Aprilbaby's California Life

Nah, Reall-ay. We totally talk like this in LA

So, like, my old man and I went to this Oaxacan mole place - which we found after taking the 118 to the 5 - in Sun Valley. Then we struck up a convo ('Cuz saying conversation is just way too exhausting after all that driving we did) with this dude, who turned out to be a judge... Nah, reall-ay. He didn't wear a robe or look really mean, or anything. So I said, Hey judge-dude (okay, not exactly that way), so how'd ya find this place?

No shit, this is what he said: "Since I work at the court house in Pasadena, I take the 210 to the 134 to the 5 and get off on Sunland." Or something like that.

Nah, reall-ay. That's, like, totally true.

I'm Performing my Christmas Story: "Suicidal Santa"

I'll be performing my story, along with other storytellers (a great cast of actors with compelling stories), on stage for the next two Thursdays in December.

Come and see me (Michele Miles Gardiner) perform my true Christmas tale, "Suicidal Santa." An excerpt from my book in progress, "Craving Normal."

*Not recommended for small children. My story's a little naughty. I hope Santa won't be watching!

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Santa Monica Little Theatre
12420 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-622-4482

Purchase tickets online here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2604973546

Online sales end one hour before performance. I believe tickets cost more at the door.

Performance times:

December 22, 2011, 8-9 PM (Thursday)

Info about the theater: http://www.theblackboxtheater.org/

*Parking is available behind the theater by entering on Centinela. Street parking also available.

Happy Holidays! Shopping Local, Helping Small Businesses Thrive.

 

This Christmas, I'm shopping local. Too many of my favorite mom and pop shops have closed in recent years. So I'm doing what I can to help out some of my favorite family-owned small businesses, crafts people and artisans.

Here's my list of Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley area businesses I highly recommend. Please feel free to add your own favorites to the comment section. Thanks!

Big Kid Collectables - 14109 Burbanks Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 9140, 818-785-9208: Retro toys, games and more!

Handmade Galleries LA - 14556 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403, 818-382-3444: Eclectic treasures from over 100 artists and crafts people.

Iguana Vintage Clothing - 14422 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 818-907-6716: Great collection of vintage clothing and accessories! All December, everything, except accessories, is 50% off.

Artisanal LA Holiday Pop-Up Shop - Armory Center for the Arts at 145 N Raymond Ave
Pasadena, CA 91103, 626-792-5101. Over 50 of LA's best local food artisans.

Sherman Oaks Antique Mall - 14034 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks, CA 91423, 818-906-0338: Have a friend who'd love a Beatles' lunch box or mid-century vase? You'll likely find them here!

Galco's Old World Market's Soda Pop Stop - 5702 York Blvd, Los Angeles (Highland Park), CA 90042, 323-255-7115: Classic and eclectic soda heaven!! Galco's has a great collection of retro candies, too. Gift idea - make a basket of hard to find sodas and classic candy.

Cavaretta's Deli and Store -  22045 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91304, 818-340-6626: Family run deli for over 50 years! I love this place. Gift ideas - a food basket of Italian cheeses, sauces, olives, salamis, wines and more. Or just buy a pasta maker. (Photo below: Interior Cavaretta's)

Franklin's Hardware - 21936 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91364, 818-347-6800: Family owned business since 1952. Have a handy friend? Franklin's will not only offer you great service, but'll be sure to have something from gardening, to grilling to automotive tools.

Artists, Marvin Kanarek and Mike "Tempo" Temple - Contact Marvin Kanarek here and Mike "Tempo" Temple here. What better gift to give an art-lover than an original artwork right from the artist?

Vidiots - 302 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405, 310-392-8508: Patty Polinger and Cathy Tauber, indie movie lovers, have owned and run this store since 1985. Need a gift for a movie lover? Vidiots has a great collection of rare films; foreign and independent films are their specialty. I wrote about the store, here.

Junk for Joy - 3314 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505, 818-569-4903: For your vintage clothing-loving friends with "good and bad taste."

Follow Your Heart - 21825 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91303, 818-348-3240: Started by four friends in 1976, this is just the place to buy a gift for health food and/or vegan friends. They also have a seciton of whimsical and unique gifts. Gift ideas - gift certificate to the restaurant (I love their nut burgers!) or a basket of delicious and healthy foods or organic lotions and cosmetics.

Los Angeles Conservancy - Would like to buy a gift for someone who appreciates history and/or architecure? Buy them one of Los Angeles Conservancy's incredibly informative and enjoyable walking tours. You can purchase tickets right online. Or how about buying them a membership to the conservancy? You'd give a great gift and help preserve the best of LA.

Polka Polish Restaurant - 4112 Verdugo Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90065, 323-255-7887: Owned and run by Polish immigrant husband and wife. Need to find a gift for someone who loves homemade Polish food - or just good homestyle cooking - but they have no idea where to find it in LA? Take them here!

Silverlake Conservatory of Music - 3920 Sunset Blvd., Silverlake, CA 90029, 323-665-3176: Founded by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers - this is not only a wonderful music school, but provides music lessons for under priviledged kids. Tired of buying your child video games? Why not give a life long gift? Music lessons! And you'll be helping a great cause.

Luigi Dellaripa Custom Tailor - 14514 Sylvan St, Van Nuys, CA 91411, 818-786-8432: In business for over 50 years! Stumped by what to buy a well-dressed friend who enjoys fine tailoring, how about a gift certificate to Luigi's Tailoring? (Photo: Luigi)

Dragonfly Stained Glass - 7134 Owensmouth Ave, Canoga Park, CA 91303, 818-340-0245: Larry Joers has run Dragonfly since 1976. How about creating a one of a kind stained-glass gift for that hard-to-buy-for friend or loved-one?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red Barn Feed and Saddlery - 18601 Oxnard Street, Tarzana 91356, 818-345-2510: Family run for over 50 years! Need a great gift for a four-legged or feathered friend, come to Red Barn.

ITS Net Services - Need a gift for someone who needs a new website? Contact my stepson Adam at his website.

Apex Electronics -8909 San Fernando Rd, Sun Valley, CA 91352, 818-767-7202: So you have an electronic geek to buy for and you're puzzled what to get them? Well, even movie studios raid Apex's wacky rows of robots, rockets, wires and knobs to find cool stuff - I'm sure you can find something unique here.

Other ideas - Take a music-loving friend out to hear live music. And if that friend loves to get funky on the dance floor, try to find King Cotton's "Cold as Ice" playing in LA. If your friend doesn't move to King and Cold as Ice, I suggest getting a new friend (kidding... but only slightly.)

Visit LA Farmer's Market - weaving through the aroma-filled aisles of restaurants, gourmet shops and produce stands - you're bound to find a wonderful gift here.

Then there are all the great boutiques throughout LA, from great little shops in the Sunset Junction area of Silver Lake, to the eclectic stores all along Main Street in Santa Monica, to the vintage and hobby shops on Magnolia in Burbank, to Canoga Park's Antique Row on Sherman Way, between Topanga and Canoga... So much more fun to explore the  all-the-same mall stores.


Merry Christmas... happy holidays! I'd love to hear about your favorite "mom and pop" shops and artisans.

*Big thanks to Lisa Ann Walter for giving me the idea to make a list of my favorite small businesses and artists, while she discussed shopping local on her radio show.

Here's a slideshow of some of my favorite LA shops, etc., including LA's Farmer's Market and Downtown Central market.

 

 

Cliché L.A.!

Here's my slide show of just a bit of what I love about LA. All the great stuff is tangled, woven, and often hidden amongst and beneath LA's clichés.

Yeah, LA is more than our clichés, but they do exist -

 

Cliché L.A.!

Golden days

Summer haze

Pacific Coast Highway

Awesome waves

Screenplays

Valets

The Palisades

Silver Lake

Fake…

Boobs

Surfer dudes

Film debuts

Malibu

Attitudes

California Dreams

Palm trees

Plastic surgery

Itsy bitsy bikinis

Purple mountains majesty

Paparazzi

Graffiti

TMZ

Venice Beach

Slangy speech

Movie…

Stars

Luxury cars

Sushi bars

Award Shows

Chateau Marmont

Spago

Limos

Studios

Rodeo…

Drive

The 405

Blue skies

Pulled back eyes

Toned thighs

Chili fries

Hollywood sign

Social climb

I, me, mine

Gang Crime

Drive thrus

Swimming pools

Sparkling jewels

Glamour

Clamor

Rush hour

Want more

Power…

Trip

Sunset Strip

Film script

Set Grips

Hollywood gossip

Hoes and pimps

Star-struck

Nip and tuck

Make a buck

Life don’t suck

Taco trucks

Traffic

Psychic

Pornographic

Manic

Panic

Organic…

 Sprouts

In-n-Out

Celebs bailed out

Droughts

Injected pouts

Golden State

Earthquakes

Lose weight

Get sedate

How much you make?

Old age can wait

Cuz…

Life is great…

in L.A.!

Written by Michele Miles Gardiner

 

Trippy Timetravel

Sunset Strip in the Summer of Love

 

 

 

Charles Lange talks about his Belinda boutique, on the Sunset Strip, and their mod fashions in the Summer of Love. What a trip!

 

Laurel Canyon Rock Scene, 1960s

 

Republic Pictures 75th Anniversary

Yesterday, I volunteered at the 75th Anniversary of Republic Pictures event and had a blast. Republic Pictures was one of the San  Fernando Valley's great movie studios of Westerns and B movies. As a lover of California history and Hollywood's past, I enjoyed every minute.

 

Many of the Republic Pictures stars or their children were there to speak on panels and sign photos. Since I was working elsewhere on the CBS lot, I wasn't able to see many of the events. But I did spend my last two hours checking out the memorabilia and taking photos.

Awkward Celebrity Moment!

What's the matter with me, flirting with a man in his 80s? How inappropriate! When I came upon Hugh O'Brian (Wyatt Earp) signing photographs, he asked, as I checked out his photos, "Do you see anything you like?"

So I pointed to a photo of him - bronzed skin, wearing only a skimpi mankini - and said, "Yeah, that!"

 

Then he said, "You show me yours and I'll show you mine." After some more inappropriate back and forth that's now a blur, the blonde lady to his right asked me, "Do you want to purchase anything?" Then Hugh mentioned his "Wyatt Earp" DVDs. But I muttered something about my DVD player not working and scampered away when someone else came to ask Mr. O'Brian a question.

So there it is - I flirted with Hugh O'Brian and then ditched him when he gave me a sales pitch. Yes, I am pathetic.

Of course, I meant no disrespect to the still charming Mr. O'Brian. I honestly do have a broken DVD player and am watching my dollars.

 

Cool Hollywood Encounter

After my Hugh O'Brian blunder, I turned around to find an elegant older man, looking cool and refined in spite of the 100 + degree weather, dressed in a pinstriped seersucker suit. He took my right hand in his hands and looked into my eyes. I smiled and said, "And how are you?" To which he responded, "Fine right now." And then I moved on.

I asked one of the event coordinators, "Who is that elegant man in the pinstriped suit?" and told her about my encounter.

"Oh, yeah, that's A.C. Lyles, Mr. Paramount."

Intrigued, I Googled him when I got home. Yep, A.C. Lyles is one of the great Hollywood producers. He started as a young man in Hollywood under Adolph Zukor. So cool!

I adore old Hollywood! (photo: A. C. Lyles posing with costumed event attendee)

More fun Hollywood Moments

I met beautiful Republic Pictures actress Linda Stirling's son Chris Nibley, a Director of Photography. Since his parents met on the Republic lot (his father was screenwriter Sloan Nibley), he practically grew up on the Republic lot. A real sweet guy, Chris had great stories about the caves that were once there, the Gunsmoke set, the L.A. River before it was paved over and how his mom faked knowing how to ride a horse to get her first starring role as "Tiger Woman".

I never tire of hearing about Hollywood history. Those stories are how imagined Hollywood to be. They're why I moved to Los Angeles and dreamed of being in movies. I told Chris that the Hollywood I encountered didn't really live up to my dreams, "You know" I said. "Too many dirty old camermen asking me if I wanted to look into their cameras." D'oh! Could I stick my foot in my mouth any farther? He's a cameraman.

Chris just laughed.

Another great guy I met was Ben Costello, author of "Gunsmoke: An American Insitution" and "Jack & Walter" about Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. I love Lemmon and Matthau, and struck up a conversation with Ben and got to hear some of his jaw-droppingly wonderful Hollywood tales of Jack Lemmon, Steve McQueen and more.

Who else did I see? Adrian Booth, Dan Haggerty, Theodore Bikel, Leonard Maltin, Chuck Connors' son, Robert Blake (yes, that Robert Blake!) and more.

So I just had a blast spending the day with so many kind, creative and entertaining people, while soaking in the Valley's history and hearing some great Hollywood stories. In spite of the 100 plus degree heat, all seemed to have a great time.

The Studio City Neighborhood Council and San Fernando Valley Museum put this entire event on for absolutely no charge. Great job!

(Left Photo - Adrian Booth/Right Photo - Dan Haggerty and fan)

More of my photos here and this blog, Hollywoodland, has some great photos.

 

 

 

Get In the Car and Drive

Get in the car and drive. That’s what my husband, Ian, and I like to do when Friday night rolls around and we’d forgotten to make plans. Usually we won’t have a destination in mind, only vague ideas – Let’s drive over Topanga toward the ocean, drive along Wilshire, head over to Santa Monica, maybe downtown…

 

One recent Friday night, we hopped on Wilshire near Beverly Hills and just kept going toward downtown. We stopped to pay our respects to the desolate and nearly empty lot where t he Ambassador Hotel once stood. With just the sound of cars wooshing by now, I stared at the haunting space and thought I could almost hear a big band blaring from the Cocoanut Grove.  B ut  the Ambassador is but a memory; meanwhile across the street, an old neighbor, the Gaylord apartment building still stands lit up and full of life.

Back in our car, we continued down Wilshire, and turned down a street beside Macarthur Park. There, we stumbled upon a whole new universe for us. Out of the dark, with downtown LA skyscrapers glowing in the background, a bandstand lit up in pink  and purple lights, seeming to float in the dark. We rolled down the window and could hear a band playing - conga drums, quick and energetic. We could see silhouettes of people dancing.  Latin music filled the air.  We got out, listened to the band and then walked near the park’s lake.

 

There was a festival – parents and children rode on tiny roller-coasters and whirling rides; the smell of roasted meats and corn floated by. A Mexican man and woman tried to tame an angry miniature horse that seemed to finally have enough of begin humiliated for the public’s humor.

 

Only a half-hour car ride from home and yet we’d felt like we were miles from home.

 

So last Friday night, we headed to Santa Monica with the idea of stopping in a café or a pub… or whatever we’d stumble upon along the way.

 

It was just after 8pm, when got to Main Street.  The cool little bead shop, the eclectic toy store, the collectible store and California bohemian clothing stores were already closed. But the pubs, cantinas and outdoor cafes swarmed with people. Each time we walked by one happening spot we’d hear the sounds of chatter and laughter, and even caught snatches of conversation. One long-haired surfer dude to another guy:  ”Dude, he’s totally  involved, dude, in organized crime… dude.” One dude per every three words, I figured. My husband nodded. We passed a night time painting and wine drinking class taking place on a patio. Students painted and studied their easels while sipping glasses of wine.

 

Then we came to Jadis, a shop we’d peeked into many times before but had never seen opened. This night it was. In the window stands a replica of the robot, Maria, from the film “Metropolis”. It’s surrounded by a crowd of whirling and flapping gadgets, whose-its, what’s-its and whatcha-ma-callits that look like they came from a Dr. Seuss story. With the store lit up, my electronic engineer husband gaped at the floor to ceiling collection of antiquey-looking electronics with dials, coils, meters and knobs. I think I saw him drool.

 

While Ian ogled the gadgetry through the window, I walked to the front door and studied the posted signs: “Knowledge ain’t nothin’” and “Disorganize what you don’t know.” And then I saw a sign that said we could knock on the door and enter for $2 per person. But no cameras or laughing are allowed, one sign warned.

 

My husband knocked. I stood behind him. A skinny man with a long white-haired ponytail opened the door.  We put our dollars in a dish and entered. The skinny man began to tell us what the store was all about. First he asked if we knew anything about Ray and Charles Eames. Ian and I nodded, we were both big collectors of mid-century furniture back in the 1980s. We were so into our mid-century furniture that on our first date when Ian entered my apartment and saw my amoeba shaped coffee table (I’d bought at a garage sale), he knew we were a match. That and the way I devoured my Moroccan food later that evening. So, yeah, we knew all about the Eames' designs, have been to some of their art exhibits, have books about them and have their films on DVD. We love the Eames.

 

Well, the man told us, then we’d appreciate what the shop’s all about since the owner Parke Meek - a man with only a sixth-grade education and an inquisitive and imaginative mind - who worked with Ray and Charles Eames, designed props for Hollywood and collected his shop-full of curiosities along the way. Since Ian also designs and engineers recording consoles (and is real into vintage electronics) it was an extra bonus, considering our tour guide once worked in some capacity for the Rolling Stones and Frank Sinatra. So Ian and our tour-guide hit it off. They stopped at every techno, electro sort of meter-type of object and discussed them in detail, nodding and shaking their heads in mutual amazement.

 

While they talked, I roamed the room. As I ogled the collectible curiosities, I thought about the shop’s owner Parke Meek - his work, his imagination, his curiosity and his lack of schooling. I thought about the quote that’s been attributed to Mark Twain: “I never let schooling get in the way of my education". And realized some of the most amazing people I’ve met and know, have never stopped asking questions – Why? What? How? Why not? They’ve never forgotten to be childlike and curious.

 

Ian and the pony-tailed man shook hands, and we thanked him for his tour.

 

Then we went across the street to the Irish pub, Finn McCools, for a plate of garlic fries and two black and tans. As an extra bonus, the baseball game between Colorado and LA Dodgers was playing on a TV screen just above our heads. Curiosities, garlicky-fries, black and tans and baseball, too. 

 

Sometimes there's nothing better than just getting in the car and driving - like when I was a kid, and I'd get on my bike and ride. I'd explore and wonder what else is out there. I never want to stop doing that.

 

 

LA Will Miss You, Julius Shulman!!

*I wrote this last month, the day I found out Julius Shulman died. But I just found some photos I took of the day I met Julius on his 95th birthday, and wanted to add them. They show how alive and exuberant he was, even at 95. 1) Julius and Me 2) Julius hoisting a beer -

 

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(Julius Shulman photo of Stahl House, Case Study #22)

Julius Shulman died 7/15/2009. This post, below, was originally written 7/16/2009

I just learned Julius Shulman, iconic LA photographer, died Wednesday at the age of 98. As a writer, I was incredibly fortunate to attend his 95th Birthday at the Getty Museum, which coincided with his Modernity and the Metropolis photography exhibit.

Just two days ago, I told someone how inspirational Julius is to me. The day of his 95th birthday at the Getty, after his lecture, people mingled, sipped cocktails - a rather stiff and stuffy affair. Then Julius wheeled into the room. With a huge smile on his face and eyes so alive they seemed to radiate electricity, the entire space buzzed with new energy. Eventually, he got up to talk about the book he was workING on. Yes," ing", not past tense - but at the moment and in the future. The man was 95 and still excited about his work!

And what a lifetime of work he already had accumulated. His stunning photographs conveyed the best of LA: creativity, innovation, sleek style, landmark-worthy architecture. From his lecture, he seemed to say his life in photography all began in a mystical fluke of events. As for mystical, His decades of photographs helped to make LA seem that way, mystical, nearly mythical, a city that stands out as unique from anywhere else, a place where a person can do anything, even build (earthquakes be damned!) a home that seems to float in the air, jutting out from the Hollywood Hills, above the sparkling lights and palm trees of Los Angeles. Julius' photographs captured these midcentury modern architectural masterpieces in such a way that LA looks like a fantasy of possibilities.

Now gone, Julius will live on in his photos and within this city. He made a difference and will be greatly missed.

Confusion Can Be a Very Creative State of Mind

The Museum of Jurassic Technology - 9341 Venice Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232 - (310) 836-6131

 

Founder David Wilson has created a mystery emporium, an odditorium - and like carnival mirrors, the exhibits bend and distort.... well, you'll have to see for yourself.

But think about this before going to the Museum of Jurassic Technology:

"Confusion can be a very creative state of mind," said David Wilson (museum founder) in an interview with author Lawrence Weschler, originally aired on NPR, October 27, 2001.
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As my husband and I stand just feet from the museum's entrance, a couple exit the building. The man, looking perplexed, rubs and bats his eyes. The woman with him has a thought bubble over her confused face that says, "What did  we just experience?!!" But they themselves say nothing at all. My husband and I don't know what to expect. We enter.

It's dark inside. There are disembodied sounds - howling coyotes and Indian chants - floating around the serious looking, yet curious, exhibits; many of these odd exhibits are accompanied by recordings of verbose, Latin-filled double speak, sounding very authoritative and knowing. After seconds of listening to this, my brain starts to feel like it's spinning in my skull on puree.

After nearly an hour of repeating "What?" about a thousand times, we stumble upon the tea room with a high Moorish ceiling and a pixy in a Russian dress who asks if we want tea and cookies. Of course, my husband and I don't resist. We sit down at a candle lit table and think. A threesome (a guy and two girls) entwined in a velvety corner alcove, sip tea while discussing Nietzsche and existentialism. Meanwhile, I'm just thinking, "Hey, these almond cookies are really good."

Horned humans, bats who can fly through solid matter, theories on forgetting, yellowed Victorian-era telegrams that come across as scammy as Nigerian Spam... What? Do you question? Do you simply trust? Do you have a good ironic laugh? Yep, and you may just see things a little differently after.

Upon returning to the glare and noise of mid-day Venice Boulevard, everything looks a little askew, like entering an alternate universe. I probably look as perplexed as those other people I saw leaving earlier, but actually I'm just thinking (and not about cookies, this time): "Question everything."

David Wilson is right: "Confusion can be a very creative state of mind."

Westwood Theaters Closing

My husband and I were just in Westwood, last Friday night. We stopped to walk around and find something sweet to eat. As we strolled, we noticed, sadly, that there were two theaters closed. Ugh.

But still, the other theaters - the beautiful old movie cinemas from the '30s glamour days: the Village and the Bruin - are opened, I thought. But when I opened the next morning's Saturday LA Times and read this article, I learned I was wrong.

LA Times: "Preservationists are also bracing for the potential loss of the village's two most architecturally distinctive theaters: the Village and Bruin, which date from the 1930s. Encino-based Mann Theatres has given notice that it intends not to renew its leases on the Broxton Avenue theaters -- one Spanish Mission style with the famed neon-lighted Fox tower, the other Art Moderne with a distinctive wraparound marquee. Both are city historic-cultural monuments."

How sad.

Now, they'll join the other "Cinema Treasures", those once beautiful, magical buildings now demolished or turned into T-shirt shops.

I’m a Movie-Lusting Vidiot!

Vidiots: 302 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405 – 310-392-8508

What’s a Vidiot? From their website I learned Vidiot is derived from “Vidiots’ Delight”: someone who loves the pleasure of a prolonged movie trance.

Movie Nirvana

Do you lust after movies? I found the best Video & DVD store I’ve ever been to: Vidiots. I can’t believe they’ve been opened since 1985. Where have I been? Their film selection (more than 45,000 titles – specializing in foreign, documentary, independent and rare out of print titles) is so vast and eclectic, you can find that Jean-Luc Godard or Akira Kurosawa film you’ve been searching for. Or you might stumble upon a Frank Zappa video you never knew existed.  And then you may just get so excited to discover this film-nirvana that you’ll join other new Vidiots and spontaneously tear up your Blockbuster card.  I was told people did this so often upon discovering Vidiots, there used to be a wall covered in shredded blue, white and yellow plastic.

Big Deal!!

Here’s a secret! I discovered this while fondling the foreign films and drooling over documentaries –  Vidiots is having a sale, half-off membership (lifetime and annual), now through August 15, 2009. Check out the regular membership prices on their site. Yep, those prices will be cut in half! Also, if you stop into Vidiots anytime until July 31^st and say, “Summer”, you’ll receive a free rental with another rental (limit one per customer).

Vidiots and the Film Industry

If the amount of titles is a bit overwhelming Vidiots’ employees are all so passionate and knowledgeable, they’ll be able to give you great recommendations. They even help film production companies with research, rent to film critics and host in-store appearances by Angelica Huston, Wes Craven, Oliver Stone, Callie Khouri, Kenneth Anger and other biggies in the film industry.

Vidiots film collection is so large it’s divided into very specific sections: English Language Directors and Foreign Directors, for example. These sections make an impact. Director Nicolas Roeg came to Vidiots to have his photo taken in front of his film section. And some Directors have been known to get insulted if they don’t have their own section; one Director even had a letter sent to Vidiots asking why his section was so small.  

Vidiots, what a huge selection you have!

A few other sections are: Cult films (Betty Page, Mexican wrestling, etc.); Noir; Vintage Comedies; British TV; Silent; A documentary section so large it’s broken down into many areas, including – Beats, Space, Philosophy, Americana, World History, etc., And the Music area is sectioned into types (Funk & Soul, Gospel & A Capella, etc.) and Artists area, such as Elvis and Les Banks. They’ve got things you’ve been searching for and things you may have never imagined existed - even a DVD titled “Heavy Metal Parking Lot” with this review: “Unintentionally hilarious.”  

 In the beginning…

Vidiots' owners, Cathy Tauber and Patty Polinger, grew up in West LA, and have been friends since they were three years old. Cathy used to work as an office manager for late musical genius/rocker Frank Zappa and Patty worked for MGM/UA in foreign distribution. They were frustrated film-lovers who could never find the movies they wanted at video stores. After reading an Esquire magazine article about a few unique video stores in other states that specialized in independent films and such, Cathy and Patty got the idea to open Vidiots. They started with only 800 titles.

Things Happen at Vidiots!!

24 years later, they’re still in business and have experienced nearly everything: The ’94 earthquake, fire, floods, Elvis impersonators, people disrobing, girl fights, women flashing boobs to have them signed by Russ Meyer (Director of “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!”). Director Henry Jaglom, at one of the Vidiots' events, hired a guy on the spot, after he raised his hand and asked how to get into the industry. Jaglom's answer, "You've got a job." Then there are the various animals and reptiles that’ve escaped from the pet store next-door, and have been found amongst the aisles and up in the rafters:  An Australian Monitor lizard and three boa constrictors; the last snake – a white boa – was given away to a customer, after many warnings to the pet store owner. (photo of Australian monitor lizard taken by Maureen)

Become a Vidiot, too!

So film-freaks and cinephiles, instead of depending on the artificial intelligence of computer generated film recommendations, or rather than aimlessly drifting through the drab aisles of those boring chain video stores, have an experience! Walk past the brightly painted windows (painted by assistant manager and artist Patrick McGilligan) and into the doorway of Vidiots. You’ll discover a film nirvana, a place where vintage film favorites of your past sit beside those until-now undiscovered film rarities. If you’re like me, you’ll become a Vidiot, too.

Hey check Vidiots out here on Youtube with Michael Cera. Vidiots appears at 5:45 on the video.

 

LA Farmers Market 75th Anniversary

Farmers Market celebrates their 75th anniversary (opened since 1934), July 13-19. See the details and events here at their site.

This has always been one of my favorite places in LA, somewhere to grab a bite, shop and people watch. And, unlike its neighbor The Grove, Farmers Market wasn't just manufactured recently to look like it came from another era. Farmers Market is the real thing, a rare LA survivor (unlike the Ambassador Hotel or Schwabs, places now gone) from another time - when Marilyn Monroe was just an LA kid with a dream, when the Ambassador Hotel was still swinging, before James Dean ever filmed Rebel Without a Cause at the Griffith Park Observatory. And not only has Farmers Market survived, but it's aged gracefully... without lots of "plastic surgery".

It's a real community, where Angelenos come sit and talk, sip a glass of wine at the French Cafe, shop at the gourmet market, or the butcher, or grab a cone at Bennett's Ice Cream. My favorite new food stand there is a Brazilian place, Pampas Grill, that charges based on the price of your plate. The grilled meats are a little spicy, really juicy and come with a huge assortment (all buffet-style) of side orders: plantain, cheese rolls, salads, black beans and more.

But then, any place at Farmers Market is worth the visit.

"California has always been a figment of its own imagination..." Kevin Starr

(photo of Kevin Starr from the LA Times)

My mom's cousin, author and California Historian, Kevin Starr is in the LA Times today in the Patt Morrison Asks piece. He very candidly talks a little about his childhood, our Irish family and his beloved grandma (my mom's grandma and my great-grandma). It's a very fun, interesting piece. I love his constant adoration for our state: California. And his rightful outrage for how it's now being run. I truly admire his clear, non-political, unapologetic opinions. No wonder, I can't stand political hacks - it's in my blood not to.

Last I saw Kevin and his beautiful wife Sheila was at UCLA. I invited them over for dinner. While we dined on spaghetti, salad and garlic bread, I selfishly picked Kevin's brain about writing, publishing, our family history. Why didn't I ask him more about himself? And when I published my first big piece in the LA Daily News: "Valley State of Mind," Kevin was the first to congratulate me on being a published California writer.

This photo is of Thomas Norton and Maggie Driscoll Norton, my great-grandmother Mollie Norton Collins' parents (whom Kevin refers to in this article).
 

A Weekend of Celebrity Encounters, 1986

Sunday Scribblings writing prompt this week:Write about a chance encounter you've had with an old friend or flame, or perhaps with a stranger -- or even a celebrity.

1986 – I was twenty-two and had lived in LA less than a year when my friend since childhood, Cindy, came to visit from San Francisco. I was living in a Spanish-style house, which I shared with three other people, on the hillside just above Poquito Mas (a tiny Mexican fastfood place) in Universal City. I worked as a movie extra, so I didn’t have a lot of money. But somehow – due to a crazy fluke of luck – Cindy and I had so many celebrity encounters that weekend, it almost seemed like my life was kind of exciting.

First, I couldn’t have planned Cindy’s arrival any better. She would be landing at LAX (LA Airport) that Friday afternoon. Coincidentally, my agency called to see if I could work on a film called “No Way Out,” which would be filming at LAX that same Friday. So I told Cindy, once her plane lands, to find the film crew and I’d be there.

Early that Friday morning, I reported to the “No Way Out” film set, got my wardrobe and went to the make-up chair where a hair-stylist wrestled my huge ‘80s hair into an elegant French twist. Then the stylist told me to wait in the trailer for a make-up person. While I waited alone – or so I thought - I checked out my wardrobe and my new up-swept do in the mirror, looking at myself from all angles. As time past, I swiveled in the chair and zoned out. Then I heard a male voice in the back of the trailer croak a laidback “Hello,” like maybe he just woke up.

I jumped in my seat, realizing, Uhh…I’m not alone. There - lounging on a couch in the back of the trailer, propped up on one tanned and toned arm, wearing faded Levi jeans and a white T-shirt – was an all-American boy-man with sandy-blonde hair. He'd been there the entire time. Ugh! Did I make any stupid faces in the mirror? And did he see me? My face felt hot. I mumbled, ”Hello,” and stared into my lap. I didn’t know who he was, maybe a crew member – a boom operator or an electrician – taking a break. I only knew he was cute.

