The area was largely transformed in the mid-twenties by developer A.W. Ross who sought to create a commercial district comparable to downtown Los Angeles out of a rough road and farmland west of Western avenue. The result was the Miracle Mile which attracted huge commercial interest, making Ross’ venture a resounding success. Since that time, the Miracle Mile has managed to stay relevant for over 80 years.

The Miracle Mile boasts a few high rises and multistory commercial buildings like the Variety building and the Samsung building, but it remains mostly a low rise neighborhood. Many of its apartments, condos and commercial properties remain only a few stories high. The low rise buildings reduce the urban aesthetic and inject a hint of suburbia that is refreshing. Many of the apartments rent for between $2000 to $5000 and some studios go for as little as $1000. Condos and houses in the area average between half a million and $1.5 million dollars.

This is definitely a neighborhood for the trendy urban dweller that likes to be just within reach of everything. The Miracle Mile sparkles with the magic of possibility and excitement. It also has a relatively young demographic which ranges between 20-40 year-olds and the seasonal influx of UCLA students. On an average day you will find strolling couples, joggers, and foodies enjoying their favorite meal or beverage at a local eatery or coffee shop. The historic Wiltern Theater and El Rey Theaters are just minutes apart on the Miracle Mile giving way to a bastion of ethnic and local eateries, offering cuisine from India and Italy to Africa and Korea.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is undoubtedly one of the crown jewels of the Miracle Mile. It houses a number of fine art collections, hosts cultural events year round and is located only seconds from the La Brea tar pits, a naturally occurring phenomenon in Southern California. The famous Peterson Automotive Museum along with LACMA are among the many museums and cultural spots in the neighborhood.

While the Miracle Mile appears mostly untouched by the economic downturn, the neighborhood has seen some changes. It has seen the demise of a few local businesses and many have been replaced with big box commercial venues and franchises. Additionally a number of newer condos are being developed in the area, along with a luxury car dealership. And while many of the changes have been beneficial, there are markedly more commercial, residential and medical office vacancies. The neighborhood has also seen foreclosures on a few of its condos and single family residences. These changes may be a temporary sign, but shrewd buyers and renters may want to remain vigilant in the current bear real estate market.

Overall, the Miracle Mile has remained relatively stable. The area has many factors working in its favor. Its proximity to Hollywood, UCLA and Beverly Hills has helped to keep this a vibrant and economically resilient neighborhood. The La Brea Tar Pits, Museum Row and its numerous entertainment venues also help to keep the Miracle Mile a hot spot for affluent Angelenos, students, and tourists. Its cultural diversity and proximity to many of Los Angeles’ notable neighborhoods make it a desirable location for those who like accessibility and variety.

We’re taking a step back from discussing specific regions and the lovely condos they offer again today. Today I am going to tell you about some of the finest markets and shops for those… gourmands among you. If you love to cook and you live in L.A., this article is the one for you. If you hate cooking but live in L.A., maybe forward this to a friend. If you love cooking but live in Macon, GA then maybe when considering your next move… ah forget it.

Los Angeles boasts scores of locations where the foodie set thrives. There are dozens of farmer’s markets, fish markets, vegan only specialty shops, spice stores, etc. Today I am going to brief you on five places, all of which are very different from one another but representative of the wonderful variety of spots available the Angeleno who is a real food lover (see, that works too!).

Farmer’s Market – “The Original”
Humble? No. Excellent? Pretty much. The Farmer’s Market at Third and Fairfax is open every day, offers all sorts of crazy-good fresh food and boasts extras that really none of L.A.’s other markets can, what with its permanence. There are prepared food vendors spread out among those selling fresh foodstuffs, so you can fill up as you stock up. You can even grab a drink at one of the two fine bars there! Or just get your arugula and saffron and off you go.
www.farmersmarketla.com

The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills
Hey, are you way into cheese? Like… really into it? Like $70 platter of assorted goat cheeses sounds totally fine with you? Then welcome home, mon amí! Or… something that makes sense in French. From caviar to charcuterie to spreads and crackers and – you guessed it – lots and lots of fine cheeses, if you’ve got the pocketbook for it, this is the place to get cheese in L.A.
www.cheesestorebh.com/

