Manhattan Beach and Whittier, 04.30.11

Tico is due for his annual comprehensive exam, and because we need to board him in the next few weeks, we figured we make sure all his shots are updated.  Beforehand, we took him walking up and down the Strand in Manhattan Beach to tire him out.  When he's exhausted, he's more receptive with the vets.  So off we go to MB for some sight seeing and due exercise for all three of us.

Stella!!!

My favorite Strand house because of this landscaping



B's favorite because of the outdoor kitchen


I had a great time taking pictures of the houses' fence and yard decorations, because B and I are looking for ideas on what to do with our front yard and fence, now that our plumbing projects are done.  MB homes definitely love patio furniture to enjoy the beach view, and they love succulents, probably because most of these houses are summer homes, and it requires low maintenance.  We did come across a house across from the restroom that had quirky sculptures like the turtle, giraffe, and a hippo bench.  The owner also have a large 3 1/2 year old GSD named Stella that wanted to play with Tico. 

I used to hang out here a lot a few years ago, and was taken aback that bars and restaurants like Beaches is no longer here.  Shellback and the pizza place is still here, and of course, we love Shade.  Rock N Fish, The Kettle, Hennesy's, are great places to spend Sundays, but you will need to check to see if you can hang out in the patio with Tico on here.  I believe we did hang out at Palomino's and a casual place next to Mangiamo's and Rock N Fish, but the name skips me now.  It's like a high-class diner with sports bar and TV's all over. 

And off we go to Banfield in Petsmart in Whittier, and today they had a dog adoption day.  For $30 to $100, you can provide a home to a microchipped dog with his/her shots updated.  There was a beautiful pitbull mix with two eye colors that was nabbed right away.  There were a few GSD mixes as well, and after a few minutes, they were gone.  The rest are those yippie dogs and the older ones, which was sad to see.  We would love to adopt another dog for Tico, but we need a bigger space.  So someday we will.  For now, we all need to make do. 

We love this Whittier area called Whittwood, which is walking distance to the Whittwood Mall, the church and catholic school, and the public library.  There's also a park nearby.  We love the mall because it has Target, Kohl's, Ralph's, Panera Bakery, and Petsmart all on here.

Up the street is Uptown Whittier, which is a booming part of Whittier, which had great restaurants, bars and theaters which feeds on to the Rio Hondo college students.  The houses up the hill are beautiful arrays of craftsmans with amazing hillside views of the city.

Angie? Is a 175 St Bernard that we saw a lot in the neighborhood

This dog has two different eye colors

Whittier, CA is an old town with family values still intact.  Unlike the coastal cities, it's unpretentious, and downright family-friendly.  Hacienda Heights and Diamond Bar, are other two cities in the vicinities that I would recommend living in.  And to the east, is Brea.  My only fear about being in the suburbs away from the beach is the possibility, or lack thereof, of a chance for us to be going to the beach on cool summer weekends.  The traffic on the 5 and the 105 can be pretty harsh, and getting stuck there on the weekends is not my idea of a weekend fun.

It was an exhaustive day for Tico, as we dropped him off at around 2pm, and never checked him out until past 7pm.  By the time we got home, he's down for the count after a hearty dinner and a new toy for being a good boy.