Everything Glendale

Filed Under: Christmas Tree Recycling, Christmas Trees, Holiday Decorations

Not to put a damper on your holiday spirit, but it's time to let this year's Christmas tree go. Unless you plan to nurse it in your backyard, you should let the city recycle your tree, which it will do between now and January 16. According to the City of Glendale website:

Single-family residents of the City should put their trees on the parkway by 7:00 AM on their scheduled trash day. Multi-family residents and businesses should either:

• Call the Integrated Waste Management office at (818) 548-3916 to find out their collection day.


• Map and Schedule information is available to determine the collection day for your area. Trees placed out after 7:00 AM may be missed and will then have to be placed out the following week.

There will be NO Christmas tree drop-off at the Integrated Waste Yard due to security concerns.

Please remove all ornaments, decorations, nails, buckets, bags and stands before putting trees out for recycling. Flocked trees are acceptable. Trees more than eight feet tall must be cut in half. Residents with yard-trimming (green) containers may clip the branches, cut their trees and fit them in their containers. Remember not to jam the container and the lids must close completely.

I guess there's no law if you really wanted to hang onto your Christmas tree for a lot longer—just know that dry trees are a big fire hazard and, more importantly [:)], a cultural faux pas.

However, there is a law against having holiday lighting up for more than 90 days. While some you might think that gives you permission to leave your glowing plastic snowman on your lawn into March, the city recommends that you pack Frosty up by January 31. I personally think that's way too long (holiday decorations in January?!), but I suppose the city's wrath is far gentler than mine.


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Filed Under: Classes, Community Happenings, Community Services Education, Continuing Education, Education, Events, Glendale Community College, Workshops

Don't know your Excel from your elbow? Think mastering PowerPoint could catapult you from back-office obscurity to the Board Room? Glendale Community College offers a bunch of computer classes absolutely free under its Continuing Education program.

A friend of mine who was recently laid off work has been brushing up her computer skills though the college to stay sharp and get ahead in the job market, and she spoke highly of the course structure.

Glendale Community College
Continuing Education Program
Garfield Campus
1122 E. Garfield Avenue
Glendale, CA 91205-2526
818.240.1000, ext. 5678 or 5681
www.glendale.edu/continuinged

The college's Community Services Education also has a program of short courses and workshops at extremely reasonable cost. The Winter 2009 brochure is dizzying – the only problem is trying to make up your mind what to choose.

Last semester I took the excellent Drawing The Human Figure ($95 for six classes), and this time I'm torn between Conversational Chinese ($85 for six classes), Argentine Tango ($79 for eight classes), Beginning Italic Calligraphy ($35 for one class), and Outdoor Survival Techniques ($89 for a six week course).

There's everything from arts and crafts to computer technology, sports, music, dance, cooking, money management, creative writing, and beyond.

Glendale Community College
Community Services Education
Garfield Campus
1122 E. Garfield Avenue
Glendale, CA 91205-2526
818.240.1000, ext. 5015
www.glendale.edu/cse

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Filed Under: Automotive Services, EZ Lube, Glendale Lube Center, Jiffy Lube, Oil Change

I've been to oil change stations that are part of a chain (Jiffy Lube, EZ Lube, etc.), and I've always ended up driving away with the feeling that I've been overcharged or lied to or both.

You've had this experience before, right? You go in for a quick oil change, but the technician tells you about how there are a half dozen things wrong with your car that needs fixing and that he just happens to be able to fix them? And then he issues an estimate in the hundreds of dollars, and suddenly that $20 coupon you're holding in your hand doesn't quite seem like the bargain you were expecting?

The thing is, I'm one of those people who knows next to nothing about cars, and mechanics can easily scare me into submission. After all, who wants their automobile to blow up?

Fortunately, I stumbled across Glendale Lube Center a few years ago, and I've been a loyal customer ever since. Since they are authorized to do more than oil changes, they will on occasion make recommendations (a new air filter here, fuel injection service there), but it never feels like some high-pressured sales pitch. I trust what they're telling me, and their recommendations never come across as urgent prophecies of impending doom. They usually give me an estimate of how long I can go without, say, an automatic transmission drain and fill.

When I swing by weekday mornings or afternoons, I'm usually in and out in under 10 minutes. If you're there during peak hours or if they're unusually busy, it might take 20.

The cost of a basic oil change fluctuates, but it'll always match or be less than what the Jiffy Lube across the street is charging. (Today, for example, Jiffy Lube was advertising a $21.99 oil change; Glendale Lube Center was offering $21.95.)

