I’m not going to tell you LA Eastside readers all the nice things I told my CHANFLES! readers but if you want to kill some time this X-mas eve browsing thru an annoyingly long (and late!) post about the LH Xmas parade then click here to have that lousy gift granted!
(I’m even later on the HLP X-mas parade post, but that’ll be coming soon! Pobre de ti!)
It seems that it’s about time for another installment of Eastside 101, that series that showcases places East of the river that contribute to the unique way of life over on this side of town. Lately there’s been a whole bunch of new fools using the term to give themselves some urban-ness and grit to differentiate themselves from whence they came, even as they look towards the Westside for approval. Yer all sad. Keep it up mofos, we can keep it up longer! Eventually you’ll have to relocate to follow that next media or publishing job and your fake ass “Eastside” will be forgotten. I’ve seen it happen.
But enough about the wannabes, I’m here to present you with a quick roundup of everyones favorite holiday treat: Tamales! There’s a small stretch on Brooklyn with a few different tamalerias which I’ve dubbed Tamal Row, but if there’s another name for this area (Maravilla?) I’m not going to stubbornly try to rename it, just let me know, okay? I figured I’d make it a day trip to compare and contrast their wares! Quieren ver? Pues a la proxima hoja!
Image from Amor Y Resistencia!
It’s that time again, when custom dictates you give friends and families “gifts” comprised of trinkets you go out and purchase, but this year you can’t even figure out how the hell you’re gonna make the rent on the first of the month, so what is to be done? You could hit the 99¢ store and try to scrounge up the best looking items that DON’T look like they came from the 99, but who are you kidding? Economists and Politicians keep repeating the mantra that we must buy-buy-buy to save the economy but that’s getting a bit boring. Besides, they messed things up anyways, let them fix it. They’re already tapping into our wallets for those stupid bailouts of banks and car companies but I don’t think we should help them any further. Thus I give you the practical suggestion for saving lots of money this season: Don’t buy anyone nothing! (Sticklers for grammar can substitute that last word with “anything”.)
Why not rethink the concept of the gift? It doesn’t mean much anyways when you give or get random STUFF at the end of the year, maybe save your gift and turn it into a nice surprise in May? Skip the credit card debt-spree and do something corny but nice for your pals, like a nice homemade meal or some help with the garden. Besides, if all they want is some plastic crap from you then maybe they shouldn’t be your friends or family. You might have to make an exception for your significant other or somebody else but the idea is to feel free to NOT give things this year. Run with it.
Man, that sure was a crappy post. But I really just wanted a reason to share that picture above with you! Enjoy!
I think most of you are going to agree with me on this statement: free stuff to do is usually better than paying. Oh, no doubt that sometimes seeing a movie or checking out some band is worth the money for some passing entertainment, but more often than not I’m sitting at a theater thinking “what a waste of time and money.” Come on, you know it’s true! And with La Crisis getting all serious and shit, free stuff to do is back on the list.
So this following post is a contribution to your personal list of possible activities to consider, it’s up to you. Maybe some of my LA Eastside cohorts will contribute their own suggestions of free or cheap things to do around town, but let’s start with this day trip into the Arroyo Seco! Siganme los pobres!
I was in Echo Park recently and in need of a quick meal, so the decision to give Happy Tom’s a try was made. I figured its just one of those regular fast food burger joints but they had a weird all-picture menu which was difficult to decipher: what’s in that tortilla? Can you make that a veggie burger? Ah screw this, I’ll just go to Rodeo Grill down the street even though I had scratched that place off my list forever. They make a decent King Taco style red salsa but they charge Huarachito prices for McMexican fare. (And the Huevos Rancheros are mediocre at best, pa’ que sepas.) And lo and behold (as you can see above) they’ve also gone and updated their menu to stretch along an entire wall, with a picture gallery of plates and some tiny text labels that I’m just now noticing. I really doubt the literacy rate in Echo Park has plummeted to levels that require customers have pictures at which to point, or have I missed some tragic news? I like pictures too but this is just confusing and backwards.
We ended up heading to an average Mexican restaurant in Highland Park with easy to read menus. The food was okay.
Back in my day, we kids had to walk with our own legs to get places. Not anymore! In these times of ultra-convenience some lil’ lazies have figured out a way to mooch a ride from here to there, forcing their so-called friends to do the heavy work of transporting for two. It’s the End Times, I tell you. Click ahead for another one these sinister acts of exploitation!
I was over in Artesia today where you could still see some blue sky with the ominous smoke from the Triangle Complex fire looming large. Even though its quite far from the site of the fires, it still smelled and tasted like I had a bbq in my mouth. Click ahead for some exciting pictures of ash on the sidewalk!
Subtitled “Art & Life in Boyle Heights and Beyond”, the first issue of Brooklyn & Boyle is now out and probably available somewhere near you. Published by Abel Salas of Ombligo Sereno de la Luna, this first printing shows a promising start for this paper that bases itself around a part of the city many of us either live in, work in, or still care about; that ignored area East of the river. At a slim 12 pages it still packs in a long piece by Luis Rodriguez recounting some memories of Boyle Heights, Claudia Huerta giving her take on changes in BH and warning that we not lose “our essence”, a guide to Dia de Muertos celebrations, a bit of poetry, and even a piece that was first featured here on LA Eastside!
There was a small stack of copies at Metro Balderas this morning and there might still be some at Tropico de Nopal if you are west of the river. Just keep your eye out for them, it’s worth a read!
I thought it was supposed to be a rally, but driving towards Lincoln Park we spot the tail end of a march in progress on Main St and Griffin. Oh, oh, we’re late! Throw a Chicano U Turn, maneuver thru some well known streets, and we end up at the front of the march. Click ahead for more photos!
There’s no question this presidential election was historic, and it looks like many people want a memento to mark the date. The picture above shows the end of the line this morning for those wanting a reprint of the Wednesday LA Times paper, click ahead to see the rest.
It’s a terribly dangerous world out there: salt shakers with loose tops, roses with prickly thorns, soymilk that goes bad after 10 days, it’s like someone is out to get you! And now I find out even the simple act of bashing a Piñata is full of potential peril, not just to the crazy kids swinging around a broom but also to the poor sack tasked to swing said paper monster round and round. Unlike newcomers to this celebratory tradition that seem content to just let the object of rage hang mid-air, most Mexicans and Chicanos like to swing it around to create a challenge, and maybe just to whack a kid or two. (Heh, heh, not that I would ever do that!) But if you look at the pictures on this van I spotted in El Sereno, the traditional way of taunting mocosos could lead to comical failure, and as the website states That’s No Fun! Thank you Piñata Jackstand for simultaneously warning us of hilarious accidents and for selflessly offering a solution! Play safe kids!
