terra non firma

When you're alone and life is making you lonely...

...You can always go downtown. while HUD is trying to get a sense of the number of homeless in LA, a few downtown hotels are looking to convert some or all of their rooms to condos with traditional hotel amenities like housekeeping and a concierge. yes, even the westin bonaventura - one of my favorite hotels downtown despite the strange sense of unease and anxiety I feel there - although I have no idea why anyone would want to permanently live in a space inspired by Foucault, even if your local watering hole is on the top floor and revolves.

the creeping onslaught of gentrification doesn't stop there. The same guys who own Golden Gopher and Liquid Kitty plan on opening 6 more bars downtown this year. that's not a typo. I said 6. before moving to LA, I had instituted a self-imposed ban on any bar with an animal word in the name, like the diamond dog or the eerie elk. (alliteration was a second strike against them). damn you, golden gopher and your liberace chandeliers.

and in case you're wondering who these people are who might buy a condo in a hotel downtown or a need a drink from GG's Liquor To Go store, LA's Downtown News reports that the median income of "recent arrivals" (no explanation of what that means) is $90k and 43% of them earn more than $100k per year. in case you were wondering how that stacks up against beverly hills, it beats 90210 by almost $20k. I'm guessing the recent arrivals they surveyed did not include the homeless in the other census now taking place.

posted by marissa @ 2:38 PM