I spotted this on the Smoking Tire’s channel this morning.  Pretty awesome downhill boarding just outside the city limits.  Interesting to note that these guys had helmets on, much better than the yahoos I was behind recently on Laurel Canyon doing this WITHOUT helmets.

Smoking Tire for those of you who don’t know is owned by Matt Farah who runs Smoking Tire.com and was interviewed by me a couple of years ago.  Good guy, great cars and car reviews all taking place in and around Los Angeles.

lexus lane aka HOT transponder

It was bound to happen here eventually, another money grab that gives privilege to the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us.  The Harbor Freeway is converting from traditional carpool HOV lanes to HOT (toll lanes) both directions from Adams to the 91 Freeway on Saturday.   The toll paid will depend the time of day and congestion costing from 25 cents a mile to as much as $1.40 mile.

Motorcycles and legit carpoolers can still use the lane for free.  You must  have a transponder to use the newly christened HOT Lanes even if you are exempt from the tolls.  Transponders can be purchased from the MTA and select Albertson and Costco stores.  The MTA also charges a $3.00 fee per month for the privilege of having a transponder.

All the info you could want can be found via CHP Nixle and Metro Express Lanes web sites.

Have no fear SGV…you too will have Lexus Lanes coming after the first of the year for the 10 Freeway, both directions,  from Downtown LA to the 605.

It’s possible to enjoy dark and edgy L.A., yet still be a geek for corny Americana such as county fairs, July 4 parades, and the 38th Annual Festival of the Kite on Redondo Beach. I’m a testament to this fact, and was there yesterday at the  to enjoy the aerial festivities.

It was a beautiful day, it was winter, we were on the beach, surrounded by hundreds of colorful kites. And the L.A. skyline was comfortably close by.

More photos, after the jump

File this under found on road alive.  A Redondo Beach man bought the car new in 1964 and had it for 20 years before he sold it. His sons went upon the quest to find the car and return it to him. The quest led across the country where they finally found the car on a lot in Canada. They bought it and returned it to him as a gift.

In the land that rust forgot what old car from your past would you like to have back?  For me its a mixed bag but the one I regret selling the most that I’d love to have back is my old ’72 Centurion which took us on many a road trip to the beach and shows all over the L.A. area.

Bonus points if you look weaker than a small child.

A lot of people in LA are looking for jobs, and today Jezebel picked up on an opportunity right here in our own back yard for any anorexics seeking gainful employment. Well, not “intentional” anorexics, according to the ad. But you know, if you just happened to stumble into your eating disorder by chance, then maybe this gig’s for you.

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I love businesses that support the art. I even like them better when they give up space to showcase new and emerging artists.  That is exactly what South Bay Lexus in Torrance has done.  They have donated space on their lot for a bunch of pods to be set up as pop up gallery spaces.  There are over 50 pods, over 400 artists, curators, museums, galleries and fun, one-stop shopping for art.

More information on the art and artists can be found on Fine Art Trekkin’ Torrance and Fine Art Trekkin’ South Bay.

Deets: 9/3 & 9/4/11Saturday and Sunday Sept 3, 4 noon-6pm. South Bay Lexus.24777 Crenshaw Blvd. Torrance, California 90505

Have you ever wanted to start your own taxi or livery business?  Ever just want to take cop car for a spin and couldn’t fearing the consequences?  Well you can if you buy one of these retired beauties from the CHP.  The potential uses are there, it just takes a little creative thinking.

They are sold out of Torrance with lists updated daily.  They even start as low as $2,500, arrest history not included.  For all your retired cruiser shopping needs its as easy as a quick phone call to 310-538-0469 for daily updated listings.

I’d probably skip the old Taurus sedans and go straight for the Crown Vic…been in a few over the years and can tell you they ride and handle much differently than the straight up civilian version.  Just remember caveat emptor as these cars though well maintained have had a lot of hard miles put on them.

Pics courtesy CHP Southern via twitter and used with their permission.

