Silver Lake Walking Man's local memorials

An iconic fixture on local streets, Walking Man (aka Dr. Marc Abrams) died last week. Sunday's memorial walk in his honor was covered in the New York Times. The story includes an interview with muralist and artist Nicholas Gagliarducci.  (I previously wrote about the mural in May 2009). As the New York Times reports: The mural depicts Dr. Abrams in his trademark light green shorts, reading a newspaper and headed past historic Los Angeles buildings and parts of the city long-since built over.

“There was a sadness about him that might have triggered the old L.A. scene I painted,” Mr. Gagliarducci said. “These parts of our city are things that have disappeared, so it’s like he’s there walking through history.”

There's another Walking Man portrait in the painted mural on the Micheltorena St. Elementary school's Sunset Blvd. facing wall (above). Very saddened by his passing are the youth in the neighborhood who have seen the Walking Man go by their entire lives.

Walk in peace, dude. You will definitely be missed.

The Kids are All Right gets Los Angeles' bohemian side just right

Shot in-and-around Los Angeles, director Lisa Cholodenko captures Silver Lake and Echo Park's boho aesthetic in "The Kids Are All Right." (With spot-on, smart and funny performances from Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, too!)   It's a very well art-directed version of reality with looks that seem torn from the pages of architect Barbara Bestor's Bohemian Modern: Living in Silver Lake. Pictured above is the Echo Park vintage-tinged dining room of Mark Ruffalo's character. Kudos to production designer Julie Berghoff for making his hillside home so believably lived in.

Who wouldn't want to stop in at the locavore restaurant--supplied via a bountiful community garden-- that Ruffalo's character owns? (Exteriors shot in Echo Park). There's a lovely, artfully-lighted outdoor patio, rustic wood panels and a cozy lounge/bar.  Imagine Forage's menu meets Malo's bar vibe set in the outdoor garden at Cliff's Edge, complete with a Santa Barbara County-made wine list.

Perhaps there will be a "Sideways"-like bump in sales for the Santa Barbara wines featured in the film including Alma Rosa and Fiddlehead Cellars' Pinot Noir.  The movie will be in theaters this Friday. If only the fictional restaurant would open soon too.