Dropping In at a Few of LA's Best Skate Parks.

Los Angeles is the birthplace of skateboarding, home to Dog Town and the Z boys and part of the lifestyle that makes Southern California living so charming. Admittedly when my son, Oliver, first got into it, I wasn't so sure how I felt about it. Here I was with my 3 year old down at Venice Beach with the smell of cannabis and grime in the air. The vacant stares of some of the kids were slightly horrifying to me. Much to my relief, not long after, my son put his board in the garage, where it remained untouched until about 2 months ago.

Cut to 6 years later. Mama goes on a date and her date takes her skateboarding. Mama had no idea that skateboarding was so fun. After a great afternoon cruising the boardwalk, Mama decides she needs to get a skateboard and start skating with Oliver.  One night instead of walking to the local Omusubi joint (Sunny Blue...yum), Mama suggests skateboarding instead. The kids are delighted and off we go. On the way, there is a big parking lot and the kids end up spending about half an hour racing back and forth across the asphalt. Annnnnnnddddd Oliver hasn't stopped. No matter how much I beg him not to, he insists on skating in the house. We have spent countless afternoons at the Cove in Santa Monica where he races around, drops into the pools and carves the curves.

Last night we went down to the Venice Beach Skate Park. It was a gorgeous evening with the sky painted in yellow and orange as the sun was setting. It was a fantastic backdrop for watching the kids skate. Oliver did not have his board and was itching to join in. Again, the air smelled of weed, the kids looked a little scary but they were happy and Oliver was happy. It is a place where kids of all types can be together and just enjoy themselves. Ultimately, this is really what it comes down to. Whatever influences there are starts at home and I just need to chill the hell out about it and trust that my son has a good head on his shoulders. We met a kid who was an amazing skateboarder, he skated with such grace and ease in his black hoodie that covered his face that had clearly been sliced with a knife or something. He was kind to Oliver, shook his hand and offered to help him next time he came down. Really, what more can one ask for?

The Cove and the Venice Skate Park are two very different locales. The Cove is in Santa Monica and consists of mostly sunken pools.  One needs a membership and there is a pay per use fee of $3 that doesn’t seem all that enforced. It is fenced and all skaters must wear all the necessary pads and helmets. The yearly membership is $10 or $15, depending on whether or not you are a residen. Children under 6 years old are not allowed and there are some pretty great, but expensive instructors hanging out there.  

For more information-------->The Cove

The Venice Skate Park is an oceanfront skate park that features 16,000 sqft of various sunken pools as well as a street inspired area with stairs, ledges and rails. It is totally unmonitored and has no fees associated with it. There are

some pretty impressive skaters here and the atmosphere is decidedly laid back. It is definitely more urban than other places and there is that gang element about it. Despite that, it is super cool and doesn't feel dangerous.

For more information--------->Venice Skate Park

There is another skatepark at Stoner Park. I have not checked this one out yet, but it is supposed to be great with its 20,000 plus square feet of fun skating terrains. This one is located at 835 Stoner Ave in West LA and I am pretty sure there are less actual stoners there than there are at Venice. There is a main plaza with rails and ledges as well as features that are apparently not available or accessible at other parks. Oliver and I will check it out one of these days. 

For more information ----------> Stoner Skate Park

As for me...I am sticking to a long board. Perhaps if I get better in the future I might try dropping into a shallow pool. Funny how as one gets older, we feel less inclined to risk bone breakage. Will my dream of downhill boarding ever happen? Probably not, but for now, I am happy watching my son enjoy himself.  

And the Winner of the 2016 Color of the Year is....

Benjamin Moore has announced its choice for "color of the year" and it is surprisingly a color that has no color. Yes, you read that right. What color is that you may ask? 

White, glorious white.  

I love white walls and when it comes to picking the right white paint, I always go with a can of Benjamin Moore . I think their color choice of the year is an awesome one. Simply White OC-117 is the closest you can get to actual white without being stark and it doesn't have any undertones. Always a great option. My go to white is Cloud White 967, which can have a slightly grey cast to it at times. I love what it does with light with its warmth and neutral undertones. White Dove is a great choice as well and is a little richer and creamer than the other two. 

Do you have a fave?

Check out this link to learn more. Thank you to Elle Decor for giving us the skinny. 
http://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/color/a7818/benjamin-moore-paint-color-of-the-year-2016/

Surplus Candy LA

 Surplus Candy LA was an amazing show that took place this past Saturday night.

I am a big fan of street art and can spend hours walking through cities looking at graffiti. My instagram (newly christened "LifestyLustLA") is, among other things, littered with pictures of art that I see on walls, sidewalks, street posts, etc. So I was pretty excited when I heard about the Surplus Candy LA show.

The show was organized by Hansky, who is an anonymous graffiti artist out of NYC. As his name implies, he is most noted for his parodies, in which he combines the works of British street artist Banksy and the face of Tom Hanks. He is an admirer of Banksy (Who isn't?),had grown up with the movies of Tom Hanks and thought it would be a fun idea to mash up the two. His first

image was one of Banksy's that featured a rat with a paint roller, to which he added the face of Mr. Hanks. He printed it out, pasted it on a wall at Mulberry and Kenmare Streets in Little Italy, NYC, signed it Hanksy, people appreciated the pun and voila. He posted it on Twitter and Instagram and it went viral.

Surplus Candy is a concept that Hanksy put together a few years ago. He wants to show that street art can happen anywhere, so he 

finds locations and invites street artists to participate.

In the case of Surplus Candy LA, Hanksy rented the abandoned mansion known as the Beckett Residence as a film location. Over the period of a week, 50 plus street artists came and put their touches on the mansion until almost every inch was covered. Then, on this past Saturday night, they opened it to the public for a mere 4 hours before closing for good. I am not entirely sure if they painted over everything and returned the mansion to its former self. One would kind of hope so, as it is a designated historic mansion. Here is kind of an interesting article about the house, itself, and how Hanksy procured it, etc Contraversial Hanksy Project

I am a real estate agent and find it sort of fun that the place is on the market for 900K. Compared

to the prices on the westside which can go for up to $1500 a square foot, I was curious to see what $129 a square foot could get. The place is amazing, though is totally falling apart and the graffiti didn't make it better, as far as a place to call home goes. The house is full of a ridiculously ugly teal carpet. Take that shit out and put in wood floors for starters, and the place could be magnificent. But, honesty, the place could be a money pit. It needs SO much TLC.  On the plus side, It IS a mansion and close to DTLA which is getting more and more hip. The neighbors were kind and welcoming. My son got a hot dog from the guy next store that he expressed was the best one he had ever had.

I am surprised that only 2000 people came to this show. I was happy to expose my kids to a completely different experience in a neighborhood that we wouldn't normally explore. Surprisingly enough, my kids were the ONLY kids there, though admittedly parts of the show were inappropriate and there was some weedy smells that they couldn't identify. Most of it went over their heads and they enjoyed it immensely. It was such a special experience and I am so grateful to have seen it. It really is great to get out and see things because, really, you don’t know what you are missing sometimes.