No.  I’m serious.  You need to go outside today.  It’s beautiful out right now.  Isn’t this why you live in Los Angeles?  To enjoy weather like this when the rest of the nation is in less-than-desirable conditions?  Look:

Isn't it pretty?

This was the view earlier in Long Beach.  And I’m sure it’s looks similar elsewhere.

“Not everyone has the luxury of having weekends off, DAVE!”
*slide glasses back up nose on angry face*

Trust me.   I know.  I work most weekends and holidays.  But I also know you can walk outside and enjoy the weather, if only for a few minutes.

So uh……..go!

And if you have the time, come down to Long Beach.  It’s beautiful.  And we have a great bike path.

Well hello Los Angeles!  Oh how I’ve missed you.  What?  You mean I’ve been away for so long you don’t remember me?  Allow me to refresh your memory.  I’m that guy who was born and raised in the Valley, Burbank/Toluca Lake to be exact, then moved down behind the Orange Curtain for 9 years.  In that time I began writing for a little blog called OC Metblogs.  Oh you remember me now?  Great!

The Lone Sailor at the end of my street, keeping watch over the harbor.

For the rest of you, my name is Dave.  I have been a huge fan of LA Metblogs Blogging.la since not long after it was started.  I remember reading it thinking “Man, I’d love to write for them.”  But alas, I lived in Orange County.  Then I discovered OC Metblogs, which I know you all read daily, right?  Right??

Cruise ships, cranes, Spruce Goose hangar and Queen Mary. Pretty much sums it up.

Recently I finished my schooling to be a Registered Nurse and landed a job at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance.  Immediately the wife and I saw this as our opportunity to move to LA.  Back for me, first time for her.  We’ve both always wanted to live in Long Beach and we found an amazing place.  So here I am!  There’s just one thing.  While I can get all around the Westside, Downtown, the Eastside, the Valley, San Gabriel Valley, Simi Valley, Santa Clarita and Orange County like nobody’s business, I know NOTHING of the South Bay.  And from what I can gather, most of LA doesn’t either.  In fact, when I was with OC Metblogs, I was given permission to post about the Long Beach Grand Prix (which I will cover in full this year) because many people consider Long Beach to be practically Orange County anyway.  Which, I can tell you after having been here 2 months, couldn’t be further from the truth!

Wyland bringing some OC flavor up north.

So, if it’s OK with you, I’d like to take y’all along for the ride as I explore this amazing community South of the 405 and West of the 605.

Oh, and I’ve included a little tasting menu of what’s to come via my camera.

Thanks!  :-Dave

A unique skyline for a unique city.

This weekend, the South Bay plays host to the annual gala known as White Light White Night, benefitting the nonprofit Walk With Sally, which works to mentor and support children who have parents with cancer. This year, White Light White Night features So Cal native Rocco Deluca as the headlining musical guest.

With South Bay cuisine and 360° views of Los Angeles, this event is where white attire-wearing guests will be able to sample appetizers and foods from various renowned LA eateries and imbibe wines, beers and spirits all provided by local businesses. With an exclusive performance by Rocco DeLuca, the event will be hosted on the evening of Saturday, July 10, 2010 at the South Bay BMW lot and rooftop in Torrance. That’s right – the concert and event are being held on the roof!

General tickets cost $100 per person and VIP tickets, allowing access to the silent and live auction (offering one‐of‐a‐kind products and experiences including tickets to sporting events and lavish vacation packages), cost $150 per person and can be purchased online.

Walk With Sally is dedicated to providing mentoring support programs and services to children of parents or siblings with cancer through free of charge mentoring support programs and services that provide an emotionally safe environment for children to share their difficult experience with someone who has suffered the same.

Walk With Sally is also generously giving a pair of tickets to a lucky Blogging.LA reader! Just leave a comment on why you’d like to attend this event– you could tell us your favorite Rocco songs, list the eateries you’re most excited to try, or even share a personal story of cancer in the family. A winner will be selected by 3pm on Friday, July 9 and will be added to the guest list.

It tastes a lot better than it looks.

Here’s how you can tell I’m not originally from California: I don’t like avocado on my burgers.

