Showing posts with label Montrose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Montrose. Show all posts
Posted by
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Filed Under: Crescenta Family Medical, Doctors, Gary Weckbacher, Medical Services, Montrose
[This is a guest post by Phyllis Harb, a realtor who also publishes the L.A. Real Estate Blog.]I was off to a rocky start in 2009—mid-month I tripped over my 100-pound German shepherd and fractured my wrist. A quick trip to Seventh-Day Adventist, and I was casted and on my way.
I have always been resistant to doctors. I can’t abide the endless waiting in the reception area and then often longer time in the waiting room. A fifteen-minute visit typically results in over an hour (plus drive time).
Realtors are self-employed—we earn a commission, not a salary. I don’t have paid sick days or paid vacation days. As I am right-handed, my right-hand fracture was a major obstacle: I couldn’t drive with only my left hand, and my handwriting and left-handed typing were a struggle. I am not a fan of therapy, but fortunately consulted Dr. Gary Weckbacher, a chiropractic orthopedist with Crescenta Family Medical. Thank goodness I did. While I was “resting” my fracture, it was atrophying—it was the worst course I could take.
In addition, my right arm and shoulder “was out of whack” from babying my hand. Now with twice-weekly therapy, I am typing, writing, and, more importantly, driving—I can show property!
Years ago, after an auto accident, I tried therapy; it never helped. Only later visits to a chiropractor for adjustments finally improved the injury. I was very leery of attempting therapy again as I was convinced it would again be a time-waster, but I was wrong. If you are in the need for therapy, I highly recommend Dr. Gary. He is a great guy, he is courteous with your “waiting” time, and he has healed my hand.
Crescenta Family Medical, Inc.
2048 Montrose Avenue
Montrose, CA 91020
818.957.7612
www.crescentafamilymedical.com
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Posted by
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Filed Under: Divina Cucina, Food, Italian Cuisine, Montrose, Restaurant Reviews
A friend accustomed to fine dining was visiting from London and wanted to take me to a "nice" dinner in my neck of the woods—Montrose. I'd heard good things about Divina Cucina on Verdugo Road, so we decided to give it a try.We sat on the covered patio by an attractive fountain, as the main restaurant was packed and a little noisy for quiet conversation.
The menu is extensive, and we were struggling to decide from the many tasty sounding offerings when the waiter threw a spanner in the works by coming up with some irresistible-sounding specials.
After much deliberation, I opted for polenta e gamberetti—sauteed shrimp and mixed peppers over grilled polenta with red pepper sauce. And my partner opted for funghi portobello alla griglia—grilled portobello mushroom and red onion, smoked mozzarella, and sweet pepper sauce. Both were beautifully presented and mouth-wateringly good.
For our main course, we both chose handmade pasta—I went for the spinach tortellini and my friend for one of the day's specials, linguine in a light lemon sauce. Even though he's normally a steak man, he was raving about it.
The cuisine could best be described as Italian with an elegant twist, thanks to the charming and equally elegant husband-and-wife owners, Alicia and Horatio Lavanchy, who hail from Argentina by way of Italian parentage.
For a small restaurant, there's a surprisingly extensive wine list with a very nice selection of Italian wines in particular. I counted seven varieties of pinot grigio and 11 chiantis. We opted for a pinot noir, with nine to pick from. There's also a good choice of port, sherry, and dessert wine.
We came out at around $90 for a superb two-course meal, including delicious homemade breads, with wine and coffee.
Divina Cucina is more upscale than your average Italian, but relaxed and friendly as a family run restaurant should be. My friend was so impressed he insisted on picking up the tab—needless to say, he can come back anytime!
It's super busy on Fridays and Saturdays so if you want a quiet romantic dinner, pick a week night. Divina Cucina is also open for lunch. Reservations are recommended for parties, especially on weekends. There is parking at the restaurant but very few spaces on a tricky corner, so best to park in a public lot or on the street and walk.
Divina Cucina
3730 N. Verdugo Road
Montrose, CA 91020
818.248.3077
www.divinacucinarestaurant.com
Entrée Price Range:
$12.95-$20.95
(Plus a selection of daily market price fish)
Hours:
Tuesday-Friday: 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
Saturday–Sunday: 5:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
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Posted by
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Filed Under: Cool Websites, Farmers' Market, Food, Green Living, Montrose, News
A few years ago, my best friend moved into a swanky apartment in West Hollywood, right across the street from the Wattles community garden. On the way up to our hike at Runyon Canyon, we snuck a tour of the garden's periphery and saw, beyond the wire fence, an abundant beauty that reminded me of one of my favorite childhood novels, The Secret Garden. There seemed to be a hundred or more small vegetable and herb gardens, separated by a simple mulched pathway. Bordering each farmed plot were creeping vines and blooming flowers. We spotted busy gardeners, working the weeds, schmoozing under lemon trees.I was insanely jealous. Here was a communal sanctuary, right along Hollywood Boulevard and yet too far from home. When I got back to this side of town, I rushed online and Googled "COMMUNITY GARDEN GLENDALE CALIFORNIA." Sadly, the search proved unfruitful (pardon the pun), as such a garden did not exist.
