Hello out there!

All of my life I have lived on the Left Side. From Vancouver to Seattle to San Francisco (where I started writing for Metblogs), the Left Coast has always been my home base. When I moved to Los Angeles I made no exception and chose to make the Left Side my home. I live right on the beach in Venice, the closest I have ever lived to the ocean, but I have never resided further than a mile away from it as I start to feel claustrophobic.

My interests focus mainly around anything worthy of my energy to walk or bike to, animals great and small, music (I work full time as an Account Manager at Topspin), and soon kids as I am expecting my first bambino in February.

I want to make it clear that I’m not a west side snob and do in fact make it over to other parts of town especially to Arc Light, but I’m pretty sure the other writers have that side well covered.

Please hold, my first bright and colorful post is coming soon!

Hearts,
Tara

I waited as long as I could for the owner to return, but alas I was not so lucky today.  I was dying to learn the history of this particular 1960 El Camino of which is the rarest of that body style with barely 14K made.  The license plate tells us all what the owner thinks of this gem “A HOT 60″.  Lord knows we love our cars in LA, but this one has had some loving restoration somewhere along the line and it still wears well.

To see the wonderful “fins” on the rear of this survivor you need to make the jump. Read the rest of this entry →

Image via Wikipedia

In just a few short days, the annual LADWP Festival of Lights will kick off. with Bike Night. On December 3rd from 5 – 10pm, bike riders will have the streets to themselves.

New this year will be walking only nights. With the stated purpose of  ‘going green’, these nights run Dec. 4th – 17th.  Walking festival-goers can park in the LA Zoo parking lot. On Dec. 11 – 13th,  a Family Mini Fair intended to educate and celebrate the eco-friendly evenings.

The regular drive-thru nights begin on Dec. 18th and run until Dec. 30th. It’s free and is open 5 – 10 pm.

If you finish up at the lights early, Travel Town has Train Rides to Santa on December 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, and 16 through 23 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.  The train rides are $7 per person.

*****

Griffith Park
4730 Crystal Springs Dr., Los Angeles CA 90027

Travel Town
5200 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles CA 90027

Inside Home Ec.'s Beautifully Organized Space (Photo courtesy of Jenny Ryan. Some rights reserved).

This post is a bit tardy, but I’ve been in detention like all year.

One of my favorite local DIY mavens recently opened Home Ec., an adorable retail space located in the heart of Sunset Junction in Silver Lake.

Just standing on the sidewalk, peering into Home Ec.’s warm, holiday decorated window, my fingers start to twitch as I spy a studious row of sewing machines, colorful bolts of fabric, neatly organized cubbies filled with yarns and spacious work tables inside. Home Ec. is not just a sewing and craft workshop, it’s a dream workshop that I hope to replicate in my own home some day.

The store offers fabrics and yarns, sewing patterns, books, craft kits and even some exclusive products that you will only find in the store. They also host classes ranging from sewing and fiber arts to paper crafting and glasswork.

Home Ec. owner Jenny Ryan is the creator of the hugely popular Felt Club. She’s also an occasional blogger for CRAFT and Apartment Therapy LA, and the author of Sew Darn Cute: 30 Sweet & Simple Projects to Sew & Embellish. Read the rest of this entry →

Espresso Profeta foam.

Since leaving my job at The Firm, I have discovered two things: 1) freedom; and 2) my apartment is a poor substitute for an office.  While I hammer out my future self, psyche and all, I have forced myself to find workspaces in various coffee shops throughout the city.  Because I have had more than one conversation that centers around a list of all the coffee shops I frequent, followed by a rant that goes something like (Huffing, puffing) Given the size of this city, there really ought to be more good, solid coffee shops, I thought I would assemble a post-it version of all of my second home offices.  This directory is sans rant – that’s another subject for another post for another caffeine-infused day.

It depends on the day, the workload, and how much the laptop battery is charged up, but generally, my ideal coffeeshop-turned-workspace has 1) tables that can accommodate, at minimum, a laptop, a legal pad, and a pen; 2) good food; 3) great coffee; 4) a bathroom; 5) owners who won’t hassle me for table squatting, so long as I buy coffee and food; and 6) a location that is not downtown proper (the parking is impossible during the weekdays).  The list, in order of preference, after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry →