Fires!

If you're in LA, you're probably getting the news about the fires, but this blog will give you a closer look at what the LAFD is doing.

Nature Mart

A nearby health food store that has been in the neighborhood since the '70s. It's small but packed with organic produce, juices, cage-free eggs, and the brands you can get from Whole Foods - but it's within walking distance. Lots of vitamins.

2080 Hillhurst Ave

Hidden Mickeys

Jane James has spent enough time at Disneyland with her family to spot tons of Hidden Mickeys. If you go, check her blog and see if you can find them yourself.

Here's a page for driving directions

Alpine Village - Torrance, CA

From Sandra Baikie:

Another point of some interest might be the
Alpine Village. It is a German village and has
right now a Hungarian Festival and in October
has Octoberfest.
Lots of Germans and authentic German
dress, music, food dancing.
There is a German restaurant which has live bands
every nite. I go to the Deli there as they have really
great German rye bread with or without caraway seeds.
Many German foods and people come from all over
LA for it. You see a lot of Europeans.
There is beside the Deli a cafeteria, very reasonable prices
and lots of indoor
and outdoor seating. You could sit on the patio all day
and no one would bother you, which I guess is a
European custom. Rather pleasant.
Might be of interest to some, kind of laid-back I'd say,
though I don't go for the line-dancing or whatever they do
at night.
It's also straight down the 110 freeway
and off on Torrance Blvd exit. It's right there, can't
miss it.

Downtown LA Walking Tour

Great maps and pictures:

"This map-based site contains hundreds of images of downtown Los Angeles, displaying its tremendous architectural, cultural and economic diversity. There are seven sub-regions, accessible either through the map or the list on the left bar. Each sub-region features specific sites of interest, whether architectural, cultural or economic."

I know you can take the Metro to Union Station which might be a good starting place. I've taken the train to LA and found the station to be a treat in itself. It's the sort of place that use for weddings and events.

Griffith Park

"53 miles of hiking trails"
"America's largest municipal park"
"the new plan is paving paradise"
"bike rental"
"Greek Theater"
"Merry-Go-Round"
"Equestrian Center"
"LA Zoo"

These are just some of the things that come up when you Google "Griffith Park". It really is an extraordinary place that will make you forget about the traffic down below. Just go.

Ahhhh Fatburger.

The first time I went to Fatburger, my husband pulled me over there. One dark, wet January evening,he had to pull me past the loud traffic along Vermont, on a filthy sidewalk into this questionable shopping center to this greasy looking little dive of a hamburger stand.

"You have to taste this," he said. Sigh. Ok. Then let's get back to the motel. Give me a simple hamburger with everything. Pete put some money into the jukebox and we watched the burger construction. Sat down on a wobbly stool, picked up the burger and with the first bite, the heavens opened up - angels started singing, cherubs flying around tooting their horns for us, miriad shooting stars! Vermont Ave. looked like fun and the shopping center was a welcoming place all of the sudden. I don't know what it is, but they make a great burger. Maybe it's all the winning people who come by from course and session that infuse the food with greatness.

We went to a Fatburger that opened in Colorado in a nearby town and it was good - but not as good as the ones at 1611 N. Vermont Ave. (& Hollywood) Hollywood, CA 90027. Now a trip to LA isn't complete without a Big Fat Deal.

Santa Clarita Free Concerts

According to Stefani Solon:

If ur in the Santa Clarita Area.... the free Concert in the Park at Central Park in Valencia at 6PM on Saturday Evenings r to die for. I went to the Fab Four one & it was soooo good. I called a friend from there who insisted I was playing a recording or The Beatles rather than holding the phone up for him to hear the Fab Four live. After it got dark the entire crowd held up & swayed back & forth their lighted cell phones, in lieu of the hand raised lighters of my day, when the band performed "Imagine"...... I thought it'd be hokey but went along to help w/the grand kids & ended up experiencing one of the high-lights of my life... & it was FREE... imagine that?