Really. I enjoy avocado in general. It’s nature’s answer to butter. And I’m the guy at the party who sits down on the couch and makes sweet love to a bowl of chips and guacamole until everyone in the room is staring. But I just don’t think avocado and burgers mix. Something about the cool smoothness of the avocado manages to distract my mouth from the burger and the remaining toppings, and then my mouth gets confused and angry and resolves to keep saying stupid things, like that maybe a flat tax wouldn’t be such a bad idea, or that those jeans aren’t doing my girlfriend’s hips any favors.

So I avoid avocado when I’m ordering burgers. I also avoid iceberg lettuce, but for entirely different reasons I’ll get into another time.

Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about avocado when I go to Five Guys Burgers & Fries, one of the most recent east coast transplants. A smallish, DC-based burger chain best described as In-n-Out East, Five Guys was voted “best burger in Baltimore,” which is a great endorsement, if only because it allows me to imagine that I’m eating burgers and fries with Omar Little or Bunk and McNulty.

Five guys (fairly) recently opened up a restaurant in Carson, so I decided to give it a try after spending my Sunday morning with a crowd of kindergartners and their parents for reasons I’ll get into another time. The verdict? While In-n-Out probably won’t be losing market share anytime soon, Five Guys is goooooooood.

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I always want what doesn’t exist.  In this case, it was an old, and possibly discontinued, model of a small electronic appliance that customers seem to prefer over the newer models.  However, after some online searching, I found that the item indeed exists, only at Fry’s Electronics.   I didn’t know anything about Fry’s, except that I pass by the one on Route 1 in Manhattan Beach every so often, and one time a passenger in my car cheered when she saw the place.

So I made it to Fry’s yesterday, and was quite pleasantly surprised.  Fly the friendly Fry’s after the jump

For some apparantely unsubtantiated reason, Manhattan Beach city officials are considering clamping down on personal trainers in city parks after they’ve allegedly found gym equipment left behind. NBC Los Angeles, who covered the story, spoke with a number of frequent park visitors, none of whom could recall an issue with gym equipment.

City officials hope to pass a ban on such dangerous equipment as yoga mats and exercise balls, but in the meantime point out existing city code that they believe already prohibits personal trainers from bringing clients to parks:

12.48.070 Commercial activities.
Commercial activities, including, but not limited to vendors, caterers, and peddlers, including vendors, caterers and commercial enterprises associated with permitted, organized groups, shall be prohibited in all City parks unless a permit is obtained from the Director of Parks and Recreation. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the Director of Parks and Recreation from awarding a franchise for special events to a particular caterer or vendor.

I’m not a lawyer, so correct me if I’m wrong, but if they’re going to use this to charge personal trainers with a misdemeanor, wouldn’t this also apply to nannies or babysitters?

Cripes what can be better than FREE music on a broiling summer afternoon other than a free concert next to the ocean? With temps skirting 100 forecast for the Valley and SGV this weekend, that’s the perfect combo for us.  Long Beach is hosting a Battle of the Tribute Bands on Saturday 1PM-7PM at Rainbow Harbor.

All the details you could want on the Battle of the Tribute Bands can be found in their press release Facebook page.

Details: Saturday July 25, 1PM-7PM. 300 S Pine Ave, Long Beach. MAP LINK.

My wife walked into work this morning and got the news.  HSBC is closing all 600+ former Household and Beneficial offices in the US and Canada.  Some 6,100 people are going to be out of a job.  That includes the West Covina, Panorama City, Van Nuys, LA Eagle Rock, West Covina, Long Beach and Ladera Heights offices that she has worked at over the years.

She is shell shocked.  She feels horrible for former peers and bosses that are in the affected branch office closings.  As I type this she said that her friends are being called into their various offices and being given their severance packages.

Those offices were closed as they were the branches that for years had specialized in secured personal loans and most recently sub-prime mortgages that HSBC had put an end to over the last few years.  Without them creating loans they were a huge expense that warranted closing, just bad timing with unemployment so high at the moment.

Tough times LA, tough times indeed.