Abbott Kinney Boulevard – Bohemian Chic at its Best

Named for the developer who created the nearby Venice canals, this formerly grungy ghetto of anti-establishment artists and assorted riff-raff has been transformed into a hipster hangout. Bohemian chic-wearing trendsetters have replaced the yuppy shock troopers who began the transformation years ago.

Now dominated by chic boutiques, traces of Abbott Kinney Blvd’s former grungy self can still be found. Just note the metal bars and tacky yellow sign on the aptly-named Liquor Store at the California St. intersection. The mural only adds to the place’s spunk. Farther north up the Blvd, the Glencrest Bar-B-Que is another holdout against the gentrification wave.


Don’t be surprised if people break into song when you grab your caffeine fix at independent coffee shop Abbott’s Habit at the corner of California and Abbott Kinney. It’s pretty common to see patrons commandeer the piano to belt out a few tunes.

As for the boutiques and art galleries, I can’t afford to buy most of their stuff so I’m reduced to mocking as I window shop. As a sign of their postmodern sophistication, most of these colorful shops have trendy one word names that typically give little to no clue about the wares inside: Colcha, Ananda, Heist, and my personal favorite Salt. And, just in case you were wondering, Salt does not sell that small white grainy stuff we love on chips.


If you’re looking for something specific, Firefly has cute clothes for women. Scentiments has beautiful floral arrangements, and Colcha has innovative furniture. Last but not least, Brick Lane makes UK fashions available to SoCal anglophiles.

Also worth a browse is Equator Books. Just don’t expect a Barnes & Noble experience. Wood-paneled with a spacious feel, this bookstore features out-of-print collectables. Amongst their special categories, you’ll find Prostitution & Call Girls and Circus Freaks & Bullfighting. Maybe leave the kids home for this one.


The nice thing about Abbott Kinney Blvd is there’s food for every type of pallet and budget. If you’re into inexpensive Mexican grub, try the Tortilla Grill, opposite Abbott’s Habit at the southern end of the Blvd. The tacky cactus painted on the door gives it character. If BBQ’s more your thing, try the Glencrest Bar-B-Que.

If you’re looking to be impressed or have a yen for French, I highly recommend Lilly’s French Cafe. Their food is reliably good, the lunch specials are a good deal, and the interior is art galleryesque. If it’s a nice day, ask to dine on the outdoor back patio.

Finally, don’t stress about parking. There’s a free lot in back of Abbott’s Habit.

Westwood’s Hidden Farmers Market

As a UCLA student, I have fond memories of Thursday afternoons when I’d get my weekly fix of kettle corn, taro chips, and pomegranate juice at the Westwood Farmers Market. That’s why I was so sad to learn it had been shut down last year.


Thankfully, I can stop my moping because the market has reopened at the Vets Garden at the Veterans Administration. The plentiful parking and peaceful garden setting definitely make it more chill than the previous market. Another plus, the market benefits the Vets Garden, which helps veterans with rehabilitation, training, and employment programs.


The downside, however, is that the place is almost too chill. Maybe it’s the somewhat out-of-the-way location. In any case, there just don’t seem to be that many customers the three times I’ve gone. The vendors are friendly and in some cases, overeager. Heck, I’d be overeager too if I’d loaded up a truck and driven a distance to ply my wares only to be twiddling my thumbs.


My favorite spot is the table-filled glade at the back of the market. There, you can indulge in the tamales, BBQ, or Greek food on offer while listening to live music. Or, just forget your cares by taking in the trees and the burbling fountain.

Let’s try to keep this place going!

Getting There From the Intersection of Wilshire and Sepulveda:

• North on Sepulveda
  
• Left on Constitution (west) -opposite the Cemetery entrance
  
• Just before Jackie Robinson Stadium…Turn right on Davis
  
• You'll see the market in front of you. Turn right to park in “Getty Parking Lot” as directed

$35 Massage – No, this isn’t a joke!

