I thought I'd just take a much-needed vacation from HoHP, but I'm working seven days a week now and finding the time for HoHP is just not happening. So instead of my usual posts, I'll come back every now and then and update with wrap ups of news from the last month about HoHP and some short tidbits on places I've visited. To start us off:
- The LA Times did a story on Norwood Young of the David House yesterday. It was actually an amazing interview. Despite Norwood's non-existent celebrity, the story made it to the front page. The front page! But it had everything in it: childhood trauma, plastic surgery mutilation, fights with neighbors, loss and rebirth, and a million different ways of saying "I'm so over this goddamn house." Definitely check it out.
- I saw this open house on Sunday at 368 South Rimpau and it was TERRIBLE. I loved it. It was built in the 60s, remodeled in the 70s, and again in the 80s and again in the 90s. It was totally schizophrenic. Everything was gilt. Mirrored ceiling above the dining room table. The master bedroom was MADE to be laughed at. All-in-all, a tear down if you have no sense of humor and tears streaming down your cheeks if you do.
- I have a column in CurbedLA where I write about terrible MLS photos and there are two hotspots in LA for terrible MLS photos. Santa Monica and... Hancock Park. The above is for 561 N Arden. Tragic, no?
- I went to this open house at 265 South McCadden a couple weeks ago. Saying the art in this place was eclectic is like saying the Pope is Catholic. There was a bed made to look like a nest (it was round and concave!) nestled between four birch stumps. There was a painting that looked like a 17th century war scene, but it had ferrets instead of people and they were all lime green and neon pink. I was in heaven.
Woody, can you get a recent photo of the way the new fence around the mayor's house is being installed? I'm very curious to see how the folks at city hall have managed the effort -- since, after all, we taxpayers are funding its construction and own it -- and hope it looks decent.
ReplyDeleteAnd in the future, if you're in an ambitious frame of mind, can you find out whatever happened to the top portion of the original chimney of what's now known as Getty House. Based on photos of the structure from the 1950s, the chimney once had a very beautiful 3-turret Romanesque design. Now it's a rather graceless, bulky large slab, which I understand was damaged in the Northridge earthquake (although the design of the current chimney predates 1994).
While you're at it, try to find out why the LA city caretakers, in their infinite wisdom, decided to remove 2 King-Arthur-ian (for want of a better phrase) metal torch lights that used to grace the front entrance of the house. As with the 3-turret chimney, I think those light fixtures also were original to the property. Perhaps they became rusted beyond repair and would have been too expensive to duplicate?
Congrats on the new Job!!! Hearing about people getting to do what they love, especially in this economy, always makes me smile.
ReplyDeleteThe Times article was great, I especially enjoyed the little video, I think he has a wonderful voice. I'm glad to hear that we won't be losing you entirely to curbed...I look forward to your posts on both sites.
With all due respect (and sincere congrats on the new gig), I think you're making a mistake by shuttling this website for CurbedLA. You finally get a little following, a little buzz going, then you dump it to work for someone else? Realistically, I'm sure, dough is the main concern...but isn't it supposed to work the other way around? You go from swimming with the other fishes to veer off on your own path, something more "compartmentalized," right? Not usually the other way around. It just seems there must be some kind of commercial sponsorship that hasn't been explored. I've looked forward to reading your ever-less-frequent posts since early last year and sort of saw this coming. I guess the gist of this overly-wordy screed is to strongly suggest that you rethink dumping this site. Getting a good following going doesn't always strike twice so you really shouldn't blithely bid your readers farewell.
ReplyDeleteI truly do wish you well.
Gregory
Joanna - I'll definitely check it out, dunno if I'll be able to get all that info, but it's interesting and I would like to know too!
ReplyDeleteEvan - Thanks! I'm really liking writing for Curbed. I have to tone down the sassiness, but that's what HoHP is for!
Greg - I'm not dumping this place. Yeah, the blogging is more infrequent, but I'm not ready to let go of HoHP yet. I just moved apartments and got two jobs (in addition to Curbed, I'm finally putting that Biomedical Engineering degree to use). It's just been a transition period here until I can find a new routine that can mesh with HoHP. As for commercial sponsorship, I tried Google Ads but my mother (I love you!) thought she was helping by clicking on them hundreds of times a day. When I "earned" a couple thousand dollars that first month and a click through rate of 80-something%, Google said "no money for you" and banned me from ever using their ads again. No, HoHP doesn't earn me any money-- this a project of love and I have no intention of leaving it on a hill (or for any of the Hills). Thanks for reading, enjoying my blog so far, and for commenting!
Well, glad to hear that we can still pop by for a visit. You'll appreciate hearing that my own mom did the VERY SAME THING to my blog and the EXACT same result happened! She was trying to help and kept on clicking through every little ad. I guess Google is, er, "sensitive" to these things...ah, thanks mom....
ReplyDeleteGreg in NYC (formerly of Hancock Park)
I read your post. You give such nice post. I like this image. You shared interesting information about your job.
ReplyDelete