Garden, Villa Carlotta, Hollywood, California, 2014.
Villa Carlotta, 2014
A grande dame of historic Hollywood structures and a city historic-cultural monument, the Villa Carlotta apartment building was built in 1926. This year tenants, many who had lived there for a long time, were relocated. The owners are moving ahead with a multi-million dollar effort to restore it to its former beauty. Villa Carlotta will become a luxury hotel in 2015.
A grande dame of historic Hollywood structures and a city historic-cultural monument, the Villa Carlotta apartment building was built in 1926. This year tenants, many who had lived there for a long time, were relocated. The owners are moving ahead with a multi-million dollar effort to restore it to its former beauty. Villa Carlotta will become a luxury hotel in 2015.
Mardi Gras, 2014
The Mardi Gras celebration at the Original Farmer's market is considered the largest in the city. Certainly it is a popular one with music, a canine parade, parties, and beads, beads, beads. And, most of all, it is free!
Lunar New Year 2014
Chinatown puts on a festive face with lots of fireworks, dragon dances, and performances. Yours for the asking.
Special Olympics, 2015
Los Angeles welcomes the Special Olympics World Games in July, 2015 with the participation of almost 7,000 athletes representing 165 countries taking part in 25 sports. It is a wonderful celebration of a movement that began in 1968, the brainchild of Rose Kennedy. These photographs were taken at the fun and information zone for the athletes prior to the opening ceremonies and competition.
The Spheres of MacArthur Park, 2015
The Spheres of MacArthur Park art project is the brainchild of Bernie and Ed Massey. More than 2,000 painted spheres were launched in September, becoming the largest public art installation in the United States. Participating in the painting of the spheres were 10,000 children and adults, from 1,000 hospitals, schools and social services programs. At the end of the presentation in mid-October, the spheres will be donated to various social organizations throughout the country.
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No Pants Metro Ride, 2016
A world wide event, No Pants Metro Ride is a gathering of folks who just want to have fun. This is accomplished by shedding one's pants and enjoying the ride on public transit with one's bottom clad only in underwear. Several Los Angeles metro lines full of partying people converged on Union Station in January just for the heck of it. It was rather like Halloween.
Mystic Arts of Tibet, 2016
The Guibord Center of Los Angeles brought the Tibetan Arts to St. John's Cathedral. It was an opportunity to view the construction of a sacred mandela by the Tibetan monks who use various colors of sand to create a meditative symbol. Also presented was a wonderful celebration of the music and dances of Tibet. Later, the mandela was disassembled and small envelopes of sand distributed to those in attendance. The final step in the celebration was the dispersal of the remaining sand into the Pacific Ocean.
Venice Canal Parade, 2021
June brought warm weather to people trying to dig out from the restrictions of the covid pandemic regulations. The Venice Canals have a unique way of celebrating with local homeowners launching their special (if illegal) craft. With a couple of musical groups, accompanying kayaks, and without a large pink swan that couldn't make it under the numerous bridges, the parade wound its way through the canals to the delight of visitors and residents. Lining the canals are many multistory modern homes, amidst the occasional more humble ones, perhaps the original canal dwellings. Compare the images of the parade with the black and white photograph taken in 1973.