Monday, December 17, 2007 – Folly Soup

You serve "Folly Soup" warm, at Christmas. Over in Beverly Hills, Barney's on Wilshire did Andy Warhol last Christmas – but that wasn't edgy at all.  Blackman Cruz does Warhol right – this at 800 North La Cienega Boulevard, the area with all the intimidating, post-trendy design shops and far-beyond-chic galleries. Drop by, before they move, and see what David Cruz and Adam Blackman are up to - forties New York subway signs and Continental and Asian furniture from the 18th to the mid-20th century. But they like Andy Warhol – and those of us who, like Warhol, grew up culturally puzzled in the Slovak enclaves in Pittsburgh in the last century, appreciate that, even if the rest of us didn't build a career around a soup can, reproduced endlessly.

And Blackman Cruz has this festive cactus out front –

For a bit of contrast, the slat door at Koi, the famous restaurant a few doors down the street, at 730 – in the evenings always crowded with the young aristocracy of popular culture, the famous folks, the pretty people. The best review – "Quelques stars, donc paparazzi à l'entrée, mais Koi reste l'un de mes restaurants préférés à LA."  Yeah, yeah – at noon there is no one around at all.

A nearby poster –

Christmas seating?

The neighborhood is for those other folks. The JUST ABOVE SUNSET staff car is outclassed here.

If you wish to use any of these photos for commercial purposes I assume you'll discuss that with me. And should you choose to download any of these images and use them invoking the "fair use" provisions of the Copyright Act of 1976, please provide credit, and, on the web, a link back this site.

Technical Note:

Most of these photographs were shot with a Nikon D70 - using lens (1) AF-S Nikkor 18-70 mm 1:35-4.5G ED, or (2) AF Nikkor 70-300mm telephoto, or after 5 June 2006, (3) AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor, 55-200 mm f/4-5.6G ED. They were modified for web posting using Adobe Photoshop 7.0.  Earlier photography was done with a Sony Mavica digital still camera (MVC-FD-88) with built-in digital zoom.

All text and photos, unless otherwise noted, Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 - Alan M. Pavlik