My friend and fellow blogger Ann Erdman aka Pasadena PIO dropped the tidbit on facebook.  Tonight from 7PM until 3AM Saturday Pasadena PD will be running Sobriety Check Points in random locations around Pasadena.  My advice to the Old Town Pas partiers…take the Gold Line .

There is a distinct breed of family restaurant founded in spades across the nation between the 40s and the 50s, few of which survive, that provided a Disneyana environment where the family could dine surrounded by a Yogi Bear-era “outdoor” look: faux trees, the occasional water feature, “log cabin” woodwork, abundant taxidermy. Clearman’s North Woods Inn, in San Gabriel, is one such institution.

I happened to be passing there the other day while spending quality time with the Mom. I went to Clearman’s only once, long ago, when I was in junior high school. For reasons that will forever remain elusive I had developed a passion for miniatures, along with another girl in my class, and the two of us made plans to go–or rather, made plans for our moms to drive us–down to San Gabriel where a miniature store sold itty-bitty pieces of handpainted china for lilliputian table settings to be set in itty bitty houses. Clearman’s happened to be right next door.

My friend had been there before. “You have to get the potato with the cheese butter,” she announced. Her mom, petite as a chihuahua and as perky, leaned over the table toward my mother and I. ‘CHEESE BUTTER,” she said in a low whisper… (more…)

I spotted this in Monrovia’s Library Park this afternoon.  Pic my me and will get bigger with a click.

MAFA "Featured Artist" Rouzanna Berberian

Art is the word in the SGV this weekend. Specifically FREE Art shows and receptions in Pasadena and Monrovia starting Friday night running through Sunday. Pasadena will kick it off with ARTNight on Friday and host its ARTWalk on Saturday.  Saturday is the first day of the Monrovia Association of Fine Arts (MAFA) 46th Annual “Celebrate the Arts” that runs all weekend.

The featured artist at this years Celebrate the Arts is Rouzanna Berberian. I’ve enjoyed her art since I saw her first exhibition a couple of years ago. She uses very bold, expressive brush strokes with equally powerful colors in her paintings to stir some deep emotional connections. She can be found in space 6 in Monrovia’s Library Park located in Old Town Monrovia at 312 S Myrtle Ave.

In conjunction with MAFA the folks at NuVein will be hosting a Comic Con at the Monrovia Library on Saturday only. Additionally NuVein has numerous musicians scheduled to play through out Old Town Monrovia as well as Library Park adding to the overall festivities of the weekend.

Both the Pasadena ARTWalk and the Celebrate the Arts will have numerous kid friendly venues where they can can learn about art as well as create their own art. (more…)

2011 Fiesta in Monrovia Canyon

I’m a car guy. I like to go for fun drives. Every once in a while things converge and I get to go out and have some fun.   Wednesday was such a day; I had the use of a 2011 Ford Fiesta prototype for a few hours and took it for a run up and down Monrovia Canyon.

The car: This is a prototype Ford Fiesta, a European spec production model that will vary a little from what we get in our final production form when it goes on sale next year as a 2011 model. What we will see different is changes to the bumpers to meet our more stringent standards, and a slightly more powerful, refined 4cyl compared to what the European versions get. The car’s driving characteristics won’t be changed in the process, that’s a good thing.

Driving impression: Well, I am not at a loss for words. Much cleaner handling than the Toyota Yaris and not as tipsy feeling as the tall Honda Fit. (I have been in both recently). Overall it had very crisp reactions to steering input in the tight corners in Monrovia Canyon. The suspension was controlled soaking up ruts and potholes without bottoming out or “floating” about as what was the norm not that long ago with US produced small cars. Believe the best pop culture phrase to be used to describe the overall driving impression is: “Win”. (more…)

A murder was simply reported at “domestic violence” with the body left in the street a couple of days ago in the local paper.  That was the official information given out by the city of Monrovia regarding the incident.

Turns out it was much more to the story than what was initially given to the SGV Tribune, and fortunately they were tenacious enough to follow the story.  Turns out the victim was porn actress “Felecia Tang”.   Her boyfriend according to the Crime Scene blog is being held on 2M bail for the torture and dismemberment of the young actress also known as Felecia Lee.

Now Fox news, save your jeers and sneers, is reporting that the alleged murder appeared on “America’s sexiest Bachelor” and held degrees in biblical study and worked as a “Christian mime”.  Full Fox story here.

Sad she died the way she did, but at least the alleged murder is in custody.

Over 2 weeks old there are still 3 hot spots that continue to be difficult for fire fighters to bring into complete containment and alleviate concerns for the Foothill Cities in the SGV.

Those most threatened, like Monrovia,  have a manned fire information center where locals can ask questions and determine best for themselves what the risk is.  Right now for Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Bradbury, Azusa and Duarte to be in immediate danger the largest of the fire lines would need to climb one ridge, then another then work down into those cities.  In short, conditions and crew in place are such that it likely won’t be happening.  We will need to deal with the fine powdery ash and faint smoke smell until at least the 19th when containment is expected to be complete. (more…)

This past weekend, the LA Greekfest wrapped up with Salsa Night at St. Sophia Cathedral. As always, the atmosphere was fun, but the food left a lot to be desired. If you missed last weeks festivities and still want to attend a Greekfest this year, the Pasadena Greekfest is this weekend.

The Hellenic Festival at  St. Anthony Greek Orthodox Church runs September 18 – 20 and has a jam-packed schedule of shows, tours and exhibitions.  Admission is $3 and children 12 and under are free. Street parking is available. Despite being at a smaller church, the Pasadena Greekfest seems much bigger, perhaps because there’s a lot more particapatory activities than there are shopping booths. For what it’s worth, the bonus of the Pasadena Greekfest is that the food is cheaper and definitely better than at the LA Greekfest.

You can see more of my photos of the LA Greekfest on my flickr page.

I still get a little excited when I see movie sets in my corner of the world.  Yup, today was no different even though it made me late for a morning coffee meeting due to traffic control even on the sidewalks in Old Town Monrovia.  It was still fun watching all the action and talking with the rent-a-cops and stage hands getting the deets on the movie, who’s in it etc.,.

Today’s celebs were of the old school sort, Betty White and Jamie Lee Curtis with roles in You Again.  (The IMDB doesn’t put it as a Disney flick but several of the set hands we chatted with attributed the film to them).

The cell pic is by me and will get bigger with a click.

Driving down Myrtle Ave here in outer Monrovia earlier today my son spotted this license plate first and exclaimed “Dad…think that guy has crotch rot?”.  Closer inspection of the plate in question I wondered too what DMV safe meaning “SWTYPNS” could have had.  Can anyone come up with one?

The crappy cell phone pic taken by my son is after the jump and feel free to do so. (more…)