This past Saturday, on September 27, in a small corner lot on 11th and Grand an intimate group of about 800 people from the South Park Community were brought together. It's called A Taste of South Park, as the sounds, the visuals, the food samplings, and the people represent all that is good about living and working in this neighborhood.   

For the second year, A Taste of South Park held a competition for the BEST Restaurant/Bar Experience, with attendees casting votes.

This year, all 16 restaurants and bars received votes, and….. drumroll….

What would you like to see more of in South Park? A Taste of South Park attendees were provided 3 dots to vote for their top 3 desires for South Park.

Mayor Karen Bass announced the city’s actions to revitalize Downtown LA as she signed the Los Angeles Convention Center expansion resolution into law on September 24 at the Convention Center.

In a recent Downtown Los Angeles CRE Market Update Event hosted by Bisnow, Erewhon Chief Development officer Yuval Chiprut confirmed that, after a long search for a new Los Angeles location, they have purchased a property in South Park at 940 South Hill Street, directly across Olympic from the recently completed Olympic and Hill apartment property. 

The Downtown Alliance Business Improvement District and Biznow Publications hosted a four-hour event to discuss downtown’s current and future state-of-affairs.  As one wag put it during a panel discussion: “Things are never as bad as ‘they’ say nor as good as ‘they’ say.”  This pretty well sums up the current condition of our city following the COVID debacle. 

Downtown Los Angeles — the city’s true urban core — has weathered more than its share of ups and downs since the loft renaissance of the early 2000s. This year, however, has been one of the toughest sales seasons in recent memory. What is usually a busy spring and summer simply didn’t materialize. Condo sales across DTLA dropped nearly 20%, listings spiked by 30%, and units sat on the market three times longer than average. For both agents and sellers, it’s been a head-scratcher.

Across the country, headlines tell the same story: people feel more divided, less neighborly, and more isolated than ever before. Civility feels fragile. Empathy feels scarce. Yet one truth remains — community is still where hope lives.

Toastique, at Olympic and Olive, debuted at A Taste of South Park last Saturday to rave reviews! Previously I had talked with owners Ail and Mounir as they were working on the interior of Toastique, and I was enthralled with their love of toast!!!! Here is part of our conversation.

This event is a favorite South Park treat – for dogs, dog owners, and non-dog owners. Come for the dog parade, costumes worn by both dogs and dog owners, and the competition for prizes. The 5th annual Howl-O-Ween event will be Saturday, November 1, from 1-4 pm at First Draft Taproom and Kitchen on Olive at Pico.

It was a spectacular Southern California afternoon – not too hot, not to cool, just right.  So… Enid and I decided to take our live-in family members Noodle and Elizbeth on a stroll to see what was happening at DTLA DOG DAY in the beautiful McGuire Gardens on the Flower Street side of the LA Public Library.  This once-a-year Dog Expo is produced by DTLA Alliance and definitely did not disappoint!

LA’s grand 2028 Olympic production is now only three summers away.  What seemed to be the distant future is now right on our doorstep!  The city has been quietly preparing for the summer of 2028, and little has been heard on the effort – until now!  The main theoretical approach to pulling off the LA Olympics has been to improve and use existing infrastructure instead of creating completely new facilities. 

Our neighborhood businesses depend on us. A convention in town, a game at Crypto.com, a concert or event at Belasco is welcomed by every business. But day in and day out, our local businesses need us to visit and promote them. With that in mind, I asked residents and workers what South Park eateries, services, stores, and other spaces local residents would like to promote and to see thrive.

One of the most prominent companies offering robot food delivery services is Serve Robotics. I enjoyed a great sit-down with Serve’s local representative, Vignesh Ran (call me Vigi)  the other day to get a little history and insight on this operation that is rapidly growing in popularity in South Park.

The South Park Neighborhood Association (SPNA) will host the sixth annual event on September 27th from 1-5 pm at the corner of Grand and 11th on the Desmond AEG lot. As in previous years, the event will include food and drink samples from 15 local restaurants and bars, live music and a DJ, raffles, and a kids’ activity table.

SPNA’s LynxEye initiative is requesting support from HOAs, residential buildings, and businesses. The test pilot aims to establish a network of external-facing cameras and security patrol to aid in crime prevention, collect data on crime, and enhance safety for residents and employees. The pilot will be implemented in a specific area with defined objectives, and if it demonstrates effectiveness, it may be considered for broader application in South Park and potentially serve as a model for other districts within DTLA. 

 DTLA RA (Downtown Los Angeles Residents Association) is championing the recovery of downtown LA. Downtown vibrancy, development, and activity were on the rise before COVID. During COVID workers left downtown and have not returned to the rate before COVID. With that, residents moved out, businesses left or failed.  It is time to bring back downtown LA and its growth back NOW. 

With the World Cup Soccer Championships next year and the much-anticipated 2028 Summer Olympics, alarms have been going off in the business and political communities about the negative effects of the graffiti-tarnished towers and activities planned for these two world class events which will occur in the immediate neighborhood.

“Five of the anticipated facilities serving OpenAI (in California) could collectively use more electricity than three million households,” from a report from the California Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications.

Kennedy Wilson is a major presence in the South Park real estate market as well as the global markets. Their portfolio includes all aspects of real estate from commercial to condos/apartments and investment management. Justin Weiss of Kennedy Wilson is a fixture in the neighborhood. Weiss is known for his expertise in the downtown market. He joined Kennedy Wilson in 2014 to lead its downtown platform with partner Lee Shapiro. Recently I spoke with Justin to get his insights regarding the real estate market and anything newsworthy in our area.