It's been several months since businesses and local residents in our town's northernmost parts declared an end to the "El Porto" brand for the area. (See "El Porto? No Más!")
They settled on the tamer, and geographically appropriate, moniker: "North Manhattan Beach." (MBC readers know we prefer a spicier compromise: El Norte.)
Saturday was a fabulous day of festoonery, with work crews starting early and working late to install banners (pictured) with the new branding.
They're nice enough, but there are some issues. First, those banners, placed 15-20 feet overhead, contain only one word that is easily readable by the average person: "NORTH."
Our city's name is in smaller type below and the state's name is in there somewhere, too, in microtype at the bottom. You can make out the words in our closeup pic here, but good luck reading them while whizzing by on Highland. It's a design flaw for the banners – forgivable if the logo is going to be used in other ways.
Second, the logo features a surfer. That's very kind, but that surfer is also the epitome of "El Porto," the name they're wiping out. This new business district of "North Manhattan Beach" is all about spas and sushi and handbags and Bora Bora and the (upcoming) North Manhattan Lounge. You didn't need to rename El Porto to invoke its surf-spot heritage – in fact, it's kind of rude and ironic to do so.
Surfers are quite obviously the one group of residents (and visitors) who are never going to call the area "North Manhattan Beach." The proprietor of the local surf shop recognized that and renamed his store. (See "You Can't Kill 'El Porto.'")
So there's your irony. To market the new upscale, martinis-and-massages flavor of the area, the cappuccino crowd is drawing on the area's downscale reputation as a surf ghetto.
The whole effort won't cause more omelettes to be ordered at the Local Yolk (do they have to rename Al's El Porto?) and it won't cause more loads of laundry go be done at the Washtub, but perhaps this sunny new branding will draw a few extra bucks to El Norte anyway, and who's not for more money?
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Irony in El Norte
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30 comments:
Great post MBC.
Yeah, it's kind of lame renaming the place North Manhattan Beach to draw more latte sippers from OC to the area.
I'm kind of new to the south bay and would like someone to explain me something:
when did mb really get upscale? Did surfers ever get angry at the nouveau riche coming in to roost??
thanks all
surfers always hate it when they are evicted but so what - let them move to mexico
No surfers were ever "evicted" from MB. The surfers families sold the homes to the wealthy who redeveloped them into larger and more expensive properties. They are equally to blame for their problems as we (the rich homeowners) are.
most surfers were renters
and when the yuppies from Boston flooded in to MB the landlords sold out leaving the surfers no place to live
give me the bottom line
i buy a teardown for 2 mil and hire an architect to design what i want - all in do i pay more for the finished product than i would for a spec or not
i have to decide soon
7:23.
Please go away.
You have asked this question time and time again. It has been answered time and time again. STFU. Go away. Nobody cares about your comparison between spec home or hire an architect.
dear anon 7:23 our family bought a teardown for 2+ and will finish construction end of summer. what will you pay? who are you using, what type of home will you build, what type of finishes (tile, windows, appliances, doors, floors) etc.? Are you married? is your relationship strong going into a house build (not a joke, important issue)? you are looking for simple yes / no answer.. we are very happy we are building.. but not for everyone.
is your relationship strong going into a house build (not a joke, important issue)?
Man is that ever the truth! After we finished our house, people would say, "It must be so nice living in a house that's exactly how you want it." I'd laugh, because when I look around all I see is a huge set of compromises made with my husband. Also, you will hear about everything you refused to budge on, that might not have turned out perfectly, forever. [Oh, that? That was Susan's idea.] Take my word for it.
I've got news for you folks. I, and many other long time MB surfers, and their families, did not move out. We were early owners and now not only own our houses, but own rentals here, and in Hawaii and Costa Rica . . . I don't know of any surfing families who "sold the homes to the wealthy". I've got news for you, most of the surfing families I know are wealthy.
...great here we go again - the we're richer than you banter has hit the blog again. This is old.
oh, and I agree with the person who wrote about a fool and his money (in so many words)...I can personally vouch that my over-paid, about to be fired money manager, is a great case in point. Why is it that these guys have great stats...except when it comes to showing me real returns. Oh well, chatter for another blog I guess.