About an hour later, I heard “Action!” So I did as directed and began walking in the background beside a taxi cab at the center of the scene. That’s when I saw the cute guy I met in the trailer again. He was dressed in a crisp, blue naval uniform… and he was the actor in this taxi cab scene.  He was the star of the film: Kevin Costner! That’s when I noticed his amazingly blue eyes, eyes that seemed all the bluer once I knew he was the film's star. Eh, I’m shallow.

Right after the scene, I saw my friend Cindy waving in the airport crowd. “Cindy, you’re here!!” I yelled, running toward her, still wearing my khaki pencil-skirt and heels, and then proceeded to slide and fall right on my face in front of the film crew. Some welcoming committee, huh?

But I made up for the sloppy welcome by introducing her to my “new friend” Kevin, between scenes. My eyelids wore out from batting them so furiously - which was especially pathetic because most of his attention seemed to be focused on my gorgeous green-eyed-brunette friend Cindy.

“What’s your name again?” Kevin asked her. “Cindy? Hmmm…” he said as his eyes climbed up her legs.

Little did we know then, Cindy also happens to be the name of the woman he was married to at the time.  Funny, he didn't mention that.

After filming, Cindy and I rode an airport elevator down with Kevin, and I said, in a way-too-loud voice, “So, Cindy, where should we go for lunch?” hinting (or shouting) maybe he might want to join us. Cindy elbowed me and whispered, “You are sooo obvious.”

Obvious, yes. But I was twenty-two and knew that if there’s anytime to take chances, to be lamely obvious, to make a fool of myself, it’s a good age to do it. But instead of sharing lunch with Kevin Costner, we watched him – again wearing his Levis and T-shirt - walk off into perfect, golden afternoon. He must’ve felt our eyes burning into him, because he turned around, smiled a dimpled smile and waved good-bye.

Later that night Cindy and I went to the Improv comedy club in Hollywood. Richard Jeni was one of the comedians who performed that evening. Cindy and I sat at a little round table in the front row, just the two of us, until Ray Parker, Jr. – the singer of “Ghostbusters” sat down with us. Again, Cindy elbowed me, but not to tell me how lame I was. Instead, she whispered, “That’s Ray Parker, Jr.” I smiled as nonchalantly as possible, as if I always sit at tables with singers whose catchy songs I can't get out of my head. 

After the show, Cindy and I got drinks at the Improv bar and were immediately approached by Richard Jeni. He and Cindy hit it off right away.

“Hey, wanna get something to eat at Canter’s?” He asked her.

I shrugged.

“Yeah, sounds great,” Cindy chirped.

At Canter’s, I picked at my pastrami on rye as Richard and Cindy had one of those immediate-connection conversations - not one pause or bored sigh; everything she or he said was amazing, brilliant, incredibly interesting or adorable! Yick.

Meanwhile, I ate pickles, let out bored sighs and mumbled about how we (meaning just Cindy and I) should head out to go dancing.

“Hey,” Richard said, looking deeply into Cindy’s eyes, completely forgetting I was there. “Why don’t I take you out tonight?”

“Well…” Cindy started to say until I interrupted.

“Eh, eh, eh… Look, Cindy’s here to see me. You can talk to her later,” I told Richard, thinking I was saving Cindy’s butt and she’d thank me later. Now that I look back, that was a lame-brain move on my part. Cindy paid for her own plane ticket and I should’ve shut-up and let her make her own decision. But at the time, I thought I was some sorta hero.

Anyway, Cindy - being the smart, thoughtful and kind friend she was/is - would have said what I said...only with a lot more tact and a less snotty attitude than I used. But I didn't give her a chance to speak.

Before we left Canter’s, Richard ran into Andrew Dice Clay, so we joined him and his mouth at another table. I think Dice talked until breakfast, at least it seemed like that.

Cindy left about a day later. She returned home to San Francisco where she and Richard Jeni had many long-distance phone calls and a year long relationship, making me realize I was no hero at all and more of a lame-brain than I thought.

But, hey, I did show her one heck of a star-studded weekend.

King Cotton and the Bonedaddys Pay Tribute to Bo Diddley

So King said to Paul Laques (former Bonedaddy's guitarist), last Thursday night, before going on stage: "Shoot, these two shoulda named her King-ette," pointing to me and my husband (the Bonedaddy's former record producer).

And then King proceeded to explain to Paul how twenty years earlier he jumped down off the stage of a warehouse party, with his head covered in a mask, flicked his tongue at me, a twenty-two-year-old, as I was about to leave the "Tape Heads" wrap party at 1 a.m, and said, "Hey, come back inside. There's someone I want you to meet."

His mask, flickering tongue and raspy Southern accent almost scared me off.  But I did go back inside.  Long story short - he introduced me to his record producer, we've been married nearly twenty years and now have an 18-year-old daughter. Unfortunately, we didn't name her King-ette - but we should've.  She wouldn't be here without King.

I met King only months before these videos of him with the Bonedaddys were taped on this late show (see video). So you can imagine why - at one a.m. on a dark, warehouse jammed street of downtown LA - I might be frightened.  Also around this time, King and the Bonedaddys were playing and recording with Bo Diddley (See the second video).

Last night, King, Marv Kanarek (another great friend and an ex-Bonedaddy drummer), Mike Tempo (percussion), Paul Laques (on guitar and now with I See Hawks in LA) - and more, to be named when I'm more awake -rejoined the Bonedaddys at the opening night of the Santa Monica Twilight Dance Series.  The band paid tribute to Bo Diddley.  It was one throbbing, thumping, jamming, funk-fueled, wickedly great evening.   

Here's a Slide Show of the evening.  To make the photos move faster, click the button on the bottom left corner.

Driving in LA

Driving in LA, with our nearly constant traffic and the price of gas heading toward $5 per gallon, is stressful.  So in order to keep my blood pressure down, I try to entertain myself and avoid looking at my gas gauge as I drive.  Instead, I do other things... like listen to music and read bumper stickers. Here are some  recent ones that stuck in my head:

"People are no damned good"
"Aardvark.com for all your aardvark needs"
"What if the hokey pokey is what it's all about?"
H8MYEX (vanity plate)

Then there's this guy (see photo), with his foot out the driver window and making a peace sign, who doesn't appear to find driving in LA stressful at all.

But, for me, the only way I can avoid the stress of driving entirely is to head to the ocean.  There, with the salty breeze, soft sand and rhythmic waves, I completely forget the price of gasoline... almost.

L.A. Can Be A Cliché...

...But if you look a little closer, you just might find the unexpected.

In a recent issue of Travel + Leisure Magazine, their readers ranked L.A. as having the least intelligent and most unfriendly people of the U.S. cities they judged.  Yep!  Check it out for yourself.

And even with all our glamour, they didn't find us all that attractive either.  What nerve!!  Apparently, one of the few areas we do rank high in is good shoe shopping. What? Come on! Do people actually travel the nation in search of shoes?  Is that a new destination trip - shoe excursions?

Okay, so we in LA might not greet strangers on the street with a big old "Welcome to Los Angeles!" and then drape them with designer sunglasses, in lieu of Hawaiian leis.  But if out-of-towners find us in our favorite coffee places, restaurants, beaches, farmers markets or festivals, they'd see us smiling.  We've even been known to talk to people, people not from here even.

We can be friendly, damn it! 

As for intelligence, well, some of us can even read.  I mean, we do have the largest book festival (Los Angeles Times Festival of Books) in the nation.  Who would have expected that, huh?  But that's what I like about LA - the best parts, to me, are the unexpected. Those places and things I've had to find myself over the years.

But don't be discouraged, LA - we came in #2 in shoe shopping!!  So we've got that going for us.

**************************************

Here's a sampling of how people in other cities rated:

#1 Most Friendly -        Charleston
#1 Most Intelligent -     Seattle
#1 Most Attractive -     Miami
#1 Overall Best People - San Francisco 

I Love LA!! But Then, Apparently, I'm Not Very Intelligent

Because I don't know when to stop, this is a continuation of the previous post, regarding Travel + Leisure Magazine Readers disliking Los Angeles traffic and the unfriendly, non-intelligent people.

I may not be intelligent and I may sit in traffic, but I'm not freezing my ass off in January, am I?  Nope.  As a matter of fact I spent an entire weekend, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, loving everything I experienced under LA's blue skies.  Here's a little synopsis accompanied by smog-less photos:

Friday Night - Friends invited my husband and me over for smoked jalapenos stuffed with shrimp and cheese!!! AND the juiciest, butteriest, most-tender Chateubriand steaks I've ever had!  Hmmm... He's from Oklahoma and she's from Minnesota.  Thank God they moved to this smog-filled land of the shallow, if not - my tastebuds would have never experienced such barbecue nirvana.

Saturday Afternoon- My husband and I needed to take a trip to Long Beach to repair his bass bow.  On the way, we stopped at MVP's Grill and Patio for tasty burgers.  People sat at tables outside in the sun, eating and laughing.  Then we passed through Belmont Shore - where people were lunching, skateboarding, bike riding and shopping - and drove through to the amazingly serene slice of paradise that is Naples Island.  (My mental note:  Make wads of money immediately.  I must live here.)  We walked along the walkway above the canal, as residents out enjoying the sun smiled and said "Hello!"  See, proof that there are plenty of friendly people in Los Angeles County beyond the traffic filled streets and Hollywood Boulevard.

Sunday Morning:  I opened the Daily News to see Sandra Tsing Loh, one of my favorite authors - an intelligent woman who hasn't fled LA - as a matter of fact, she lives in the Valley...And!!! She's even daring to raise her children here.  Can you imagine?  From what I read, she relishes that East Coasters and others find us shallow, it just gives her more writing material.  After reading the paper, I went to Encino Farmers Market.  If anyone wants to see smiling Angelenos (technically, Los Angeles County residents), watch us when were surrounded with fresh, colorful fruit and vegetables; or artisan breads and cheeses under the warm sun.  People were hugging, waving, sampling fudge, honey, tangerines, cheese and whatever else was available.

The man I bought my garlic cheddar from travels the country looking for artisan cheeses.  I revealed to him that one of my secret fantasies (beside living in Naples Island) is to travel the world trying the best artisanal foods and then getting paid to write about them and the people I meet.  We both laughed and he nodded enthusiastically, because that's every food-lovers fantasy:  to eat good food and get paid to do it.  I then met the best salesman at the entire market - he's only eight, but had me at "1 bag of nuts for four dollars and two for seven!" And then he gave me a long list of why my life would be lacking if I didn't walk away with some pistachios or barbecue almonds.  Okay, not really, but I was sold.  It might have been his sweet smile and his cute giggle when I asked if he knew where I could find an ATM (see photo below.)

Next, I went home and made lunch for my family with my farmers market bounty:  melted garlic cheddar on warm, fragrant garlic-herb bread, with the most amazingly sweet and juicy tomatoes, charred jalapenos, onion sprouts and Dijon mustard.   It was heaven on a plate!!   

Satisfied, I walked my beautiful dog, whose love I am not worthy, into the afternoon sun.  We stood at the top of Pierce College, looking over the rolling green hills with red barns, burly black cows and scampering goats, and all I could think is, Well, if I'm not intelligent for living in Los Angeles, I'll just have to deal with that.

Post Note:  It's true we have a lot of traffic and way too many paved over patches of green. That's why we, in Los Angeles, need and appreciate our state parks so much.  So it's disgusting to think that Arnold Schwarzennegger is threatening to close 43 of our state parks. Arnold, are you nuts?  These patches of green are our refuges!!  What are you going to lock up next, our beaches?   

My Home Movies are Going Hollywood!

This Saturday, August 11th, from noon to 4 p.m., will be Home Movie Day at the Linwood Dunn Theater on Vine Street in Hollywood.  Appearing will be... my old 8 mm family films!  Along with other home movies, of course.  I can't wait!  Since the first time I heard of this event I wanted to go.  While you couldn't pay me to sit through "Sex and the City," I could watch strangers' home movies for hours.  So I thought I'd see if I could include mine with the others.

Years ago, I edited our family films to Beatles' songs onto VHS.  There are glimpses of California in the 1940s through the 1970s and Europe in the late 1960s.  There are montages of my mom and her sister in 1940s black and white playing in San Francisco.  Those films fade to color as my dad's movie camera scans Golden Gate park of 1967, where my sister and I are tumbling on the grass below Hippie Hill.

Behind us are young hippies, some strumming guitars.  Then we're in Disneyland, where I push a little girl away from Chip or Dale and stalk Pluto.  From there, we fly to Europe where we buy our trailer.  There's a lot of smiling, waving and mugging for the camera as we pass gypsies and the guards of Buckingham Palace; the sun sparkles on the canals of Venice and on the Mediterranean of Greece... we move through Morocco, Yugoslavia, Italy... many countries and years all edited down to just snippets, bits, pieces of our family as it once was a long time ago.  

Home Movie Day

It was pretty thrilling to see my family films, which I edited down to a montage, displayed on a huge screen.  I narrated over a microphone, "Oh, and I'm the kid with the underwear showing," as me, circa 1967 at three, sang on stage in an over-starched crinoline skirt sticking straight up in the air revealing my frilly white underpants.  "Notice the people passing joints in the background," I pointed out as my sister and I innocently danced on the grass of Golden Gate Park's Hippie Hill in San Francisco, oblivious to the other kind of "grass" being smoked at the time.   

"Obla Di Obla Da" played  as my suburban family - mom in a flip and dad in crew cut - change from one clip to another into long haired twenty-somethings in bell bottoms doing hippie dances on a sunny day in the hills of Berkeley - or was it Marin? - as "Here Comes the Sun" fades out and the screen goes to black.  Yep, it was quite a thrill.

After I narrated my film, some guy came to talk to me from the audience, something about showing my film in San Francisco at a Summer of Love Anniversary.  But another film was already starting in the dark and someone else was trying to narrate, so I asked if we could talk later.  But I never saw him again.

The films were a potluck of stuff - 1940s dads mowing lawns and matronly women in floral dresses shooing away the camera.  And there was some really interesting footage:  Beverly Hills, circa 1932, covered in snow; P.O.P (Pacific Ocean Park) amusement area in Venice, California with high-diving mules and transportation pods dangling over the ocean; camp kids in the 1930s doing Indian dances and canoing; a 1930s transvestite film; Yvonne De Carlo and her movie star boyfriend playing in the snow and deserts of California; 1950s family vacations of the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore and motels across the nation; birthday parties and barbecues of families from the 1920s to the 1960s - providing a history of hair-dos (Louise Brooks-style bobs to Annette Funicello-Beach-Blanket-Bingo-bouffants of the 1960s.)

One woman brought some film she shot as a young college student of the New York 1964 Worlds Fair.  "Oh, there's my sister who I don't talk to anymore," she pointed out.  Members of the audience yelled, "You should call her!"  "You two need to talk.  Life's too short!" and the lady groused into her microphone, "That's not gonna happen."  Someone else in the crowd piped up, "Does your sister have kids?"  The narrator's answer was short and sharp:  "Unfortunately, yes." 

We watched family of many eras who all seemed perfectly happy waving, dancing, eating, laughing... but who knows what's become of them.  Do they talk to each other any longer?  Are they still living?  Did their lives unfold as happily as their brief film moments?  What would they think of an audience of strangers watching them as they dive into public swimming pools or blow out candles?

