"Must Love Dogs" - Lake Balboa and Sepulveda Basin Dog Park; 01.15.11

Park: Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park
Address: 17550 Victory Blvd., Encino, CA 91436.  It's off of the 405 Freeway, exit Victory Blvd., make a right to head west of the freeway, and it's on the corner of White Oak and Victory Boulevards.
Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sepulveda-basin-off-leash-dog-park-encino?rpp=40&sort_by=date_desc

"Must Love Dogs" is a cute movie made in 2005, starred by Diane Lane and John Cusack.  They met online, and decided to meet for the first time at a dog park with their dogs.  One of my favorite part of this movie, although cheesy, is when the father recited the W.M. Butler Yates poem "Brown Penny". 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itCIn_3YB_c

I whispered, 'I am too young,'
And then, 'I am old enough';
Wherefore I threw a penny
To find out if I might love.
'Go and love, go and love, young man,
If the lady be young and fair.'
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
I am looped in the loops of her hair.

O love is the crooked thing,
There is nobody wise enough
To find out all that is in it,
For he would be thinking of love
Till the stars had run away
And the shadows eaten the moon.
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
One cannot begin it too soon.

It's such as beautiful, simple poem, and delivered amazingly, at the right moment.  Hence the cheesy-ness.  Love is a wonderful feeling, and for all of the uneasiness, pain and laughter, and excitement love brings, of not knowing the unknown that is love, relationship, commitment and devotion, you just have to jump in with both eyes closed, and let the chips fall where they may, and take a chance - - because at the end of the day, it's worth it all.  Take a chance, rather than not taking a chance at all, and end up wondering the "what-if's".  And life is too short to be living in the "what-if'" moment.  And love is still, one of the best emotions to ever experience in this world.  In that moment, nothing else mattered.  The characters also debated about the the best places to meet single people (supermarket, Home Depot).  But I think dog parks like this one are a better way to meet single people, IMO.
     
Sepulveda Dog Park has three sections; for small dogs, large dogs, and the timid dogs.  We are pros, so we went straight to the large dog area.  The largest dog park we've ever been to so far; the large dog area alone is about 5 acres.  And it's grass, not mulch; which is great; but because it's about high 70's, the dirt is hard; which is not so perfect for Tico, who skids and brakes when he catches the ball.  So after we noticed that his paw's tough skin and his 'shin' area are bleeding from those skids, we rested and stopped for the day.  But we still had a good 45-minute romp around the area.  There are large dogs of every kind everywhere; but my favorite was a family of Tico look-alikes; the picture showed the papa GSD on the right, the mama GSD to the left, and the 9 month old daughter GSD in the center.  They loved our dog too.  GSD owners are; for the most part, loyal to the breed.  The GSD's are energetic, loyal, and intelligent.  We just have to be careful to not let him jump around too much because his breed are prone to hip displacement.  And our adventure to the Huntington Dog Beach last week concerned us; because he jumped down a ditch that was at least 6 feet high; and for the next two days after that, he was wincing.

This dog park is large; and you don't feel congested with other dog and owners; and you can freely use your chuck-it to your heart's content without even worrying about hitting a person with a ball/stick in the head (which I did once - - and it was a running joke with B and I since).  People are nice, but you see a lot of dog owners who actually bring their own chairs, and socialize with groups of other dog owners on the corner.  I've seen about half a dozen of those, with more than 6 owners.  What does this mean to me?  It means that there are other dogs that run around unattended, who poos, humps, etc. other dogs.  It does not bother Tico per say, because he's a loner by nature; but to other dog owners who are far more attentive to their dogs, I can see it being a PITA when your golden retriever is being humped by a lab. 

I think it would be perfect for single people with dogs to find quality people to date there as oppose to meeting them at bars, etc., (I met B at a bar so I'm not "dogging" it as a bad place to find dates, but it's a slim chance to find someone to have a relationship with when alcohol is added to the mix) but I don't see the whole lot of regular people, young and old, socializing in one corner and forgetting about your dog.  What's the point?  I don't get it.  Isn't the point of being at a dog park is to have QT with your dog at a larger space than your own house provide?  Our house is 1200sf with a carport for a yard.  So dog parks and dog beaches are underappreciated for the value that they give me, B and our 90 pound dog.

