DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Fun times Downtown this evening... DLANC's Arts Committee was supposed to meet at 7pm on the 10th floor of City Hall. Jason Waters and I were the first to arrive, and were greeted on 1st St. by General Services Police vehicles and flares blocking off the lanes closest to City Hall. The perimeter of South Lawn had officers standing at regular intervals. One of the GS cops told us there was a suspicious package. We made it to the building, but they had us walk on the City Hall East side of Main before crossing over at the mid-block crosswalk.

The security guard at the front told us to wait, and spent the next five to ten minutes on the radio trying to figure out what he should do. Finally he got word via radio that we could be cleared to go to the 10th floor -- only floors two and three were off-limits. One other committee member was able to join us upstairs.

But then, as we're waiting upstairs we start to get word via cell phone that others aren't even able to get within a block of City Hall. It begins to dawn on us that we really aren't going to be able to have a meeting.

Best quote of the evening, from a parking enforcement guy blocking off Spring at Temple: "Five years of false alarms and it gets boring. Maybe if it blows up that'll be exciting."

I like the picture I took right before we left the building, though. It was just about to be sunset, and I didn't quite get the full silhouette, but it's close.