LOS ANGELES | METRO Project Rundown 2.0 (non-downtown) - Page 71

dktshb · #**1401** Posted **Dec 19, 2010, 9:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemonkee

I believe the Carl's Jr. is being replaced with a Chick-Fil-A, another stand-alone fast food joint that's closed on Sundays.

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2010/12/art_deco_returns_to_hollywood_thanks_to_chicken_place.php

Well that is just disheartening. I guess it won't be an improvement then.

Troubadour · #**1402** Posted **Dec 20, 2010, 6:57 PM**

I'm discovering why they call it Century City - because it takes a century for anything to change.

yeah215 · #**1403** Posted **Dec 21, 2010, 4:30 PM**

This isn't quite about skyscrapers, but more urban planning.

Has anybody been following the issue of the Costco in Warner Center. The Woodland Hills Neighborhood Council seems to be pushing back against the proposal really hard, and rightfully so.

We need to support them. Please write to Council Member Dennis Zine and Mayor Villaraigosa and urge them to oppose the current Westfield-Costco plan.

Here are videos from the PLUM Committee meeting of the Woodland Hills Neighborhood Council. Check out more on the blog Hills of Woodland.

Video 1 on YouTube (I couldn't figure out how to embed them properly)

Video 2 on YouTube

DJM19 · #**1404** Posted **Dec 21, 2010, 8:18 PM**

^ I don't understand whats wrong with this development. I would wager the majority of people in woodland hills would probably like a costco, and its not as if Woodland hills has no similar sized buildings, and there is a sea of parking around this area. I mean, its a big box, in a mall. There is nothing sustainable about the whole development, and the vast majority of people will just be driving there anyway. Why put up a facade that THIS is what made the neighborhood lose its character?

sopas ej · #**1405** Posted **Dec 22, 2010, 3:48 AM**

Well yeah, and it's Woodland fucking Hills. I'm sure the majority of people who move there move there because it's on the extreme edge of LA-- read, suburban, big single-family homes on generous lots with backyard swimming pools. I spent a lot of time in Woodland Hills growing up, being that we had family friends who lived there (their daughters all went to Louisville High School on Mulholland). Yeah, it felt like we were driving to butt-fucking Egypt when we went there, but I think people live there for a reason, and it's not for an urban lifestyle.

mdiederi · #**1406** Posted **Dec 22, 2010, 4:58 AM**

The site is in Warner Center which has quite a few large multi-family four and five story complexes abutting it. They want to make it feel urban in that immediate area. But yeah, every time I've been there I haven't seen many people walking about, so you can't say they've been too successful in making it urban. It really feels more like a business park to me, the way it's laid out.

pesto · #**1407** Posted **Dec 22, 2010, 8:43 PM**

Very disappointing attitute expressed above. You could have written off NoHo, Pasadena, DT LA, Century City, Venice or SM as hopelessly low-density and plopped a Costco with acres of parking in them also.

Warner Center has been planned as mixed-use, town-homes and high-rises for 30 years, way before it was trendy. Now, the local councilman and Villaraigosa are jettisoning that approach to play lapdog. I would be curious to see the details of their campaign contributions.

There are a hundred places in the valley to put a costco and parking and they chose the only part of the West Valley that has density and a plan to add more. This is Costco exploiting the density and high-rises without wanting to play by the same rules.

edluva · #**1408** Posted **Dec 22, 2010, 8:46 PM**

i just love how a la metro project rundown thread has devolved into a discussion about who's getting a chik fil a and a costco. la is a world class city

sopas ej · #**1409** Posted **Dec 23, 2010, 1:02 AM**

If by your definition a world-class city doesn't have fast food places or discount warehouse shopping, then uh, OK, whatever tickles your pickle.

edluva · #**1410** Posted **Dec 23, 2010, 9:32 AM**

no but by my definition, world class cities have enough relevant projects going on that debating over which fast food chains will arrive to revive neighborhoods doesn't occur

mdiederi · #**1411** Posted **Dec 23, 2010, 2:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by edluva

no but by my definition, world class cities have enough relevant projects going on that debating over which fast food chains will arrive to revive neighborhoods doesn't occur

Paris Dispatch: Tasting a Fast Food Foie Gras Burger on the Champs-Elysees

News London: Popeye’s swings into action

LosAngelesBeauty · #**1412** Posted **Dec 23, 2010, 7:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by edluva

no but by my definition, world class cities have enough relevant projects going on that debating over which fast food chains will arrive to revive neighborhoods doesn't occur

No, your definition of a world class city is HOW the city functions. It's obvious that globalization has made fast food chains a common staple in even your most well regarded cities like New York or London. (I always eat fast food in NY after clubbing or going to the bars, etc. and there are NO LACK of McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, etc. in Manhattan on almost every corner.)

Anyway, your gripe about LA has to do more with our built environment being dysfuctional as a suburban mess and the mass transit missing from that picture, not the kind of businesses that choose to open up.