Many of the films shown were from family collections, but some were brought in by people who collect films from estate and garage sales.  While they were interesting to watch, I got sad wondering why the families don't own the films themselves.  There was one beautiful 16 mm colored film of a family in the suburbs of Westchester, California.  The doorway of their yellow and white ranch-style home was the focus of many shots.  The five or six blonde girls and boys - the boys in cuffed jeans and the girls in circle skirts - streamed out of the home, waving and smiling.  The blonde mom in her salon-set hairdo, waved and smiled a red-lipsticked smile - looking proud of her brood as she walked behind them.  Later, the kids as teenagers are shown on a family camping trip.  The boys are playing horseshoes and one of the girls, in a red and white gingham shirt and denim clam-diggers, is now a teenager with her hair in a flip.  Another scene, one of the girls, maybe the teen in gingham, is getting married.  The family, now grown, is streaming out of the yellow and white house in suits with corsages and silky dresses with hair upswept.  The parents are older and beaming with pride as they surround the young bride at her reception.

The woman who brought the film said she bought the family's movies from the same Westchester house that is shown in most of the scenes.  How could one family with so many kids not want to keep those films of vacations, weddings and growing up in one home?  I still can't figure that out.

But it was definitely interesting to watch how people lived once.  The homes seemed smaller, the families seemed to spend a lot of time outdoors in backyards - maybe because they didn't have air conditioning.  Large families seemed to think nothing of traveling the country with a car full of kids.  Today, people are more likely to take cruises or fly somewhere where the parents can drink while the hotel or cruise staff placate their children.

Anyway, thanks to the archivists and all for putting on this event.  They are very passionate about all film - not just of the Hollywood star variety - and that it should be preserved for generations to enjoy for years to come.

Gone Writing...But here's Vintage L.A. on Film

I won't be posting here too often as I'm focusing on other time consuming writing projects.  But in the meantime,  check out these great vintage films of Los Angeles on Youtube:

A vacation film, circa 1958 and Pacific Ocean Park, Circa 1959.

 

More Cool LA Places Gone or Going Away

*If you miss Rudy's down-home friendly service, please stop by Franklin Hardware - on Ventura, near Topanga Canyon Bl.  Not far from where Rudy's was. 

I went to Franklin's recently to get keys made, everyone was so helpful.  Great service.

It's sad how quickly unique places with character are disappearing.  This past weekend Johnie's Broiler in Downey was illegally demolished; Rudy's Hardware in Woodland Hills is closing after 60 years, due to competition from the big box stores,  and just yesterday I drove down Reseda Boulevard and noticed Foster's Freeze looked boarded up.  L.A. is losing its character at a sickening pace.

It already makes me queazy that I can be miles from home but everything looks the same.  "Oh, there's Home Depot, Denny's and 7-11.  It looks like West Hills.  Oh wait, I'm in Oxnard? Who can tell?"

A little while ago I went into Rudy's Hardware to have a key made.  They welcomed me, smiled, and made my key in under two minutes.  Try that at Home Depot.  The last time my husband was at Home Depot the I-couldn't-give-a-damn employee told him they were all out of a product, because the guy was too busy talking with a friend.  My husband had to go look for himself...and what do you know, he found it. 

And I'd take a Foster's Freeze soft serve over something in a 7-11 cooler any day of the week.  Actually, I have a huge dislike for 7-11.  Everyone of them reeks of oily, week-old hot dogs and burnt coffee.  The clientele there is usually strangling the biggest, cheapest beer can they can find as they sway back and forth while ordering lottery tickets.  So, I'm a snob.  At least I'm not one of the ignorant fools who plowed down Johnie's Broiler.

The Philip Sayce Band

Our friend Fred Mandel, a talented musician himself, told my husband and me we should check out a friend of his, a guitar player named Philip.  He said the guy is an amazing player, the sort of talent you rarely find these days.  So we caught a ride with Fred and his wife Jenny out to the Brass Elephant in Monrovia to catch Philip Sayce and his Band (drummer, Kenny Aronoff and bass player, Roger Bueno). Check out this video!

Wow!  They had the place entranced.  From beginning to end - the nonstop sweat-flying, chest-thumping, head-slamming, finger-blurring - never waned in energy.  It was simply stellar blues-rock.  Philip, at one point, walked off the stage and through the bar, ending up right in front of our table.

And the venue couldn't have been better.  Where else, exactly, can you see that kind of show for nothing but the price of a beer?  Not that there's even a drink minimum. The cozy 1920's bar - with its thick, aged walls and whirrling pulleys of ceiling fans - was filled with locals. 

They all seemed to know each other, like the guys I sat near - yelling across the room to friends, pumping their fists in the air to the guitar wails.  They had photos of Philip and one of his CDs, out and ready to be signed.  Others held up microphones to tape machines and video cameras.  They're Philip Sayce fans who've been following the band.   And last Thursday Night I heard why.

LA Times Festival of Books at UCLA

Yes!!! People in Los Angeles do read.  Not only do we read, but we have the largest book festival in the nation.

On Saturday, I bought a book I recommend for anyone who loves and/or lives in LA: "Down By the Los Angeles River." The great cover art caught my eye.  As I reached for the book, I met the author and artist, Joe Linton.  He's so passionate and informative about the LA River - that mostly-cementy-kind-of-watery-thing I drive by or roller blade past and wonder about all the time - that I bought the book. 

It's filled with his great artwork, lots of information about the wildlife that lives on the river; its history and its future, as well as the walkways and bike paths along the way.  Other than the Sepulveda Basin area, I really had no idea the LA River has so much going on.

Next, while scoping out books at a booth, I noticed an older woman who had a Life Magazine photo in her hand: The iconic VJ Day photo of the sailor planting a kiss on a nurse in New York's Times Square.  Turns out the older woman, Edith Shain, is the nurse in the photo.  Edith and I had fun gabbing.  First we talked about her kiss - the sailor caught her off guard and the kiss was very long - and then we talked (I don't know why) about old phone booths (remember those?) and life before call waiting.  It's a little scary.  Edith's almost ninety and yet I could relate to her so well.   Anyway, she was very lively, sweet and full of kind comments.

Later, I walked by the NPR booth and heard author Susan Straight being interviewed.  I only stopped because I heard her mention her eldest child was at the Coachella music festival.  The interviewer asked, "Oh, so do you think she'll tune in to hear you on the radio?"

I knew I could relate to Susan when she said, "Uh, no.  She doesn't listen to me at home.  Why would she want to hear me on the radio?"  Spoken as a true parent to a teenager.

Susan Straight is an author from the Inland Empire.  I only learned that after stumbling upon the book, "Inlandia," and saw that the forward was written by the very same Susan Straight.  Intrigued, I bought the book and attended a panel discussion with Susan and other writers from "Inlandia," an anthology of writers from the Inland Empire.

My only time spent in the Inland part of California is whenever I have to pass through it heading for the San Bernardino Mountains to go skiing or the one time I cruised down part of Route 66.  As the  writers of "Inlandia" tell it, their home has been disparaged as nothing more than where the Hell's Angels, neo-Nazis and smog dwell.  Until then, I knew so little about the Inland Empire, I didn't even realize that much about the area. 

During the panel, the writers spoke of a place they grew up where orange groves and date tree forests were so vast they'd get lost in them; where the Santa Ana winds and the sand would blast the paint off of cars; where the air smelled of Eucalyptus and orange blossoms.  It was where they arrived, grew and stayed.

As a resident of the San Fernando Valley, another maligned Southern California area, I could relate.  While I've only read a few chapters of "Inlandia," I'm really enjoying getting lost in the stories of their misunderstood land.

As I bought "Inlandia" from the Heyday Publishing Founder, Malcolm Margolin, he asked me what I do.  I told him I'm writing "Craving Normal," my stories of growing up in California and traveling the world as the kid of hippies.  Malcolm, the bearded Allen Ginsberg look-a-like, threw back his head and laughed.  "Did your parents feed you lentil loaf when all you really wanted was junk food?" 

I slapped him on the shoulder.  "Yeah, how'd ya guess?"

He told me his kids could relate as children of hippies. 

"Yep, I just wanted a Twinkie,"  I told him.

He nodded in sympathy, as if he'd heard it a million times from his own now-adult kids.

After that, I blathered-and-bored another group of writers as I bought their books.  I made Kevin Roderick's eyes glaze over as I bought his (and co-writer J. Eric Lynxwiler's) beautiful book, "Wilshire Boulevard."  And then I moved over to married writers, David Kipen and Veronique de Turenne, and yakked away as I bought the anthology "My California," to which they both contributed their work.  I had some nerve to blather about my love for California (Oh please kill me now!  What was I thinking? Is all I could think AFTER I had the sense to shut my mouth) when these lovely people donated their work so that the proceeds of the book could benefit the California Arts Council - to bring the arts back into our schools.  Some people are not only talented, but selfless...and then there are people like me.

Speaking of talented and selfless - Next, I stopped to listen to Don Cheadle and John Prendergast, authors of "Not on our Watch:  The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond." It was nice to see a huge crowd there.  We all need to do everything we can to end the genocide.  It's unimaginable that so much senseless horror has gone on so long.  They got me realizing that every one of us can contact our politicians and demand they get the killing to stop or they won't get our votes.  Sad to think that's what will make politicians act - as if innocent people being killed isn't a good enough reason to do something.

Next to me on the lawn was a nice woman who offered me a carrot stick.  See, I tell you - there are some good people out there!  But I was too busy stuffing my face with Kettle Corn.  My mouth didn't have room for a carrot stick.  But I thanked her for asking.  And, hey!  she's a Valley-ite like me.  See, we Valley people do get out and are curious about the world around us.

Then, I stopped by the Skylight Books booth and bought "The Leisure Architecture of Wayne McAllister."  Thank you, Chris Nichols for writing this book.  I had no idea all the wonderful architecture Wayne McAllister contributed to California.   It'll go right next to Kevin Roderick's and J. Eric Lynxwiler's "Wilshire Boulevard" on my coffee table.

As I was leaving the UCLA campus, I came upon a Latin flavored Ska band called "Upground."  They're young guys from East Los Angeles who had a huge multi-generational, multi-cultural crowd grooving.  They're really talented.  Not only could they play well, but the vocals were really good, too - so good I bought a CD.  It's the type of music that makes you want to get up and dance.  One man in his 60s was getting funky, while a toddler spun around below the stage, and everyone else was bobbing their heads and smiling.

Yes, it was another great festival of books.  Every year it gets better.  Now, I just need to find time to read everything I bought.

*More of my Festival of Books photos will be on my Flickr page.

Photo Tour: Hollywood

Sure, Schwab's Pharmacy and the Ambassador Hotel were plowed down.  But Pla-boy (not Playboy) Liquor and the Hollywood Center Motel, among others, haven't been touched in decades. 

A Moody Day in Beachwood Canyon

The Suburbs Aren't So Bad After All & Why L.A. Is Always Picked On - A Trickle-Down Bashing Theory

On November 27, 2006, the Los Angeles Times had this article titled "Where to hear, 'Hi, neighbor!: in the suburbs", by Roy Rivenburg. So I guess the suburbs aren't creating a culture of introverts after all. 

But I have a confession. I've been talking less to some of my neighbors since I found out last summer the previous owner of my home promised that we (my husband and I/the new home owners) would let all the neighbor kids swim in our pool. 

When a neighbor told me this, I stammered and managed to say, "Whaaaaaaa....uhhhhhh...mmmmm.  Okay,well, nice talking with you.  Bye."

Gee...what a great idea?  Why didn't I think of that?  Um...maybe because it's my house now and I don't want a dozen wet, screaming kids who are way younger than my nearly college-aged child running around my backyard while I'm trying to get work done.  But I hear other people in the suburbs are very neighborly (and the study confirms that); I'm just an exception, I suppose.  Anyway, I figure if I don't stop to chat with the lady across the street she won't have another opportunity to remind me that "The previous owner was a very, very nice lady."  So I guess I must be a very, very mean lady.  But the suburbs had nothing to do with it.

Also from the L.A. Times (12/3/06) came a fun and interesting piece called, "Oh, go ahead and insult us," by Amy Wilentz.  She makes some good points about why people love to hate Los Angeles.

Near the end of her article she asks, " So will there ever be a culture Los Angeles can look down on?"  Anyone who lives in the San Fernando Valley knows the answer to that, right?

Photo Tour: Pasadena

Today was such a gorgeous day, my husband and I decided to drive out to Pasadena for lunch at Cafe Verde, and while we were there we took some photos.

Abundant Sunshine! The Valley and California Optimism

While flipping TV channels this morning, my husband stopped on the weather station just as the San Fernando Valley's temps were being reported.  The announcer said, "Today, the San Fernando Valley will experience abundant sunshine."  That, to me, sounds like a Japanese band or extreme optimism, which got me thinking...

Maybe that's how my opinion piece titled “Valley State of Mind” - which is to appear in the Viewpoint section of the Los Angeles Daily News - will seem:  Abundant with sunshine; in other words, overly optimistic.

I just got tired of reading and hearing so often about what's wrong with the San Fernando Valley. 

My first cousin (once removed), Kevin Starr, said it best in the preface of his book Coast of Dreams: "it would be seductively easy to join the naysayers.... do this, and I would be considered a deep thinker.”

He also once said, "California has always been a figment of its own imagination...."

I like that.  Maybe the same can be said about the San Fernando Valley - without our own imagination we will only become what others believe.

Anyway, I'm no Kevin Starr, but that's sort of why I wrote that L.A. Daily News piece; I'm tired of letting the Valley be a figurative punching bag, or a figment of the cynics' frustrations.  But then maybe I'm just too damn abundant with sunshine.

P.S. I just picked my Daily News off the drive-way, turned to the front of the Viewpoint section, saw my article, and then turned it to where it continued on the back to see this: Gardiner: No canned cheese - continued from page 1

That's too funny!

 

 

 

 

 

 

PLACES IN L.A. THAT HAVE GONE AWAY

Lived in L.A. awhile?  Then you've seen a favorite place disappear, right?

Sadly, there are too many places I hear people talk about but I never took the time to visit:  The Ambassador Hotel, Schwab’s Pharmacy, Chasen’s and C.C. Brown’s, to name a few.  For more "extinct" restaurants, check out L.A. Time Machine's list.

Now, here are a few of my own memories of old Southern California Used-To-Bes:

The Pike – from 1902 to 1979, A Long Beach amusement park, right on the water.

Many of our family trips through L.A to Mexico required a stop at the Pike.  The last time I went there, in the mid 70s, my family and I just came back from a scuba diving trip in Mexico.  Earlier that afternoon, I filled myself on cheese enchiladas in Tijuana; yet, there I was on this crazy ride – a large cylinder which spun fast, then faster, and then so damn fast the centrifugal force pinned bodies to the walls.  The floor dropped.  Plastered to the wall, unable to lift my head, I felt like...

(Warning! If you have a weak stomach, skip this.) So I spent my last day at the Pike bent over a wooden railing as I watched my churned Enchiladas splatter on the ground. (Sorry for that.)

Disneyland's Old Tomorrowland -

As a kid enthralled by the future - waiting in anticipation of television phones, flying cars, and kitchen robots - I found Tomorrowland fascinating.  It was bright-white, sleek, space-like... and oh so forward-thinking.

One favorite of mine was the Adventure Thru Inner Space ride. My first time on it, I thought I was really getting “miniaturized,” after seeing the huge eyeball looking at me through the microscope. That completely freaked me out.  Jumping and running seemed like a very real option.  And there was the General Electric Carousel of Progress, spinning to this happy lyric: “There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow,shining at the end of every day.”  I watched in awe as the human-looking robots demonstrated the wonders of electricity through the 20th century.  When I was sixteen, Tomorrowland was still fun, but I met a musician in one of the Tomorrowland bands I liked even better.  We made out in the food-court. 

