Shop WeHo this Thursday!

The 2nd Annual Avenues of Art & Design Holiday Shopping Night is this Thursday, December 10, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.  Participating businesses will stay open for extended hours and offer shoppers special discounts, hors d’oeuvres, beverages, and signature gifts. Visitors can expect a festive atmosphere complete with decorations, lights, music, and carolers and Santas roaming the district.

The Avenues of Art & Design, which consists of Melrose Ave., Robertson Blvd. and Beverly Blvd. in West Hollywood, is considered the West Coast’s premier high-end destination for fashion, interior design, art, and cuisine. Combining fashion and design with a warm neighborhood vibe, the district boasts pedestrian-friendly streets and more than 300 exclusive, unique businesses, with the Pacific Design Center as the district’s anchor.

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This free evening provides the perfect dose of holiday glamour and exceptional hospitality.  New additions for 2009 include personal shoppers to help gift givers navigate their way through the “Avenues” with their shopping lists. Gift wrapping stations throughout the district will wrap shoppers’ purchases for a small charitable donation.  Last year’s featured businesses included: Crystalarium, Sheila, Co Co de Mer, Kreiss, Beckley, Alpha, Alberta Ferretti, Soolip, Hamilton-Selway Fine Art, Robert Kuo, John Varvatos, Makeup Mandy, B. Boheme, Kitson Studio, Kitson Men, Platt Boutique Jewelry, Ed’s Coffee Shop, Bel Bambini, H-L-N-R, SUNSTYLE, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Le Bra Lingerie, Marco Pelusi Hair Studio, Inc., Steven Alan, 655 Home, and DIVA/B&B Italia. For the latest news and information on the Holiday Shopping Night, please visit www.avenuesartdesign.com.

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The Avenues of Art & Design was established through a West Hollywood City Ordinance as a Business Improvement District (BID) in 1996. Home to more than 300 of the world’s finest art galleries, antique shops, furniture showrooms, fashion boutiques, salons, elegant eateries and fine restaurants, the Avenues of Art & Design is known worldwide for its selection of luxury products and services. The Avenues of Art & Design is affiliated with the West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau. For more information, call 310-289-2534.

Savor the Season: An Event to Prevent Domestic Violence Among Teens

On October 11 the B-Man and I had the opportunity to attend an event to support Break the Cycle, an organization dedicated to preventing dating & domestic violence among teenagers.  According to the statistics, one in every three teens will experience abuse in a dating relationship.  That is a pretty scary thought.  This year’s event, Savor the Season, was held at the Lot in West Hollywood.  The Lot, by the way, has been home to many film and television shows since 1920’s.  Most recently, the second season of HBO’s True Blood was filmed in part at the Lot.

Savor the Season brought out some of Los Angeles’s best restaurants for a night of tastings, wine, music, and auction items.  We were guests of the event designer and planner, Ryan Zynger of Zynger Events.  Ryan, along with his partner, Justin, really knows how to put on an event.  The venue was perfect for this event.  The music was upbeat, but not too loud, and the tasting selections were amazing.  It was a good choice for these restaurants to participate as they are sure to get more business.  Of note were Reservoir in Silverlake for their shrimp taco deliciousness and the Cake Balls by Delicious Wishes of Beverly Hills.  Yes, Cake Balls!   Another treat was that my good friend, Bonnie Graves, was there sharing some of her favorite wines.  Bonnie is Girl Meets Grape on Yahoo and just a loving person.

Savor the Season at the Lot in WeHo

S & B enjoy the evening...

This slide was a pretty innovative way to get guests to think about teen dating/domestic violence.

Imagine that this many Americans are dealing with this.  And it is still can be a very taboo subject.  Makes me want to check in with the teens that I know and make sure that they are okay.  I applaud Break the Cycle’s efforts on behalf of teens everywhere!  And thank you, Ryan for an amazing event.

New Businesses still flocking to West Hollywood…

Even in these tough economic times more businesses continue to see West Hollywood as a great opportunity.  Among others, in the past six months both Tender Greens and Yogurt Stop, have thrived in WeHo.  Both businesses are frequently at capacity.  Later this week, GYM Sportsbar is set to open where the Normandie Room was at Santa Monica & Hancock.  According to their press release,

GYM New York has won numerous accolades including being voted NYC’s Best Happy Hour for several years running, New York’s best gay bar by AOL City Guides and one of the five coolest places to watch the Super Bowl by the New York Post and Time Out.