Admittedly, Glendale Lube Center isn't as pretty as Jiffy Lube or EZ Lube (Glendale Lube Center needs a new sign and their waiting area and soda machine look a bit run down), but, for me, good service from people I trust trumps aesthetic beauty any day (at least when it comes to oil changes).

Glendale Lube Center
605 E. Harvard Street
Glendale, CA 91205
818.243.5282‎
http://maps.google.com/maps?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=glendale+lube+center&fb=1&view=text&latlng=15715834591134643926

Average Oil Change:
$21.95-$26.95

Hours:
Monday-Saturday: 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Sunday: 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

By the way, they used to honor competitor coupons. I don't know if they still do this. Ask.


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Filed Under: American Cuisine, Coldstone Creamery, Food, Middle-Eastern Cuisine, Restaurant Reviews, Rotisserie Chicken, Sidewalk Cafe, Zankou Chicken

When I saw that a new Trader Joe's was opening a mere four minutes away from my home, I didn't scream quite as loudly as I did when I saw the new large red sign at the corner of Glenoaks and Highland. "Zankou Chicken is going in at Sidewalk Café!," I interrupted my best friend's story to yelp. She wasn't nearly as annoyed as I would have been had she interrupted me (what are best friends for?). Instead, she joined my excitement: "I know! Isn't that great? Too bad we're probably going to have to wait a while for it to open."

I know I could drive up to their fancy new location in Burbank or even to their second original location right here in Glendale, but this new Zankou Chicken is opening ("sometime next week," according to an employee) inside one of my favorite spots.

Sidewalk Café is a great place to meet friends for lunch, bring the family for a full dinner, or just grab coffee and read for hours. It has undergone various transformations over the years, but most have been for the better.

Coldstone Creamery (and its silly signage) disappeared. The gelato bar came and then sadly went, but the crepes stayed. New management has improved the service, built a new corner with comfy leather couches for lounging, and updated the menu my new favorite item: creamy vegetable lasagna. They also tried a kebab bar in the Coldstone location, but I never got the chance to try it. It seemed that all I had to do was blink, and it was gone.

Now enter Zankou Chicken. If you've never tasted their amazing rotisserie chickens, then you cannot call yourself an Angeleno (or Glendaleno?). But don't feel bad if you haven't discovered them yet; it took me six years before I did. I'm so happy that I'll be able to return to my favorite spot and order my favorite chicken. Or wait, the vegetable lasagna? Now, I don't know what to do.

Sidewalk Café/Zankou Chicken
901 Glenoaks Boulevard
Glendale, CA 91202
818.246.1000
www.sidewalkcafe.biz

Average Entree:
$8-$11

Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday: 8:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.

Zankou Chicken
1415 E. Colorado Boulevard
Glendale, CA 91205
818.244.2237
www.zankouchicken.com

Average Entree:
$5-$9

Hours:
Monday-Sunday: 10:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.

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Filed Under: Architecture, Brand Park, Candlelight Tours, Community Happenings, Events, History, The Doctors House, The Glendale Historical Society, Tours

In 1979, The Doctors House, a Victorian home built around 1888-1890, was threatened with demolition. A group of determined Glendale residents came together to save the house, and The Glendale Historical Society emerged from their efforts. Funds were raised, and ultimately the house was moved from its original location at Wilson & Belmont to a space provided by the city in Brand Park.

Over the next four years, volunteers from the Society painstakingly restored the house to the way it would have looked in the Victorian era. In 1984, the house was opened to the public as a museum, showcasing early Glendale history and Victorian life.

Tours of the house are available most Sunday afternoons (except December) from 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., but during two special evenings in December the house is decorated for Christmas and lit by candles and vintage lanterns. Guests are invited to stroll through and enjoy the period decorations, live music, and refreshments.

The Doctors House Candlelight Tours

Saturday, December 20, 2008
6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

The Doctors House
Brand Park
1601 West Mountain Street
Glendale, CA 91201
818.242.4290
www.glendalehistorical.org/doctors.html

Admission:
Only $1

No reservations needed. Bring the kids!

[We at The Glendale Historical Society enjoy sharing our city's history and preserving its architectural heritage. We are fortunate as citizens to have great old neighborhoods and beautiful buildings from decades past that tell the story of Glendale. Please read more about our efforts at www.glendalehistorical.org and help us preserve Glendale's history by becoming a member.]

[Photo courtesy of Graeme Whifler.]


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