James Nachtwey's Wish - See It Live In LA

So who's James Nachtwey, what's he wishing for, and why would you want to be involved?

Who:
Nachtwey is a renowned war photographer, who specializes in capturing people doing their best to go about their everyday lives in conflict zones.

From his photos of the 1981 hunger strike in Northern Ireland to the civil war in El Salvador, his work makes you think. Don't be surprised if you find yourself teary-eyed, smiling, or both.

Wish:
"I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated."

Nachtwey has been working with the TED organization over the last 18 months to gain access to locations he wished to photograph. These pictures will be unveiled all over the world in early October.

Why:
As far as Nachtwey's work goes, a picture is worth far more than a thousand words. To hear about the background to this project straight from Nachtwey himself and see examples of his work, click here.

Where:
Luckily for us, LA has been picked as one of the five U.S. locations where Nachtwey's work will be shown. See the list below for a location near you.

Sat, October 4, 2208
The 6th Annual LA Decompression Music & Arts Festival
Noon to Midnight
Los Angeles State Historical Park
1245 N. Spring Street,
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Sun, October 5, 2008
Elevate Film Festival
Nokia Theater at LA Live Dowtnwon Los Angeles
2pm-8pm

Thurs, October 9, 2008
Downtown Art Walk
Projection on wall at 6th and Main St.
Info booth inside gallery of Photography show at Phantom Galleries LA Gallery and at the Pacific Electric Lofts 610 Main St.

Fri, October 10, 2008
Pasadena Art Night
Projection in the window of 82 North Fair Oaks during Art Night Festivities. Information at the Phantom Galleries LA Gallery exhibit Dave Lovejoy - Circular Logic at The Majestical Roof Gallery
88 North Fair Oaks, Suite 102, Pasadena, California 91103
7pm-11pm

Sat, October 11, 2008
NELA Art Walk
Screening Slide show during the Art Walk on a montitor on a DVD player at Future Studio
7pm-9pm

LA’s Fashion District: This Ain’t Rodeo Drive

The frenzied streets of LA’s Fashion District seem worlds away from Beverly Hills’ manicured poshness three miles to the west. Reminiscent of a cross-border shopping trip to Mexico, LA’s fashion district is a mecca for in-the-know Angelenos looking for bargains.



Pretty it ain’t…in fact, if you have an aversion to crowds, Mexican-style mercados, or loud noises, be forewarned - this is not the place for you. The draw for me is seeing an actual sidewalk in LA overflowing with people, not to mention knock-offs galore.



Sidewalk vendors cook up hot dogs wrapped in bacon (aka heart attack in a bun) under questionable hygienic circumstances. But it’s easy to overlook when you catch a whiff of the delicious greasiness. Bells from popsicle carts jingle, hawkers shout ‘5 doh-lers, cinco dolares’, and blasting ranchera and techno music energizes and deafens at the same time. All in all, it seems like a real downtown - more of the third world-variety, but a downtown filled with people nevertheless.



Santee Alley – a heavily-congested alley that would make claustrophobes run for cover - is ground zero of the Fashion District. Located between Maple and Santee streets on the stretch between Olympic and Pico Blvds, Santee Alley is notorious for all sorts of bootleg items. You’ll find ‘designer’ handbags, pirated DVDs, let-it-all-hang-out dresses, noisy toys, and assorted ghetto bling. If you’re looking for fabric, bead, rug, and flower stores, they are concentrated north of the alley around 8th and 9th.

Tips:
• Bargaining's almost a requirement, or the chotchkie-pushers will think you’re a pushover
• Most places don’t have dressing rooms
• Bring cash because these shops don’t accept American Express (or Mastercard or Visa for that matter)
• Parking is plentiful. Just bring a couple bucks – lots run about $3 to $6 for the day, depending on when you go

Outdoor Ice Skating At Pershing Square

For most of the year, Pershing Square is a largely concrete, downtown plaza that plays host to a fountain, a bizarre purple sculpture tower, along with some homeless nappers. Calling it visually appealing would be a stretch. Yet, experiencing an LA winter would be incomplete without a visit here.



Get into the winter spirit by hitting (hopefully not too hard) Pershing Square's small, outdoor ice skating rink, open from November 15 to January 21.



Imagine skating outdoors, surrounded by people who have never touched a skate to ice before, with the sun beating down and palm trees in plain sight. Rockefeller Center it ain’t, but why skate in freezing weather when you don’t have to?



Here’s what I enjoyed this past Sunday:
Gleaming skyscrapers loomed over the rink. Friends and families, some chatting in Spanish and others in English, along with pockets of Korean and Italian, tried to stay upright with varying success. Kids laughingly fell into heaps as shutterbug parents snapped their wobbles from the sidelines. Meanwhile, a centipede-like line of skaters clung to the outside railing, pulling themselves around the ice. And once the sun went down, sparkly lights gave the rink a holiday glow.



Bonus for Sunday skaters: live music! This past weekend I heard fun redneck classics like “Wooly Bully” and “Margaritaville” from a stage right in front of the ice. The novelty of live music at an outdoor rink was cool – for the first hour.

If you’re hoping to show off your mad skating skills or want to uninterruptedly zoom around pristine ice, Pershing Square is not the place for you. For one, the ice on the small rink is kind of uneven and two, it can get as clogged as LA rush-hour traffic, at least on weekends. So if you fall into this category, try one of LA’s year-round skating rinks.

Skating sessions last an hour with 30 minutes in-between sessions to smooth the ice for the next crowd. Admission per session costs $6, plus $2 for skate rental. Parking is available at the garage under Pershing Square. Remember to get your ticket validated to reduce your parking payout. Click here for more information.

To get a feel for the square in its normal state, check out this post from a downtown LA resident.

Above Standard Rooftop Bar Downtown

The rooftop bar at the Standard Hotel in Downtown LA is above standard, both literally and figuratively. This is the place to wow out-of-town visitors – the place to bring New Yorkers who claim LA’s not a real city and the place to bring friends from small towns craving an urban experience.



Surrounded by glittering skyscrapers, the amazing 360 degree views of downtown LA from the rooftop make you feel like you’re in a real metropolis – not a spot of suburban sprawl in sight.



Equally enjoyable are the multi-colored sunsets (yes, the smog is good for something).



A variety of suits, hipsters, and tourists mingle here. The décor is kitschy with Astroturf-like flooring and brightly-colored plastic furniture, but the infinity pool and modernistic red pods, enclosing water beds, lend a degree of sophistication.



The red pod-encased water beds are what keep me coming back. Lying in these quirky pods brings back fond memories of those bouncy houses at carnivals. I generally fight the urge to jump around and satisfy myself with lying down to enjoy a fabulous, upside-down view of the downtown skyline.

While passable, the food and drinks are not what make this place special. The wine and mixed drinks are generally so-so, but the $11 mojito was money well-spent. Basically, you’re paying for the view here.

Feeling a snack attack coming on? The $5 thinly-cut fries should do the trick. There’s also a kebab plate (good, but not very filling) and pita & hummus, amongst other sundry eats.



According to one bouncer, some patrons have tried to mount the decorative plant sculptures, trimmed into the shape of animals, that adorn the bar area. Apparently it’s a common occurrence, although I’m disappointed to report that no such fun happened during my visits.

Warm evenings are the best time to come. Don’t forget to bring a sweater in case it’s chillier up top.