by cgilles | Feb 16, 2014 | a-El Segundo, a-Hermosa Beach, a-South Bay, Blog, Redondo Beach, South Bay Homes, Torrance
One of the best kept secrets in the South Bay is Redondo Beach’s Hopkins Wilderness WILDERNESS PARK2Park. This eleven acre camping, picnic and study park is located just where Sepulveda becomes Camino Real in Redondo Beach(see our Map below). It sits high upon the El Segundo Sand Hills. You will find meadows, water streams and ponds housing turtles, crayfish and bullfrogs, Wilderness Park welcomes visitors as well as day and overnight campers (reservation required). WILDERNESS PARK-map
There is no entrance fee for day visitors with the park being open six days a week (closed Wednesday) from 10:00a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily.
This is a great place to take the children to introduce them to Nature. You can even camp over night if you wish. But if you are not that ambition they have wonderful camp site for picnics.
It is worth a trip just to see what is offered at this unique city park and once you do see it , I guarantee you will be back.
by cgilles | Feb 14, 2014 | Events around Los Angeles, Holidays, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day
Fun Things to Do Around Long Beach this weekend
by cgilles | Feb 7, 2014 | a-South Bay, Blog, San Pedro
San Pedro will again host the “Tall Ships Festival” in 2014, scheduled for August 20th thru the 24th. A dozen ships from all over the world are expected to sail into the Port of Los Angeles for the 5 day festivities.ship
The timing of the event will help to showcase the new $40 million dollar addition to San Pedro’s waterfront; the “Downtown Harbor Project” featuring a new harbor and new landscaped town square, still under construction just north of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum.
More than a quarter million people are expected to turn out for the festivities. A port spokesman said that the port is drawing more and more visitors each year with all of the new activities and events taking place there.
by cgilles | Feb 4, 2014 | a-Hermosa Beach, a-South Bay, Blog
This was an unusual event. But then the Seattle Seahawks are an unusual team. Led by an unusual head coach Pete Carroll. At team will mirror their coach and the Seahawks certainly do just that. How many NFL players would take the time to go through the kitchen at the health food store, “My Fit Foods” and thank the cooks who fed them all week while they were there?
Lets be clear: NFL offenses don’t usually work out together in April on a beach hundreds of miles from the team facility. The players came from all over the country. There regimen consisted of lunging, sprinting and skipping across Hermosa’s notoriously soft sand. This challenged the players’ lower bodies in ways many of them hadn’t experienced. And then there was the weight training circuits designed by Subin, owner of the The Yard, and the weight training was tweaked based on feedback from the players. Their meals were catered by a health food shop up the street. After lunch they would make a short drive to the field-turf at Mira Costa High School, where Wilson would throw and 20 receivers, backs and tight ends caught.
And this is how The winning of the super Bowl began in The South Bay.
by cgilles | Feb 1, 2014 | a-South Bay, Manhattan Beach
It’s official … Manhattan Beach had the most $1,000,000 + homes sold in 2013 per Gregory Wilcox, Daily Breeze writer. Manhattan Beach recorded 439 million-plus sales — the most in the state in 2013 — edging out Hillsborough in Northern California’s San...
by cgilles | Jan 30, 2014 | a-South Bay, Real Estate, South Bay Homes, Torrance
If you are holding off selling your property but you do want to relocate. You might want to consider putting your house on the market now. The reason being the home inventory is down because of the following reasons.
While prices have been rising, sales activity has not followed. In December, only 308 single-family homes were sold, down nearly 9 percent from a year earlier, as inventory dropped.
There is only six weeks supply of inventory on the market, The supply and demand rule is in motion.
One of the reasons for a lack of supply is that there is a low inventory of distressed homes on the market.
This along with homeowners, many who have been underwater for the last few years and who plan to sell are waiting for getting the benefit of rising prices.
by cgilles | Jan 27, 2014 | a-South Bay, Blog, Real Estate, South Bay Homes
According to the National Association of Realtors homes sales in 2013 were the highest level in seven years.
