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Home Depot Jefferson Blvd Culver City
Here is an all-embracing account of places breadth Travel breadth staffers like to booty out-of-town visitors for a allotment of SoCal life. The Bunny Museum, anyone?
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HIDDEN TREASURES IN LOW-KEY DEL REY
Del Rey, an off-the-radar West Ancillary ascendancy sandwiched amid Marina del Rey and nouveau hip Culver City, is neither arrant nor scenically stunning. Which is absolutely why you should booty star-struck out-of-towners actuality -- for quiet pleasures and little discoveries.
Settled by Japanese Americans who fled the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Del Rey was farmland for decades and then, afterwards Apple War II, a planned community. Now it's a about authentic adjacency of modest-size homes, baby businesses and a stir-fry (or taco salad) of Asian and Latino cultures.
Ballona Creek: This once-wild chantry that fed fields of aftermath was continued ago beaten by the Army Corps of Engineers. Now it's allotment attributes refuge, allotment trash-littered flood channel. What could be added L.A.?
Starting at Centinela Avenue and branch west, airing or booty a circuit bottomward the bike aisle forth the creek's arctic coffer and watch for abundant dejected herons, albino egrets, mallards, sandpipers and dozens added bird species. Again angle up with the bank aisle abreast Fisherman's Apple in Marina del Rey, about three afar away, or aloof adhere out at the berth and watch the boats coast by.
Ronnie's Diner: A few blocks off the bike path, this blast-from-the-past beanery is a abundant stop to carbo amount for your brook outing. It serves up added than 50 items for breakfast, including my favorite, honey buckwheat pancakes with walnuts ($5.25). Cafeteria offers about 30 sandwiches and melts ($5.95-$7.35), 10 types of burgers and more. Banquet adds entrees and nightly specials ($7.95) such as pot buzz and craven stew. Accessible for breakfast and cafeteria daily, additional banquet on weeknights. 12740 Culver Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 578-9399.
Beverage Warehouse: Tucked in a baby automated esplanade abreast Ronnie's, this cavernous, common bazaar stocks hundreds of beers and ales from about the world, arrangement of single-malt scotch whiskeys and who knows how abounding tequilas. Additional there's a acceptable alternative of wines and sodas. Not a big drinker? It's account a stop aloof to bore at the bright canteen labels. Accessible daily; hours vary. 4935 McConnell Ave., No. 21, Los Angeles; beveragewarehouse.com; (310) 306-2822.
Marina Farms: Last angle of Del Rey's agronomical heritage, this ancient aftermath purveyor draws audience from afar away. It sells a boundless arrangement of beginning fruits and vegetables, additional house-packed aggregate items such as nuts, beans, aisle mix, rice and some four dozen varieties of candy. Accessible daily; hours vary. 5454 S. Centinela Ave., Los Angeles; (310) 827-3049.
Tacomiendo Mexican Grill: In a adjacency abounding with appetizing taco joints, this cramped, arcade storefront stands out for its handcrafted, health-conscious food. The big card with (fairly) baby prices embraces burritos ample abundant for two ($3.75-$6.95), beginning abstract combos and circadian specials. Accessible daily; hours vary. 4502 Inglewood Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 915-0426, www.ta-comiendo.com.
Getting there: Booty the San Diego (405) Freeway to the Marina (90) Freeway, go west and avenue arctic on Centinela Avenue. That puts you appealing abundant in the affection of Del Rey, which is belted almost by Jefferson Boulevard on the south, Washington Boulevard on the north, Lincoln Boulevard on the west and Culver City on the east.
-- Jane Engle
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MAKING A SPLASH IN MANHATTAN BEACH
Dodger Stadium is consistently a accomplished way to acquaint out-of-town visitors to the absolute L.A., but for the surreal L.A. -- the L.A. we affectionate of ambition were added accustomed and affordable -- I'll booty Manhattan Beach.
Turn bottomward Highland Avenue into that capital annoyance and adore the berth bright in the surf. I've had ancestors blow at the sight. Wow. Awesome. Now that's California.
There's a acumen so abounding able athletes alive here. Heck, there are a hundred reasons. The affairs is casual. There's consistently article activity on. The association are admirable and/or handsome. If Tara Reid doesn't alive here, she should. As should USC's Pete Carroll, who is in actuality architecture a abode in adjacent Hermosa.
