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  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...

  Featured image credit: MONA Glendale When Blade Runner hit theaters in June 1982, it introduced us to a portrait of LA’s dystopian future, a constant barrage of polluted rain plummeting into percussive refinery fires. And, at street level, neon as far as the eye could see. Though modern LA can at times echo the film’s art deco dystopia, they got the abundance of neon dead wrong. Fortunately, Glendale’s non-profit Museum of Neon Art is keeping the dream aglow with its vast collection of electric and kinetic curiosities. And, of course, wall-to-wall neon radiance.   An Impressive Collection of Neon Artifacts Photo credit: MONA Glendale You might want to pop on some vintage 1980s Ray-Ban Wayfarers before stepping through the curtain of the Museum of Neon Art. You could find the welcoming glow overwhelming. The admittedly tiny gallery is adorned with all manner of neon memorabilia: art, historic photos, and, of course, plenty of vintage signs. A...

  The designer numbers Elton John and Madonna among his patrons. Featured image credit: Peter Lai Designs & Asian Village We’ve sung the praises of Little Tokyo on this blog before, so don’t take this as any kind of disrespect. But if you’re looking for something truly unique, you may want to peer beyond the surface-level Little Tokyo shops to a hidden pearl that you won’t find anywhere else. Lodged between Little Tokyo and the Arts District, Peter Lai’s Asian Village is, in some ways, the closest you’ll get to an authentic Japanese or Chinese experience in LA. And in other ways, it’s unlike anywhere else in the world.  A Vision Transcending Cultures Photo credit: Peter Lai Designs & Asian Village With an illustrious three-decade career as a visionary designer and fashion trailblazer, Peter Lai seems like he descended from the stars. But he was actually born in Hong Kong in 1951 into a family of costumers working in theater, television, an...

  Featured image credit: Friends of Big Bear Valley It’s estimated that around 100,000 people flock to the mountainous resort town of Big Bear every year. Yet, your best chance of seeing the most illustrious seasonal residents is by staying glued to your computer. That’s because no one in Big Bear is as popular as the renowned bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow. Since 2017, the power couple have been the stars of a live camera situated at their nest allowing the world to watch each season as they struggle to bring new eagle fledglings into the world. It can be an emotional watch. Yet, each autumn, as Jackie and Shadow return to their stomping grounds, thousands upon thousands tune in to witness their latest 8-month chapter unfold.  Update – June 2025: And just like that, the Jackie and Shadow show is more or less concluded for the season. Both of their eaglets, eventually dubbed Sunny and Gizmo, successfully fledged by early June. Sunny was first, fol...