Mayor-elect Karen Bass, in response to a question at her November 17 press conference held at the historic Ebell of Los Angeles, said she still was overwhelmed by her recent victory in the contest to become the new Mayor of Los Angeles. She said she had not even contemplated the details of moving into Getty […]

Blvd. shop openings, closings

Mercantile leased up! It’s official! The Larchmont Mercantile building’s downstairs storefronts are fully leased. After years of construction and tenant negotiations, 12 tenants have signed on. They are: Holey Grail Donuts, a Hawaiian-based donut brand; Velvet by Graham and Spencer, a national clothing brand; Sichuan Kitchenette, a grab-and-go café serving ready-to-eat Sichuan Chinese food; The […]

Breaking news: Lucy’s El Adobe Cafe plans its reopening

Intra-family litigation has been resolved, and Patricia Casado, daughter of restaurant founders, the late Frank and Lucy Casado, and sister of the late James Casado, plans to reopen her family’s beloved eatery at 5536 Melrose Ave. Having worked at the restaurant from its early beginnings until 2014, Patricia says she hopes to have old and […]

What's Entertaining

Beer Garden brings neighbors, ‘Cheers’ to Larchmont

For years, the Larchmont Family Fair (LFF) has been a source of merriment for children of all ages. However, with most of our time there spent wrangling toddlers in ride lines, some of us may disagree with the “merriment for all ages” sentiment. However, for adults (weary parents included), the 2022 LFF was different. For […]

Wintertime camps have playtime and fun for kids

A break from school gives kids the chance to explore new interests or just run around with friends after sitting so long in school. Following is a list of some camps in the area. Spots fill up quickly, so don’t hesitate to register if there’s interest. Photography Do you have an aspiring shutterbug? Atwater Photo […]

Add a little art, fun and culture to your holiday shopping

This year, make holiday shopping fun and easy by browsing in person or online at any one — or all — of the five specialized museum shops on Museum Row. Here’s a sampling of what’s available. Get in the holiday spirit with the Corleone family at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, where there’s a […]

‘Nutcracker’ features two princes and a surprise guest

After a two-year hiatus, enthusiasm is bubbling as the curtain is set to rise on the Marat Daukayev School of Ballet production of “The Nutcracker.” This year’s production — the school’s 20th — will feature four performances on Dec. 10 and 11 with 96 students from the school and guest Yui Masuda visiting from Tokyo […]

Who's Doing What

Navigating the transition: homeless to housed

Last in a series “What do you really want?” I asked Franco Iervolino, formerly known as Giorgio when he and his possession-packed shopping cart were seen daily on Larchmont Boulevard, waiting for a gift of coffee or a sandwich. We were sitting in his shared bedroom at the senior care facility where he now lives, […]

Silvertip trees set to arrive at Larchmont Rotary tree lot

The sweet smell of pine takes over the Wilshire Rotary Club tree lot at 568 N. Larchmont Blvd. this month. This year, the Rotary has acquired the hard-to-get and highly sought-after silvertip fir. The silvertips come from a higher elevation in Oregon. Their needles are blue-green while new growth is silvery. The tree lot also […]

Holocaust Museum LA’s Beth Kean joins state council

In spite of a rise in antisemitism, Holocaust Museum LA (HMLA) CEO Beth Kean is hopeful that positive change is coming. “The timing couldn’t be better,” Kean said last month after being selected to join the governor-appointed Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education. Launched last year, the Council is tasked with providing tools to recognize […]

Survivor tells of hope at 100th

It’s official. November 20 is Joe Alexander Day in the City of Los Angeles. Alexander is a Holocaust survivor who just turned 100. He is a bright and beloved speaker at Holocaust Museum LA. At the recent celebration, the local resident received multiple certificates from city, county and state offices honoring his service. Beverly Hills […]

Real Estate News

Brookside and the varied, winding paths to preservation

Last month, we began a report on the possible creation of additional historic districts in the Greater Wilshire area — [“Room to Grow?: Preserving not-yet-designated historic districts”]. Let us begin our exploration of the undesignated historic districts of Greater Wilshire with a closer look at what SurveyLA refers to as the Wilshire Crest – Mullen […]

Windsor Village, Windsor Square, Larchmont Village neighborhoods meet

Neighborhood meetings gathered locals in late November. Two took place in Windsor Village (Wilshire to Olympic; Crenshaw [west side] to Lucerne) because the annual “Town Hall” meeting of the Windsor Square Association (Wilshire to Beverly; Arden to Van Ness) was held at the historic Ebell Club. The third was for the Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association, […]

Smaller-scale plan moves forward for 410 N. Rossmore

Final design and color choices are being made for a more modest remodel than previously planned for the five-story apartment building at 410 N. Rossmore Ave. The 1930s building, which was finished in the 1940s, had been poised for a seven-story addition. But the economic tide has shifted — changing with it the remodeling plans. […]

Tour Rimpau Boulevard homes Nov. 5

Tour three Hancock Park homes designed by legendary architects Roland E. Coate, FAIA, and Gordon B. Kaufmann, FAIA, on Sun., Nov. 5. The homes tour continues a long tradition going back to the founding of the local Windsor Square – Hancock Park Historical Society (WSHPHS) in 1976. This year’s WSHPHS tour event, from 11 a.m. […]