Are you tense without a lot of cash around? Then you’re in a remarkably similar situation to my husband and I. I always tell him that tri-weekly spa days are what we should splurge on when we win the lottery. Until then, you (at least the ones without wads of greenbacks lying around) and I can still indulge in what I have dubbed ‘the poor-man’s massage’.

But is it shady, you might ask? Is this one of those sketchy massage parlors with the shades drawn and the blinking red lights outside? No, thank goodness, no!

But how can they afford to offer such cheap massages? The answer, loyal readers, is that the California Healing Arts College is where they train those future massage therapists who go on to work at chic spas.

Don’t worry, they don’t just start practicing on live subjects without any training. All the masseurs and masseuses have already completed extensive coursework and received their certification in massage therapy before they get their hands on customers.

In typical LA fashion, the California Healing Arts College is located in a non-descript strip mall in West LA (see address at bottom). Remember, this is a ‘poor-man’s massage’ so it doesn’t come with all the bells-and-whistles normally found in a day spa. You won’t find gurgling fountains or cucumber-infused water here, and there are no jacuzzis or saunas to lounge around in after your treatment.

Nevertheless, I always manage to come out relaxed. Despite being plain, the rooms are neat and clean, the therapists are polite, and the soft music in the background is at least non-grating.

As for specifics, the therapists will ask you if there’s any part of your body that you’d like targeted before starting. Post-massage, you'll be asked to complete a quick survey to provide feedback to the therapist. Massages last an hour, but if you’re really stressed-out, you could probably schedule back-to-back massages if you don’t mind getting odd looks. And, I’ve left out a key tidbit: no tipping allowed - it's prohibited!

Disclaimer: I’m in no way affiliated with this place. I drove by the sign one day, decided to try it out, and have come back 3 times since, all of which were pleasant experiences. I’d love to hear how your massage goes – whether heavenly or otherwise.

California Healing Arts College
12217 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 206
West Los Angeles, CA 90025
310.826.7622

Hollyhock House: Example of form over function

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Hollyhock House sounds so alliterative that I couldn’t help but visit. The house is part of Barnsdall Park, a grassy hilltop in LA’s Los Feliz neighborhood that is also home to a gallery and arts center.


Built for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall in 1919-21, the house can best be described as innovative, yet stiff. The building’s grey concrete exterior isn’t the most cheery of facades, but maybe I'm just too attached to the idea of color.

Despite my ambivalence about the house’s attractiveness, I’d still go on the tour if I had to do it all over again. Tours leave at 1:30p, 2:30p, and 3:30p. Buy your tix in the gallery across the grassy courtyard. If the guide shows up a few minutes late (as in my case), don’t sweat it. They’ll eventually come.

Learning about the place’s history was enough to make me feel I got my $7 worth. Nevertheless, part of what prompted me to even take the tour was to find out about the strange design bordering the whole exterior of the house. Was it Mayan or Japanese-inspired? What could it mean?

For those of you thinking there’s some cool, intelligent explanation behind the design, think again! To my incredible disappointment, the guide informed us the mysterious design was simply Wright’s representation of a hollyhock. For those of you who have no idea what a hollyhock is, it’s a flowering plant that, in my opinion, looks nothing like Wright’s design. If you think otherwise, please let me know. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this hollyhock issue.

Parts of the house are definitely impressive, like the Japanese paintings in the living room, the unusually placed windows, and the amazing views. The fact that most rooms have their own courtyard - from a small lookout off Barnsdall's bedroom to an expansive central courtyard off the dining room - is also pretty remarkable. Actually living here, however, seems like a different, more frustrating story.

The guide pointed out that the area next to the living room frequently floods because of how the house was designed. Meanwhile, an upstairs hallway wall has suffered extensive damage due to water seepage through a randomly placed window. To top it all off, one half of the house is frosty, while the other half feels oppressively hot and stuffy.

