DIY: Backyard

I WISH, WISH, I would have taken some before shots of our mess of a backyard. First off, there was no backyard. It was a pile of dirt, a broken sidewalk and a dead orange tree, enclosed by a tall wooden fence. It was dusty and dirty and where we kept our four gigantic trash and recycle bins. We tiptoed around back there, as if the trash had spilled out over the edges of the bins and onto the 200 square foot patch of space.

When the Bills moved in upstairs, we vowed to turn the dump into something, even if we didn’t know exactly what that something looked like. So we put together our ideas, money and muscles and turned our dusty mess into a little oasis. We’ve already enjoyed countless fires, a few meals and the kids explore it on a daily basis. The work took the better part of two days and cost a total of $115 per family (pavers, diamond blade, sod, chiminea, shovel, gypsum, sand, lights, compost).

Here is the finished product…

Raining In Los Angeles

I snapped this screenshot on Sunday because I have never seen such weather in our four and a half years of living in Los Angeles. In fact, I can’t even remember a time when it rained for two consecutive days, let alone an entire week.

Rain has become so commonplace in these parts that I have begun imagining it raining EVERYWHERE. I actually caught myself this morning thinking about my family in New Jersey and wondering how THEY were handling all the rain.

The plethora of droplets has drastically altered the rhythm of our days this week. Stella hasn’t played outside since Saturday, which means we’re forced to turn indoor spaces like our laundry room and bathroom into play spaces, in order to curb her boredom. I actually drove four blocks to the Bank more than once this week, something I’m not sure I’ve done since we moved here. Or how about dealing with LA rain drivers, who roam the freeways and streets as if the rain was ice falling from the sky, causing the already busy roadways to become even more congested.

I know, I know. I hear what some of you are saying. At least it’s not freezing rain, or sleet, or snow. At least the temperature still hovers around 60. At least the rain will give way to a warm and sunny 75 degrees next week. At least it’s not gray for a month straight (sorry, West Michigan).

Still, it’s been raining nearly continuously since Sunday. Except for a lone ride to the movies last night, our bikes haven’t seen the pavement in days and my shoes have been permanently placed in front of the space heater. And Stella is getting that if-I-don’t-get-out-of-here-soon-I’m-gonna-meltdown-on-you look in her eyes. I’m ready for this to be over…

Last Night

Enjoying one last clove on the roof before we load the truck tomorrow
morning. Oh so bittersweet.

A Guide to Driving 55 mph in Los Angeles

There was a time not too long ago when I would take pride in never getting passed on the freeway. Even when I did get passed, it was never more than a few times every several miles, and only then by ambulances, mom’s in labor or an OJ like police chase.

Now days, in my 95 Civic hatchback, I drive 55mph and get passed by every single vehicle on the freeway, including the older folks and semi-trucks. Though it has saved me money at the pump, it hasn’t been an easy transition, as I’ve already written about previously. But I’m happy to report after three months of driving 55, there have been some lessons gleaned from driving in the slow lane.

• Lanes Matter: You’d think that being the slowest driver on the road would require you to hug the slow lane. Not true, especially in Los Angeles where every freeway has at least four lanes. I found out soon enough that driving in the slow lane, lane number four, was a death sentence. With so many drivers entering and exiting the freeway every few miles, I found that I was constantly switching lanes, stopping suddenly for incoming traffic and getting flipped off for disrupting the flow. Instead, it’s lane number three where the slow driver belongs. Incoming traffic can enter in smoothly, without disruption, as can the cars who are exiting. And if someone comes up behind me in lane number three, they can either pass me in lane two or four, and options matter for passing cars (as I can attest to).
• Carpool Lane: Forget the carpool lane. Don’t even let it tempt you. Driving 55mph in the carpool lane might get you shot.
• Avoid the 110 Freeway: The 110 freeway between Pasadena and Downtown was the first freeway built in California. It’s also the bumpiest and frightening stretch of freeway that we have in LA, where most exit speeds are five miles per hour. Not to mention, there are only three lanes, which means there are no good lanes for the slow driver to drive in. If I’m heading between downtown and Pasadena, I usually take the 5 to the 2 to the 134 or vice versa.
• Rear Anticipation: Normally, you anticipate the cars in front of you, which lane they’re in, what lane they might move into. Driving 55mph means you do the opposite, since no cars in front of you really matter because you’re not going to pass them anyway. Instead, it’s the cars behind you that matter. As a courtesy, I have been using my rear view mirror to anticipate which cars are coming up behind me, and then changing lanes to let them go by without any difficulty. I realize this may sound overly tedious, but it has garnered me a few waves and thumbs up, which makes up for the fingers and horns I get the rest of the time.

