Off The Wall: E-Ho Remembers Jacko!

After his shocking, sudden death on June 25, it didn't take long to memorialize the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson - depicted in his '80s Thriller-era look - at this wall at Hel-Mel (Heliotrope at Melrose). The mural is an aerosol piece by David "Rabi" Torres of dtladesigns, who also did the new Villaraigosa mural at Santa Monica and Madison.

"Michael Jackson's music has always been the shit! When I was about seven I wanted to be him....along with everyone else in the world," said the artist. "His message was love and happiness. So when he passed, I remembered that Michael."

Rabi also added that he spent seven hours on Friday, June 26 - the day after Jackson died - making the mural.

The wall stands next to a storefront that was once the 1980s home of DMC Records, a record store catering to DJs, which moved a few miles west down Melrose in the early 1990s.

Speaking of the '80s, this mural stands right across the street from where another iconic '80s scene, from the movie Breakin', was filmed.

Our Farmer's Market Is Finally Here!

Today Kaiser Permanente's Los Angeles Medical Center Farmer's Market made its debut, to a lunchtime crowd of medical staff, nearby employees and members of the community who perused the stalls set up at Barnsdall Park's street level parking lot to enjoy their new weekly market.

In keeping with Kaiser's "Thrive" program, promoting healthier lifestyles, the market features fresh, mostly-organic produce (grown in Southern and Central California), baked goods, flowers, food stalls and live entertainment.
I bought some sweet strawberries ($6 for a 3-pack box), some lettuce and arugula, and lunched on Fijian Soul Food - a tasty fusion of Polynesian, Indian and African American cuisine. East Hollywood seems like the perfect place to have a diverse dish, of course!

The new farmer's market is open year-round every Wednesday from 12 noon to 6 p.m.