Look at what a Reynier Village neighbor did!
Jennifer: “This is the back wall area of my yard, the flooring is kitchen tile and concrete; it was a waste of space, since you can’t grow any plants here. So I decided to hide the area with a raised garden. I’m a full time mom with no woodwork experience, so I knew I wasn’t building a raised bed out of wood! The easiest option for me was to lay down cinder blocks and pour in dirt. Some of my succulents plants have been transplanted here, I also plan on growing an herb garden.”
We were delighted to find out that a new location of PEI WEI had opened in Culver City, close to our Reynier Village neighborhood, so we went to try it out.
We had liked their place in Beverly Hills, but this venue was even nicer, with windows that let in the daylight and outdoor tables on the terrace, in a new mini-mall at the corner of Sepulveda and Washington Blvd.
They serve Asian fast food: Thai, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese, their specialty are the lettuce cups (a favorite item of their parent restaurant P.F. Chang) and they come in 3 different versions. Definitely yummi. Check it out!
During one of my walks to greet new businesses opening up in our neighborhood, I discovered that a lovely photography studio recently opened at 2803 Robertson Blvd. It has the evocative name of Blue Buddha Studio.
So I walked in and spoke with photographer Kerem Hancy. He works with a partner, Jennifer Castle, and they specialize in portrait and wedding photography.
Check out Kerem’s website to take a look at his portfolio and see him in action.
The studio space is also available for rental. Give them a call: 424-835 0454
On one on my walks around the neighborhood, I discovered this bright new mural, on the side wall of the liquor store on Robertson, corner Gibson St. The signature reads Beautify Robertson/septerhed1@gmail. We located the website and contacted Sept. He said he paints these small projects for free to give the gift of art to the community, to bring life and dialogue to our city streets.
We also found this article in the current issue of Los Angeles Magazine.
To beautify South Robertson has always been one of the goals of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association, and that is why we created a Robertson page on our website, to promote the establishments that make our neighborhood more friendly and enjoyable.
Please send us your comments and suggestions!
It’s November 2013, and almost 20 years have passed since the big (6.7) earthquake rocked Northridge on January 17, 1994. At that time, more than 40,000 buildings were damaged in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino Counties. Santa Monica and West Los Angeles had significant damage, and 9 houses on my block alone lost their chimneys. One mile away, the La Cienega Blvd. overpass of the I-10 freeway collapsed.
In 2008 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported: “California has more than a 99% chance of having a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake within the next 30 years” and “the likelihood of a major quake of magnitude 7.5 or greater in the next 30 years is 46%-and such a quake is most likely to occur in the southern half of the state.”
While I have always wanted foundation bolting, I wasn’t sure how much it would cost or whom to trust with the job. My new neighbors had their house bolted shortly after they moved in. I thought to myself: “How smart of them, I should do it too, but can I afford it?.” After much consideration, I finally asked them “Who did your bolting?” To my surprise, they hired a well-qualified local South Robertson business called Avalin Design Construction Co. www.boltusa.com. I called the owner, Fred Cohen, engineer/general contractor (lic. 613782), and he came over to inspect my house. Several days later, a reasonable proposal was sent to me by email.
After quite a bit of internet research on seismic retrofitting, it was easy for me to make the decision to hire Avalin. As I write this, I’m pleased to say that his team of installers are under my house, drilling and bolting. The job should take approx. 4 -5 hours.
While no retrofitting job can guarantee that my home won’t be displaced from its concrete foundation, it will bring me some peace of mind that it will be safer and less prone to major structural damage during an earthquake.
A few weeks ago, during one of my walks, I discovered that an elegant new shop had opened on Robertson at 2613. So I walked in and chatted with the proprietor, Shannon Colburn, and her son Conor, who created their lovely website www.ShannonColburn.com. They had recently moved to this store-front location and are now open to the public for a walk-in visit to their showroom of household decorative items from their extensive collection of accessories, African woodcarvings, paintings, furniture, lamps, pillows and more.
They will extend a 20% discount to Reynier Village residents, so be sure to visit this new shop that we welcome to our neighborhood.
A new community art space and print studio opened in our neighborhood
PHLAT PHILE at 2805 Robertson: 323-744 7222
On June 2, at the SORO Festival, they launched a group exhibition called “1 Degree of Separation” featuring various artists who work on paper.
Their mission is to provide artists with technical support for their print-based projects and offer collectors moderately prices printworks under $1,000.
Dozens of jacaranda trees have been blossoming in Reynier Village for the past few weeks, their violet purple flowers brightening the neighborhood and blanketing our streets; but they will soon be gone, so you may wish to walk around and enjoy them now!
Although not a native plant (it was first introduced to California in 1892), the jaracanda mimosifolia is beloved in literature by authors writing about by Los Angeles, such as Anais Nin, Raymond Chandler, Joan Didion. Click here for excerpts.
And often mentioned by Los Angeles writers, such as Kate Braverman, who left L.A. for San Francisco, and Eve Babitz, who named Jacaranda the protagonist of her 1979 novel Sex and Rage.
We are lucky to have so many farmers markets nearby, and we already recommended the closest, on La Cienega at 18th Street within walking distance of Reynier Village, Thursdays from 2 to 7pm.
But our favorite is the Culver City Farwers MarketCulver City Farmers market, now on Main Street between Venice and Washington Blvd, Tuesdays from 3 to 7pm. They not only have a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms, but a real find. A lovely young woman cooks healthy and delicious dishes for you to take home. Check out her weekly menu at Smart Simple Gourmet, pick them up and get ready for a real treat. She has a stand at the Mar Vista Farmers Market as well, on Grand View at Venice Blvd, Sundays 9am to 2 pm.
On Sunday mornings we also like the little market on Melrose Place East of La Cienega, and the newest, the Motor Ave Farmers Market on National.
Our good neighbor who grows bananas in his backyard, tipped us off about the Good Karma Gardens (GKG) in Mar Vista. They provide free guidance for people who wish to grow sustainable food in their backyard. Check it out!
