The most rapidly evolving, culturally relevant and eclectically demo’d hood in this city and the one thing Downtown is still missing? Apparently, Mr. Rogers.
Once a ubiquitous wasteland of warehouses and homeless shelters has now turned into an arena of semi-sequestered bouts of impressive innovation. From art bunkers off Gallery Row, to start-up fashion boutiques and curated kitsch bars, it’s difficult to say that Downtown hasn’t made sufficient headway. But despite all of the urban edginess and trendy art hipsterdome that has become the centrifuge of Downtown’s lively culture, a surprisingly massive cluster of scoffing angelenos still find it lacking the presence of a certain, “wont-you-be-my-neighbor” sense of community. Yes, these cup-of-sugar-borrowing skeptics have condemned this concrete utopia as not only inhospitable, but hostile …and I’m kind of pissed.
To be fair, I can admit that unlike Los Feliz or Silver Lake, Downtown inherently revels in disorder. For one reason or another, it manages to breed a bit of tension and a mild discomfort to those unfamiliar with its bizarre cockles. Maybe it’s a result of the dayflies that constantly hover haphazardly over manholes and garbage bags? Or maybe it’s the predestined fate of downtown’s visitors who are almost always victims of the Great Parking Debacle (of course i’m speaking of the $4 an hour meters and the $20 parking structures)? Or maybe it’s because people are simply unprepared to meet the grimacing hustle and bustle of the fast paced business life –the financiers who traipse from office to taco stand or the Jewelry slingers who sit a perch their fold out lawn chairs spotting weary shopaholics from a block’s distance? While it’s certainly nothing like the chaos of New York, we Angelenos are easily intimated, and if we don’t have our warm California sun beating down on our shoulders and at least a 2-meter buffer zone between our Prada and the nearest bum, we aren’t happy.
But hold on, I feel like I’ve been disingenuous in recognizing the Angeleno’s ability to adapt. After brooding like a little girl who’s just been told that her Barbie townhouse doesn’t match up to Sunshine Malibu Château, I start to wonder what exactly it means to have community.
An image of whitewashed picket fencing, symmetrical block housing and pompadoured blondes walking an array of well-groomed Maltese, washes over me. While this is obviously a bi-product of watching way too many after school specials as a child –and is clearly a misrepresentation –it reminds me of a few things about “community” that I may have initially overlooked. Without getting too philosophical, it seems that a sense of community relies on an odd combination of three ingredients: security, comfort and cohesion. As it turns out, the value of feeling not only safe, but at ease and connected to those around you, is actually pretty outstanding. Argue if you will, but these seem to be the building blocks behind that obscure phrase that we call “Community.” And if this is actually the case, I think I concede. Downtown is lacking… but not for long.
Take Silver Lake for instance, the latest of the eastside’s burgeoning boroughs. What was once an area saddled with a peculiar combination of working class Latino families and the upwardly mobile gay community is now one the most desired areas to purchase real estate in the city. And we all know that wherever you’ll find sought after real estate, you’ll find an area ripe with community (don’t we?). But what is it about Silver Lake that is so conducive to producing this allusive force? What is it that seems to bind together such an eclectic mix of dwellers under this patriotic net of professed safety? The answer is simple… It’s Intelligentsia.
That’s right, I’m going to be making the gross generalization that all of Silver Lake’s sense of community can be attributed to one hipster laden, highbrow cup of coffee. While we all know this isn’t necessarily true, it’s hard not to see a correlation. Not that one came before the other, but the neighborhood brand that has developed around Silver Lake and the brand that Intelligentsia has thrived off of from day one, seemed to have grown on each other over the past few years. The casually aloof, yet carefully manufactured sense of cool that comes with that coincidentally quaffed hairdo. The precise balance of entrepreneurial business meets unsuspecting blasé. Their carefully selected rotation of trendy hipster folk music rightfully offset by classic rock and a hint of ironic west coast hip hop. Now I’m not saying that one caused the other, but the symbiotic relationship between Intelligentisa and the folks of Silver Lake seems akin to that of parasite and host. Something about the Intelligentsia brand –as unpleasant and unwelcoming as it may seem to outsiders –provides a cohesion between a neighborhood and it’s people. This is a relationship that downtown seems to be missing.
For instance, when you wake up with a hangover on Sunday morning after a night of whiskey hopping and you send out the mass text to the friends you left scattered about the city: COFFEE… No need to specify, they know where to meet. You have to schedule that looming first date from OkCupid and don’t want to lock yourself into some fancy dinner at Reservoir where you’ll be stuck for an hour and a half? Intelligentsia. You want to spend an afternoon alone, catching up on your journaling (you’re so emo)? No problem…Intelligentsia. This is what safety looks like. This is comfort, this is community.
