Everything Glendale

Filed Under: City Services, Fire Department, Food

Not only does the Glendale Fire Department heroically battle natural disasters, it also serves the community by putting its favorite firehouse recipes online! From meals such as the amusingly named "Engine 29 Chum Bucket Chicken Chili" and "Fire Station 21 Ribs from the Crib" to desserts such as "Pride of the Southside Berry Cobbler" and "Fire Station's Death Spirals (Cinnamon Rolls)," now you can experience what it's like to eat like a firefighter. I doubt it's as exciting as sliding down that pole, but who said dining had to be exciting? You just want your food to taste good. And I trust our fire department. Check out the recipes here.

[Thanks to North West Glendale Real Estate for posting this.]


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Filed Under: City Services, News, Parking and Traffic, Video Clips

Did you know that Glendale used to be considered the most dangerous city in California for pedestrians over 50? I don't think they give awards for that. But anybody who's lived here long enough knows that some of the drivers in this town are freaking crazy.

According to a CBS 2 report that just aired, Glendale is now 30% less dangerous than it previously was because of a new traffic program that has 17 cameras trained on 160 intersections around the city. Live video of these intersections are transmitted into Glendale's Traffic Operation Center at City Hall, where traffic engineers are watching closely and even controlling the frequency of red and green lights.

Creepy? Or cool? And what am I to make of the ridiculously ominous tone of the news report, in which they throw around words and phrases like "deadly" and "life-and-death" when referring to pedestrians and traffic? Ah, local news—gotta love it. Watch:




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Filed Under: Art, Brand Park, City Services, Parks and Recreation

I grew up in Chicago, among the grandeur of Daniel Burnham's lakefront parks, the ones that call back to Paris, the ones that make you want to hold hands, find hidden woodlands, loiter for hours under dappled sunlight. Southern California has beautiful public lands, but they are different: block-long parks flanked by urban sprawl, Griffith Park with its rustic Western charm, and the odd reservoirs of Silver Lake and Rowena that are carefully landscaped but fenced in to prevent actual human activity. In Glendale, however, we have our own miniature Jardin des Tulieres, a lovely urban retreat that displays the turn-of-the-century interest in combining natural California landscaping, Moorish architecture, and neoclassical symmetry: Brand Park.

Walk through the front gate of the park, up the hill under stately palms to "El Miradero," the private residence of Leslie Coombs Brand, an early Glendale business developer. The library itself is interesting, if not entirely accessible since it contains more specialized collections of history, art, and music. The library also hosts gallery exhibits, performances, and classes that I'm told that are worth taking, especially those for children.

Further up the hill, the "Shoseian" Whispering Pine Teahouse & Friendship Garden is always serene. Although its hours are inconvenient, since it is only open from 10:00AM to 4:00PM from Mondays to Thursdays, it does make it a great place to play hookey from work.

Just past the Japanese Garden, the Doctor's House is a Victorian style home that was relocated from Wilson Avenue to its present location in 1979. Every Sunday from 2:00PM to 4:00PM, they offer a tour of the House for one dollar. It's been years since I went, but I do remember enjoying myself, learning about life in California during the Victorian era and seeing framed, embroidered human hair art. (Ew.)

Besides these lovely architectural finds, Brand Park contains other special details that make me love it even more. The lady of the Green Cross, a hidden sculpture that was "created in 1928 as a tribute to an early 20th century tree society and a symbol of… deforestation," welcomes hikers with open arms to a satisfyingly steep climb up the rocky hill toward breathtaking views of the city. (Keep walking up, and you'll be able to save your knees by taking the leisurely path down the fire road).

I also love the happy shouts of Little League games, the vibrant wedding parties congregating on the library steps for portraits, the shaded playground that plays host to playdates and birthday parties, families picnicking, and the summer wading pool.

An afternoon in Brand Park takes me back to Chicago; I'm standing in the great hall of the Art Institute, gazing at George Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." It is a convivial oasis, one that embodies urban living and idyllic pleasures. Brand Park is alive, and that is the key.

Brand Park
1601 West Mountain Street
Glendale, CA 91201
www.ci.glendale.ca.us/parks/brand_park.asp

Hours:
7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

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Filed Under: City Services, Composting, Events, Green Living, Workshops

I have an ash tree on my front lawn. I know this now, but, four months ago when my father-in-law asked me what kinds of trees I have on my property, I was embarrassed to admit that I didn't know.

My husband's family lives in a woody suburb of St. Louis and have been composting for decades. I was excited to tell them that I'd be joining the new locavore movement: buying produce only from farmer's markets, starting my own vegetable garden, and keeping my own compost bin. When my father-in-law highlighted the fact that I didn't know the first thing about quality of foliage that I would be adding to this bin, I thought I was in trouble.