Visit over 100 gardens, to learn about drought-tolerant landscapes, edible gardens, rainwater capture and more, during the
For years I had heard stories about this cluster of homes on Shenandoah Street, down a tree lined path from an old sign that says “Casa Rocha.” So finally I decided to do an Internet search and I was delighted to find a website page about “Rocha Adobe” with a lengthy description of the history of this house, which was built in 1865 by Jose Antonio Rocha, designated Historical-Cultural Monument in 1963, and restored in 1979.
There are many fascinating stories about the history of our neighborhood, Reynier Village.
Please send us the ones that you know and we’ll post them.
We had been waiting for months to see the new LYFE KITCHEN-Love Your Food Everyday, open in Culver City, after seeing their name on the boarded up storefront, and that event finally took place this week. I had read a LA Weekly review of WILDCRAFT, another new restaurant that opened on Monday February 25, and was anxious to try it, so I took a walk over there yesterday at lunchtime. There was a long line waiting to eat at Lyfe Kitchen, in fact all the restaurants were crowded with happy diners enjoying the warm weather at outdoors tables lined up along the wide sidewalks. So I decided to have the porchetta panino at Wildcraft and I was not disappointed; it did not resemble the suckling pig that is a popular street food in Rome, and it has become quite a fad in Los Angeles restaurants, but it was quite tasty. I can’t wait to go again with friends to try their pizzas cooked in a traditional brick oven made in Naples.
For a complete list check the Culver City restaurant page of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association website, and kindly send us your comments.
Reynier Village was featured on Departures-KCET, an online exploration of Los Angeles neighborhoods.
See above the murals in the alley between Reynier Ave and Shenandoah Street.
South Robertson was also explored.
See below Barbara Mendes painting a wall of her gallery at 2701 Robertson Blvd.
Have fun with the interactive mural, watch photos and videos, read about the history of the Santa Monica Fwy, the Beverlywood Swim School, Hamilton High School, explore our nearby neighborhoods Beverlywood, Castle Heights and more…
As we were searching for plants to replace the old bamboo and create our new garden, we visited several nurseries. Here’s a list of some we liked.
Rolling Greens in Culver City, 9528 Jefferson Blvd, was the most amazing. Too expensive for us to buy anything there, but great for looking at gorgeous specimens and get ideas. You must check out their retail store at 7505 Beverly Blvd, they have beautiful items for your home and garden. Grow Native in Westwood, 100 Davis Ave, is the perfect place to find drought-tolerant plants native to California. Call for directions: 424-234 0481. Two Dog Organic Nursery, 914 Cloverdale, is the perfect place to visit if you wish to start a vegetable garden, and they will give you plenty of expert advice as well. Hashimoto Nursery, 1953 Sawtelle Blvd, is a traditional Japanese nursery with impeccable plants. YamaguchiBonsai Nursery, 1905 Sawtelle Blvd., has a section devoted to California Natives. Armstrong Garden Center, 3226 Wilshire in Santa Monica. They offer gardening classes, and a lifetime guarantee for their fruit trees.
We picked a selection of fruit trees, shrubs and flowers, with the help of Sammy Lyon, permaculture designer and garden educator.
I had seen inventive redwood fences with horizontal slats around the neighborhood (Holt and Halm), so, when it came to replace the old wood fences behind the thick bamboo hedge we had removed, I inquired about those custom choices, but they proved too expensive. I settled for pre-assembled 6×8 feet dog-ear panels from Lowe’s; they only cost $70.31 each. Then the lattice panels would be nailed on top to reach the more desirable 8-feet height and still conform to LA City codes. I only discovered later, after the fence was built, that they had bought common not premium grade panels from Home Depot for $54.97 a piece. It would have cost only $150 more (out of a $10,000 total expense) to get the better quality panels, but I was never informed of this change. Eventually, after the fence was painted with a transparent redwood stain to protect the wood from heat and humidity, it looked better, but you can still see through the knot holes.
Another problem that was too late to fix was that the landscape designer had assured me that the fence would all be the same height, even though one of the neighboring lots was higher than the other; but they did not adjust for the difference, so now I have a 6 inches gap where the 2 sides meet.
I was inexperienced and did not pay close enough attention, I trusted that the people I hired knew what they were doing. So I’m writing this warning for you to be more careful, if you attempt a similar project. Please keep us posted if you do.
I chose Larry Hess of Bloom Landscaping to clean up my bamboo hedge, remove the morning glory and replace a portion of the decaying picket fence, because I knew him from the SORO Green Team. With Paula Waxman he had designed the Hami Garden and organized the planting of new trees on Robertson. But we had not foreseen the necessity of removing the bamboo entirely, which in turn forced us to replace the entire length of the old wood fence behind it; so the timing was somewhat backwards. The carpenters had already been booked for the weekend, but it took 8 gardeners working for 2 days to rip out by hand that huge amount of bamboo (see post), so they decided to leave the spare live strands standing, because digging up all the roots would have taken too long. That’s how it happened that the new redwood fence was built first, then some time later the gardeners came back to finish the job of uprooting the bamboo. Bamboo shoots are surely going to sprout back in some parts of the garden, and the morning glory will keep coming over to my side from my neighbor’s backyard, so we’ll have to keep a close watch.
If you wish to remove these invasive plants, here’s some tips.
The Reynier Village Neighborhood Association hosted their annual Halloween party in Reynier Park today. A jazz band played and lead the costume parade, pizza was served, kids had their face painted and hit the pumpkin-shaped piñata full of treats.
If you live in Reynier Village (see map) and would like to be notified of neighborhood events, please send an email to reyniervillage@yahoo.com
Check out our website for membership information www.reyniervillage.com
Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli
RVNA Communications
For 25 years, since I bought my home in Reynier Village, I loved the tall and thick bamboo hedge that surrounded my backyard and protected my privacy through its impenetrable branches. It was planted decades ago, in a time when homeowners were not aware of the destructive behavior of running bamboo, whose roots travel underground, under driveways and lawns. About 10 years ago another invasive plant started growing on top of the bamboo hedge, morning glory; it spread all over at a rapid pace, but I enjoyed its purple flowers. After warnings from gardening experts, more environmentally aware than myself, I decided to have this vine-like weed removed. To our horror, below the pretty flowers, we discovered a thicket 3-feet deep of dead bamboo, that had to be removed because it constituted a fire hazard. We filled a huge dumpster truck, with the 70 feet of bamboo.
