LA at Night

Los Angeles is a very special place at night.

Film maker Colin Rich created this stunning time-lapse video featuring iconic local landmarks and the lights of LA.

Turn up your speakers, enlarge to full screen and enjoy this Hi-Def video.


LA Light from Colin Rich on Vimeo.

A Few Sights in LA During Christmas

Around Los Angeles Around Christmas

December 12th

December 14th

A double rainbow

I can see the pot of gold!

 I hope that you and yours have a Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season!

A Rolls Royce Taxi?

I dropped a customer at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills and saw these unique Taxi cabs.

How about a Thunderbird / Trans Am custom car for a Taxi Cab...

But that wasn't all...

How about a Porsche Taxi Cab...

But that still wasn't all...

How about a Porsche or Corvette Ferrari (thanks NYC taxi photo) for a Taxi Cab...  

But that wasn't all...

How about a  Rolls Royce for a Taxi Cab... Remember this is Beverly Hills!!

There was also a Lamborghini but I didn't get a picture ...  All the pics can be found here.

High End Taxi Cabs

Actually these are promo cars for a History Channel TV program called Top Gear.

Hail-a-Cab program

It looks like the city of LA will finally make it legal for cabs to pick up passengers hailing curbside, at least in the two main urban centers of Hollywood and Downtown.

It’s true; I often pick up people curbside, but the police can and have issued citations.

The Hail-a-Cab program was first established in 2008 as a pilot program. The program allowed taxis to temporarily stop at ‘No Stopping’ & ‘No Parking’ zones and alongside parked vehicles to load and unload passengers.

City Councilmember Jan Perry authored the program and recently said, “Since we adopted the Hail-A-Taxi program, there has been an increase in taxi use in our urban centers. We hope to see this up-tick continue as we develop a permanent program in our two urban centers.”

Councilman Tom LaBonge said he wanted to see neighborhood taxis for first and last mile trips to and from transit hubs. Perry added, "You really should just do it citywide.. Let's just get it done."

A different motion will be introduced in regards to making the hail-a-taxi program citywide.

Ring-Ring, Ring-Ring

It seems like everyone in LA has, or is getting, a cell phone. Of course, this means that cell towers used to carry the signal are showing up all over the place.

Towers like the one below, can be found lining freeway routes or even in someone’s backyard.

Well LA County has said enough is enough! New towers have to be “hidden” or “camouflaged.”

Check out some of the new towers popping up around town…

Here is one made to look like a Palm Tree…

Here is a Pine Tree…

Or even a Palm & Pine Tree side by side…

Old Bank District Lofts

This building is located in the Old Bank District of Downtown LA. It stands on the corner of 4th & Main.

LAPD

The new LAPD building.

From LAX to Oceanside on a Wednesday Afternoon

It’s about ninety-four and a half (94.5) miles from LAX to Oceanside. On this particular Wednesday afternoon I filled in for the ‘number one son’ who didn’t show up to drive his parents to Oceanside.

Returning from a 6 week trip to Tokyo, Japan, these parents waited two and half hours just outside of US Customs hoping their son would come around the corner and greet them. He didn’t. The long flight and time difference finally caused them to leave customs and venture outside to find alternative transportation.

The first fifteen minutes of our trip was a recollection of the arrangements they had made with their son (referred to as ‘number one son’) to pick them up and drive them home. The tone of the conversation leads me to believe that ‘number one son’ was being demoted to ‘number three son.’

The remainder of the trip was silent as both quickly fell asleep.

On the way back to LAX I decided to snap a few pictures on the iPhone. A few turned into almost a hundred.

Here are a few shots from the ride.

The First Shot in Oceanside  

Cloudy Skies

The Last Shot

If you want to see the others check out my album on Flicker - from LAX to Oceanside in Pictures.

ps. I filled the cab with CNG at Camino Capistrano. It was $14.91 total. ($1.92. per gallon. I got 22.6 mpg)

City Hall

Downtown LA

Downtown skyline from the Music Center

Every Which Way but

On any giving day you'll find these signs all over Los Angeles.

Sometimes the poles get crowded

These signs actually point to various location shoots throughout Los Angeles.

Not the Hollywood Sign

This is not the world famous Hollywood Sign. This is a small replica located on the grounds of the Sheraton-Universal, Universal City, CA

I did have one customer remark, "It looks a lot bigger and better on TV."

I replied, "Everything looks bigger & better on TV!"

If you want a picture of the real Hollywood Sign, make your way to the intersection of Franklin Ave & N. Beachwood Dr. Then go North (away from the freeway and up the hill) on Beachwood.

Avoid going to far up Beachwood, the road begins to bend and twist obstructing the view.

Police Block Off Hollywood Blvd and I find Taryn

(iPhone pic)

I counted 14 police cars. Never found out what caused the response, but it forced me to detour which lead me to my last ride, actress and singer Taryn Manning. (picture from IMDB)

No real conversation,  she passed the time texting. Check out her web site.

Metro Station 1st & Boyle

A great metro station but not the best place to be late at night.

(Iphone pics)

LAX Gateway Art

Two pictures of LAX Gateway. For additional information on the artist Click Here

Fountain in Burbank

This fountain is located at Forest Lawn in Burbank, CA.

Statue House - All lit up...

This is a is a real show place, not a Hollywood set! If you are in Hollywood, check it out in person. Click here

St. Paul de Vincent Roman Catholic

Iphone Pic