What better way to cap off a day of walking and sightseeing then enjoying a juicy burger.

So off I went to Dino’s Burgers.

Dino’s doesn’t just serve burgers. In fact, their chicken and breakfast items are superb as well–but since I’m in pursuit of Los Angeles’ best burgers, when given the opportunity, I can–and eat–a good burger anytime, so that’s what I had.

At Dino’s Burgers, their home-made hamburgers are delicious, very filling and satisfying. They add their own brand of “secret sauce,” in lieu of ketchup, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The fries were hot and crisp, just the way I like them. Add a little salt–and you’re in a bit of heaven.

At Dino’s, they cook their burgers for you right on the grill. When I arrived the inside was full; and when I left, the indoor and outdoor dining area was full.

Dino’s Burgers
2817 N Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90031

During a break in the rain, it looked like the very nasty weather might be coming to an end:

The dark skies suddenly opened, and the sun appeared. Alas, God and nature were only teasing us, and within a few hours, the rain was coming down again.

But during those few hours, I was very lucky and fortunate to find one of Los Angeles’ hidden gems–the Los Angeles River and Garden Center.

Built in 1956, the then, Lawry’s California Center, was a “showcase of restaurants and shops to promote Lawry’s seasoning and sauce products.”

Over the years, three restaurants, La Cocina, Lawry’s first outdoor dining area; an evening dining restaurant, known for its steak–and a third restaurant, Los Portales, were located at the California Center home.

However, the restaurants have come and gone, and in 1991, owner Thomas J. Lipton Co. closed their doors.

Today, the beautiful area has been renamed the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens. Here, behind its ivy covered walls, there’s a diverse and historic complex containing Los Angeles’ diverse sounds, colors and quilt of reality that’s part of our tranquility, and one of the most perfect locations for a wedding in the LA area.

When entering the Los Angeles River and Garden Center facility, located at 570 West Avenue 26, there’s plenty of parking amongst its beauty.

Once you step inside the gates, you no longer feel that you’re even in the city anymore.

Now run by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Los Angeles River Visitor Center at the River Center is an “exhibit hall that celebrates the eleven miles of our indigenous Natural River where reeds, willows, mule fat, and native riparian plants have returned.”

The self-guided exhibit, located in the California Building, describes the history of the Los Angeles River, its current status, but most importantly, it contains and has a plan and vision for the River’s future.

After you’ve learned a little about the history of the LA River, take some time to stroll the grounds and park setting of the River Center.

Trees, flowers, fountains, and both the overall ambiance and setting will leave you with an impression of the city which you probably never knew existed before.

Besides being a wonderful spot for a wedding or your next upscale micro-convention, the River Center is also home to several non-profits concerned with the environment and the greening of Los Angeles.

These include Friends of the Los Angeles River, Northeast Trees, the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, and the National Parks Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program.

So, rain, shine, or anytime you want, the next time you find yourself with nothing interesting to do, take a drive, or better yet, a bike ride to the Los Angeles River and Garden Center.

You’ll be happy you did, and you never know, it just might change your way of thinking.

The trail traverses through deserts, rivers, woodlands, shorelines, grasslands, and chaparral.

It’s name is the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.

In October 1775, the Spanish, in order to reinforce their presence in Northern California as a buffer against the advancing Russian colonization of the Americas, wanted to establish a harbor that would provide shelter for their own ships.

Because of his previous successes, Juan Bautista de Anza was chosen to lead the military expedition. Arriving at Mission San Gabriel, in January 1776–and after suffering greatly from the winter weather–the colonists lead by Anza, continued on to Monterey. But, de Anza didn’t stop there. He and 12 colonists continued north and established the first overland route to San Francisco Bay.

Moving further north, de Anza located the sites for the Presidio of San Francisco and Mission San Francisco de Asis in present day San Francisco, California on March 28, 1776. Although he didn’t actually establish the settlements here (that he left to the missionaries), he also marked the location of the original sites for Mission Santa Clara de Asis and the town of San José de Guadalupe, which later became modern day San Jose, CA.

Entwined within a city or isolated from civilization, this trail offers adventure, excitement, and an opportunity to experience history in all of the places where it actually happened:

Below is a map of the entire trail:

Los Angeles County is one of the thirteen counties which this trail traverses. Below is a map of the trail in Los Angeles:

You might not be able to hike the entire Juan Bautista de Anza Trail; but you can enjoy several miles of it.

