
Bestia
We Have Noodles
The Mighty
2121 E. 7th Place Downtown Los Angeles
3827 W. Sunset Blvd. Suite C Silver Lake
108 W. 2nd Street Downtown Los Angeles
The menu here appeals to both dieters and foodies. Bestia serves an Italian menu that includes pizza, pasta, and small plates. The restaurant is located inside an industrial-chic warehouse in Downtown Los Angeles’ Arts District. Make sure to prepare for an experience when you come here. Your server will guide you and hand pick items off the menu to fit your taste. Bestia is open Sunday – Thursday from 5 – 11 p.m., and Friday – Saturday from 5 p.m. – 12 a.m. Don’t try to walk into Bestia without reservation, make sure to secure a table ahead of time.
We Have Noodles is a modern noodle concept created by Chef Darren Sayphraraj. The shop started popping up on the weekends at Smorgasburg in Downtown, and it is now in Silver Lake. The counter-service only restaurant serves lunch and dinner. The menu here is a collection of panAsians favorites, from pho to khao soi to ramen. You can also enjoy their fried chicken karaage, sweet potato chips, and their chicken and black truffle dumplings. A seasonal rotation of beer and wine is also available here. Chef Sayphraraj hopes to introduce brunch in the near future as well as pop-up dinners from chefs around the world. We Have Noodles is open Tuesday – Saturday for lunch and dinner.
Restaurateurs Quinn and Karen Hatfield of Odys + Penelope and Sycamore Kitchen have launched a new restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles. The Mighty, a little restaurant at the corner of Second and Main streets is doing sandwiches, salads, house-made pastas, and desserts for lunch and dinner. Here you can expect burrata toast, Napa cabbage slaw, and spaghetti pomodoro for dinner. A unique element here is that you order and pay up front before being led to a table. Appetizers, salads and sandwiches are all under $15, and pastas are less than $20. For dessert, enjoy a slice of pie, cookies, tarts, and layer cakes. The Mighty is open Monday – Friday from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., and Saturday – Sunday from 5 – 10 p.m.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS in LOS ANGELES
J. Paul Getty Museum
LACMA
1200 Getty Center Drive Los Angeles, CA 90049
5905 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036
CURRENT EXHIBITION:
CURRENT EXHIBITION:
Happy Birthday, Mr. Hockney July 18 - November 26, 2017
Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage July 31, 2017 - January 7, 2018
In honor of David Hockney’s 80th birthday, the Getty is exhibiting a two-part retrospective of his career, focusing on self-portrait paintings than span 65 years of his life, as well as photographs and Polaroid photocollages from the 1980’s.
This exhibition focuses on the work Marc Chagall created for the stage, as well as iconic paintings depicting musicians and lyrical scenes. Of particular note are Chagall’s set and costume designs that haven’t been exhibited since they were originally seen on stage. The exhibition also includes the screening of documentary footage of the original performances.
Annenberg Space for Photography 2000 Avenue of the Stars #10, Los Angeles, CA 90067 CURRENT EXHIBITION: Cuba Is September 9, 2017 – March 4, 2018 Cuba has long held the fascination of many Americans, and even as travel restrictions have decreased in recent years, few have seen what life is actually like on the island. This exhibit features over 120 photos depicting a wide range of Cuban subjects, as well as an original film documenting how the photographers captured the images.
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