"Uptown Girl"; Uptown Dog Park, Long Beach; 01.29.11

"Uptown girl

You know I can't afford to buy her pearls
But maybe someday when my ship comes in
She'll understand what kind of guy I've been
And then I'll win"

http://www.lyrics007.com/Billy%20Joel%20Lyrics/Uptown%20Girl%20Lyrics.html

This is straight from the lyrics of the 80's song by Billy Joel.  Great singer, with a "regular Joe" (pardon the pun) looks.  Some say he wrote it for/when he was with his wife model/actress Christie Brinkley; but I'm not a 100% sure. 

Place: Uptown Dog Park

Address: 4600 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach, CA  90807

Directions: Take the 710 South Freeway, exit Long Beach Boulevard, and it's about a mile south to your left. 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/uptown-dog-park-long-beach

This dog park is fairly small than most; but it's clean; and it's fairly brand new/renovated.  The fences are new, and there's a section for small dogs and large dogs.  We got in there early; hence the mist on the ground.  It's in the middle of a larger family park, with picnic benches, etc.  I like the fact that the benches, even though there's only 3 or so of them; are clean and brand new, there's a station for recycled poop bags (give one, take one); so it's earth-friendly; and the water area is one of those self-replenishing water bowls (think toilet bowl) where the water gets filled automatically once it goes down to a certain level.  I like it because it prevents excess water - - hence muddy/gross watering area; but I am not particularly crazy about Tico drinking from the same bowl as 100 other dogs.  And with the slobbering, spitting, etc.; we hope he does not catch anything from one of those incidents.  But then again; Tico eats his poop whenever no one's watching; so I guess it's a fair game.  The dog park is next to a trailer park just north of the Bixby Knolls area; which is an up-an-coming area of Long Beach.

We enjoyed the place because we were the only ones inside for a while.  We got there with a young 20-30 something girl with a large female doberman.  The minute we got in; she started asking if our dog is friendly.  We said yes.  So her docile doberman started hanging around with Tico, but Tico was not having any of it.  He is there to catch balls.  So the minute Tico growled; pretty girl called it a day.  We felt bad, but she said it's okay.  She was ready to leave anyway; but hung out for a minute once she saw us coming.  She then got out of the dog park, and took her doberman for a nice walk in the family park called Scherer park; where the dog park is in.

We hung out for a little bit, but it's not a large space, so B had to make sure he controls the chuck-it good; or else the ball will go over the fence easily.  It did once; and he had to get out; and on his way in, he noticed the dog park rules - which mentioned the need to have a Long Beach license.  Dog-gone it.  Another city bit the dust for us.  For fear of being fined, ergo unexpected expenses, we bailed out of there.

Speaking of dog rules; this one has a very good dog rules, respectfully. 

1.  They don't allow dog walkers with more than 3 dogs - - so the owner to dog ratio does not get out of control.

2.  Dog owners must be in the park and within view of their dogs all time (MY BIGGEST PET PEEVE - - unattentive dog owners!)

3.  No children!  Yay!  I love children, but I am always watchful when I see children around Tico, because sudden movements will get him nervous.

4.  Aggressive dogs are not allowed.

5.  No female dogs in heat

6.  Must be current with their vaccinations

I do have mad respect for the City of Long Beach; because for a city in LA county, they are very dog-friendly.  I feel the same way with Huntington Beach, in the OC.  After all, LBC has a dog beach, and a dozen dog parks all on its own.  So for them to restrict some parks to LBC residents, I give them that; because we don't pay taxes that help provide amenities such as these.  But I wish that they would be less restrictive, so wanderers like us can enjoy their parks as well.  Which will entice people further to move to their cities, or at least do business\shop\eat in their cities.  All I'm saying.

Anyhoo, going back to the dog park - - it is true that the locals are very friendly here.  On our way back to the parking lot, we came across an older asian man with two large dogs, one was a GSD and another one a lab; and we chatted for a while with him.  A few steps away, we came across two older black ladies with their pretty yippy dogs (not much of a small breed know-it-all, so I generalize these dogs as yippy); and they loved our dog, because each of the ladies have had a GSD before as well.  Then they reminded us of the hip thing.  GSD's are known to have hip displacement when they get older (maybe once they turn 10 or so); so this enticed me to get Tico back into taking calcium pills.  He's very energetic right now, I just want to make sure his last few years with us will be less painful, if we can help it.

