An official city landmark since 1979, go check out all things California in a wonderful old Craftsman in Santa Monica. The home was originally situated on Ocean Ave. and was built for the son of the founder of Santa Monica, Roy Jones. Today it is located on Main St. and Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica. From fiesta ware, to skateboards, to movie stills, there is a little something for everyone who has an interest in California history. Tuesday nights from 5:30-9:30 there are gourmet food trucks that benefit the museum and Sunday mornings there is a wonderful farmer’s market. Both feature free bicycle valet, so peddle on down and get your grub on!
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Day 6: Manuel’s El Tepeyac Cafe
Growing up, if my family ever found ourselves in the vicinity of East L.A. at dinnertime there was only one place to go, El Tepeyac. My father discovered the place when he was at the L.A. Police Academy (a job that didn’t last long) as a place that all the cops liked to eat at. Thirty years later, Manuel still fondly calls my dad “Beachboy” knowing he lives on the Westside.
My father and brother would get the famous Hollenbeck Burrito and I would always get the Taquitos a tradition that my ten year old is carrying on… I don’t know what they do to make the guacamole so fantastic? Maybe because it’s texture is thick and not watered down like you find in most restaurants or that they are generous and not putting a miniscule drop of it on the plate, but just the thought of it makes my stomach grumble as I pass the Soto St. exit off the 10 freeway.
The Hollenbeck Burrito with its topping of cheesy, brothy, beefy deliciousness (photo below is from their website) is definitely a two person meal and the Manuel Special, I’d say a meal for a week! They used to say if you could finish the Manuel Special by yourself, you would get another one free, though I never understood the logic in that. I guess it was the original “Man vs. Food”.
There is always a long line waiting for the sit down service, so we usually find ourselves at the takeout window on the other side of the restaurant and eat there. Not for the feint of heart or for the girl who wants a salad and a glass of wine for dinner. This is serious Mexican food, prepared the same way it was when I was a kid in a part of town that is sketchy at best, but oh man it’s worth it!
Day 5: The Farmers Market
I think I like this place because it represents the melting pot of ethnicity that I love about L.A. and for me, anyplace that features this kind of food line-up is heaven. The whole family, heck the whole extended family could come here and find what they have been craving. Everything is here, groceries, shops and dining choices from tacos (Loteria!), to molluscs (Tusquellas Fish & Oyster Bar), so you can eat it here or collect everything you need to prepare the food at home, including the pot itself (Sur La Table). Growing up on the Westside, it was like a field trip for me as a kid to venture off to Fairfax and go to the Farmer’s Market and still feels a bit that way today. This is not to be confused with The Grove next door, this is pure old school. Independently owned businesses that have been passed down through generations and still operate today.
I had the good fortune to meet some friends there last Sunday morning. We plunked ourselves down at the tables and went ballistic at Bob’s Coffee and Donuts, stall #450. They were out of their famous cinnamon rolls but had fresh glazed donuts that were still hot, Krispy Kreme doesn’t even come close! One of our party decided it was early enough for ice cream, hey it’s 5:00 p.m. someplace… She ventured to Bennett’s Ice Cream, Stall #548 (which in full disclosure is owned by one of my best friends). I am a die-hard fan of the White Chocolate Raspberry and the flavor named after the proprietor Scott’s wife, Fancy Nancy. I think there should be a name for ice cream creators, I mean coffee houses have baristas, right? But anyway, recently Scott brought his artisan drumsticks to a party and that was that, my new favorite! Go by sometime and watch him make the ice cream on-site through the window on the side of his stall.
I cannot leave out Du-par’s Restaurant, which is open 24 hours and it’s the perfect late night stop or for breakfast. Think short, fat and warm coffee cups that are re-filled regularly by waitresses with attitude, has every kind of pie you could want and you get the gist. And it’s been around almost as long as the market itself… Lastly, Huntington Meat & Sausage is the way to go for all things meat, as they are one of the few purveyors of Harris Ranch beef and have the most amazing sausages to throw on the grill or that perfect Shelton Thankgiving turkey.