Although, I don’t know where all of the access points are located, the part of the LA County portion of the Trail, follows the Los Angeles River Bicycle Path:.

If you’d like to do more reading about this legendary and historical Trail, the University of Oregon has a wonderful resource entitled, An Interactive Study Environment on Spanish Exploration and Colonization of “Alta California” 1774-1776.

It’s obviously a must read to understand both the early beginnings of California, and to gain additional information about the trail.

It’s all part of a “promising effort,” for the Los Angeles Greenways. which stretches 51 miles. From the confluence of Bell and Calabasas Creeks at the western end of the San Fernando Valley, all the way to the Pacific Ocean in Long Beach–as it passes through 13 cities and numerous jurisdictions.

The first park I visited is called Steelhead Park. As you can see from the photographs, the day I decided to write this story was also during our epic rainfall from last month; but with a little respite from the showers, I got lucky, because it didn’t stop raining for the previous two days, and just as I left, the showers began to fall from the sky yet again!

Even though it was wet, the beauty of the three parks is obvious; but even more important is the enormous amount of information about the LA River.

The park was named after the Steelhead trout, one of the myriad of fish that are native to the LA River.

The entire park is adorned with its namesake, and also decorates the top of its fencing, and surprisingly, it provides a small outdoor amphitheater–that provides an excellent spot for school children to learn about the Los Angeles River.

The second park, Egret, is named for one of the many waterfowl that call the LA River home. Other waterfowl native to the Los Angeles River are:

• Great Blue Heron
• Mallard
• Blackheaded Stilt
• Green Heron
• Cinnamon Teal
• American Coot
• Muscovy Duck

The Third River Park is named the Oso Park. Here as well, visitors can learn about the river’s history, why and how it was created, its eco-systems and among other things, the ongoing plans for its future, which will continue to invigorate and educate everyone about the LA River.

And as more and more people learn about the Los Angeles River, they’ll be more and more supportive–as both from a sustainable Green perspective, and as a way to get more donations and funding.

All of this leads in helping to reestablish all of its natural areas–including the planting of the LA River’s native California Sycamore tree.

Ever since arriving in California almost 4 years ago, I’ve been drawn to the LA River. Even in the short time I’ve been here, the River has changed, and that change continues.

It’s a wonderful thing to watch. And if you’d like to watch it too, just stop by one of these three parks.

The 12th Annual Eagle Rock Annual Music Festival sponsored by the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts , and Los Angeles City Council Member, Jose Huizar.

The Eagle Rock Music Festival will start at 4:00pm and end at 11:00pm. It’ s a family fun event, so to help defer costs, a $5.00 donation is requested, but not required.

The Eagle Rock Music Festival will feature an eclectic lineup of over 50 local bands, highlighting the ethnic and cultural diversity of the Los Angeles music scene. The Eagle Rock Center for the Arts will be presenting an exciting multitude of music genres and bands, to create a truly groundbreaking experience. This ix of localism combined with its localism will pave the way for many other community festivals.

Musicians will perform at ten unique one-night-only venues–ranging from auto shops, formal stages, historical buildings, and even a motel balcony along Colorado Boulevard which will be open to pedestrians between Eagle Rock Boulevard and Argus Street.

Its an important street scene for the Eagle Rock community–having grown from 8,000 people attending in 2006, to 60,000 in 2009. It will feature the following stages:

The Emerging Stage, Global Stage, and a Kids Stage, among others so this evening will be the place to be and is quite special for all no matter where you live.

Depicting Delores Huerta, a co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America, La Ofrenda, which means “offering,” is a homage and tribute to the strength of Latina Women.

Through the hardships of work, war, prejudice, ethnicity, family, and poverty, among other life’s trials and tribulations, women are the backbone of every Latin family, regardless of the size, scope, or shape of that family.

Today, Delores Huerta currently serves on the Board of Directors of Equality California. In 2009, she was awarded UCLA highest honor, the UCLA Medal, during the a UCLA College of Letters and Science commencement ceremony.

The mural was part of Yreina Cervantes’s submission for her Master’s of Fine Art Thesis from UCLA, and SPARC’s Neighborhood Project.

