Tuesday, February 12, 2008 – Sunset Magic

Driving down Sunset Boulevard on a Tuesday afternoon dead in the middle of February, halfway between Hollywood and the Sunset Strip, the sun is shining through a light haze and it's in the mid-eighties – that will make you mellow. Winter isn't so bad. There's Harmony Gold on the corner of Stanley – nice name, although what goes on there is odd.  But they have fruit trees in bloom against their wall so all is right with the world. Harmony Gold, Harmony Gold, Harmony Gold – it has a nice sound.  So, turn the corner and park the Mini – and walk a bit.

But there is a destination – there were some odd things on the curb just before the turn.  It seems Objets d'Art & Spirit – "Magical and Decorative Products" – has magically appeared. They've been down on La Cienega for years and now they're on Guitar Row. They have a curious inventory and an even more curious owner.  So it's a golden, magical afternoon of harmony.  That will do just fine.

These were on the sidewalk –

The Buddha in the window –

Yes, she was in the last shot, behind Buddha –

The wall says it all –

A major work –

A reminder that this place is actually on Guitar Row –

As for the rest of the neighborhood, it has a different karma. This was in the window of the curio shop next door –

Still, there is harmony, and gold. The door at the Moroccan restaurant at Stanley catches the long February sunlight –

Actually it looked more like this –

If you wish to use any of these photos for commercial purposes I assume you'll discuss that with me. And should you choose to download any of these images and use them invoking the "fair use" provisions of the Copyright Act of 1976, please provide credit, and, on the web, a link back this site.

Technical Note:

Most of these photographs were shot with a Nikon D70 - using lens (1) AF-S Nikkor 18-70 mm 1:35-4.5G ED, or (2) AF Nikkor 70-300mm telephoto, or after 5 June 2006, (3) AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor, 55-200 mm f/4-5.6G ED. They were modified for web posting using Adobe Photoshop 7.0.  Earlier photography was done with a Sony Mavica digital still camera (MVC-FD-88) with built-in digital zoom.

All text and photos, unless otherwise noted, Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 - Alan M. Pavlik