Since we left the dog park earlier than normal, we still need to give Tico his due exercise for the day.  So we got on the 405 freeway, exited on Seal Beach, made a right on PCH, and left on 2nd Street to hang out in Belmont Shore.  http://www.belmontshore.org/

I like Belmont Shore.  When we were apartment hunting two years ago, we were considering LBC\Belmont Shore area because of it's dog-friendly-ness.  The shops and restaurants in this dozen-block area are a great mix.  There's something for everyone's budget here.  You'll come across shops like White House/Black Market, as well as $15 clothing boutiques.  There's expensive and affordable restaurants galore.  We've only eaten at a local Indian restaurants here, but one of the locals mentioned a great Meditterranean just down the road that he feels we should check out as well.  Buffalo Exchange, a Goodwill-type used clothing store, is also here.  Surprisingly, Pussy and Pooch (http://www.pussyandpooch.com/), apparently a chain dog supplies/grooming salon, is also here.  We go to the one in Downtown LA, but it's always nice to have an option.  One thing that this store does not have, is a self-serve wash area.  They groom for $35 for Tico's size, but when we self-serve, it's $15.  Since we're on a spending freeze, we won't be coming back here yet, but it's always nice to know it's here in case we go to the Long Beach dog beach just down the road.

One thing that I like about LBC is that their residents are a mix of people, and for the most part, they are happier and chattier than other cities, IMO.  B mentioned that people come up to us more often than normal.  That's a great thing about having a dog, they are a conversational piece.  I don't think people would normally come up to us if we don't have Tico, so he's a great icebreaker; and makes it easy to chat people up with local news, weather, business ventures, etc.  So dog ownership is a great social networking tool all on its own.  But for non-dog lovers, it's a social deterrent.  Oh, well.  On a side note, Tico does not like sudden movements.  Skateboarders, motorcycles, vacuums, etc. makes him nervous.  So we managed to tick off a surprised skateboarder.  We apologized, and he mouthed off about not bringing Tico in public.  I wish I had time to retort that being 40-something and still skateboarding is also a no-no.  But skaterboi was already gone.

Right next to one of the Starbucks is the Sprint store, and one of the clerk went up to a tied up pretty yippie dog; and yippie climbed up against Alex (the Sprint guy)'s leg, begging for attention.  I thought that was adorable, so I took a picture.  There was another Jack Russell who climbed up on B's leg, when we went inside Pussy and Pooch.  It's a great dog-day (mid) afternoon in the LBC.  

Tico's "bed" is this leather loveseat.  During the course of the day, he's here.  It's his domain.  Once in a while, I will lie with him in this couch, and last night was one of those night, when I fell asleep watching "Friday" the movie.  I woke up at 2am finding myself contortioned on the other end of the couch, while Tico will stick his butt for as much as he could so he has more real estate.  We'd normally sleep together sometimes in the larger sofa, but B took that up too.  To avoid further back problems for me, I got up and slept in the cal-king bed.  Ah, the Friday night excitements in our household.  Hold on to your seats.  Literally.

"Don't You Forget About Me"; Redondo Beach Dog Park; 01.23.11

Park: Redondo Beach Dog Park

Location: Flagler Lane and 190th Street, Redondo Beach, CA

Directions: Take the 405 Freeway, exit 190th Street; head west.  Dog park will be to your left.

Hours: From dawn till dusk.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/redondo-beach-dog-park-redondo-beach?rpp=40&sort_by=date_desc

Took Tico to Redondo Beach Dog Park again today.  It's our go-to park whenever I don't have time to roam around and check out somewhere new.  It's large, fairly clean; and the "gossip girls" aka old men cluttered about talking crap about other dogs and dog owners in the park, are no longer around - - or at least not around whenever I go; which is really early.  Today actually is a great mix of locals, young and old; and single men and women with their dogs.  It's a great dog-gone day in Redondo Beach.  

The great thing about this place is that I won't have a hard time finding tennis balls to keep Tico entertained with.  The park is a combination of mulch and grass, but mostly mulch; and is located under a bunch of power lines.   You can see the streets up the hill; so you can't miss this place.  There's a clear section for large dogs, and the small dogs section is next to it.  There's also a little section in the back of the large dog area for timid dogs or dogs who are still being trained.  There are two water fountains in the large dog park itself, and there are a handful of benches - but not entirely a lot.  Pooper scoopers are around.  Do be careful for poo; as some owners are not attentive to their dogs. 

