April 3rd, 2015 at 8:00 am
Long before state Highway 118 sliced through today’s Simi Valley in southeast Ventura County, a spunky old lady almost singlehandedly built a sparkling gem of a home that has survived suburbia, earthquakes (barely) and city hall.
Tressa Prisbrey started creating what became Grandma Prisbrey’s Bottle Village at age 60 in 1956. The folk-art fantasyland originally was intended to house her collection of 10,000 pencils. But it kept growing, eventually consisting of 13 structures assembled from approximately 1 million bottles she retrieved from a nearby dump and mixed with cement. The village housed a chapel, a pyramid of headlights, 20 statues, and a round house complete with round bed, round dresser, and round mirror. Her husband helped her out until his death in the early 1960s.
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April 3rd, 2015 at 7:30 am
Author: Shannon Adducci
Photography: Stephane Muratet
Information provided by: Angeleno
There are few luxury brands that can compete with the scope of Louis Vuitton. The French retailer has seen a steady buzz over the past year, starting with the release of Artistic Director Nicolas Ghesquière’s first women’s collection in March for fall and winter, after the departure of Marc Jacobs. In October, the spectacular Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton museum opened in Paris. Next up is a renovation of the iconic Fifth Avenue flagship in NYC.
But for now, all eyes are on the newly unveiled Beverly Hills boutique. Located in its original location on the corner of Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way with more than 3,000 additional square feet of retail space, the 12-month renovation has given way to a sculptural, triangular-shaped building with a gleaming stainless steel and lacquered ivory facade.
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April 2nd, 2015 at 5:00 pm
Author: Rosamaria Acuña
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, a 68-acre resource-based park stretching one and a half miles along the Pacific shoreline on the western edge of Point Loma, is perhaps one of San Diego’s best-kept secrets.
The 18-acre “linear section” of the park follows Sunset Cliffs Boulevard from Adair Street along the coastal bluffs past landmarks such as Cormorant Rock to Ladera Street. Along the way are several parking areas that show off breathtaking ocean views, carved coastal bluffs, arches, and sea caves. Flocks of pelicans soar along the bluffs, and California gray whales can often be seen during their annual migration to Baja California. The spectacular sunset views give the area its name. But the park is more than just grand vistas.
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April 2nd, 2015 at 3:00 pm
Home designs are capitalizing on the popularity of in-home suites. Commonly referred to as in-law suites, this home addition is now being occupied by more than one demographic. Most traditionally, an in-law suite was a place for older generations to occupy and be close to family and loved ones. However, now grandparents, boomerang kids, caretakers, and even dual-career homebuyers are seeing the potential that can come with having a segregated living space. According to a 2013 NAR study of buyers, an in-law suite was one of the rooms that buyers were willing to pay the most for, with 20 percent of buyers saying they would be willing to pay a median of $2,920 more.
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April 2nd, 2015 at 1:00 pm
When preparing to buy your home, there are many financial considerations to think through before taking the plunge. Typically, buyers are prepared to deal with the financial commitment that comes along with a mortgage, taxes, and insurance. However, other costs are associated with homeownership that buyers should expect to deal with once the transaction is completed. Below is a list of some of the things you’ll want to prepare for once you become a homeowner.
