Zen Monday #273

It's Zen Monday and Christmas is coming! Anything else? Let us know in the comments.

Happy Christmas, and we'll talk before the weekend.

Lemonade

This was a welcome sight on a gloomy day.

These people sure like yellow.

It was too chilly to eat outside but it looked like people were taking advantage of the Lemonade menu indoors.

Lemonade is on Lake between Green and Cordova, part of The Commons. Should be a good spot. I haven't eaten there yet. Have you? What's your verdict?

Botanica San Antonio

photo by John Sandel

It was closed when we went for Slaw Dogs the other night. But Botanica San Antonio looks inviting, even if the world it's inviting you to is a little sideways to your own.

Check out the 5-star Yelp reviews. If you go, you don't have to tell me the details of your reading but you have to tell me everything else.

Small Business

I've been taking morning walks. Besides being good exercise, walking gives you a different perspective on every little thing and it's a better way to take pictures than driving.

I walked along Lake Avenue the other day and took these photos before business hours, thus the empty parking lots. 

It's been quite some time since I ate at Orean the Health Express. They've got a nice website, which seems to me a requirement these days for any business, large or small. They've also got a drive-through window. Convenient.

Angel's Tropical fish doesn't have a website, though they have a web presence, as in reviews. Not being in the market for tropical fish, I can't corroborate. Boz the pooch would like to have a pet, but you know the drill--he'd start out with good intentions but I'd end up having to take care of it, and I don't even want a fish.

I wonder how these small businesses are doing. I'm no expert but my friend Karen Klein is. If you have a small business or are thinking of starting one, do yourself a favor and follow her blog.

Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam

Here at PDP, the New Salem Missionary Baptist Church at 1164 N. Lake Avenue was a major contender for the August theme day of "bright colors." I did not use the saturation tool, no, no. This is the can't-miss color you'll see when you drive by, though the Google photo shows the church hasn't always been dressed in such a festive color.

New Salem Missionary Baptist doesn't have a website, but on an online site it does rate 5 stars out of 6.

Something about rating churches seems odd to me. But it's the 21st century so I'm going with it.

Moda Optique

I've always dreaded getting new eyeglasses. I've put off shopping for frames. I'll be wearing the things on my face, of all places, so they'd better be perfect.

Apparently, what I've needed all along was Hratch, the owner, Optician and Eyewear Consultant at Moda Optique at 415 South Lake Avenue. John discovered Hratch (pronounced as written) and Moda by stopping in on a whim. For John, choosing new frames is simple: he knows what he wants, he finds it, he buys it. Not me. I try on pair after pair: the Spinster, the Desperate Hipster, the Party Animal, the Geezer. (Perhaps I place too much importance on this.)

Hratch, a certified optician, uses three different labs to make his lenses, based on each lab's technical strengths. But he cuts the lenses himself. He fits them to the frames. He makes the glasses. That explains why he's so meticulous during the fitting. This is his creation and he wants you to look good in it.

Our Eyewear Consultant has a strong fashion sense, too, which comes in handy for me because I don't. He calmed my confusion over color and style. (Should I get the Party Animal in fuchsia or would it be better in tangerine? Try the Stylish Nerd in blue, he said, and he was right.) Hratch isn't afraid to tell you if he thinks a style doesn't work for you, but he won't do that without suggesting something that will. And I bet you'll go for it.

These services aren't cheap but they're definitely a bargain. Like John says, Hratch is an artisan. In him, titanium technology meets old world craft. I like meeting people like him in my town.

My business with Hratch is finished for now. I don't think I'll be able to break my glasses and I'm sure I'll be happy with my Stylish Nerds for quite some time. I'll have to come up with other reasons to stop in and say hello. Maybe I'll break John's glasses.

Pie 'N Burger

I was strolling down South Lake Avenue the other day when woops! That umbrella I'd left in the car was looking like a brilliant idea I'd forgotten to write down: shoulda coulda woulda.

You could say rain is just water. Or you could say it's a good excuse to go to Pie 'N Burger.

I think most people go there for the pies and the burgers. (Makes sense.) Me, I go for the GAC 'n BAC. That's what we used to call a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich when I waited tables a hundred some-odd years ago.

Tasty. I'd even go there when the sun's shining.

Bonus pic: an accidental shot of the very clean counter at Pie 'N Burger on a rainy day.

Zen Monday: #87

Zen Monday is the day you experience the photo and give us your thoughts rather than me telling you what I think the photo's about. There's no right or wrong. It means what you think it means, or what you want it to mean.

I look for a photo worth contemplating or, failing that, something odd or silly. And unless I absolutely must say something I stay out of the comments box to avoid influencing the intellectual path of the discussion, because when I get in there everything goes downhill.

As I post each new Zen Monday photo I add a label to last week's to identify it if necessary.

Empty

It's Saturday. I thought we should have something festive!

This was one place I thought would survive the recession. We all want more for our dollar these days. But I never shopped there so I don't know what kind of value they offered, if any. I've noticed lately the parking lot's full, so someone's at least getting use out of that.

When I peeked in the windows I saw an expanse of tile and reflections.

But when I stood close to the building to photograph the colorful meters, the blinds moved.

Good Cardio

Last week John and I climbed the fire road across Las Flores Canyon from the Sam Merrill Trail. It was his idea. With no shade on the mountain we had the perfect overcast day, he wanted to try something different, and why not?

I had all sorts of reasons why not. There's no good trail. It's not a hike, it's a climb. And it's rocky over there, with gravel and scree loose enough to roll you down ten feet for every two you go up.

I didn't think I could do it.

"Sure you can," said John. "You're strong enough."

I begged to differ. I complained a good part of the way up. It was steep. I was scared. For some of the climb we had to resort to our hands and knees just to find something to hold onto. It was most undignified.

