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  Featured image credit: Sansculotte When it comes to houses for rent Los Angeles architecture buffs would adore, the supply can be pretty tight. That’s not to say we lack architectural wonders. Few other American cities can give you Spanish Colonial Revival bungalows across the street from a historically significant Craftsman home neighboring a modern brutalist masterpiece. If you don’t have the money (or commitment) to buy, then these structural studies in art are often out of your reach. But every once in a while, we’ll come across architecturally significant houses for rent Los Angeles patrons of the arts would appreciate (to say the least). And lately, throughout LA, homes designed by legendary architect Richard Neutra have been hitting the rental market.  What’s So Special About a Neutra Home? Photo credit: Los Angeles Times We covered Neutra recently in our home spotlight, focusing on his experimental Neutra VDL House . But for the click-adver...

  Featured image credit: Tedder Don’t call it a ghost town. Although, admittedly, California City is a ghost of what its creators intended. If we’re looking at it purely from the perspective of land area, it’s the third-largest city in California (bigger than San Francisco and Sacramento) and the 43rd biggest city in the country, measuring in at just under 204 square miles. So, why have you never heard of it? Because fewer than 15,000 people live there. So, yeah, not a ghost town. But there’s also never a very long wait at the McDonald’s drive-thru.  Building Cities from Dust Image credit: Plotlist You’ll find California City about 100 miles north of Los Angeles in the Antelope Valley, not too far from Lancaster. But that still puts it pretty far from virtually anything else. Who would think it would be a good idea to try to build a thriving metropolis from scratch in the middle of the Mojave Desert? To understand that, you must first understand the...

  t’s that time again – but who needs a written warning when you already have the alarm percussively blowing up outside your window? You’ve no doubt heard the fireworks already, even though Independence Day is still weeks away. It almost seems like they’ve just kept going straight through from last year. But LA doesn’t wait for an excuse to indulge in some light pyromania. The Dodgers won? Light some fireworks. The Dodgers lost? Light some fireworks. And the closer we get to the 4th, the more frequent (and bombastic) these amateur displays become. Now, a disturbing revelation regarding January’s nightmarish wildfires is bringing heightened tension to the fireworks Los Angeles citizens so adore. Fireworks at the Root of the Palisades Fire Photo credit: Adam Berman Will we ever definitively know what sparked the Palisades Fire at the beginning of January? It’s inspired plenty of speculation, with one of the more popular theories being that it all started with a...

  Featured image credit: 29 Palms Inn Official Site In the community of 29 Palms, an authentic desert experience doesn’t necessarily mean roughing it. This truth is artfully illustrated by the historic 29 Palms Inn, a community staple that has been serving visitors to the area since opening in 1928. At just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Joshua Tree National Park HQ & Oasis Visitor Center, and directly bordering the magnificent Oasis of Mara, it offers an authentic way to connect with the Mojave Desert without leaving your comfort zone.  A Standard 29 Palms Inn Welcome     Like a series of desert flowers blooming amidst the thorny cacti of the Mojave, the 29 Palms Inn greets travelers with pastel-painted facades of adobe, a welcoming respite from the harsh desert conditions. Pulling up to the arrangement of tiny sanctuaries introduces an unusual sensation at once novel and familiar. It’s the perfect platform for catching the e...

  It was September 2018 when California’s Governor at the time, Jerry Brown, signed SB721, the California Balcony Inspection Law. A similar law, SB326, applicable to condominiums, followed in 2019. So, why are we talking about these laws now? Because we’re just about six months away from the inspection deadline! If you’re a multi-unit property owner or you own a condo, it’s time to get acquainted with this law so you can make sure you’re compliant before accruing any costly fines.  The California Balcony Inspection Law Was Inspired by Tragedy Photo credit: Envato Before 2019, California law didn’t focus any specific attention on balconies, porches, decks, and the like. That all changed in 2015. The collapse of a balcony in Berkeley resulted in the deaths of six people, leaving another seven individuals injured. It seemed like a loss that could have been prevented. Thus, lawmakers were inspired to draft the California balcony inspection law, SB721, whi...

  Featured image credit: City of La Cañada Flintridge Perched in the rustic foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, La Cañada Flintridge (frequently shortened to La Cañada by the locals) is a city beloved by those who want seclusion without giving up the conveniences of the city. You can feel like you’re in a wooded resort in La Cañada, even though you’re still firmly in Los Angeles County. Considering a move? We’ve collected all your must-know information right here in our Neighborhood Watch. So, before you start perusing the active La Cañada homes for sale, get the details here!  The Sprawling City of La Cañada Flintridge Photo credit: Doc Searls With the 2020 census reporting just 20,573 residents, La Cañada isn’t a very densely populated city, though part of this is due to its rugged foothill terrain. In the periods when the land belonged to Spain and then Mexico, the city’s name was established as Rancho La Cañada, with the Spanish word cañada m...