From my first visit at three to my adult years, no matter how much time passed, our present never looked as futuristic as Tomorrowland.  And then... it changed. (photo: I followed Pluto to the employee exit and accosted the poor dog)
 
The newer look is more Jules Verne or H.G. Wells - a style that was considered futuristic in the early 20th century, but hardly forward thinking for today.  So what are the Disney executives saying?  There's no hope for the future - you've already seen the best innovations that the human mind can imagine...but here, we dredged up this refurbished look?

*UPDATE: The Tomorrowland Submarine ride is coming back in 2007 as Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

Martoni’s Restaurant: (1538 North Cahuenga Boulevard, Hollywood)

Many record contracts were signed and movie plots scribbled on napkins at Martoni's...or so I've heard. One quick Google search reveals that it's apparently one of the last restaurants singer Sam Cooke went to before he was shot to death, and that supposedly Sonny Bono wrote "Laugh at Me" after being kicked out of Martoni’s for his wild attire.

But more than that, Martoni's was an all around great Italian Restaurant.  It became a favorite dating place for my husband and me from the mid '80s to the early 90s.  We liked the warm and simple decor - Chianti bottles and red leather booths.  No pretensions.  At Martoni's, the scampi was exquisite and the service even better.

And then there was the '94 earthquake. I've heard, though I'm not sure, that Martoni's suffered too much damage to open again. Martoni's closed its doors forever.

The Malibu Colony Coffee Shop - PCH and Webb Way, Malibu

I don't really remember the food.  I do remember the building was cool and round.  My mom always took my sister and me there for breakfast before heading out for a day of sight-seeing in L.A., whenever we were on vacation in Southern California. 

The last time we ate there we were on our way to Hollywood.  It was to be my first trip. Sun streamed through the restaurant's windows.  The smell of bacon filled the air.  And a whole new exciting day spread out before us.  That morning in the Malibu Colony Coffee shop, Hollywood was still a glamorous idea.

Charlie's - a multi-storied thrift store emporium - on Sunset Bl, Silverlake

Back in the '80s, my husband and I used to visit Charlie's as often as possible.  It was like raiding the attic of a crazy aunt who happened to have really great taste.  There were two entire stories jammed from floor to ceiling with all kinds of dusty and strewn collectibles.  In the midst of the jumble were jewels; downstairs, stuck under some lesser junk, I found a Charles Eames designed Herman Miller aluminum framed chair in near perfect condition.  I got it for $40!!!  Man, I miss Charlie's.

As Joni Mitchell said, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone..."

The San Fernando Valley: TV Land

Living in the Valley is like stepping into TV Land.  Here, you never know who you might run into from the world of retro television. 

I grew up watching shows like Lost in Space, Brady Bunch, Happy Days and Family Affair, to name a few.  The shows' characters entered my living room through that little rabbit-eared box.  I watched these people sitting around family dinner tables and lost on strange planets; I watched them getting into all kinds of situations that were resolved in just minutes.   

Each time I've bumped into one of these actors from the shows I watched as a kid, it's sort of an odd experience. 

Here are my TV Land moments:

June Lockhart, mother on Lost in Space.  She walked into my office and said, "Hello," in a sing-songy familiar voice. "I'm June Lockhart.  May I use your phone?"

I loved Lost in Space.  There was so much to like:  The robot, the assorted goofy aliens, the antics of that annoying Dr. Smith and his sissified whining...but, oh!  I had a huge crush on Billy Mumy. That red hair.  Those freckles.  That smile.  Wow!...I tuned in every chance I got, completely lost in space.

Mark Goddard, Don West from Lost in Space, convinced me when I was young, stupid and new to LA to join some new-agey EST-like group called Summit.  He told me it would be great for acting.  I left after the first day.  Thanks, Major West!

Scott Baio, Chachi from Happy Days.  He was Christmas shopping beside me at Sharper Image. 

Marion Ross, mom on Happy Days. Bumped into Mrs. C at an ATM machine.

Henry Winkler, the Fonz on Happy Days.  But I didn't see him in the Valley.  It was at the UCLA book festival.

Now that I think of it, I seem to be a Happy Days magnet!  Back in the eighties, at the Hard Rock Cafe, I sat next to Ted Mcginley.   And around 1985, I was an extra in a movie Anson Williams directed.

And then there was my Jump the Shark moment.  Way back around 1977, I was body surfing at Paradise Cove in Malibu as Happy Days filmed some of the scenes from that show where Fonzie jumped over a shark.  That episode gave birth to the phrase "Jump the Shark."   

Johnny Whitaker, Jody on Family Affair.  We both reached for the same blueberry muffin at the Vons Bakery.  The minute I saw his red hair and smiling dimpled face (older but still very recognizable), I smiled back.  I think he let me have the muffin.

Kirk Cameron, from Growing Pains.  I was too old to watch this show, but I recognized him.  Again, at an ATM machine.

Robbie Rist, Cousin Oliver from the Brady Bunch.  We almost had jury duty together, but he got out of it.  I have a kid, help run a business and had only one car working.  Robbie Rist gets out of jury duty at the Van Nuys court, but I don't.  He told the judge, "I have acting obligations."  The lawyer I sat next to elbowed me and whispered "Bullshit" in my ear.

Phillip McKeon, Tommy from Alice.  He came to a party my roommate and I threw when we lived in Studio City. 

Marcia Wallace, Carol from the Bob Newhart Show.  That was one of my favorite shows.  So I was thrilled to meet Marcia at the UCLA Festival of Books.  What a nice woman!  Oops...that wasn't a Valley TV Land moment. Oh, well.

David Carradine, the guy from Kung-Fu.  I guess I should mention him, since he sometimes played (I can't remember what instrument) in a band for our neighborhood block party.  I just get a little queazy when I think of that show.  My friend's brother watched it and would try to karate kick me in the head.

Anyway, that's why I think living in the Valley is like switching the channel to the TV Land station and climbing right in.  You just never know who you might bump into while running errands.

A Bit of Peace in Los Angeles

Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine - 17190 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, 310-454-4114

                                       Anyone is welcomed, even people in umbrella hats.                            

Sit 'n Spin...and more reasons why I'm an idiot

Last night (8/17), I went to Sit ‘n Spin at the Hudson Theater in Hollywood, where people read personal stories from their lives…oh my Gawd! I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. And, damn! These people are brave. Not only were they baring their thoughts, life experiences and moments of humiliation – but they were at one moment hilarious and the next heart-breaking, all while standing alone - under a spotlight - without a set, costume, background music or make-believe character to hide behind.

I found out about Sit ‘n Spin from Freshyarn.com – a site dense with funny and well written personal essays. The site’s creator, Hillary Carlip, wrote “Queen of the Oddballs,” her humorous and interesting tales of growing up in Los Angeles.

Sit ‘n Spin takes place every other Thursday, 8 p.m. at the Hudson Theater – 6539 Santa Monica Bl. Hollywood. It’s free, but call for reservations 323-960-5519. Parking is $5.00 across the street.

But don’t be an idiot like me and think that you are being thoughtful by turning off your cell phone before the show, when actually you are turning ON your cell phone so that it then begins playing the silly ring tone you didn’t pick out yourself, very loudly during a quiet moment when a performer is on stage trying to concentrate on their work and not on the thoughtless idiot out in the audience…even if she really is thoughtful and THOUGHT she did turn off her phone. And, yes, man with the glasses and khaki pants sitting the next seat over, I knew I was an idiot you didn’t need to burn me with that “You’re an obnoxious idiot” stare. Anyway, don’t be me.

Speaking of me and what an idiot I am…

Since I was alone, I took an end seat which left a space between me and the man with the “you’re an obnoxious idiot” stare in the glasses – until a nice man came and sat in the empty seat. The nice man started telling me how he tried to get his friend in by handing him a flyer (apparently all seats were taken)…which led into each of us telling our tales of sneaking into places, only his were far more interesting – not that that stopped me from thinking mine were too.

With only minutes to go before the show began, the man (who’s a journalist) was telling me about his sneak-ins (due to too few press passes) at the Sundance film festival, the Cannes Film Festival and a fundraiser for President Clinton, where Barbara Streisand was singing. The journalist snuck by the secret service and ended up sitting one row and a few seats over from Clinton, only to be approached by some senator that wondered why he was in his seat.

Then I told him how my daughter snuck into the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice awards, sat in the front row and ended up on camera next to the host Ben Stiller.

(Fade to black)

I’m an idiot.

 

 

Favorite Places to Eat & Drink

*Sorry, due to some weird re-formatting that somehow happened, the punctuation went kablooey. When I get a chance I'll fix it. Until then, please realize I do know how to use a question mark.

On occasion, my husband and I will splurge - but most of the places listed are reasonably priced.� We usually avoid trendy places with mediocre, yet pretty, dishes.� Also, I'm willing to do without atmosphere for amazing service and mouth-watering food - though I would prefer to have all three.�

I don't claim to be a gastronomic "expert." I just love really good food.

**************************************************************************************************

The first three are all on Antique Row in Canoga Park

Cavaretta's Deli - 22045 Sherman Way, Canoga Park 818-340-6626

Do you love good cannoli?� Try Cavaretta's - opened since 1959.� I love this place.� Every time I go to Cavaretta's I take a number, wait and chat with the other hungry customers.� It's crowded, noisy and full of lots of Italian specialty foods.� They have fresh bread, good Italian sausage, exceptionally good mozarella and feta...all kinds of edible treats, including that cannoli I mentioned. � The Italian sub is my favorite sandwich here; it's got that real deli taste that a chain like Subway can't ever duplicate.� Hey, I even picked up a hand operated pasta maker here for a friend's wedding gift.� You can park on Sherman Way, but I always like parking in the back...something about coming through the backdoor adds to my Cavaretta's experience.

Pastries by Edie - 21608 Sherman Way, Canoga Park - 818-340-0203

Edible (and extremely delicious!) works of art.� Their pastries are as colorful and as esthetically pleasing as tiny masterpieces. My daughter and I, while walking Antique Row and perusing vintage shops, ducked into Pastries by Edie.� We tried some of their decadently silky and luscious gelatos.� My two favorite flavors were the latte menta (a creamy mint) and mango.� And then, overwhelmed by the pastry choices, I went for three mini cheesecakes with glazed strawberries.� Yum!� I hadn't seen pastries that beautiful since my last trip to Paris...oh, and they were rich, sweet and creamy as good cheesecake should be.

And then, as I held my delicate little cakes in a plastic box while scanning the racks at Out of the Closet, an employee, upon seeing my box of treats, said, "I know those!� Aren't their pastries amazing?" He then said his favorite are the fruit tarts in chocolate lined cups...I'll have to remember that.

Follow Your Heart - 21825 Sherman Way, Canoga Park

A natural, vegetarian food market and restaurant - good tasting, healthy food in a funky atmosphere.�

I always get the nutburger - a mix of nuts rather than meat on a huge wheat-bun topped with onions, sprouts, tomato and a dallop of thousand island dressing.�

The store's filled with health foods, healthy cookbooks, natural cosmetics and scents, incense and hand-made gifts.� It's located in an area of Canoga Park known as antique row, for the plethora of antique, vintage and collectible stores near-by.

Le Bon Bread - 21928 Ventura Bl., Woodland Hills

Le Bon Bread is a quaint French-style bakery.� When you park in the back, you're likely to glimpse and smell the bread being made as you walk toward the front.� They make quiches, brioches, croissants, tarts, eclairs, sandwiches on their freshly baked bread, and more - including coffees: capuccino, espresso and latte.� There are tables inside and out.

Cheebo - 7533 Sunset Boulevard (just West of Guitar Center)

The next time I have a friend visit from out of town I may have to take them to Cheebo for lunch. Why? Because it’s sooooo LA! Remember Annie Hall’s last scene at the Source on Sunset Boulevard? Cheebo is more LA than that. With its organic menu, art-covered tangerine walls and rock star and movie-type clientele, Woody Allen couldn't create a better only-in-Hollywood scene.

Though the sky was blackish-gray and drizzling, the moment my daughter and I entered Cheebo, sun seemed to pour through the mosaic of colored glass panes and land right on Slash from Guns 'n Roses. Even though the small room was packed and servers swooshed by carrying towers of pita bread on hummus, Slash – with his full black curls and pierced nose - was hard not to notice.

After being seated next to a group of guys, we discovered the crayons placed on our table and began coloring away on the white paper-topped table. My daughter worked on her hot pink heart, while I scribbled some Psychedelic amoeba-like orbs.

The guys next to us - some independent film people, I’m guessing from what they were talking about - pointed out their own tablecloth art: One blood covered dagger and some boobies.

“Well, that about sums up guys, right there,” I said, glad they laughed instead of being offended.

Our lentil soup and Mediterranean plate arrived. Everything was fresh and tasty. As we ate, Slash walked by, dressed in black jeans and black T-shirt. My eyes locked on his muscular, tattooed bicep… Oops, I was staring. But it’s a small place and I was facing that way… Oh, come on! To not stare at Slash when he was only two feet in front of my face would just be lame. I stared. I ate. I colored. I liked Cheebo.

Sushi Tsune - 18373 Ventura Blvd Tarzana, CA (818) 705-3400

It's delicous and really fresh sushi served in a friendly atmosphere (the room's lack of atmosphere is greatly warmed by the people).� The chefs are very friendly and approachable.� And the people who eat there� - regulars for years - all seem to be part of the Sushi Tsune family.� Ever since friends brought my husband and me here a few years ago, it's the only sushi place we go to lately.� Without our friends divulging their secret, we probably never would've discovered it, since it's hidden in a mall - just east of Reseda Bl.� Everything I've tried there is tasty.� I always like the rainbow roll (cut) and for a great flavor and texture sensation we like the crunchy roll (cut).� They always have interesting specials on the chalk board.� But whatever we get, we never fail to finish the meal with a serving of the fried tempura green tea ice cream.

Angelini Osteria - 7313 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles (4 BLOCKS WEST OF LA BREA)
Phone: 323-297-0070

Angelini Osteria's food is incredible.� My shrimp salad was so amazing it had me thinking I never really had shrimp before.� My husband's grilled bistecca alla Fiorentina was the best damn tasting T-bone steak I've had in a long, long time.� The seafood risotto was a blend of creamy, spicey risotto filled with fresh sea food.� And, oooohhhh, the tiramisu was a wonderful way to end the meal.

This place is a splurge for us...but worth every dollar.

Arroyo Chop House - 536 S Arroyo Pkwy, Pasadena, CA 91105 (626) 577-7463

�

This steak house is another wonderful splurge.� First, the atmosphere is perfect - Craftsman style dark wood, amber lighting, alive with the sound of the piano tinkling, happy chatter from patrons and sizzling steaks from the open kitchen.�

After ordering two nice martinis, we ate their delicious sourdough garlic bread.� The service was great; our water never got low and the waiter always checked on us...but, wow, our steaks seemed to be taking a while.� Then I realized why...

Uh, my steak - an herb encrusted prime rib - looked like one of those brontosaurus steaks from the Flintstones, and any moment the side of the table where my plate was set was going to tip over.� It was huge!!�

When I cut into my medium-well prime rib, as thick as it was, it seemed to melt.� And once it touched my tongue, it did.� The meat was so tender and juicy it really seemed to melt in my mouth.� And the flavor was superb.� While it came with three different sauces, I preferred to eat it just as it came.� Oh, and the garlic mashed potatoes were really tasty too.� My husband was just as impressed with his rib eye, which he somehow managed to make disappear, leaving only the bone.

I, on the other hand, had to drag away my huge portion of left over prime rib.� Seriously, the bag felt like it weighed five pounds.

Anyway, I have to say it was the most amazing prime rib I've ever tasted.� Oh, and if you still have room order a Grande Marnier souffle....mmmmm, heavenly.

Great service!� Enrique the waiter is fantastic!! Plus, great atmosphere and great food...a great experience.