Unfortunately it’s true that up until last month, Downtown has been lacking and lusting for a place like this; a daytime epicenter of unperturbed serenity where one can rally the troops, have a date or spend an afternoon pondering about life (again, emo). But that’s not to say there haven’t been attempts.
One has the option to cram ones self into the dark upper loft of Syrup Desserts where they attempt to create a cozy environment by shoving a few couches together and pilling board games on the surrounding walls. Unfortunately, the purple velvet couches that sink 3 feet when you sit makes it a little hard to find that sweet spot…especially when you’re surrounded by an overly aggressive display of Japanimation wall hangings. Then there’s Urth Café, which has the amenity of sunlight thanks to their nice outdoor patio. The downfall of the whole sun thing is that it’s a 10 minute drive to the outskirts of Downtown, not to mention the fact that it’s a bit too pricey and too healthy to fulfill our desires as a communal hub. Sorry… I guess the closest I’d say that we’ve got to a comradery compliant gathering place is Spring St. Bar. It’s a quiet space designed for communal seating, featuring two TVs for the big game, a selection of $5 sandwiches and an accompanying list of 30ish rotating micro-brews. If only it was open before 5pm on the weekdays we’d have our winner.
Syrupy confections, sprout burdened sandwiches and a whole barrage of craft beer later, I’m thoroughly pleased to introduce downtown’s new “you complete me” love affair, Coffee Bar –recently opened off of the corner of 6th and Spring St.
Not to get too creepy, but this place is hitting all of the right spots. First and foremost, their coffee is no joke. These guys aren’t brewing giant pots of vanilla hazelnut delight nor are they pouring arbitrarily composed shots of espresso. In fact, all of their coffee is single cup pour over, not to mention they’re slinging shots from the artisan espresso world’s new top dog $18,000 machine, The Slayer -which, by the way, is the first in LA. Like it’s Silver Lake colleagues, Coffee Bar is only operated by the most caffeinated of connoisseurs –you know them as the type of people who like to geek out over things like the World Barista Competition and post-modern foam art. For instance, they’ve enlisted the expertise of both acclaimed coffee consultant and all around bean badass, Jared Mockli (Café Logistics), and lead baritsa and professional brew bender,Doug Meils. But despite all of this meticulous precision, what makes Coffee Bar such a unique addition to downtown’s cultural landscape –and a prospective solution to our communal conundrum –isn’t their clout in the coffee world.
Owners Michael Leko and William Shamilan –also responsible for Downtown’s Library Bar, Spring St Bar and an upcoming pizzeria –were determined to create a space who’s coffee was competitive to that of Intelligentsia and La Mill, but not before ensuring that they could provide the downtown citizenry with a space that was conducive to comfort and enjoyment. Consider their relatively sprawling 2,000 square foot space -including up to 58 seats and an enclave patio that allows you to enjoy the delights of the outdoors without being bombarded by those pesky sewer flies or the supposedly “hostile” street stricken residents of Skid Row. Not only do wall outlets run aplenty (unlike Intelligentsia, these guys want you to hang out longer than your inevitably drained MacBook battery would allow), but they are all extremely approachable. From the greeting to the good bye, the barista tailors the whole experience to your needs without even hinting at snootiness –warning: you may be forced into joining an acappella rendition of a random 90’s love ballad. Depending on your desired experience and level of artisan coffee interest, they’ll help you navigate their rotating list of small batch roasters, whether that means finding a particularly big-bodied Bolivian or an esoterically inclined Ethiopian from Olympia. And if you’re interested in soliciting a bit of a bean education, there might even be talk of late afternoon coffee cuppings (think wine tasting for java fiends).
Ultimately, this is just another addition to the amalgam of emphatic off-beat downtown destinations and we can’t really expect just one place to change our world. What I will say is that like Silver Lake’s relationship with Intelligentsia, Coffee Bar has the potential to create that brand cohesion that Downtown so desperately needs. It is capable of providing that safety net that continues to generate an experience that others can be comfortable with. While those who reside in Downtown find it so easy to observe its inherent culture, trans Los Angeles nomads need this secure grounding (a home base, if you will) if they are to truly be able to experience this idiosyncratic cultural and the community that lies beneath it; the same one that many find so offensive and unsympathetic to begin with. So, I ask that you all take that leap of faith, get all new-agey and submerge yourself into its cavernous folds, find your sweet spot and experience Downtown as it was meant to be experienced…as a glorified clusterfuck.
Rating: Vigilante
Photo Credit: Rutger Blom
