Encounters with the "Almighty" City of Los Angeles @philips-la-encounters - Tumblr Blog

Hey Geri! I really enjoyed reading your post about “super trendy” Urth Cafe. You surely have a point there in how these “hot spots” in LA are very over-hyped for food that really isn’t that great. I’ll stick with Jamba Juice for now! Great post!

drew-mirk-blog

A week ago I had the pleasure to go to the Los Angeles Dodgers game VS the San Diego Padres. It was the Dodgers home opening series. It took me almost an hour an a half to get to Dodger Stadium because of the horrendous traffic on the freeway in downtown L.A. Fortunately I got into the stadium and...

philips-la-encounters

Great post Andrew! Seeing the Dodgers play is definitely a unique experience and its seems like you are one of their most loyal fans :) Learning about Chavez Ravine and then relating it to your post really puts things in perspective. Thanks for sharing, awesome job!

Bowers Museum, Santa Ana --- “Gettin’ Cultural”

Last weekend, in between preparing for finals, I had the chance to go to with my mother to Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. “The Bowers,” as it is called, has long been an outstanding museum within Orange County which has tried to bring cultural exhibits from around the country and the world to Southern California. Some of the exhibits I’ve seen at this museum include: The Thomas Jefferson Collection, the Madeleine Albright; first female Secretary of State Pin/Broach Collection (super interesting), Russian Faberge exhibit, California Gold Rush exhibit, Chinese Ancient Clay Army exhibit, and many others.

This past Saturday we decided with my mother to see one of the permanent collections at the museum which focuses on paintings of California Impressionists from the 1850s to the 1930s. This exhibition is housed in one of the older wings of this beautiful museum which, if you haven’t looked at the photos already, closely resembles a Spanish-style mission paying homage to the Spanish fantasy we see exhibited more and more in our surroundings. The works included in this exhibit embody a style of painting prevalent during the turn of the nineteenth century known as “plein air.” This style simply follows a philosophy to paint within an “open air” environment in which the artist recreates what is actually seen instead of what is imagined.

I loved viewing the works of these great artists who truly captured the essence of California’s natural aura. Much too often has our view of California, and Southern California in particular, been shaped by the built infrastructure we mistake for a natural environment. The artists of this movement speak especially to those of us living in California today with a message to appreciate our state for its natural beauty and not just the artificially created environments we call home. I highly recommend that anyone interested in some really fascinating cultural exhibits should come to the Bowers Museum and experience what they have to offer. Every first Sunday of the month offers free admission to the museum! Check it out!

Downtown Long Beach From “Up Above” (Literally).

Downtown Long Beach is an area within our immediate urban space which definitely has its own unique “vibe” about it unlike the areas of Belmont Shore, Belmont Heights, and Bixby Knolls surrounding it. I was driving through Long Beach State with a friend on Friday, May 1st when his father randomly gave us a call to come see his office within the World Trade Center building in downtown LB. I’m always a little intimidated when I go to downtown Long Beach, but when my friend told me that his dad works on the 21st story of this 27 story building I was nothing but excited to see the expansive views of Long Beach that awaited us.

When we approached the building we were directed into an underground parking structure beneath the World Trade Center where a security officer asked us what seemed like a whole list of questions regarding our business inside the prestigious building. We patiently awaited clearance from my friend’s father’s office and finally proceeded to park our car in the very highly patrolled parking area. After finding the correct elevator we whisked our way up to the 21st floor where, upon exiting the elevator, we were met by a receptionist who led us through the massive commercial real estate firm to the office of my friend’s father. Now, let me tell you, the views from this place are something unimaginable. Literally every part of coastal Long Beach is viewable from this place and I couldn’t help but whip out my phone immaturely to take a couple photos. When you see a city, which you’ve lived in all your life, from a different perspective entirely it truly opens your eyes to the “place” you have inhabited all these years. Everything we experience is relative and when you are able to truly take a step back and view an environment from way up above, it makes you that much more understanding of the ecology you call home.

"Secret” Beach in Corona Del Mar - Great Spot!