The basin is just right behind the dog park, and the dog park is visible from the road; so it's in a perfect spot, in a nice neighborhood.  If not for the tough dirt, we could see coming here more often.  But I am a worry-wart; and I don't like blood.  Tico can't actually come up to me and say "I'm hurting" - - please take me to the emergency.  So a date with hydrogen peroxide will be in today's plans.  He's a tough dog, but I don't like leaving open wounds for a long time. 

Tico did the 3-ball in the mouth trick again today, but I only managed to take pictures of him with two; because he runs away from me too fast for the fear that I may steal his loot.  As if.

We also stopped by the Lake Balboa park (6300 Balboa Blvd., Encino, CA)http://www.yelp.com/biz/lake-balboa-encino, which is a must if you find yourself being in the Valley area.  This would be a good selling point for me to move to the Valley; but alas, I can't afford this area as well, but there are great, affordable Valley homes a few miles away; but if I can afford, choices would be the Northridge for the CSUN location, Granada Hills for great school system, Encino for the high-end homes, Lake Balboa for this easy daily access to this park, and Sherman Oaks for the strip of awesome restaurants along Ventura Boulevard.  I have to admit, after being in LA for 8 years, I keep missing to come here, and it's one of the hidden gems in LA.  The lake is huge, and there's kayak and paddle boat rentals, fishing spots, playgrounds bike and running paths, and barbecue areas for families and kids, there's ducks, geese, drakes, mallards, and swans that reside in the lake, and cranes as well.  I spotted something like it, in a dark color, perching on top of a man-made bouy.  I also took a picture of a kayaker that was a photo-op being in the middle of the lake, with all of those ducks, etc. a few feet away.

There was this 86 yo filipina lady who chatted up with me.  She said her youngest daughter, is getting married for the first time, at a young age of 56 to a 62 yo fellow filipino she met at a church.  She also said that one of her grand daughter got married at the age of 38 as well (as am I); and she gave birth to her son for the first time at the age of 42; so there is hope for me after all.  Mrs. Garcia, the lovely lady, said she had 5 kids by the age of 30, and she married a young'n as well; her husband, who is sitting at a bench nearby, was 5 years younger than she is.  That meant he had 5 kids at the age of 25.  Holy moly.  I regularly hang out with about 8 or so ladies; all ranging from 30 to early 40's, and only one of them has a (3yo) child.  Crazy to think any one of us being eligible to be grandparents at 41!  Lol.  But I think it's an LA thing.  Most of my girlfriends in Hawaii are mothers, some with 4 kids!     

I would think Tico would go crazy over these ducks, but it didn't faze him, maybe because he was too tired, but he was not as fascinated as he was when he saw a school of koi's on our trip to San Diego a few years ago.  I guess his taste is more asian than I thought.  He's more into sushi than foie gras (kidding). 

This animal is very friendly.  She\he was a few inches away from me; hoping to see if I could hand him\her some bread; but 1)I didn't have any, and 2) there's signs everywhere telling you to not feed the animals.  But people will bring loaves of bread here, to attract the ducks, etc.  There was a beautiful swan that was getting a lot of attention from these feeders, and I am worried that she will be too bloated from all of those bread by the end of the day.  Like my dog, she won't, and can't say no to food.  And with too many people coming in and going to feed her, I can see it being a huge problem. 

On our way home, on the 405 and 105 freeway interchange, another lucky you live in LA moment; snow-capped mountains 1 1/2 hours away, in the distance; in view from greater LA at 70+ something degree weather.   Behind us, is the Manhattan Beach 10 minutes away.  We were lucky to get great weather since yesterday, after weeks of 40+ weather, a 30 degree increase is a welcome change; and being on the weekends, it couldn't have come at a better time.

"Fish are our friends, not food"; 01.14.11

This is a line from the movie "Finding Nemo"; when the sharks were talking to each other.  Another favorite line of mine is "I speak Orkish"; by Ellen DeGeneres's character.  So cute.  My dog has eaten and chewed so many things in the past few years; and it's always one of my favorite quotes whenever I told him to stop.  Toys are meant to be for fun, they are not edible.

