Everything Glendale

Filed Under: Green Living, News, Parking and Traffic

Between Mister B's declaration that "Living in Glendale Will Save the Earth" and all these posts on Green Living lately, I've been thinking that this blog has become prone to gross exaggeration, particularly when it comes to Glendale and the eco-friendly movement.

But did you see the following announcement on the Los Angeles Times site?:

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. said today it plans to open a compressed natural gas station at the Glendale train station off San Fernando Road by summer 2009. The station will be open to the public and also service the city of Glendale’s CNG-powered Beeline buses and its growing fleet of CNG-fueled trash trucks....

Seal Beach-based Clean Energy, co-founded by Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens, is a major local operator of CNG stations open to the public, with about 20 in the Los Angeles area and north Orange County....

Natural gas costs the equivalent of about $1.65 a gallon at Clean Energy stations. That's cheaper than the $1.95-a-gallon statewide average for regular gasoline, although CNG's price advantage has narrowed considerably as gasoline prices have plummeted.

I don't know what "natural gas" is exactly, and I'm too busy this morning to look it up (maybe I'll go to the Wikipedia page later?), but this sounds good for the environment, doesn't it? And the fact that Glendale has been chosen as one of the cities to be at the forefront of the movement is pretty damn cool.

(On a side note: There's a train station in Glendale?!)


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Filed Under: Art, Events, Michael's

I hate craft fairs. Actually, let me rephrase: I hate receiving useless, pseudo-art, so-called crafts that are mere replications from instruction manuals purchased at Michael's. I just had a yard sale last Saturday to clear out junk inherited from my mom, and I can guarantee that half of the tsotchkes on the one-dollar table originated from a craft fair. My mother was a good woman, but she loved her junk. I, in turn, hate it.

So when I heard that the MOMS Club of Glendale West was holding a "Holiday Boutique," I wasn't just skeptical; I was mortified. I joined our local chapter of MOMS Club in January 2007 after my daughter was born and found the group of moms to be fascinating, vibrant, and classy. I couldn't believe that these same women were organizing a cheap craft fair, all the while shrouding it with the euphemism "Holiday Boutique."

I didn't want to go. I only went because friends of mine were considering moving to Glendale, and I wanted to introduce them to the neighborhood. I will readily admit: the MOMS Club proved me wrong about craft fairs—well, except that the Holiday Boutique is not a craft fair; it is a specialty fair, one that is truly distinct.

According to this year's flyer, the boutique offers "a variety of handmade and unique quality items," but I would venture to say that they offer more than "items." They offer "art," in the true sense of the word. Each vendor is an artist in his or her own right, each offering beautifully inspired pieces that represent their unique human perspective.

This year, three visual artists—Julie Caplan, Dacia Lamb, and D'Jeff Baker—will be offering original paintings, photographs, and studio sessions. Other vendors will offer handmade scarves, jewelry, vintage frames, and children's clothing. Also available will be Sunny Cannon's super-cute hand-knit purses and Sarah Barrett's unique cardstock creations. I am especially excited to see the return of Swirl Syndicate, a line of tongue-in-cheek tees inspired by "multi-culti-cuties."

This year, 24 vendors will be participating, including Eve, a daughter of the Glendale West chapter, who will be celebrating her 50th birthday with the grand opening of the Frou Frou Bunny Shop, featuring handmade items she's made throughout the year and whose proceeds "will go to help the earth," namely the Surfrider Foundation and the Sierra Club. They will also have a concession table, offering coffee, hot apple cider, and other simple food items.

Besides supporting local artists and entrepreneurs, you will take heart knowing that proceeds from the entry fee will be donated to Glendale Healthy Kids, Child Share Program, and Hillsides.

In this tight economy, one of the greatest things you can do is to support local vendors, those tough and firm individuals who are struggling to pursue their dreams for an artistic world amongst a sea of mass-manufactured chaos.

MOMS Club of Glendale West 3rd Annual Holiday Boutique

Saturday, December 13, 2008
10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Grandview Presbyterian Church
1130 Ruberta Avenue
Glendale, CA 91201
www.momsclubglendalewest.org

Entrance Fee:
$2.00
(Children are free)

There will be plenty of fabulous gift items under $30.00 and wonderful gift baskets that you can win in the raffle!

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Filed Under: Clancy's Crab Broiler, Downtown Glendale, Food, Restaurant Reviews, Seafood

My friends accuse me of having undiscerning taste buds, so you're not going to see me doing many restaurant reviews here. (In other words, I'll eat anything.)

But I must say a few words about Clancy's Crab Broiler because I've been there for Thanksgiving dinner two years in a row now. And no matter how unsophisticated I may be when it comes to food, may I entice you with the appropriately named "Bucket o' Crab," a bunch of Alaskan snow crab legs served to you in a big gray pail?

But that's not really what I wanted to tell you about. If you eat at Clancy's on Christmas Eve (they're closed Christmas Day), they'll give you a gift certificate in the amount of whatever you spend on your meal that day and you can use the gift certificate up to six months later. Can you believe that?! They'll match your bill dollar for dollar!

Reservations for Christmas Eve fill up fast (I missed out last year), so call now if you're interested. I booked my table already, and, for someone with crappy taste buds, my mouth is already watering.

Clancy's Crab Broiler
219 N. Central Avenue
Glendale, CA 91204
818.242.2722
www.clancyscrabbroiler.com

Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Friday: 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
Saturday: 12:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Sunday: 12:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

Average Entree:
$15-$25

Oh my god, their website is an eyesore, but I guess it's okay because they're known for their seafood, not their tech skills.


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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: Community Happenings, Events, Hoover High School

51st Annual Hoover Tour of Homes

Saturday, December 13, 2008
10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

For more information, call Julie Iezza at 818.843.7966.

Tickets:
$20 Advance
$25 Day of event

A Glendale tradition, the Hoover Tour of Homes gives the public an opportunity to view some of the city's most historic private homes up close and personal. Professional holiday decorations by local florists provide a festive and whimsical touch to this Hoover High School fundraiser.

Advance tickets available at:

• Beverly Ann Flowers & Gifts, 1150 N. Brand Boulevard, Glendale CA 91202
• Kenneth Village Flowers & Gifts, 1040 W. Kenneth Road, Glendale, CA 91202
• Ivy's Flower Station, 1435 W. Kenneth Road, Glendale, CA 91202

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