Los Angeles

Eating is one of those activities that can latch into your memory like a goathead thorn on a bicycle tire. I can remember meals and occasions from when I was a kid with great clarity, so much so that at times, I think Vonnegut was more right than he knew. Partly, of course, this has to do with special occasions celebrated with food, especially dining out.

Yet my memories aren't limited to those. I think it may have to do with how going to a restaurant to eat, rather than eating at home, interacts with the five senses: the taste and smell and texture of the food, naturally, but also the atmosphere, what it looks like, sounds like. Sort of like how a campfire is profound in some way because all five senses are affected meaningfully: its light fighting back shadows, the logs crackling and shifting, its heat warming you, the smell and taste suffusing your attention.

If I close my eyes I am instantly transported to a pizza palace in the 1970s, done up in overwrought Victoriana, shadowy nooks and mysterious crannies, dark velvet and brass in low lighting, arcade games, a tiny movie theater showing classic films, pizza buffets.

Or I fly to the rough-hewn barbecue place we discovered accidentally on a road trip when I was young and returned to often over the years, where the corn on the cob was grilled and had nails sticking in the ends as holders, where the brisket would fall apart in your mouth amid an explosion of tangy sauce.

Traveling through time closer to the present, the magic of childhood is replaced perhaps by more concrete flashes, 'I did this then, there, and with those people.' Even still, there is a magic to memory, to dancing through time loosely.

I begin to feel as the years go by that it isn't enough just to consume, to stuff my face as quickly and easily as possible. That food made well is its own creative reward. The utilitarian need is important (can't live without food), but utility only goes so far in life.

Life becomes filled with campfires of family and friendship, profound and meaningful, enhanced by food, whether prepared well at home or well-prepared elsewhere. "My favorite place to eat" is something of a confounding question and maybe even meaningless in the context of memory. Of memorial.

But I will pick one restaurant, one locus of memory.

I can time-travel there to see my family after a particularly long plane ride, enjoying tastes of home after weeks away. I can taste my now-favorite pastrami on rye with hot mustard, the first time I ate it there. I can smell whiffs of a bowl of mishmosh hitting the table.

Canter's Deli on Fairfax has been around since 1924 and is open 24 hours. These two items should make it sufficiently attractive, never mind the fact that the food is almost always outstanding (unlike other less consistent older places I could mention). And who can argue with its menu?

One night on TV, I came across comedians apparently taping a show at the restaurant with the really peculiar purpose of rating the top 100 stand-up comedians. Now that's odd.

Finding yourself in a place with a long history, re-experiencing moments from your own history, eating food amid ghosts and shades and floating apparitions of celebrities and paupers, friends and strangers, sitting under lighting panels with strangely photo-realistic tree branches, crunching bagel chips dipped in your soup, or arguing over the last pickle. These are reasons enough for stops in your travels through time and space.

(Special thanks to Tom Bridge for permission to use these pictures.)

At the corner of La Brea and Sunset in Hollywood, there stands a peculiar set of buildings, out of place in the increasingly stucco-and-tiled universe of Southern California. Lots of dark wood and brick. Quite stately in its way.

Oh, and there's also a statue of Kermit the Frog dressed as Charlie Chaplin out front.

These buildings are what's left of Chaplin's original Hollywood studio and at which he filmed The Gold Rush and The Great Dictator, among other classics. After he co-founded United Artists and moved to new digs, the lot was eventually purchased by A&M Records and became their headquarters.

In 2000, Jim Henson's children bought the property and leased it to the Jim Henson Company, thus explaining what The Little Frog-Tramp is doing there.

It's quite amazing to think of what all has been created there at 1416 N. La Brea Avenue. In addition to Chaplin's early films: The George Reeves "Superman" TV show was shot there, as were "Perry Mason" and others. "We Are The World" was sung (and the accompanying video was shot) there in 1985. "Rattle and Hum" was mixed there. Guns and Roses had sessions there -- more recently, so did No Doubt and Jane's Addiction.

There is a plaque marking the site as Historical Cultural Monument No. 58, which it was declared as by the City of L.A. in 1969.

Charlie Chaplin died in 1977. A&M Records is part of interscope. And just this year, The Disney Empire assimilated the Muppets.

One wonders what the arrangements will be for the Henson Company Headquarters, for Historical Cultural Monument No. 58. Will they replace the Little Tramp hat with a set of Mouse Ears? Will the Kermit statue be toppled by American troops and Henson dissidents? Will there be Muppets lined up out the gates, being herded into trucks waiting to take them to Anaheim?