We were glad to see that the remodeled space at 2803 S Robertson Blvd has been rented to Art Works Studio (310-202 1894).
Starting September 10, they offer art classes and workshops for all ages on drawing, painting and mixed media. They have camps for children Kindergarden to 12th grade during summer and school holidays.
They partnered with Hands-on 3rd, so they also offer classes in sewing, knitting, screen printing, jewelry making and more.
You may book your own private drawing party for women only with champagne, dinner and live male nude model, at their Hollywood location on Melrose and Larchmont. Call: 323-463 2562 or email: ladrawing party@gmail.com
Do you want to learn how to collect rain, so you can use it to water your garden?
How about replacing grass with drought-resistant California Plants?
Register for these FREE workshops from TREE PEOPLE
Rainwater Harvesting
Native Plants and Turf Reduction
Provided: Workshop materials+Light breakfast and snacks
Registration is required
To register, visit the online calendar at www.treepeople.org
Registration Deadline: September 12, 2012
Questions? email: Linda Eremita or call (818) 623-4878
We were so impressed by the landscaping of the outdoor spaces of a Reynier Village home now for sale that we asked the owners for some tips on how they accomplished this result, in case other neighbors wished to do something similar and eco-friendly in their own backyard.
“Our goal was to create an outdoor room feel. For our back patio area, we wanted to create a walled garden space, and we felt that drought-tolerant plants would be appropriate. We called uponAtlas Design Consultants to help us, they proposed concrete poured in a geometric pattern, that would allow water to drain into the ground, rather than into the sewer system (a growing ecological concern). We hired contractor Marlon Rosales to pour the concrete. We also installed a rainwater collection barrel, tucked away behind one of the 3 California native dodonaeas that we planted as replacement for the rose bushes. We hired another contractor, Rudy Martinez to install a custom redwood fence around our property, for aesthetic reasons and also for security. We’re very happy with our outdoor spaces.”
Check out their website for more info, or if you wish to purchase this house www.2302holt.com
We had blogged about this stretch of Washington Blvd, between La Cienega and National, in 2010 and 2011, when it comes alive for the annual Culver City Art Walk (this event was sadly canceled this year because of citywide budget cuts), and we’ve walked there often to try some of the new restaurants.
We loved BATCH (it replaced SUBLIME); their pizza crust stands up to the exacting standards of an Italian like myself. We are happy that the INDUSTRY CAFE offers live jazz, but the Ethiopian food could be better. It was a good idea to make Helms Avenue a pedestrian area, but we’re sorry that they found it necessary to evict the Jazz Bakery to make room for yet another furniture store. LUKSHON is too snooty for my taste, but one day, when I had a cold, their Shanghai matzo ball soup was just what the doctor ordered. We prefer places like PINCHES TACOS (yes, it’s named after a Mexican curse word), with its blue and pink building and their tasty sopes, or our latest find, E.K. Valley (Epy García’s Kitchen), serving Mexican food from Oaxaca.
It was exciting, even for a jaded adult like myself, to ride the Metro Expo Line on the opening day of the Culver City station at Venice and Robertson, and the kids seemed to love it. The atmosphere was festive, with a music trio playing and cheerful ladies handing out bus route schedules and reusable canvas bags. I hopped on for free and rode to USC, my Alma Mater. The tracks sloped gently up and down to climb the overpasses crossing La Cienega and la Brea, otherwise the train rode at street level stopping at various intersections and stations, running at a leisurely pace. I got off at Expo Park and took in the lively scene of kids playing in the large round fountain in the middle of the Rose Garden. Waiting for the next train on the return, it was heart-warming to see so many habitual commuters, not just first-day joy-riders. This type of public transportation, a long time coming in Los Angeles, does really help get people where they need to go, without a car.
Please send us comments about your experiences riding the Expo Line, along Exposition Blvd. It travels all the way to downtown L.A., where you may connect to the Red Line to Hollywood and North Hollywood, the Gold Line to Pasadena and East L.A., the Blue line to Long Beach.
The Annual SORO Community festival celebrated its 15th anniversary this year, on Sunday June 3, 2012. A new coordinator, Mark Fielder, and many volunteers worked really hard to organize this exciting event, that attracts throngs of neighbors to a Robertson Boulevard without cars, between Cattaraugus and Beverlywood, and is sponsored by SoRo Inc. and South Robertson Neighborhood Council.
Many local vendors and artisans display their wares, community organizations distribute information about their activities, dance and music groups perform on stage, gourmet food trucks serve lunch.
This year we checked out the booths of jewelry designer Phoebe Neil, who is President of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association, and of artist Barbara Mendes, who owns a Gallery at 2701 Robertson and designed the blue SORO Fest tee-shirt that everyone was wearing.
Doug Fitzsimmons, President of SORONC, presented the Susan Bursk Community Service Award to Beth Ryan, President of the Crestview Neighborhood Association, and organizer of summer programs for kids at Stepping Forward LA and RAL (Robertson Activities League). Pico Cleaners received the Green Leadership award for their environment-friendly methods used in their business.
Last night we attended a Hammer Forum, a conversation with Bill McKibben, the Vermont author, founder of the environmental action group 350.org, and Josh Fox, director of Gasland, the documentary about the devastating effects of hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas.
They alerted us to something we didn’t know about: the PXP oil company has been employing fracking in the oil wells of Baldwin Hills, just south of Reynier Village, causing environmental damage and danger of earthquakes.
Read about the May 15 press conference in Kenneth Hahn Park.
Download the issue brief by Food and Water Watch.
Sign a Petition for Governor Jerry Brown to ban fracking in California.
A few weeks ago, we blogged about our old time favorite nearby restaurants, see post.
Now we want to tell you about a few recent discoveries.
Earlier in the year, with my neighbor Deni, co-author of this blog, we tried CHEGO, the closest locations of the many restaurants opened by Roy Choi, the Korean chef who became famous for his Kogi BBQ food trucks. It was exciting food, but get there as soon they open at 5.30pm, and study their online menu, so you’ll know what to order. Chego means “thumbs up” in Korean. CHEGO (310) 287 0337 – 3300 Overland Ave, LA 90034
You may want to check out his more upscale restaurants, that also serve alcohol. A-Frame (310) 398 7700 – 12565 Washington Blvd, LA 90066 Alibi Room (310) 390 9300 – 12236 Washington Blvd, LA 90066 Sunny Spot (310) 448 8884 – 822 Washington Blvd, Venice 90292
Always a fan of Thai food, I went with my old friend Christopher to a new place that opened last October, because they serve noodle soups. Be careful of the spiciness, we ordered level 1, as the waitress recommended. Moo means pork, and Moo Moo is slang for “take it easy.”