There's good parking all around; the dog park itself is 3 acres in size, in the north section of the 24 acres of Dominguez Park (200 Flagler Lane), and it's next to Heritage Court Museum (302 Flagler); which is a pretty place to roam around in with your (leashed) dogs.   It houses the Queen Anne's Cottage; which is a cute Victorian in the middle of rose-laced garden, complete with white picket fences- - a good place to get married in, IMO.  The landscaping is pretty, and it's museum is open on weekends from 1 to 4pm.  There's also Baseball fields and picnic areas.  Keep your dog leashed whenever you roam around outside of the dog park. 

http://home.earthlink.net/~beckers912/presprog/heritage.htm

http://www.redondo.org/depts/public_works/parks/dominguez.asp

The caliber of dogs here are awesome.  Today, I saw a St. Bernard who is a young'n and is still being trained by it's owner.  The owner managed to keep the St. Bernard in one spot for a whole minute; until he let him know it's okay to move around.  He later went up to me and I got to pat him; St. Bernards are adorable and docile.  But  I can imagine them when they're still a puppy.  This one is about a good buck-fifty.  Tico is around 90 pounds right now; and when he charges me - he usually topples me over.  Tico's energy level is just insane; and he's already two years old.  I was told by a bunch of dog owners that he'll mellow out when he gets older, which I half-look forward to.  

Which brings me to Warren Eckstein's  http://www.warreneckstein.com/ radio show yesterday.  There was a caller, an old man; who sounded so sad and desperate because his wife refused to get another dog while he on the other hand; wants one.  They've had two other dogs before, and each one has passed on and lived for 12 years under their care.  So for about 24 years, this couple has had two dogs, enjoyed the dogs' companionship; and went through a bad time of grieving after the loss.  The wife does not want to go through that again.  Warren suggested that people always remember in the back of their heads that their dogs will only be with us for a short time; and to enjoy every moment of it while they are still around.  Warren also told the caller to suggest fostering to his wife; that way, they get to enjoy the great experience of dog ownership again, but not really get attached until the wife is ready to take the next step.  The caller is pretty happy about that suggestion.  

Warren is a firm believer of shelters; and can't stand "puppy mills".  My dog came from a breeder, so I have mixed feelings about shelters.  I once chatted up with a PetSmart clerk who told me that she adopted a puppy who she later had to put down because apparently it contracted parvo, and she never knew.  It gives me peace of mind to know where my dog's family came from; and their health background at birth.  At the same time, my heart goes out to those dogs whose owners were way in over their heads about dog ownership; and so it overpopulates the shelters due to their irresponsibility.  And with the recession; most owners have had to let their dogs go - - hence the overpopulation.  

One day, as I was getting ready for work; I heard a commotion right outside my front door.  When I got out on my way to the car, a couple of my neighbors were gathered around, calling on their cell phones, because there was a large GSD in the middle of the street.  My first reaction was that she was pregnant; but my neighbor explained to me that the dog has tumor the size of a melon.  The cop was already there waiting for the pound guys; but I felt so bad for that dog.  Someone just dropped him off on the streets.  And I could tell that the dog was an indoor dog; because he didn't move.  He's utterly helpless; and HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO.  I called him out, but he won't budge.  That night, I hugged my dog for the longest time.  I have about 10 more years with Tico, and I don't take that for granted. 

I don't know how those owners who's had to let their dogs go to shelters; or in this case, this dog with tumor; but it's heartbreaking to know that dogs have no power whatsover to take charge of their lives; and they are at the mercy of those owners who may have the best interest at first, but failed in the end, under different circumstances; reasonably warranted or not.  And then there's Warren Eckstein's caller; who would like to have a dog, but he can't easily have one.  His comment, while in between controlled emotion; was somewhere along the line of "there's nothing like the experience and joy of having a dog; it's the most loyal companion you could ever have".  It's true; and this old man just touched my heart.   

"Don't You Forget About Me" is a song by an 80's band called Simple Minds, made famous by the movie "The Breakfast Club".  The song is also featured in the movie that I am currently watching called "Easy A" by Emma Stone.  Two good movies, one great song.

"You'll be upper-class by Tuesday"; Barrington Dog Park; 01.22.11

 "The Departed" is one of those great movies that you can watch over and over again; and won't get bored.  Stellar cast (Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin - - the list goes on); great storyline, and amazing director (Scorsese).  This line is a great line given by the realtor when he was introducing an upper-class Boston apartment to Matt Damon's character.  It's a great selling point.  After all, the famous rule in real estate business is "location, location, location". 

A handful of my friends have purchased real estate within a year of two of each other; to locales such as Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Downtown Long Beach, and Lake Balboa.  So it came as a shock to them when I told them where I bought mine.  Unfortunately, it's all I was afforded.  Long story short, my purchasing budget was slashed tremendously.  Hence where we are at right now.  In a way, it's a blessing, because if I have had a mortgage payment that's about $1K more than what I have right now, I would be stressing out.  But still; would I have purchased a home that I can't (really) afford, if given a chance?  In a heartbeat.  But in life, you deal.  So we'll make do for the next few years, and then re-evaluate relocating probably in 2014; when my car is paid off, and hopefully; we'd have a little B running around by then. 

