May 2017 - Real Estate UnlimitedReal Estate Unlimited

Chicken Boy Shop & Future Studio Gallery

May 26, 2017

Art lovers, prepare yourselves. If you haven’t heard of Future Studio Gallery, then you are in for a treat. Located at 5558 N Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90042, in Highland Park, this art venue features contemporary art by local artists. Future Studio Gallery is open between 7 and 10 pm during the North East Los Angeles Second Saturday Gallery Nights, or you can make an appointment to view the gallery.

The gallery features different types of media, including paintings, photography, sculptures, performance art, and more. You can check the gallery’s website to review their recent and past archives of art shows. For example, the most recent post on the website describes the work of artist Nishio Ruby who creates beautiful quilts. In the archives, you will find detailed descriptions about each artist and their artwork. Sometimes the artists’ smaller pieces are available for cash and carry purchases.

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Photo Credit: http://latimesphoto.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/fa_8xx_chickenboytoday600.jpg

Future Studio Gallery is located on the Historic Route 66. At the top of the gallery stands a statue of a chicken man, known as Chicken Boy (also known as “the statue of liberty of Los Angeles”). The Chicken Boy Shop is inside the Future Studio Gallery and it features unique gifts and exclusive Chicken Boy collectibles. Surely, there’s no way you can miss Chicken Boy on the top of the building. You can access the shop when the gallery is open for viewings.

In the shop, you’ll find curated and one-of-a-kind souvenirs for lovers of Los Angeles, Route 66, Chicken Boy, and popular culture. Chicken Boy’s image is displayed on baby onesies, jigsaw puzzles, mugs, postcards, socks, sock chickens, purses, lapel pins, luggage tags, and more, which are for sale in the shop. There’s even a copy of Chicken Boy the Movie.

The California-specific souvenirs are quite impressive. You can find a flag of Highland Park and postcards printed with the flag of California and the flag of Los Angeles. An “I Love You, California” postcard pairs the text with the image of a bear. If you aren’t looking for postcards, you can choose between embroidered patches and a wide variety of greeting cards featuring Arroyo Seco Parkway, Civic Center L.A., Figueroa Street Tunnels, LAX, and the Colorado Street Bridge.

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Photo Credit: http://chickenboyshop.com/item/flag-of-highland-park-los-angeles-postcard

Californians or fans of the state will fall in love with earrings that are miniature maps of downtown Los Angeles and a silver necklace with a pendant that is a metal outline of the state of California. A handmade orange showcases Californian pride and a “I Love Highland Park” bumper sticker makes a great gift for those who live there or who love visiting.

You can also purchase books, prints, DVDs, cards, and other items related to the art on display at Future Studio Gallery.

Highland Park is northeast of downtown L.A. and offers shopping, creative dining, and entertainment. Other locations to visit in Highland Park include the Highland Park Farmers’ Market, Lummis House Heritage Square, The Artsy Flea, and the Taproom at Eagle Rock Brewery.

At Real Estate Unlimited, our passion for the city of Los Angeles and the surrounding cities is evident in everything we do. We are a real estate agency that provides quick and efficient customer service for our clients, and we are dedicated to streamlining the process of buying and selling a home. Contact us today for a consultation.

Avenue 50 Studio – Mt. Washington

May 19, 2017

in Mt. Washington, Places to Go

Are you a creative and imaginative artist, poet, and/or musician? Or are you passionate about viewing and discussing artwork that raises awareness about social justice? You need to check out Avenue 50 Studio near Mt Washington, a nonprofit art gallery where the community comes together to experience multicultural art exhibits, lectures, spoken word, and music.

Avenue 50 Studio was originally founded in 2000 and it was an art gallery. Today, Avenue 50 Studio is a nonprofit “arts presentation organization” and a platform for emerging artists and creative thinkers to share their work, engage with the community, and raise awareness for social issues. The gallery focuses on Chicana/o and Latino/a artists, writers, and musicians to give a platform for the work of historically marginalized groups. Avenue 50 Studio attracts work and creators who strive to effect change, take risks, and make public statements.

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Photo Credit: https://i0.wp.com/artandcakela.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/avenue-50-studio-1.jpg?w=346&h=346&crop=1&ssl=1

Mixtures of medias are featured at in the art spaces at the organization. Artists who work in both traditional media and non-traditional media are brought into the spotlight. You can check the organization’s website to get information on upcoming exhibits, past exhibits, and the ongoing programs and projects being held. For example, Avenue 50 Studio recently held the exhibit Adopt an Art Piece. Visitors had the opportunity to purchase the “orphan” art pieces.