MOO MOO Thai Cafe (310) 287 9999 – 11127 Venice Blvd, LA 90034
I had been eating at Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine since reading an LA Times review when it opened in 2008, because it reminded me of my dreamy trip to India and Nepal in 1984, but have gone back many more times in the past few months, because they serve tasty vegetarian dishes. TARA’S Himalayan Cuisine (310) 836 9696 – 10855 Venice Blvd, LA 90034
This Salvadoran place that also serves Mexican food has been open for 10 years, but I had never tried it, until I decided to assemble a list of nearby restaurants for the new website of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association. We found satisfying food and a family atmosphere. GLORIA’S Cafe (310) 838 0963 – 10227 Venice Blvd, LA 90034
Don’t you wish you could have collected some of the rain that fell yesterday to use it in the coming dry weeks to water your garden?
Well, now you can by installing rain barrels under your downspouts.
Pre-pay by credit card and your barrel will be ready for pick-up.
Then you may call Jerry at The Gutter Guy (310) 217 7678 to perform the simple installation (or do it yourself)
Many of you probably noticed that four storefronts are being remodeled on Robertson, painted in bright pastel colors to attract new tenants.
We can’t wait to find out which exciting new shops will open there.
One of them is already occupied by the same establishment that was there before, the hair salon Marshoni G at 2801 (310) 839 2400
You may want to get your hair styled there or try these other salons. Aveda–Knox Salon at 2823 (310) 837 5600
Studio 2356 at 2356 (310) 837 2356
For more blog posts about Robertson select the category at right.
For a list of businesses check the Robertson page on our NEW RVNA Reynier Village Neighborhood Association website.
Please tell us about YOUR discoveries in the comments box below.
Did you know that you could find so many learning opportunities for yourself and your family on our very own South Robertson Blvd?
If you have teenage children, they may attend Alexander Hamilton High School, and qualify for their excellent Music and Humanities magnets.
If you would like to grow vegetables in your own backyard, volunteer at the Hami Garden, take a 4-week class from Master Gardner George Pessin, Sundays starting April 29. Email him to register. Click here for more details, see our earlier post.
If you have pre-school children and would like to give them an early start in environmentally sound behaviors, consider enrolling them at Green Beginnings Pre-School (310) 841 6100
3047-3049 S Robertson Blvd (more info)
If you need your toddlers to get comfortable in the water to be safe around your pool, book lessons at Beverlywood Swim School (310) 838 4088
2610-2612 S Robertson Blvd (more info)
If you wish to learn about making art with ceramics, contact Echo Ceramics 2856 S Robertson Blvd
if you love gourmet cooking, walk into this delightful shop that also sells kitchen tools and get a list of their classes
Springtime blooms in Reynier Village. Exotic cactus flowers next to tropicals and 60 year old bulbs. . . it is so pleasant to walk in this neighborhood and view these beautiful plants. . .
Text and photos by Deni Mosser
Agave attenuata, aka the “lion’s tail”, “swan’s neck”, or “foxtail” for its curved stem. Native to central Mexico.
Cymbidium (also known as boat orchids) from Asia and Northern Australia
Montbretia (Crocosmia Lucifer), native to South Africa
There are so many useful places on Robertson, right next door to our homes, and we should support them, because we’d like to make our neighborhood more user-friendly.
For instance, I always have my car washed locally, bring my donations to Good Will, have my clothes dry-cleaned here; if I were in the market for a used car, I would certainly take a look on Robertson first, if I still owned a dog, I might bring it nearby for grooming.
See below a list of these places, please send us your favorites
Your front door is the gateway to your home. What does your front door say about you? Are you traditional or adventurous? What color is your front door? Why did you paint it that color? We’d love to hear from our neighbors.
Text and photos by Deni Mosser
Burgundy-red door compliments the gray color scheme of this mid-century house
Bright blue-green door is exciting next to its neutral exterior paint
Natural wood compliments Spanish architecture
Weathered driftwood is serene and harmonizes with the plantings and irregular stepping stones
A few weeks ago I walked to Robertson Blvd to review some of the new places that have opened recently, in order to update the RVNA website. I stopped inside the SoRo Art Center to chat with local artist BARBARA MENDES. She has been involved in our neighborhood activities for many years, in fact, she created the RVNA Reynier Village Neighborhood Association logo that you see on color signs in some of our streets. As always, I was very impressed with her paintings, so decided to buy one for myself, to enjoy its amazing colors and shapes every day in my own home.
Currently the gallery hosts a show of other artists work as well, NEW VIBRATIONS, and on Sunday February 19 at 3 pm they are having a party. You’re all invited!
For over 20 years, since moving to Reynier Village, I have been going out for meals with friends and family at my favorite nearby restaurants, a short drive away.
CAFE BRASIL, opened in 1991. They were the only place to enjoy a leisurely lunch in the outdoor patio the day after the 1992 LA riots, when every other place was closed. And we love their new location further West on Washington, next to their enchanting Villa Brasil Motel, opened in 2002.
HU’S SZECHUAN has been serving tasty and inexpensive Northern Chinese food at this location for over 30 year, and they also deliver. My friend Chris wrote a glowing restaurant review way back in 1979, so that’s how many years we have been coming to eat here.
VERSAILLES, opened in 1981, is a no-nonsense Cuban place always packed with customers. They have another location on La Cienega Blvd, just south of Pico.
Check the list below for addresses and websites, along with my favorite dish for each.
Please send us comments about YOUR local favorites.
There are not nearly enough good places to eat on Robertson as we would like, so we wouldn’t have to drive to downtown Culver City to find a proper restaurant, however we have some local favorites, like Campos, not a chain like Taco Bell across the street, but a family owned place that serves authentic Mexican food. We love the Argentinian Empanadas made by Adriano and Marcelo, and we’re very appreciative of the discounts they offer our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association, when we host our summer park nites.