Meanwhile, Wright was really into ‘compression and expansion’. That is, the house is designed to make you feel claustrophobic (or ‘cozy’ as the guide put it) in certain parts so you really appreciate the expansive (non-claustraphobic) areas throughout the rest of the house. For example, the outside walkway leading up to the house narrows significantly as you approach the concrete front doors. Once inside the house in the foyer, the ceiling continues to be very low, which makes you really appreciate the expansiveness of the living room just beyond.

Obviously, Wright was more into form than function. According to the guide, Barnsdall ended up severing her ties with Wright because she was so disappointed in the house. I can’t say I blame her. But since we don’t actually have to live in the place, we can admire Wright’s innovative ideas without suffering the flawed results.

Venice Canals, and not the Italian ones

In my experience, a walk around the Venice Canals can soften even the most hardened of visiting LA skeptics. Bordered by S. Venice Blvd. to the north and Washington Blvd. to the south, the canals lie just a few blocks east of the ocean, but seem worlds away from the Venice Beach throngs.

The upscale homes bordering the canals – both the quaint cottages and the tacky, mini-McMansions - are worth checking out in and of themselves. There’s something to satisfy almost anyone’s architectural taste, but that’s not really the point. What is important is that none of these high-priced homes is gated or gives the impression that it’s protected by CIA-designed security. Heck, they’re so open I’ve glimpsed people changing on more than one occasion, and voyeurism’s definitely not my thing.

Unlike the Hollywood Hills or Bel-Air, this is a walkable ‘hood. So when your out-of-town guests taunt you with those infamous “Nobody walks in LA" lyrics, you now have something to throw back at them. Hopefully, they won’t turn on you with that ‘the exception proves the rule’ bit.

More notable than even the architecture is the canals’ natural beauty. It’s easy to spot egrets, hummingbirds, and congregating ducks. Small, arched white bridges are a picturesque way of traversing the canals. An alternative means of transport, at least for area residents, is hopping in one of the kayaks or paddle boats tranquilly docked at their doorstep. If you can, try to go in the late afternoon when the light makes the sometimes murky-looking water sparkle.

If you or your visitors are history buffs, know that the Venice canals were first dug in 1904-05 by Abbott Kinney. In the 1960s, beatniks and hippies moved into the area, including Jim Morrison of The Doors. By the 1970s, real estate prices skyrocketed, turning the real estate around the canals into some of the priciest land on the Westside.

Hungry after your walking adventure? Head to Kim’s Market at 600 Mildred Ave. (Cross Street: Venice Way). This swanky corner market carries more wine than sandwiches. The tiny outdoor patio in back gives you a place to swill your wine and enjoy your nibbles in relative tranquility. Don’t forget to check out the mural – an idealized version of the canals – on your way out!

Downtown Culver City: A Peek into Tinseltown's Golden Age

Even though I’ve lived in LA’s Westside for 7 years now, it was only this weekend that I stumbled upon Culver City’s retro downtown. ‘Stumble’ may not be the right word, considering my husband convinced me to go.

On the car ride over, I was a bit dubious. Somehow, I have this association in my mind that Culver City=strip malls and yummy Brazilian food. Culver City is where we come to buy furniture when needed or shop at Target. The area is also home to one of my favorite restaurants in LA, Café Brasil, but I’ll save that for another blog post. Historic and interesting? About as historic and interesting as an old strip mall, or so I thought.

About six blocks long, Culver City’s downtown manages to pack a lot into such a small area without seeming crammed. The area is bordered by Venice Blvd to the north, Hughes to the west and Canfield to the east.

Movie buffs and historians alike, and most especially movie buff historians, should enjoy checking out Culver Studios – an independent production facility around since 1918 – where some Gone with the Wind scenes were filmed. Check out the photo above...doesn't it look like Tara? Sadly, however, it only resembles Scarlett’s famed abode. There’s a plaque in front with a brief history of the place.