Spice Station
Passing through the up and coming and ever so hip neighborhood of Silver Lake? Say, while you’re here, you should stock up on lemon pepper and coriander and sugars in colors and varieties you did not know existed. And much, much more. The Spice Station is basically unbeatable if you want the obscure, the extreme… the… spiciest? And you can buy as much or as little as you want, so it’s perfect for that oddball ingredient you need for that rub you are making without leaving you the proud owner of a useless ounce of blanched paprika (no, that does not make sense). (They also have a Santa Monica location FYI!)
www.spicestationsilverlake.com

Market Gourmet
This excellent market in the Venice neighborhood boasts all the right foodstuffs, will happily deliver to your location and offers catering services and gift baskets to boot. You know what this market looks like and offers – it is what you picture when someone says “gourmet market.” So if that’s your thing, come on by! Or rather head on over there… don’t come by here, I’m busy.
http://marketgourmet.biz

The Oaks Gourmet
If you’re a Hollywood denizen (or just passing through), you owe it to yourself and your taste buds to check this place out. It’s newer, barely two years old, but excellent indeed. The cheese and wine selection alone are reason enough to visit. Ditto the coffee and pastries. And, y’know, everything about it, really. There’s chocolate like you read about (um… like you just did… 2 seconds ago), prepared food, etc. Just take a look at their website and then head on over.
www.theoaksgourmet.com

So I thought, “Hey! Let’s run with that!” Thus today I shall profile three areas where you could live (almost) entirely without your car. Unless you wanted to go see a friend in Venice or Pasadena or South LA. All those will require some driving – say… 40 minutes worth? Anyway, I’ll give you briefs on each area, then one fine example of a condo that could be yours in said area.

We start with…

SANTA MONICA: A famous city, right by the beach, beautiful, blah blah. Santa Monica is a great place, we all know that. But so is, say, Malibu, and good luck without a car there. In many areas of Santa Monica, however, you can live in a lovely home and be within a five minute walk of groceries, fine upscale dining, casual cafes, bars, a movie theater and shops ranging from department stores to an REI to Rite Aid and beyond. (Oh and there’s that whole beaches along the Pacific Coast thing). Santa Monica is a large city, and much of it is more suburban and not as walking friendly. But as you move toward its charming downtown, see the laudatory list above and take a look at this awesome place.

BURBANK: Much of Burbank is entirely residential and does not fit our narrative of today. But we’re not talking about that part. Nor are we talking about the Warner Brothers or Disney lots. You can’t live there, sorry. Where I’m going to focus is on the downtown of the city, which is actually, ironically, near its very northern border, just north of the 5 Freeway. Along Glenoaks and San Fernando Boulevards from the east to west and roughly between Burbank Blvd. and Alameda Street running north to south is an area of Burbank where you can shoot pool, grab groceries, hit the mall, see films in several theaters, go to Ikea, eat at all types of restaurants and taverns… and so on. You could live on foot indefinitely. (And ironically, the DMV is not far down the road either!) Check out this available home for a taste:

WEST LOS ANGELES: Lots of people have trouble nailing down exactly where “West Los Angeles” denotes, exactly. Well, let me elucidate it for you… it’s east of the 405 but also some on the west of it. It’s north of the 10 Freeway (if you ask most people). It’s south of and not to be confused with Westwood and it’s west of Century City which kind of stops at… um… Overland? Or before that? OK! Fine! It’s hard to define. So I’ll find you a home near the intersection of Olympic and Sepulveda. That will give you what many Anglenos dream of… close access to two major highways! Wait! Forget I said that, we’re talking about NOT using your car! (Oh well, it’s still true.) This area affords you a shopping center, various ethnic restaurants, grocery stores, etc. The rent/mortgage here is decidedly lower than other areas and perhaps it’s got more… character… but stand by… I smell gentrification in the air…Check it out

If you want to see any of this fabulous LA real estate or take a look at some different listings simply enter your information into the box on your right and a expert LA real estate agent will get in touch with you ASAP!