You may want to enjoy a stroll, grab some food at these local eateries.
When I moved to Reynier Village from Hollywood 24 years ago, in 1988, my daughter was still a baby, but pretty soon I was taking her to swim at the Beverlywood Swim School on Robertson, a local institution that has been in business since 1951. Kids and parents splash away together inside the 2 warm pools, and patient teachers guide the toddlers’ first floats in this weightless environment.
The place is closed on Sundays to host birthday parties. You may want to book one for your kids. Check their website for more info. www.swimbss.com
BEVERLYWOOD SWIM SCHOOL
2610-2612 S Robertson Blvd
310-838 4088
Every year the Reynier Village Neighborhood Association organizes a Community meeting, where our residents socialize and exchange ideas. Members of the RVNA Board plus APS, SORONC and LAPD representatives make short presentations of their activities, answer questions and concerns.
This year (2012) the meeting takes place Monday February 6 at 7 pm, in the beautiful Hall of the Palms Westminster Presbyterian Church, facing a wide green lawn that served as playground for the children attending the Nursery school it housed years ago.
Please come out and participate, stay connected, send us an email at reyniervillage@yahoo.com and join our mailing list, to be notified about our events and other neighborhood news.
Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli RVNA Communications
I often take walks around the neighborhood, by myself or with a friend. Even now that our dog has passed away, I keep up this habit to get some exercise. Last Sunday I walked on Robertson Blvd, which I don’t usually do on weekdays to avoid the traffic, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the only remaining antique store open and displaying their wares on the sidewalk. Some new shops have opened recently, and a few storefronts are being remodeled to attract tenants.
Let’s support our local merchants, art galleries, schools and restaurants.
Please send us comments about your favorites.
See listed below our choices in the antiques, upholstery and furniture category.
Voltec Battery, Inc.
8664 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
310-733-4334 – Ask for Joe.
“Located near Reynier Village (Venice and Cattaraugus), Voltec will bring the new battery to you and install it, for no extra charge. My car battery died on Saturday afternoon (Christmas Eve day). I called Voltec at 8:30 Monday morning, and by 9:30 am, I had a brand new car battery installed and working, all for $91.32, total. Sweet. Pleasant, prompt, and professional with great prices, too.
“Ask Joe for the 5% discount for Reynier Village Home and Garden Blog readers.”
– – Recommended by Carol Fuchs, a Reynier Village resident
We’ve added a new category: Our Neighbors Recommend. . .
This is for all South Robertson residents to give us their personal recommendations of businesses or products they have already used.
When you find an awesome local business, a good tradesperson (painter, electrician, etc.) or just something cool you’d like to share with your neighbors (a garden product or even a delicious recipe), please email us at Reynier Village and we may post it.
If you are a SORO business owner, please consider joining the SORONC card program to become a preferred merchant and get on the SORO Neighborhood Council business directory. SORO residents can get a free SOROCard to get great discounts on goods and services from participating merchants.
We look forward to hearing about your personal experience with a local business or product. Whatever discovery you might blurt out to your neighbor or friend, we’d love to hear about it too!
Earlier this year the MTA had announced a November 15, 2011 “target date” for the Expo Line opening of the La Cienega/Jefferson station. Now that deadline has been pushed forward several months with no “official date” announced. Today’s LA Times article.
For us residents of Reynier Village the completion of the Expo Line Phase 1, all the way to the Culver City Station at Robertson and Venice, will be the most useful, allowing us to travel to downtown quickly. Then the construction of Expo Phase 2, taking us to Downtown Santa Monica, which started in September 2011 and is scheduled to be completed in early 2015, will be quite a dream. Let’s hope it will happen before we all get too old.
For more info keep checking Metro.net and buildexpo.org
Journalist Peter Lovenheim (of Rochester, NY) realized how little he actually knew of his neighbors or his neighborhood. This inspired him to write a book, Inthe Neighborhood: the Search For Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time.
After watching his fascinating 30 minute lecture discussing ‘what makes a good neighbor’ on the Zócalo Public Square website, I realized how lucky we are to live in Reynier Village and in the South Robertson Neighborhoods Council area of Los Angeles.
Our community works together to help each other and to help beautify the neighborhood. We spend time gardening together at Hamilton High School or attend neighborhood land use or public safety meetings at the local Robertson Recreation Center. We have monthly meetings and an Annual SoRo Street Festival on Robertson Boulevard.
But how well do we actually know the residents on the block where we live? Do we know what makes a good neighbor? Can we do better to help each other or just try to introduce ourselves? Should our community have more social events such as women’s night out or guy’s night out where we meet at a local restaurant once a month to chat? Should we invite our neighbors over for some homemade soup once in a while? Do all our meetings together have to try to solve neighborhood issues? Comments are welcome!
We attended the Reynier Village solar workshop organized by Open Neighborhoods at PermaCity, and gathered lots useful info that we want to share.
It’s never been as affordable as now to install solar panels on your home.
You get rebates from DWP that favor early adopters, currently $ 2.20 per watt, plus a 30% direct write-off on your taxes.
Permacity is offering a 33% group discount (which simply means 3 homes within 1 square mile), and that brings your cost down to $4.40 per watt, before the rebates. Final cost $ 1.60 per watt, or about $ 9,600 and up for a 6 KiloWatt system, sufficient for a small 1,500 square feet home.
Check out their website for more info or email Herb Mendelsohn.
You should talk to your neighbors about doing the installation at the same time, then email us to tell us you are going ahead.
If you want NO upfront costs, you can lease your solar system and pay about half of your current monthly electric bill to Sun Power for 20 years.
If you’d like to attend another group workshop, register on the Open Neighborhood website
If you’re ready to get a free solar assessment about the costs and timing of installation on your home, call: 310-893 3100.
It makes economic sense to go solar at this time, you will save on your utility bill, and to switch to a clean and renewable energy source will also help reduce the use of dirty coal-generated electricity in our city.
We all know by now that locally grown fruits and vegetables are better for our health (more nutritious) and for the environment (less pollution).
So why don’t we make it a weekly ritual to visit the Farmers Market at 1801 S. La Cienega Blvd?
It’s very close to Reynier Village and easily reachable by walking or bicycling.
