Get Ready For The 5th Annual L.A. Street Food Fest

Possibly the biggest food-related event of the Summer in Los Angeles--from the actual size of the venue to the amount of offerings--the 5th Annual L.A. Street Food Fest takes place Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. A great way to create community and a platform to support independent small business owners (and both established and budding restaurateurs), this event was the first of its kind in our area when it started in 2010. This year, there will be roughly 100 vendors ranging from hot gourmet food trucks to old school carts and stands to celebrity chefs and pop-ups. There will also be street inspired dishes from L.A.’s best restaurants.

The great thing about the event is that once you pay the $55 ticket fee everything is included. All the food you can eat, all the beverages you can drink--from craft beers and cocktails to creative non-alcoholic teas and smoothies--even parking is included (and, kids under 7 are free!). Participating vendors come from a wide area that stretches from Pasadena to Baja to Mexico City, and include Bravo's Top Chef star Brian Huskey's goodies from the famous (and newly revamped) Formosa Cafe, the unique vegetarian dishes from the NO TACOS PLEASE food truck, Angel City Brewery from Downtown L.A. and Cafecito Organico's artisan coffee from small-batch Central American growers.

The event is geared for maximum fun and it is too bad I have previous engagements because SO much cool stuff is planned. There will be an Ice Cream Social featuring L.A.'s best frozen treats, photo booths, DJs, a tequila tasting tent, wine tastings, face painting, flower crowns, an iced coffee lounge, discussion panels featuring the top food critics from the around the area and Mexico, a Street Food Cook-off where attendees of the Fest vote for the People's Choice winner, and a lot of surprises (according to organizers). So, if you read this and decide to go, definitely drop me a line or comment here or on Facebook and let me know how it was!

New Reports Predict Another Southern California Housing Bubble Is Unlikely

A new report out Tuesday from real estate website Trulia, which monitors bubble conditions by tracking home prices relative to household incomes and long-term norms in markets nationwide, says that any fears of a new housing bubble look increasingly unfounded. Trulia looked at the price-to-income ratio, the price-to-rent ratio, and prices relative to their long-term trends using multiple data sources, including the Trulia Price Monitor, as a leading indicator of where home prices are heading. 

While the Los Angeles Times reports that Southern California remains home to the most overpriced housing markets in the country, prices here have cooled off this spring giving the job market time to catch up. Even though Trulia says three of the four most “overvalued” housing markets in the nation are in Southern California — Orange County, Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire — those markets are far less overvalued than they were in the mid-2000s when risky lending pushed prices beyond what household incomes would bear. The Trulia report also suggests that we’d be at greater risk of heading toward a bubble if price gains were still accelerating, but they’re not, and the market is neither overbuilding nor overlending.

While Los Angeles homes are currently overvalued by roughly 15%, according to Trulia, to get an idea of how crazy things were last year, keep in mind that during the 2013 home price surge L.A. homes were overvalued by 79% and Orange County homes by 92%! Nationwide, Trulia says, homes are undervalued by 3% but they expect price will return to long-term averages by the end of this year or early 2015. Definitely some interesting, positive news to ponder.

VERY Excited That Eataly Is Finally Coming To Los Angeles!

Eataly, the Global culinary phenomenon that is part multi-dimensional market and part upscale food court is finally coming to L.A. after years of planning. Powerhouse chef and entrepreneur Mario Batali and his restaurateur partner Joe Bastianich, co-owners of the massive New York and Chicago Eataly destinations, had planned to open an L.A. location in 2011 in either the Beverly Center or Downtown but those plans fell through. With the Westfield Century City recently announcing plans for a $700 million facelift and rebirth, it was decided that the Westfield would make a great location for an Eataly and plans are for Eataly L.A. to open in the Spring of 2017.