Here's a map:

Google Maps

Los Angeles by Stroller

From Dharma Ibarra-Reyes:

Here is a good tip. This is a book written by a Scientologist who used to live in LA and had 2 little ones with her. It's called Los Angeles by Stroller, and it is a tour guide for or people who live in Los Angeles and have preschool aged children. It also has a lot of details to help people orient themselves here. Enjoy

Hollywood DASH and LA Metro

Maureen Sullivan writes:


" You can take the DASH for 25 cents and go from the Complex to the Manor/CC Int.

You can enter your trip and the time you have to arrive or leave and they will tell you which bus/train to take.
Metro "

Electric Lotus

Helen Budlong writes:

Great unknown places to eat close to the complex:

Electric Lotus.
Indian Food. Best Indian Food in LA. On the corner of Vermont and Franklin.

House of Pies
Opposite Electric Lotus
Dubbed the best place in LA to write a screen play.

Maroush
Fabulous lebanese food in an unlikely strip mall. Like Electric Lotus, they started out in a fairly seedy strip mall looking like a stripped out neighborhood video store, and have grown and added ambience galore.
Maroush on Santa Monica at Edgeware

Mexico City
Great Mexican food
A few doors down from the famous Derby - Great Mexican Food - A "Star" hang out.
Los Feliz and Hillhurst

Tangier
Food is OK but pricey. But they often have great live music in the back room.

Zankou
Faboulous chicken and garlic sauce.
5065 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 665-7842

Success! Tutoring

From Betsy Jenkins:

"One thing that I've run across, as a tutor, is that the parents who are here doing services sometimes want to bring their children to tutoring to help keep up with their schoolwork-- when they've had to take the kids out of school to come for services. Of course this doesn't come up a lot, but it would be good for them to know that such a service exists, should they need it. I'm licensed by Applied Scholastics and am a very trained/experienced tutor. I also suped kids at Delphi for 10 years. I'll be glad to give you more data if needed."

Success! Tutoring
1827 W. Verdugo Ave. Suite F
Burbank, CA 91506
818-557-7379
betsyjenkins@dslextreme.com

Cabrillo Aquarium and Beach

Sandra Baike writes:

Our New Era Seniors recently had a picnic at
Cabrillo Aquarium and Beach. It is a lovely beach
what I like about it is there is plenty of flat ground
with plenty of barbeques picnic benches and huge
eucalytus trees for shade. It is in my opinion much
more restful than other beaches, with convenient
bath-house (beautiful building) restrooms, snack bar and a
lovely small aquarium where you can touch the
sea creatures. You just go straight down the 110
Freeway to the end (San Pedro, best to get a map
off the internet. In that same area are many sea-side
restaurants and so on though I haven't ecplored that
part. The aquarium if free, parking is $7. on the
week-end, cheaper during the week, and you park right
near to everything (no walking).Closed on Mondays.
There is a small dock and a breakwater you can fish off.
Always plenty to see, boats, etc. Very pleasant, restful.
Other beaches are more exposed. Redondo Beach
has a steep ramp and miles of bike trails and benches above
the ocean (spectacular view). It's quite lovely,
all the beaches are a bit different in their aspects.
The Queen Mary is in Long Beach but I haven't been there,
reported to be a great place for a meal.

Here's a webcam for :
Cabrillo Beach

Griffith Park Southern Railroad

Mary Chris Hines writes:

"I am not in LA currently, but used to live there and if someone has a car (or can borrow or rent one) they can go to a GREAT little place I found. This is even better if they have kids, but believe me, adults can get just as much of a kick out of it!
It's free to boot!!! (At least it was for the years I went there and likely still is!) It is run by old retired engineers who built these small trains and run them. Not only does it go by the items listed below, but also over a big wonderful tressle bridge and under tunnels. It is a total experience!
The directions from what I recall are: go north on Vermont to Los Feliz, go right and then go down to the park and left into the park, follow the road and it will be on the left hand side fairly far down. There is a big parking lot, and truthfully I can't recall a big sign or anything, but maybe there is one now.

Description:
The miniature train ride has served the public in Griffith Park since 1948. Youngsters of all ages enjoy the experience of riding the FREEDOM TRAIN or the COLONEL GRIFFITH on the Griffith Park Southern Railroad. The track stretches over a mile and takes the rider past pony rides, through a lush green meadow, through an old Western town, and past a Native American village."

