The Best Little Used Bookstore in California

This bookstore isn't in Hollywood. It's 75 miles to the west in Ojai, California. So it's a day trip. But it's a great day trip. You can sit on the beach in Ventura first, then drive the 16 miles north to Ojai and make the bookstore your first stop in the pretty little town of Ojai. Part New Age, part agricultural orange-growing valley, Ojai has one of the best used bookstores I've ever been to.

It's called Bart's Books. 

The books here are all great. No worthless dieting books or trashy celebrity biographies for 50 cents. They've got everything you could ask for, the selection gleaned by the owners who really know good books.

They're very reasonable, usually $6 to $8 for a paperback and many hardbacks. In very good condition.

And everything is neatly shelved in alphabetical order by section, so there's no rummaging through piles of books on floors to find that book you need. And almost all of it is outdoors. Cool.

Use the link above for the address, or just ask in town where to find the bookstore. Everyone in town knows where they are.

For more information, see this longer blog I posted on my website: Truly Lost in the Cosmos

Get Your Car Washed Where the Hollywood Stars Do

I'm a Realtor, and like any good Realtor, I need a sparkling, clean car to drive clients around in. So where do you find a trustworthy car wash in Hollywood and West Hollywood? I read all the Yelps and reviews about the various car washes in the area and finally took mine to the Santa Palm Car Wash on Santa Monica Boulevard. For $13.95 for a basic wash, they do a great job every time vacuuming, cleaning the interior windows and leaving the wheels sparking clean. I have no complaints. While they're spiffing up your car, take a look at their version of Mann's Chinese theater: their wall of fame. Over 200 autographed photos line the walls of the hallway, so you can watch your car being washed and get a giggle over the photos of the big names...and not-so-big names. Enjoy. Who knows....you might just get your big break here.
8787 Santa Monica Boulevard  Los Angeles, CA 90069

(310) 659-7888

Explore Millard Sheets Mid-Century Bank in Hollywood

A few weeks ago, I did a blog on the modernist, mid-century Millard Sheets SoCal Home Savings Bank on the Corner of Vine and Sunset. Here's an article in Curbed LA giving you the whole scoop on the building (now a Chase branch) and can lead you to all of his other works. http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/09/mapping_millard_sheetss_beautiful_socal_home_savings_banks.php
The article also has a great map that lets you find all the other Sheets building in the Los Angeles area. So get your hair done up in a beehive, put on your lime-green Capri pants and enjoy the work of this mosaic-prone architect who did so much to beautify L.A.

Get Custom-designed Poetry in the Hollywood Area

I first saw this woman at the Ivar Farmer's market in August with her little stand and typewriter. I watched as she talked to a client and banged out a poem right on the spot and read it to her client. Neat, romantic, unique. It seemed like a wonderful idea. I haven't seen her the last few Farmer's Markets in September, but she's still out there. I've attached her business card. So if you're trying to romance someone but can't seem to find the words, give her a call or email.

Lose Weight While Practicing Your Affirmations in West Hollywood

SoulCycling is the new rage. You basically spin on a stationary bicycle in the noise and heat while someone yells affirmations at you. Not my cup of tea, but some people love it. Katie Holmes does it. So does Lady Gaga. So why not you? It's close too. At the Equinox Gym on the Sunset Strip. Here's an article that appeared in Vanity Fair's September Issue about the sweating, grunting, yelling, life-affirming cycling classes: http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2012/09/soul-cycle-celebrity-cult-following
8590 West Sunset Boulevard  Hollywood, CA 90069. 310-289-1900

Free, Terrific Historic Walking Guide to Hollywood Boulevard Area

Published by the Angel's Walk LA organization, this is a terrific guide to the history, buildings, signage, and movie and theater palaces in the Hollywood area. It makes a really great read. (There are other maps of other L.A. areas such as the Wilshire area and one of Union Station. You can dowload the pfd of the Hollywood Boulevard walk here:
http://www.angelswalkla.org/walks_hollywood.html

See Two Art Deco Sculptures in Hollywood

Because Hollywood was the center of early, modern Los Angeles, it's awash in Art Deco buildings and sculpture. These two sculptures were created by Paul Manship, entitled the Flight of Europa. The one sculpture can be viewed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and was modeled in 1925. The same sculpture can been seen in a much larger form in front of the Chase bank (formerly Washington Mutual Bank) at 1500 North Vine Street.