Amoeblog

Tres De Mayo-Pt.1

Cinco De Mayo Parade-Cypress Park
On Saturday I woke up to sounds of Mariachi music and Aztec drumming. Turns out there was a Cinco De Mayo parade on my street. There was little notice other than a few no parking signs on Cypress Ave. the night before.

 Danza Azteca on Cypress & Roseview

 The Grand Marshal was an Elvis Impersonator

 Bike Riders: The new people in the barrio wanted to be a part of the parade and to push their agenda
about getting people not to drive their cars and ride their bikes instead. They asked the people watching the parade to join them in a bike ride. Nobody did except the neighborhood loco who rides his bike all day cause he's got nothing better to do. Everyone in the neighborhood knows this guy is crazy, but nobody told them. We all just snickered.

 Tamborazos in the back of a truck. A horse follows them.

 Vaqueros (Cowboys)

I'm not too big on parades. I usually avoid them at all costs, but since it was right outside my door, I figured I'd check it out. The parade seemed a bit unorganized and thrown together last minute. However, it was cool to hang with my neighbors and scream out a few "Que Viva Mexico!"s. Once the Victory Outreach float came by, I figured it was time to go home. Born-again Christians with megaphones wasn't really my idea of a Cinco De Mayo celebration. Besides, I was doing laundry.


Posted by Gomez Comes Alive! on May 4, 2008 at 08:57pm | Comments (7)

Save The Taco Trucks!

May 1st Is Taco Truck Night


Los Angeles has many problems to deal with: overdevelopment, racial tensions, a hideous education system, a corrupt police department, transportation problems and a housing slump, just to name a few. So who do you think the L.A. Board of Supervisors decides to pick on? Yes, you guessed it, the taco trucks. District 1 County Supervisor Gloria Molina, once a champion for the barrio, has passed new restrictions for the taco truck vendors that forces the trucks to move every hour or face possible jail time and a $1000.00 fine. Taco trucks employ many people. Most of them are family-run and their livelihood depends on those trucks. Once again, the city blames its problems on hard working people with little representation.

The people behind saveourtacotrucks.org have organized Taco Truck Night on May 1st. On that day, they encourage people to spend their money at their local taco truck and to raise awareness of the bill. Also on the site is a petition that you can sign in support of the taco trucks.

A taco truck to many is more that just a place to get tacos. It is a part of the community, a place to meet, gossip and pick up some food after a hard working day when you’re too tired to cook. If you don’t eat meat, most trucks can accommodate you if you are polite about it. Some of the best dishes I’ve had at a taco truck were of the non-meat variety. All you have to do is ask.

Behind this ruling are restaurants that blame the trucks for their lack of business. Having tried many Mexican restaurants all over the city, I feel that most restaurants should put the blame on their own menu rather than the taco trucks, especially in L.A. where people will pay a little more for a better product. It’s the same thing Amoeba experienced when it first opened. Many local record stores tried to blame their misfortunes on the presence of Amoeba without looking at themselves and the dump they called a record store. Yeah…I said it!

Posted by Gomez Comes Alive! on April 30, 2008 at 03:33pm | Comments (1)

Heritage Day at the Heritage Square Museum

This past Sunday at the Heritage Square Museum in Highland Park it was L.A. Heritage Day. The Heritage Square Museum is a "living museum" made up of some Victorian buildings saved from impending demolition that was begun in the 1960s. All the homes were moved from their foundations and transported to their current home in Highland Park. Some of the buildings are still pretty rundown and, as money comes in, are restored. My sister and I used to play a game on road-trips where we'd try to spot rundown houses with trees poking through the roofs and cry out, "That's your honeymoon house!"  The idea is that honeymooning in a run-down house would be rather humorously outrageous. Of us siblings, only my sister has been married so far and I don't think she did end up honeymooning in a dilapidated mansion. Anyway, our parents responded by creating the "Quiet Contest."


        One of the more colorful Victorian homes.                              A Victorian teenager posing in front of the chapel.

 Because of fire code, so the story goes, all of the second (and third, in the case of the hexagonal house) stories of these fine buildings are off limits except to the volunteers. One of the costumed guides complained how silly that was since there is no danger of fire in the homes. However, another guide said that two of the original buildings burnt down after being moved to Heritage Square. Probably some punk kids out for kicks but who knows?


    A docent and I in my Zodiac shirt.       It's like a giant cable-knit sweater that someone keeps knitting and knitting and...

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Posted by Eric Brightwell on March 5, 2008 at 03:20pm | Post a Comment