I met with a couple of girlfriends for happy hour tonight at Casa Del Mar, a poshy hotel on the beach in Santa Monica.  The address is 1910 Ocean Blvd., Santa Monica, CA http://www.hotelcasadelmar.com/.   The less than 20-mile travel time from Commerce where I work, to Santa Monica was over an hour; mostly because of the gridlock on the 110 and 10 freeway connection; which both have access to downtown LA.  I took a photo of the view right outside my office the other day, because of the fall-color light reflections that are coming from the sun behind the building where I'm at, and it made a beautiful contrast from the green on the lawn, to the traffic right outside, to the beige building across the street.  I'm really appreciating the fall\winter colors of LA more this year, than in the past year.

Anyhoo, I spazz out.  I really enjoyed the happy hour at the hotel lobby, but the customer service was sparse, because there were only two servers that night, and the lobby was packed.  It's a local favorite, apparently.  Once you enter the hotel, you are greeted with a pair of short staircases, which can either take you upstairs to the lobby\restaurant, or downstairs to the rooms\conference rooms.  I used to pass this hotel by on the pier side of the hotel, but I would never think of staying there, but after tonight, the place is so grand and boutique-ey that I thought; "this got to be a really good pet-friendly hotel".  So I looked them up once I got home; and they are.  Dogs of any size can stay for free.  But the room rates go from $325 a night on non-view rooms, and $399 on view rooms.  I can just imagine the price of the higher-end rooms.  Valet is $14, or $7 if you get it validated with the restaurant/bar.  The overnight parking is $33.  Would the room rates be worth it?  Yes.  The beach is a few steps away; and the access to the pier and the great restaurants in downtown Santa Monica is priceless.  Would I stay there?  Not if I can help it, as I usually stay at places that are about $100-$150 in range.  But if I can bring my dog, I would think twice about it.

At the happy hour, my friend Cheryl, was talking about her german shepherd dog Sammi, who chewed up part of her couch arms.  This brought me fond (and not so fond) memories of Tico chewing up every part of our apartment in Huntington Beach, and a dozen of my shoes, and countless toys destroyed; one of which, is this spider toy that I got him for Halloween.  Tico is odd with his toys, he does not pay attention to them at first sight, and when introduced the second time around, then he'll play with it and be obsessed about it afterwards.  It is one of those instances this past weekend.  Spidey the toy, looked so cute and adorable with his fat belly, his two white bug-eyes, and his 8 orange and black legs.  After a few days alone with Tico, it is sad to say that I had to pull it away from him; and now Spidey's got one right leg left, and the other four on the left side are hanging by a couple of threads.  Both of his eyes are gone.  Sure enough, when I came home tonight, after I gave him back Spidey, he wanted to go at it again, destroying it.  So I had to pull it away from him again.  B does not like me buying him toys anymore; since he always destroys them.  But I figured, it's better than him chewing other things around the house. 

By the time we moved to Main Street, Tico was already one year old; so he's outgrown the regular chewing of furniture and wood, and he's now accustomed to being left alone with shoes, and we can trust to come back to it fully intact and without slobber.  Otherwise, life in Huntington Beach was tough when I would come home and my two-month old Joan and David pair of shoes are destroyed.  He has a taste for the higher-priced shoes.  My beige Carlos Santana was a victim; as well as a pair of party shoes from BCBG.  Then I've said adieau to Anne Klein, Franco Sarto, and my good friend Alfani.  He won't touch my Payless\Ross\Target buys, but the ones I get on discount from gothamcityonline.com and DSW he'll attack; maybe because I use them more often.  All in all, I said goodbye to about over a dozen pair of shoes\slippers.  Bryan has had his share as well;  including a pair of glasses.

So at two years old, I am glad that Tico's finally out of that phase.  Toys on the other hand, are a different story.

"Surf's Up, Ann-Marie!"; 01.08.11

Yes, this blog has officially become a movie quote-friendly Tico the dog's adventures blog.  This quote is the best quote that I could find from the movie "Blue Crush" that applies to today's blog.  This is when Ann-Marie, played by Kate Bosworth, was getting fired by her supervisor at the resort hotel that she and her two other roommates worked at.  The movie's director itself is great; since he took some surfing shots that are very competitive with most surfing movies you could find.  Even the story line was not too bad.  And having lived in Hawaii for 16 years, the culture, the type of people that live and work in the hotel and that part of the island itself, are true to point.  The acting and dialogue on the other hand, not so good.  But still, it's one of my favorite movies, shamelessly enough.  Point Break would have been a good movie reference, since "Johnny Utah" is one of my favorite Keanu Reeves character.  But alas, no personal meaningful reference I can relate to out of that movie for today's blog.

