Thursday, September 25, 2008

Who needs Laemmle?

This weekend, Pomona has short Films for free, antiques and collectibles to peruse, and of course, if you're yearning for the urban experience it's a Saturday Art Walk weekend. Also check out Trapt, which will be playing at the Glasshouse on Friday.

Elsewhere?

Ontario........who knows?

Our friends in Claremont are offering a free Friday jazz festival at the Metrolink station from 7-8:30. Not a neighborhood I trust, but that's probably why I live in Pomona.

Visit Metro Pomona for a complete schedule of events and a map of downtown businesses.


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who needs Laemmle? Me. It's a good theater.

"Not a neighborhood I trust, but that's probably why I live in Pomona."

I don't understand this sentence. Do you mean by this quote that the Claremont village area is not a physical neighborhood (which it is, and a walkable one at that--I get a walk score of 83. What's yours, Ed?) or that you feel unsafe in the Village? I'll put up the safety of my neighborhood against any in Pomona any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

What's with all the anti-Claremont rhetoric of late on this blog? I liked it better when it was more pro-Pomona and less anti-Claremont. Feeling a little inadequate?

Kate Thornton said...

The Claremont Metrolink station is a really nice place to meet my weekend guests from Los Angeles. We used to pick them up at the Pomona Metrolink station, but it's not next to anything. Well, not next to anything nice, like the Claremont Village.

As much as I love my Pomona home, I really like Claremont for the wonderful things it offers - two contiguous walking/ shopping/ eating/ entertainment areas, the cultural font of the James Turrell Skyspace, lovely memories of my times as a resident there in the late 1960s, and the wonderful way it works as a city with a village feel to it.

Pomona could learn a lot from Claremont, if it weren't so busy being a petulant jealous sibling.

The Laemmle is a fine thater - and since Pomona doesn't have an indoor movie theater, we all need it and the others like it (I like the Harkins in Chino Hills myself, it's closer to where I live)

So c'mon - My Pomona neughborhood is very safe - lower crime rate than other areas of the city, including Lincoln Park - and I can walk alone in the evenings if I wish. But Claremont is beautiful and pedestrian-friendly and I see no reason to knock it.

Pomona's Saturday Art Walk is really worthy of promoting - let's get more folks out there, touring the galleries, checking out the new lounges and all the shops (Didja see the beautiful new Bridal Shop on Second Street?) and snacking at the restaurants, not to mention ogling some very fine art. The show at the da Center is a knockout!

Anonymous said...

Seamus, I am 99.9% sure Ed was kidding.
You know.... being ironic.
It just proves that people in Pomona also have better humor comprehension.
It's a coping mechanism.
Ha Ha.
Mark

Ed said...

Oops. It was actually a joke. I almost put "I do" at the bottom of the post in reference to the question "Who needs Laemmle".

I'll take a few seconds here to explain the post.
First, I've never referenced a Claremont event in any of my event posts, but the jazz performance is a cool idea and it was free....even cooler.

As for the train station, I've been there hundreds of time, so what I was actually poking fun at, was the obsession of those in other communities to view their neighborhoods as being more safe than areas of Pomona. Thanks for helping on that one!

I probably shouldn't take the time to add this, but since even Kate didn't get the post, I'll further clarify. On a personal note, I spend gobs of time in Claremont, own property in Claremont, visit the Village regularly, have many friends who live in Claremont, and I even volunteer in Claremont.

Was it anti-Claremont? Give me a break. When I'm comparing a revenue-generating established theatre with a free night of short films being played outdoors, how did you not take it as tongue-in-cheek.

So definitely, no apologies here. Just a week ago, I had the opportunity to overhear a Claremont resident say she wouldn't teach in Pomona schools because of gangbangers! Hmmmm...at least my post was joke!

I could understand your response if I was perpetuating the generalization that the Village had a crime problem, or if I had made a cheap reference to the recent racial incident, but then I know Claremont pretty well, so why would I do that. And besides, I wouldn't see the humor in kicking the city that's already down.

and Mark, THANKS.

Anonymous said...

All of your points are well-taken, Ed.

I certainly wasn't trawling for an apology, so you're right that none is needed.

I just got a little tired of the un-provoked potshots at Claremont (which seem to be increasing in frequency lately). Honestly, it can be hard to detect humor and/or sarcasm on blogs because online, anything goes. So I never know if you guys mean it when you issue these jabs or you're just having some fun.

I mean, there's plenty to knock Claremont for, but I try to be objective about it and to me the Laemmle and the Back Abbey (which gets knocked around a little here) are two of the best things about this town.

The original objective of the blog, which was to promote Pomona, was a good one. So when you throw in the anti-Claremont stuff, whether in jest or not, it detracts from that objective and makes me believe you have a chip on your shoulder about the whole thing.

Keep the good stuff about Pomona coming.

meg said...

I suspect many anti-Claremont jabs are directed at our neighbors -- and there are more than a few -- who want Pomona to be just like Claremont, with lawn-watering restrictions, overnight parking laws, and so forth. At a meeting not too long ago, someone floated the idea of making LP a gated community, just like one up in Padua Hills (I forget the name). Another neighbor wants us all to chip in to hire a 24/7 rent-a-cop just for LP.

I don't think either Ed or I is likely to get less snarky any time soon. So Brother Seamus and other objectors probably need to think about whether this is the right blog for them.

Anonymous said...

"So Brother Seamus and other objectors probably need to think about whether this is the right blog for them."

Perhaps this isn't the right blog for me. That's dissapointing in that I check it pretty regularly to find out the good things that are going in Pomona (like the proposed tequila bar--that's pretty cool!).

But you're right in that I don't need to continue reading it if I have to wade through pointless and unwarranted anti-Claremont rhetoric to get to what's good about Pomona. So, in the end you guys are only doing a disservice to the city of Pomona.

meg said...

Seamus, I think you misunderstand. This blog was not started as a public service, and any such service that occurs is purely accidental. This blog and many others are geared more toward self-expression -- both the authors' and the commenters'. You seem interested in only half of that equation.

I also find it interesting that only barbs directed at Claremont catch your attention. Do the many barbs directed at Pomona (both here and elsewhere) fly under the radar because they are the status quo?

In any case, there are several well-written Pomona blogs that *are* committed to public service, and you'll find them in the blogroll to the right. Their tone and content will surely be more to your liking.

Ed said...

Wow. Has there been that much anti-Claremont rhetoric?

Brother Seamus,
You don't really have to answer this, but do you read the Claremont Insider?

I'm amazed this boiled over from a post trying to promote a free jazz performance in Claremont. Maybe those of us in Pomona really do have a better sense of humor.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I suppose my original claim was overblown. I just got caught up in the moment and decided I needed to vent about it.

I used to read the Insider pretty regularly, but after awhile I stopped because I didn't feel like I was getting anything out of it. I think that a lot of the time they're just making noise for the sake of making noise (as in the display of city employees' paystubs--I thought that was unnecessary). If they focused more on land-use issues (especially the big picture, or how the details fit into the overall plan--or lack thereof), then I'd probably be more interested. Land use is something the people who run this town don't seem to have a very firm grasp of (just like practically every other municipality in America).