Going To San Francisco Next Week

From August 21-31 I will be in San Francisco. I will be mostly working but I'll try to snap some quick pictures, some reviews of some restaurants, and some observations about San Francisco. to read more check out http://woffke.blogspot.com/

Movies That Live Near Me

These are some of the movies that are near me. Some of them are on Netflix, some of them aren't. Right now these movies are classics because there aren't a lot of films I can remember that are centered around where I live. A lot of this knowledge was derived from the blog dearoldhollywood.

1. Rebel Without a Cause

This homosexual double entendre film is about a ruffian who is just trying to find a way to belong. It stars the famous James Dean who, in his iconic blue jeans and read leather jacket, falls in love with Natalie Wood and becomes the iconic image of teenage angst. 

A lot of the scenes in Rebel Without a Cause were shot in my neighborhood. To let you know what my neighborhood is, I live on the corner between Hollywood and Los Feliz. Rebel Without a Cause used a lot of that Old Hollywood looks to construct the juxtaposition between adult and teenage, or Old Hollywood and new. For example, the house where James Dean's family lived in was shot in 7529 Franklin Ave.

             

Also, a lot of the movie is shot at The Griffith Observatory. The famous fighting scene as well as the climatic end were shot at the famous building.

             

2. Double Indemnity

I really should have put this movie as the number one. It really is one of my favorites and every scene seems to have been shot in my back yard. From Barbra Stanwick's house to the Hollywood Bowl, there were a lot of places shot in the Hollywood/ Los Feliz region.

One of the major changes in the protagonist's character is when he began taking the little girl Lola to Hollywood Bowl. Here, they would sneak up through the back and watch the performances.

                                                                             

Babra Stanwick's character's home is on 6301 Quebec Drive. Nestled right into the Hollywood Hills, this is where the devious plan ignites. 

Last Fred MacMurray's Apartment can be found on 1825 N. Kingsley Drive. For some weird reason I like finding famous apartments more than famous buildings because I find it more plausible for someone to be connected to an apartment than a mansion. If you want to see it go 1825 N. Kingsley Drive.

3. Nightmare on Elm Street

Nightmare on Elm Street is a horror story where you feel like you are never safe. Throwing the covers over your head and closing your eyes is the worst thing you could do in this tale. 

Some of the scenes were shot near me. For example, the scenes at school were shot at John Marshall High.

                                                                             

Also Nancy Thompson's home was at 1428 N. Genesee Avenue.

         

         

This isn't close to me at all but I thought I should give it special mention. The scene on the bridge is at the venice canal.

           

4. True Romance 

True Romance is one of those movies that seem quite cheesy but it is really good. Two of the most iconic scenes were shot at the Safari Inn and the Vista Theater. 

The Safari Inn is at Burbank, Ca. 

And the Vista Theater is at the corners of Hillhurst and Hollywood and Vermont.

                                                                             

5. Witness To Murder

This other Barbra Stanwick film. The premise is that she witnesses a murder and no one believes her. It is an ok film but overall it has some great locations that are close to me.

Stanwick's character's home is at 939 S. Serrano Ave. Which is right in the center of Koreatown. 

The murderer's house (George Sander's character's house) is across the street at 3400 San Marino Street.

So check these movies out, and then come see my neighborhood.

Spotted on Melrose, a Toynobee Tile

At the corner of Spaulding and Melrose is a Toynobee Tile!

So cool!

Nightmares on Wax at the Fonda Theater

On June 22nd, I got to see Nightmares on Wax at the Fonda Theater!

I generally don't know anything about that sort of music. However a lot of my friends were fans of them, and my dad is a MASSIVE fan. So when I accidentally found that they were playing at the Fonda Theater, Dad said we HAD to go. 

For those that didn't know the history about the Fonda theater (I know I sure didn't) here is some information. The Fonda opened up in October 18 1926, and it originally called The Music Box. It's investors were some of the early greats, John Barrymore, John Gilbert, Reginald Denny, King Vidor, and Mae Murray.

It was originally a preforming play theater where hits like Fancy, Chicago, Glengarry Glenn Ross, and Driving Miss Daisy were preformed. 

In 1945 Fox West Coast purchased the building and gave it a spanish decor changing the stage theater into a movie theater. The Fonda played movies for 32 years. 

In 1985 the Music Box became the Fonda theater after actor Henry Fonda.

In 2012 the building was bought and changed into a music venue. Originally in 2002 the theater was briefly called the Music Box but then switched back into the Fonda Theater. 

Now my review on Nightmares on Wax.

Like I wrote before, I am not usually a fan of this type of music. I don't really get it, and it tends to bore me a bit. HOWEVER, this band really gives it their all. I have only seen one other band really try that hard and it was Ego-Wrappin' in Japan.

These boys have heart, and they play for themselves and not for the money. Well, the money is nice, but you can tell they are mostly there for the art. 

Watching them made me happy. It made me try to like their music. Truth be told their style is not my style, but their dedication is. They worked quite hard to do a good show, and if I liked their music, I would put them in my top three favorite concerts. They preform well, but I wasn't quite with them yet.

I enjoyed the show though, and I loved being in the Fonda theater.

Something AMAZING is brewin'!

Well some great things are coming from around the corner. 

First, I surpassed 100 views!




Damn right! Thank you so much for reading what I wrote, it really means a lot.

So since I made that promise that I would do a lookbook, I be spending my time working on that! I think the lookbook will be up in a couple of days.





Second, I am working on a literary magazine! The magazine will incorporate specific themes but probably be connected towards Los Angeles. I will talk about it later and give more information on how you can order it yourself. 




So there are a lot of fun things coming from a round the corner. Stay tuned and keep reading. Also THANK YOU so much for everything you've done! :)

My day trip to Venice

A couple of weekends ago I managed to go to Venice. Venice is a whole different world compared to East LA, so I'll just write about my basic observations.

Venice is beautiful. It is a city filled with the history of the silent movie era. It was the home of Marion Davies, Thelma Todd, and others. It is the city of canals and it sits right next to the beach. It offers art, beautiful sites, and the innovative Abbott Kinney is a clean hipster haven.

Compared to the east side, Venice shows off its wealth but denies even having it. Venice is like a rich rapper trying to claim he's from Compton, it just isn't the case. Venice is good to visit, but sometimes it can also be annoying.

I got to go see the Venice canals and eat at a restaurant called Gjelina.

I went to the Gjelina take away right after seeing the canals. I had the veggie sandwich and I asked them to make it vegan. Generally food in Abbott Kinney is quite easy to make vegan so there wasn't any problems with that request. 

The veggie sandwich was good. It wasn't AMAZING, but it was good. Using a massive variety of pickled vegetables, the sandwich becomes a standard vegetable sandwich. It wasn't awful and it did the job of filling me up. 

I only wish I was amazed.   

Venice is always a good place to visit. It is a combination of rich hipster and new age ideas that put it on the top of the map. If you have a day to spare, share it with Venice.