When we returned from our Midwest retreat, I decided attempt composting anyway. And I was nervous. Not only did I not know what trees were on my property, I was an English major in love with all things poetic and metaphysical, and I here I was venturing into the natural world of the sciences. I had picked up one introductory book on composting and was immediately frightened by the specialized technical vocabulary of words like "aeration" and "actinomycetes" and "nematodes" and even some murderous terms as "thermal kill." I never realized composting could be dangerous.

Fortunately, I live in a city that is at the forefront of the eco-movement—and a user-friendly version at that. Each year, the City of Glendale offers composting workshops, "in order to make composting as convenient as possible."

The workshop alleviated any anxiety I held about composting. The presenter definitely reminded me of the many biology and chemistry teachers whose classes I nearly failed. His seriousness about composting was intimidating at first; when he summarized the scientific theories behind the process, my eyes glazed over. But he was also insistent about composting's ease and value. He offered a few sample "recipes" for a typical bin and insisted that you could throw yard waste in haphazardly and still produce quality compost in eight to ten months in a simple home composter.

And, of course, the best part is the free stuff. For an hour's worth of attention, each participant receives a free compost bin and a pitchfork. You can choose between a home composter or a Smith and Hawken Biostack. When I looked them up later, I found that the home composter sold for at least $100 and the Biostack for $129. Unfortunately, on the day I attended, they ran out of pitchforks, so I had to purchase my own. (Get in line early!)

So, my compost pile is built. All I had to do was dump my grass clippings, leaves, and kitchen waste into the bin. And find out what kind of trees I own.

I asked my next-door neighbor if she could identify the tree on our front lawn.

She said, “Oh, sure. That's one big-ash tree.”

Now I know.

City of Glendale Composting Workshops

Friday, March 13, 2009
11:30 a.m.

Saturday, March 14, 2009
9:00 a.m.

Integrated Waste Management Section Yard
548 W. Chevy Chase Drive
Glendale, CA 91204
818.548.3916
www.ci.glendale.ca.us/public_works/backyard_composting.asp

See website for more information on worm composting.

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Filed Under: City Services, Green Living, Hazardous Waste

I have a large container of antifreeze that's been sitting in the trunk of my car for, like, years, and I've been meaning to get rid of it. (I mean, I'm no scientist, but after a certain amount of time doesn't that stuff release deadly toxins in the air? I don't know.) But I'm environmentally conscious enough to know that I shouldn't just pour it down the drain. However, I've never really looked into how to dispose of it properly.

Well, I just stumbled across Glendale's Household Hazardous Waste Program, which encourages residents to take waste such as paint, oil, chemicals, pesticides, and batteries to the city's Environmental Management Center. Here are the details:

Household Hazardous Waste Program

Wednesdays and Saturdays
9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Environmental Management Center
780 Flower Street
Glendale, CA 91201
818.548.3862
www.ci.glendale.ca.us/public_works/hazardous_waste.asp

Serves residents of Glendale and La Cañada. The service area also includes the Glendale annex communities of La Crescenta and Montrose, households that pay their utilities to Glendale Water and Power. ALL participants are required to bring a proof of residency or a copy of their utility bill. Call for a pre-recorded message on types and quantities of waste accepted as well as who is eligible to use this city service.

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Filed Under: Bamboo Panda, City Politics, City Services, Community Happenings, Events, News, The Americana

I was having dinner at Bamboo Panda (an okay Chinese restaurant run by, I believe, Koreans on Brand Boulevard) a couple Saturdays ago when the sky started exploding. When I got up and peeked outside, I saw that it wasn't some apocalyptic byproduct of the then-raging wildfires, but an elaborate fireworks display at The Americana that was set off to celebrate the shopping complex's tree-lighting. (The event, by the way, really cheesed off City Council members, who said going ahead with the proceedings in a time of emergency was "dumb-headed" and "ill-advised.")

There will be less controversy, I'm sure, at the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at City Hall on Wednesday—unless, of course, I decide to streak around the tree. Here are the details:

Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony

Wednesday, December 3, 2008
7:00 p.m.

Glendale City Hall
Perkins Plaza
613 E. Broadway
Glendale, CA 91206

This holiday celebration features choral music, lighting of the City Hall tree, and a special visit from Santa Claus! Free parking is available in the Civic Center Parking Structure (enter off of Wilson). Hot chocolate and candy canes will be served. In case of rain, the event will be cancelled.

Or maybe I'll try to pants Santa. Dare me to?


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