Culver Studios is not the only historic set of buildings. The Culver Hotel, built in 1924, is the centerpiece of the area. To me, it looks like a less daring version of New York’s Gridiron building, but it’s kind of cool to see the place where the munchkins in the Wizard of Oz cavorted when they weren’t filming.

Downtown’s west anchor is the Kirk Douglas Theatre, across the street from Sony Pictures Entertainment. Part of the Center Theater Group, this is the place to come catch a play without making the trek to downtown. Flanked by a diner that looks like it belongs on a 50s movie set, the sight could briefly transport you back to Hollywood’s Golden Age.

And if you get hungry with all the exploring, the place offers a mix of standard strip mall fare along with some trendy (and pricey) standouts. Ford’s Filling Station has generated a healthy buzz, but whether it’s due to Harrison Ford’s hunky son being the chef/owner or the quality of its New American cuisine is up for debate. If it’s French eats you’re pining for, check out the almost-too-adorably cute Bistro L’Hermitage and let me know what you think. It has received good reviews, but I have yet to eat there.

Last but not least, downtown Culver City boasts a Trader Joes. Not yet as crowded as its sister store in Santa Monica, you can quickly satisfy your chocolate raspberry stick craving or pick up some two-buck chuck at the end of your adventure.

Main Street Farmers Market: Music, ponies, tamales and more

If you pressed me, I’d have to say Sunday is my second favorite day of the week (after Friday, of course!) all because of the Main Street Farmers Market in Santa Monica. With its glut of trendy boutiques and pricey spas, I generally try to steer clear of Main Street to avoid temptation, but Sundays are different.

Filled with food and crafts booths, live music, pony rides (not a typo!), and even fruits and veggies, the market has become a regular Sunday habit. While the term ‘Farmers’ Market’ conjures up rows of fresh fruit and leafy greens (at least in my head), this particular farmers’ market is more geared toward ready-to-eat foods. My personal recommendations are the Corn Maiden tamales (specifically the blue corn-mozzarella and the goat cheese ones) and the coconuts. That’s right, coconuts! If you do buy one, make sure you get your money’s worth. Ask them to hack your coconut in half after you’re done guzzling the coco water to get at the creamy insides.

Once I’ve secured my grub, I like to plant myself in a people-watching spot to check out the eclectic mix of tourists, hippie-types, and super yuppies strolling by. If you get one of the prime lawn spots, you should be able to enjoy the spectacle of the usual motley crew of toddlers dancing precariously, yet joyfully, to that week’s live tunes.

The only downside to this adventure is the parking. There are several blocks of metered lots south of the market along Neilson Way. But it still takes the patience of a saint, and more time than you might think, to find an open parking stall.

Zanzibar: Semi-exotic, relaxed nightclub in Santa Monica

Living just a few blocks away from Zanzibar, I walk pass the plain, chocolate brown-colored club on the corner of 5th and Arizona almost daily. Unlike its Hollywood counterparts across town, the club is nothing special to look at and lacks the glitzy attitude. Courteous bouncers thankfully feel no need to keep patrons waiting, as they efficiently collect the $10 cover and point people to the door. Once inside, I was surprised by the exotic motif and well-stocked bar. Wall lamps and silky curtains made the space seem more intimate, but the dance floor was plenty large to get my groove on without feeling claustrophobic.

What I really appreciated was the lack of meat-market vibe and the fact that people really seemed there to just dance and chill with their friends. I also liked the diversity of the people. While most were in their 20s and 30s, I noticed a couple of middle-agers shaking their groove-things with happy abandon. Going on a Friday night, I experienced Club Bossanova, which meant I was treated to some world-class DJs. I don’t know if you all are frequent NPR listeners, but I’m an addict and the host of Club Metropolis – Jason Bentley – is one of the resident DJs. If you’re into an eclectic mix of music like me, you need to give it a shot.

Check out this link for a sampling of the music played by Bentley on his Club Metropolis radio show to get a taste of what you might hear. Check out the Zanzibar site if I whetted your appetite for a chill dancing night on the Westside.