Last weekend while exploring the coastal communities of Newport Beach, Corona Del Mar, and Laguna Beach I was lucky enough to find a somewhat “hidden” beach spot seemingly unknown by those visiting the area. This beach, if I must tell you :), is called “Little Corona Del Mar Beach.” It sits literally half a mile North of Pelican Hill Resort off PCH and parking is only available within the surrounding neighborhood. I managed to find a space a few blocks away from the beach’s entrance which is only accessible by an extremely steep path which winds down the hillside to the beach below. However, the arduous trek is definitely worth it! The beach that awaits down below is something truly special.

I have always loved marine biology and this beach, especially if marine life interests you, has some fantastic tide pools strewn throughout one half of its rocky terrain. I was able to see small fish as well as countless sea anemones living within these tide pools and it was very interesting indeed. The serene nature of this beach is something indescribable, however you just need to go there and check it out for yourself!

It truly amazes me how Southern California can be so incredibly diverse as a region that encompasses massive cities like Los Angeles, but can also offer amazing beaches and coastal communities all within the same general area. SoCal is definitely unique within itself and the more you get out there and discover what it has to offer, the more you appreciate why this “space” is so idealized and distinctive. Check out this spot in CDM, you won’t regret it!

DTLA Trip 2015 - “A Different World Entirely”

On April 25th I had the pleasure of joining our very own Professor Smith along with several of our classmates for a trip to downtown Los Angeles that I will not soon forget. Our day started at the historic Union Station on Alameda Street where we combined as a group and set out on our half-day adventure within downtown. Professor Smith made mention of the Spanish style architecture that encompassed Union Station as well as several art deco touches throughout which really spoke to my love of 1920s style and flair. The station was busy as always with people from literally all walks of life coming and going in every which direction. However, amongst all the craziness, I still felt a unique feeling of calm and serenity as all the hustle and bustle was taking place within such an amazing piece of architecture.

After chatting about Union Station, we headed on over to Olvera Street in which we were met with a piece of Mexican culture of have yet to see in Southern California. I felt as if I was walking the streets of Ensenada or Tijuana when our group traversed this small but, bustling alleyway full of vendors selling the same items stall after stall. Nonetheless, Olvera Street definitely has a charm about it in which the uniqueness of this space takes you into another world you can’t really explain while walking just outside the city-center of downtown Los Angeles. After enjoying some very tasty churros at “Mr.Churro” per the recommendation of the Professor we headed on over into the bowels of downtown in which we admired such landmarks as the Walt Disney Concert Hall as well as the historic Biltmore Hotel.

The highlight of the trip for me was our lunch stop at Central Market in which we were free to explore and find a unique “bite to eat” for ourselves. Will and I found a fantastic farm-raised meat shop called Belcampo Meat Company where we ordered freshly made philly cheese steaks and hamburgers. The food here is absolutely excellent, highly recommended! All in all, our trip to downtown Los Angeles was truly a joy and I’m glad I was able to experience a side of Los Angeles I truly never thought existed. Great trip!

jsherman32-blog-blog

“Have a good weekend!” Yelled my co-worker, as I was on my way to head down the elevator and begin my weekend adventures. As I was leaving the building in downtown Long Beach, I decided to follow the crowd and check out the Grand Prix. I had a free coupon for entering on Friday, so I thought I...

philips-la-encounters

I’m glad you went to this awesome event Jake. I also was able to attend and totally loved it! This event is incredibly exhilarating to watch and the fact that’s its in Long Beach is even better! Cheers!

Long Beach Grand Prix 2015 - Formula 1 Racing in our City!

On April 17th I was lucky enough to score some tickets for the annual Long Beach Grand Prix. This event has always been somewhat surreal for me as I never believe my eyes when I see Formula 1 race cars driving 200MPH+ on the streets of Long Beach. This event is always something to look forward to and this recent 2015 race weekend was no different. Upon entry, we walked through the Long Beach convention center which was filled with countless vendors from across the country all selling race-related merchandise to literally thousands of people walking by. I was more so looking forward to seeing the actual race so my family and I left there relatively quickly and got ourselves a seat on one of the many grandstands surrounding the track. Once we finally walked over to one of the grandstands sitting alongside the Long Beach Pike, we were met with probably the loudest engine noise you will ever hear short of standing next to a jet engine. It was a good thing we brought earplugs because these Ferrari’s, Corvettes, and Porsche’s were so incredibly loud going by! You could feel the energy of the event in your chest as the cars raced by lap after lap making their passes for best position.