If you really want a treat, show up on Saturday nights for karaoke, there are some regular characters (and I mean characters) that can’t be missed, hilarious! Or visit one of the many events that are featured here throughout the year. There are too many other great places to see to mention here. So do yourself a favor and just go, wander around and be open to trying something new, you might just like it!
Day 4: Disneyland
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/
O.K., so technically it’s not in Los Angeles, it’s in Orange County, but having spent the entire day there yesterday with my two girls I need to weigh-in while it is all fresh in my head…
We arrived there around 11:00, missing the rush-hour traffic. We have season passes, which are highly discounted for Angelenos. The girls like to go there on those weird “in-service” no school days and Superbowl Sunday when the park is less crowded and there is no summer heat. Since our spring break is different than most, we seemed to miss the throngs of visitors who will most definitely show up at the end of the month.
One of the things we like most about both parks, Disneyland and California Adventure Theme Park is the cleanliness and cheerful attitude of the “cast members”. While discussing one of my daughter’s college options and how beautiful the campus was, she remarked “it’s Disney clean”. I learned at a real estate leadership seminar once that Disney strives for perfection, but settles for excellence. Excellence works for me!
If you haven’t been since your folks took you and you ran out of ”E” tickets, or if you’ve never been at all, there is one thing you should definitely know about and that is the Fastpass. You put your entry ticket into a kiosk located near the ride and a pass prints out with an allotted time for you to visit that attraction. For us, we always get one for Space Mountain because the wait is usually an hour long (we got the pass at 11:30 and it told us to come back between 6:10-7:10 p.m.). One thing we discovered, was that you can show up after the allotted time and they will still allow you in the fast pass line. The fastpass on that ride meant a 10 minute wait instead of a 55 minute wait. The proximity of the two parks is great too, because you can go get fast passes in each park and easily move between the two.
The other cool wait eliminator we tried for the first time was a Single Rider Pass. Some rides feature this and some don’t, and you get a single rider pass from the person who is working at the entrance gate of the ride. You need to agree to ride alone, but you bypass the whole line and get the next single seat available. We used this for Soaring Over California (which we all got on together but in different rows) and has to be one of the coolest rides ever! It is located at the California Adventure Park, saving us 40 minutes. We used it for Indiana Jones, in which we all got to sit together and cut the wait by one hour! And we used it for California Screamin’, a roller coaster with a 360◦ loop (call me crazy, but I like to look sideways as we pass through it).
I’m not sure if it’s because my older daughter’s pending departure for college is making us nostalgic, or the fact that we got on every single great ride in both parks, watched fireworks and ate cotton candy. But twelve hours later, with sore feet and the wafting smell of sugary goodness on Main St. greeting us on the way out, we all agreed this was one of our best trips ever
Day 4: Disneyland
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/
O.K., so technically it’s not in Los Angeles, it’s in Orange County, but having spent the entire day there yesterday with my two girls I need to weigh-in while it is all fresh in my head…
We arrived there around 11:00, missing the rush-hour traffic. We have season passes, which are highly discounted for Angelenos. The girls like to go there on those weird “in-service” no school days and Superbowl Sunday when the park is less crowded and there is no summer heat. Since our spring break is different than most, we seemed to miss the throngs of visitors who will most definitely show up at the end of the month.
One of the things we like most about both parks, Disneyland and California Adventure Theme Park is the cleanliness and cheerful attitude of the “cast members”. While discussing one of my daughter’s college options and how beautiful the campus was, she remarked “it’s Disney clean”. I learned at a real estate leadership seminar once that Disney strives for perfection, but settles for excellence. Excellence works for me!
If you haven’t been since your folks took you and you ran out of “E” tickets, or if you’ve never been at all, there is one thing you should definitely know about and that is the Fastpass. You put your entry ticket into a kiosk located near the ride and a pass prints out with an allotted time for you to visit that attraction. For us, we always get one for Space Mountain because the wait is usually an hour long (we got the pass at 11:30 and it told us to come back between 6:10-7:10 p.m.). One thing we discovered, was that you can show up after the allotted time and they will still allow you in the fast pass line. The fastpass on that ride meant a 10 minute wait instead of a 55 minute wait. The proximity of the two parks is great too, because you can go get fast passes in each park and easily move between the two.