First let’s do the basic numbers. According to the report by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000, 4% of the population of L.A. County was between 55 and 59 years old. 60 to 64 year olds made up 3.2%, 65 to 74 year olds came in at just over 5% and older than that equaled about 4.5% of the county’s total population. So that’s about 33.5% of the total population of Los Angeles County aged over 55 years. Now, let me clear the airwaves and say that 55 is not old. Nor is 65, anymore. And 75? Not like it used to be, certainly. But with age come certain benefits, such as the wisdom to plan ahead. If you can find a great deal on a great home that could be your own indefinitely, even as your needs do start to change in your older years, why not jump on it?

There are also a number of great condos in LA with a number of amenities that let you live your golden years in comfort and luxury. You can check out some of those listings HERE or enter your information into the box on your right and an expert real estate agent will get in touch with you ASAP!

If you read my earlier article on the housing market in Downtown, you know that now is a decent time to buy a condo in the area. They are abundant and run the gamut of prices, from ultra-luxury homes to, shall we say, homes with lots of “character.” But what we still need to discuss is just why you might want to live downtown. I could talk about the beautiful, Frank Gehry designed Walt Disney Concert Hall or the stunning cathedral or all the dining and retail opening up around the city, but today we’re going to focus on something else. If you read the article’s title… um… yeah, you already know…

The L.A. Art District’s nascent days were the later 1970s. Artists from surrounding areas – with a large number of them from western communities like Venice – began to flock to eastern downtown thanks to the wide availability of large loft spaces for cheap rents. In fact, the area was previously known as the “Warehouse District.” As so often happens, the decline on one thing, in this case business, led to the ascendance of another, here being art. (Think of the Meat Packing district in NYC.) Many of these first downtown artists lived an essentially squatter’s lifestyle, living illegally in the commercial spaces they used as studios.

Eventually, in 1981, the zoning ordinances were altered to meet the new reality of downtown, and by the mid-80s there was a bustling (and legal) community of artists living and working in Downtown L.A. By the 2000s, the area was popular not only among artists but also among young, usually affluent young people who rapidly gentrified the area. In 2006, the community voted to usher in a Business Improvement District measure, which brought heightened security, cleaning and maintenance services and infrastructure improvement, essentially cementing the area as a place both hip and safe to call home.
Today, among the studios and loft-style apartments and condos, many signs of the area’s roots are still in exisitence. A rail line still links up to a functioning rail yard and active warehouses, food and industrial processing plants still occupy city blocks. What’s newer is the abundance of shops, restaurants and cafes. Visitors (or residents) in search of the eponymous mainstay of the area – namely artists – would do well to start off with a stroll down “Gallery Row” off Main Street. Well over a score galleries are there for you to visit. And don’t forget about the nearby museums and theaters, from world-famous MOCA to the unique Museum of Neon Art. And for those looking for an LA art primer, why not try the Art Walk? On the second Thursday of every month, a street in downtown is transformed, for the afternoon, into one giant – and free – art show to be strolled through by the aficionados and the curious alike.

If your thinking of buying a condo in the area simply enter your information in the box on your right and a rock star real estate agent will get in touch with you ASAP!

Historically, this area has rocked hard. From The Doors in the 60s through Guns n’ Roses in the 90s and to the lively bar, convert venue, night club, etc. scene of today, there is always something going on along The Sunset Strip.