If you are not familiar with Eataly, it was started in 2007 by Italian businessman Oscar Farinetti who converted a closed vermouth factory in Turin into the first location of what the New York Times described as a "megastore that combines elements of a bustling European open market, a Whole-Foods-style supermarket, a high-end food court and a New Age learning center". The European bazaar-like concept of Eatery--huge variety and selection of the freshest, highest quality foods from meats to cheeses, sauces and olive oils, chocolates, coffees and sweets--has been such a sensation in the cities it has opened in, that two weeks after the New York opening there were still lines extending down Fifth Avenue to get into the store. Adding to the attraction is that each Eataly has multiple restaurants specializing in select foods such as fresh fish or cheese and charcuterie or veggies or just-baked bread or pasta or pizza or anything that can be prepared in any regional Italian style.

So...the reason I am so excited about an L.A. location is that during a trip to Rome last year, my youngest son (who had previously been to the Bologna location) introduced me to the Roma Eataly and it was beyond incredible. At 170,000 square feet, it is almost overwhelming with all of the choices that are offered. Spread over four VERY big levels with 23 different eateries, cooking classes, cheese-making classes, onsite beer making and 14,000 products (the majority of them Italian), there was so much to explore that we could never have sampled a tenth of the offerings in a week. You can bet that when I was in Manhattan earlier this month I visited and ate a couple of times at the Eataly there and, since the wait for the L.A Eataly seems interminably long if you know just what an amazing experience it is, I may just have to schedule a few more trips to New York!

Los Angeles On The Verge Of Being A Major Walkable City

A new report released Tuesday by SmartGrowth America and George Washington University that analyzed the number of walkable urban neighborhoods in 30 big metro areas and measured the potential to develop more pedestrian space found that Los Angeles is on the cusp of becoming a “major” walkable urban area. And, according to an article in the L.A. Times, doing so could do wonders for the real estate market here.

Unsurprisingly, Washington D.C., New York City and Boston topped the rankings, while car-loving L.A. fell right around the middle at #16. However, development around new Metro stations and the continued revival of downtown areas, including Downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach and Pasadena, will give more Angelenos the chance for a less auto-centric life in the years to come. These walkable neighborhoods are already commanding higher rents for office and retail space than their more car-oriented competition, reports the Times, and those rents are going up faster. That’s drawing more developers and projects to these places.

The potential negative side of this rise to the top of the country's walk cities are the challenges regarding who can afford to live in these increasingly high-end, concentrated neighborhoods. As prices climb in the more walkable areas, many lower and middle-income residents could find themselves pushed out to car-dependent suburbs. However, there are a variety of tools, including density bonuses and tax credits, that cities can use to encourage affordable and middle-income housing in walkable neighborhoods. 

Great Places To Hike In Los Angeles

I read a good online article recently discussing the great places to hike around Los Angeles and, as someone who loves a good hike, I thought I'd throw in my two cents. Here are some of the best places to hike that are free or inexpensive, most allow dogs and the kids probably won't collapse half way into them.

The Griffith Park Trails are probably the most popular places to hike in L.A., and the three main trails are Bronson Canyon, Brush Canyon Trail and the Griffith Observatory West Trail Loop. The Bronson Canyon trail is famous for being where the entrance to the Batcave from the 1960's Batman TV show is located as well as having appeared in many movies such as The Searchers, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Star Trek VI. This is an easy hike that is just under a mile long.

The Brush Canyon trail is 2 miles long and is the place for peace and quiet, as well as spectacular views near Mount Hollywood Drive. This trail also leads to the Bronson caves as well as straight up to the Hollywood Sign.

The West Trail Loop hike starts at the Fern Dell picnic area near Los Feliz Blvd. You can pick up the trail near the creek past the restrooms. Stay to the right and head uphill toward the Griffith Observatory but be sure to stop and enjoy incredible views of Downtown along the way.

Runyon Canyon Loop is a 3-mile trail, known as the 'Heart of Hollywood Hike', and is really more of a social hike where you might bump into celebrities, check out multi-million dollar mansions in the Hollywood Hills and see amazing views of the Hollywood Sign, the Sunset Strip and the L.A. Basin at the trail summit (known as Cloud’s Rest). This is one of L.A.'s most dog-friendly hiking trails.

