Wine Wine Wine

Rapid Bus 704 - Santa Monica / Lincoln

Like any decent LA happy hour spot, Bodega is a subtle presence.

Announcing itself with naught but a little sign, Bodega Winebar looks quite red from the outside (in fact, the red windows are its most distinctive feature), but is easy to pass by if you don't know it's there.

Inside, red is still the prevailing color, and their red wines seem to be their star players. At happy hour you can sample some fun wines (the Petit Syrah was the group favorite tonight), and nice appetizers to share with friends in a very low-key environment.

If you're looking for a place to sit - the back tables have brighter lighting and seem a bit more private (as in, you'll have trouble finding your friends if they're sitting there). The raised window seats are very fun, but you might get a bit warm if you're sitting there before sunset. In the center of it all are long tables with stools where you can socialize with larger groups or make new friends. All in all, it is a nice mix of seen or not-seen, mingle or alone.

Since Bodega is located around the corner from Lincoln, just a quick block from Santa Monica Blvd, it is easy to grab a bus and head home when you're done, and it saves you a buck or two on valet parking.

Arbor Ardor

Big Blue Bus, Line 5 – 26th Street

Some people drive cars. Some people plant trees. Some people make art.

This car, formerly known as a Mercedes, is now decorating the entrance to the Santa Monica Museum of Art at Bergamot Station. It is one of four “Junker Garden” cars created by Farmlab, the thinktank/performance venue/art group which evolved out of the Not a Cornfield project.

The this junker garden was the center of today's Cause for Creativity: Arbor Ardor event.

Inspired by the 2006 eviction of the South Central Farmers from their community garden, the Junker Gardens evolved as a way to bring the garden back to the city. Farmlab realized that constructing mobile or container gardens would cost a fraction of the $16.3 million demanded (and, subsequently, refused) by Ralph Horowitz to repurchase the 14 acres in South Central that once constituted one of the nation’s largest urban gardens.

With a car, some space, some soil, and a few days, Farmlab explained how to build your own self-contained car garden. Although you can’t exactly drive it, it can still be towed, pushed, or dragged from place to place.

Volunteers from TreePeople were on hand, showing kids and parents the essentials of tree planting, but, unfortunately, not planting any actual trees.

Together they created art trees with colored scraps, potted two-by-fours, and staple guns. The colorful garden grew throughout the afternoon with the help of children's hands.

The objective was to expose the groups of children to art, the process of creation, and the idea of growth. The hope was to inspire the kids to look at nature, see what can be created, and plant the seeds of art and arbor ardor (too much alliteration?) in them.

While fun, I still prefer actual trees. It would have been exciting to gut, decorate and plant old toy cars with real plants that the kids could take home.

As a young squirrel, I once visited TreePeople and planted little pine tree seedlings in old milk cartons. That day I learned that even little me could create and be responsible for something living. Something that could very well out-live me.

TreePeople is still doing plantings like this at their Coldwater Canyon nursery. One day I will try to venture up the canyon to join them again (it’s a long walk).

At the end of the day, the City of Santa Monica Environmental Programs Division spread the word about the green living and business workshops they offer, and offered printed copies of the City of Santa Monica Environmental Directory for all attendees.

It was a sunny, colorful day filled with art and laughter and thoughts. Although I was the only one leaving Bergamot Station without a car.

Boots!

Metro Local 304 – Santa Monica Blvd/Purdue

Boots are made for walking, not driving!

Well, except for the Quality Shoe Service boots. There are actually two driving boots (that I'm aware of).

This red one is a new phenomenon. They’re better known for their large black cowboy boot.

Although I’ve never seen either of them driving. They’re always parked.

Maybe it’s true. Maybe they can only walk!

Good Will

Metro Local 304 – Santa Monica Blvd/Barrington Ave

This is the best Goodwill ever.

No, really, I’m serious.

They have brand new, brand-name clothes. They have Ikea furniture. I have even seen real furs, runway clothes, and genuine Swarovski crystals.

Best of all, they have talking raccoons.

He says: Wendy – Please take me home. I love you. Feed me.

I even met Wendy (you can almost see her and her friend in the background of this picture).


It turns out she hates raccoons. They steal her cat’s food.

Go figure.

(sub)Urban Yard Watching

Walking means that you get to slow down, take the side streets, walk against traffic...

...hang out in strange places.



...meet someone new...



...see something that's not from around here...



...and realize that, even if you don't have to mow the lawn, you still have to rake the leaves.



(Yes, that is all fake grass. Have I mentioned lately that people are weird? They are. Quite.)

Home is a little slice of heaven

Welcome to my slice of the pie. It is a short runway strip of grass created by the unruly nature of Santa Monica Blvd, which is one of those rare streets which refuses to conform to the straight lines of city planning grids.

It was probably created because no one knew what else to do with a spare triangle of curb, since there's already a Starbucks across the street.

It is also nicely gated, and locked at all times, to keep pesky humans out.

Sometimes I miss the standard park fixtures - little old ladies who pass out peanuts, grubby kids who drop their sandwiches - but not enough to give up having the whole place to myself. Most squirrels I know don't get that kind of luxury.

The only human disturbance I see at home is from the city's gardeners who trim the grass, rake the leaves, and keep the whole place looking Mr. Clean (which I bet is a lot easier to do in a park with no people; even the bums forgo their native park bench habitat to sleep across the street on the lawns and alleys of apartments-turned-condos, on account of this fabulous fence).

The bars do tend to give the place a touch of Alcatraz, which I is pretty trendy at the moment. Personally, I would prefer something a little less black. Perhaps I can convince the city to paint them. Does anyone know how to write an urban beautification project work order? And how long do you suppose it would take to fulfill?