Sales totaled 5.09 million, the best performance since 2006, when sales totaled 6.48 million. The median price of an existing home rose 11.5 percent last year to $197,100, the highest in eight years.
This is more proof that our real estate market is on the upswing and all is getting healthy once more.
by cgilles | Jan 25, 2014 | a-South Bay, Events around Los Angeles, Torrance, Uncategorized
We have a terrific Theater group here in Torrance Called the Torrance Theatre Company. Take advantage of the great entertainment right here in The South Bay by attending the plays being presented for the rest of this theater season.
2013-2014 Brochure Inside-Reduced
by cgilles | Jan 24, 2014 | a-South Bay, Blog, Real Estate, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Torrance
San Pedro along with other South Bay cites is making a new effort to entice “Hollywood” to bring their film making back to the South Bay. We have a long history of films being shot in our community because of the diverseness of the area, but less and less are now being filmed here.
San Pedro has always been great for the harbor shots. With its old buildings and warehouses that can look like the east coast and now with the Battleship Iowa docked, the possibilities are endless.
Our beaches can take on a look of Miami Beach, for instance, just study the scenes in Miami CSI. This series was shot here in Manhattan and Redondo Beaches. We have historic Elem entry and High schools such as Fern Elementary and Torrance High School which are both circa 1920s and are national historic building. These schools have been used on numerous occasions. Or how about using the beautiful old Library building at Veterans Park in Redondo Beach?
So we have the venues needed now we need to put our heads together and come up with create ways to lure ”Hollywood” back. Certainly we need to petition Sacramento to give more monetary incentives to the filmmakers. What the general public does not understand is that a city, private business or even private individuals get paid when their property is used. In fact many a church have fattened thir coffers in this manner.
Something is very wrong when it is more cost effective to film across the country, moving crews, equipments and personnel than filming right here in Hollywood’s back yard.
San Pedro along with other South Bay cites is making a new effort to entice “Hollywood” to bring their film making back to the South Bay. We have a long history of films being shot in our community because of the diverseness of the area, but less and less are now being filmed here.
San Pedro has always been great for the harbor shots. With its old buildings and warehouses that can look like the east coast and now with the Battleship Iowa docked, the possibilities are endless.
Our beaches can take on a look of Miami Beach, for instance, just study the scenes in Miami CSI. This series was shot here in Manhattan and Redondo Beaches. We have historic Elem entry and High schools such as Fern Elementary and Torrance High School which are both circa 1920s and are national historic building. These schools have been used on numerous occasions. Or how about using the beautiful old Library building at Veterans Park in Redondo Beach?
So we have the venues needed now we need to put our heads together and come up with create ways to lure ”Hollywood” back. Certainly we need to petition Sacramento to give more monetary incentives to the filmmakers. What the general public does not understand is that a city, private business or even private individuals get paid when their property is used. In fact many a church have fattened theri coffers in this manner.
Something is very wrong when it is more cost effective to film across the country, moving crews, equipments and personnel than filming right here in Hollywood’s back yard.
by cgilles | Jan 23, 2014 | a-South Bay, b-Distress Sales, b-Foreclosure, Blog, Real Estate
According to Gregory J. Wilcox of the Los Angeles Daily News, there is good news for the real estate market as we look ahead to 2014. Foreclosures were down a full 60% all across Southern California in 2013’s fourth quarter. This is another indication that the housing market continues on a upswing. swingingsold
“In 2013, we got a better economy and a housing market that is much improved. Overall, this is good news as we look ahead to 2014. Still, the housing market will bump into supply constraints, and interest rates — still close to historical lows — are on the rise,” said Robert Kleinhenz, chief economist at the Kyser Center for Economic Research in Los Angeles.
As we enter into 2014 we will see more and more evidence of the healing of the realty market.