Franklin Canyon is a quieter alternative to Runyon Canyon and Griffith Park, which tend to get crowded. A short but steep climb up the park's trail provides a nearly 360-degree view of the area. Other highlights of the park include the reservoir and the Nature Center that offers interpretive hikes and other programs for the public on a weekly basis. 

The Eaton Canyon Trail is in Eaton Canyon Natural Area, a 190 acre zoological, botanical, and geological nature preserve situated at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains in Pasadena. Though not as well known as other hiking areas, it is one of the nicest trails in one of the nicest parks in Los Angeles and hikers can enjoy equestrian trails with a staging area, picnic areas, a seasonal stream, and native flora and fauna in their natural habitats. Hiking through the main canyon brings you to a 40-foot waterfall with a cooling mist and the small pool at its base. The Eaton Canyon Nature Center features a wonderful variety of live animals on display, fascinating exhibits and useful visitor information.

Obviously, these are just a few of the many options available and from Malibu to the Palos Verdes Peninsula you'll find plenty of breathtaking hikes. I would love to hear some suggestions for special hiking spots that I may not know about so please feel free to leave a comment here or on my Facebook page and let me know where your favorite L.A. hiking trails are.

Modern Modular Homes Rising In Popularity As Green Technology Design Thrives

It has been more than 40 years since architects started embracing "green" design principles and today green design has become standard throughout the country, especially in Southern California. Green features such as solar panels, low-flow shower heads and tankless water heaters, once considered cutting-edge, are now commonplace in our Los Angeles homes. But did you know that many of these ideas were initially introduced during the building of the clunky, boxy prefab & modular homes that gained popularity in the 1960's and 70's as the first wave of Baby Boomers became spurred on by that era's environmental movement?

Dating back to the Sears Catalog mail order kit homes of the 1900's, which were the precursors to today's modern modular homes, prefabricated housing has long been seen as an inexpensive way to own your own home while also lessening the impact on the environment of traditional home building. Modular homes are built in large sections in a factory, then delivered and assembled quickly at the construction site. You can have your new house in weeks rather than months, and these days some of the top architectural design firms in the country such as Living Homes and Minarc have designed great looking, wonderfully efficient modular homes that, as Popular Mechanics recently noted, are on the cutting edge of stylish home design.

Scroll down to see some surprising examples of just how gorgeous these green modulars can be.

Spotlight On Playa Vista

I have been showing a client a lot of condos in Playa Vista recently and as I talk to different people about how much I like the area and what a great job they have done with the neighborhood, I am surprised how many folks still don't know much about Los Angeles's newest community. The story behind the first new planned community on the Westside in 50 years is pretty interesting so I thought I would provide some insights as to how the Playa Vista of today came to be.

Situated about a mile from the ocean, Playa Vista is adjacent to the newly restored Ballona Freshwater Marsh. The land where Playa Vista sits has an incredibly rich and varied history and the original inhabitants were the Tongva Native Americans who lived in the Los Angeles Basin for thousands of years. There was a Tongvan sacred burial site located in Playa Vista that was discovered after construction of Playa Vista had begun, and in 2008 the remains were removed and then laid to rest and covered with white seashells during a sacred burial ceremony near the Westchester Bluffs.

In the 1800's and through the turn of the 20th century, the Rancho La Ballona cattle ranch and a large dairy farm dominated the area. In the 1930's and 40's, entrepreneur and visionary Howard Hughes created an aerospace empire in Playa Vista where he designed and built the “Spruce Goose”. At 319 feet and 11 inches, this precursor to today’s jumbo jets still holds the record for the largest wingspan of any plane ever built. By the mid-1990s, Playa Vista converted the former Hughes Aircraft hangars, including the one that held the Spruce Goose, into Hollywood sound stages. Scenes from movies such as Avatar, Transformers, Iron Man and Titanic have been filmed at Playa Vista.