Yes, some of these comments are lame, but that is consistent with blogs. Have you ever checked out bimmerfest.com where they have testosterone fueled debates about why you are not a real man if you do not buy/lease the bigger engine? Sort of like the trees v. sand debates here. LOL.
Back to the subject, though - the renaming of El Porto is a waste of money. It would be better to get Peets to put a store in and B of A or Wells to put a real cash machine in. The restaurants down there are okay, but we need a few more reasons to go down there regularly.
The discussion of neighboring communities is off point.
Anyone ever look at a map of the MTA Green Line. No doubt there were some powerful political forces ($$$$) that had a hand in its curious route. It's supposed to be an East-West line, but instead of continuing west to LAX or the beach, it takes a 90 degree dog-leg to the south so that it bypasses LAX and Manhattan Beach.
The Daily Breeze looked at the "Green Line" issue and found popular suspicions wrong. The main purpose of the endpoint was to put it close to the defense/aerospace campuses.
The Breeze doesn't have the story available anymore, but it's archived here on a state assemblyperson's website (no partisan stake here):
http://tinyurl.com/3pfmzd
Criminals have come down Rosecrans for years to do crime.
Hey I'm sure that everyone has heard about the shootout at the theater on Rosecrans over the weekend. Never did like that place, too many gang bangers.
When they LA Riots took place in 1992. They were pulling over bad boys with guns in El Segundo who were coming to the beach cities to do some crime. I hate to see what will happen during the next riots or when the "big one" comes.
MB is nice if you need to be there for work and want to be close to LA. Otherwise, there are so many better places to live for the $$$'s
I lived there for 49 years. But I didn't like all the changes, so I moved. For me it has lost it's beach charm and the new residents aren't for me.
LA has gotten too crowded. I got tired of how long it can take you to get in or out of the LA Basin when you are headed up to Mammoth. Even at 10 PM!
Maybe they should rename east of Sepulveda - East Manhattan Beach. How about renaming Hermosa Beach - South Manhattan Beach?
Um...when has east of Sepulveda NOT been East Manhattan Beach? ...am I missing something here?
E MB - no flags, no logo. Not yet.
Hermosa Beach would NEVER go for "South Manhattan". We prefer to refer to MB as the "Buffer Zone".
Funny, we think of Hermosa Beach the same way.
El Porto was great back in the 70's. When I was in High School, we used to go to Flight Attendants parties.
One time I was talking to a 30-something year old customer of mine from DC.
He had even heard of Manhattan & Hermosa. To quote "Dude you are so lucky to have grown up in Hermosa & Manhattan during the 70's"
Long Live El Porto!
Movie Theater incident saw 4 additional handguns confiscated from non-involved parties. I hope that El Segundo Plaza doesn't become the next Gang Banger hangout.
You hope it doesn't become the next gang hangout? It already is. Most MB Moms I know say it's daytime movies only for local kids at ALL local theaters.
8:57 and MBW -- I've seen that article a few times and still wonder why that article dismisses the parking issue that quickly. Nonetheless, it's rather silly that the Green Line doesn't hit LAX and that it doesn't go to the Norwalk train station. Nowhere to Nowhere is right.
What's going on with 317 5th ? any offers on it yet
looks under priced
under priced compared to what?
a few things here,
anon 7:23 and anon 8:03, where did u buy a teardown for 2 mil and how long ago? My mom is thinking about selling our house (its a teardown) but we are deciding on a price. It would be interesting to see what teardown went for 2mil+
Also, I heard about the flight attendant parties of the 70s, my dad told me that thats all El Porto used to be, flight attendants. Has anyone seen the movie "Blow" with Johnny Depp? I guess thats how it used to be
On the El Porto topic the old sandwich shop next to El Tarasco, Papa Jakes, was sold and they renamed it El Porto Surf Cafe.
Great detail, 2:39, thanks
seems OK to rename a place if the character has changed. however, if it is still the same people, same economic class, same crime rates, then i do not like the idea of trying to 'sweep everything under the rug' by doing a name change.
anyone have an answer for me a few posts up?
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