Q: The blinking beacon at the top of the Capitol Records tower seems to have taken a time-out. What gives?
A: That little red light atop the tower’s 82-foot spire has spelled out “H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D” in Morse code all night, every night for the past 67 years, but it went dark as part of the major structural renovation Universal Music Group is conducting at the Hollywood landmark. In 2015, the City of Los Angeles enacted an ordinance requiring all “non-ductile” concrete buildings (like the Capitol Tower) to be earthquake-retrofitted (and forcing company employees to take up residence at the nearby Neuehouse). Architects plan to expand the vertical columns supporting the circular floors in a way that will be invisible from the street. The light is back on now, flashing that “dot-dot-dot-dot-dash-dash-dash…”
Q: Were Marty & Elayne the last lounge act in Los Angeles?
A: Nothing polishes off a chateaubriand better than sloshing around the lounge of a classic steak house. There was a time when every wood-paneled outpost from here to Cucamonga employed syrupy singers and tinny tinklers. Notes still waft between the Chianti bottles at Miceli’s, and the Dal Rae and the Smoke House are always hopping, as is the Dresden Room. But my current favorite might be Richard Ihara at Think Prime in Rancho Palos Verdes. The fedora-clad piano man has been perfecting the great American songbook for more than 50 years. He blames karaoke for the demise of the lounge act. “Clubs could get amateurs to work for nothing,” he says. “They sing their heart out, even if they can’t sing a note.”
Q: How do you report illegal fireworks in L.A.?
A: Use, possession, or transport of any kind of fireworks, even those marked “safe and sane,” is illegal in Los Angeles. To report contraband, you can call 877-ASK-LAPD or visit lapdonline.org/fireworks, but with the department responding to hundreds of incidents around Independence Day, I don’t imagine police would arrive before the fuse burned out. Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez is presenting a pyro-free drone show at Hansen Dam on July 2. If you have rockets you don’t want, she’s also offering an anonymous fireworks buyback at Brand Park the day before, with gift cards for gas stations and Dodger Stadium, a great place for explosions in the sky this July Fourth.
Email your burning questions about L.A. to [email protected].
Chris’s Pick
Tiki Tiki Yeah A Polynesian restaurant returns with a splash
The sprawling midcentury Polynesian restaurant is a nearly extinct species, but one long-lost landmark is coming back this month. The Royal Hawaiian in Laguna Beach dates to 1947, and its rum-soaked bamboo lured tikiphiles from all ports until cofounder Francis Cabang sold it in 2006 (in 2012, it closed under new ownership). When his granddaughter recently returned for a walkthrough with new owners, they noticed a loose floorboard—and underneath was buried treasure. Historic photos and documents will be displayed in the revamped restaurant. The renewed space will feature classic dishes like pineapple fried rice and original-recipe cocktails like the Lapu Lapu.