Chili John's - 2018 W Burbank Blvd, Burbank (Cross Street: Keystone Street) #818-846-3611
Good tasting, body-warming chili.� Click here for all sorts of info, photos and history.

Cafe Bizou - 14016 Ventura Bl., Sherman Oaks - 818-788-3536

A meal at Cafe Bizou feels, to me, like a quick trip to Europe - from the cottage atmosphere to the food.� Everything I've eaten there, from the salads to dessert, has been very good.

Casbah Cafe - Located in Sunset Junction at 3900 West Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake
(323) 664-7000

An eclectic Moroccan inspired cafe/boutique with the most delicious pastries (the tarts are amazing!), coffees, teas, French and Northern African treats behind the glass counter.� I use to go here when my daughter went to the Conservatory of Music , down the street.� I'd have a tart and Moroccan Spearmint tea for breakfast...what a way to start the day.

More Than Waffles -� 17200 Ventura Bl., Encino (in the shopping center) 818-789-5937

Looking for great breakfast in the Valley?� I highly recommend More Than Waffles.� I've only gone once, but what a great experience.� It was a Saturday, the weather was spectacular- clear blue skies.� We ate outside under an umbrella while listening to talented musician J. Michael Henderson play great music with his keyboard and guitar.�

Who knew eating waffles could be a romantic experience, but since J. Michael asked my husband if he had any song requests, my husband suggested "Michelle" by the Beatles - which is my name; so there I was eating the most airy and delicious Belgian waffle, which I smothered in fresh apricot preserves and maple syrup, while being sung to...with the nearby fountain trickling in the background.� Ahhh...heaven.

And all the other food, besides waffles, looked amazing, too.

The Bowery - 6268 Sunset Bl., (at Vine) - 323-465-3400

A cool little bistro just down the street from the ArcLight theater.� Hungry before a film, my family and I stopped in here, and were nicely surprised with the bistro type fare.

Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles - 1514 North Gower St., Hollywood (Check out this video of King Cotton singing the Roscoe's chicken 'n waffle song from the movie Tape Heads.)

Many in L.A. have tasted Roscoe's amazing Carol C special (juicy inside, crisp outside, perfectly spiced fried chicken on a fluffy, butter and syrup drenched, golden waffle) by now, but this place is a personal favorite of mine.

The first time I ever tasted this exotic combo was when Herb "Roscoe" Hudson, himself, served this at a wrap party for the movie "Tapeheads".� It was the very same night I was introduced to my husband by our now long time friend King Cotton of the Bonedaddys. (So If my husband has anyone to blame it's King.)

Shortly after the wrap party, King asked Bo Diddley to play on a song King wrote called "Say Bo."� While King and Bo played and my husband produced, Herb Hudson, on a few occassions, brought over some steaming hot Carol C specials to the Culver City studio himself -� in honor of Bo, I imagine.

The first night I met Herb Hudson at the "Tapeheads" party, I leaned over the catering table and said, "This is soooo good! You should open a restaurant."� He was so humble to cater the food himself, I never imagined he already had a soul food empire on his hands.� And at the time, I was clueless that King had a whole scene in "Tapeheads" singing the praises of Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles (this eventually became my favorite part of the movie.)

Mr. Hudson now has other locations in the L.A. area: Pasadena, Downtown L.A.. and Long Beach.� I've only been to the one in Hollywood.� Be prepared to wait out on the sidewalk a while.� There are way more people who want to eat there than there are tables.� It's worth the wait.

Roscoe's...good enough to sing about!

The White Harte Pub - 22456 Ventura Bl., Woodland Hills 818-224-3822

A cozy little English pub right in Woodland Hills.� A toasty fire place, a dart board, frothy mugs of beer, fish and chips and other English fare - how can you go wrong?� I've only been there once, but we had such a good time and I enjoyed this place so much I thought it should be mentioned.� For more info, check out L.A. Daily News' article.� And they have entertainment there as well.

Bale Valley - 7223 De Soto Ave, Canoga Park (818) 348-8578

It's a divey little Vietnamese restaurant in a crappy area...but the soup is yummy.� A Vietnamese friend introduced me to this place.� I always get (I don't know the name) this noodle soup with crab, shrimp, cilantro, jalapenos (I think) and topped with lime and Vietnamese hot sauce...it's not only tasty, but just the right thing for a very bad head cold.� The last time I had a miserable cold, my husband picked some soup up for me - and my head cleared right up.

Los Toros - 21743 Devonshire Street, Chatsworth, CA 91311 (Near Topanga Bl.)

I can't believe I've lived in the Valley so long, and only now - thanks to our friends' recommendation - just discovered this great Mexican restaurant.� Right away, I loved the atmosphere - brightly colored mosaics of tile decorate the floors and kitschy Mexican art covers the walls of this humongous restaurant.� Our host led us through a maze of many eclectic rooms before we were seated at our cozy booth right near the lively and crowded bar.� The whole place buzzed with energy.�

The food was great, too!� Good thing, right?� And just as our friends had told us, the bean dip and salsa were extremely good.� I could have been satisfied with those and chips...well, as long as we could wash them down with their wonderful margaritas - so good I had two.� I ordered the shrimp fajitas, which arrived sizzling, accompanied with beans and rice.� Everyone at our table was very happy with their meals - plenty of food, great atmosphere, really great service and nice prices, too.�

My friend Fred, after spilling his soda, even received a sippy cup from our waiter.� Now, how can you beat that?�

Los Toros has been right there in Chatsworth since 1967, and I only just discovered it...oh well, as they say (whoever they are), better late than never.�

Check out the Los Toros website.

Topanga Pizza - 22994 Ventura Bl, Woodland Hills 818-222-4944

Don't let the name deceive you, there's more than just pizza served here. The owner was once a chef at Spago.� The food (pizza, pasta, chicken and fish) is really good, yet unbelievably inexpensive.

The dish I always get is the salmon with ginger-lime sauce, topped with golden, fried onion slivers and served with crisp, yet tender veggies, while my husband likes the chicken picatta.� All meals are served with their delicious garlic rolls.� For dessert, the key lime pie is a tart, yet sweet, dream in a buttery-crumb crust.� Slurp!!� and the creme brulee's lovely; rich yet light.� If that's possible.

Taste of India - 21833 Ventura Bl., Woodland Hills 818-999-0600

My favorite dish here is the navrattan korma (a mix of vegetables in creamy, mildly spicy sauce) - this is probably the one item I would choose to eat on a deserted island... if I were ever forced to make that choice.� I like to pour it over their vegetable biriani (rice and vegetables), top it with mango chutney and eat with the lucsious garlic nann (Indian bread).� I call often enough to order food to-go, that the man answering the phone says "Hello, Michele," as soon as I order the full order of Tandoori chicken.

Dar Maghreb - 7651 W. Sunset Bl., Hollywood, CA 90046

This is where my husband took me for our first date waaaaay back in the '80s.� I was impressed.� An evening at this restaurant is an experience.� Surrounded by the Moroccan architecture - arches, columns and an open courtyard revealing the stars - diners, seated on low cushioned couches and surrounded by colorful pillows, are treated like royalty.� Your hands will be drizzled with orange blossom scented water, the better to eat with - as these are your utensils.� You'll have many different courses brought to you in stages as belly dancers perform.� Moroccan dining isn't just about food; it's an event.

We've gone there quite a few times since that date long ago, and my favorite dish is always the b'stilla: a flaky, filo dough crusted pie, dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon and filled with eggs and chicken.� Savory, yet sweet and nearly melts in my mouth.

We go here when we can splurge, as it's quite expensive.� This is a good place to go with a group, considering the amount of food and price.

Here's the Dar Maghreb restaurant site, for all the details.

The Original Farmer's Market - on Fairfax and 3rd in the West Hollywood area.

Whenever I want to feel like I'm back in Europe, I head over to the Farmer's Market.� The second I walk in to the crowded courtyard, my senses become overwhelmed� with the aroma wafting from an array of different ethnic dishes.� The sights and sounds of all the different people surrounded by the food stands energizes me.� The last time I sat on one of their communal tables to eat my sushi I struck up a conversation with an older man, and a younger woman - all of us strangers until we had lunch together.

Du Pars - 12036 Ventura Bl., Studio City

When I'm tired of cooking and I want someone to mother me with comfort food, I'll go to Du-Pars.� A few weeks ago, after an afternoon of perusing vintage clothing stores with my husband on Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank, we headed over to Du-Pars.� The uniformed waitress chatted to us about her childhood in Pennsylvania and pointed us toward the rhubarb and banana cream pies after we devoured our open-faced hot turkey sandwiches and french-fries with brown gravy.

Du-Pars site has all the info and other locations.

Duke's Coffee Shop - 8909 West Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood (next to the Whiskey)

My husband, a musician, remembers many breakfasts in the '70s spent at Duke's - a rock-n-roll hang, conveniently located next to the Whiskey.� The omelette I had was real tasty, the orange juice fresh squeezed, the coffee was good and the vibe was energetic and eclectic.� And! Keanu Reeves was sitting at the counter with his motorcycle helmet at his feet... for those who care about that sort of thing.

Bob's Big Boy - 4211 Riverside Drive, Burbank

Burgers, fries, shakes and more...including time travel back to the '50s.� This original Bob's is so beautifully restored and the town of Burbank so quaint - I feel like I've been blasted back to the past every time I visit Big Bob.� The food is all-American tasty fare and the atmosphere is great!� They even have car-hop service on Saturday and Sunday nights, as well as a classic car show on Friday Nights.�

Here's Bob's Big Boy's site.

�

The Italian Deli - 4876 Topanga Canyon Bl. Woodland Hills (Near Dumetz) 818-340-0515

And if you're in Woodland Hills, or heading over Topanga Canyon on the way to the beach, why not stop at The Italian Deli?� Family owned since 1969, this little deli - a few doors down from another Woodland Hills favorite, Blinkie's Donuts - has humongous, tasty and nicely priced sub sandwiches with names like The Godfather, Bellybuster, Vito's Vegan - to name a few.

Not only can you grab some sandwiches for a picnic on the beach, there are pastas, salads, desserts and an array of other Italian specialty items in their tiny deli & market.� The Italian Deli, unlike all-the-same and boring Subway chain stores - feels like a small town market...because it is.

China Garden - 21618 Ventura Bl., Woodland Hills 818-347-0100

If you're looking for a good Chinese place in the West Valley, I would definitely stop at China Garden.� Everything I've ever had there has been extremely good.� Check out the menu on the China Garden site.

Galco's Old World Market - 5702 York Bl. Los Angeles (Pasadena area)

In my opinion, soda taste 100% better when it comes from a glass bottle.� When I remember car trips as a kid, I think about stopping at gas stations for cold orange Fanta or Bubble-Up, and chugging from the chilled bottles.� To truly quench my soda thirst, I head over to Galco's where they have aisles of shelves stocked with my childhood favorites and some really obscure sodas as well - all in glass bottles!!! My recent favorite is SunDrop soda - lemony-lime with a bit of pulp floating on the bottom of the green glass with yellow and red lettering.

Hey! You can even order soda online.

Versaille - 17410 Ventura Bl. Encino 818-906-0756

Cuban Food!� Really good and lots of it.� My favorite dish here is the lemon-garlic chicken, with black beans, white rice and plantain.� Yum!

Gorikee Cafe - 21799 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills

I read about this Restaurant in the Daily News. It's a relatively new Cal-Asian fusion restaurant run by a chef that used to work at Chaya in Venice.

My husband and I got dressed up for a pre-night on the town dinner at Gorikee and almost didn't enter after seeing the place. It's in dire need of an atmosphere make-over. First, it's in a shopping center. But with some red table cloths, drapery, dimmed lighting and candles I would at least feel like I'm not in a sandwich shop. Anyway, my husband and I decided to ignore the bright lights and horrid atmosphere, and entered.

I'm glad we did! The food was great. We started with the lobster and crab pot stickers. They were light and crispy. The lobster and crab, both fresh and flavorful. The sauces that accompanied the pot stickers made me want to lick the plate they were sooooo tasty.

My husband ordered the pan braised filet mignon. The tender, juicy filet came with lightly whipped, and exceptionally good mashed potatoes, crisp broccoli and asparagus. I had lobster medallions, moist and buttery, in a white truffle sauce, also with mashed potatoes and bright, crisp asparagus. It was the best meal I've had in a while.

The waitress, a perky little German woman, never let us feel ignored, which helped to out-weigh the horror of the glaring bright lights and lack of atmosphere.

I'm glad we ignored the decor and entered, but I'm seriously tempted to send them an anonymous note with some decorating tips. It wouldn't take much to fix the problem and the night would have been even more wonderful if we didn't feel like we were sitting in a mini-mall - which we were... but would've liked to pretend that we weren't.

Hal's Bar and Grill - 1349 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice 310-396-3105

Our friends brought my husband and me to Hal's last night, and we were very pleasantly surprised.�

Right away I loved the energy that filled the loft-style (cement tables surrounded by large pieces of artwork under beamed ceilings) room.� The loud talk of the crowd bounced off the walls; not great for hearing, but the over-lapping clatter felt like a party.� And, oh, the strong gin and tonics (waaaay more gin than tonic) didn't hurt the party mood either.

Between the four of us - who shared bites - I got a good sampling of Hal's dishes, and was impressed.� The Caesar salad had a nice garlicky bite; the calamari, extremely fresh - crisp on the outside, moist inside - and accompanied by a nice creamy and spicy sauce; the onion rings were very good and better than most I've had, and my husband's rib-eye steak in wine sauce was incredibly good...maybe the best thing I tasted of the dinner dishes we ordered. I had the seafood grill (scallops, shrimp, salmon and tuna) which was very good - fresh and perfectly cooked (browned yet moist fish) but not quite as delicious my husband's steak.

But the highlight of the meal came at the end and is something I'd never, ever had in my life: The bread pudding.

If our friend Marv hadn't recommend it I would never have thought to order bread pudding.� But, oooooh, am I glad we did.� It was moist, sweet, rich and creamy,� topped and infused with fruit (I'm not sure, but I think it was cranberries, apple and pear) with shavings of dark chocolate which blended perfectly with the raspberry in the sauce.� All four of us shared that one decadent plate, and it was more than enough.

Las Brisas - Located in Laguna Beach (about 1.5 hours south of L.A.)

My husband and I have gone here twice, and both times the dinners were unbelievable... but the view of Laguna Beach - especially at Sunset - makes my knees weak!� The last we dined here, we were seated with a window view of Laguna's main beach just as the sun was setting, so the pink light was bathing me as I sipped an icy, salty-sweet margarita and nibbled on crisp, yet tender calamari.� For dinner, I had a brochette of scallops and shrimp accompanied by (I believe) a creamy tarragon sauce (which made me want to lick the plate).� Here's their site for more info.

Quick Update Part 2: Pee Wee, Road Fiascos, Sleaze Balls and Bird Crap

Please note - In Quick Update Part 1, I mention my camera problem.  The photos taken below were with my husband's hard-to-use, duct-tape fastened camera.

I have a writing gig where I get to write about L.A. cultural (there is culture in L.A.! I swear.) and entertainment events for L.A. Splash.  My first three assignments were to cover some of the events at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Pee Wee, David Arquette and Pop Secret
Oddly, I kept running into Pee Wee Herman.  My daughter (who was able to attend some of the events) asked to have her picture taken with Pee Wee and David Arquette, who were standing together.  I absent mindedly handed my bag of popcorn, which was in a Pop Secret bag, to David Arquette while I adjusted my cumbersome, duct-tape wrapped camera.  To be expected, now that I think of it in hind-sight, David A. looked at me oddly, then looked over to Pee Wee. "Hey! Are you with Pop Secret?" he asked me.  It took me a second to realize they thought I was trying to get a photo of them holding the Pop Secret bag - like I was some sort of devious Pop Secret operative.  Gawd!  I'm a dork.  I should have held the Pop Secret bag between my knees. 