Besides the contributions of Ms. Cervantes in the creation of La Ofrenda, she received assistance from Claudia Escobedo, Erick Montenegro, Sonia Ramos, and Vladimir Morales. But, better than reading what I have to say about it, why not listen to the artist herself:

As they say, a picture often says a thousand words, in the case of Ms. Cervantes’ study and creation of a mural in honor of Delores Huerta and all Latina women, it is both.
]]> http://www.travelinlocal.com/la-ofrenda-a-latino-woman-centric-mural-in-westlake/feed/ 0 http://www.travelinlocal.com/cruzing-to-the-skinner-house-in-silver-lake/ http://www.travelinlocal.com/cruzing-to-the-skinner-house-in-silver-lake/#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:16:38 +0000 Lisa Newton http://www.travelinlocal.com/?p=20072 A few weeks ago, I traveled to Silver Lake for a quick jaunt.

It was quick because at the time, I was test driving the Chevy Cruze for three hours. However, before I took the test drive, I researched where I wanted to go.

Of all the locations to choose from in the LA area, on this special day I chose to travel to Silver Lake.

Why Silverlake?

Because I wanted to test the Chevy Cruze on some of the narrow hilly roads which are quite prevalemt throughout the Silver Lake area. I also wanted to cruze some historical landmarks, which are plentiful there.

But most importantly, I wanted to visit a part of Los Angeles that I haven’t had a chance to visit much previously.

The Chevy Cruze proved to be the perfect car to drive all of the narrow streets of Silver Lake; it’s small, compact, stylish and most important of all, it’s maneuverability and great road handling made it the perfect car for my Silver Lake drive.

Located at 1530 North Easterly Terrace is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #856, the Skinner House.

Crafted by architect William Kesling in 1937, Skinner House is built in the Streamline Moderne Style, which often incorporates:

• Horizontal orientation
• Rounded edges, corner windows, and glass brick walls
• Glass block
• Porthole windows
• Chrome hardware
• Smooth exterior wall surfaces, usually stucco (smooth plaster finish)
• Flat roof with coping
• Horizontal grooves or lines in walls
• Subdued colors: base colors were typically light earth tones, off-whites, or beiges; and trim colors were typically dark colors (or bright metals) to contrast from the light base. Source: Wikipedia

Even more amazing about this particular house is that it has a twin that sits right next door:

Kesling, because he was “unschooled,” was able to experiment more freely than his architectural counterparts like Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra, until he plead guilty to fraud in 1937. He served time in prison, but after World War II, he restarted his passion for architecture, but this time, he went to San Diego.

Kesling designed many houses around LA, and for me, it’s a shame he didn’t receive more recognition.

The funniest thing that happened this day, was while I was taking pictures of 1530 North Easterly Terrace, a construction worker who happened to be working nearby asked me, “Taking photos of the Twins?”

If you’re in the neighborhood, it’s definitively worth a look, preferably in a Chevrolet Cruze……………………

Take Highland Park for example.

Well, actually Garvanza, which is considered a sub-district of Highland Park

Located in a quiet residential area at 200 South Avenue 66, is a small family owned business that has specialized in making stained glass windows for over 100 years.

In 1890, at the request of his doctor, William Lees Judson, an acclaimed Manchester, England born artist, sought a mild climate in which to live. Initially heading to Florida, a friend of Judson’s, author George Wharton James, persuaded him to move to California.

Shortly after arriving in California, Judson started teaching art at the University of Southern California. Being totally dedicated to his love of art, he established the College of Fine Arts at USC–and remained its Dean until his retirement in 1920.

By 1901, the College of Fine Arts had already outgrown its small campus building, so Judson had the College moved to what he considered the “most artistic environment in Los Angeles,” Highland Park.

By 1895, Judson recognized the need for a stained glass studio for Los Angeles, so he invited his three sons, Walter H., Lionel, and Paul, to come to California.

With a rocky start, and one brother leaving the business, the W.H. Judson Art Glass Company was born, which by 1931, was finally incorporated as Judson Studios.

Upon the retirement of William Lees Judson and recognizing that the USC College of Fine Arts had outgrown its Highland Park home, the University move the College to its main campus. Subsequently, Judson Studios bought the Highland Park campus, which was still owned by their father, and moved there from their previous location which was close to Union Station.