Sodha · #**1413** Posted **Dec 23, 2010, 9:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LosAngelesBeauty

No, your definition of a world class city is HOW the city functions. It's obvious that globalization has made fast food chains a common staple in even your most well regarded cities like New York or London. (I always eat fast food in NY after clubbing or going to the bars, etc. and there are NO LACK of McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, etc. in Manhattan on almost every corner.)

Anyway, your gripe about LA has to do more with our built environment being dysfuctional as a suburban mess and the mass transit missing from that picture, not the kind of businesses that choose to open up.

This reminds me of when I visited Sydney, Australia, the official tourist map of the city showed where a McDonalds was located throughout the city center. It was hard to find the points of interest behind the significant number of McDonalds arches on the maps. It was very ridiculous. Something I'm glad LA doesn't have on its own official tourist maps.

Kingofthehill · #**1414** Posted **Dec 23, 2010, 9:57 PM**

Not a fast food guy (except for, like any true Angeleno, In-N-Out) but I love Chick-fil-A!

pesto · #**1415** Posted **Dec 23, 2010, 10:25 PM**

Do pho or ramen or souvlaki/shawarma or taco stands count as fast food?

I guess we are only talking about chains here. Of them I admit to loving the Yoshinoya beef bowl with lots of ginger. There's only 1 in the SJ area so I hit it whenever I'm in LA.

sopas ej · #**1416** Posted **Dec 24, 2010, 5:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by pesto

Do pho or ramen or souvlaki/shawarma or taco stands count as fast food?

I guess we are only talking about chains here. Of them I admit to loving the Yoshinoya beef bowl with lots of ginger. There's only 1 in the SJ area so I hit it whenever I'm in LA.

I would count those as fast food. And I also would include tapas and mezze as fast food-- at least in their respective cultures/countries. Though I've had excellent tapas here in LA, they tend to be pricey and they're not served as fast as I'd like it to be.

No offense, but I don't like Yoshinoya-- I've only had it 3 times in my life, and all of those times, I found it to be too salty.

To go briefly off topic, since we're talking about fast food, has anyone else tried Five Guys burgers? I had it for the very first time a few months ago. I thought it was good, but somewhat pricey, and I can't put my finger on it, but something about the burger was missing. It needed a signature sauce, or something, like In-N-Out-- speaking of which, I think In-N-Out has nothing to worry about when it comes to Five Guys.

edluva · #**1417** Posted **Dec 24, 2010, 11:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LosAngelesBeauty

Anyway, your gripe about LA has to do more with our built environment being dysfuctional as a suburban mess and the mass transit missing from that picture, not the kind of businesses that choose to open up.

no my gripe has to do with the fact that our state of affairs is so pathetic that we get so excited about which fast food chains are setting up shop because that really is like, big news here. 18 million in our metro and that's really, no exaggerating, the kind of thing that's considered big news. the arrival of target to our CBD. wow. la is happenin man. it's like, practically there. world class.

mdiederi - thanks for the links. what are you trying to prove? that other cities are capable of celebrating the arrival of fast food as well? the difference is other cities are swamped by much more interesting news, unique to those cities. the arrival to downtown of a chicken sandwich outlet headquartered in georgia would seriously be a hot topic to us.

and for the record, this isn't a knock on chikfila - which i love.

edluva · #**1418** Posted **Dec 24, 2010, 11:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sodha

This reminds me of when I visited Sydney, Australia, the official tourist map of the city showed where a McDonalds was located throughout the city center. It was hard to find the points of interest behind the significant number of McDonalds arches on the maps. It was very ridiculous. Something I'm glad LA doesn't have on its own official tourist maps.

maybe it was sponsored by mcdonalds?

StethJeff · #**1419** Posted **Dec 24, 2010, 7:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdiederi

Paris Dispatch: Tasting a Fast Food Foie Gras Burger on the Champs-Elysees

News London: Popeye’s swings into action

about freaking time. finally something good to eat in london.

sopas ej · #**1420** Posted **Dec 24, 2010, 10:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by edluva

no my gripe has to do with the fact that our state of affairs is so pathetic that we get so excited about which fast food chains are setting up shop because that really is like, big news here. 18 million in our metro and that's really, no exaggerating, the kind of thing that's considered big news. the arrival of target to our CBD. wow. la is happenin man. it's like, practically there. world class.

Wait, nobody was getting excited about a new fast food chain setting up shop, someone had just commented that the Carl's Jr. on Sunset was becoming a Chick-Fil-A. I don't think anyone was making that out to be big news. However, if you look at it from the standpoint that it'll be only the 2nd Chick-Fil-A opening up within LA city limits, that might be news to some.

And, if you follow the news, you would know that it actually was made a big deal by several news organizations talking about how Target and Walmart are now trying to set up shop in urban areas-- LA, Chicago, New York included. So, maybe you don't think that's big news, but others around the US do think so.