Anyhoo, Tico is due for a bath.  It's been two months, and boy; he needs one so bad.  His breath also smelled of poo and whatever you can imagine, so a quick trip to "Le Target" was also necessary today to get some doggie biscuits, which helps counter the bad breath.  And then we'd give him his Frontline which he absolutely hates and try to charm his way next to you so you can rub his back off of this oily mess, while whining.  He learned to whine from the neighbor's German Shepherd dog who stays outside of the house.  Tico's whining drives me absolutely mad, but it's taking us some time to wean him out of it.  Anyway, since we are going to give him a bath, we figured we'd give him another day of running around in cold, damp sand and salty beach water in our favorite stomping ground, the Huntington Dog Beach (http://www.dogbeach.org/).  We love this beach. 

Today, there was a surfing competition; and I have taken great photos of Tico with the surfers in the background.  I've also taken photos of the neighborhood and the streets.  You can get to HBDB by taking the 405 freeway, exit on Goldenwest, make a right on Goldenwest, and take that all the way until you reach the beach.  Address is 100 Goldenwest Street, Huntington Beach, CA  92648.  The start of the HBDB is on Seapoint, and it ends on Goldenwest, off of the PCH.  You can get free street parking on the residential streets just south of Goldenwest, two blocks from the PCH.  Otherwise, there are paid meter parking, some only takes coins, and the ones that are on the beach itself takes debit/credit cards.  It's about $1.50\hour.  This is a great beach for surfers and dogs alike.  And you see on a daily basis, the joggers and runners on the jogging patch up the hill from the dog beach on the side of the PCH, and there are picnic tables as well.  And the landscaping up the hill is marvelous, add a backdrop of million-dollar homes across from the PCH, and it's nothing quite like it anywhere in the world, as far as I'm concerned. 

I dream of owning one of those townhome-looking million-dollar homes that are Venetian in style; with balconies that see straight across the highway, and on to the big, blue ocean that is the start of the dog beach to the right of Goldenwest.  The dogbeach.org volunteers supply the poop bags regularly, and there are sufficient trash cans to put away your dog's poop.  So no excuses.  As much as I am jealous of those million-dollar homes that laced the PCH Highway on our way to the actual beach from the residential street parking, we do understand the frustration of trying to maintain a beautiful lawn area only to be defecated by dogs whose owners don't give a darn.

Tico is a very fascinating dog.  He is not the friendliest dog, and he works alone.  Whenever we go to parks and beaches, he's very focused.  He'll hang out with us all of the time, and wait for us to throw the ball.  He hardly makes friends, and never joins the pack.  Bryan and myself are, as far as he's concerned; his pack.  And he's our fearless leader.  Dogs of different shapes, sizes, and age ranges will be fascinated by his fascination with the ball, or twig, or whatever we throw to Tico to fetch, but Tico never loses out of focus.  Dogs will follow him - - chase him, even; when Tico runs back and forth while fetching the ball.  But Tico ignores these dogs because he's on a mission; to catch the ball/twig/what-have-you; and to keep it.  Not to return to us to throw again - - like other dogs, but to keep it, and run around with it.  Only if you have another ball/twig thing, will he drop the ball currently in his mouth, and only then will he chase the second ball.  Sometimes, he'll keep both balls in his mouth.  I've seen him hold three.  That was something else.

Today is one of those fascinating days for me.  He's done this a few times, and I don't know the whole reasoning behind it.  He'll drop the ball in the sand, and dig a hole around the ball.  He'll be so focused on digging the hole around the ball, and he'll dig with so much energy, intensity and determination, to the point that he gets so frustrated that he's not digging fast enough to meet his standards.  He'll dig enough to fit about 10 of him, and then maybe he'll stop.  After digging, he'll plop down, and rest, and then dig some more.  One day, we were sunbathing near his "artwork" and a lady passes by us.  She said "when I come back and don't find you two (Bryan and I), at least I know where you're buried".  I don't know where he learned the digging, and the reason behind it; and I am fascinated to know.  He definitely keeps me on my toes.

