Days 28 & 29: Commerce, the Beach, the Valley

I had a nice visit last night with a college friend that I haven't seen in over ten years. So now, trying to catch up, I've put a mess of photos over at Flickr and it's time to double-up here. Last I posted, I had taken a tumble and luckily did not break the camera. I, on the other hand, have been hobbling around ever since.

I took the dogs to the Culver City Dog Park yesterday:
http://www.culvercitydogpark.org/main/001_home.cfm

and to the Westminster Off-Leash Dog Park today:
http://www.venicedogpark.org/

Not as much fun as the beach but they're still geting good running in. They've also had non-doggie park romps as well. But I think they're really getting the hang of this lifestyle. They have started not getting up each time I open the car door to take a picture. They're all pretty sleep deprived at this point.

So let's get to the pictures. Forgive me for not including cities for most of these. I do have them buried in my notes somewhere if you want to know where they are. Let's start with some signs. Here's a neat plastic globe:


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I assume this is the Sacramento State Capitol Building on this sign -- although they are all pretty generic aren't they? And why bring it up in Los Angeles?



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A couple Mexican sterotype signs;





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This sweet one is over the entrance to a bar called "The Joker":



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I love this building-as-sign. Pretty nice artwork, no?



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Here's a nice little neon detail on an otherwise now plastic sign:



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There are lots of these hamburger stands around L.A. with busy signage:



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Here are a couple mid-century details from two different buildings:





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Another mystifying shrub -- this one with giant drooping trumpet flowers. Anybody know what this one is called?



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It was kind of depressing to see all the changes and new development in my beloved Santa Monica & Venice. Here's an example of what's happened to Zucky's -- a coffee shop that had been in Santa Monica forever. Now a bank but they incorporated the pylon sign and stonework as a tribute. It's almost more painful to me -- kind of like a taxidermied animal:



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There really is a car culture in Los Angeles. They drive FAST here. In fact, I witnessed a hit-and-run accident today on the Pacific Coast Highway. It seems 3/4 of the cars on the road were built for speed. In Calabasas, it seemed you could buy any high-priced sports car you might dream of owning. Here's a photo from the Lamborghini lot:



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Here's an interesting building that I went to see though it doesn't fit within the confines of my website. The Samitaur ("Stealth") Building is from 1993. There is another building next door (my 3rd photo here, the window shot) that is still under construction (same architect I think). Here's some more about the Samitaur Building:
http://www.architectureweek.com/2000/1011/design_1-1.html







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Lastly for the night, here's an eye-catching display in Venice: