Laid-Back Leucadia -North of San Diego

Exploring the organic and unique products of the Environ Gentle store.
Travelling down memory lane in the used section at Lou's Records.
Wandering around the surfing paraphernalia and reading the local notices on the surfers' board at 101 Board Sports
Imagining yourself in Istanbul, while dining on the the Kofte Kabobs at The Bird House Grill.

Quick Tips:

Leucadia is that patch of Old Highway 101 just north of Encinitas Boulevard and south of La Costa Avenue. There's a hodgepodge of places to see in an exploratory way. Take a laid-back approach and stop when something interests you. Watch out for skateboards and the other boards of surfers around you. Take your time and go back in time to a crazy village atmosphere.In the newly renovated portion, Encinitas south, new sidewalks are partitioned, thus implicitly discouraging skateboarding on them.On July 17, 2002, a new 2.5 acre park < Leucadia Oaks Park, will be opened to the public. It's at Vulcan Avenue and Sanford Street and will have the first public skateboarding area in the city, somewhat of a safe alternative to replace the former "skateboarable" sidewalks of downtown Encinitas. A landscaping of native plants will enhance the ambiance of this brand-new park.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking is the only way to get the Leucadia feel. Snooping around and people-watching provides the means to take in the weird, the bizarre, or just the somewhat eccentric atmosphere. Browse among the curios of the beach, the spiritualists, the ecologically enthusiastic,the still-dynamic remnants of the Beach Boys "California Dreamin" counter-culture days.

When we don't want to cook at home (which is rare), but we don't want to dress up and we don't want to spend a lot of money, we don't head to a fast food place. We head here to the kind of food we like: for us, the tasty Turkish food is the thing, and the decidedly delapidated-looking exterior and interior of The Bird House Grill can be ignored. Also, we are not distracted by the decor of birdhouses, cages and other bird objects that provided the mom and pop owners of this place with a name for their cafe.

It's cheap, it's homemade, it's very good. Incidentally, we are "supporting" the individual, non-chain kind of local businesses that give some flavor to a community. We always hope that such businesses will survive despite, or even because, of the competition. No alcohol here, but very good teas, including iced, to accompany the gyros, kofte kabob, and homemade desserts. Their Super Combo Plate, which is what I had on my first visit, is great, but I couldn't finish it - a rare event, as I love to eat. But, my plate had charbroiled gyro meat, kofte (ground meat kabobs), rice pilaf and a Turkish salad with tzatziki, covered with thick yoghurt and laced with dill as a "side," to this giganticus. Our son's Veggie Combination was equally large, filled with non-greasy eggplant and sauce and a tzatziki side. In addition, there was a basket of warm pita to accompany our meals.

Enough! We had our fill and couldn't believe the bill - with tax and tip, it was slightly over $30.00. Since then, I've seen coupons for buy one dinner plate, get 50% off on the second plate, and for a family special (takeout only) for $19.99 (substitutions extra). This special has 4 of everything - chicken kabob skewers, kofte kabob skewers, pita bread and small spinach pies and dolma - even 2 small turkish salads and 2 small rices. I only hope they continue to be in business so we can eat there again.

Closed Sundays, The Bird House Grill is open 11:30 to 9:00 from Mondays through Saturdays. Their early closings for dinner suit us fine, but prevent their attracting those who prefer to eat later. This is a super find for young and old people on a budget, or for those like us who just like this kind of food and/or don't grill at home. They also offer catering and daily specials in addition to their regular wisely limited menu.

Though it's now south of Encinitas Boulevard, having been forced to move when its former site was bought and prettily remodelled, the Environ Gentle typifies the Leucadian spirit. Run since 1991 by a granddaughter & grandmother team, this is the place to buy alternative products. Many of the products are made from recycled materials, ranging from a net shopping bag for $7.00 to a natural cotton king-size blanket for $150.00, with correspondingly high prices for natural, organic, percale sheets. They carry soft hemp products in clothing for babies and children, as well as for men and women. You can purchase "tree-free" stationery for $3.00 a box.

My first time in this store, I wandered around in amazement, seeing products I'd never seen before. Amidst the occasional jingle-jangles of mobiles hidden in odd corners, you can see products for pets and for lawns threatened by weeds - these products are carefully non-toxic to the environment. There's yoga attire, of course, as well as organic lingerie and, in Hawaiian tribute, there's even 3 "IZ"CDs on sale for $15.95. Many of their soaps and lotions are very competitively priced (although competitive is a word alien to this environment), and their smells are much more subtle than that of the incense packets nearby. The magazine "Vegetarian Baby and Child" is displayed on small rack, covered with magazines and books with similarly selective titles - they convey the sense that much that was considered extreme in the 60's has been revivified, and is now considered a legitimate, or even a highly desireable, form of diet.

Of course, they sell various tee-shirts with sayings that espouse their vegetarian and earth-friendly stance - "The Hole in the Ozone is...", and "I shoot hunters only for food" for $16.95, and they have bumper stickers with the same sayings that cost only $2. You can browse to your heart's content - no high pressure salesgals here. I did buy and enjoy their soaps; a secret indulgence is my fondness for scent in soaps, instead of perfume. A trip to this store is nostalgic in part for me, as it evokes memories of 60's student Venice before there was a Marina Del Ray in Los Angeles. But some of the products here also suggest some common-sense future alternatives in an increasingly fragile world. EnvironGentle is open 11-7 Sundays through Thursdays and from 11 to 9 on Fridays and Saturdays.

