Downtown Weekly LA

MAKE OVER

NOLAN'S LIGHTS

PERSHING SQUARE REVAMP

FIXINS SOUL KITCHEN

on the cover: PERSHING SQUARE

THE HAIR FLIPS

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DTLA WEEKLY

editor and chief

KERI FREEMAN

contributing writers

KERI FREEMAN

JONATHAN SHERMAN

VIOLA SATOR

KATHERINE BROWN

SHAWN SMITH

ISRAEL VENTO

JAMELL HEARD

MAUDE WASHINGTON

photography

GARY LEONARD

shawn smith

eric epperson

keri Freeman

video production, social media & design and layout

@kerieatsdtla

Special thanks

MAYOR

THE CITY OF LA

CHINATOWN

CIVIC DISTRICT BUNKER HILL

EXPO/USC

HISTORIC CORE

LITTLE TOKYO

FASHION DISTRICT

FINANCIAL DISTRICT

SKID ROW

SOUTH PARK

WAREHOUSE DISTRICT

THEGRAWN

ARTWALK NEWS

PHOTO: KERI FREEMAN

LOCATION: HISTORIC CORE

DTLA WEEKLY

All rights reserved. Downtown Weekly is a news, event, LIFESTYLE & Hospitality FREE community resource. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without express written permission from the publisher. DTLA WEEKLY, in support of local residents, businesses, workers and visitors of Downtown Los Angeles, publishes DTLA WEEKLY.

Readers are recommended to make appropriate inquiries before wagering any sum in relation to any ad, article or feature published herein. DTLA WEEKLY will not be liable to any person for loss or damage incurred or suffered as a result of his/her accepting, offering to accept or following any invitation or advice contained in any ad, article or feature published herein.

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NOLAN'S LIGHTS: Flipping the Switch with South Park’s New Glow

Just two blocks east from LA Live, South Park is shining brighter than ever before thanks to three new separate street lighting projects.

The Business Improvement District, led by urban visionary Nolan Marshall lll, has said that the new lights are part of an update geared at attracting more patrons to the area. The project cost approximately $80,000.

The final addition includes lighting for all 60 trees from 11th St. from Figueroa to Broadway. An act so simple yet having the most impactful improvement is already paying dividends for the area.

In total, 10,000 feet of new string lighting have been installed along Pico Blvd., which extends from Figueroa St. to Hill St. The string lights connect streetlights on the north and south sides of the street. Bistro lights have been strung above Hill St. that zigzag across the east and west sides of the street from Olympic Blvd. to 11th St.

Getting it together – Councilmember Kevin DeLeon and South Park BID Director Marshall made it clear that the lights are meant to encourage visitors to explore the areas around LA Live. He’s looking far into the future when it comes to what these improvements might mean for DTLA.

“South Park is an important neighborhood in our downtown core, and creating a safe, welcoming, and economically vibrant downtown is critical to Los Angeles’ future as we build more homes in our urban core and we prepare to expand our convention center and to host visitors from around the world in 2028,” stated Marshall.

“Whether it be our investments in a weekly farmers’ market, promoting local businesses and events, planting hundreds of rose bushes, or stringing lights to illuminate key corridors, we’re highlighting what’s possible with small but significant investments in our community, and we hope the city and private sector match our efforts.” @southparkla

Timeless Elegance Meets Modern Fitness: A Look Inside LA Athletic Club

The Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) just unveiled a multimilliondollar renovation project with extensive enhancements to their 7th-floor fitness facility. But can this historic private club truly balance its old-world charm with the demands of a diverse society hooked on modern day fitness?

Absolutely!

Stepping into the wide central lobby of the LA Athletic Club, with its high ceilings, old wood furnishings, and ornately framed portraits of past memories, may feel like stepping back in time.

The Club’s communal rooms, some lined with wall to wall wood paneling, handcrafted furnishings, stoic carpets, and old wood flooring, screams, “They just don’t make them like this anymore!”

Still, in modern days, the club reflects a more diverse member list than in its days of yesteryear. With new fitness facilities, relaxing spas, along with fine dining restaurants within LAAC’s labyrinths of plush furnishings, arranged perfectly for conversation...