The Vista Theater

From Steve Schafer in Los Feliz:

"The Vista Theater is on Sunset at Hilhurst 4 or 5 blocks east of ASHO / AO.
It has lots of character and aesthetics. The seats have the most legroom I've seen in any theater.
The prices are very reasonable and the features are usually top notch."

From
Cityguide :

If it's playing at the Vista, it's worth the road trip. This independent cinema on the edge of Silverlake looks charming enough from the outside, and you'll surely be amused by the colorful Egyptian decor in the lobby. But once you pass through the golden doors, you'll be amazed by the size of the 400 seat theatre, the amazing leg room and the spectacularly dramatic design. Red drapes frame sculpted pharaoh heads, beams jut across the vaulted ceilings and the dramatic lighting fixtures cast a golden glow throughout. A cinema like this makes even the dopiest movie an enjoyable event. -- Michael Flocker (Photo: Rick Fisher)

Los Feliz 3 Movie Theater

Los Feliz is a great little neighborhood with several funky destinations. One is the tiny Los Feliz theater. The big theater of the 3 seats around 150 people - the little ones about half that. If you like the idea of watching movies in an intimate setting, this will satisfy your needs.

Fun in the Sun!

Rob Hoover frequently treats locals to a fun day at the beach so if you see this after the Aug and Sept, contact him to see if something else is going on-

Have a fun day at the beach with the famed Celebrity Centre Int. Surf Club
Free surfing lessons, beach clean Up pass out The Way To Happiness, get a tan.
Santa Monica Beach Sunday Aug 14th. 9am - 3pm
Malibu Surfrider Beach Sept 17th. 9am - 12noon
Call for ride from complex

Contact info (323) 661-0169 or robone@pacbell.net

Zankou Chicken

Yes, it looks seedy but NY Metro magazine lists it as one of the top five strip mall restaurants to visit in LA. Think of it as a "word of mouth jewel".

From the website:

SHAWERMA
Marinated and spiced slices of Beef stacked on a spit and grilled against an open fire.

TARNA ®
Marinated and spiced slices of Chicken stacked on a spit and grilled against an open fire.

FALAFEL
Crushed Garbanzo and Fava Beans, Split Peas, mixed with exotic natural spices and deep fried in peanut oil.

HOMMUS
A paste made of blended Garbanzo Beans mixed with sesame sauce, fresh garlic and topped with salad oil.

MUTABBAL
A paste made of grilled Eggplant, mixed with sesame sauce, fresh garlic and topped with salad oil.


There is one near the Complex at
HOLLYWOOD
5065 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90027
(323) 665.7842
(Corner of Sunset and Normandie)

Yuca's Hut

Yuca's is a tiny little hut in the parking lot next to a liquor store, 2056 Hillhurst Ave.
They also have a place where Casa Diaz used to be at 4666 Hollywood Blvd.

Pure yum.
http://www.yucasla.com/

Jon's vs Von's

These are the 2 mainstays for groceries if you don't have a car. They offer 2 distinctly different shopping experiences.

Jon's is at Vermont and Hollywood right next to Barnsdall Park. Long lines, small aisles, tight corners but lots of ethnic flavor. You can buy cactus, Russian bread, mortadella, piroshkis, plantains and listen to languages besides English and Spanish. The parking lot is pretty dirty and the store probably isn't a model for the chain but it's an excursion in itself.

Von's is part of the Safeway chain. It's cleaner, not sparkly. Expect more of what you would get in a suburban shopping experience including the in store Starbucks. It's located down Sunset near the intersection of Hollywood and Sunset.

Then you can always ask Victor to take you for a ride to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods...

Barnsdall Park

Did you know that there is a beautiful place behind Jon's Grocery? Take a virtual tour of Barnsdall Park. There are some great murals there and far ranging views in all directions. Frank Lloyd Wright's first LA project, Hollyhock House, is there, too. It was closed for a few years to repair damage caused by an earthquake, but just recently reopened. It's a quiet and beautiful place to get above the noise of Hollywood Blvd.

Here's a map.