GYM Sportsbar West Hollywood will be THE place to gather with friends to watch all of your LA sports teams, hang with your buddies or swing in by yourself and make new ones.  GYM West Hollywood will bring the same commitment to amazing customer service, low prices and warm, welcoming environment that has made GYM New York such a fixture in the NYC GLBT nightlife community.

America’most popular gay sports bar, GYM Sportsbar of New York City is opening it’s brand new West Hollywood location on Friday, Oct. 2, 2009.

The night will start with a private VIP Grand Opening Party open bar from 7-9 pm and will welcome the public at 9pm sharp.  Featuring a front outdoor patio, 9 huge state of the art High Def TV’s, a  projection wall and new sound system.

GYM Sportsbar West Hollywood will be THE place to

gather with friends to watch all of your LA sports teams, hang with your buddies or swing in by yourself and make new ones.  GYM West Hollywood will bring the same commitment to amazing customer service, low prices and warm, welcoming environment that has made GYM New York such a fixture in the NYC GLBT nightlife community.

GYM New York has won numerous accolades including being voted NYC’s Best Happy Hour for several years running, New York’s best gay bar by AOL City Guides and one of the five coolest places to watch

the Super Bowl by the New York Post and Time OutThe night will start with a private VIP Grand Opening Party open bar from 7-9 pm and will welcome the public at 9pm sharp.  Featuring a front outdoor patio, 9 huge state of the art High Def TV’s, a  projection wall and new sound system.

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According to the sign, Healthy Spot, kind of a swanky doggie-care “spot” is coming to Santa Monica Blvd also, just east of La Cienega.

We know that West Hollywood is a more-than Dog Friendly Community.  A pampered dog is a happy dog?   According to their web site:

Healthy Spot is committed towards unleashing our customers’ passion for their dogs by being the leading provider of the finest products, premium services, quality information and highest care while breeding social awareness of compassion and canine education for the community.

Now if we can get all dog guardians/owners/walkers to pick up their dog droppings from the sidewalks and grassways, we’d be in good shape!

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The last one that I saw this week is Block Party We Ho in the location that long house A Different Light Bookstore!  BTW – if you wish to continue to support ADL you can order from them online:  http://www.adlbooks.com/ The poster reads Fun Fashions, Cool Cards, Books and Selected Magazines.  I couldn’t find a web site so stay tuned.

Block Party WeHo

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So that I don’t appear to be focused on SMB only, recently the SoHo House was approved for development on Sunset.  SoHo House has a few worldwide locations including NYC and London and bills itself as a Members’ Only Club.

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As always, I strongly encourage supporting local businesses (as long as they are being a good community member).

Live, Work, Play… and Stay in West Hollywood!

Walking WeHo Favorites – Restaurants!

Look, I exercise to eat!  Here are some of my top restaurant choices and why I Live, Work, Play and Stay in West Hollywood.

Marix Tex Mex is probably one of the most popular around.  If it is Monday, tomorrow must be Taco Tuesday!   The Healthy Bean is a great little coffee shop and a nice place for a quiet meeting.  On the flip side, Java Detour is another fun coffee house to chill and meet people.  If you haven’t tried the Oh My God Roll at Ari-Ya then you are missing out.  Cafe D’Etoile does not have a web site but it is a fixture in the community and has a long history of consistently yummy food from prime rib and scallops to the “oops, I drank to much and need the d’etoile hamburger!”

Sur on Robertson is an excellent restaurant.  They have the best lunchtime chop salad around, delicious sangria, scrumptious appetizers and just about the best looking waitstaff in all of LA County.  The B-Man and I love to get Poquito Mas when we want a quick, healthy and fresh Mexican meal.  I have recently become a fan of St. Felix on SMB.  At Happy Hour you can get a yummy slider (with blue cheese) and a small portion of sweet potato fries for $5.00.  Yup!   Cafe La Boheme is divine!  Champagne Bakery for a nice, quick breakfast croissant.

