Sweets and Streets

Pop quiz!

What do The Everly Brothers, Frank Zappa, and Tom Petty have in common?  If you said they're all dead, you would be wrong.  Don Everly is still alive at the time this blog is published.  The correct answer is... They all have songs featuring California's famous Ventura Boulevard.  The celebrity street is featured in songs, music videos, films, television, and video games.  Of the 18 mile long stretch of road that runs on the other side of my apartment, a quarter of a mile down sits a mom and pop (mom and son, in this case) bakery that is a sweet spot to the Hollywood big shots.  Articles showcasing the likes of Tom Cruise and Donnie Wahlberg boasting about Doan's Bakery hang on the walls like a proud grandmother's Picture Day gallery.

Two of my teacher friends came to my house and in the warm 90 degree sunshine, we took the famously sung about 'walk down Ventura Boulevard'.  Hanging under the awning of the bakery's large window front in welcoming scroll is the word 'Coffee' adjacent to the friendly Doan's Bakery mascot.  The shop is run by Washington state native, Karen Doan and has been in business since 1983.  An oversized picnic bench sits in the center of the dine in area surrounded by an eclectic mix of seating options as well as a red micro bistro set for kids.  Bright art, fresh flowers and plants, and fun signage gave the dining room a sense of home.  The domed case containing the baked goods acted as both the register counter and partition to the on-site bakery.  Inside the case was a blissful selection of cakes, cupcakes, and pastries.  After the owner gave each of us a taste of her handcrafted lemon cupcake filling, as amazing as it was, we all defaulted to our instinctual choice: chocolate.  As the last chocolate croissant, sitting at 8 inches long and 3 inches across, called for a split between my girlfriend and I, our other friend snatched up a chocolate cupcake lined with white chocolate chips inside with cream cheese frosting and a rich ganache topping.  To complement our sweets, I ordered a hot mocha latte, my girlfriend had a cold mango tea, and the other teacher enjoyed a hot latte with a nice layer of foam.  My coffee was decadent.  The chocolate flavor over shadowed the coffee and when I reached the bottom of my cup, there was half an inch of ooey gooey dark chocolate goodness.  I only wished I had ordered cold coffee instead of hot, as the air conditioning was losing its fight against my sweltering self.

Business came and went while I listened to my teacher friends discuss they various perks and downfalls of their careers.  One taught in another country and the other taught just down the street.  I was learning about pushy parent techniques while a couple came in and worked with the owner to create a custom wedding cake at the counter.  A couple of teenagers came in for iced coffees as I found out about what kind of degrees and credentials are needed in various countries around the globe.  I had a brief time working in a school years ago and was interested in hearing all about what was the same and different since my time with kids.  

We spent a significant amount of time there, stalking the foot and road traffic on the historical thoroughfare.  The owner added new covered cake stands filled with treats which my friend soon noticed contained one of his favorites; red velvet cupcakes.  He made a comment about possibly choosing that instead of the chocolate if he had seen it prior.  Sweet Mrs. Doan then packed up one of those colossal red beauties for him to take home and enjoy at no charge.  Touched by the gesture, my friend immediately hopped on his phone to give a glowing online review.

For 35 years, this family run, sugar heavenly stop, has done quite well on the street that is also home to the Valley's first golf course (1922), and that acted as a walking memorial path for the late Tom Petty.  Delicious desserts and fair trade, freshly roasted coffees, served with a family feel, will bring me back again for sure. 

    