What's Lou's like? First of all, it's two stores under one name. They sell the ordinary stuff - the hottest new music - in a building separated by their driveway from another building, where their used collection is on sale. It's this used section that attracts collectors from all over, and it was this section, on a hunt to find a music of the 60's set as a surprise birthday gift for my husband, that led me to Lou's for the first time. Though I've returned a couple of times since then to hunt for more nostalgic esoterica, Lou's has never ceased to amaze me with its breadth and its learned salespeople.

Not only is its "oldies" collection vast, but it's beautifully organized, alphabetically by artist(s) under very specific categories. If you can't find the gem you're looking for, no problem. Despite their being very busy most of the time, you can usually secure one of the many salesmen or women who rove about. On the odd chance that you are looking for something really obscure, the salesperson will leave you for a moment to check their computerized catalog so he can find out if they have what you're looking for, and where it's located. That happened when I first visited, and I was happily surprised to see the salesman return with what I wanted within ten minutes of my query. That sure impressed me!

After I checked out with my find, I browsed around some more and eavesdropped on several conversations between salespeople and customers. I concluded that "if you name it, they'll find it," or they'll help you research to find out if it's available at all. Frankly, Lou's staff are music freaks, akin to some computer nerds I know.

Although there's a distinctively 60's air about this unique record store, and, I confess, I have to get over the nose rings, and/or metal objects embedded on the eyebrows and lips of some of the often also long-haired staff, these "freaks " know their stuff; they are obsessed with music, particularly 60's, but not confined to that era. Some on the staff are classical or folk or Latino or other genre experts. Nowhere else in the county will you find so many experts in such a wide range of musical recordings. For years, they were located further south, but they simply outgrew their space; they've been in their present location for about eight years now, possibly more.

Their telephone number is 760-753-1382, if you prefer to phone and initiate a search before visiting the store. Superior service and selection have insured that this long-established store continues to thrive. Hours are Sundays 11-7, Mondays through Thursdays 10-9, Fridays 10-10, and Saturdays 10-9; their efficient, eclectic web site is www.lousrecords.com, and you can sign up for an e-mail Louzine for free to get updates on new release and special offers.

What an authentic surfer's shopping place! The world of the serious surfer is another world from mine, one I entered for the first time when I was searching for Op cord shorts for my husband at an off-season time; this was the only place that had them, but, alas, not in his size. However, I did get acquainted with this large emporium that, true to its name, stocks all kinds of boards. There are shortboards, longboards, eggs, softboards, softtops, epoxy boards; the place educates the non-surfer. Also, they carry snowboards and skateboards, after the summer's gone, and offer rental on all kinds of boards; you can even rent umbrellas and chairs for the beach here. Also, used wetsuits are for sale.

You can rent by the half-hour, hour, and day, up to 7 days, at reasonable prices; your deposit by credit card or cash must equal the value of what you're renting, and, if you return the item dirty, they do charge a $5.00 cleaning fee. They claim to be the largest North County board rental outfit, and, judging by the people I've seen there,they attract local top surfers as well as curious tourists. Their telephone # is 760-942-2088, and they are located just off the new Leucadia Boulevard off-ramp of the I5 Freeway,at Highway 101 and Leucadia Boulevard. The Greek-derived name Leucadia means a "refuge" or "eden", and 101 Board Sports seems to be just that, as it's an informal kind of meeting place for surfers who have long practiced the art. They even have a message board for local surfers to communicate with each other here re: get-together times and local issues.

Yes, Virginia, there's a Ducky Waddles. Incredible hodgepodge of books and of art that is "Waay Out" to this viewer. My eyeballs haven't recovered yet. Located right near Lou's Records(in fact, you can see the Ducky Waddles sign in the third of the photos posted in the Lou's entry), this business used to be located south of Encinitas Boulevard in downtown coastal Encinitas. Its more congenial home is this location for it's Leucadia all the way.

You won't find any bestsellers in the books section, either old or new, but you will find some interesting classifications- "religion with a small r", "gay and lesbian fact & non-fiction", "tattoo & body modification", "erotic art", "Tolkienana", and "vampirism" are some of the classifications that riveted my eyes.

But, I hadn't seen anything yet. Their gallery is bizarre to me: the current featured artist is the "Haute Art" of Walter Wojtyla, a show that runs through the month of June. My prejudice against much of modern art must be admitted; even in the Tate Modern I saw piles of things in corners that I will never consider art-to me they look like experimental exercises in what the art world will on a whim gush over for its daring audacity. Mr. Wojtyla, according to the posted signs, is an "established artist,"and some of the price tags accompanying his art seemed to reflect that status, but I couldn't live with any of the garish work I saw.

As an alternative eye-opener, a short visit to this emporium is illuminating. Signs for coming one man shows did display mostly what I would consider extraterrestrially eccentric, but,I guess there's tribute here to the hoary saying, "In taste, there's no disputing."

My reaction to the very modern art this gallery displays is not totally negative, however. The silkscreens of Marco Almera, for example, caught my eye, as well as a work entitled "Silver Surfer," by an artist called Mobius, which was on the store's web site. Their e-mail newsletter is fittingly dubbed "Quack of the Duck." If you want to be adventurous, or really have an affinity for modern art, or are searching for comic art, this unique store might aid you in your search for the avant garde. The telephone number is 760-632-0488, useful as opening hours seem a bit erratic.