The Flavor of India has amazing cuisine.  You can’t beat Hamburger Mary’s for fun food.  I love, love, love Joey’s Cafe for breakfast or lunch.  Our pizza likings have bounced around over the years but lately Panini on Sunset has been fulfilling my east coast pizza tastes.  Tango Grille has great steak and my favorite Italian meat sauce.  Sweet Chili is my favorite Thai place.  They are so nice.  The food is fresh and delicious.  When I am sick I must eat their Glass Noodle Soup with Chicken and extra red chili sauce.  I am convinced that it has magical powers.

And, of course, Yogurt Stop.  Yes, I was one of the neigh sayers.  I would walk by every night on my way home and think, “ha, just what we need, another mostly empty yogurt place!”  And then they opened.  My theory, everyone like to pump it themselves.  It’s all in the control factor.  Great flavors, fun staff, awesome ambiance, perfect location and Marta and Misti are delightful.  Trust me all the cool kids are there!

Live, Work, Play and Stay in West Hollywood!

A new slant on “Public Option” Health Care

WH Insiders offers Specials and Deals to many West Hollywood Businesses

As an extension of its efforts to boost the vitality of West Hollywood’s businesses in a difficult economic climate, the West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau (WHMVB), in partnership with the City of West Hollywood, is launching a new “economic stimulus” program called WH Insiders.The program will highlight promotions and specials offered by West Hollywood’s trend-setting restaurants, shops, hotels, spas and entertainment venues. WH Insiders will launch its new website, www.WHinsiders.com, in late July.

WHMVB is developing WH Insiders in response to current research showing that consumers are looking for value-added features and extras that help them extend their budgets. Consumers are also trending toward shorter, closer trips and vacations, so the program will be targeted to locals and potential visitors from throughout Southern California and other drive-in markets.

Want the inside scoop on the city’s most popular happy hours? Curious about the latest sale going on at Sunset Plaza’s upscale boutique shops? WH Insiders will provide an up-to-date, user-friendly listing of the City’s best values. Visitors can subscribe to email updates, which will highlight the latest news and offers in the City.

The website will also allow users to print out certificates that can be presented at any of the participating businesses to redeem their special offers. Another feature of WH Insiders will be a “share” function that will allow users to recommend promotions to their social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace. For more information about the WH Insiders, go to www.WHinsiders.com or please call (310) 289-2525.

From the City of West Hollywood:

As an extension of its efforts to boost the vitality of West Hollywood’s businesses in a difficult economic climate, the West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau (WHMVB), in partnership with the City of West Hollywood, launched a new “economic stimulus” program called WH Insiders. The program will highlight promotions and specials offered by West Hollywood’s trend-setting restaurants, shops, hotels, spas and entertainment venues. www.WHinsiders.com.

WHMVB developed WH Insiders in response to current research showing that consumers are looking for value-added features and extras that help them extend their budgets. Consumers are also trending toward shorter, closer trips and vacations, so the program will be targeted to locals and potential visitors from throughout Southern California and other drive-in markets.

WH Insiders will provide an up-to-date, user-friendly listing of the City’s best values. Visitors can subscribe to email updates, which will highlight the latest news and offers in the City. The website will also allow users to print out certificates that can be presented at any of the participating businesses to redeem their special offers. Another feature of WH Insiders will be a “share” function that will allow users to recommend promotions to their social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace. For more information about the WH Insiders, go to www.WHinsiders.com or please call (310) 289-2525.

What’s Happening in WeHo tonight, August 5

Wednesday, August 5th:

Lambda Legal is co-sponsoring a screening of Annul Victory, the exciting documentary from Manmade Multimedia and Reel Gay Television about the fight for marriage equality and the Prop 8 election battle. Lambda Legal’s Legal Director Jon Davidson will speak.

WHEN: August 5, 2009 at 6:00 pm

WHERE: Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood

Don’t forget to join us for the after-party at The Abbey (WeHo). For more information and tickets, go to Opening Night 2009.

METRO: Westside Subway Extension Community Update

The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO) will be conducting a series of community meetings to update individual communities on the planning and progress of the Westside Subway Extension. This extension, targeted for completion by 2016, will extend the current Los Angeles subway system all the way to the City of Santa Monica, including stops in West Hollywood.

The meeting for the West Hollywood community, open to the public, will provide an update on METRO’s current plans and the impact construction will have on our community, as well as address any concerns you may have. I urge you to attend, as input from our community is vital to the planning process as METRO continues to refine their plans, the route alternatives, and discuss the construction process.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009     6 – 8 PM

Plummer Park     7377 Santa Monica Blvd.