A new division opened this year for the Long Beach Grand Prix which is known as “Formula E.” Yes, these are Formula division racecars that are running on purely electricity! The chassis are fully made of carbon fiber to save weight and these cars are wicked fast. It was sort of strange seeing these beasts go round the track at times for they made little to no engine sound. However, it was still fascinating to see such a vehicle taking a straight-away at over 200MPH.

The Grand Prix has been a staple in the city of Long Beach since 1975 and there is something truly unique about watching a Formula race within the bounds of a busy city infrastructure. I love the Grand Prix and highly recommend the event to anyone who wants to get their adrenaline going right in our own backyard!

P.S. The cars you see in the pictures above are NOT Formula 1 vehicles. These are drift cars that competed in the Long Beach Drifting Challenge which took place after the F1 racing on the Grand Prix track. These babies are seriously sweet and probably cars you recognize driving on our city streets!

Last Sunday, in an effort to get musically inspired, my mother and I attended an organ concert/recital at the Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa. This was quite a new experience for me as I had seen several plays and shows prior in the main Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts, but never in the adjacent building known as the “Concert Hall” which houses the magnificent organ. Upon entering the venue I couldn’t help but be taken aback by the sheer size of this instrument which was built upon the front inner façade of the hall. This organ was literally massive from floor to ceiling, and that small space you see on the lower right is where the organist would control this behemoth with just the touch of his fingers and feet. The artist performing in this concert was a musician named Hector Olivera who was a native Argentinian from the city of Buenos Aires. In 1965 he had been given a scholarship to study organ from the Julliard School of Music in New York and has since been touring the world performing on this magnificent instrument. The concert was filled with scores from great composers such as Mozart and Bach which really gave one the feeling of the organ’s extremely versatile nature. Mr. Olivera was a gentleman to say the least, as he bowed proudly after each song modestly giving thanks to the crowd of listeners down below.

After the concert I decided to learn as bit about the Segerstrom Family who I knew were a prominent family similar to the Irvine’s in Orange County. As it turns out, the Segerstroms were a pioneering family from Sweden who had originally built their empire through the agricultural business. Strangely enough their cash crop was lima beans! Later the family focused on retail development and ended up creating what is now known as the great South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. This mall does over $1 billion dollars in sales annually! The Segerstroms ended up creating several charitable foundations, one of which built the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts. It’s amazing to see a family who literally created the foundation for what we know now as Southern California is still making an impact in every which way.

I'm glad to say that this past weekend’s adventure was one wild ride I did not expect. After Professor Smith canceled the L.A. trip, my friends Andrew, Will, and Jon decided to go on an L.A. trip of our own. However, what was supposed to be a light day of sight-seeing, turned into a strenuous journey to the top of the Hollywood sign. The four of us trekked all the way up to Griffith Observatory only to find that the entrance to the Hollywood sign hike was nowhere near (thanks to Google Maps). Nonetheless, we drove onwards from Los Feliz Boulevard into the Hollywood Hills neighborhood off of Franklin only to find that there was really no easy access point to the sign hike there either. It was beginning to look like this heat wave of a day was trying to deter our goal of visiting the Hollywood sign. Then we got the idea to just go rogue with the whole thing and just follow the sign until we couldn’t drive anymore and hike mountain-man style the rest of the way up. This proved to be our golden ticket as the road up the mountain eventually did give us a clear access point to the sign. This, however, was easier said than done as the path up the sign was not much of a path at all, but a steep hill with countless thorny trees and bushes to climb through. But, being the persevering young men we are, the four of us climbed that mountain like no tomorrow and eventually got extremely close to the good ol’ Hollywood Sign. I was a bit exhausted from the strenuous hike by the time we reached the top, but the view alone was worth it entirely. When I stood atop Mt. Lee there in the Santa Monica Mountains I couldn’t help but think about the meaning this gargantuan sign has had for countless individuals coming to the Los Angeles area. This sign is something of a true symbol of for Los Angeles in that it promises one the ability to follow their dreams despite the odds. Upon reading up on some of sign’s quick history, it turns out that the sign was original built in 1923 and read “Hollywood Land” as an advertisement for real estate in the area until the “-Land” was dropped in 1949 in an effort to promote the movie industry of Los Angeles . This was something I never knew and thought quite interesting as I never pondered that the sign had ever said anything other than “Hollywood” throughout its history of residing atop Mt. Lee. All in all, I had a fantastic day with my friends and look forward to “going rogue” to discover other parts of L.A. in the future.