What you will find more of along this piece of Sunset Boulevard (which runs clear to the ocean, for those not from around here) today that may not have been so prevalent when Jim Morrison was shocking the square community is fine dining and high end retail. Don’t worry, the cool is still there. But you can get a great steak and an evening gown, also.
What say we toss out some of the things to do at night, starting east at Crescent Heights Blvd. and heading toward the Pacific. First off…
THE LAUGH FACTORY – yep, you guessed it: it’s a comedy club. The Laugh Factory hosts the biggest names in comedy getting back to their stand up roots and it hosts improve nights for folks just starting to cut their comedic teeth (which can be gut wrenching to watch, believe me). If you like comedy and slightly over priced drinks, stop by. Then head down the street to the…
SADDLE RANCH CHOP HOUSE – a fine place to grab a bite but, let’s be honest… you’re here for some drinks, maybe to shoot pool, to mingle and to watch people fall off the mechanical bull. And that’s fine! Have fun and then head on to…
HOUSE OF BLUES – again, you nailed it! Music, some of it with a bluesy tint (I love that “bluesy” is a real word, by the way!). Actually, to be honest, the blues aren’t exactly the mainstay of this place… it’s kind of just a venue for all types of tunes, from metal to Motown. But a fine venue at that! Farther west down the street – and maybe call it a night after this – we find…
MEL’S DRIVE IN – don’t worry, you can walk in, too. And sit down. Great food, great drinks (yes, cocktails… this is not your grandfather’s diner) and a fun environment in this L.A. staple. Fill up, cool down, then head on home. Tomorrow we’ll start with…
SUNSET PLAZA SHOPPING CENTER – um… some boutiques, some little cafes and such. Not as “Sunset Strip” as we’re going for here. So grab a coffee and some designer glasses and let’s head on to…
THE WHISKEY A GO GO – this, friends, is quintessential Sunset Strip. It’s rock n’ roll and has been since the term was cool. This was the home of The Doors (I mean literally… they were the “house band” playing there night after night, defining their sound and their audience), this was where you heard Buffalo Springfield, They Byrds, this is the venue from which Dustin Hoffman’s character Benjamin follows the girl he has insulted in The Graduate… this is the place. And it has been for years. Wait for your favorite bands to come through or just show up, grab a drink, and hang on for the ride.

And if you still need something else to do or you’re tired of your ears ringing, walk across the street and one block back east and check out Book Soup. “A bookstore!?” you ask quizzically. “That’s not very ‘Sunset Strip.’” Don’t worry – this is no ordinary book store. It is… superlative. From everything out today to first editions of our greatest writers, somehow indeed this book store manages to be rock n’ roll.

So there you have it, friends! Your evening is planned! What? Oh, right… high end dining and retail like I mentioned…Tell you what – just grab a steak at Boa Steakhouse or a little snack at La Petit Four and check back with me later. I’ll cover dining and retail soon, but for now, I spent all my money on drinks at Mel’s and old copies of Hemingway novels at Book Soup.

If you are interested in purchasing a condo near the Sunset Strip or if you would like to know more about Los Angeles Condos simply enter your information into the box on your right and a rock star real estate agent will get in touch with you asap!

Sigh. Fireplace, Pacific breezes, over 1,500 sqft….

We can always dream, right? Here’s the listing, a Santa Monica palace of a condo:

Ocean Park Blvd.

With homes for purchase (price tags range from $500,000 to well above 7 figures) and rentals, home hunters with a wide range of budgets can call the beautiful residences here home.

The resort-quality pool, the concierge service… well… let’s let them speak for themselves:

AMENITIES

• Private fitness club
• Resort-style pool & spa
• Outdoor fireside retreat
• Luxurious appointed library
• Club room
• Lobby Ambassador
• Private residential elevators
• Gated parking garages

So… pretty nice way to live, right? Pretty nice sounding homes and features, no? Well that’s just exhibit A. If you were to live at The Americana at Brand, you would have, just outside your door, no fewer than 21 food purveyors. And that’s from high end Italian, Mexican or Japanese — Trattoria Amici, Frida and Katsuya, to be precise — to little stands selling sweet cream puffs and pizza by the slice. Which is not to denigrate Richie Palmer’s Pizzeria… the pizza they make may be the best in Glendale. Oh, and they deliver, too.

The shopping at The Americana is absolutely first rate. And I mean an Apple store that’s less than a month old, a Tiffany’s, Anthropology and about every clothing retailer you can think of. (OK, admittedly, that is shameless hyperbole… here, just check out the link bellow)

The Stores

If, somehow, that impressive roster is not enough for you, just look approximately seventy feet to the east. See that? That’s the Glendale Galleria, one of the largest malls in the country. There you’ll find dozens more eateries and scores of shops, including a three story Target. I think you’ll find what you need. No matter what it is.