#ShopSmall

Shop Small Saturday came about as an annual tradition to celebrate small businesses while bringing communities together.  In 2010, American Express, the credit card company, created it to promote spending in smaller shops during the busiest time of the retail year.  The Saturday following Thanksgiving is where it all started but some businesses promote shopping small every Saturday of the year.  One of the shops I follow on Instagram hosts events and craft fairs on some Saturdays using #ShopSmall.  It's a simple hashtag that reminds people to support independent companies and mom and pop shops while they might otherwise get lost in the great big corporate world.  I used an artist signing to take advantage of supporting 3 small businesses this past Saturday in the nearby neighborhood of Burbank.
Elsa Chang is a Character Designer with Disney but I found her on Instagram through other artists.  She was at The Neko Stop, a kawaii Japanese stationary and gift shop, signing her art and selling her doodle books and other merchandise.  Kawaii, is Japanese for cute or trendy, and Neko is Japanese for cat.  Elsa's vintage Disney cartoon style art fit the theme of the stand-alone store.  I was nervous to be around a talented artist that I admired, but mustered up a hello and we bantered about our favorite YouTube celebrities and our various pets.  She was warm, welcoming, and funny.  Happily, she signed two of her pieces that I purchased and added a personal message on each.
A little over a mile away was the next stop on the #shopsmall tour.  Owned and operated by a woman, this quirky shop, The Perky Nerd, is a catchall for everything nerdy.  At the entrance, current comic books line the wall to the left, Pop figures and women's accessories featuring Wonder Woman run down the center, and on the right, the cash counter adorned with more Pop figures and supplies for the cold brew coffees they sold.  Unfortunately, they don't brew fresh coffee there but offer bottles and cans of Stumptown cold brew and sell Stumptown beans to brew at home.  In the middle of the store, a cozy section of couches sits across from a few tables, at the time, set up to play a Star Wars tabletop game.  The walls and shelves surrounding housed art by local artists.  I instantly fell in love with a collection of toddler superheroes and science fiction characters acting like kids, leading to my second art purchase of the day.   In the very back of the store is a raised platform.  This is a special events area.  At the time, there seemed to be some card games being played by a younger demographic, so it was noisier than the rest of the place.  Usually this space might be for gaming tournaments or artist signings, but as I mentioned, this place is quirky.  In May of last year, a couple was married in this event space.  On the way out,  The Husband purchased a Nitro Cold Brew that we shared.  I'm not saying I regret this purchase, but it definitely was not my usual brew.  A carbonated punch in the mouth, followed by a watery taste, and ending with the bitter, gritty flavor of licking a used coffee filter.
To finish up the small business shopping spree, the last stop of the day was only a couple of blocks down from The Perky Nerd.  A community loving, cat rescuing, board game and tea shop known as Geeky Teas and Games.  Also run by a woman, this shop creates its own tea blends with a geeky or pop culture theme.  The layout here has a large focus on tabletop games.  Five dollars per person lets you borrow and play any of the available board games in the shop.  A wall of seemingly never ending games runs floor to ceiling in the first third of the space.  Following that are the games for purchase.  Included among the Dungeons and Dragons figures, the many versions of Dixit, and the hilarious Deadpool version of Munchkin, is local artist's work and teas to match the franchises on the shelves.  This includes a Big Bang Theory tea and a Dungeons and Dragons tea, which came with dice.  The artist's work varied from silhouettes of Dr. Who characters to a tissue box cover that looked like the Ghostbuster's ghost trap.  Further toward the back of the shop was my favorite meet and greet of the day, Mr. President.  Mr. President is the ultra sweet and laid back shop cat.  A pudgy tuxedo that let every customer pet him and took it all graciously.  He hung out on top of an old pinball machine, just outside of the cat rescue room.  Could this place get any better?!  The owner runs a cat rescue inside her shop, while volunteers come to help care for the cats, they're pretty happy just hanging around, people watching, from their Star Wars cat perches.  Two sleek and vocal Bengal cats occupied the room for now with adoption forms just outside.  The opposite side of the shop consisted of multiple areas for game-play.  I thoroughly enjoyed the attention to detail around the shop.  The giant Dr. Who Tardis and Minecraft Steve outside, immediately clue you in to what to expect inside, but the details that take a minute to realize are there, remind me of the detail Disney puts into their stores and parks.  The Sherlock wallpaper was one of those components that really showed me the love the owner had put into her store.  Almost daily events are held at the shop as well as some charity fundraisers and Geeky Teas is a voice for the community as well.  In addition to being a rescue, the shop's social media feed is constantly sharing information to keep the integrity of the city on the up and up.  After chatting with the owner for a bit, The Husband made a few purchases, including the Goodberry tea.  This tea is based on a spell in the Dungeons and Dragons game.  We brewed it when we got home and enjoyed the strong berry flavor and more subtle black tea background flavor.
I am always thrilled to share when I enjoy something.  Shopping these little locations and then telling others about them, I hope to get these businesses a few new customers.  When you #shopsmall, your money goes to families and artists who are doing what they are most passionate about.