In the early days of Judson Studio’s:

work was balanced between religious and secular, between recreating the Gothic effect and working for Frank Lloyd Wright in glass and tile on the Ennis and Barnsdall Houses. Source: Judson Studios

During its first century of operation, Judson Studios produced more than 10,000 stained-glass works.

In 1969, zoning regulations determined that the Judson Studios was a non-conforming use within a residential neighborhood. Fearing demolition, the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Board, with the support of the Judson family, declared the building a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument–#62 on the list.

Judson Studios have been responsible for the creation of outstanding stained glass windows for countless churches, chapels and other structures throughout the United States and foreign countries. Judson Studios, one of the largest in the nation and probably the largest on the west coast, have remained in the family since the beginning, contributing greatly to the artistic and cultural development of Los Angeles. Source: Began near Plaza: Judson Studios honored on 75th anniversary"

To date, Judson Studios spans five generations and is still going strong. Creating religious, residential, commercial, and restoration, Judson Studios portfolio is both a business and cultural institution here in Los Angeles.

Stained art photos courtesy of Judson Studios, Judson Studios Facebook page, and Wikipedia

It doesn’t happen often enough that the city, with all of its land holdings, grants land to the public for their benefit; but that’s exactly what happened in 2003 when the Los Angeles City Council set aside $550,000 to protect a 4.5 acre canyon for an open-space park.

Developers had planned on building 18 homes with an adjacent parking lot, but residents, environmentalists, and open-space advocates fought their construction plans and prevailed.

Now the parks are available for enjoyment and hikes in the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains via Northeast LA.

When researching this article, I found a source purporting that it’s kind of creepy hiking in this area at night, “according to rumors the area is haunted by the Native Americans who used to live there.”

Across the street from Moon Canyon is Heidelberg Park, the second large natural park permanently protected by the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy in the Mount Washington area. It’s one of the last Southern California’s location’s for black walnut woodlands; and there’s also over 100 species of birds residing there.

Heidelberg Park provides a rare glimpse of the natural appearance of Mount Washington prior to European settlement of the Los Angeles basin. The park’s steep slopes have harbored one of the best remaining examples of California black walnut woodland in all of Southern California. The California Department of Fish and Game ranks the ecological community as “very threatened.” Source: Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy

If you’d like to visit either Moon Canyon or Heidelberg Park, here’s the link to their location.

After all, living in the city doesn’t always mean you have to be in the city while you’re in the city………………

To help their local businesses, while bringing entertainment into people’s lives–a grass roots effort is taking place in Eagle Rock.

We Go Rock, Eagle Rock’s Friday Fest, combines the best of two worlds: a business fare and a farmer’s market.

Every week, people head to the Eagle Rock Farmers’ Market to pick up their weekly supply of fresh fruits and veggies. What better time to do a little more shopping?

And that presents an opportune time for local merchants to highlight their wares, plus offer customers special discounts–some offering prices as low as 25% off for the entire day.

When and where?

All of the fun starts at 2:00pm on Friday, September 3^rd. The plan is for We Go Rock to become a weekly event.

Here’s a map of the participating merchants so far:

View We Go Rock Eagle Rock’s Friday Fest in a larger map

Live entertainment and giveaways are included as well.

As Travelin’ Local stories document, communities that work together makes for a house united–and is a strong anchor during tough times and rocky waters; not too mention way more fun!

Yesterday, while heading to The Big Parade LA 2010 Prologue, I found my perfect opportunity. Just after passing through the first tunnel, Exit 25 – Solano Avenue approaches. From there, on a small neighborhood street one can almost touch the tunnels.

Built in 1931, the first three tunnels were built as a bypass for a section of North Broadway. It wasn’t until the Arroyo Seco Parkway (the Pasadena Freeway) was completed in 1940 that the tunnels became part of the California Interstate freeway system.

When the tunnels were initially built, they bisected many neighborhoods, especially Chinatown and Elysian Park. As a result, children now walk underneath the freeway, in order to get to school.

At Solano Avenue–the neighborhood students–many times accompanied by their parents–walk past the Solano Canyon Community Garden, go down the steps, and enter the tunnel which leads them to their school.

Not the most picturesque or friendliest of walks– but with Mom’s hand, it feels safe.

It’s amazing to know the roads we travel, both literally and figuratively, but also in how they affect and determine our relationship to our environment in this giant city and which directions we head in.