LAAC is seemingly ready to pave the way for other private clubs in Downtown Los Angeles to follow.

“The Los Angeles Athletic Club is one of the businesses that is a leader in the rejuvenation of downtown.

The LAAC community is an integral part of the revitalization of DTLA, and our recent renovations are part and parcel of the commitment The LAAC has to its community.” – Managing Director Troy Christian

A New Era of Fitness: A Cutting-Edge 7th Floor Facility

When LAAC proudly reopened its gym doors in April, they unveiled a new 10,000-square-foot fitness facility with the latest in cardio machines, free weights, and a newly resurfaced indoor track to encumbrance it all.

A quick run on the 7th floor runner’s track gives a jogger a birds-eye view of LAAC’s iconic basketball court and Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool below.

Swimmers and basketball players look upwards to the club’s refurbished skylights that allow bursts of natural light, exposing little trace of its old dim

gym’s surroundings, with the exception of dozens of trophies, wall plaques, and black and white portraits of sports legends and sponsored athletes that once crossed paths with the establishment over the years.

The upstairs fitness space is also newly equipped with an all-new advanced air filtration system with new indoor air quality meters to monitor and optimize indoor air quality.

A newly installed audio-visual system was thoughtfully designed to include multiple audio zones, allowing for an even audio experience as the 10,000-squarefoot space is traversed.

Six new televisions broadcast in-house media adorn the walls now, two of which are nighty-eight inches are surrounded by wall covering made from vintage footballs.

It’s rare in any of its compartments to experience any voices peeking so much as slightly as to disturb another. Even the fitness floor redesign has taken into consideration the need to minimize noise pollution from adjacent fitness areas.

On other floors, long mahogany tables, carved desks, and royal bookshelves filled with leather-bound volumes fill its lounge interiors, making the LAAC as still and as calming as it ever was.

Photo courtesy: Los Angeles Athletic Club

Fixins Soul Kitchen at LA Live: A Reason to Be Proud

Wonder if Kevin Johnson fans who spent years watching him slam dunk his way to becoming one of the greatest NBA players of all time ever thought one day they’d be slam dunking his tasty buttermilk biscuits into a small bowl of gravy?

We’re at Fixins Soul Kitchen, and the place is as jam-packed as any basketball arena, with diners cheering on plates of traditional American cuisine, aka Soul Food, table after table.

Fixins Soul Kitchen opened in 2019, fitting up to 200 ever-rotating, hungry patrons inside and outside their tremendous 5,000-square-foot location at LA Live.

Due to its delicious grub and prime location for sports fans, concertgoers, tourists, and DTLA residents alike, Fixins always manages to over satisfy.

The plates are heavy, so don’t be surprised if guests get a little tired after eating a full meal. This is what’s known in the African American community as “the Itis.”

And it’s a surefire way to let Fixins know just how much you appreciate their cooking by overeating it.

They Don’t Call it Soul Food

For Nothin'

Let’s talk collard greens for a second. A stable of the American diet, just as much as fried chicken, Mac n Cheese, corn bread, waffles, and candid yams, each is prepared slightly differently from one household to another, with flavors evolving subtly from generation to generation.

At Fixins, Grandma Gladys recipes have the strongest ties to the past.

Kevin grew up watching his grandma Gladys win competitions for her soul food and reuniting with family over BBQs, red beans and rice, potato salad, and a lifetime of Grandma’s Peach Cobbler. Johnson family flavors now please patrons from around the world. We know Grandma is proud.

Soul food, much like soul music, transcends all cultures with the joys only eating good food and listening to good music can bring. Though both origins stem from a time of incredible hardship for African Americans held captive for over 500 years, the “soul” has provided energy for generations to fight for dignity and economic recovery to this day.

Kevin Johnson and his wife Michelle Rhee launched Fixins Soul Kitchen with far more grit than shrimp when it comes to championing community empowerment.

Along with its original locations in Oak Park, Sacramento, and LA Live Crypto Arena hoopla, Fixins just fired up a fresh new grill at their newest location in Tulsa, Oklahoma, aka Black Wall Street.