Past exhibits are great examples of how Avenue 50 Studio challenges the traditional boundaries of art by creating space for non-traditional media and marginalized artists. The Spiritual Medicines exhibit, created with UCLA’s Latin and American Institute, showcased artwork that explores different types of spirituality and human needs. Artists and writers published in Words Uncaged Arts & Literary Journal from the California State Prison in Lancaster were featured in the WordsUncaged exhibit. The exhibit design included photographs of both prisoners and their families. These spaces give the public the chance to learn about these manualized groups, to discuss how to effect change, and to spread awareness. The recent Call to Artists at the gallery for Crossing Boundaries: Engendering LGBTQ Identities (opening this June during Pride Month) is an excellent example.

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Photo Credit: http://avenue50studio.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/ave50-7487.jpg

This nonprofit offers a community space, two art gallery spaces, and studios for resident artists. Events like readings are held on a regular basis in addition to the presentation of art and mixed media like the Atomix Avis exhibition, featuring jazz-inspired artwork by Hembert Guardado and bird-inspired artwork by Ana Chaidez. Avenue 50 Studio showcases and celebrates the diversity of Los Angeles through these art exhibits, lectures, concerts, and readings.

Since 1909, Mt. Washington is located in the San Rafael Hills in northeast Los Angeles. Popular destinations in Mt. Washington include the Southwest Museum, the Mount Washington Hotel Self Realization Fellowship International Headquarters, and Eldred Street. The Golden State Freeway, the Glendale Freeway, and the Pasadena Freeway are easily accessible from Mt. Washington. Public transportation like the Metro Gold Line is also available.

Real Estate Unlimited is a luxury real estate company with decades of experience in the Los Angeles area. We are passionate about sharing our expertise, and we are dedicated to providing excellent customer service. Contact us today for a consultation. You can also view our Los Angeles listings on our website.

The Audubon Center at Debs Park

May 12, 2017

in Mt. Washington, Things to Do

Los Angeles is home to unique ecosystems as well as a long tradition of public parklands and environmental conservation. In this post, we’ll take you on a virtual tour of one of the city’s most inventive ecological resources, the Audubon Center at Debs Park.

The Center first opened in 2003, designed as a conservation and environmental education center that would allow Los Angeles residents to visit and learn about local wildlife in their natural habitat.

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Photo credit: Laparent.com

The Center is situated in Debs Park, the fourth largest public park in the city of Los Angeles. A rolling swath of grasslands northeast of downtown Los Angeles, most of the park’s sprawling acreage is covered in walnut-oak woodland and coastal sage scrub – the same flora that filled the Los Angeles Basin before it became a metropolis. The area has become a haven for birds, and over 140 separate species have been recorded in the park’s environs – the park’s shaded trails are filled with birdsong.

The Center at Debs Park is operated by Audubon California, a state-level field program of the National Audubon Society. Part of the Society’s mission is to engage young people, as well as to cultivate diverse audiences in the Los Angeles area. Designed to serve as a recreation and education venue, the Center is a unique community gathering spot and dynamic focal point for outdoor activity, hands-on environmental learning, and wildlife conservation.

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Photo Credit: Modernhiker.com

The Center’s mission is to teach the public about the unique value of nature, inspiring visitors to understand and care for the natural world by allowing them to encounter it firsthand. Community and education programs at Debs Park are engineered to engage children and their families with the outdoor world, giving them a personal stake in safeguarding the environment by showing them how environmental concerns are relevant to their own lives.

Looking for kid-friendly sites for local excursions? Visit the Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena!

The Audubon Center includes extensive displays about California’s extraordinary bird species, from the scurrying quail to the soaring condor. Visitors can see their feathered neighbors outdoors on monthly all-ages bird walks. Many of the Center’s activities are geared towards introducing visitors to surrounding Debs Park, and the Center’s crowded social calendar also includes guided hikes, community science projects, art classes, musical performances, film screenings, yoga, tai chi, and seasonal celebrations. Most programs are free of charge and open to the public. The park itself is mostly dog-friendly, with facilities for fishing and picnics.

The Center’s ecological mission extends to design – the Audubon Center was the first LEED platinum certified building in the country, and one of the very first carbon-neutral buildings constructed in the United States. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a program developed to encourage architects, owners, builders, and communities to plan and construct energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly buildings. LEED is the most widely-used verification system of its kind, and it has become the “green standard” for ecological building innovation.

LEED certification is designed to work for all buildings of all shapes and sizes, from single-family homes to skyscrapers, and the rating system is intended to address many different aspects of environmentally-conscious design: water and energy savings, efficient use of space, renewable materials, and reduced emissions. The Audubon Center at Debs Park holds the highest possible rating, an accolade that reflects everything from its innovative architecture to its ecological advocacy.

