Los Angeles Living

Downtown Los Angeles is rich in history and architecture and many Angelenos have not discovered its hidden treasures.

This is the second in my series of Downtown Los Angeles.  Apologies for the poor camera work, something I need to improve on.

There are so many places that make you feel that you are anywhere but L.A., or even the U.S. Figueroa Hotel, built in 1925 in the Moorish style, this boutique hotel is close to the Staples Center and within walking distance to the business district.  Stepping in from the street you are in another world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The new L.A. Live entertainment complex is not yet completed, but already is a popular destination.  It is a venue for sports, theaters, broadcast studios, restaurants, music clubs, hotels and bowling. It will also enhance the nearby Convention Center, making Los Angeles a serious competitor for the meeting and convention market. L.A. Live hosts the GRAMMYs, EMMYs, AMA Awards, ESPYs and the American Idol Finals, making it the event capitol of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Downtown Los Angeles houses a 90-block Fashion District, with the largest concentration of fashion-related businesses in the Western U.S. One of the most popular areas is Santee Alley. On the weekends the area is wall-to-wall people with a South of the Border Feeling. If you want bargains, this is the place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know that we had a Coca Cola bottling plant in Los Angeles?  Built in 1937 by architect Robert V. Derrah, it resembles a ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day ended with a ride on the new Los Angeles Metro Gold Line, which was just completed a couple of weeks ago.  The Gold Line links Pasadena to East Los Angeles.  Plans for the extension of the much needed transportation system in L.A. is the subject of another post.

We picked up the train in Mariachi Square, a historic place where musicians have gathered since the 1930s with their instruments waiting to be selected to play at parties, events, restaurants, etc. The square was recently renovated and there is a contrast between the old world and new.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is something you don't associate with Los Angeles:

And finally, Union Station, The Last of the Great U.S.-built Railway Stations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you plan to live in your home, now is the perfect time to buy.

Real estate economist, Ken Rosen, tells you why!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who said we don't have fall colors in Los Angeles?

But at the end of the day the sun that baked us gracefully sets.

 

Downtown Los Angeles at night is a hidden treasure that most Angelenos have yet to discover.

Tonight I visited the Checkers Hotel with its rooftop swimming pool.  The Checkers, now Hilton Checkers, is a historic hotel dating back to 1926. It is the only 4-diamond boutique hotel in Downtown L.A.  The view from the rooftop is stunning at night and I am sorry I am not a better photographer to have captured it.  

The art deco building in front is The Los Angeles Central Library, the third largest in the nation, and probably the most beautiful. It was built to resemble ancient Egyptian architecture and the central tower has a tiled mosaic pyramid.

Pershing Square, in front of the historic Biltmore Hotel, is now the site of  an outdoor skating rink - yes, skating in Los Angeles. This will be open until January 18th.  For more information visit the L.A. Parks site.

Great house available for long-term lease at the beach in Ocean Park, Santa Monica.

This, 4000 sq. ft. 4 bed, 4 bath house is steps from the beach in the heart of Ocean Park. There is a two-car garage and spaces for more, a definite plus where parking is at a premium.  The views are glorious.  Offered at $9,000.  Also available a full guest-house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

O.K. I know some of this is pretty basic stuff, so you should get them all right?

I will publish the answers over the weekend.

 

1. Thanksgiving is celebrated only in the U.S. True or False?
   
   
2. The Greek Goddess of corn is: Demeter, Cornucopia, Ceres, Grainophilia?
   
   
3. What is the name of the famous rock credited to be where the Pilgrims first landed?
   
   
4. The Indians who were invited to the Thanksgiving feast were of the Wampanoag tribe.  Who was their chief?  Massasoit, Pemaquid, Samoset,  Squanto?
   
   
5. Who was the captain of the Mayflower?
   
   
6. Thanksgiving became a national holiday thanks to this woman who was the editor of a woman’s magazine called “The Godey’s Lady’s Book” :  Sarah Hale, Sarah Parker, Sarah Bradford, Sarah Brandish?
   
   
7. Which president was the first to establish Thanksgiving as a legal national holiday to be held the 4th Thurs. in Nov? Lincoln, FDR, Jefferson, James Madison?
   
   
8. What was the original name for the Pilgrims?  Puritans, Partisans, Settlers, Journeymen?
   
   
9. The word Turkey is said to come from the Hebrew word, “Tukki” which means:  Big Bird, Pheasant Bird, Wild Bird, Turk’s Bird?
   
   
10. Which President moved Thanksgiving up one week to Stimulate the Christmas shopping economy?  Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Kennedy, Eisenhower?
    
    
11. What is the book that Gov. William Bradford wrote telling of the troubles and experiences of the pilgrims?  A Pilgrim’s Progress, Of Plimouth Plantation, of Plimouth Rock?
    
    
12. Captain John Smith founded what colony in Virginia?
    
    
13. What poet wrote “The Courtship of Miles Standish”?  Longfellow, Keats, Yeats, Shelley.
    
    
14. The town of Plymouth, MA celebrates this every year on Dec. 11:  Miles Standish’s birthday, Forefathers’ Day, Priscilla Alden’s birthday, William Bradford’s death?
    
    
15. The real Plymouth Rock is cracked.  True or False?
    
    
16. In what year did Macy’s first Thanksgiving Parade take place?  1864, 1894, 1904, 1924?
    
    
17. It is believed that how many women survived to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in 1621,  5, 15, 25?
    
    
18. The first Thanksgiving in 1621 was said to have lasted how many days?  1, 3, 7?
    
    
19. Every year the U.S. president pardons a turkey.  Who was the first president to start this tradition? Jackson, Fillmore, Truman, Harding?
    