With a triad of Fixins support for causes like Brotherhood Crusade, a nonprofit that provides resources and programs to underserved communities, and Ron Finley Project, which teaches food-scarce communities to regenerate their lands, Fixins is cooking up a plan to open at least 40 restaurants in historically black or entertainmentdriven neighborhoods across the U.S. and is about to serve up hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs, training, and steered recruitment of underemployed populations.

Ooh wee! That’s the hot sauce right there!

For DTLA, Fixins is our lively South Park go-to where families gather, and the aroma of good old-fashioned soul food fills the air. All-flavor and spiked drinks, and a super convenient place to catch the game.

For Johnson, who spent 12 years traveling the country as an All-Star NBA player, it’s a taste of home.

Fixins Soul Food Kitchen is located at 777 Olympic Blvd., LA 90017. Another proud chapter in the book of black excellence is celebrated with every delicious bite.

@fixinsoulkitchen

DT Weekly presents Inaugural Gray Pride Month

This May, DTLA Weekly is proud to present the inaugural Gray Pride Month, a celebration of our vibrant senior community and the local businesses that serve them.

What is Gray Pride Month?

The first of its kind, in conjunction with National Senior Health Day, Gray Pride is a month dedicated to honoring our senior citizens by showcasing the fantastic discounts they can receive at local businesses throughout May.

How to Participate?

If your business offers senior discounts of over 15% on products or services, or is willing to implement such a discount in May, CLICK HERE! It’s FREE – because #communitymatters

Community leaders and non profit organizations, and those looking to boost local revenue… feel free to share.

Participating businesses will receive:

Free promotion: Mentions in a Gray Pride article shared on Facebook and Google News.

Celebrate DTLA’s Silver Lining!

Exposure: Inclusion in a full-page Gray Pride map printed in the May issue of DT Weekly.

Social media boost: Support throughout May on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Gray Pride Month is a unique opportunity to:

Attract new customers: Reach out to the ever-growing senior demographic in DTLA. Show your community spirit: Demonstrate your commitment to our valued senior citizens.

Be part of something new: Be a part of the first-ever Gray Pride Month!

“Greetings. It’s Keri, with DTLA Weekly joining in on the unified effort to help revitalize DTLA once again." Said organizer and DT Weekly Publisher.

“This time, instead of throwing 3000-person Art Walk events or becoming the first media outlet to call attention to our local cafes, vegan spots, and pizza parlors, we’re reaching out to invite you to participate in Gray Pride Month, presented by DTLA Weekly.”

Gray Pride Month kicks off on May 1st. with DT Weekly already showcasing participating businesses on social media.

DT Weekly working together to shine a light on DTLA’s amazing senior community! @graypridela

DTLA MAKE OVER Pershing Square - A Reflection of the Times

Standing amidst the echoes of history, watching bulldozers gear up once again to aid in the evolution of Pershing Square.

From its humble beginnings as “La Plaza Abaja” in 1866 through its time spent as a mid-century urban centerpiece, military headquarters, and public speaking hub, the century-and-a half-year-old site will soon be transformed by modernization once again.

Finally. They are about to take down that purple monstrosity from the previous park design (which, we have to admit, looked pretty cool at one time). And it was installed to honor local veteran Eugene A. Obregon. as part of Ricardo Legorreta in 1992, along with the fountain and bell tower, so it gets a pass. But, America hasn’t been into purple and gray since the days of Miami Vice, so…

The DTLA MakeOver plan involved a fierce “battle of the architects” and a community-wide voting contest, as brainstormed by then CD14 council member Jose Huizar’s in 2015, won by the French firm Agence Ter and Salt Landscape Architects.

Ever notice there are two corners of the entry with stairs and two without? Well, in a few years, at least three of those corners will have seamless integration with the surrounding sidewalks. The winning concept, with its emphasis on “radical

flatness,” aims to level the park.

It’s a bold makeover.

If only the park’s architects like John Parkinson’s could see it now, so far away from their days of Beaux Arts iron fences, bronze statues, strong oaks and pines, thanks to the years of changes brought on by downtown’s everrising architectural tide.