Perhaps the best part of the whole “Americana experience,” if I may, is something beyond the residences, the shopping, the dining or the first-rate movie theater with its 18 screens and stadium-style seating.  What is best about the Americana at Brand is how it genuinely feels like a community. And a vibrant one at that. At all hours of the day families stroll the and grounds and meander in and out of shops. The restaurants are always busy. Parents lounge on the grass as children run about or lean over the huge, multi-tiered fountain.

There is always something going on. Always. There seem to be weekly concerts out on the lawn. Companies come from far and wide to offer give-aways and contests, ranging from a new organic chip to a chance to win a Cadillac. Celebrities show up to red carpet photo ops. At the Farmer’s Market every Saturday there is much more than just local food for sale — there is a live band, a petting zoo and even a gentleman making balloon art for children. There is a trolley that lazily plods around the development, delighting youngsters and adults alike. Every hour the fountain comes to life with a dazzling water show set to music.

A visitor can spend hours strolling about The Americana without spending a penny and still call it a fine day (though it is just as easy to spend a whole lot of pennies…). Likewise, one can live there indefinitely and still find new things to try and do, to taste and see every day. The landscape is ever changing. The community is alive. And during the holidays… twice every evening… they make snow fall from the sky.

Image Courtesy Caruso Affiliated / www.americanaatbrand.com

Famous boulevards and avenues pass through the neighborhood — Melrose, Sunset and Santa Monica, to name a few — bisected by little streets lined in charming homes and apartments.

The makeup of this city-within-a-city (a feature common to Los Angeles; unique to the area) has much to do with its neighbor, Beverly Hills, immediately to the West. There are plenty of single family residences with tiny but neat yards, but the rarity of turn over and price tags are something of a limit on moving into one.

However, many of the beautiful 1920s and 30s homes that line West Hollywood’s streets were built as duplexes or to house three or four families, often intended for the people who worked in the mansions of Beverly Hills’ wealthy residents.

Today many of those homes once thought of as “servant’s quarters” are some of the most sought after real estate in the LA area. They are well built (good old back-in-the-day construction) with all the little features that are so often left undone today: wainscoting, crown molding, nooks and built-ins, etc. And when you live in WeHo, everything is just a short walk away, be your goal groceries, live theater, a cocktail or a new outfit.

Most of these multi-family residences are rentals, but if you are lucky enough to score a condo in West Hollywood, you’re a happy home hunter. People who move to Los Angeles often find themselves drifting toward this central location and rarely find themselves leaving it again. And if you found a condo like this, why would you?

Not far from downtown, not far from the beach, close to Hollywood, just below the mountains… West Hollywood truly is in the middle of all that is Los Angeles. And with the aforementioned mix of things to do and the wide ranging kind of people you’ll meet there, in many ways it is a perfect slice of Los Angeles life.
Image courtesy of City of West Hollywood, CA
Images courtesy Sunset Strip Realty

Koreatown is seen as a “mini Seoul” boasting a huge Korean population with a posh nightlife that has upscale Karaoke studios and pool halls. But it’s the location that makes it’s real estate so desirable. As quoted in wikipedia;

“In 2000, the city of Los Angeles began to promote smart growth and removed many of the parking, low-housing, bed, pollution, tourist and new construction taxes that placed restrictions on any development and growth. With very little open land left in the city, the city eyed pre-1980′s Koreatown as the ideal and model for the future of L.A. Most importantly however, Koreatown is in the center of the city of Los Angeles.”

Check out these trulia.com condos and see what the K-Town market is like.

Aside from San Francisco and Oakland, this is the third biggest Chinatown in California. LA’s Chinatown is small but efficient — And I will refrain from any film references with incestual adultery staring Jack Nickolson. With shops and restaurants sprouting up, as well as the Geffen Museum. Like Koreatown, it offers a central location as well as access to the Metro. Check out these trulia.com listings to see what’s for sale in Chinatown.

Little Tokyo is by far the smallest of the three. If it weren’t for a YELP event I wouldn’t have even known it existed. But what a gem. Walk to the Museum of Contemporary Art, and enjoy one of only 3 Japantown’s in the entire state. It is home to these luxury lofts.