It takes place every Thursday afternoon from 2 to 7 pm.
You can buy organic or pesticide-free produce to prepare healthy meals.
You can buy cut flowers, also plants for your garden (from Ramos Nursery).
You can take home delicious meals, such as Salvadoran pupusas and Hawaiian BBQ chicken.
Good News!
Master Gardner George Pessin will conduct another series of classes.
The 4-week session is every Sunday
Dates: Sept 18, Sept 25, Oct 2, Oct 9
Time: 1:00PM – 4:00PM
Hamilton School Garden
2955 S Robertson Blvd (entrance on Canfield Ave)
Replacing an old-fashioned water heater just got easier and cheaper. Noritz America recently introduced a new series of affordable, residential, energy efficient tankless water heaters (Model NR50) – for both outdoor and indoor installations. With the NR50-OD for outdoors, say goodbye to expensive 3/4″ gas lines, and hello standard 1/2″!
Old tank water heater, leaking and rusty
What is a tankless water heater?
Traditional storage tank water heaters are always “on”, and this means heating and reheating the tank of water even if you aren’t using it. Tankless types only heat the water when you turn on the hot water faucet. The water will heat up to the temperature that is set and remains that temperature until you turn off the faucet. NR50’s default is set to 120 degrees. With tankless, you never run out of hot water. You get a continuous supply until you turn off the faucet.
New Noritz NR50-OD tankless water heater
The Noritz NR 50-OD (outdoor) water heater is made in Japan with a durable steel casing and polyester coating. It has a limited 12- year heat exchanger warranty; a limited 5- year parts warranty, and a limited 1- year labor warranty. Because it only requires a 1/2″ gas line, you don’t need to have your plumber install an expensive 3/4″ gas line to the unit.
These compact heaters (13.8″ wide x 20.5″ high x 6.7″ deep) heat up to 5 gallons per minute and have an electronic ignition (so you need to have an electrical outlet nearby). The outdoor model (shown above) doesn’t need venting!
Get money back!
The Noritz NR 50 is eligible for a $150 mfgr. rebate and a federal tax credit of up to $300 for year 2011.
Hire an experienced plumber!
Ray from R&M Plumbing has installed over 20 tankless units (as of the date of this post), and all but the Noritz NR50 required running 3/4″ gas lines, and it pushed up the price. In addition, the base price of the 3/4″ units are more than the NR50. Ray was thrilled to install the above tankless heater for a Reynier Village homeowner . It cut installation time way down, and he hopes to install many more for Reynier Village, SORO, and other West L.A homeowners.
Give Ray a call to see if a tankless water heater is right for your home. R&M Plumbing
Tel. 310-475-5757
Calif. Contractors License C36-735022
Tankless vs tank storage ~ which would you rather have?
Introducing “Food & Dining” to our blog! Because toiling in the garden is not sufficient for a happy life, man (and woman) also has culinary needs, and darn it, who doesn’t like to talk about food?!?!???
Citrus Jicama Salad from Chichenitza
With our new Food & Dining category we invite you to comment and share your:
– family recipes, bbq marinades, backyard picnic ideas
– delicious finds at Trader Joe’s, Glatt’s, Elat or other local markets
– favorite vendor at a local farmers market
– methods for canning or drying fruits from your garden
– hot local restaurants . . .
. . . and much more! Please join in and let’s talk food!
After reading about this ‘water-efficient home in L.A.’s Mount Washington’, nothing would please me more than to keep my 1939 house “original” while incorporating solar and other energy-saving ideas. It may not be possible either technically, aesthetically or financially, so in the meantime, my roommate and I do what we can.
We currently:
Use compact fluorescent bulbs in 99% of the house. Fixtures on dimmers have regular “A” lamps.
Take re-usable bags to the grocery store as much as our memory allows. Yes, we sometimes forget but when we do, we make sure we re-use or recycle the paper & plastic bags.
Take shorter showers and always use our shower head shut-off valve when soaping up.
Run the dishwasher and clothes washer when full.
Set the clothes dryer to the ‘energy miser’ setting.
Turn off lights when we leave a room – but we don’t go overboard and live in a dark house. At night, it’s still nice to have some ambient light even if we aren’t spending time in that room.
Re-use dryer sheets to dust furniture with, and use micro-cloths to dust the hardwood floor.
Please send us your comments on what you do for the sake of living green.
Reynier Village (in SOuthRObertson) is a film-friendly neighborhood in Los Angeles. Just the other night (June 3, 2011) Showtime’s “Californication” shot some scenes at Miss Donuts on the n.e. corner of Robertson Blvd. & Beverlywood St.
David Duchovny at Miss Donuts during the filming of a Californication episode.
Each month we discover more art galleries, places to eat and shops popping up on the stretch of Washington Blvd, between La Cienega and National, that used to be quite deserted.
The best time to visit was yesterday, during the sixth annual Culver City Art Walk, when lots of people really did come out and walked around.
The event started at 2 pm on Helms Walk with Giggle and Pop!, a silly but sweet performance by the students of the Culver City High School Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, created by artist Gary Baseman. As late as 7 pm the opening of The Vault (6150 Washington) was still crowded, it felt just like at a private party.
Local musicians and artists came together for an impromptu jazz performance, the mural by D*Face titled “Going Nowehere Fast” loomed on the side wall of the Corey Helford Gallery (8522 Washington), visitors checked out the artwork featured in over 35 galleries, like the paintings of Peter Sims at Cardwell/Jimmerson (8568 Washington).
Hope you made it there on this special day, but if you didn’t, go any time, have a bite to eat at Pinches Tacos (8665 Washington, BYOB), listen to jazz at Industry Cafe (6039 Washington), work out at Sweat Pilates (8540 Washington).
Then send us a comment with your suggestions.
This is a follow-up to my first vegetable garden. In two weeks, my tri-colored bell pepper seeds started sprouting. My containers are from Trader Joes Mac ‘n Cheese. I punched 6 drain holes in the bottom with a knife and filled it with potting soil from Home Depot. I also planted some 2005 zucchini and summer squash seeds. They, too, are sprouting nicely! Read “Starting from Seeds” by my teacher and Certified Master Gardener, George Pessin.
