Silverlandia | Silver Lake, Echo Park, Los Feliz & Atwater Village News

Silverlandia is a community based project aimed to promote exploration and growth for small and local businesses in the four neighborhoods of Silverlandia:
Silver Lake, Echo Park, Los Feliz and Atwater Village.

April 6, 2020

Elysian Park and Echo Park Lake and Amenities Closed Until Further Notice

Los Angeles is a lucky city in that there are plenty of big parks for residents to enjoy throughout the year. Whether it is to enjoy a hike in Griffith Park or attend a concert in Grand Park, there are parks for all tastes and activities. However, right now beloved Los Angeles parks such as Elysian Park and Echo Park Lake have to be closed for the population’s safety.

Elysian Park and Echo Park Lake Closed

For over a hundred years, Elysian Park and Echo Park have provided residents of Los Angeles with places in which they can enjoy some leisure time. In fact, Elysian Park is the oldest one in the city. There, Angels Point provides an overview of Dodger Stadium and the Chavez Ravine Arboretum gives visitors a look at more than a hundred varieties of trees from all around the world. It is also one of the local favorites in terms of hiking trails.

In a much more urban environment, Echo Park Lake started out as a reservoir for drinking water in the 1860s. Today, however, it is a staple of the community. The lake offers over a dozen swan-shaped paddleboats to navigate it, while the park has plenty of picnic tables and BBQ pits for eating and a mile-long looping walking trail. However, neither of these parks are currently open to the public for their own wellbeing.

What You Can Do

It’s sad to have these parks closed, especially taking into account just how much local residents enjoy these places. It’s important to remember that these measures are being taken in order to protect the Los Angeles population from a worse outbreak than that we’ve had to experience so far. That doesn’t mean that you need to entrap yourself inside your own home. We have provided a guide on some ways to stay active during this time. Remember to stay safe throughout and to continue to practice social distancing.

April 3, 2020

Local Photographer Alfonso Salcedo Documents a Los Angeles in Lockdown

As Los Angeles continues to power through this unexpected quarantine, a lot of people find themselves aimless. Many people are, after all, unable to keep working during this time, even from home. Stagnancy can become frustrating, as you probably already know. In order to overcome this frustration, Echo Park-based photographer Alfonso Salcedo has set off to capture images of the city during this uncertain time. His experience as a portrait and documentary photographer has nurtured an interest in documenting Los Angeles in lockdown.

Photographer Alfonso Salcedo

Portrait and documentary photographer Alfonso Salcedo has a long career working in film and photography, having previously been involved in both live-action and animated productions. He has traveled across the world with his camera, amassing a diverse and intriguing portfolio. He has gained extensive experience in portraiture, travel, reportage, and lifestyle photography. Capturing all sorts of people and places for posterity, Salcedo has developed a particular style. In his own words, “Photography has been a part of my life since I first picked up a camera as a kid, and my Dad taught me how to see the world through the lens.”

A Los Angeles in Lockdown

Salcedo recently stated that he lost his paid freelance work due to the ongoing pandemic. Following this, he started to feel the need to capture the city’s changing reality. He subsequently established the website Los Angeles in Lockdown, in which he hopes to document the change of consciousness of the city and its people through the coronavirus outbreak. The website is not just serving as a gallery for Salcedo’s haunting images of a crisis-stricken city. It also serves as a vehicle to find new subjects for the project.

By visiting his website, you can submit yourself and your situation for the project, take a look at the existing work, and donate to his cause. “In a time where we are all so separate,” he says, “I believe the best way forward is through community. I hope to touch that with this project.” You too can be a part of this.

April 2, 2020

Are We Allowed Outside? Enjoying the Outdoors While Being Socially Distant

As socially-responsible citizens, we are all avoiding crowds and remaining socially distant, aren’t we? In fact, Los Angeles County recently received an A+ in regard to social distance. This means that most of us are keeping ourselves healthy, but it also means we are getting a little restless. Gyms are closed, after all, so what are you supposed to do? Are we allowed outside? Well, you can still go outside and enjoy the outdoors, but keep in mind a few indications.

