You know things are bad when even the architecture is against you. Yet, most Angelenos express at least a passing familiarity with a concept called “hostile architecture.” Alternatively known as hostile urbanism or, by those supporting its use, defensive architecture, hostile architecture strives to use streetscapes and designs in public areas to put up some […]
Featured image credit: Mauroguanandi If you gave your three-year-old a box of crayons and told them to make up a tree, it might look a little like the floss silk tree. Appearing like flora from an alien world, the floss silk tree is characterized by its prickly trunk, cotton-bearing seedpods, and bountiful blossoms of pink […]
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons Anyone who’s visited Los Angeles knows it’s jam-packed with fascinating characters and some of the most notorious traffic in the country. And what’s an ordinary driver like you and me to do while stuck in grueling bumper-to-bumper congestion? Take in the spectacle of iconic cars and the captivating individuals driving them, […]
Featured image credit: Choose Glendale When searching for your dream home, it pays to do your research into the surrounding neighborhood. Our new regular series, Neighborhood Watch, gives you an overview of some of the most commonly asked questions about the neighborhoods we service, getting you started on the right foot in deciding whether a […]
In the realm of real estate absorption rates, it seems that what goes down must come up. At least in the competitive housing market of the Greater Los Angeles area. As we head deeper into the autumn, the sun that shined so brightly on prospective home buyers is slipping behind the clouds, returning favor to […]
Featured image credit: Visitor7 We often talk about the history of Los Angeles on this blog, but today we’re going back to the very beginning. Sort of. Indigenous people lived in the area we call Los Angeles for centuries before the city’s first stone was laid. But if you ask locals to take you to […]
In our line of service, we meet people every day chasing their dreams of homeownership. And often, those dreams aren’t very exacting. A surprising amount of people are in the market for four walls and a roof… anything else is icing on the cake. And there’s nothing wrong with that! But Glendale’s historic Harris House, […]
Featured image credit: Russ Allison Loar The Queen Mary has quite the reputation. No, we don’t mean a disgraced monarch. We’re talking about the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary permanently moored in the Port of Long Beach. You know, the allegedly haunted Queen Mary? She ferried the world’s ultra-wealthy across the globe’s blue highway for […]
Featured image credit: Alexander Migl It’s not quite the Hotel California, but it’s still allegedly quite difficult to check out of the Roosevelt Hotel Hollywood. At least if you believe the rumors. The ones about haunting melodies carrying down corridors from unidentifiable sources. Or shadows moving in ways that shadows shouldn’t move. Even the occasional […]
Featured image credit: Jim Heimman from his book California Crazy & Beyond – Roadside Vernacular Architecture It’s understated to be sure, but there’s something special about the autumn in Southern California. You wouldn’t think our arid, sunny, and often sweltering atmosphere would be particularly welcoming of cinnamon and spice. And, sure, you won’t find many […]