Broken car, Sleaze-bags and Bird Crap...What a vacation!
I planned to spend a few relaxing days in La Jolla, only to have three days of stress.  I traveled with my daughter and her friend, since my husband was too busy working to come along.

On the way to La Jolla, our car broke down on the Five freeway in San Clemente... on a Sunday!  Which meant only one car rental place was open, and about to close if a tow truck didn't get me there quickly enough.   Fortunately, the  rental car man went out of his way to wait, thus saving our vacation!

I'd like to acknowledge all that I'm grateful for during my road mishap: my cell phone, AAA, Bruce at San Clemente Rent-For-Less car rental (who waited for me before closing), the amazing Oscar Ortiz, owner of Auto Medic (who eventually repaired my car at minimal cost), all the nice Marines from Camp Pendelton who stopped to see if we needed help and the surfers who told us, as they walked toward the beach, where the hell we were so a tow truck could find us.  I thank all of you!

Now, I'd like to say what I do not appreciate -

Sea World... Yikes! What a rip off... I forgot to check out the prices before we went, so, too late, I discovered they charge Disney prices, but offer much less - and then keep charging for things inside the park.

(On left, beautiful La Jolla Cove)

After paying $150.00 for three people, I was not to pleased to realize I'd need to pay $3.00 more for a straw to drink my soda, or pay another $4.00 for some fish to pet the dolphin, or $3.00 per person for the sky tower for a view of the park... and of the two rides they have - one of them, the Atlantis coaster, was out of commission all morning.  In only two hours, we'd seen and done everything.  And... to top it off, literally, a seagull crapped on my head and the Sea World cartoon "artist" mocked my daughter in a valley girl voice.  When she asked where the dolphins were, he said, "They're, like, totally over there!"  We're like, totally, never returning to Sea World - even if the bat rays are the coolest.  Have you ever pet a bat ray?  Just like slippery little puppy dogs.

The next day we sunbathed and surfed; less expensive and less stressful.

On our last night, my daughter asked a La Jolla police officer where we could find a good Italian restaurant.  He not only told us about La Taverna, but drove us right to the front door in his police car.  Now that's serving the public!

Anyway, I just wanted to thank the helpful, and note the not so helpful.  In one way or another, you're all etched into my brain.

(Left, Belmont Park's coaster is 80 years old)

One last mention: I'd definitely recommend Hotel La Jolla At The Shores; The bright colorful decor was pure California, the staff was helpful, the rooms were clean, the pool and jacuzzi were nice and the prices were reasonable.
(photo below, the view from our hotel room.)
 

Brown Derby Tribute

  On August 19th, from 10am-noon, Jonathan Foerstel of  L.A. Time Machines would like to invite you to a free "Brown Derby Tribute" held by The Southern California Restaurant Historical Society.  There will be speakers such as Jack Lane, Master caricaturist from the Hollywood Brown Derby; Mark Willems, author of "The Brown Derby Restaurant" A Hollywood Legend," and Rebecca Goodman of the Save the Derby Coalition. 

The meeting will be held at the former Brown Derby Drive-In Building (now "The Derby" and Louise's Trattoria), at 4500 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Angeles. Free to the Public.

Silverlake: Silent No More

Today, my destination was Silverlake for my daughter's guitar lessons at the Silverlake Conservatory of Music.

After exiting the 101, I headed East up Sunset Boulevard, way far from the swank celebrity populated bistros and boutiques that sit under mammoth billboards with barely clothed models who look so nonchalantly dewy.  The neighborhoods became more decrepit the further I traveled: littered alleys, yellowing plastic store front signs in Vietnamese, Thai, Armenian and Spanish. Crumpled, beaten people looking defeated while waiting for buses, pushing shopping carts, or scuffling along aimlessly.

Then Sunset curved, and there around the corner was Silverlake - much different than I remember in the 1980s.  Then it just a quiet neighborhood of sagging and paint-worn bungalows and apartments below larger hilltop estates.  In those days, my husband and I would go to Millie's for breakfast and Charlie's for thrift store treasures.  Way before the '80s, Silverlake was once a haven for stars of the '20s and '30s, and where Laurel and Hardy dropped a piano down a stairway in the movie "The Music Box." Charlie Chaplin had a place on the hill above, I've heard.  Even many of the streets are named after silent film stars like Norma Talmadge. Not long ago, I went to a vine covered, Spanish style mansion above Sunset Boulevard, called The Paramour which was the home of silent star Antonio Moreno and his oil-heiress wife Daisy Canfield - and heard tales of how they might still live there... in spirit.  Today the estate is home to a recording studio and, I believe, is still rented out for parties, weddings, concerts festivals and film shoots.  Lately, it's the home of the Super Nova contestants on Dave Navarro's show.

Silverlake's past still lingers, but now it's come alive with an artistic energy: store fronts painted in bright terra-cotta, aubergine and saffron; Exteriors bright with artwork and decorated metal sculptures.

I dropped my daughter off for her guitar lesson, then wandered over to the Den of Antiquity - a cramped shop selling an eclectic variety of things from days long past. Amongst dusty objects was an old circa 1950s television, the glass screen filled with water and swimming goldfish. Then, craving a hot cup of coffee, I entered the Casbah Cafe through its turquoise, arched stone doorway and headed toward the pastries, coffees, teas, French and Northern African treats behind the glass counter. Further back, under large Moroccan lamps, were brightly colored robes, gowns and scarves draped over tables and hanging along the walls. Men and women spoke softly while sipping cappuccinos and trying to ignore the loud, actress dressed in a black turtle neck shirt, faux leopard mini-skirt and suede Ugg boots. Over and over she mentioned her agent, the shoot and the studio.  I wanted to scream, "Yeah, we heard you already!" but decided to buy a tart instead of yell at one.

After I dusted pastry crumbs from the front of my shirt, I headed past the crowds eating al fresco, shopping or talking to friends and walked into the brick building where my daughter had her guitar lesson. She walked toward me, as I heard the distant "aaaahhhh, eeeeehhh, oooooooh" of a singing lesson and the screech of a new violin player.

Walking back to our car, we passed apartments with windows opened wide blaring music and blowing incense scented smoke, bringing me back to my childhood in San Francisco. I got a taste of of my bohemian past, and it only took me one freeway and a half-hour drive (without weekday traffic) to get it.

 

Time Traveling In Los Angeles

Jonathon Foerstel has an amazing site, Los Angeles Time Machine, where he has photos, information and locations of Los Angeles Metropolitan restaurants, bars, buildings, movie palaces and motels from the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, or as he says, "those bastions of a bygone era."

 March 18th at 10am at the Hollywood Heritage Museum, 2100 N. Highland Ave, Hollywood, he's meeting with a few other people the Southern California Restaurant Historical Society.  Some really great speakers will be there, including  Filomena D'Amore, whose father owned the Villa Capri with Frank Sinatra (James Dean's favorite restaurant), also  Charles Perry, LA Times columnist and Food Historian,  Jim Heimann who wrote "Out With the Stars" and "May I take Your Order" (as well as numerous other Taschen books), and Jonathan Foerstel, himself, to talk about his site, Los Angeles Time Machines.

If you're into classic LA restaurants, or want to learn about them, Jonathon would love to see you there.  

The Hazardous Effect of The Demi-Ashton Haze

I will get to my Demi-Ashton experience, but some details first...

A few weeks back, my daughter and I decided to escape the Valley for a few hours in the dark at the ArcLight Theater in Hollywood; unfortunately, we left ourselves little time for the jammed 101 freeway, Friday night Hollywood Bowl traffic and other Los Angeles time consumers - such as the egomaniacs who drive on the wrong side of Cahuenga, by-passing us plebians patiently waiting in traffic, to be let in by a "nice" accommodating motorist up ahead.  Watching an I'm-more-important-than-everyone-else Porche-driver allowed into the traffic caused me to rant about how sometimes courtesies are inappropriately given to the wrong people...such as this Porche-driver...leaving those of us who played by the rules to get pushed back. 

What does this have to do with Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher? Well, when we arrived ten minutes late for our movie (which we already purchased tickets for online) at the ArcLight parking structure and dashed to the 6th level parking lot elevator, Demi, Ashton and her three kids were waiting.  It was one of those awkward Hollywood moments.  Demi's oldest daughter looked at us with a guarded "How are these people going to react?" expression, and then as my daughter and I piled into the elevator with the Demi-Ashton clan - they stood on one-side and us on the other, I looked at Ashton, then at Demi, and they back at me with those "Yep, it's us" acknowledgement grins.  My daughter leaned back against the elevator wall trying to act so nonchalant I thought she might yawn.  Just as Demi (looking beautiful by the way, even without any makeup and buried under a baseball cap) pushed the elevator button, a guy and girl in their twenties ran in before the doors could close.  That's when it got uncomfortable. 

The guy began referring to some incident on Ashton's show "Punk'd" and whooping it up with "Whoo hooo"s and "Don't know how you did that one!" and Ashton smiled and laughed - even did a little sparring, boxer type dance with the guy (probably in reference to something on "Punk'd).  Meanwhile, the guy's girlfriend just stared and giggled.

When the elevator opened, my daughter and I planned on running toward the theater, since we were now about fifteen minutes late - but we couldn't.  The couple, wearing their "We're in the presence of stars" glazed expressions, blocked our exit.  The guy, about six feet tall and wide, gallantly opened his arms so that Ashton, Demi and her kids could get out first, leaving my daughter and me unable to flee.  I pleaded "Excuse me!" as loud as possible, and tried to get around the big guy's arm span, but it was no use; we were practically pinned to the wall so that Demi and Ashton could leave the elevator in safety...without worry of mixing with riff-raff such as us.

As soon as we could, my daughter and I made our escape.  I ran past the guy and girl, glanced back at their silly, smiling Demi-Ashton haze glazed expressions and yelled, "Thanks! Thanks for being so nice to the celebrities and treating us like crap!"  Then I ran past the Demi-Ashton clan in a blur, with my daughter yelling to me "Your pants are falling down!" 

The evening caused me to reflect on this thought: It's wonderful to be kind to people, but crappy when it's at the expense of others.

*I did not take the photo.

L.A. on Speed

My husband's brother, along with his wife (the brother's) and four kids, have been visiting from Canada.  They had a van big enough for all of us (including my husband, daughter and me) for only one day, so we had a short time to play tour guides properly.  And in that one day we needed to find things that would intrigue a group ranging in ages from six to fifty-something, many of whom have an interest in music.

So here's our lightning speed L.A. itinerary:

From West San Fernando Valley, we drove along Ventura Boulevard - noting to my fourteen-year-old music-loving nephew that Tom Petty and Frank Zappa are just a few artists who mention the boulevard in their lyrics. I mentioned the "Brady Bunch" house (11222 Dilling Street, Studio City) but apparently the kids are all too young to remember the Bradys (Ouch! I'm that old?) So Up Coldwater Canyon we headed to Franklin Lake.  Upon sight of the familiar setting, my husband and I began whistling the opening theme to the "Andy Griffith Show",  and mentioned the lake's use in the show's opening sequence, along with other shows such as "Bonanza," which filmed there.  Without getting out of the van, we headed down Coldwater Canyon to Beverly Hills where the kids' mouths hung open in awe at the size of the homes. 

To satisfy the 6-year-old's hunger pangs, we zoomed over for a quick bite at the Farmers Market on 3rd and Fairfax.  We piled back into the van and headed over to Amoeba music in Hollywood.  Here, the kids could have stayed all day, but we pulled them away after buying stacks of C.D.s to park and walk over to the hand-prints at Mann's theater - wading our group through the wacky gathering of panhandlers dressed like Elvis, Michael Jackson and Darth Vader. 

 

After Amoeba, hand-prints of stars the kids never heard of was not quite as thrilling, but I figured we were in the neighborhood.  I helped wake up the six year old and his mom (my sister-in-law) by walking ahead and asking Frankenstein to give him a little scare.  What kind of Aunt does that?  I'm mean, I know (See photo).

After a quick glance at the Hollywood sign, again we belted into the short-bus.  This time, we headed for the Guitar Center.  Most of the kids ran to separate instruments: one to the drums, one to the basses and another to the guitars.  My sister-in-law and I joked about becoming the new Partridge family - all she and I would need are me some triangles and tambourines...oh, and talent! (The kids are talented; I am not)

A little more weary this time, we again passed through Beverly Hills and snaked our way down Sunset Boulevard, where my husband and I pointed out various landmarks: where I got mugged in the eighties, the legendary "Riot House" (Hyatt House), and the Viper Room where River Phoenix died... you know, nice stuff like that.  And on toward the beach we traveled - just in time to reach the Santa Monica Pier for an inky orange-pink sunset, a ride on the roller-coaster and to eat some greasy hot dogs.

I'm Going to Be Huge...

...If my daughter doesn't come back soon.  She's at camp, which means I treat myself to a vacation.  Rather than pay for plane fare and hotels, my husband and I opt to stay home and eat out a lot.  So here's where we've eaten in the last four days:

BRENT'S DELI
Every time I eat at this place I order the same thing, because it's just too good.  Again, I had a pastrami on rye with mustard, cole slaw and fries.  The sandwich is so huge, my husband and I always have to share it.  The slices of pastrami are so incredibly juicy, I almost didn't need to put anything else on the bread.  Their coleslaw is great, too.  I'm sure most things there are really, really good, but that's all I had.  Oh, that and one of the most amazingly sweet-tart, melt-in-my-mouth, light and flaky lemon squares I've ever tasted.  Great coffee, too. 

Brent's isn't really too close to my home, but is absolutely worth the drive. 

PACIFIC DINING CAR in Santa Monica
My husband was craving a good steak, so we decided to try this place since I'd heard about it before...or maybe it was the Downtown Pacific Dining Car that's supposed to be good... anyway, while my lobster was very tasty, as was my martini, the steak was just so-so.  So-so steak shouldn't cost over thirty dollars, and that's without any a la carte items - just a plain old, not too juicy, and slightly tough steak.  Now we know, when in the mood for a really, good, juicy, sizzling steak, we'll head over to the Ruth's Chris in Woodland Hills.  Now that's a steak!  Ruth's Chris ribeye is amazing.  But, hey! We tried something new, and I did have a nicely made martini.

ABUELITAS in Topanga Canyon
Why haven't I heard about this place before?! They've got really good Mexican food, amazing atmosphere, great service and strong margaritas.  I happened to find this on the internet, though I pass Abuelita's every time I drive over Topanga toward the beach.
(photo from Abuelitas web site)

I went with a big group of friends.  We were seated outside on the deck over a creek and under a canopy of leaves.  As the sky dimmed and the outside of the cottage style restaurant lit up in Christmas lights, we gorged on tortilla chips and the best guacamole I've had in a long time.  I ate each one of my sweet, tasty shrimp wrapped in warm flour tortillas with grilled onions and peppers.  We all left satisfied and sleepy. 

DUKE'S COFFEE SHOP on Sunset next to the Whiskey
We stopped in for an afternoon breakfast.  I don't know what made me do it, but I ordered a stack of banana pancakes.  And, damn they were good.

I know, I've got to stop eating like this - but I had to go to...

ROSCOE'S CHICKEN & WAFFLES 1514 N. Gower St., Hollywood
I've mentioned this place before in my food index as the food my husband and I bonded over almost 20 years ago, but it's too good to not give it a second mention.

We swung by Roscoe's on our way to Amoeba music, and expected to find the normal line out front - but we were able to walk right in and sit down.  It was just before 7 p.m.

I got my favorite Carol C special (fried chicken breast with one crispy, cinnamony waffle) and a side of smothered potatoes. Yummmm! If I had a mother that cooked like that growing up, I would have been one chubby kid. 