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Equality Network is having a major fundraising event, “Family Values” on Wednesday Night at Eleven Nightclub in West Hollywood at 8 PM. Equality Network has a great fundraising team of brand new activists who have worked their butts off the past couple of weeks. They’ve organized a great event with 8 performers, 5 DJs, a Red Carpet with celebrities, and a Silent Auction with over $25,000 worth of stuff to auction off.

All we are asking for is a $10 donation, more than 90% of which will go directly into organizing for the repeal of Prop 8, sending a contingent to the National March on Washington, and fighting for the repeal of all anti-LGBTQ laws and policies. If you cannot make it on Wednesday for whatever reason, please consider donating instead.

TO BUY ADVANCE TICKETS FOR ONLY $10 or to DONATE: http://www.gayfamilyvalues.org

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WeHo Supper Club benefiting Lambda Legal, Wednesday, August 5th

The Hall Courtyard Brasserie Palihouse Holloway 8465 Holloway Dr.

Call Now for Reservations!! – 323.656.4020

*Be Sure to mention WeHo Supper Club to ensure a portion of your food/drinks benefit the charity.

Come and relax after a hard day on the Rooftop Deck for Happy Hour or after dinner drinks!!

Happy Hour from 6 – 8pm!!!     Dinner Service 7pm – 11pm

Valet parking is available for $10. Street parking is also available for first-come, first-served. Walk or take a cab if you live close by!

Come for drinks even if you can’t do dinner!  Special Recession-friendly 4 course prix fixe menu for $40!!!

Benefiting Lambda Legal www.lambdalegal.org

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Saturday & Sunday, August 8 & 9, 2009

Final Lange Foundation Fundraiser, Estate / Garage Sale

8714 Santa Monica Blvd. (Former MCC Church)     10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Tuesday, August 4, join WeHo’s National Night Out!

This is one of West Hollywood’s best events of the year

National Night Out Against Crime

Join your Neighbors, the West Hollywood City Council and their Deputies, West Hollywood Public Safety Commissioners and Staff, LA Sheriff’s Personnel from West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station and Personnel from LA County Fire Station 7 & 8 (serving West Hollywood) as well as local business owners and employees for this annual event.  Details here: National Night Out.

Free Food & Beverages + Give-Aways + Raffles + Games + Music = F U N

What’s Happening while Walking WeHo is Sashaying in San Francisco

Pavilions Grand Opening:  Thursday, July 23, 3:00 pm ribbon cutting!  Everyone has been looking forward to this day.  As much as we love our Trader Joe’s we have sure missed the Pavilions.  Click here for more details.

The Mismatch Game with Dennis Hensley: Friday, July 24, 8:00 pm at LAGLC.  This is a laugh-your-ass-off good time for $15.00. Click link for tix.

Saturday, July 25, Meet the Mayor, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon

West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land will host the first of a series of “Meet the Mayor” events at Plummer Park (7377 Santa Monica Blvd.) as an opportunity for West Hollywood residents to meet the Mayor, share their views and concerns and obtain information about various City services and programs.

Additionally, Mayor Land will also be hosting a collection for the SOVA Food Bank during the event. SOVA has seen a 40% increase in demand for its services over the last year.

Saturday, July 25 & Sunday, July 26: The City of West Hollywood and the Classical Theatre Lab will host the Third Annual Free Shakespeare in the Park with performances of the play “Twelfth Night, or What You Will” on select Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer. “Twelfth Night, or What You Will” is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to be written around 1601 as a twelfth night’s entertainment for the close of the holiday season. Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard. Both performances begin at 5:00 pm.

And while I am gone, please enjoy all that West Hollywood has to offer including some of my favorite locations; Tender Greens, Cafe D’Etoile, The Healthy Bean, Tango Grille, Eat Well, Cafe La Boheme, Marix, Ari-Ya, Baby Blues BBQ, Poquito Mas, and, of course, Yogurt Stop! My motto;

Live, Work, Play…. and Stay in West Hollywood!

Roast Sunday Lunch at the Hall West Hollywood

Check out the Hall at the Palihouse.  The new Roast Sunday Lunch has apparently been successful and will continue.  The Palihouse Holloway in West Hollywood has been a little neighborhood gem.