Bell pepper, zucchini and summer squash sprouting indoors in a greenhouse kitchen window
The Reynier Village Neighborhood Association held a brunch for its members on May 15 at Reynier Park to celebrate the election of the new board: Co-presidents Phoebe Neil and Lisa Barnet, Treasurer Hector Garza, Secretary Steve Cawelti, Communications Elisa Leonelli, At Large Martha Sullivan; Webmaster Laura Sadler. These dedicated volunteers will remain in office for 2 years, then they will encourage other neighbors to step in and take over their duties. Many of them have been devoting a lot of time to creating the association, organizing activities and improving our neighborhood community since 2005.
If you’re not already a member, please consider joining, sign-up for APS Patrol Service.
For more info check out our website reyniervillage.com
One of the most popular RVNA events has been park nights; several times during the summer, all the neighbors are invited to stop by and chat, have some food and get to know each other. This year’s dates are: July 13 and 27, August 10 and 24.
Please contact us if you have ideas for other initiatives that you would like to organize to benefit our neighborhood. email: reyniervillage@yahoo.com
Thanks
I went to my first Victory Garden class last Sunday held at Hami Garden and taught by master gardener George Pessin. The class was three hours of lecture and answering everyone’s questions. All of us are so eager to grow vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers. The student mix was varied – a wide range of ages, men and women, some came from as far as Long Beach and Venice Beach, others came from the West Adams area and many live in South Robertson.
George is so knowledgeable, I easily took about a dozen pages of notes, and he gave us a demonstration on how to properly plant seeds. Everyone in the class received a free packet of seeds of their choice. I selected Jewel-Toned (sweet) Bell Peppers Crimson, Gold & Orange from Renee’s Garden in Felton, CA.
Today I planted my tri-color pepper seeds and they are in my kitchen greenhouse window, waiting to sprout. I also found some 2005 zucchini and summer squash seeds that a friend mailed me years ago. I don’t know if they will sprout, but what the heck, I planted them too.
Excited to do that, I then went online to ReneesGarden.com and ordered seeds for these colorful & delicious plants:
California Spicy Salad Greens
Scarlet Charlotte Chard
Bulbing Trieste Fennel
Camp Joy Cherry Tomato
This is fun!
Most of the material George teaches from is taken from a 44-page manual, Vegetable Gardening – Handbook for Beginners, written by Common Ground Garden Program, University of California Cooperative Extension. The manual is available for free – use this link http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/files/84072.pdf
George’s first class did more for me (to get me moving) than all the gardening books on my shelves!
You want to grow vegetables in your backyard, start your own small farm, but don’t know how to begin?
Take a look at what Farmscape Gardens can do for you.
We went to see how they work at a demonstration they held today at Windward School Garden, organized by Garden educator Samantha Lyon during the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase.
They donated their expertise and materials and in less than 1 hour a raised wooden bed was built by students and filled with soil.
You can hire Farmscape to build these beds, in many different shapes and sizes, plant vegetables for you in your own home.
You don’t want to miss the expanded 3rd edition of the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase, which has now become a giant eco-festival, celebrating Earth Week,
Saturday April 30 – 11am to 4 pm
Explore examples of drought resistant landscaping and edible gardens, learn about composting techniques and rainwater capture, see how many homeowners use energy efficiency, solar energy, and other sustainable practices to reduce utility bills and help the environment.
There are many personalized tour maps linked here.
We suggest you bicycle to cover more territory.
Victory Gardens, once a government program created by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and first lady Eleanor to help feed Americans during World War II, are promoted again today by various organizations, such as Edible Gardens and the community garden movement, to encourage people to grow their own healthy food.
The Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative offers classes to help new gardeners start their own gardens quickly and easily in a container, in the backyard or at a community garden.
A class organized by Master Gardener George Pessin will take place this May at the Hamilton School Garden in our neighborhood, Sundays May 1-8-15-22, 1 to 4 pm. The cost is only $ 50. Those who complete the 4-week training will become UC-Certified Victory Gardeners.
The “Hami Garden” is a three minute drive from my house. Nothing could prepare me – – not even Elisa’s recent photos – – for the pleasant surprises I would find on my first visit. First of all, the garden is easy to find and there was plenty of street parking. (from Robertson, go West on Cattaraugus, turn left on Canfield and look for parking immediately. The entrance gate is on the left at the intersection of Kramerwood.)
The garden is now filled with an abundance of vegetables including lettuce, cabbage, beets and peas. I met up with Paula Waxman who is one of the garden’s organizers and from the SORO Green Team. Paula was busy instructing young volunteers on plant maintenance, but she was kind enough to grant me an interview (9:37 min)
I hope you enjoy it and will visit the garden soon.
The 1930s Spanish homes in our neighborhood used to have gorgeous hardwood floors. Unfortunately, decades ago, many of them were covered up with carpeting.
A couple of weeks ago, with the new year, I finally decided to remodel a spare bedroom and turn it into a TV room. I wondered what was under that tired old carpet and I discovered something even worse, ugly linoleum tiles glued on top of the original wood. I consulted some floor experts and was given little hope of finding anything salvageable underneath, we would have to rip it all up and install a new wood floor; but then a dear friend recommended Danny, a wonderful craftsman who lives in our neighborhood. He was confident that it could be done, so one rainy morning he showed up with 4 of his long-time workers, and in 48 hours the old wood was uncovered, stripped, sanded and stained. It feels fantastic to have the floor back to the way it was intended by those builders way back in 1931.
You may want to try doing something like this in your own house and you could discover some gems, such as these lovely corner inlays.
Danny’s number is 323-937 3563, and the name of his 25-year-old company is AMA Hardwood Floors.
Please let us know your experience with other old-fashioned craftspeople in our neighborhood: carpenters, electricians, handy-men, masons, painters, plumbers, etc.
After one of the hardest rainstorms ever, a beautiful rainbow appeared yesterday, late afternoon. Stretching from West Hollywood to Downtown, it was a breathtaking sight!
A couple of weeks ago I attended the last class of the Green Garden Academy, a free seminar series organized by the Office of Sustainability of the City of Santa Monica; the topic was “Showers to Flowers. Learn the proper use of gray water in your garden, and how to harvest and use rainwater.” So I would like to share some easy water saving tips to implement in your homes and gardens.