princessaliicia-deactivated2015

3/11/15

My major, which is Hospitality Management, requires a lot of hands on projects. I am currently taking a facilities management class which focuses on the maintenance and contracting aspect of the hotel. As apart of our class project we are suppose to interview a Chief Engineer at a full service hotel. Me and my three other group mates chose to go to on of our group mates jobs. She works as a Rooms Service Server at the Montage in Laguna Beach. She is very close with everyone so the Chief Engineer, Ken, was happy to give us a tour and information.

If you don’t know about the Montage, it is a five star high class Hotel right on the coast of Laguna Beach. Rooms range from $600 - $5000 a night depending on the room. Multiple celebrities stay here including Jennifer Aniston and John Stamos (celebrities my friend has seen while working). There are three restaurants, a pool, spa, gym and a private beach.

There are about 18 staff on the maintenance department running from electricians, to refrigeration. I was really impressed with how organized their department is and how appreciated they are at their hotel. I think that the maintenance department is under rated because it doesn’t look like a glamourous job. But they are one of the reasons the hotel can stay running smoothly. Even though it is extremely expensive, this hotel markets great advertising for Laguna Beach and also Southern California. I will never ever have the money to stay here, but the beach in front of it is public so I can always pretend……..

sophinsocal

My family and I go for walks there during the holidays! It’s really pretty, and we’ve seen bunnies hop across the lawn. I also fantasize about dining and staying there, hehehe. It’s cool that you got a tour!

jacquelinnemejia

This sounds like a very awesome experience. I had never heard of the hotel, but Ive been to another hotel that has a public beach in the city of Santa Cruz, the views are scenic. Jacquelinne S. Mejia Sandoval

philips-la-encounters

Hey great post! I absolutely love stopping in at this hotel whenever I'm in Laguna Beach. There's something about this hotel that just "takes you away." The hustle of PCH behind this place is nonexistent as soon as you look out from the balcony in the front lobby. Talk about an awesome view! Cheers, -Philip Spektor

Doin' It French Dip Style in DTLA

On Friday afternoon I had the opportunity to go to downtownLos Angeles to do some “serious” exploring of the city terrain. As I drove, block after block, on Wilshire I began to notice that downtown was going to engulf me whether I liked it or not. For some reason, for all these years downtown looked like a sort of “impossible place” to discover. I don’t know whether it was the daunting buildings or the horrendous traffic that kept me away but, on Friday February 20th, there was no turning back. As I turned onto Caesar Chavez Blvd, I couldn’t help but notice the massive amount of people jammed into a tiny looking alley. This alley turned out to be the great “Olvera Street” of downtown Los Angeles. I was really surprised to see the amount of energy flowing throughout this small space despite the fast moving traffic about and below the alley. Afterwards, I drove over about a block to Union Station only to see the mission architecture talked about by our Professor. I must say the whole “Spanish pastoral” feeling was radiating strongly from every angle of this place as I pulled over to take a picture and take it all in.