Grand Central Market Produce

Total: $10.40

[and that giant stack of nine containers…those are blueberries]

What’s Your Walk Score?

I haven’t fully checked this out, but from the few minutes I have, it’s totally worth your time. The website is called walkscore.com and it offers your neighborhood “walk score” based on several walkable factors (post offices, restaurants, banks, etc). It even breaks down fourty major cities, neighborhood by neighborhood, and allows you to compare the walkability of each one. The surburban turned urban families have already begun migrating towards diversity, tight spaces and mixed zoning here in LA, creating a vacuum in suburbia. Could walkscore be another sign of things to come? Could the suburbs become the next slum? Or will more walkable neighborhoods become more prevelent in urban planning? Or both? Interesting…

The Neighborhood

This is pretty much our whole world.
___________

[A close up shot of our immediate world contains many of our daily activities. Those would include our train stop, library, post office, park, Church and bank. The farthest point on this map is 0.4 miles away. The little yellow thumbtack is our building. ]

[When you back it up a bit further, our world is complete with Trader Joes, coffee shops, friends apartments, two theaters, gym, Kari’s work and a plethora of bars and restaurants. The farthest point on this map is 0.8 miles away. Same little thumbtack is us.]

[This is the view of what we like to call our backyard, even though it’s 4 miles to the base of these mountains.]

Thanks to Google Earth for all the time I’ve wasted.

MegaBus – More Good News For Urbanites

If you live in one of these cities, and need to get to another one of these cities, you might consider taking the bus.

I know what you’re thinking. Greyhound. And Greyhound probably conjures up images of grime and long hours and funky smells, like traveling in a developing nation or something. It means multiple stops in out of the way towns. And costs that compare to driving your own vehicle.^[a] But there is a new bus in town. It’s MegaBus and here’s why it’s worth considering:

1. Speed – MegaBus travels directly from city to city without stopping except for a short food break. I have taken MegaBus on several different routes and each trip took approximately 15-30 minutes longer than a car. Not bad when you consider how much easier it is to read, watch The Office on your iPod and stare out the window while riding on the bus.

2. Costs – Ticket prices are unbelievably cheap on MegaBus. And I mean the kind of prices that we paid for public transport twenty years ago – especially if you book a couple of weeks in advance. For point-proving purposes, here are a few one-way examples I just plugged in over at MegaBus.com (vs. car costs @ .30 cents a mile):

3/13/08 :: LA to San Diego – $1 ($36.30)

3/13/08 :: LA to San Francisco – $10 ($114.60)

3/13/08 :: LA to Las Vegas – $8 ($81)

3/13/08 :: Chicago to Minneapolis – $15 ($122.40)

3/13/08 :: Chicago to Indianapolis – $15 ($54.90)

3/13/08 :: Chicago to Milwaukee – $1 ($27.60)

3/13/08 :: Chicago to St. Louis – $10 ($89.10)

3. Cleanliness – Each bus is clean, has a bathroom and the seats are nice and comfy. Plus Megabus targets a younger crowd and that usually translates into a pretty laid back atmosphere.

4. Green Friendly – Even if every bus trip meant ten less vehicles doing the same trip, the environmental effect would be more than <a href="noticeable.

We may not be up to European standards, but this is one step in the right direction. Next time you’re thinking about getting in the car for a road trip to Wrigley or a weekend in Vegas, take the bus instead.

_____

^[a] Now to Greyhound’s credit, they seem to recognize their reputation and seem to be going in a new direction. In fact, their new slogan is “We’re On Our Way” but truth to be told, they’re still a long way off.

Los Angeles On the Cheap – Lake Produce

It’s not too often that those of us living in Los Angeles can brag about something being cheap. Our cost of living is higher than almost anywhere in America, excluding New York and San Francisco. Not only is our studio apartment rent higher than most of your three bedroom house mortgages, we also pay more at the pump, the grocery store and even at the movie theater.

So you can imagine my delight every time I go to our favorite locally owned fruits and veg shop – Lake Produce – where the prices on just about everything are significantly lower than everywhere else in town. Here’s what I got today, all for the rock bottom price of $19.50:

1 – Cantelope
12 – Jonagold Apples
2 – Carrots
3 – Potatoes
3 pounds of Strawberries
1 – Grapes
9 – Bananas
1 – Celery
1 – Onion
3 – Limes
2 – Lemons
2 – Jalepenos