The Perky Nerd sold merchandise adorned with a likeness of the owner. Cute!

Also on this counter was a place to brew the tea.

Hello Mr. President!

Look closely to see both beautiful Bengals.  Then look at The Enterprise, The Millennium Falcon, and Serenity.

Geeky Teas weekly schedule, closed on Mondays.

My art purchases for the day.  I'm upset that I never got the artist's name on the bottom piece.

Geeky tea!

On A Walkabout

Nobody walks in L.A..  Everyone has either heard or said that phase at least once in their life.  There's a book titled that, and a 2016 movie.  Realistically, walking in L.A. is quite common.  L.A. has tons of places that are great for getting in your steps, but the caveat is that you have to drive to a location to get your walk on.  L.A. is so spread out and huge that you find yourself among endless apartments, palm tree stumps, and broken sidewalks if you just stepped outside and went for a go.  Instead, there are plenty of plazas, farmers markets, and open air spaces to enjoy the California weather.  Most with free parking.

The husband and I took a 5 minute drive from our house to The Commons in Calabasas, a mix of upscale boutiques, casual eateries, and general strip mall shops.  It's well-lit and dog friendly.  Ample outdoor seating options and a large man-made pond for turtles and fish.  Every person you come across greets you with a smile.  As you walk the area, from end to end, classic Frank Sinatra music is pumped through speakers that are hidden away in the beautiful, fragrant landscapes.  Kids are bouncing all over with their phones, catching Pokémon and texting each other to meet at the movie theater or for ice cream.  Behind The Commons is the Calabasas Library (and Civic Center), which is usually very quiet, maybe because it's so well hidden or because the Barnes and Noble, just feet away, has a Starbucks Cafe in it.

To get to The Commons from our place, you take a small street behind the freeway, and down to Calabasas Road.  There you find the road shrinks down to one lane each way as you're met with a wooden sign that reads, "Welcome to Old Town Calabasas".  This Old Town is only a block long, and The Commons is just on the other side.  Old Town is set up as an ode to the old Western facades.  There are wooden planked sidewalks, hitching posts, and wood siding on some of the older buildings.  The popular Leonis Adobe structure sits in this area as well, dating back to 1844 and is one of L.A.'s oldest surviving buildings.  Right across the street from this historical landmark is a newer eating establishment that has been on my 'to visit' list for about a year now, The Six Chow House.

Leaving our car parked at The Commons, we took the half mile walk into Old Town.  The Six, has been a quiet little hot spot for some of the Hollywood's stars that reside in the more reserved L.A. area of Calabasas, like the Kardashian's and Justin Bieber.  There were no Pop sightings for us when we reached the front door of the eclectic eatery.  Right away, a host took us to a massive suede plush booth.  The ceiling had tin shingles, there were sliding barn doors hiding away a private party, and in a separate room was a good sized, backlit bar.

One side of the menu featured a full page of sharable appetizers and dinners, and on the opposite side were the drinks with options such as soda, wines, beers, hard alcohol, and Machtails (alcohol free cocktails).  Next to the Machtails was a tiny red logo that I was thrilled to see, Illy, a fantastic espresso based coffee brand.  One Please!  The husband went with the Will I Am Machtail as a refresher from our walk.  But as we sat and gaze upon the menu while waiting for the drinks, the food started to beckon to us.  We had come for just a drink each, but the chicken Mediterranean flatbread caught our sight and got our taste buds salivating  faster than we could realize that we still had to walk back to the car.  Now, we might be waddling back.  It was worth it though.  The flatbread was phenomenal.  It could have easily fed four people but we couldn't risk having to carry those leftovers for the whole half a block back.  I ordered a second cup of coffee before we made our departure.  I truly enjoy Illy coffee for its richness without bitterness, and the way The Six presented it when ordered, adds to that.  You taste with your eyes first, so being able to watch the cream mix into the dark coffee through the glass is very satisfying. 