You Are Allowed Outside, Just Avoid Crowded Parks

The point of social distance is to avoid other people, of course. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be able to enjoy the outdoors. However, it does mean that if you do want to go outside then you should do your best to avoid the more frequented spots for jogging or hiking. In fact, in order to keep locals from crowding the hiking trails, a lot of the more popular ones have been closed. If you want to go jogging or walking, try to go to less crowded places.

Maintain Your Distance From Others

If you are going out to jog or walk around to keep yourself in these times of quarantine, then it’s always a good idea to do so while avoiding coming into contact with other people. You might think this isn’t that hard and you are definitely right, but it still requires some conscious effort. Remember that it is very important to stay at least six feet away from people. This can be quite hard to do in LA’s narrow sidewalks. Try to keep this in mind as you practice exercising.

Don’t Touch Anything

You don’t realize it until you are consciously avoiding it, but we tend to touch more things than we think while we are outside. Railings, crosswalk buttons, and fences, among other stuff, are being mindlessly touched all the time. In order to prevent potentially coming in touch with infected surfaces, avoid touching just about anything, at least with your hands. Still, don’t forget to thoroughly wash your hands once you get home.

April 1, 2020

WOOD Silver Lake Offers a New Grocery Delivery Menu

Most locals are already familiar with WOOD, a deliciously authentic Italian restaurant near the intersection of Sunset and Silver Lake. Their rustic artisanal pizzas and upscale dishes at affordable prices have delighted the area’s residents for a while now, providing a wonderful atmosphere in which to enjoy them. However, at the moment they are not providing sit-down service given the current circumstances. While a lot of pizza places continue to offer delivery and takeout, WOOD is going a step further. They have curated a new grocery delivery menu that can provide you with pantry essentials, dairy offerings, pasta, fruits and vegetables, drinks, and the like.

WOOD Grocery Delivery

The current situation is understandably disorienting. Grocery stores are consistently packed with people and devoid of most necessities. A lot of people are hence uneasy about going out to get food. In order to address this and help people through this, WOOD has developed a new food delivery menu that can help provide people with the bare necessities they might be struggling to get otherwise. The local restaurant is offering pantry essentials such as house bread, dry pasta, olive oil, and salt. Additionally, they offer fruits and vegetables, such as bananas, strawberries, avocados, and tomatoes, among many others. You can also get dairy offerings, such as milk and cheese, as well as the ingredients to make your very own WOOD pasta. If you feel like getting pizza, you can get a lightly-baked pizza that you can finish up by yourself and enjoy later.

Order Groceries

We all know how stressful getting groceries has been lately. There’s no need for the situation to be even more pressing. By emailing WOOD at info@woodsilverlake.com or calling them at (323) 667-9940, you can order some of their many delivery offerings. This way you can enjoy the delicious taste of WOOD’s menu in the comfort of your own home. For more information, b sure to visit their website.

March 31, 2020

Avoid Parks, Beaches, and Hiking in Quarantine

Due to the current state of the coronavirus pandemic, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti have been implementing drastic measures in order to help contain the spread of the virus and not overwhelm the healthcare system. California is preparing for a potential surge this coming week, so it’s necessary that we all put in our own effort to help lighten it. Despite the regulations, a lot of people continue to go to beaches and trails, swimming and hiking in quarantine. Beaches and hiking trails ended up being fairly crowded throughout the last weekend which is not the point of these efforts. Here are a few alternatives.

Alternatives to Hiking in Quarantine

It’s important to remember that if we really want to contain this spread it will be key to be strict with ourselves. Thinking “oh it’s fine, I’ll just go hiking by myself” might seem like a reasonable idea until you realize that a lot of people probably had the same though. After all, it’s Los Angeles. That’s why beaches, hiking trails, and national parks are going to be closed until further notice. It’s understandable to be frustrated about this. We need exercise and time outdoors, don’t we? The stay at home order intends to take this into account. You can still go exercise outside, you’ll just need to make a few compromises.

Exercise Close to Home

The current stay at home order does not mean that you can’t leave your apartment. Obviously you can still go out to get food, medication, and similar supplies. At the same time, you are still allowed to go outside to exercise. You need to not grow stagnant and enjoy fresh air. People are being encouraged to exercise close to their home, jogging or walking in the vicinity. As long as you avoid being within six feet of other people, you should be fine. A byproduct of the quarantine is an increased air quality given the lack of vehicles. You might as well enjoy that too! Don’t forget that working out at home is also an option.