The other cool wait eliminator we tried for the first time was a Single Rider Pass. Some rides feature this and some don’t, and you get a single rider pass from the person who is working at the entrance gate of the ride. You need to agree to ride alone, but you bypass the whole line and get the next single seat available. We used this for Soaring Over California (which we all got on together but in different rows) and has to be one of the coolest rides ever! It is located at the California Adventure Park, saving us 40 minutes. We used it for Indiana Jones, in which we all got to sit together and cut the wait by one hour! And we used it for California Screamin’, a roller coaster with a 360◦ loop (call me crazy, but I like to look sideways as we pass through it).
I’m not sure if it’s because my older daughter’s pending departure for college is making us nostalgic, or the fact that we got on every single great ride in both parks, watched fireworks and ate cotton candy. But twelve hours later, with sore feet and the wafting smell of sugary goodness on Main St. greeting us on the way out, we all agreed this was one of our best trips ever!
Day 3: The Broad Stage
This was my first visit to The Broad Stage and was deeply impressed with the venue. It’s small (499 seats), the acoustics are great, and the real estate side of me loved the contemporary design of both the exterior and interior of the building. They had food available for purchase, courtesy of that wonderful catering company Along Came Mary, and wine was on the house. But water cost a buck, go figure! The women’s bathroom had a generous lounge with a couch, two side chairs and plenty of stalls for everyone, no waiting! http://thebroadstage.com/index.php/1
We went to see Peter Brook: The Grand Inquisitor and Fragments from Beckett to Dostoevsky mainly because my 12th grade daughter Jackie, took a Brothers Karamazov class this year and was interested in seeing it performed. Very interesting dialogue of Jesus coming back during the Spanish Inquisition, but I didn’t get the Fragments portion of the show. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t entertaining for some, as there were quite a few people with loud guffaws at certain points (Jackie and I don’t think they get out much or had too much of the free wine).
Was it too high-brow for me? Absolutely! Glad I went to see the space, yes…
I’m looking forward to heading back there. Maybe they will feature a trashy night of comedy that would be right up my alley, but I’m not counting on it!
A-Frame A modern picnic
Day 2: Try something different. From Roy Choi, the man who lead the gourmet food truck revolution in L.A. with Kogi, comes this fun and funky, feel good restaurant.
With menu items like Furikake Kettle Corn, Cracklin Beer Can Chicken and for dessert Chu-Don’t-Know-Mang (say it fast), you know you’re not in Kansas anymore! The music is great, the bar scene is hoppin’, there are communal tables where everyone talks to each other, and the outdoor patio lighting features hooped petticoats. Get there early or be prepared to wait, there are no reservations.
365 Things to do in Los Angeles
I was inspired this morning attending a webinar about social networking to finally get off my duff do something! So I am going to post one thing each day about this beautiful city I live in, Los Angeles. Each day I am committing to post one thing to do in hopes that it inspires others to try new places, eat new things, and experience all that this amazing place has to offer! There, I’ve said it.
My daughters and I have been talking about doing a blog for a while and this is my first blog post. Being a third generation Angelino, born in Santa Monica, now raising my own family here, many people ask me for recommendations on places to go, things to do, where to eat, etc. There is a plethora of experiences available to us here and I wanted to have a forum to share our favorite haunts and also spotlight some lesser known businesses and places to go as well as creating a space for others to share their insider secrets.
I am a local Realtor with Keller Williams Realty in Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades and can also share my 22 years of local expertise with you should you need consulting regarding real estate as well.
I hope you will join me whether you are a native, a vistor, or if you have just moved to the City of Angels, so you can see why I love this place and feel so passionate about sharing it with others.
Denise Freed
365 Things To Do in Los Angeles 