Burbank IKEA Nickling Customers, Plans Diming Them Soon

I went to Ikea and all I got were these lousy bags of stuff, originally uploaded by RLarocque.

I HADN'T BEEN TO OUR closest IKEA store, the one in beautiful downtown Bubank, for a while. But it seems to me last time I went those handy, large plastic IKEA bags, the ones into which you stuff your own stuff, holding up the line whilst cashiers impatiently gossip amongst themselves, were free. No cost. Piled at the far end of the conveyor belt, awaiting your Swedish-themed doodads, for no additional charge. No more. Now the plastic bags are five cents. And they've been relocated. Now they're at the front end of the conveyor belt. And the cashier impatiently points you toward them and then rings them up, one nickel at a time. Help keep costs low, IKEA implore on signs throughout the store. OK, I'm game. But please assure me you're not trying to lower your reputation at the same time.

Artwater Village Weekend

J Ferrari Gallery, 3015 Glendale Blvd., cranks through another exhibition, Plural Expression 2006, with an opening reception this Saturday, December 9, 6:00pm.

Black Maria Gallery, up the block at 3137 Glendale Blvd., continues its Skip the Mall "black market" exhibit. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 6:00pm.

Pounder Kone Art Space, 3407 Glendale Blvd., is showing Francois Cauvin through January 11.

And I'm pressing coffee cup rings onto neon green Post-it notes for an as-yet-untitled exhibition in my new kitchen-based, IKEA-furnished work space.

Anyone I'm forgetting?

The New California Minimums

Based on seven months of anecdotal observation:

• Minimum cost of a dinner for two, tax and tip included: $40
  
• Of a memorable dinner for two: $120
• With a movie: $150
  
• Minimum cost of a shopping trip to Trader Joe's: $33
  
• To IKEA: $110
  
• Minimum monthly rent for Los Angeles housing that wouldn't embarrass Mom: $1,595
  
• Minimum daily cost for an LA parking space that wouldn't embarrass Mom: $7
  

Where to Take Mom in Los Angeles

That MSNBC article and subsequent discussion about what to do for 24 hours in LA was interesting, but ultimately not too useful. After all, we transplants usually attract heartland visitors for more than just a day.

Here's where Mrs. Newbie and I - after a mere three months to prepare - took Mom when she visited Los Angeles for the first time since 1988. She was here five days. We tried to stay in LA when possible. And we tried to respect red-state sensibilities. But we certainly ventured beyond city limits:

• Food Spots: Edendale Grill, There's No Place Like Home, Mimis Cafe, The Farm of Beverly Hills at The Grove, Islands of Burbank, Manny's Pizzeria of Pasadena, Marie Callenders of Carlsbad, Daily News Cafe at the Carlsbad Inn Resort
• Tourist Traps: Sea World, San Diego Wild Animal Park, Atwater Village Street Festival, Rodeo Drive, The Grove, Santa Monica Pier, The Getty Center, Mulholland Drive, Hollywood & Highland, IKEA Burbank, Old Town Pasadena, Griffith Park, Bob Hope Airport
• Places We Tried to Avoid: Downtown LA, anywhere in Hollywood other than Hollywood & Highland, the San Fernando Valley above Venture Blvd., Orange County
• Traffic Jams We Couldn't Avoid: I-5 & I-10, Wilshire & I-405, I-5 where they found the dead body in Norwalk, half the cross-streets along Sunset Blvd.

A Two-Story Target!

I wouldn't trade the varieties and vastness of my shopping opportunities in Los Angeles for those in any place I've lived before. But. When you used to live a stone's throw from the world's largest Target store - nay, the world's largest SuperTarget store - you will always yearn for its one-stop shopping magic. SuperTarget is Target plus grocery store. SuperTarget is like IKEA built by Americans. (I don't know what Target Greatland is supposed to be, but I can tell you it's no SuperTarget.) So this factoid hit me like a bullseye: There are no SuperTarget stores within 200 miles of Atwater Village, Los Angeles, California. Target, yes, about seven in LA. SuperTarget, no. In fact I don't know where the nearest SuperTarget is. Vegas? So what a nice surprise yesterday to discover that the nearest Target, in the Eagle Rock neighborhood just four miles east of home, though not a SuperTarget, is a rare two-story Target. It's one of about 30 multi-level Target stores peppered in US urban areas. It even has the Vermaport escalator for your cart. Target in Hollywood is also multi-level, apparently, though no doubt much busier. We may head that way next time. [Photo from Vidalia's Flickr page]

Ten Minutes from My Home

For a change, it's actually true what the real estate agents say. Atwater Village is minutes away from lots of handy LA locations.

• Los Angeles Zoo
  
• Griffith Park
  
• IKEA
  
• Dodger Stadium (Or is it Dodgers Stadium?)
  
• Fred 62 (Yum)
  
• Trader Joe's
  
• Jimmy Stewart's Grave
  
• Beautiful Downtown Burbank
  
• Beautiful Downtown Glendale