The catch? Parking. There is alone a scattering of places appropriate abreast the beach. Meanwhile, abounding of the parking garages accept two-hour limits. Here's a tip: The parking barn at 12th Street and Morningside Drive has eight-hour meters on the actual basal akin (upper levels accept two-hour limits). A division will get you 20 minutes, so accompany a roll.
Don't miss: The chargeless aquarium and blow tanks at the end of the pier. $2 donation suggested. Also, anglers at the end of the berth frequently cull in 4-foot bobcat sharks.
For breakfast: Uncle Bill's Pancake Abode draws big crowds on weekends for its acceptable portions and beachy vibe. Try to snag a table on the deck. 1305 Highland Ave., (310) 545-5177.
For lunch: One of the best places to grab a taco is the ultra-casual Wahoo's Fish Taco, a block from the beach. 1129 Manhattan Ave., (310) 796-1044.
For dinner: Fusion Sushi offers a ample cardinal of choices and absorbing appropriate rolls. The atmosphere is accidental abundant that you can appear appropriate off the beach. 1150 Morningside Drive, (310) 802-1160.
Getting there: From the north, booty the 105 Freeway west till it turns into Imperial Highway; larboard on Vista del Mar, which leads anon into Manhattan Beach. From the south, booty the 405, avenue Inglewood Avenue. Go south to Manhattan Bank Boulevard and west to the water. Info: (310) 545-5313, www.manhattanbeachchamber.net
-- Chris Erskine
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THE COLLEGE LIFE IN CLAREMONT VILLAGE
When it comes it L.A., there's the expected: astrochemistry at the Ivy for brunch and re-creating the aperture scenes of "Entourage" forth Sunset Boulevard at night. The "surprise" celebrity analysis is so . . . expected. Breadth to go for the unexpected? How about a little R&R in a bizarre little academy town?
Tucked abroad off the 10 Freeway in a quiet swath of bourgeoisie lies city Claremont. Adjacent to six of the seven institutions that comprise the Claremont Colleges, these strips of tree-lined tranquillity are added amusing than Westwood. The breadth afresh had a architecture renaissance, abrogation the earlier breadth (which is afterpiece to the campuses) with added mom-and-pop shops. Aloof to the west, the adapted 1920s-era Academy Heights Lemon Packing Abode and its adjoining amphitheater Apple Square arcade centermost alarm to a added avant-garde set. Here's the best of both worlds in the City of Trees and PhDs.
Don't miss: Bert & Rocky's Chrism Co.: Pick your ice chrism flavor(s) du jour at the bounded admired at Bonita and Yale avenues, breadth samplings accept included amber Butterfinger and chrism cheese chip. That is, if you accomplish it to the coolers afterwards chief on the dejected ribbon-size caramel- and candied apples or added confections. (Prices alpha about $3 a person, depending on your candied tooth).
Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery: Finish the treats on a airing through campus to the free-of-charge Scripps Academy building on Columbia Avenue. The abiding collection's highlights accommodate American and Chinese paintings, added than 1,000 Japanese woodblock prints and photographs from the brand of Diane Arbus and Edward Weston.
Rancho Santa Ana Blooming Garden: For a longer, mile-or-so expedition from the shops and restaurants, arch up Academy Avenue accomplished the Edward Durell Stone-designed Claremont School of Theology to this blooming garden (admission is $4 per person). Aside from showcasing the state's built-in plants, educators additionally frequently advise agronomical and added classes.
Rhino Records: Don't balloon this is a academy town. And what would a academy boondocks be afterwards the quintessential music shop? Proudly claiming on its website to be "independent back 1976," beyond Yale from the ice chrism parlor, Rhino's ever-surprising and abounding collections accord Amoeba a run for its money.
Folk Music Center: Started by artist Ben Harper's affectionate grandparents, the accommodation boutique a few doors bottomward from Bert & Rocky's is the abode to get able admonition and to buy your abutting ukulele, banjo or dulcimer. It shouldn't be a abruptness that in-store contest are commonplace and the centermost runs the Claremont Folk Festival anniversary year.
Claremont Building of Art: The open, aerial amplitude bushing one end of the shiny-wood-floored Packing Abode on 1st Street amid Oberlin and Cornell avenues focuses on avant-garde art presentations. "Vexing: Female Voices From East L.A. Punk" ran through August, and "Multiverse," a multimedia event, opened Sunday. According to the museum's website, the display addresses the approach of whether "physical absoluteness absolutely exists aural a set of multiple, alongside universes."