Another thing that I like about the HBDB is that they have volunteers there every weekend who sets up their tents, and provide free water, and tennis balls to the dog owners.  And it's a convenient way to donate to the organization by either giving cash; or purchasing one of their sweatshirts, shits, caps, leashes, dog toys, etc.  We have purchased things like a sweatshirt (about $30) and a chuck-it (about $10) from them.  And they are pretty sturdy and of great quality; they last very long.  We got there pretty early and we were already leaving when the volunteer just started setting up his tent; otherwise, a pair of T-shirt would have been nice.

After a year of living on Main Street, I often wondered how things would have been if we stayed in Huntington Beach.  When I was house-hunting, I came across a 2-bedroom, 1 bath, 900-square foot condo in HB for my price range.  It came with a community pool across from the condo, and there are no neighbors on either side of our unit, or upstairs or downstairs, but there is only one right behind us.  But the night before I was going to see the condo, I called my realtor and told him I can't see it, because I know I will love it; and knowing that I have a large dog and large dog = backyard; we can't possibly be living in a condo with no yard.  We'd be miserable.  Because large dogs liked to play outside.  Supposedly.  My dog, on the other hand, became an indoor dog.  He does NOT; like to go outside.  He stays indoors all day, Monday to Friday.  He gets out in the yard only to do his "business".  So now I often wondered what our life would have been if we did get that condo, which is only 3 miles to this beach, and on top of it, it's in a better neighborhood, with better school systems, and is walking distance to shops and restaurants, and a movie theatre who charges $3\movie.  When we lived in the HB apartment, I could take Tico to the beach almost every other day.  Now, we'd be lucky of we go once a month.  Hence the reason for the blog, to keep us accountable to get him out and about whenever we can.

After today's beach fun, we took Tico to the Doggie Spa http://www.thedoggiespa.net/, who has great people working there; and they never make us feel guilty about leaving the bath tub a mess.  I've taken the liberty of taking photos of Tico in the bathtubs.  He's used to the bath itself, but still hates - HATES the vacuum dryer.  I wish I could take pictures of him trying to eat the dryer, but he moves faster than my 2nd generation Iphone can take.  I also took a picture of the store front and the spa owner's ride.  I thought the license plate is cute.  The address to Doggie Spa is 19365 Main Street, Huntington Beach, CA 92648.  They also sell HBDB shirts and other things there.  For a $15 self-wash, they provide two water-proof aprons, a prep area, a large bath-tub, an ear cleaner and cotton balls, a couple of hand towels, shampoos, and comb.  They also provide other grooming service ($25 and up) and sell other dog-related toys, leashes and food stuff, but we are there on a purpose, so get in and out of there in 30 minutes tops.  We get in there with a dirty, wet, sand-laced dog, and we come out of there with a very clean and nice-smelling, huggable (when he lets me) dry dog.  I usually tip $5, but for all of the dog hairs and watery mess that we make and leave in the tub, out of the tub, on the floor up to 10 feet away from the tub, and black hair on the tub wall up to six feet high - - I swear, giving a bath to Tico is like an exorcism of 5 pounds of sand and dog hair sets - -  we could easily tip this establishment's staff $50; but alas, we are broke. 

The actual bathing of Tico is a challenge in itself.  Tico is not a quiet dog, so he barks and whines at us, and barks to everyone else that are remotely in his line of sight - - as if to say; "don't look, I am at my vulnerable state!", or maybe "please help!" - - I would like to think it's the first one, but it could very well be a combination of the two.  Being bathed is not really his happiest moment, because he's being forced to stay in one spot, and get touched and probed and scrubbed in every single crease of his body by four hands.  And this is a true testament on how much I love my dog - - I lift up his tail and make sure that there's no sand stuff "under there".  His lipstick on the other hand, is B's department.  We'll see how well we'll do once we start having a family and have a baby boy. 

