ALL IN THE FAMILY

I really love what I do, and I really love helping friends.  My partner and I recently helped dear friends of mine sell their home of many years and purchase a home of their dreams for that next chapter in their lives.  Selling and buying is stressful, and while we kept assuring them that it "always works out," I think they were skeptical.  Maybe I got tipped off when one of them responded to that sentiment with, "We don't believe you."  In the end it all worked out for everyone involved, as my dear friends ended up purchasing the beautiful home of another wonderful friend and colleague.  Now, that's a happy real estate ending.

I Dream of Havana

Calling all architecture lovers, and that is you, my lovely blog readers.  Old Havana is the place to be.  My family and I went to Cuba over Spring Break, eager to take in Havana before who knows what happens to it.  In it's current state of decrepit beauty, it is easy to imagine oneself in the heyday of Mafia run glamour.  The marble remains, albeit cracked.  Colors abound.  The statuesque homes are intact, although now housing numerous families, as evidenced by the multiple electric boxes in the entryways.  Strolling through Old Havana is like a walk back through time, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Jason Rhoades Installations 1994 - 2006

Hauser & Wirth is an international exhibition space that began in Zurich. It is "widely admired for a sympathetic approach to restoring historic buildings and giving them a new lease of life as contemporary art spaces that invigorate surrounding communities."  The downtown Los Angeles location is an amazing transformation of a former 100,000sf flour mill, complete with multiple gallery spaces, the fabulous restaurant Manuela, urban farm with chickens, outstanding book store and wide open indoor/outdoor spaces.  The current exhibition takes up several galleries and is quite colorful in more ways than one.  Downtown LA is super lively and happening.  The crowds last weekend ran the gamut from hipsters to new families, young and old alike and plenty of dogs!

A Neighborhood Staple - Cafe Tropical

Some places define a neighborhood.  When I first moved to Silver Lake over 20 years ago, Cafe Tropical was that place.  And it still is today.  Over the past two decades, we've seen the passing of some other standards...Netty's, The Backdoor Bakery, Spaceland.  These were places of my youth.  So, while today, we've got our GGET and our Alfred and our Broome Street (among the many stellar places to get your joe), it's comforting to know Cafe Tropical still stands.  The coffee is always good and always strong.  The service always friendly, and the faces always familiar.  Stop in for a cafe con leche and a slice of guava pie...you'll thank me later.  Look for the purple building on the corner of Silver Lake and Sunset.

Shout out to Computer Doctors

When technology fails us, we freak out, right?  Your computer crashes, and the world is at a standstill.  Did I just lose all my information?  All my pictures?  When did I last do a back up?  Do I need to buy a new computer?  What is this technology conspiracy that keeps us buying new products every couple of years, and how long is my computer supposed to last?  All of this went through my head within a matter of moments.  Then I set the stress aside and headed over to Computer Doctors in Silver Lake.  They are the BEST!!!  Knowledgeable, friendly, affordable and fast.  I have all of my info on two backups and essentially a new computer for a fraction of the cost.  Don't stress...go see Victor at Computer Doctors @ 240 N. Virgil.