Here's a quote from the email Henson employees received informing them about the deal:

Building the future for a "new" JHC, while helping Disney achieve long lasting greatness for the properties from our past, seems like an ideal combination. On behalf of the Company and the Henson family, we thank each one of you for your help in making it happen.

Meanwhile, somewhere just in your peripheral vision as you drive down La Brea, a bedraggled tramp hobbles across a dusty side street, ghostlike, ethereal, disappearing with a tip of his hat into the shadows.

3 Sites Identified for Possible NFL Stadium

This will probably be built just in time for the team that would use it to move away again. :P

The Los Angeles Redevelopment Agency said Thursday it has identified three sites well-suited for a professional football stadium -- with the Memorial Coliseum the least expensive to develop, an industrial area near Union Station offering the most blight-erasing potential and property next to the Convention Center offering the best marketing opportunity for an NFL owner.

The release of the six-month study sets the stage for renewed debate by the City Council about how best to advance Los Angeles' chances for securing a National Football League team. Among the issues for the city in that discussion are which site to back and whether to commit public money.

WebCore

Safari Newsflash: WebCore

I keep receiving emails from people trying to build applications using WebCore. People are asking me for help or advice on implementing the bridge inside WebCore. I don't know why people are trying to do this. It should be obvious from looking at the code that WebCore and JavascriptCore are incomplete, and that there are other pieces required in order to build an application around the Safari engine. If you're trying to embed the Safari layout engine right now, stop it! :) Don't try to build code around these two components. (Confessions of a Mozillian)

Rap Metal's Demise?

The Reaper Is Knocking On Rap Metal's Door

GEOFFREY: It's a 'Mr. Death' or something. He's come about the reaping? I don't think we need any at the moment.

Plastic::Music::Music:Rock: "According to an article in the New York Daily News, one of the late 90's most popular trends is circling the drain." (Plastic: Most Recent)

ANGELA: Hello. Well, don't leave him hanging around outside, darling. Ask him in.

Your Waitron Will Serve You Now

Why Your Waitron Can Serve Brunch but Not Linner

Why do some new words become staples of our everyday language while others fade away? Why have words and phrases like "moonlighting," "politically correct" and "yuppie" entered the mainstream, while other recently minted ones like "velcroid" (a person who sticks by the president, "especially for photo opportunities"), "prosultant" (emphasizing the positive in the consulting business) and "shuicide bomber" ("terrorist with bomb in shoes") have failed to catch on?

Kings in trouble? Nah, really?

Kings president says team is in trouble

Oh yeah, and they're losing money, too. Oh, it was the money you were talking about?

While the current problems of the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres are largely attributable to flawed ownership structures, the Kings are the NHL's worst nightmare: a deep-pocketed club in a large market and a brand-new building that apparently cannot make money. "I'm just speaking on behalf of the Kings, but we can't continue to operate like this," Leiweke said from Los Angeles. "No good businessman can do that."....

Less than an hour now till the pregame starts at Staples Center. I'm half-watching the Stars/Avs game in the second period at the moment, Dallas up 1-0. Mark Messier just scored his 660th goal in the Rangers game, too. Hockey is back. <contented sigh> :)

Kings Win Season Opener, Honor #99

Last night went from jerking tears to pumping fists. Gretzky and a whole passle of ex-Kings were on the ice for the retirement ceremony. Then the Kings go on to manhandle the Coyotes in a 4-1 victory that showed great promise for games to come. Someone mentioned a stat yesterday that the Kings have the longest current streak for season openers without a lost, something like 10 games won or tied in a row. Nice. Best moments last night:

• Bittersweet cries of 'Luc!' when Robitaille came out during the pregame ceremony.
• Gretz thanking everybody, especially 'the people at the very top,' pointing to the top rows of the arena.
• All the 'Gretzkys' taking shots on Felix during the warmup. All the Kings were wearing old-school #99 home jerseys, signed by Gretzky and each King, to be auctioned off for charity. Later, they switched to old-school individual jerseys.
• The statue of the Great One unveiled outside Staples. Can't wait to see that in person.
• That first goal by Eric Belanger.
• Production from across the board. Belanger. Ziggy during that 2-man advantage thanks to ex-King Buchberger trying to start a fight with Norton (who wasn't buying it, and reaped the rewards). Lappy getting a rocket past Burke. Mathieu Schneider the defenseman. Two assists from Allison on powerplay goals. W00t!

So I finally got a fix for my hockey jones. We were talking last night that it seemed much longer this summer since the playoffs ended than the previous couple of years. Oh, and I dig this quote from Kings coach Andy Murray, about if he was bothered about spoiling things by beating Gretzky's team:

'Not the tiniest bit,' Murray said. 'He's everything, but his time ended at 7:54. It had to be our time after that.'