krim wrote:

might as well, im there so much. sometimes i have my own key fob because my friend is too lazy to ring me in so much.

Haha. Right on, man. That's a nice building.

it's a pretty cool place, everyone i've met has been cool. even the old dude on the 5th. i almost picked up one of the smaller units, but had some issues at work and I wouldn't have been able to pay for the HOA fees.

krim wrote:

it's a pretty cool place, everyone i've met has been cool. even the old dude on the 5th. i almost picked up one of the smaller units, but had some issues at work and I wouldn't have been able to pay for the HOA fees.

Nice.

krim wrote:

Speaking of bakeries.. evertime i head east on 101/5, i get the smell of really good bread. but no one knows if there is a bakery there or not.. anyone know? It's gotta be somewhere around the LAPD airstation, or the gated complex south of the 101 and 5.

"May's Bakery and Noodles". It's tucked in behind that self-storage place. If you go down Commercial St. until it dead ends, you'll run right into it.

And two posts after this one, the idiot fucking moderator that thinks this is his own personal website is going to chime in. If he already knew the answer, why didn't he say something before??? Answer: Because he's an arrogant jackass, just like every other BMW owner I've ever met!! Is it any wonder nobody ever comes to this site anymore?!!?

gaijinmark wrote:

"May's Bakery and Noodles". It's tucked in behind that self-storage place. If you go down Commercial St. until it dead ends, you'll run right into it.

Dayem we got detectives on the case.

Tu_triky wrote:

Dayem we got detectives on the case.

All you have to do is re-task a satellite.

bmwracer wrote:

All you have to do is re-task a satellite.

And I thought we had ol' Sherlock Mark on the case.

Actually it's Amay's Bakery and Noodles.

Tu_triky wrote:

Dayem we got detectives on the case.

That's why they call me Musa

Actually, I know what krim is talking about. I used to drive that way every day when I worked in Monterey Park and it drove me nuts smelling that bread and there was no bakery anywhere!!

So one day I decided to find it. Didn't take too long, just followed my nose.

gaijinmark wrote:

That's why they call me Musa Actually, I know what krim is talking about. I used to drive that way every day when I worked in Monterey Park and it drove me nuts smelling that bread and there was no bakery anywhere!! So one day I decided to find it. Didn't take too long, just followed my nose.

Good piece of detective work. Thanks for solving the mystery

OMG! thanks GM, that was driving me insane for the longest time!

and now that i've seen the website and their packaging, i've figured out that my parents used to buy reject fortune cookies from them. they make great snacks, less the fiber.

I didn't know we had a cherry blossom festival, but I guess we do:http://cherryblossomfestivalsocal.org/

gaijinmark wrote:

I didn't know we had a cherry blossom festival, but I guess we do:http://cherryblossomfestivalsocal.org/

Thanks.... I'll be going.

Welcome to our America

Landmark Little Tokyo Properties in Default
Kyoto Grand Hotel and Weller Court are in the first stages of foreclosure.



Weller Court, foreground, and Kyoto Grand Hotel in Little Tokyo. (MARIO G. REYES/Rafu Shimpo)

By GWEN MURANAKA

RAFU ENGLISH EDITOR

The Kyoto Grand Hotel and Garden and Weller Court, two major Little Tokyo landmarks, are currently in default on a loan of $33.8 million. The lender, First Citizens Bank and Trust, sent a default notification to Little Tokyo Partners LP on March 15. Default notification is the first step in a foreclosure proceeding.

The complex, which includes a shopping center and 21-story hotel was purchased by Century City-based real estate firm 3D Investments from East West Development Corporation for $54 million in August 2007. In 2006, 3D Investments purchased two hotels and malls in San Francisco’s Japantown from Kintetsu Enterprises of America. Those properties are not in default.

At the time, the sale of the buildings as well as Japanese Village Plaza caused shock and concern in the Japanese American community and a call to preserve the cultural identity of Little Tokyo. A representative from 3D Investment did not return requests for comment.

Under California law, the borrower has 90 days, which would be June 15, from the time the default notice is filed to cure any past payment delinquency. After that, the lender can file a Notice of Trustee Sale and the entire loan amount, including past interest payments and legal expenses become due and payable.

Renamed in 2007, the Kyoto Grand opened in 1977 and was operated by the Tokyo-based New Otani Hotel chain as a luxury hotel for visitors to downtown Los Angeles. Since its opening, the hotel has hosted many events in the Little Tokyo community including New Year’s oshogatsu festivities and the Nisei Week coronation banquet. Weller Court shopping mall is the site of popular restaurants and stores, including a Marukai supermarket.

The hotel has made significant renovations since 2007, including the lobby and rooms; however the recession has hit the hotel industry particularly hard. The signature Japanese restaurant Thousand Cranes, which overlooked the hotel’s rooftop garden, recently closed.

Richard Gaines, general manager of the Kyoto Grand, said the restaurant was operated by a third party that decided to shut down the business.

“It was an institution that was sad to see go. We’re currently weighing our options what to do up there,” said Gaines.

A report issued on May 7 by Atlanta-based PKF Hospitality Research indicated that the domestic hotel industry suffered a record 35.4 percent decline in profits last year – its worst drop-off since the 1930s.

“Declines in revenues make the headlines, but the bottom line is where the rubber meets the road for owners,” said R. Mark Woodworth, president of PKF-HR. “The 35.4 percent decline in profits realized in 2009 has severely stressed borrower/lender relationships throughout the country as delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, and bankruptcies continue to escalate.”

Gaines acknowledged that 2009 was a difficult year, but said the hotel has rebounded considerably in 2010. He noted that last week, the hotel was sold out four nights in a row.

“Revenues are much better than last year. We’re all excited and enthusiastic to be here. The owners are very happy with our performance,” said Gaines.

Yikes.

What's gonna happen after the foreclosure?

bmwracer wrote:

Yikes. What's gonna happen after the foreclosure?

Hopefully somebody will pick up those properties and decide not to get rid of them...if they that..they might as well take the Little Tokyo sign down and pack it up man...

Tu_triky wrote:

Hopefully somebody will pick up those properties and decide not to get rid of them...if they that..they might as well take the Little Tokyo sign down and pack it up man...

Yeah, it'd be a big blow to the community.

bmwracer wrote:

Yeah, it'd be a big blow to the community.

Yup...moreover, I remember posting an article about a new Nikkei Center that was supposed to be built in Little Tokyo but I remember reading a while back that one of the developers pulled out of the deal. I'm trying to find the article but I can't seem to find any reference to it at the moment.

Tu_triky wrote:

Yup...moreover, I remember posting an article about a new Nikkei Center that was supposed to be built in Little Tokyo but I remember reading a while back that one of the developers pulled out of the deal. I'm trying to find the article but I can't seem to find any reference to it at the moment.

I remember that article: the new Nikkei Center is supposed to be like a replica of some area in Tokyo, right?

bmwracer wrote:

I remember that article: the new Nikkei Center is supposed to be like a replica of some area in Tokyo, right?

Yeah it was supposed to be influenced by fashionable areas such as Roppongi Hills and the like

All I can recall is that it is supposed to be some new mixed used development which would have office, retail, and residential space.

I found this link but it's not exactly what I was looking for.

http://www.angelenic.com/2963/nikkei-center-revealed-new-renderings/