Westside Newsletter_July2017

Rodeo Realty News LOCAL EXPERTISE, GLOBAL PRESENCE Westside

July 2017

INSIDE THIS ISSUE PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY CHANGES HAPPENING IN PLAYA DEL REY WHOLE FOODS 365 COMING TO SANTA MONICA METRO DEVELOPING SMARTPHONE APP LOS ANGELES RANKED #18 TECH CITY

Community News Pedestrian friendly changes planned for Playa del Rey

Whole Foods 365 coming to Santa Monica

The ongoing Southland struggle with traffic has found a new focal point in Playa del Rey, where officials have begun implementing pedestrian safety measures that also happen to have a negative impact on vehicular traffic. The project involves restriping Vista del Mar, Culver Blvd., Jefferson Blvd., and Pershing Drive, to add bike lanes and diagonal parking, while reducing the flow of traffic to one lane in each direction. On Vista del Mar, parking will be limited to the side closest to the ocean, preventing the need for beachgoers to dash across to cars parked on the other side of the street. Not surprisingly, the changes have led to complaints from locals, who expect that slower traffic will discourage visitors to the area and hurt property values. However, the office of Councilmember Mike Bonin indicates that the changes will make the area safer for residents and tourists alike, noting that Vista del Mar in particular was the location of 210 accidents since 2003, including 5 fatal collisions.

A new Whole Foods 365 location will be opening at the corner of Pico and Cloverfield in August. A lower cost offshoot of the popular organic grocery store, Whole Foods 365 is a relatively new concept, with only one other location in the Los Angeles area.

The new location will feature an in-store Groundwork coffee bar, as well as an Asian street food shop, and follow the Whole Foods practice of focusing on locally sourced food.

The property at Pico and Cloverfield is a former office park and was once targeted by local activists when developers attempted to replace it with a 150-unit apartment building.

Community News LA Metro planning smartphone app for fares

Los Angeles ranked #18 among tech cities

The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority has plans to revamp its fare payment system to make it possible for riders to pay with their smartphones. Metro has contracted Cubics, the company that operates the current TAP card system, to develop a cloudbased app that will allow users to add funds to their cards from their phones, avoiding the need to stand in line at Metro stations before boarding buses and trains. Longterm plans call for the Metro app to eventually allow riders to also pay for individual trips directly

Despite the recent development of the Silicon Beach area, with prominent companies such as Google and Snapchat dominating the scene, Los Angeles ranks only 18th among the country’s top 25 cities for technology. A recent study measured 25 U.S. cities for its available talent, capital and local college programs, finding that Silicon Valley and San Francisco ranked at the top of the list.

Officials found that larger cities such as New York (ranked #15) and Los Angeles were much diverse in its industry and therefore less concentrated in specific sectors. Experts note that while LA’s famous media and entertainment sectors often

involve technology, fewer than 20% of Los Angeles residents work in the tech sphere, compared to 35% in top-ranked Silicon Valley. from their phones, eliminating the need for TAP cards all together.

Restaurant

Spotlight

The Independence

Fork-In Aussie Pies

La Cabaña

205 Broadway Santa Monica

2510 Main Street, #B Santa Monica

738 Rose Avenue Venice

The Independence is named after the railroad that once traversed the City of Angels back in 1875. The restau¬rant owner, Jonathan Chu, and master mixologist, Vincenzo Marianella, pro¬vide community and cocktail offerings for both lunch and dinner. This place is welcoming, casual, and yet cool to meet up with friends over food and drinks. The Independence creates beautiful dishes such as the spicy Bolognese, morel mushroom & asparagus risot¬to, or the salmon belly & avocado tartare. A cheese board is also avail¬able and curated

by Wheelhouse Cheese in Culver City. The Independence has a wide variety of cocktails, like the Avalon, Mulholland, Florence and Santa Monica Spritz. Wine, beer and mocktails also comple¬ment the cuisine perfectly.

If you’re looking for a taste of but¬tery flaky crusts stacked on mashed potatoes and peas, check out Fork-In Aussies Pies. Inspired by the Australian mean pie, the establishment is run by “Chopped” Champion Chef, Joe Youhkan, who is the culinary director behind the Aussie Pies and has teamed up with owners Nick Bishop and Geri Chua. The restaurant takes savory pies like the ground beef and mire poix “Classic,” and stacks them with a variety of sides including edamame succotash, garlic mashed potatoes, and minty mashed peas.

Other options include the Brekkie Pies, which are more quiche-like without the croissant flaky top.

Fork-In Aussie Pies takes 3 days to hand make and deep fill everyone of their 9 pie flavors.

La Cabaña in Venice has been serving excellent Mexican food since 1963. The restau¬rant has a color¬ful patio where you can enjoy chips, salsa and more than 18 different margaritas. The Venice institution makes their tortillas inhouse on a brick-layered fireplace, has a live mariachi band and guacamole tableside. La Cabaña is open until 3 a.m. sev¬en days a week.

SIGHTS & SOUNDS in LOS ANGELES

Natural History Museum

Norton Simon Museum

LACMA

900 Exposition Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90007

411 W Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91105

5905 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036

CURRENT EXHIBITION:

CURRENT EXHIBITION:

CURRENT EXHIBITION:

Butterfly Pavilion March 19 - September 4, 2017

Maven of Modernism: Galka Scheyer in California April 7 - September 25, 2017

Japanese Painting: A Walk in Nature May 13 - September 10, 2017

The Butterfly Pavilion is a seasonal exhibit that showcases hundreds of butterflies and the natural environs where they thrive. Among the butterflies at the museum are subtropical species such as the malachite and the grey cracker, as well as native butterflies such as monarchs, mourning cloaks, and buckeyes. Timed tickets are required for admission to the Butterfly Pavilion, and are available for advance purchase on the NHM website.

Galka Scheyer was an influential art dealer of the first half of the 20th century, responsible for introducing many to the art of Lyonel Feininger, Alexei Jawlensky, Paul Klee and Vasily Kandinsky. This exhibit represents a selection of Scheyer’s personal collection that also includes pieces

by László Moholy-Nagy, Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera.

In contrast with a western tradition that often depicts nature as a force to be feared or conquered, the pieces featured in this exhibit often depict the natural world as a place of tranquility. This exhibition includes 24 paintings created by Japanese artists of the 16th to 20th centuries, including work from the Maruyama, Rinpa, and Literati schools.

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