My trip to downtown really hit the ceiling when I decided to head on over to Philippe’s Famous French Dip Sandwich shop. This place was established in 1908 and has become one of the seriously iconic stops for tourists and locals alike in downtown LA. I was surprised to find that this restaurant actually had its own parking lot for about 20 cars behind the building which was a welcome feature as in this area of downtown $30 parking was a more than common sight. I came inside only to see countless neon signs illuminating the counter as people from all walks of life stepped up to place their order. I got in line and ordered the classic “beef French dip” with a dill pickle to really keep it authentic. The sandwich, I must say, was really tasty and the scenery inside this place made it that much better. I really appreciated the history of this place being established since the founding of the city of Los Angeles. Something about a business that endures over 100 years within a city is something to be commended for. All in all, this is a place everyone who comes to downtown LA should make an effort to stop by and see for themselves!

5:00am: Pomona, California - One of the biggest auto swap meets in the country, right here in Southern CA

On Sunday, January 18 I went to the famous “Pomona Auto SwapMeet” in Pomona, California. This is one of the largest car-related swap meetsin the country and I thought what better place to discuss its significance inSouthern California than in our History of Los Angeles course at CSULB! ! I have always had adeep passion for classic cars and this event really brings together pretty much all of the hardcore car enthusiasts from Southern California into one place, Pomona Fair Grounds. This giant expanse of land is absolutely endless, I honestly could not see the end of this event from anywhere I stood. Vendors come from all over selling everything from extremely hard to find car parts to vintage soda pop coolers and vintage bicycles.

And may I not forget, the Pomona Swap Meet is one of the largest actual events to sell a classic car anywhere in Southern California. On the opposite side of the parts and trinket vendors is a massive lot filled with every kind of classic car you can imagine. There are Model “A” Fords sitting next to 1970s Porsches all in one very exciting and interesting place. I was taken aback by the sheer size of this place, but, more so, I was captivated by the passion for car culture exhibited by countless individuals who attended the event. “Car guys,” as they are called, were talking to one another about their “sweet rides” cracking jokes and taking jabs at each other’s love of everything automobile everywhere you looked. I always knew that Southern California had a rich car culture, but seeing this in person was truly a different experience. I chatted with people from all over the region about the car they came to the Pomona Swap to sell and the unusual and surprising history they had with that specific vehicle before finally deciding to part with it. Within each conversation I had the pleasure of taking part in, I could feel, more and more, the sheer love of cars that has been instilled within the people and culture of Southern California for decades now. All in all, the Pomona Auto Swap Meet was truly an enjoyable experience. I only wish I was riding home in a shiny 1969 Dodge Challenger on my way home!

"Dang That's a Nice View" -Griffith Observatory L.A.

On the evening of Saturday the 30th I had the pleasure of going up to Griffith Observatory with a few friends to see the absolutely captivating views of Los Angeles from the top of Griffith Park. This historic building has always been a favorite of mine in Los Angeles and I thought there couldn’t be a better place to visit when our UHP class was discussing the very foundations of how Los Angeles came to be. As I understood from the docent we met inside the “Hall of Science,” the creation of Griffith Observatory was made possible by an extremely wealthy gentleman named Griffith Jenkins Griffith. He was a Welsh immigrant to the United States who made his fortune originally in silver mines throughout Mexico. When he came to California, Griffith ended up purchasing thousands and thousands of acres of what was known at that time as Rancho Los Feliz which, according to legend, had been questionably taken away from the original family headed by Don Antonio Feliz. This priceless acreage would later serve as the home of Griffith Park, The Greek Theater, and, of course, the great Griffith Observatory that we all know today. It was fascinating to find out that the establishment we were fortunate enough to visit was actually built upon land that the first settlers of the city of Los Angeles had settled upon. I couldn’t get over the 1930s architecture that remains prevalent throughout the building as elements of marble floors, mosaics, and statues fill the space with a sense of presence and stature. The pendulum in the center of the observatory, swinging effortlessly from side to side, was simply captivating as we watched it slowly tip small black divisions in the floor allow us to tell the exact time of day. The view from the top of the building is something that cannot truly be described in words. Los Angeles is truly a gorgeous city and the view from Griffith Observatory will leave even the most cultured individual breathless. All in all, this historic site in the city of Los Angeles is something that each and every individual coming to L.A. should experience. The peacefulness that comes upon you as you gaze across the massive expanse that is Los Angeles leaves you wanting to come back again, again, and again.

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