Everything Glendale

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: 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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