A big component of LEED rating is strategic use of space – renewable materials and energy efficient technology can take you a long way, but cutting down on waste also means making sure that every building becomes a durable resource. The Center’s “platinum” certification is also based on its commitment to providing a multi-use public space to members of the community. Not content to rest on its laurels, the Center holds free public seminars on LEED certification and design, so that local home and business owners can learn how to make these improvements themselves.

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Photo Credit: Modernhiker.com

The Audubon Center works hard to be kid-friendly as well as environment-friendly, and a big part of its community engagement comes from local school field trips, since Debs Park is preserved as a natural space but maintained as an accessible local parkland. There’s an extensive play and exploration area located just behind the Center buildings with plenty of activities for kids, as well as a short Butterfly Trail perfect for younger hikers. The Center leads group nature walks from the center, and visitors can ask about upcoming hikes at the information desk. If you’d like to take a family or solo hike, docents at the center offer maps and route recommendations for all ages, and the Audubon Center offers backpacks and binoculars on loan for free to park visitors!

Interested in more opportunities for hiking? Check out Eaton Canyon in South Pasadena!

Visit the Debs Park Audubon Center to learn about local wildlife, and then take a stroll around the trails outside to see California’s extraordinary native birds in their natural surroundings!

Real Estate Unlimited is a real-estate company dedicated to representing clients in Silver Lake, Echo park, Los Feliz, and several other historic neighborhoods throughout the Los Angeles area. We pride ourselves on our in-depth knowledge of the Los Angeles area, and we’re glad to give our clients the benefit of our local expertise. Call us to schedule a consultation today!

Vroman’s Bookstore

May 5, 2017

in Category

Are you tired of going to Barnes & Noble and shopping for books at the grocery store? Read on to learn more about Vroman’s Bookstore and other sites in Pasadena, California.

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Photo Credit: https://montalvojen.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/vro_logo_sm.jpg

You won’t believe the selection of books in this independent bookstore, a shopping experience unique to Southern California. Vroman’s Bookstore is the oldest and biggest store of its kind in the Los Angeles area. At Vroman’s, you’ll find a book for any taste, and you’ll have the opportunity to attend events, meet authors, enjoy trivia nights, and go to launch parties. The store was awarded Publisher’s Weekly Bookseller of the Year in 2008 and has hosted Bernie Sanders, Ray Bradbury, President Bill Clinton, Anne Rice, Joan Didion, Neil Gaiman, David Sedaris, Upton Sinclair, and more.

Adam Clark Vroman, the founder of Vroman’s Bookstore, was originally from Illinois before coming to California and selling his book collection following the death of his wife Esther. Eventually, he opened his bookstore in 1894. He is also well-known for his photography of Native American tribes in Arizona and New Mexico, in which he took portraits in a respectful manner. Vroman was also fascinated with taking photos of American western landscapes.

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Photo Credit: http://www.vromansbookstore.com/files/vromansbookstore/interior.jpg

Vroman left a legacy of giving back to the community. During the second world war, he took books to Japanese Internment Camps in California, even when armed guards tried to stop him with firepower. Additionally, he worked at mission sites, assisted with opening the Southwest Museum, and was a part of the Pasadena Public Library project.

Today, the owner of Vroman’s Bookstore is the great grandson of one of the employees who Vroman left the bookstore to when he died in 1916. This independent bookstore is still family owned, and today the company has two bookstore locations, two smaller locations in the Los Angeles Airport, and the company acquired the independent bookstore Book Soup in 2009 (located in West Hollywood).

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Photo Credit: https://media.timeout.com/images/100513469/630/472/image.jpg

At Vroman’s, you’ll find books, specialty pens and stationery, cards to send your loved ones and friends, and many types of gifts. The store is located at 695 E Colorado Boulevard, and proceeds from every book purchase go towards a charity of the customer’s choice. Furthermore, through Vroman’s Gives Back programming, the store hosts events for community fundraising. Past events have included HIV testing, raffles, pet adoption, book fairs, support for girl scout troops and more. The store puts on more than 400 events for the community annually and has raised $655,998.52.

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Photo Credit: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/64/1c/7b/641c7b1a585e9ab70399c466ce8adc72.jpg

While in the Pasadena area, be sure to visit these sites as well:

Pasadena City College Flea Market

Norton Simon Museum

Old Town Pasadena

Real Estate Unlimited is a real estate company with specialized knowledge in luxury real estate in the city of Los Angeles, California. We also have expertise in the areas of Pasadena, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Elysian Park, and more. We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service for our clients who are buying or selling their homes. Contact us today for a consultation.

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Chicken Boy Shop & Future Studio Gallery

Avenue 50 Studio – Mt. Washington

The Audubon Center at Debs Park

Vroman’s Bookstore

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