Monday, July 12, 2010
Posted By:
Emerson Dameron
Photo:
Emerson Dameron
The Airliner
Yes, it's dingy, and yes, you'll get patted down aggressively at the door. (I had a ballpoint pen confiscated.) It gets crowded and, many times yes, the service is slow and unenthusiastic. But any fan of underground hip hop is advised to pop in at least once. The cosmopolitan, Jazzercise-dressed hipsters show up in force for Low End Theory Wednesdays, but I'm partial to the Urban Underground on Fridays, particularly the freestyle open mic. At least since the '90s, "West Coast hip hop" has been stereotyped as lackadaisical and nihilistic (think Snoop), but the MCs at Airliner, who commute from all over SoCal, generally share a fierce, sophisticated style of wordplay and an unrelenting enthusiasm for the game. Yes, it's in Lincoln Heights, and the crowd is, how you say, gully. Don't be a jackass or get too drunk (easier said, considering the enormous helpings of beer on special) and nothing bad will happen.
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Thursday, October 13, 2005
Posted By:
Jeremiah Hahn
Photo:
Jeremiah Hahn
Funded by the Annenberg Foundation, artist Lauren Bon cleared 32 acres of abandoned lots east of LA and planted one million corn seeds. The project took several years to come to fruition and today the wavering green cornfield is quite a unique attraction, with a direct sightline to downtown Los Angeles. The corn will remain on the site for one agricultural cycle then moved to another location to be dried and displayed before being turned into biodegradable containers. On the website for the project, Lauren Bon talks about the ideas and thoughts that went into the design of the space, including what it means to be public space, what the purpose of historical centers are, and where they are born from. In years to come, the Department of Parks and recreation plans to open a permanent park on the site. Right now it is an interesting place to take a stroll, go to a film screening (it is LA, they have to have those), or join in one of the many harvest celebrations.
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