Open House #2: Living in Public Storage, ie The Downtown Lofts...

Welcome back to “Open House” my series of blog entries detailing my journey to home ownership (to suit an artist’s lifestyle with an artist’s income… all by myself.)These blogs are also research notes for my new show about being Carless in LA and will be integrated into a show I’m developing through an artist residency March/April 2010 at the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia, PA.
Last week, I visited my friend Jih-Fei , a PhD candidate who presented a paper last summer at a conference in Hawaii about (stroke stroke stroke my ego Jih-Fei!). He lives in the Little Tokyo Lofts downtown.

From the website….
I’ve been curious about the new loft developments just outside the "bastion of safety" that is Little Tokyo. Since the stock market crash, downtown lofts have been foreclosing and many of them still stand empty.
Also from the site…

Yes, and that flavor is.... urine. The smell is unmistakable. The bus drops me off five blocks away from the lofts, just as the warehouse district closes and tents of the old residents get pitched. Are these cardboard coffins that people sleep in for insulation, that glow under the nightlife… are these the people who know of “the underground clubs?”

[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]

[endif]
It does feel precarious to be an Asian woman carrying a large purse on my shoulder to be walking these streets alone. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have walked through this neighborhood EVER and definitely not alone. But there are new bars and restaurants that have sprung up. And even a few dog walkers. But the old residents remain. Homeless people, day laborers, and other longtime inhabitants of this area. Some of them greet me as they assemble their homes for the evening. I stutter a hello back but find my pace moving from brisk walk to light jog.[if gte mso 9]> /o:OfficeDocumentSettings <![endif][if gte mso 9]> 0/w:Zoom false/w:TrackMoves 18 pt/w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing 18 pt/w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing 0/w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery 0/w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery false/w:SaveIfXMLInvalid false/w:IgnoreMixedContent false/w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText /w:Compatibility /w:WordDocument <![endif][if gte mso 9]> /w:LatentStyles <![endif]Or spend a relaxing night enjoying the skyline view from your loft while ordering Chinese take-out. It’s nice to know your food will actually come from Chinatown."Hmmm.... if I cook the food, will that make the food even more authentically Chinese?There's also 24-hour courtesy patrol. Because while urban living has its edge, that doesn't mean you should get cut on it. "

EndFragment

EndFragment