An old friend of mine just moved his 22-year-old, recently-graduated son into his very own North Park apartment. His son was as excited as I’ve ever seen him, and once I saw photos of his place, I knew exactly why. The unit is newly renovated, the building is beautiful and boasts tons of energy-efficient upgrades,…
I consider the early morning hours my “me time.” I like to wake up just before the sun rises, take a walk around the neighborhood, and enjoy the few hours of silence before my phone starts ringing and work demands all of my attention. On one of my recent strolls, I noticed that one of…
I first heard the term “California energy crisis” sometime in the summer of 2000. I watched the PBS specials, saw the ABC News reports, and read the headlines in the newspapers and magazines declaring impending doom as the state witnessed rolling blackouts. My point is, we’ve been facing tough times for a while here in…
I knew a guy who moved to Santa Monica back in August of 2001 and he paid $1000 a month for a studio apartment. Today, if he tried to get the same place, he would have to fork over almost three grand. And keep in mind, that’s not some beachfront residence just off the pier…
If you’ve ever spent a Saturday afternoon walking along Abbot Kinney Boulevard, the famous strip in Venice Beach, you probably learned within minutes why GQ Magazine called it “The Coolest Block in America” back in April of 2013. There’s a local pizza joint that serves slices topped with salad, a place where you can buy…
Every morning I wake up, check my emails, and take my dog for a walk. Now let me be clear: it’s not a long walk, it’s just a quiet stroll so I can stretch my legs and start thinking about the day’s activities. But this morning was different. Something hit me about halfway through my…