Rain barrels may be attached to your downspouts, water is collected when it rains and may be used later to water your garden. Warning: install the barrels at least 6 inches high, not like I did in my garden (see pictured), so the water can flow more easily from the valve at the bottom of the barrel. The hose attached to the upper valve serves to catch the overflow during heavy rainstorms and direct it to your garden, away from the hard surfaces.
You could purchase a self-installation kit to divert the water from your washing machine to your garden, but I thought the procedure was overly complicated; out teacher admitted that buying one of the new front-loading, water-saving appliance would be a better solution.
One simple trick I had learned some time ago and have been using for years is to put a bucket inside your shower to catch the overflow while you are waiting for the water to get warm. Then you can easily carry it to your backyard, pour the water into a watering can to spread over your plants.
The Mar Vista Green Committee has organized a Power Wise Expo, to present solutions on how to conserve electricity or convert to renewable energy.
It will take place on November 3, at 6.30 pm, on the campus of Windward School, 11350 Palms Blvd.
If you pre-register, you will receive raffle tickets for prizes such as an energy audit and discounts on solar installation.
On September 23 we attended a Green Living Workshop, sponsored by speaker Karen Bass, presented by Sustainable Works and the Culver City Garden Club.
Many members of the SORO Green team were present.
Mini-seminars were offered with useful tips on how to conserve water, compost your organic waste, replace dangerous household chemicals, shop for food in an earth-friendly way.
Sustainable Works of Santa Monica offers 6 workshops, meeting once a week, on the topics of Water, Energy, waste, Chemicals, Transportation, Shopping & Food.
Reynier Village has been working with the SORO Green Team to organize one for residents of our neighborhood.
Find out more about the Residential Greening Program, and please send in your suggestions.
One of the recommended changes, that can be implemented immediately and at no cost, was to do more walking and bicycling, considering that the majority of car trips takes place within a 2-mile radius from home.
A fun ride, taking place for the first time in LA, is CicLAvia (from the Spanish word ciclovia=bicycle lane) on October 10, one of the 10-10-10 Global Work party events promoted by 350.org, the organization created by Bill McKibben to find solutions for the climate crisis.
Last Saturday (August 21), we went on a fun tour aboard a Santa Monica Blue bus to look at examples of how to plant, in your backyard or front lawn, new types of grasses, which require much less water and mowing than traditional turf.
As students of the Green Garden Academy, a free seminar series organized by the Office of Sustainability of the City of Santa Monica, we were lead by Russell Ackerman, and we met landscape experts and adventurous home-owners along the way.
See for yourselves some of these luscious ground covers.
Slopesaver (fescue blend) low-mow grass in a backyard on Marguerita Ave.
UC Verde Buffalo grass in a frontyard on Berkeley Ave.
UC Verde Buffalo Grass
Even better, why not eliminate grass at all?
Take a look at the Santa Monica demonstration gardens, one traditional, with turf and flowers such as roses and gardenias at 1718 Pearl, the other with only mulch and California native drought-tolerant plants, on 1724 Pearl. The latter uses far less water and requires much less maintenance than the former.
On August 20th the Los Angeles Times published “The Dry Garden: More drought ahead?” raising the questions: “Keep lawn? Get rid of lawn? Water more? Conserve? The most forward-thinking act is to landscape in a way that acknowledges the climate and does not take 40% of L.A.’s potable water and put it on lawn.”
This article is more than a drought warning – it explains about La Nina and it’s affect on salmon fisheries: “Should we have lawn at the expense of those fisheries? Whether we are aware of it or not, every time our sprinklers turn on, we are choosing lawn.”
“For those interested in adapting their gardens to a drier, more socially responsible model, here is a list of events designed to help, sponsored by organizations dedicated to conservation of the West.
Sept. 3, 10, 17, 24: Four-part course. Replace your lawn, Tree of Life, San Juan Capistrano
A brand new preschool has opened in our neighborhood!
Welcome news to those of us who remember the now defunct but wonderful Palms-Westminster Nursery School.
And this school is amazing!
playground
garden beds
The building is painted green, it’s called Green Beginning, and it follows green practices. They have 3 garden beds where they grow strawberries and tomatoes, they use 3 composting bins… something we should all be doing in our backyards. And these 2 to 5-year-old are learning these basic skills early in their lives.
If you have young children, please check them out. Their fall classes start September 9.
3047-3049 Robertson Blvd
310-841 6100 greenbeginningpreschool.com
Sunset Magazine has a great article on how to plant a one pot vegetable garden. If you’ve got hard soil that doesn’t drain well like I do, container gardening seems mighty attractive. Here’s another cool article on ‘how to grow potatoes in towers”
FROM NPR – June 23, 2010 – – “There’s bad news for gardeners who grow basil to sprinkle over Italian food or Thai dishes — or anyone who thinks pesto is the best flavor on Earth.
A” potentially fatal fungal disease called downy mildew has been attacking basil plants in New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Florida. Gardeners are worried that it could spread farther throughout the summer, turning delicate green basil leaves an ugly shade of brown, yellow or gray.
“And it spreads fast, says Margaret McGrath, an associate professor of plant pathology at Cornell University. “It wipes the leaves right out — and that’s what you want to use,” McGrath tells NPR’s Michele Norris. “And it can go pretty darn fast. And it’s new so people don’t know about it.”
“So-called basil blight is similar to late blight in tomatoes or downy mildew in cucumbers, squash and melons. McGrath says these are considered “community diseases” because they move easily. Listen to NPR / Read the Full Article –
My neighbor on the next block is an amazing organic gardener who specializes in growing tropical fruit. Mitchel grows delicious pineapples, taro, mango and numerous varieties of bananas. Shown below is his Namwah banana plant from Cambodia. He shared *a hand with me yesterday and they are so delectable, I had to force myself to stop eating them so I’d have some left for tomorrow. When it comes to bananas, Mitchel is a walking encyclopedia. *A hand is a small group of bananas, a bunch is the whole bunch that hangs from the tree, and a finger is one banana. Did you know that bananas are an herb, and once a tree produces bananas, it’s done forever and you have to cut it down. Luckily they grow “pups” which will produce more bananas for you. In the coming weeks, I’ll post more on Mitchel’s tropical garden.
Reynier Village Blog 