Near the restrooms is a story painted on a wall above a booth.  I'm not sure how true it is but it claims to be the backstory for the restaurant’s name.  Being named for six artists seems believable, but in a block long, old west style suburb, it could also be as made up as this street.  On the walk back to the car, we agreed to do a few more laps around the center, putting in for an easy three miles total. 

The Next Step

15 miles south of Disneyland, in the heart of Costa Mesa, California, the person I admire most, took the next step in her life.  The Little One said I Do to her best friend.  Beaming with smiles from ear to ear, the stunning bride took the short walk down the aisle, guided by her dad and step dad upon each arm, and led by her mom and step mom.  These people gave the Little One the beginning of her life’s story and as they reached the steps towards the man who would now help write the rest of her story, there were few tears shed.  Most of them were mine.  Guests gathered in the stone floored courtyard of the hotel.  The sparkling fountain, surrounded in fresh, seasonal potted flowers, and an arch at the top of the steps to the fountain was where the groom awaited his bride.  Friday, 4pm, was a sunny mid-afternoon, and, while lacking a breeze, it just the right temperature.  As the bride’s hands meet to her fiancé’s, it is visible how deep their love runs, how elated they are to be all encompassed by this ceremony, how the justice’s words, having been personalized towards them, touch their hearts, and they make known their intent for happily ever after.  The service is brief, and as every aircraft from nearby John Wayne airport, interrupts, the guests laugh.  Old friends and family meet new on each side.  Everyone is welcoming.  We all cram in for one large portrait before the guests are ushered away to enjoy drinks, dancing, snacks, and mingling, while the family and bridal party are held behind for countless photos.  I gave a traditional Harpo Marx pose with the bride, and bunny ears for dad.  The happy couple requested a tech-free ceremony.  None of the professional photos of the service will have those obnoxious and distracting phones, tablets, or cameras in them.  We were all 100% engaged in the moment and it was perfect.

At the end of the cocktail hour, the bridal party was introduced to waiting guests like star athletes, with Mr. and Mrs. at the tail, seamlessly dropping into their first dance together.  Immediately following, the doors opened to reveal the hotel pool area, having been transformed into a nautical themed reception.  The pool was blocked off by a standing fishing net.  Weaved throughout it, photos of the newlyweds gave an entire history lesson of each of them and their lives up until this very moment.  A memorial table was set up to honor those who were no longer around to share in this special day.  In another location was a table with many silly props that encouraged guests to use in photo booth fashion.  Dinner was served, speeches were made with champagne toasts, games were played, and then the cake was cut.  As the cake was passed out, coffee was offered but I had left the table so when I returned, I saw my seatmates with steaming cups of coffee, and quickly found the girl with the coffee pot.  The coffee met with the cookies and cream cake as those this was the marriage we were here to celebrate.  Neither too rich on its own or with each other.  A second round of cake was passed around shortly after.  This time is was a lemon mango tier.  It was incredibly delicious, but not quite the coffee match as the first offering.  I only ate a few bites of each while I tried to sip my coffee.  I was whisked away from my table, never to finish my single cup of coffee.  Too many people to chat with, pictures to take, and a dance floor starring my young nephew breakdancing that I had to be a part of. 

As the evening came to a close, many shoes were removed due to pain, ties undone while the beer count increased, and karaoke style ballads were sung to the Disney loving audience that was left to hear its unique, whiskey influenced versions.  I said goodnight to the newly officiated couple and went home.  As the two return home, The Little One continues to take new steps.  She finished school and now will be starting a career in the field she got her degree in.  They have moved to a new state and into a huge new apartment.  All of these new steps will now be taken with her husband, who is a wonderful guy that I am thrilled to call family.  I remember her taking her first steps, in life, after each struggle life threw in her direction, and now the steps that continue her path into the future.  The Little One makes me pour over with pride, excitement, and inspiration.  I can’t wait to see what comes next.