    
20. The busiest travel day of the year is :  the Friday after Thanksgiving,  the day after Xmas,  the day after New Year’s,  the day after Labor Day?
    
    
21. Which was the first balloon in the 1927 Macy’s parade?  Mickey Mouse, Felix the Cat, Betty Boop, Superman?
    
    
22. Turkeys can drown if they look up in the rain.  True or False?
    
    
23. Which of the following is not a real town in the U.S.?  Turkey TX, Turkey Creek, LA, Turkey, NC,  Turkey Feather, NM?
    
    
24. Back in the early 1600s the Pilgrims did not have which of the following to eat their  meal with?  Spoons, forks, knives?
    
    
25. How many Pilgrim s were on the Mayflower?  92, 102,  122?
    
    
26. How many days was the voyage from England to the New World?  66, 106,  1146?
    
    
27. Of the original Pilgrims that came how many survived to celebrate the first Thanksgiving?  101, 50, 10?
    
    
28. The Mayflower was not built as a transport ship.  What was its purpose? A merchant wine ship,  fishing ship, to get spices from the Far East?
    
    
29. Not everyone on the Mayflower was traveling to the New World to settle.  Was their purpose to  get furs and lumber to send back to England, scientific exploration and mapping, to get away from their parents? 
    
    
30. Which sport did they take best on during early celebrations?  Shooting, Archery,  Knife Throwing?
    
    
31. Before being made a national holiday when was Thanksgiving celebrated?  Whenever people felt like it,  the first full moon of Nov,  whenever the state governor said so?
    
    
32. A Boston restaurant called “The Top of the Hub” delivers meals each Thanksgiving to which group?  The homeless living behind the restaurant,  the Boylston Street Fire Station,  the member of the Boston Town Council.
    
    
33. The governor of which state refused to issue a Thanksgiving Proclamation  stating that it was “a damned Yankee institution anyway”? Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas?
    
    
34. The first Thanksgiving football game was started  in 1934 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions?
    
    
35. By 1760 what became the priority at Thanksgiving?  Food, Prayer, Politics?
    
    
36. In 1705 a ship in Colchester, MA was frozen in the harbor so people delayed Thanksgiving one week so that what important Thanksgiving item could be brought ashore?  Tea, Molasses, Cinnamon?
    
    
37. Back in the 1620s the Pilgrims celebrated a “Day of Humiliation”. What did they do on that day?  Prayed and fasted, confessed a lie they had told, 
    asked for forgiveness for eating too much on Thanksgiving?
    
    
38. Which is said to be the origin of the  Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Mummer’s Parade, Ragamuffin Parade, Fall Indian Pow Wows?
    
    
39. At the end of the 19th century the rich, refined Victorians wrote out their menu courses in which language?  French, Italian, Latin?
    
    
40. In 1627 what was $3 equivalent to?  A day’s pay, a week’s pay, a month’s pay?
    
    
    

Looking for cage-free dog day-care or boarding in Los Angeles, The Loved Dog provides a wonderful environment.

Run by Tamar Geller, trainer to Oprah Winfrey's golden retriever puppies, The Loved Dog is a wonderful place to house your dog while you are at work or away from town.

I visited the facility on Pontius Avenue in West Los Angeles and couldn't draw myself away.  The dogs were running around having a great time.  The employees seem to be having a ball also.

The larger dogs are separated from the smaller ones, but the small dogs with big personalities join the large ones.  It is adorable.  

The Loved Dog also provides non-aggressive play training techniques approved by the U.S. Humane Society.  

Another nice feature is pick-up and delivery of your dog.  

For more details visit The Loved Dog website.

If you are a first time buyer here are some tips to avoid the disappointment you feel when you don't get the house you want..

As I discussed in a previous post, you must get pre-approved so you know absolutely what you can afford.

Fresh inventory of homes is low, and if a new listing comes on the market, if priced right, it is going to go into multiples and over asking. If you like it, then you can be sure there will be other buyers who feel the same. This is where you need to strategize.  If you are putting down 20% then you have as much chance as the next buyer (except the all-cash buyer) to submit the successful offer.  You also have to offer just the right amount below your top price in order to receive a counter-offer and to give yourself flexibility to increase your offer.  Putting down a minimum amount (FHA loan with 3.5%) will put you at a disadvantage in this situation, so be prepared to not get the house.

Short sales are tough for the first-time buyer unless it is a pre-approved short sale.  A short sale means that the house is being sold for less than the seller owes and the bank has to approve the sale.  This process can take several months and you may never receive an answer.  It is a nerve-wracking experience and it will delay your home ownership experience or result in you having to start the search process from the beginning again.  Short sales are not for the weak of heart.

Foreclosures are also difficult to handle for the first-time buyer.  It the foreclosure is really "a deal" you will be getting into the multiple offer situation and the price will go way over the asking price.  Case in point.  I had first-time buyers watching a foreclosure that had been put on hold a day after being put on the market. They wanted me to watch out for it coming back on the market.  I somehow missed its relisting and when I checked it was already in escrow after 13 days on the market.  I checked with the lender who had pre-approved all the buyers and found out that it had gone for $1,010,000, $110,000 over asking.  I am so glad that I did not put them through the offer process as their affordability is $900,000 maximum, which was actually the original price.

The trick is to concentrate on houses that have been on the market for a while and probably need some work.  Look for homes that you can move into and work on over time.  It is rare that you are going to find your ideal house within your price range.  Not impossible, but rare.  It is always better to be the only buyer making an offer as your negotiation position will be much stronger.  It is not fun to we waiting on tenterhooks to find out if you are going to get the house.

If you take a realistic view of your buying power, and are willing to use your imagination, you will be much closer to getting into a great first home.