Temecula! It's not even - Fresno! January 2, 2011

Well, it's not a PG-rated quote from a non-PG rated movie called The Goods.  And I want this to be a family-friendly blog; so I'll keep those quotes to a minimum.  B's mom Cyndi invited us to have a family brunch, along with B's sister and brother-in-law Michelle and Jerry; @ Taps, a brewpub\restaurant, which is in the Promenade Mall in Corona area called Dos Lagos.  It's a beautiful shopping area; with top-notch stores.  It's practically empty at 11am; which is a shame, mainly because of the economy, and being the second day of the year, on a holiday weekend.  The second picture is of me and B today in front of the large gingerbread house inside Taps, in front of the dessert buffet line.  Inside the house also had a christmas tree.  And if you can see closer, that's Santa Claus with his boots stuck in the chimney.  I also noticed that some of the gummi bears were eaten out.  Probably some kids thought they were part of the buffet.     

We didn't bring Tico this time; but here's a picture of B last summer with him, after another get-together with B's family.  The last time we went there, we stayed at the patio area, and tied Tico on the other side of the patio.  But it was a busy weekend, and they had an art fair just in front of the restaurant.  One of the merchants complained about us, because she felt that people didn't want to come to her table, which was about 8-10 feet from where Tico was tied.  Tico is a scary-looking dog; so some people did get startled to see him when they turned the corner.  They get startled, but they never complained.  The fair vendor "believed" that she was not getting business because of Tico, or so she says.  But he never barked, and only barked once he saw me coming.  So to avoid that mess again, we decided to leave him at home this time around.  I would love to take him again, but I didn't want to inconvenience Taps and B's family once again because of some fair vendor who does not know a thing about dogs. 

Taps have Sunday brunches for about $30, which includes crab legs, and smoked salmon - yum.  And endless mimosas.  Dos Lagos, even being over an hour away from LA, is worth the drive.  Their main attraction is a man-made river with bridge that made you look like you are walking on water.  But the mall itself offers very good shop selections in one place, like Bebe's, American Eagle, Victoria's Secret, Loft, White House/Black Market, and then there's RA Sushi, Wood Ranch Bar and Grill, and TGI Friday's.  It's a few minutes north of Temecula, which is a wine region.  It would be nice to own a weekend home in Temecula; because I strongly believe that it will boom eventually like the Napa area did, all it will take is a great wine to come out of that region; and it will grow from there. 

My friend Mai and I visited Temecula in the Spring of 2008, and we checked out Mount Palomar and Wiens.  We originally went there for a day of spa at the Glen Ivy, which lets you enjoy their pool and jacuzzi, etc. for a $50 admission.  The spa also have mud baths, and they offered massage services.  We then checked out The Yard House at night, another microbrewery in Tyler Mall in Riverside, which is at the intersection of the 15 and 91, just east of the 15 freeway.  We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express.  The hotel is clean, brand-new, pretty large-sized room, nicely furnished; and I love Holiday Inn because they too, allowed large dogs.  There will definitely be a weekend trip forthcoming for the boys and I; to enjoy an overnight stay at the Holiday Inn, a few beer at Taps or Yard House, and wine at the local wineries.  And maybe a romantic spa day at the Glen Ivy with B this time around.

http://www.temeculawines.org/wineries-vineyards/
http://www.promenadeshopsatdoslagos.com/
http://www.hiexpress.com/hotels/us/en/corona/corca/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=mdpr-_-citysearch-_-ex-_-corca

January 1, 2011: Welcome to Hollywood! (Lake Dog Park)

"Welcome to Hollywood! What's your dream? Everybody comes here; this is Hollywood, land of dreams. Some dreams come true, some don't; but keep on dreamin' - this is Hollywood. Always time to dream, so keep on dreamin'."

That's one of the best lines out of the movie "Pretty Woman" with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.  And it's true!  More than half of Angelenos are transient, and have migrated from every part of the country and the world; to try to make something of themselves.  Myself included.  I moved here 7 years ago from Hawaii, and have had a ball living my life, meeting new people, making great friends, and finding true love.  Most of the people that I have met in LA are real and thoughtful, but you do come across those that are flake, and fake.  As soon as you realize the difference between the two, you'll do very well here. 

