LA Westside BlogPOINT

Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce welcomes spring the healthy way, by rejuvenating mind and body at the annual Beverly Hills Health, Fitness & Beauty Expo on Sunday, April 26, 2009! Visit the Expo to benefit from the expertise, advice and product samples that promote a healthy and happy lifestyle for the entire Beverly Hills Community.  Admission is free to the public.

The Health, Fitness & Beauty Expo benefits attendees of all ages by providing a great array of valuable and interesting products, services, activities, and information related to their overall welfare. From nutrition and beauty tips, to fitness demos and pertinent health information, this Expo is an event not to be missed. 

Health, Fitness & Beauty Expo
Location: Along Civic Center Drive
adjacent to Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market
Date: Sunday, April 26, 2009
Time: 9 AM - 1 PM

On Sunday, March 15th the Los Angeles Police Foundation will hold its 2nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Hike & Beach Party to benefit the Juvenile Impact Program. Around 300 LAPF supporters will gather at Gladstone’s of Malibu for a beautiful day of hiking and St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Wendy Burch of KTLA’s Morning News will emcee a brief program including word from Chief Jim McDonnell, Mayor Riordan, Councilman Tom LaBonge and LAPF board member and Hike Chair, Eddie Kislinger.  Drop by and join in the fun!

The St. Matthew's Parish School Fourth Grade Class is hosting the 34th Annual Palisades Hunger Walk on Sunday, March 22nd.  Registration is at 12:30PM at the Palisades Library - 861 Alma Real Drive and the 5K Hunger Walk starts at 1PM. 

The entire community is invited to join in with the school along with other area schools, churches and organizations and unite under the theme 'Vote To End Hunger'.  Get healthy and beat-down hunger - a winning combo if I ever saw one!

Now you have an opportunity to correctly dispose of all those electronic discards that you weren't quite sure of where to dump.  Paul Revere Charter Middle School (my alma mater) is hosting an e-Waste Recycling Fund Raiser on Sat., March 7th from 9:30AM to 3:30PM.  Their address is 1450 Allenford Avenue in Brentwood and the event takes place in the Front Circular Driveway.  Televisions, monitors, computers, printers, telephones, cell phones and just about anything you plug in is welcome.  Help the environment and the school earn money from e-Waste recycling.

When's the last time you've taken a stroll along Santa Monica's most infamous landmark?  If you haven't been there in a number of years, you should make a point to re-discover all that it has to offer, because you'll find there's alot more available than what you may remember.  For those that haven't been there, you really should take an afternoon and go exploring.  

The Pier (site of my very first job at age 12 at Minnie's Restaurant) features a broad range of activities.  From playing games and riding the new roller-coaster to taking in the breathtaking views of the beaches, there's fun for the whole family. To learn more about what's available, visit them at http://www.santamonicapier.org/fun.html. 

A recent article in the California Real Estate magazine presents the issue of Have We Hit Bottom Yet?  The answer is two-part.  It's 'yes' if you're talking annual home sales and 'not yet' if you're looking at median home prices as stated in the 2009 Economic Forecast published by the California Association of Realtors. 

Our current dilema is certainly not the first stroll down misery lane.  Going back as far as 1970, California has recovered from two significant downturns.  The first was between 1978 and 1982 and featured a 61 percent plunge in sales that was driven by double-digit interest rates that put mortgages out of reach.  The second was between 1988 and 1994 and was sparked by a national recession that raged between 1990 and 1991.  Compounding the issue were massive job losses statewide in defense, aerospace and financial services.

It's important to note that market performance varies drastically by city and even between Zip codes.  What ultimately matters is the trend in local or micro-market prices (see my Market Data section).

The author concluded that 'timing matters a lot less if you are buying a home you are going to live in for seven or ten years'.  Further, timing the market may be neither possible nor advisable.  It could well make sense for buyers who adopt a long-term strategy to go ahead and buy when they find a home that both meets their needs and is affordable, as it just may not be available six months down the road.

Many know it just as 'The Tennis Courts on Barrington' - an apt description considering the limited view from the street when driving by.  If you were to park and look a little closer, you'd find that the Barrington Recreation Center (located at 333 South Barrington Avenue just below Sunset Blvd.) in Brentwood is a full-spectrum recreational resource for all ages.  It's operated by the city's Department of Recreation and Parks and offers a well-rounded menu of sports and events including:

Tennis (4 Courts free of charge) - from Beginner to Advanced

Youth Classes - from Soccer Clinics to Skateboarding to Basketball

Girls Baseball and Flag Football

Co-ed Baseball and Flag Football

Dog and Puppy Training Classes (plus Companion Dog Training)

Basketball Camp (ages 9-16)

Parent and Me Classes

Senior/Adult Classes - from Bridge to Yoga to Physical Firtness

It's been there ever since I can remember (and that's a long time) and has slowly evolved over the years.  There is however, an effort underway by the Friends of Barrington Recreation Center to further elevate it to a 'state-of-the-art recreational facility that will serve the community for generations to come'.  They could use your support and those interested should check out the site for more details about this and all of the team/event sign-up information.  Even if you reside in Westwood or Pacific Palisades, this is a family-fun resource that's worth the time to drive over and explore.

When you think of urban Los Angeles, horses are not something that immediately comes to mind.  Yet a quick turn off Sunset Boulevard just west of Mandeville Canyon will bring you to the entrance of an equestrian enclave where the term 'rustic lifestyle' is an understatement.

Most of the homes in Sullivan Canyon reflect the brilliance of renowned architect and builder, Cliff May, who created the 'California Ranch-Style' home in the late 1930s and come with corrals and open stalls.  They were built to blend into the landscape while their low profile and extensive use of glass render them timeless both inside and out.

The first home in Sullivan Canyon was built around 1906 and local folklore credits the naming of the Canyon to one it's first squatters - a Civil War veteran named Sullivan.  As you explore the Canyon either from it's Sunset Boulevard entrance or access the still undeveloped back-half (see picture) from Queensferry Road off Westridge Road above, you'll readily appreciate how seemingly little has changed over time. 

Welcome to Brentwood's lost world . . . .

For many, the Thursday Farmers' Market is a reminder that the  weekend is right around the corner as well as   an opportunity to get some weekend shopping out of the way in advance. 

The CC Farmers' Market is a presentation between the hours of 11:30AM and 3:00PM by vendors featuring everything from flowers, fruits, produce, clothes and jewelry to of course, food.  One should note that many of the food vendors offer free samples.

The lines can get long at the lunch hour particularly at the Thai-Mex and Hawaiian BBQ stands, but if you have the time, it seems to be worth the wait.