I mentioned in my previous Roscoe post about meeting "Roscoe" a few times, but now, after all these years, I realize we've been calling Herb Hudson, the owner, Roscoe.  Ooops!

More to come...

The Arclight, Amoeba Music and Melinda & Melinda

Friday night, my daughter and I wanted to go to a movie.  I'd heard good reviews of Melinda and Melinda,  Woody Allen's new film (my review below), but as of that night it was playing at only a few theaters - one of which was the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood, in the Cinerama Dome.  After going online to get the film times, I reserved seats in the middle of the theater.

Amoeba Music:  We parked in the lot next door to the Arclight, then walked over to Amoeba Music, since we had a bit of time to spare before the movie.  Oh man!  Amoeba is music and D.V.D. nirvana!  I had to ask myself why exactly have I driven by a million times, met people who've worked here, heard about it and, yet, have never gone inside? With so little time before the movie, I couldn't even begin to explore all that they had available - there was just too much.  Though I did buy  Beck's new C.D., and then went upstairs to discover that they had a killer documentary D.V.D. section.  Lover of a good documentary ("Crumb", "The Last Waltz", Bob Dylan's "Don't Look Back," etc.) that I am, I know exactly where I'll be heading next time I want to buy any.

The Arclight:  I could really get used to reserving movie seats online.  We were able to head right in the middle of the theater, where I always like to sit, without having to worry that someone else was going to snag the seats first.  When my daughter went to get a snack I didn't have to throw down some territorial marking, like a coat or purse, in order to make it known the seat was taken.  People simply looked to their tickets and found there seats without having to stand in the aisles arguing with friends and loved ones over the best seating, or over who would have to ask the entire row to move down and make room. It was all very painless.

Here's my review of Melinda And Melinda.

Dar Maghreb Photos

Our evening at Dar Maghreb -

Dar Maghreb: A Night In Morocco Via Hollywood

 Dar Maghreb Moroccan Restaurant - 7651 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, 323-876-7651

Last night, a group of our friends met my husband and me for Moroccan food at Dar Maghreb.  We've all been wanting to get together there for years.  We finally did... and had a blast!!

It's the third time my husband and I had eaten there - the first was our first date back in 1987; still, we were blown away by everything: the atmosphere, the music and dancing, and of course - the food.

The Atmosphere -

it's absolutely gorgeous.  We entered through a large brass, key-hole shaped door into a ceiling-less courtyard of white arches over artistically tiled floors, finding a gurgling fountain under the blackness and stars of the night sky.  We continued into the dining area where the high painted ceilings were dimly lit by ornate Moroccan lamps and intricately carved wood decorated the doorways.  There we sat upon cushioned seating surrounded by ornate pillows and brightly tiled walls.

The energetic Moroccan music played continuously in the background, rising in volume before each time the belly dancer, Mesmera, entered the room.  She was amazing; her movements - the way she flicked and rotated her scarved hips seductively, moved her back in serpentine undulations and jingled her fingertips - were a work of art.  At one point she came over to teach my friends and me a chest thrust type move that I think could make us all very popular at parties

The Food -

Though I remembered from previous visits the entire experience - seven courses all eaten with fingers, beginning with the waiter drizzling warm water over our hands as we held them over a basin - I had forgotten just how good the food is.

After ordering quite a few cocktails (the most popular with my girlfriends and me was their Champagne with Chambord cocktail), we not only wanted to eat, but needed to before we drowned ourselves in alcohol.

First came bowls of the best lentil soup I've ever tasted: curried, slightly sweet and smoky, with a strong cilantro flavor. 

Then a platter of marinated vegetables - pureed eggplant, carrots and tomatoes to be eaten with bread.  The eggplant was my favorite of the three vegetables. 

Next arrived one of my favorite dishes: the b'stilla.  A pie of light and flaky phyllo dough filled with chicken, scrambled eggs, almonds, flavored with spices - one of which is cinnamon.  The outer crust is dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon, so that the entire pie is a perfect harmony of savory and sweet flavors mingling together.  The first time I had this, I'd never eaten anything quite like it. (I don't have photos of this.  We ate it before I could take any.)

With a sweet taste still on my lips, our next course arrived: the brochettes (skewered meats).  Our group chose the shrimp brochettes, and I'm glad we did.  They were amazing - sweet, moist, slightly spicy and accompanied by a creamy, tomatoey sauce that reminded me of thousand Island dressing.

Next, was our choice of poultry.  We chose the chicken with lemons and olives.  The chicken was incredibly juicy and tender, falling off the bone, and flavored strongly with the lemons and olives.  As full as we were getting, none of us stopped eating this until their was not one bit of meat left; it was too tasty.

By the time the cous cous with vegetables arrived, I was too full. Everyone else ate it though, and couldn't stop raving about how good the cous cous was - so I had a bite.  It was really good - moist and flavorful, sweetend by the plump raisins.  Cous cous can be a little bland, but this dish wasn't at all.

After this, a fruit and nut platter arrived, followed by sticky honey and powdered sugar covered pastries and warm, sweet spearmint tea.  I only drank the tea, and wow!  It was so good and soothing; the perfect end to a wonderful evening.

Then came the bill...(below, on the right, is a photo of Todd seeing the total cost of our meal for the first time.)

 

L.A. Times Festival Of Books At UCLA: Photos

Saturday, April 23rd at the 2005 L.A.Times Festival of Books -

L.A. Times Festival Of Books At UCLA

April 23, 2005
Creative Nonfiction Panel -
Saturday morning, I received one of the last tickets for the creative nonfiction panel, consisting of authors Patricia Hampl, Michael Dirda, Ann Patchett, Mark Salzman and Joe Lelyveld.

Listening to these well spoken, interesting and witty authors was so inspiring and informative that an audience member even asked the panel, "Do you find writing to be a form of therapy, because you all seem so incredibly healthy and articulate?"  True.  All of them spoke only pithy, pertinent pearls of wisdom (Oh, I love alliteration!) worthy of wrapping quotes around...but of course, I arrived without a pen.

Bullwinkle's Rocky -
After getting some spicy tuna rolls with extra wasabi and chopsticks, I sat down for lunch on a lawn right next to the stage where June Foray (the voice of Rocky the Squirrel from "Rocky And Bullwinkle" - one of my favorite cartoons, along with "Fractured Fairy Tales") was answering children's questions.  One older boy asked, in his best booming Bullwinkle impersonation, "Were you also the voice of Natasha?" to which Ms. Foray responded, "Excuse me?"  Then, after hearing the question clearly, she let loose with her deep Russian Natasha voice, "Must get squirrel, Dahlink."

Authors I Met & Books I Bought -
I then walked the campus investigating the different booths, and found Angel City Press's booth, full of California and L.A. related books, where I picked up a copy of "Curbside L.A." by Cecilia Rasmussen.

Next, I bought "Wild L.A.: A Day Hiker's Guide" by John McKinney - a book composed entirely of L.A. County specific hikes, which I'm really excited about since I tend to stick to my usual walking areas: Solstice Canyon, Malibu Creek Park and Stoney Point, to name a few.  In the book the author included the distances of each hike, clear details on which directions to take, as well as some great history about each area. (The author, John McKinney, in photo signing my book.)

Then I made a fool out of myself when I saw Marcia Wallace, an actress from one of my favorite shows as a kid, "The Bob Newhart Show," at a book signing table.  I asked if I could buy one of her books... Duh!  But, in my defense, I was a little flummoxed by seeing someone I grew up watching on T.V.  Ms. Wallace was so sweet, she and her equally lovely friend, Carol Wood - writer and webmaster, somehow ended up asking me about my daughter and if I write, and I, of course, was only to happy to answer.   But once I left, I glanced down at the book cover of Marica Wallace's book "Don't Look Back We're Not Going That Way!" and read "How I overcame a rocky childhood, a nervous breakdown, breast cancer, widowhood, fat, fire and menopausal motherhood..." I wished I took time to ask her more about herself, rather than gush about the television show she was on decades ago. (Below right, Ms. Wallace having to wait for my camera's three second delay.)

Finally, I thought about attending the Carrie Fisher interview with Sandra Tsing Loh, but then decided to listen to Laurie Notaro read from her new book "We Thought You Would Be Prettier." The self-named "dorkiest girl alive" (Laurie, I can relate!) had the audience howling, while simultaneously dealing with the wind knocking over her book display sign and reading aloud how she resorted to flipping off an 8-year-old summer camp kid at her YMCA. (Laurie Notaro, below)

Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel

I've been watching a "reality" show on the Style Network called "Hot Spot:The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel," where viewers get to follow the renovation of the Roosevelt Hotel.  On last night's show, the people involved in the renovation were patting themselves on the back for a job well done.  Cut to: reality - the place is not yet finished.

I went to check out the updated hotel this afternoon hoping to have a drink by the pool, but the bar wasn't even opened; not a bottle nor a glass could I see - only a generous amount of wood dust sprinkled about.

Even without my poolside cocktail, the Roosevelt remains an elegant oasis since the renovators were required to preserve the Roosevelt's historic features; for that, we historic landmark lovers can let out a sigh of relief. 
(photo on left, looking through Roosevelt's front door to Hollywood Bl.)

Entering the sedately lit and opulent Spanish Colonial lobby after leaving the blare of noise and light on Hollywood boulevard, is always, for me, like stepping back into Greta Garbo's era, while the pool area is so light and mid-century modern sleek - I could imagine Marilyn Monroe slink by leaving a trail of Channel No. 5. in her wake.

Walking through the  Roosevelt, I'm happy to see it remains an elegant haven amidst glittering sidewalk-stars and imbedded handprints.  I just expected that it would be fully completed, as that Style Network show made it seem.  But as many things in Hollywood, not everything is quite   as it appears on screen - and that's just reality.

(The pool photos show David Hockney's 1980's mural on the bottom of the pool.)

(The two photos above are of the lobby's ceiling, originally painted by A.T. Heinsbergen, and then restored by Heinsbergen's son.)

Experiencing L.A.

After living in Los Angeles half my life, these are a few of my quintessential L.A. experiences:

Feeling like I finally became an Angeleno when I could merge onto the 101 during rush-hour traffic, without breaking into a sweat and racing heart palpitations.

Getting mugged one late Friday night in the parking lot of the Hollywood Athletic Club, then having a record producer in a limo come to my rescue by calling the police on his car phone (This was a way cooler tale before cell phones).

Flirting with Kevin Costner while working as an extra on "No Way Out."

Having my roommate break down in sobs in the middle of a 405 traffic jam on a hot summer day, swearing she would leave this "damn city!".  She did.

Working as an entertainment business manager's receptionist, it was my duty one day to keep two battling, just divorced soap opera stars from seeing each other, even though the wife was in the manager's office behind closed doors and the husband insisted on waiting.

Spilling a tray of drinks on Ted Danson's shirt while playing a cocktail waitress for a movie of the week.

Inching my way over Laurel Canyon in morning rush-hour traffic, neck-in-neck with Charlton Heston in the other lane.

When I finally learned exactly which area code belonged to what neighborhood, only to have many of them change and new ones added.

Drinking too much, then passing out in a booth at the Italian restaurant across from Canter's with John Cusak and producer Eric Barrett, after which they drove me back to my apartment and carried me up to my door. (my roommate thought she could fix me up with John C. But I don't think I impressed him much.)

Running into a bleary-eyed Robert Downey Jr., more than once, while club-hopping in the '80s.

Going to a Bar Mitzvah and being seated between Rick Davies of Supertramp and a writer from the show, "90210," and getting the scoop on who in Hollywood had plastic surgery - way before I knew of this site.

Window shopping with my daughter in Beverly Hills, we passed two blond women with their faces covered in white gauzy bandages and some more women sipping Champagne as they had their make-up done in Barney's.  We gasped at the designer key-holders with price tags more than my monthly car payment, and watched a shirtless guy stand in an intersection in the middle of traffic proceeded to strip off his surf shorts and run naked in circles - all within an half-hour span. 

Knowing no one in my life that works at a job where wearing a tie or nylons is required.

Going to the beach in Malibu, pulling into the only parking spot available - from which Flea with the Chili Peppers just pulled out, then sitting on the sand between movie Producer Brian Grazer and his family and a pouting Victoria Secret model and her bully of a surfer boyfriend.

Making eyecontact with Roger Daltrey, whom I had a huge crush on during his cascading-mane-of-golden-curls days, as he entered Whole Foods and I was leaving.

Going on auditions and being the only female waiting who wasn't over five-feet-ten inches tall, blond with fake boobs.

Hearing the same pick-up lines, over and over (in my single days): "I'd like to take photos of you," and/or "Would you like to come up to my place to read my script?" Always asked with the assumption that a young female will believe any fool can advance her career as long as he has a camera, a script or a business card which states he's a Hollywood big-wig.

Getting used to people scanning the crowd at parties while I'm trying to make eyecontact and have a conversation, which makes me begin speaking jibberish to see if they're listening, and when they nod knowingly - I go and refresh my drink.

Stopping at a light on Sunset and Laurel, and looking over to my right to see Dennis Woodruff-Actor politely tip his hat to me.

Visiting a friend and seeing Angelyne's hot-pink Corvette convertible parked in their neighbor's suburban driveway. 

Having June Lockhart, of "Lassie" and "Lost In Space," ask to use the phone on my desk, when I worked as a receptionist.

Running into old sitcom stars while doing errands: Marion Ross and Kirk Cameron at the ATM, Scott Baio at Sharper Image, and Jody from the "Family Affair" (Who looked just like he did as a kid), while reaching for blueberry muffins at Vons.  Seeing them in person is an entirely wierd experience - something like crawling into a T.V. tuned to the T.V. Land channel.

Taking a writing class from a well known ex rock-groupie, where everything was talked about without judgment: sex, drugs, S&M... but when she mentioned she went on a blind date and the guy showed up wearing khakis, the room of women gasped in horror.  There are few things that shock those related to the rock world, apparently wearing khaki on a date is one of them.

Having a large movie crew, scouting locations, come into my home to inspect it to for use in a future production.  I was asked if I would mind being put up in a hotel for a few weeks, and if they could they paint the walls a different color.

 

Yep, my house and my dog got discovered. But, me? I’m still waiting.

Rythym & Soul, Chili Fries & A Rastafarian Cowboy - a week in review

My friend Todd, an architect normally, played drums with a band for an ASCAP Rhythym & Soul show at Pearl Restaurant (once Luna Park) in West Hollywood.  No cameras were allowed.  Did that stop me, rebel that I am? Nope.  Without the use of my flash, the photos came out blurry.

After all that rythym and rebellion I was hungry.  We headed over to Carney's for chili fries (so-so oily fries, but good chili). My Carney's shot is blurry because I had a few watered down twelve dollar drinks at Pearl...$12.00... as in cash, money, mullah!!! I could have bought six bottles of Trader Joe's Two-Buck Chuck for the price of one of their drinks.

Other than breakfast with friends, Marv & Lisa, at the Country Deli in Chatsworth, it's been all work and little play. Below is Lisa and one of the Country Deli's murals (Is it just my imagination or does that cowboy look Rastafarian?)

Images of My Day:Malibu Creek Park

What an incredible day!

I spent the afternoon walking through Malibu Creek Park. The creek, full after the rains, rushed by below the trail. The air was crisp and clear and, smelling of damp earth and sage; breathing it in made me almost delirious with happiness.

The rain left the hills green and Rock Pool full and churning - deeper than I can ever remember.

It was all so beautiful, I hated to leave.  (Rock Pool and other sites at Malibu Creek have been used in many films and TV shows, Such as "MASH," "Lost Horizon,"  "Tarzan Escapes, " and more.