Life in LA is casual and low-key, but still fast-paced in its own terms.  B is born and raised here, but he's an old soul living in a young man's body.  I guess I have to thank Ed and Irene, his grandparents, and his grandparent's old neighbor, Frank; for B's demeanor.  He's very considerate of everyone, and I love that about him.

Anyhoo, today we went to Lake Hollywood Dog Park.  It's a PITA to find, but the best way to get there is to exit Gower on the 101 Freeway, make a right on Franklin, left on Beechwood, left on Ledgewood, left on Mulholland, and left on Canyon Lake Drive.  The address is 3200 Canyon Lake Drive, Los Angeles, CA  90027.  Don't use the address provided on yelp, or you'll get lost.  Don't rely too much on your Iphone or other phone GPS as well, as you'll lose signal along the way.  Print your directions.  http://www.yelp.com/biz/lake-hollywood-park-los-angeles

These are some pictures we took for the day. 

The park is in the middle of the residential streets, but they are off of Mulholland Drive, so you get some locals and tourists alike that stop off on the side of the road to get a picture of the Hollywood Sign and the lake down the hill.  It's definitely a great place to take out-of-towners for a couple of hours to show part of LA. 

The dog park is not a large place, but it's pretty large enough to give your large dog his daily exercise.  The people are friendly, and most are local.  There are benches, a pooper scooper, and a water fountain.  But definitely bring your water dish, as it's not an official dog park per say.  The sign says to keep your dogs on the leash, but most of the dogs are out of their leashes here. 

We forgot to bring our chuck-it and our ball, so Tico made do with the large tree barks that were on the ground from the previous days' storm.  We also got entertained by some little Australian Shepherd dog that was trying to carry a large tree bark, and fighting over it with a large, fluffy Akita dog.  The park is grassy, which makes it a dog-owner's heaven.   These are one of the few days when we didn't have to worry about putting a blanket over our car - -  Tico can get really dirty sometimes.  I would say bring your dog, a chuck-it and a ball, a blanket, some food for picnic, and enjoy an early morning or afternoon in the middle of one of the most gorgeous sceneries that LA has to offer.  The local residents are nice, but there's one lady that's a little "off", and kept calling Tico a "dog with cat ears".  She also wanted to pick up on B, and kept calling him "handsome big boy".  I teased B the entire time.  I told him I now have to worry about letting him roam LA with Tico.  Each are a real chick magnet.  Together, they are a handsome pair. 

On our way out, here are some of the pictures that we took up the hill from the dog park:

We then stopped by to Little Tokyo (2nd and Alameda Streets - - take the 4th Street exit in downtown LA, and make a left on Figueroa, right on 2nd Street, and take that all the way to Alameda - - which takes you to the central area of Little Tokyo- - and it ends on Central.  We enjoyed the New Year Festival that the Japanese Vilage had prepared; after we had our mochi soup.  Since we got our soup from a hole in the wall restaurant (next to Mr. Ramen) that did not have a patio for our dog, we got it to go and ate at one of the sitting areas right outside the Japanese National Museum, next to MOCA.  Mochi soup, or Zoni\Ozuni, is a Japanese tradition that you eat on New Year's Holiday.  The preparation varies, but the one that we got are surprisingly tasty and filling.  They usually were prepared bland when I used to eat them back in Hawaii.  The owners of the restaurant were very nice, and they gave us green teas to drink while we were waiting for the food with Tico outside of the restaurant. 

In Japanese Village, Tico and B had a great time, they got so many compliments because of the "large dog with a big boy".  The local and tourists alike loved playing with Tico.  B enjoyed the festival, but we missed the Taiko Drums.  What we got to catch are the karate, the queen's court who passed up some mochi, japanese dancers and musicians in their elaborate Japanese costumes.  We left just as the kimono fashion shows are coming up on the stage.  Parking is $2/hour on the street, but there are lots of paid parking that are flat rate, ranging from $5 and up.  There are some restaurants and businesses that are closed for the day, but one of our favorites are Koraku on 314 E 2nd Street, LA CA  90012.  For mere $8 bucks, you get really filling food, one of my favorites is their Yakisoba.  I salivate each time I think about it, and was bummed that they were closed for the day.  Here's Tico and B in front of the christmas trees in the Japanese Village.