Last night I made one of my rare pilgrimages west of the 405 for nightlife thanks to a friend’s birthday. I quickly remembered why I don’t go out in the beaches often. Sweet Child O’ Mine, Livin’ on a Prayer, and Don’t Stop Believingare all fine songs but listening to a bunch of drunks screaming the lyrics with their forefinger and pinky raised unironically in the “Rock On” salute makes me want to puke. Then, you’re crushed against a sea of guys with spiked hair, black collared shirts with the vertical stripes, and a lexicon that seems to be mostly “dude”, “dawg”, and “bro” who are all trying to prove they’re having the most fun by screaming the loudest, smiling as broadly as possible, and singing all the lyrics to California Lovin’. I suppose I could just be jaded, and these people arereally having a good time, but it reeks of performativity. Did I also mention that I payed a $5 cover for the opportunity to experience all this? I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: SIT ON IT WESTSIDE.
The point of this article though is the conflicting juxtaposition of Highland Park public relations lately. Friday and Saturday boasted page one, above the fold stories in the LA Times making Highland Park out to be a breeding ground for murderers. However, what I failed to mention in my previous post relating my experience with the LAPD was that while I was waiting for the officer to write my ticket, I leafed through the new issue of Los Angeles Magazine and found that their Street Smart section dedicated two pages to our neighborhood. There I was, a small fish caught in a police dragnet, reading how Highland Park is “officially on the up and up”. Unfortunately, when asked “you live where?” for the third time with It Aint No Fun blaring in my eardrums at the beach bar, no one had seen the LA Magazine piece. Everyone, knew where it was when I referenced the Times story though.
If you happen to read this site and are from out of the area. Treat yourself to the March issue of Los Angeles Magazine, and use it to schedule a day in Northeast. Here’s your itenerary: Grab coffee and a cachito at Antigua Bakery before taking in the views and natural beauty of Debs Park. For lunch, swing into El Huarache Azteca for the adobada and some of the aguas frescas. Spend the afternoon taking in some Los Angeles history at the Lummis House or see if there’s an art gallery exhibition that piques your interest at www.nelaart.com Have dinner at the York and enjoy their beer selection before tipping back a few more at the Verdugo (if you like anything, their license allows them to give it to you ‘to go’). Then, before letting your designated driver hit the road, sober up enjoying either Leo’s Taco Truck on Eagle Rock Blvd. or Tacos La Estrella (four spots in the area). All this and you’ll be out less than $50. Then, you can enjoy empty freeways back to the westside and tell all your friends over brunch the next day how you survived your night east of the 5. Enjoy!
According to the LA Times, the Angelenos in this part of the city don’t think so. Read the attached story and send us your thoughts.
http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/theguide/la-gd-nightcol24jan24,1,1936553.story
I’ve never experienced this phenomenon, but then again, I might be one of those self-indulgent yuppies the Times (in all it’s countercultural glory) pans as not only narcissistic, but also disgusted by the handicapped. Now in the spirit of full disclosure, I do write for a website dedicated to the neighborhood, which probably lumps me in as part of the problem. (I don’t think Norwalk has much of a neighblog scene.) I also own property, which means in behooves me financially (but would be disgusting in reality) if a Starbucks and Pinkberry open up on all even avenue intersections of Figueroa. Still, part of the experience I have enjoyed in this part of town is a relative lack of anonymity. I see the same people at the dogpark, run into old college friends when I’m not expecting it, and frequently resume conversations with the same people at the York or Antigua. Plus, why the longing for The Wild Hare? I miss it about as much as I miss Toppers in Eagle Rock. They both hold some fond memories for me but their new incarnations improve on what I want in a bar in almost every way. What do you think? Is Highland Park getting (as my grandma would say) “Too big for its britches”, or should the LA Times stick to its above the fold coverage of celebrity DUIs? I don’t mean to be nasty, but coming between me and my 1903 is like walking between a mother bear and her cub…dangerous.
Sitting quietly under an unassuming “cocktails” sign on the corner of Verdugo and Avenue 34 is Glassell Park’s newest attraction. The Verdugo is a surprisingly hip joint that seems as if it plucked straight from Hollywood—and this time I think I mean that as a good thing. “Unassuming” may have actually been something of an understatement. At 10:30 on a Saturday night, the surrounding streets were dark and abandoned. Nearby warehouses and empty lots surrounded by chain-link fence do nothing to give away what is lurking behind the small door under the afore mentioned sign. Stepping through reveals a stunning space filled with a smoothly lit curved bar, plasma screens (showing the hipster classic “2001: A Space Odyssey”), black booths and a definitively cool lounge in the back. Dreadlocks seemed to be the style of the evening for patrons, who all sat drinking beer and enjoying the fairly loud beats being mixed by the live DJ (who was sitting in a booth overlooking the bar). This is definitely a bar with a vibe.
Behind the counter is your standard full bar, but also an excellent selection of high-quality beers. The Verdugo takes its place among the very few bars that are willing to dedicate a tap to Delirium Tremens, one of the finest, richest beers Belgium has ever produced—and is incidentally a beer that is named after the symptoms of severe withdrawal from alcohol abuse. Naturally this is the first beer we drank. The service was fast and kind, but unfortunately the girls behind the counter knew nothing of the beers they were serving and quickly suggested taking a look at the menu for more information. A conversation with the Verdugo’s friendly proprietor revealed that these were not his normal bartenders, but rather a couple girls filling in and this was in fact their first night. Clearly the solution in a situation such as this is to simply order as many beers as possible and decide for oneself—a strategy that allowed me to discover that none of us at YORK BLVD. are fans of Fuller’s London Pride.
Another bit of confusion surrounding the Verdugo is their schedule, and unfortunately we were not able to get to the bottom of this in our visit. Even a loyal reader here posted “I thought Verdugo’s was still closed?” Like an on-again-off-again girlfriend, nobody seems to know that exactly is going on over there. The bar reportedly opened a few months ago, but Citysearch currently lists them as “Temporarily Closed.” One very upset reviewer on Yelp posted an angry comment about going there on a Saturday night and finding no signs of life. And for a place as hip as it was, it sure seemed as though the word wasn’t out about being open. Instead of people packing in around midnight, the place quieted down.
So get the word out. The Verdugo is open. It’s a definite change of pace from the other local bars, and something that may appeal to those that think the York is too laid back or Johnny’s is too much of a dive.
Info:
The Verdugo
3408 Verdugo Road
(323) 257-3408
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