The idea for current day Playa Vista began in 1998 when it was selected by President Clinton as one of the six communities in the nation to be a pilot project of the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH). Phase 1 of Playa Vista began in 2001 and development in the community is still going on today. Playa Vista balances housing, business, neighborhood shopping, parks and habitat protection in a truly self-sustained community. The community includes homes built for today's lifestyles by many of the nation's leading builders and the diverse collection of residences includes detached single-family homes, town homes, condominiums and urban-style lofts...all with state-of-the-art amenities. One of these forward-thinking amenities is that residents are serviced with 100% recycled water, and Playa Vista was the first community in the United States to be awarded the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® prior to construction because of its trendsetting Sustainable Design Guidelines. Playa Vista is also a linchpin of Silicon Beach and is home to leading Tech and Gaming Companies such as Microsoft, Facebook, You Tube, Belkin and Electronic Arts.

L.A.'s Revitalization Now Spreading South Of Downtown

One of the most exciting things to happen in the Los Angeles area over the last 5 years or so has been just how successful the revitalization of Downtown L.A. has been. From sold-out loft complexes to Grand Park to a wealth of world class dining and nightlife, Downtown has become of of the hottest spots in the Southland to visit, live and play. Now the L.A. Times is reporting that a $1-billion residential, hotel and retail complex is being planned south of the 10 Freeway Downtown as robust development promises to spread beyond the traditional boundaries of the neighborhood.

Called SoLA Village, the complex would occupy a block and a half just south of Washington Boulevard next to the former LA Mart, a large design center and showroom for the gift, interior design, and home furnishing industries that is now known as The Reef. The 1.66-million-square-foot development will be built in stages, most likely starting with a 19-story, 208-room hotel, while the other tall structures would be condominium towers of 35 stories and 32 stories. There would be multiple smaller apartment buildings as well that would breakdown to 900 condos and 549 apartments, including 21 "live-work" units for people who operate small businesses from their homes.

As with most new residential projects Downtown, SoLA would have a gym and yoga studio in addition to shops, restaurants, bars and a grocery store. Intended to be modeled after the successful Atwater Crossing, a mixed-use complex in the Atwater Village that incorporates housing, offices, manufacturing, a restaurant and live theater in an environment intended to nurture young firms in creative field, SoLA would also have an art gallery. In addition to 2,734 auto parking spaces, there will be 1,300 bicycle parking places to help support a bike-sharing program. The developers hope the bikes will encourage people to use the adjacent Blue Line light rail on Washington Boulevard.

The Motion Picture Academy Enters Into Unique Lease Agreement With LACMA

In a story out today that involves the worlds of film, great architecture and art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will lease its historic May Company building on Wilshire to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for more than $36 million in a 55-year deal. Also included is the adjacent land where the academy plans to build a movie museum scheduled to open in 2017.

The deal is unusual in a number of ways. The proposal has been on the table for awhile and the lease on the building, known as LACMA West, actually went into effect Oct. 18, 2012 and the first $5 million installment was paid last year. Once the full $36 million (due by October 1st) is paid, the Academy will actually have the lease for 108 years since they have the option to renew for an additional 55 years at no further cost. The May Co. store will be the main museum building and will house exhibition galleries and several spaces for screenings and lectures, while the Academy plans to build the David Geffen Theater, a 1,000-seat cinema with a large see-through dome, on the adjoining land.

Immediately recognized by the gleaming golden cylinder on the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax, the May Co. building, built in 1939, is one of the most distinctive landmarks on the Miracle Mile and is the city's grandest remaining example of Streamline Moderne architecture. The multiple May Company California branches in the region thrived during Los Angeles's mid-century golden era, and May Co. was considered one of the finest department stores in Southern California. By the early 1990's, however, most of the remaining stores were closed, either due to poor performance or their value for new development, and, after the merger of May Company California with J.W. Robinson to form Robinsons-May in 1993,  LACMA acquired the Wilshire building in 1994.