Hell-Mel morning picture of the day - Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Dear Family, Friends, and Gentle Readers,

This is a retroactive post to yesterday.





















Car started smoking six miles from home, so I turned around and went directly to the mechanic for a $350 radiator job. Merry Christmas present to my car (her name is Frieda, named after Austrian economist Frederich Hayek because her license plate has HYK in it--cryptic, I know, I know...).








I listened to a series on gentrification of poor neighborhoods on NPR radio last week and it made me think about this corner near my house. It makes me wonder if there is any potential in the Hell-Mel (Heliotrope and Melrose) area for investment growth.

I suppose anything is possible. I've certainly seen many small businesses try to make a go of it here. One might think that being right next to a community college that the potential for walk-by customers would be huge, but not really.

The orange storefront is a bicycle shop which is very handy for me for bike repairs. The restaurant-bar called The Faculty makes an excellent pastrami sandwich. Across the street there is a pot shop, a custom brassiere shop, and a glasses store. There's a tattoo parlor, a hairdresser, and a terrific ice cream place. Unfortunately I became lactose intolerant right about the time the ice cream place moved in, so I'm screwed. But I did go there once.

The tan building above says Jensen's Theatre in the stone front, but it is now the Ukranian Culture Center which rents out for events and moveable night-club activities on the weekend. I once placed in a pit orchestra there for a small opera production of Tosca. Parking is lousy here, but if you need a cheap place to rent, this may be your solution...

Anyway, not as picturesque as Malibu, but God's sun shines here all the same in East Hollywood. There is a wealth of street art inside parking lots here that I will share in days to come.

Take a glance into yesterday, and move on to today's issue.

Love,
Pops