Alas, Some Atwater Village Love from LA Magazine

THE MAY 2009 issue of Los Angeles Magazine dedicates 2 pages to the banana-shaped northeast LA neighborhood we call Atwater Village. "Warrants the 'village' moniker." "Relaxed enclave." "Small-town experience." Their words and, despite certain recent events, still ours. The magazine profiles much of what we agree the AV and its 18,000 residents are really all about: Amelia Fitzwater (3129 1/2 Glendale Blvd.) "Shelves overflow with ready-to-wrap goodies." 55 Degree Wine (3111 Glendale Blvd.) "Expansive underground wine cellar and bar." Lula Holistic Mini Spa (3542 1/2 Hollydale Dr.) "Good for both you and the planet." Jill's Paint (3534 Larga Ave.) "Loads of eco-friendly paints." The Little Knittery (3042 Glendale Blvd.) "Guidance to anyone stuck on a stitch." Viet Noodle Bar (3133 Glendale Blvd.) "Spartan-chic." The Griffin (3000 Los Feliz Blvd.) "Dark Ages decor." India Sweets and Spices (3126 Los Feliz Blvd.) "Exotic pantry essentials." Canele (3219 Glendale Blvd.) "Worthy of a special occasion... Approachable any day." Kaldi Coffee (3147 Glendale Blvd.) "Neighborhood brew." Racket Doctor (3214 Glendale Blvd.) "Well strung since 1971." Tam O'Shanter Inn (2980 Los Feliz Blvd.) "Tartan time." Hugo's Tacos (3300 Glendale Blvd.) "Beyond carnitas." LA Times' West magazine gave us a similar showcase in February 2007.

Nice Day for a Walk Around the Neighborhood

WITH TEMPERATURES climbing mercifully back toward the 70s today, feeling more like the LA we bought into, Mrs. Newbie and I did a lap around central Awater Village: Stopped at All'Aboard boutique (3040 Glendale Blvd.) for the first time since its move from Echo Park. Bought a pillow. Noted The Little Knittery (3042 Glendale Blvd.) is closed for the holidays. Re-opens Jan. 2. Discovered Lula mini spa, 3542 1/2 Hollydale Dr. "One-woman boutique" with organic products, holistic treatments. "Gratuities are respectfully declined." Walked into a dream bungalow, 3433 Hollydale Drive. Fully renovated, 1,400 sq ft, 3 bedrooms. Wished for a suitcase with 698,000 dollar bills to drop from the sky. Walked past Cold Stone Creamery, 3134 Glendale Blvd. Noticed manager's thank-you-good-bye note on the window. Stopped at The Pampered Bird (3183 Glendale Blvd.) and spied autographs on the wall from Miley and Billy Ray. Lunched at Baracoa Cuban Cafe, 3175 Glendale Blvd. Added sliced avocado to my arroz con pollo. Stole the idea from a guy at the sidewalk table. Thanks, guy. And we didn't go in, but it looks like gift shops Amelia Fitzwater and Under the Table are posting after-Christmas discounts.

Only in LA: Outdoor Ice Cream Party at End of September

WHEN WE MADE UP our lists of Top Ten Reasons to Live in California, Mrs. Newbie and I had no idea about this: The Great Los Angeles Ice Cream Party Saturday, September 27, 2008 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round 4730 Crystal Springs Drive (between Los Feliz Blvd. & the LA Zoo) RSVP to laicecreamparty@gmail.com And just across the river from our neck of the woods!

Are LA Parking Meters Still Free for the Toyota Prius?

I READ THIS about hybrid vehicles in LADOT's parking section, but I can't tell if it's still the case: "While the City Attorney is drafting the new ordinance, the City will continue the current program of allowing four hybrid vehicles (Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Prius, and the Ford Escape Hybrid) to park for free at City parking meters without being required to have a Clean Air Vehicle Decal." Oh, what to do without the LA City Nerd to answer these questions.

Run for Your Life

OR JUST YOUR HEALTH. Users at FavoriteRun map their best running routes. This one goes four miles on the "flat neighborhood streets" of Atwater Village. Plus, on each of the six zigs between Los Feliz Blvd. and Glendale Blvd., there's usually something new or interesting to see. Atwater Village Jaunt [FavoriteRun]

How Trendy Can We Get

LAST YEAR WE MOVED HERE to Los Angeles. We weren't the only ones. What helped the city cross the 4 million population mark in 2006, Curbed LA reports, was U-Haul. LA was the number one destination for U-Haul moves. And since #47, Van Nuys, is a district within a region within the city of Los Angeles, it makes the lead over Houston, of all places, that much greater. We're Number One Plus! U-Haul Top 50 U.S. Destination Cities January - December 2006 1. LOS ANGELES, Calif. 26. WASHINGTON, D.C. 2. HOUSTON, Texas 27. ANAHEIM, Calif. 3. ATLANTA, Ga. 28. KANSAS CITY, Mo. 4. CHICAGO, Ill. 29. SAN ANTONIO, Texas 5. SACRAMENTO, Calif. 30. NASHVILLE, Tenn. 6. ORLANDO, Fla. 31. COLUMBUS, Ohio 7. PHOENIX, Ariz. 32. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. 8. DALLAS, Texas 33. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. 9. BALTIMORE, Md. 34. NEW ORLEANS, La. 10. TAMPA, Fla. 35. BOSTON, Mass. 11. DENVER, Colo. 36. SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. 12. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. 37. PITTSBURGH, Pa. 13. DETROIT, Mich. 38. RALEIGH, N.C. 14. PHILADELPHIA, Pa. 39. BROOKLYN, N.Y. 15. LAS VEGAS, Nev. 40. OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. 16. SEATTLE, Wash. 41. MANHATTAN, N.Y. 17. MIAMI, Fla. 42. CINCINNATI, Ohio 18. SAN DIEGO, Calif. 43. FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. 19. PORTLAND, Ore. 44. TUCSON, Ariz. 20. SAN JOSE, Calif. 45. RIVERSIDE, Calif. 21. FALLS CHURCH, Va. 46. FREDERICKSBURG, Va. 22. FORT WORTH, Texas 47. VAN NUYS, Calif. 23. AUSTIN, Texas 48. MEMPHIS, Tenn. 24. CHARLOTTE, N.C. 49. NORFOLK, Va. 25. RICHMOND, Va. 50. SAINT LOUIS, Mo. Of course we didn't rent a U-Haul to move from #11 to #1. We used Budget Rentals. And our truck broke down three times. Let that be a lesson.

Nominee for Least Valuable Holiday

Who cares if there might be six more weeks of winter when Ground Hog Day looks like this? Besides, no self-respecting LA ground hog would take a meeting before 10am.

Top 10 Reasons to Live in California

The new roadtrip-comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine - about a family that finds itself on a highway to California - led me to rediscover brainstorm notes from September 2005. These lists launched our move to Los Angeles six months later. First, from Mrs. Newbie, her top ten reasons to live in Southern California: Smoking ban Humidity better for hair, nails, skin, allergies Ocean Produce Seafood Greater diversity of people than any place I've ever been No harsh winters New experiences It's a blue state Different job opportunities And these reasons, some based on a one-time plan to move to San Diego rather than LA, belong to me: Hash House A Go Go Del Mar Race Track Beach Pacific Coast Highway Produce More 71-degree days per year than any place I've ever been In-N-Out Burger Fewer wardrobe transitions between indoors and outdoors Higher application-to-interview ratio Our godson