I finally gave up, afraid to go on.

"I'm going to see what's around that bend," said John, obviously not the least bit worried.

He was gone for a little while. I found a place where I could sit without having to hold on and busied myself taking pictures. Finally, I crawled up after him.

Not too much farther along he'd found the wider road. He helped me over a few tough steps and we walked. It still wasn't easy; our legs were tired and our lungs were hungry. But we kept going and we made it farther than either of us could have gone alone.

At the top we gazed out over exhilarating San Gabriel Valley views we'd never seen before. We congratulated ourselves for making it so far. We discussed the great gobs of lunch we'd eat when we got back down. And I thanked John for insisting I could make it (the climb, not the lunch).

Happy Valentine's Day, sweetie. Even mountains are no match for us when we climb them together.

Zen Tuesday: #7

Zen Monday is the day you experience the photo and give us your thoughts rather than me telling you what I think the photo's about. There's no right or wrong. It means what you think it means, or what you want it to mean.

Zen Tuesday--ah, hell, I don't know. It's up for grabs.

Zen Monday: #82

Zen Monday is the day you experience the photo and give us your thoughts rather than me telling you what I think the photo's about. There's no right or wrong. It means what you think it means, or what you want it to mean.

I look for a photo worth contemplating or, failing that, something odd or silly. And I stay out of the comments box for most of the day to avoid influencing the intellectual path of the (highly sophisticated) discussion.

As I post each new Zen Monday photo I add a label to last week's to identify it if necessary.

Recession Religion

Lake Avenue Church is reflected here in the empty storefront across the road.

That's literal, not figurative. Though the stores may be empty these days, Lake Avenue Church seems full.

I wondered if the same is true of all churches. It's easy to make the assumption that, during a recession, church attendance would rise. So you know me. I Google.

The only thing I found was a Gallup Poll from March of 2009. It says no, attendance is the same as it was in 3/08. But last March people hadn't been unemployed for eight, nine, ten months yet. Stores weren't closed up and down the street. Prices hadn't been so high for so long.

This slump won't last forever. (I promise!) But while it's going on, let's take a completely unscientific poll. Have you been attending your house of worship more in the past year than before? If so, is it helping? In what way?

What Ever Happened to the Sandwich Board?

This tough-chick mannequin is familiar to anyone who drives north of the freeway on Lake Avenue. She usually sits closer to the road, but when I walked by last Saturday she was almost inside the door of her regular hangout, Pro Boxing Equipment.

I stopped inside and met Abdul, the friendly sales rep you see behind Ms. Mannequin in the photo above, and on the left in this picture from Pro Boxing's gym. Abdul seems dedicated to the establishment and to martial arts, a vast variety of which they teach at Pro Boxing.

According to Abdul, Pro Boxing is offering a free fitness class during the month of January--Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 5-6 PM. This is your chance to check out their gym. Just show up. Can't beat free.

Abdul also told me the mannequin was moved closer to the door because neighbors have complained about her. I wonder why. Was she in the way? Did they object to her outfit? Were her sunglasses too tacky?

I hope the neighbors are happy. Two doors north they have this:

Zen Monday: #81

Zen Monday is the day you experience the photo and give us your thoughts rather than me telling you what I think the photo's about. There's no right or wrong. It means what you think it means, or what you want it to mean.

I look for a photo worth contemplating or, failing that, something odd or silly. And I stay out of the comments box for most of the day to avoid influencing the intellectual path of the (usually highly erudite) discussion.

As I post each new Zen Monday photo I add a label to last week's to identify it if necessary.

Gateway

I have no idea how long it takes me to walk a mile because it's impossible not to stop every few feet and take a picture. If I ever want to time myself I'll have to either go without a camera or take a friend who finds my photo habit annoying. So far I don't know if I have any friends like that. Nobody's had to ask me to stop shooting yet except security guards.

Yesterday I had my camera, my solitude and my walking shoes. I walked north on Lake Avenue from Walnut Street to Belvidere Street taking pictures. I'll mine the results here on the ol' blog for a few days, in no particular order.

Let's start with Gateway Plaza at Lake and Locust, just south of the 210 Freeway. If you have an office job, Gateway looks like a decent place to work. It's convenient to the Lake Avenue Metro stop, and at least from the upper floors you have good views of the mountains, the San Gabriel Valley and the city of Pasadena. Plus, a little over a block away there's the Walnut St. branch of Lovebird's Cafe and Bakery and you can't beat that.

I think Gateway is attractive, as modern buildings go. The outdoor plaza's well done. At the lower right of the picture (you can't see it here very well) there's a little patio where employees can have their coffee (and a taste of sin from Lovebirds) with a view across the Freeway to the mountains. I was taking photos there once when the security guard asked me to stop. He said they had a policy...yadda. But he asked nicely, and I was on Gateway property. Asking nicely makes all the difference.

Hungry for Holiday Headgear

At South Lake Avenue's annual Holiday Open House yesterday every other store was giving away food. Sure, you could get discounts. You could also get coffee and cookies with your complimentary chair massage at Touche Salon and Day Spa. You could munch on the free sample appetizers at Cafe 140 South while gossiping about passersby. Maybe you skipped the food and ducked in to Williams-Sonoma to get your picture taken with Santa, but I didn't. I went to Ten Thousand Villages for the refreshments.

Despite near-blizzard conditions with temperatures in the mid-fifties, Lake Avenue was lined with friendly elves who braved the cold to entertain the crowds. It seems some people stayed home by the fire, afraid to drive under cloudy conditions. They missed the fun!

The elves were nice, but no matter how I begged they would not trade hats with me. It was disappointing. The Wikki Stix at Giggle sounded tempting, but you can't eat them and all I really wanted--besides food--was a hat.

(I know you can't eat a hat.)