[sic]

I’ve only been to the 5,475-foot-high Dante’s View in Death Valley once (in 2002) but it is a spectacular place in a park full of spectacles that leaves an indelible impression. One not quite as indelible as the national park’s 11,049-foot Telescope Peak that I summited in 2006, but enough so that when I saw this advertisement in the April issue of a magazine, I had no doubt as to the vista in the final photograph (most likely a composite of a stock image taken at Dante’s View and a studio shot of the woman):

The ad’s headline “Let Your Worries Go,” could be the slogan for Death Valley what with its unmatched, beauty, solitude and serenity. Got to find a way to get back there this year.

One of my favorite views in Los Angeles happens to be found from up at the top of our backyard. So much so that had it not been for my interest in pixeling it from there yesterday I would not have discovered the unfortunate scene that prompted yesterday’s post.

In reviewing the above image this morning something caught my eye that I’d never noticed before despite not only knowing it was there but also having spent cumulative hours over the last few years gazing at this scene. It’s the blocky structure there to the left of the frame’s center and about midway between the top and bottom. Here’s a blown-out close-up:

Hey, it’s Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House! Howdy neighbor. Looking good in all its renovational glory, too!

Yeah I’m a geek in that I think it’s awesome that I have a direct sightline to such a landmark work of my favorite architect. Of course it’s far enough away to prevent me from seeing any detail — at least not without busting out the binoculars — but it’s nice to know it’s there and looking better than it has in a long time!

Stumbled upon in the archives, and taken during the last Midnight Ridazz ride shortly before I opted-out of all the not-riding that was going on here and doubletimed it to a doublecheese at Tommy’s (click to quadruplify):

Last opened to the public 16 years ago, you can bet when I heard a couple weeks ago that a tour was being offered at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Millard House (aka “La Miniatura”) in Pasadena I didn’t waste much time getting two tickets for Susan and I today to see this remarkable piece of Southern California’s architectural history.

Photographs weren’t allowed of its extraordinary interior, but I snapped away on the outside. Flickr set viewable here.

Biking to work on clear mornings I’m always warmed by the facade of this eastern facing church on 4th Street a block west of Vermont:

Though its shingle now reads Korean Philadelphia Presbyterian Church, the architectural details indicate it was originally built as a synagogue. A quick visit to the Big Orange Landmarks blog, verifies this.

While killing some time waiting for Tuesday night’s downtown bike ride, I rolled around taking snaps of some of the local dramatic landmarkery (click to biggify):

The First Congregational Church of Los Angeles

The rear of the Bullocks Wilshire Building with beacon lit.

What I find most interesting about the two buildings is that the department store, opened in 1929, predates the cathedral like church that’s situated a block north by three years.

With some time to kill before meeting up with the iaal•maf near LaFayette Park for a downtown art ride followed by some barbecue and beers at Spring Street Smokehouse I rolled around the way a bit, snapping

I’ve long admired the Bullocks Wilshire building and equally appreciated the Southwestern School of Law for taking possession of it and keeping it intact, but this was my first time this close to it and the bas relief above its front door, whose inscription reads “To build a business that will never know completion.”

That “completion” started when Bullocks left the building in 1988. Retail operations continued under the I. Magnin name until 1993 when the completion became permanent.

One might argue that the legal profession is a business much better suited to never knowing completion and thus it’s appropriate that Southwestern has assumed ownership, but still… I don’t think this is quite what John G. Bullock and P.G. Winnett had in mind when they conceived this landmark.

Last night’s Ride-ARC “Tourismo!!” ride was a long labor of love. All in I tallied about 35 circuitous miles from start to finish, which occured at 2:45 in the a.m. with me almost desperately hungry enough to tack on a couple more miles there and back to Tommy’s for some double-cheese-extra-pickles sustenance. But my fatigue was stronger than the call of the burger and I retired indoors to upload pix and decompress/reflect.

The ride’s first destination was up, up and away into the Hollywood Hills above Los Feliz to the fantastic Frank Lloyd Wright house built for Charles and Mabel Ennis in 1924. I’d toured that house back about 16 years ago (back when it was known as the Ennis-Brown house; the hyphenate being added in honor of the property’s owner August Brown who donated it to the Trust for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage in 1980 and removed in 2005).