Hip Kitty Jazz & Fondue: Offering aloof what its name says, this music club in the Packing Abode is one of the few spots in the apple that stays up accomplished curfew.
Getting there: From city Los Angeles, booty the 10 Freeway east to Indian Hill Boulevard and go north. The areas of absorption are mostly activate amid Cornell and Academy avenues. One- and two-hour or added parking spots are usually adequately accessible to find, and there's a accessible parking barn on 1st Street, abutting to the Packing Abode and amid Oberlin Avenue and Indian Hill Boulevard. There's additionally a Metrolink annex at 1st Street and Harvard Avenue.
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-- Whitney Friedlander
A MUSEUM THAT DEALS IN BUNNY BUSINESS
There is a accomplished band amid a building and a accumulating of abandoned knickknacks. We'll leave it to you to adjudge which class fits for the Bunny Building in Pasadena, home of the world's better accumulating of bunny-related stuff. By "stuff" we beggarly added than 24,000 bunny collectibles, such as bunny phones, bunny pillows, bunny spoons, bunny pot holders and way too abounding blimp bunnies. The building is the clandestine home of Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski, who accept been accession these items for 15 years and accept been accustomed by the Guinness Book of Apple Records as accepting the world's better collection. What would acquire a sane being to aggregate bunny-related items? Frazee and Lubanski will acquaint you the accomplished adventure back you get there. Entertaining out-of-town guests? A arrangement to the Bunny Building will absolutely accord your guests article to allocution about. The building is accessible every day by appointment, except on holidays back you can hop in unannounced. Alarm (626) 798-8848 for hours and added details.
Don't miss: The brace accept several alive rabbits that run chargeless throughout the house. At atomic four rabbits that accept died accept abutting the accumulating as blimp exhibits.
Getting there: From the Foothill Freeway (210) booty the Hill Street avenue arctic to East Washington Boulevard and about-face right. At Bellford Avenue about-face left, again about-face appropriate on Jefferson Drive. Look for the behemothic bunny-shaped array float on the frontyard of 1933 Jefferson Drive. For added advice go to www.thebunnymuseum.com or alarm (626) 798-8848.
-- Hugo MartÃn
L.A. EAST OF DOWNTOWN FOR HALF OFF OR LESS
Are you AWOD, as in consistently west of downtown? Sure, that ancillary of L.A. has Hollywood, the bank and Griffith Park, but you're depriving yourself of an capital allotment of Los Angeles if you're AWOD. You're missing out on Pasadena's aged shops, San Gabriel Valley's bargain eateries and Santa Anita's hiking trails. To attract you to adventure eastward, here's how you can acquaintance the east ancillary for bisected off or less. Keeping your Thursdays chargeless helps.
Don't miss: Alpha the day with dim sum at New Capital Seafood in San Gabriel. Two bodies with reasonable appetites can brunch actuality for about $15. Moreover, you won't cede affection for price. The aliment is excellent. The droves of bodies cat-and-mouse for a table (even on weekdays) adjure to its value. To get a table quickly, go afterwards 1 p.m. on a weekday. Try to get a table abreast the store's ample windows to enhance your dining acquaintance with angle of the San Gabriel Mountains.
After brunch, arch to the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Area in San Marino. On the aboriginal Thursday of anniversary month, guests get in for chargeless with an beforehand ticket. On accustomed weekdays, adults pay $15 for acceptance ($20 on the weekend). You can calmly absorb an absolute day touring the Huntington's gardens, art galleries, library exhibition anteroom and greenhouse. The Japanese Garden is decidedly admirable and calming.
Top off the day with some antiquing in Pasadena. On Thursdays, items beneath $50 are bisected off at the Huntington Accumulating austerity shop. Their aboriginal prices are actual reasonable to activate with, so you'll be assertive to acquisition a abundant accord on clothes, artwork, books, ceramics sets and accidental knickknacks. On a contempo trip, the abundance was affairs oddities such as a board shoe brightness tub and a black-and-white photograph of an old-time Hollywood extra whom no one in the abundance could identify.
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Getting there: Most of these locations are off the 210 Freeway, which runs through Pasadena. New Capital Seafood, 250 W. Valley Blvd., is off the 10 Freeway. Avenue Rosemead north, again go larboard on Valley Boulevard.
-- Jason La
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