About a month ago, I became aware of the new Coalition for a Green Glendale, an organization working with the Los Angeles Community Garden Council in building a new community garden at 870 Monterey Road. The Coalition was founded by recent college graduates who have joined with landscape designer Guillame Lemoine (and who I recently had the pleasure of meeting) to "protect, preserve, restore, and enhance the ecological environment of the City of Glendale through conservation, research, education, and activism." Their website also shows that they've been working to make Glendale a more environmentally respectful city by taking even simple steps like handing out reusable bags at the Montrose Harvest Market.
Those who are interested in participating in the new Monterey Eco-Community Garden can go to the Coalition's website for the interest form. According to the Glendale News-Press,
the proposed plan includes communal fruit trees along the edge of the garden (which means anyone could pick 'em!), the possibility of 45 plots of land, and it would serve as a model for future community gardens. Under the current plan, "gardeners would put down a $20 deposit and pay $80 annually for a full plot, $45 for a half plot." Not bad for a year's worth of food and a small slice of Eden.
Visit the Coalition for a Green Glendale website.
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Posted by
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Filed Under: Downtown Glendale, Events, Farmers' Market, Food, Green Living, Montrose, Shopping
[Editor's Note: Hot off the heels of Olivia's terrific post about everything Montrose has to offer comes Kathy's write-up about the farmers' markets in Downtown Glendale and Montrose. Great minds think alike!]When was the last time you ate an apple? And not a grocery store apple, those tasteless fruits flown in from New Zealand and China. I'm talking about a farm-fresh apple, one that has been picked mere days, if not hours before, one that is so ripe, so sweet, taste buds secrete fountains of approval. What's that? You don't live on a farm? Either do I, but I eat farm fresh produce at every meal, and I gather my harvest right here in Glendale on Thursdays and Sundays at our very own certified farmers' markets.
The Thursday market takes place on Brand Boulevard, right north of Borders. Compared to other markets, this one is not the best, but it is certainly respectable, with a good amount of vendors. You will find mounds of beautiful produce, a local baker selling fresh bread and cakes, and a representative from CSUN supplying heirloom vegetables and potted plants. Unfortunately, the sidewalk is a tight squeeze, and the umbrellas catch the cigarette smoke of passersby (how is this healthy living?), but hopefully that will change after the recent smoking ban. You'll find free parking in the building behind the market—just tell the cashier as you are leaving and they won't charge you.
Montrose's Sunday market is a favorite of mine—they have a beautiful selection of vendors, many who are certified organic or grow without pesticides. One vendor in particular sells fresh goat cheese from Soledad that is truly out of this world; they offer amazing flavors like garlic-dill and lavender. The market also includes hot-food vendors, pony rides, a live brass band, and games for kids. It makes for a lovely Sunday morning. The one warning I would give is to make sure that another festival (like Octoberfest or Halloween) isn't taking place on the Saturday before; twice over the past six months, we have arrived only to find no market (and left practically in tears).
I started shopping the farmers' markets exclusively after reading Michael Pollan. In his book, In Defense of Food, he argues for the benefits of eating real food: food your great-great-grandmother would recognize, and food that is local and fresh. Pollan explains that the widespread use of industrial fertilizers and the fact that food is picked when it is not yet ripe and then shipped overseas means that grocery-store produce is lacking in both taste and nutritional quality. He notes, "You now have to eat three apples to get the same amount of iron as you have gotten from a single 1940 apple."
Walk yourself down to Brand Boulevard, pick up an apple—or an orange or a tomato or plum—and take a big bite, knowing that you're supporting a local farmer and living the good life.
Glendale Certified Farmers' Market
100 Block of N. Brand Boulevard
Between Broadway and Wilson
http://www.farmernet.com/events/one-cfm?venue_id=808
Hours:
Thursday
9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Montrose Harvest Market
Honolulu Avenue and Ocean View Boulevard
http://www.farmernet.com/events/one-cfm?venue_id=614
Hours:
Sunday
9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
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Posted by
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Filed Under: Events, Farmers' Market, Food, Montrose, Parks and Recreation, Shopping
Montrose is one of the best kept secrets in Glendale, and many of us who live there would like to keep it that way, so if you’re reading this, keep it to yourself, OK?When I moved to L.A. from the U.K. three years ago, I imagined I'd be living in a brash city. Then I found Montrose and felt like I'd walked into a Frank Capra movie.
Nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains on the northern edge of Glendale, this small bedroom community is a bit of a rarity. Part of the City Of Glendale since 1913, it's home mostly to families and a few older citizens. In the early days, Angelenos, including many Hollywood movie stars, would ascend to Montrose's then-"country" heights for clean air and spa treatments.
Now, even though Glendale has reached out in every direction so there are no discernable boundaries, Montrose still offers an escape of sorts to a kind of small-town America where the main street was the hub of the community and you couldn't walk down it without seeing someone you knew.
That main street, Honolulu Avenue, has changed little in character, still featuring a variety of independent stores and restaurants, the only chains in the main strip being Coffee Bean and Subway.
So untouched since the 1950s and '60s are some store fronts that Montrose is often featured in movies and TV shows for its architecture and small-town feel.
The focal point of the week is the Sunday Harvest Market, for which a good part of Honolulu Avenue is closed off. A jazz band adds to the atmosphere as shoppers browse and stop off for brunch at popular haunts like The Black Cow and Montrose Bakery.
The market runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. every Sunday and features 70 to 80 stall holders selling fresh produce, mainly from the Santa Barbara and Santa Paula areas, plus original arts and crafts, books, bric-a-brac, and bakery items. There's a petting zoo and seasonal pony rides for the kids.
Montrose's annual Christmas parade attracts some 10,000 visitors from miles around. I took a friend and her family this year, and she was bowled over by the great community atmosphere and the size of the parade—it takes a good two hours for all the marching bands, floats, and vintage cars to get from one end of Honolulu Avenue to the next—pretty impressive for one little town.
Montrose is also well-known for its large number of restaurants, many with outdoor dining. There's everything from sushi to Mexican, Italian, American, and beyond.
But there's more than shopping and dining here. A stone's throw away in neighboring La Crescenta, the Deukmejian Wilderness Park has great trails and stunning views, plus a picnic area.
And in next door La Canada, Descanso Gardens is a beautifully landscaped 160 acres of public gardens to enjoy for just $7. It features a café and a tranquil Japanese tea garden.
Montrose is also only six miles south of the Angeles National Forest so everywhere you look, nature's on the doorstep.
One of my favorite views is driving up the Glendale Freeway and seeing Downtown L.A.'s skyscrapers in my rear view mirror. Then I look ahead to the welcoming foothills I'm driving towards and thank my lucky stars I discovered this gem of a town.
Nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains on the northern edge of Glendale, this small bedroom community is a bit of a rarity. Part of the City Of Glendale since 1913, it's home mostly to families and a few older citizens. In the early days, Angelenos, including many Hollywood movie stars, would ascend to Montrose's then-"country" heights for clean air and spa treatments.
Now, even though Glendale has reached out in every direction so there are no discernable boundaries, Montrose still offers an escape of sorts to a kind of small-town America where the main street was the hub of the community and you couldn't walk down it without seeing someone you knew.
That main street, Honolulu Avenue, has changed little in character, still featuring a variety of independent stores and restaurants, the only chains in the main strip being Coffee Bean and Subway.
So untouched since the 1950s and '60s are some store fronts that Montrose is often featured in movies and TV shows for its architecture and small-town feel.
The focal point of the week is the Sunday Harvest Market, for which a good part of Honolulu Avenue is closed off. A jazz band adds to the atmosphere as shoppers browse and stop off for brunch at popular haunts like The Black Cow and Montrose Bakery.
The market runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. every Sunday and features 70 to 80 stall holders selling fresh produce, mainly from the Santa Barbara and Santa Paula areas, plus original arts and crafts, books, bric-a-brac, and bakery items. There's a petting zoo and seasonal pony rides for the kids.
Montrose's annual Christmas parade attracts some 10,000 visitors from miles around. I took a friend and her family this year, and she was bowled over by the great community atmosphere and the size of the parade—it takes a good two hours for all the marching bands, floats, and vintage cars to get from one end of Honolulu Avenue to the next—pretty impressive for one little town.
Montrose is also well-known for its large number of restaurants, many with outdoor dining. There's everything from sushi to Mexican, Italian, American, and beyond.
But there's more than shopping and dining here. A stone's throw away in neighboring La Crescenta, the Deukmejian Wilderness Park has great trails and stunning views, plus a picnic area.
And in next door La Canada, Descanso Gardens is a beautifully landscaped 160 acres of public gardens to enjoy for just $7. It features a café and a tranquil Japanese tea garden.
Montrose is also only six miles south of the Angeles National Forest so everywhere you look, nature's on the doorstep.
One of my favorite views is driving up the Glendale Freeway and seeing Downtown L.A.'s skyscrapers in my rear view mirror. Then I look ahead to the welcoming foothills I'm driving towards and thank my lucky stars I discovered this gem of a town.
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