Having been alerted to that climb as well as another one up super-steep Kings Road at the end of the ride I was all set to employ my 24-speed road bike to the outing, but five minutes before meeting Sean Bonner and Stephen Roullier at 8 p.m. for a pre-ride visit to Scoops, I discovered the rear innertube had sprung a leak and so rather than induce a delay in changing it out I just hauled The Phoenix in all its single-speediness out for the trek.

Scoops was goodness as usual (I went for the marshmallow and mixed nuts this time; yummus!). And then it was up to the Mayfair on Franklin for the gathering where we met up with Stephen’s wife Alice. Micki K was there and her hilarious friend Greg looking the total tourist and riding a fur-covered bike (”For increased wind resistance!”). I have it on good authority that Militant Angeleno or an exceptional facsimile thereof was present, but am foresworn to disavow any knowledge of his whereabouts, demeanor or swarthy looks. And of course there were many other recognizable ridazz including a couple fine cyclists who participated in the previous weekend’s IAAL•MAF river ride, including Al, aka Digable Soul.

There was also a critical masshole-type who dared to get my attention behind me at a stoplight by intentionally bumping his bike against mine (idiot!) to ask me a question about my rear camera mount, and then bothered me at many other points during the ride with his oppressive anarchic “fuck the cars” philosophy that he espoused at too many opportunities within my vicinity. Let’s call him Richard and hope I don’t encounter him again. ‘Nuff said.

Once on our way around 10 p.m. we turned up Vermont to Glendower and dang if I almost made it all the way up to the twisting grade to the famed residence, but stalled out a 100 feet or so from the entrance and I was forced to walk the rest. No matter as I was tremendously pleased to see much work had been done to the exteriors which looked vastly improved since I last saw pictures of it in 2005 when cumulative damage landed it high on a list of critically endangered national landmarks.

I make no secret of a rabid fanboy fascination of Wright and his works which resonate deep within me, and I rush to a layman’s defense against anyone who discounts or demeans his revolutionary artistry, vision and genius. I can’t argue architectural theory and application and all that academic jazz, but you badmouth my boy Frank or his stuff and it’s like you’re trashtalking my best friend. Hell, I’ve long decided that if I ever get a tattoo it would be a representation of one of the Ennis House’s textile blocks:

Something like from this…

to this…

except black and cherokee red.

That the L.A. area is home to eight of his residences makes the city that much more special to me and in fact I would love to do a trek that visits all of his houses: Pearce House out in Duarte, Millard House in Pasadena; the Freeman, Storer, Ennis and Hollyhock housese in Hollywood, the Anderton Court shopping center on Rodeo Drive (and that we also passed on last night’s ride), the Sturges House in Brentwood Heights and the Arch Oboler House in Malibu. Duarte to Malibu!? Talk about a loooooooooooooong, winding and uphilly ride!

Pix from last night’s Ride-Arc are here on Flickr.

I won’t waste any time on yesterday’s 7.5-hour interval spent waiting around the jury assembly room at the Stanley Mosk courthouse downtown. The end game is that my services as an eager and willing participant in the judicial process weren’t required and after a 90-minute lunch break spent walking around the adjacent mall and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels during noon mass I returned to wait around another hour and a half before being excused.

Oh well. There’s always the next summons.

I’ve always kicked myself for not making the time and effort required to go see the Watts Towers. Simon Rodia’s unique creation, which he began in 1921 took more than 30 years to build is a monument to individual achievement and artistic expression.

Well at least I’ve “seen” them now. Standing on the platform at the Rosa Parks Green Line Station at Imperial Highway and Wilmington this past Wednesday I raised my camera to get a shot of the hazy downtown skyline in the distance when I spied a couple spires to the right of the 105 Freeway’s Wilmington Avenue exit sign.

[click for large image]

Sure enough it was the two tallest of all the structures Rodia built. And now, more than ever I want to see them upclose… maybe via an impromptu bike ride down there for a tour February 24 or 25.