Would they think to themselves in a panic… What happened to the three-tier fountain with the baby cherubs sculpted by Johan Caspar Lachne Gruenfeld? or the Roth fountains donated in honor of his beloved wife? And the trees. What have they done to the trees, and why? Just why?

Here’s the part where we point out that, at one time, Pershing Square was alive. It didn’t take much to design a park around

That’s right! X marked the spot! Pershing Square is and has always been known to be the center of our town.

Photo courtesy: Agence Ter

Pershing Square circa 1918

trees that grew with deep roots long before we arrived. An ecosystem, complete with the chirps of tiny birds and the buzzing of insects, snails, and beetles. All adding to the lividity and freshness of a then-smogfree atmosphere.

For decades, dozens upon dozens of trees and short paths lent shelter to the people and animals of the park, with direct sunlight only found within John Parkinson’s intersecting cross of cement, directly in the center of Downtown Los Angeles.

But, in 1950, somebody decided to build a parking lot underneath Pershing Square. And believe it or not, they surrounded the park with airportlooking sub-ramps and walls that cut the park off from pedestrian view. And they sold off the whole of the trees to Walt Disney, who thought they’d be perfect for his new Jungle Ride in Anaheim.

In fact, the entire square was demolished to make way for this underground parking garage, which marked a turning point in history, signaling a shift towards modernization.

However, the spirits of Yaangna were not pleased, and the loss of its roots and trees undoubtedly took a toll on the spirit of Pershing Square, stripping away the natural beauty and vitality that once defined its character.

A 1970s mirror pool here, a new statue of Beethoven there, yet over time, the park began to spiral into decay morphing into a drug infested unhoused urban disaster that couldn’t even be fixed in time for the 1988 Olympics.

Now, as the city embarks on yet another makeover, with plans for “radical flatness” and promising a sanctuary of greenery, with chess games and playgrounds abound, downtowners await the unveiling of a new Pershing Square.

In time, there will even be glass elevators instead of those old, crusty escalators that never seemed to work, going up or down. And the hope that taking away the bluntness of its current exteriors with the removal of the park walls and offering an inspiring design for the entry ways to the underground parking lot, Pershing Square may just spark the downtown needs to restore its lost spirit.@pershingsquare

Welcome to The Player’s Club

With the grand opening of the Famous Players Cafe by Top Chef Marcel Vigneron, LAAC adds items like House Chopped Hanger Steak Tartare with egg yolk jam, Petaluma Farms organic roast chicken, sustainable Coho salmon, and a ras el hanout cauliflower steak with a spicy date gremolata to its menu.

The bistro, in addition to the mid-level excitement of the Invention Bar, helps make every communal floor a testament of the club’s hundred and forty-four-year-old run.

The new LA Athletic Club, like the old, is still a place where members and guests can work out, relax, network, enjoy cocktails, fine dining, an evening of jazz, or all of the above.

Yet, LAAC has shown that sometimes it’s best to leave some things in the past.

Founded in 1880, the Los Angeles Athletic Club remains a vital part of the city’s fabric, and it’s been interesting to see the establishment evolve. Once boldly catering exclusively to upper-class Caucasian males, with each passing year, the LAAC seems to become less and less pretentious, turning its back on its old ways.

While locals, members, hotel guests coexist well in once inside the privacy of such clubs, many prestigious clubs make

the mistake of allowing concierge to either purposely or unknowingly, foster a false sense of superiority. These over zealous sentinels many times utilize their positions to create cult-like atmospheres of exclusivity while outwardly displaying personal opinions of who deserves to dwell within the walls of “their” private clubs.

These types of interactions don’t quite fit so well with the modern new era, and could cause potential conflict especially with private clubs that dual as public spaces or hotels.

The LAAC mascot, a statue of the winged-footed Hermes and the frolicking sold wood-carved mares that lead to the study, are familiar cherished time pieces at the LAAC. Moving forward with the new renovations, rooftop patio and deck, a full year of live musical performances, and equitable treatment by concierge should easily equate to years of promise for the LAAC, and for downtown Los Angeles.

Photo courtesy: Los Angeles Athletic Club

Photo Keri Freeman