Did Will and Kate See Skid Row? Did Anyone?

Skid Row. Skid Row. Skid Row.

The media and the royal couple made a lot out of visiting L.A.’s most desperate neighborhood. When it came to showing anything of the locale, however — Will and Kate attending a children’s painting class at the Inner City Arts program — the visual media mostly missed the opportunity (beyond a cheap example like this). The NYT summary, with a frank rundown of the trip’s choreography, heavy as it was on high society, glamour and glitz, did offer a snap from the sidewalk outside the painting class.

It seems the local press — it’s L.A. after all! — had the best opportunity to show something of Skid Row. Given this window to engage the eyes of the world, the LA Times did deliver three examples, the most realistic offering a corner market, cops on bikes and a crowd of fans, mostly from “Greater LA.” In the most compelling image, however, the neighborhood is relegated to a stage set for a plate and a parasol.

LAT Framework Royal Visit slideshow.

Zimbio Slideshow (I like #28. Call it the “Skid Row gown.”)

(photo: Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times caption: The Rev. Maria Margi waits for William and Catherine’s arrival at Inner-City Arts on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. linked photo: Liz O. Baylen/LA Times)