A recent L.A. Times article on the transformation of Echo Park into a hipster hot spot inspired songwriter Rachel Glassberg to create a song titled “My Neighborhood is Gentrified.” Glassberg, a 25-year-old text book editor who lives in Angeleno Heights and volunteers at 826LA, said it took less than an hour to write the piece. “What happens when gentrification gets out of control? Glassberg’s lyrics suggests it’s time to look some place else:
“It’s cool there’s vegan brunches
‘Stead of drug deals and face punches
But sometimes it’s much too much and
The solution is quite clear
Yes now that it’s so safe to wander after dark
I think it’s time I moved northeast to Highland Park”
The blogger known as Chimatli on LA Eastside recalls fond memories of her family’s many decades in Echo Park. But the neighborhood no longer feels like home. The renovated bungalows are now occupied by newcomers and the old stores are now hangouts for the young and ironic, not the working class and Latino, Chimatli writes:
“Now when I go to Echo Park I’m reminded of David Hoch’s quote “I feel like I’m a tourist in my own city.” It’s beginning to feel more and more like a hipster Disneyland.”
r. Then came a Barragan’s MySpace page (a Facebook version is coming soon).
Now, Barragan’s stays open until midnight on Wednesday, with four bartenders instead of one and eight servers instead of two. Barragan calls in his family to help handle the crowds. “I’m upstairs tending bar,” said Armando of his Wednesday-night duty.
The mid-week promotion exposes Barragan’s to a new crowd that might have skipped entering the dark restaurant in favor of new Echo Park hot spots. “We see a lot of repeat business,” Barragan said “They come back for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
If the idea of spending Wednesday night in a sea of tipsy hipsters is not your thing, just remember this: you can order a $2.50 margarita for breakfast.
The intersection of Echo Park, Delta and Morton avenues (aka Chicken Corner) is today best known as a hipster hot spot, where the young and bearded hold court outside the Chango Coffee House. But in 1935, there was not a soul patch in sight when beer barrels, traffic cops and cars came together in the very same intersection during the climax of a Three Stooges chase in the film short “The Three Little Beers.” If you want to see more neighborhood scenes go to the full film and fast forward to the last 2 minutes of the film. (Look for the store front Ex-Lax sign where you can now buy a soy latte). Thanks to Larry, Moe & Curly.
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The Eastsider publishes stories and news from the northeast corner of the City of Los Angeles and neighboring East Los Angeles. Who is the Eastsider? Where does the Eastsider roam? 