Is there life in the Valley?

Hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, Griffith Park & LA Zoo, cruising Ventura Blvd., Burbank Studio Tours (WB, Universal, NBC), shopping and movies, restaurants, pubs and bars, No Ho Arts District (theater!)

Quick Tips:

- If you must go to Universal City Theme Park, wait until the end of the day to do the Jurassic Park flume ride: the lines are short and give you a chance to do it more than once!

- Road Numbers: east west roads are in the ten thousands + and get larger going west. North south roads are in hundreds and low thousands and get larger going north. GET A THOMAS GUIDE.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Metro (www.mta.net) Red Line connects downtown-Hollywood-North Hollywood. Stops are at Universal City (across from the theme park/studio) and North Hollywood at the No Ho Arts district. OW .35, transfers .25.

-There is a bus route that runs all along Ventura Blvd. from the UC metro station deep into the West Valley. Same prices as metro.

-Certain areas are made for walking, like the Studio City shopping strip of Ventura around Laurel Canyon, and the funky shopping in Sherman Oaks along Ventura after Van Nuys Blvd. But you need cars to get there.

-Driving is a must. Preferably with the top down and music blaring!

You want good pizza and subs in LA? This is the place. And it's budget! The restaurant is small and staffed by two guys, one of which I assumed to be the owner since he is always there. Tables are covered with red and white checkered plastic cloths and in the back is a 'La Dolce Vita' poster. Bellisimo!

The menu is peppered with cute little personal remarks, like 'Half Skinny Margherita and Salad ($4.95): Served on the same plate. Eat it together it tastes even better, my opinion.'

No appetizers but salad and garlic bread, sadly, but the pizza rocks. They have their signature La Pizzeria 10' Skinny Pizza ($4.95, add your own topping $.50 ea.); the GREAT 18' NY Style Pizza (HUGE!) $10.95 and up. Ask for a take away box, it's so big. They have it in 10' ($5.95) and 14' ($7.95) as well.

They have 14 different subs to choose from and three sizes. Regular ($4.25 and up); Large ($6.95 and up) and the Family 26' size ($12.95 and up). Try the Romano Chicken Sub at $5.95. It is great the day after a hard night of drinking.

They have six salads, one vegetarian, the others with meat and fish. Salads are offered half or full and as they say, you can add anything for no extra charge, 'But if we no have something, then forget about it. We no have ok?'

Drinks are fountain, no alcohol served. They deliver and do parties and all that jazz. But they close early.

M-R 11a - 9p
F, Sa 11a - 8p
Su 12p - 6p

To wrap it up, this place has great food, a fun menu, and inexpensive prices, which you never find anywhere anymore. Seriously, check this place out.

This place is cute and nestled in the cute little Tujunga Villiage area, just south of Moorpark St. (north of Ventura). It's a small cafe with about 10 tables and some great gourmet pizza and salads. The area has a theater, antique and other specialty shops, a coffee shop and a bookstore.

Salads run from $4 - $8. I suggest The THE salad: Romaine, watercress, gorgonzola and walnuts with a balsamic vinaigrette. Their italian vinaigrette dressing is fabulous as well.

They offer a few sandwiches including the vegetarian Grilled Portobello. All vegetarian dishes are asterisked (*). Sandwiches are all $7.39 and come with roast potatoes.

Their pasta dishes are ($9 - $13). Their dinners are meat and fish dishes with fancy names but only $12 price tags.

PIZZA! Their pizzas run from Margarita (roma tomatos, basil and garlic $9) to the elaborate Curried Vegi Pizza ($11) and a Lamb Sausage dealie for those who dig lamb. They have a design-your-own option, where you can stack your pie with onions, eggplant and cilantro if you so please.

This place does not serve alcohol. Inquire about bringing your own. They do serve funkly bottled sodas though.

Hours:
Lunch
daily 11a - 3p
Dinner
Su - Th 5p - 10p
Fr, Sa 5p - 11p

Just off Fryman Canyon Rd. is Wilacre Park (according to the Thomas Bros. Guide, P. 532/G-7 & P. 592/H-1), otherwise known as Fryman Canyon Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains (a.k.a. 'the hill') National Recreation Area. There are many trail systems along boths sides of the hill, but this one is my favorite because it connects Laurel Canyon to Mullholand Dr. Fryman Canyon Scenic Overlook.

Park at the foot of the hill at Fryman Rd. The walk starts off as a paved fire road of steep switchbacks which level out at a clearing where you have three choices: go back down via a steep and narrow downhill trail through the field, go straight and to the left along the trickier narrow trail which parallels the fire road (my pick!), or keep on the switchbacking dirt fire road.

The side trail and the fire road meet up just before a watering hole of sorts at Coldwater Canyon Park (a wood chipped area where there is a people fountain and a doggie fountain). Here you can take a right to Coldwater Canyon Rd. straight and up a railed trail (these two have been unexplored by me at this time) or continue down the fire road downhill until you hit the cul de sac of Iredell Ln. (my pick).

Three choices here: 1) turn around and retrace. 2) go down Iredell Ln, left onto Fryman Rd and return to parking lot, making a nice approx 2 mi loop. 3) take the trail just after the first house on the right, past the cute fenced in dobermans (my pick).

Choice 3 goes steep uphill and should really only be attempted with ankle supporting boots unless you are an experienced hiker or trail runner. I saw a girl break her ankle while falling down a ravine in tennis shoes. This trail is steep upgoing, so use the rail road ties like steps. Follow the main trail; I have yet to discover the offshutes, but think they lead to dead ends and private property. The trail hits a few downhill switchbacks into an area called the Rainforest, a lovely ravine filled with Eucalypts with a little stream running through. This trail runs .9 miles to the Deering Tr. (sign will point you on your way) which runs up and down more narrow switchbacks 1 mi to a stream and what I call the car graveyard; remains of cars buried in the hill and brightly tagged by kids. This trail runs another 10 - 15 min. Hike up to the Fryman Cyn. Overlook which allows you to spy the entire valley, smog and all. On a clear day you can see Ventura County.

I have not found any organizations giving out trail maps. Best way to do these trails is just to have fun and explore! Who knew you could do this in the Valley?

Every Sunday from about 8am until 2pm local vendors shut down the short side street Ventura Place for a Farmer's Market. Located right next to CBS Radford Studios and at the cross streets of Laurel Canyon and Ventura.

Vendors: fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers, mediteranean food stand, tamale stand, coffee stand (Seattle's Best). There is usually a stand selling homemade honey and jams, arts and crafts and even a place where you can decorate your own picture frames or mirrors.

Activities: pony rides and petting zoo for kids. A small motorized train for little tykes' enjoyment. Free samples of the various fruits at some stands. Cotton candy and ices also.

Other: Dog adoption out in front of the Washington Mutual on the corner of Ventura and Laurel Canyon, sure to stop traffic with the cute puppies needing homes.

Parking: side streets next to CBS Radford or across the street there is a one hour only parking lot at the McDonald's/Trader Joes plaza.