Barrington Dog Park (http://www.yelp.com/biz/barrington-dog-park-los-angeles) is in Brentwood, California; a neighborhood that is home to the rich and famous (O.J. Simpson, anyone?).  The address is 333 Barrington Ave., Los Angeles, CA  90049.  The address is actually the recreation park across the street, on the west side of Barrington; where the tennis courts are.  The actual dog park on the other hand, is a block up across the street.  Parking is free and aplenty, unless there is a baseball game; as is the case today.  But I got there early (9:30-ish) so I scored on a few empty spots.  It got packed by late morning by the regulars, whose owners are a great assortment of really good-looking models, actors, and celebrities.  I mean, as someone else have reviewed; Stephen Spielberg was spotted here.  To get there, you take the Sunset exit off of the 405 freeway, head west, and make a left/south on Barrington.  It's just a few blocks south of Sunset; in the middle of the apartment-laced street section of Barrington.

It's a friendly park, the owners literally come up to you and chat you up as soon as you get in.  It's a relatively good size park (1 1/2 acres), with a section for large dogs, and the small dog section is in the back of the park.  Do pay attention to the baseball game on the next fence, as balls fly out of there once in a while.  The online reviews talked about unattended poop; but I only saw one instance out of the large dog park.  And because the dogs are fairly friendly; even Tico lounged around for a bit with the fellow canines.  I got to know a GSD named Smokey, I met a black GSD in the photo above, a fatty black lab named Charlie (his owner's an attentive attractive lady in her 40's-50's); Charlie kept trying to mount Tico.  I also met Harriett, a young GSD mix who has a behavioral collar that her owner has a remote on to keep her from trouble. 

The dog owners are definitely responsible here.  There's the owner of Bella, a 14mo doberman; her owner puts her on a time-out every 10 minutes whenever she makes trouble.  And a tip to small dog owners; carry your dog first on your way to the small-dogs park (which is inside the large-dogs park); or else; you'll have half a dozen large dogs who will chase your little ones. 

But for the friendly, responsible lot of owners, there is still going to be one irresponsible owner, whose dog is a pit-lab mix who's the park bully.  Non-attentive dog owners are my biggest pet peeves.  No bones about it.  The pit-lab mix would slam his paws on the water dishes especially if it's full of water for no apparent reason - - I've never seen this behavior before; and he'd hump at Tico too; and his owner - - an extremely attractive actress/model type, would not give a rat's ass; just kept socializing with the other dog owners the entire hour that I was there.  I wanted to tell her "your dog needs attention/water"; but I didn't want to start something when I know she's a regular, and I'm just a grateful visitor who got to use their local dog park for free.  And from the online reviews, this place gets a lot of fights than usual; so I don't want to be in one of those reviews, for good or bad.

The dog park is clean, but no grass, and there's a few wood chips scattered around.  The over half a dozen benches are clean, and there's a dozen water dishes scattered about on the water fountain.  They have pooper scoopers, and the fences are high.  There's also a second set of gates before the parking lot, so your dog is extremely secure here.  It's less than a mile from the 405 freeway, so it's easily accessible.  It would be a good place to come back to if we are doing errands in the area. 

I researched as much as I can whenever I check out dog parks, for the most part, I like dog parks in generally expensive neighborhoods because 1)they are impeccably maintained; 2)the dog owners in general are environmentally conscious and takes very good care of their dog, and 3)it is safe for both myself, a 135-pounder in a 5'1 frame, and Tico, who, at two years old, is still and acts like a puppy.  But there's an exception to the rule.  I intended to check out a different dog park today; but after reading someone's review about fleas from regular dogs, I changed my mind.  Tico is an indoor dog; and his having fleas would be a disaster.  I don't even know how we'll handle it if he actually gets infested with fleas.  So we try to avoid those places like a plague.  If you want to keep me away from your dog park, just say the word "fleas"; and I'm out of there. 

For the most part today;  Tico is on his own, chasing bubbles.  I haven't used the bubbles on him for at least six months because Bryan does not like them.  But I keep telling him it's non-toxic, etc. but he's really concerned.  Since it was just me and Tico today, I took the opportunity to play bubbles with Tico again.  Tico loves the bubbles.  I started on it during his first six months, and since then, he loves catching them.  He jumped up as high as 6 feet whenever he chases them.  And at the end of the day, he's dog-tired. 

I have a picture of him by the door of the house where he was lying with his head down; but when I approached, he looked up so I can take a shot of his good side.  He takes after me.

Since we are in the area anyway, I decided to check out Montana Avenue (http://www.montanaave.com/search_retailers.php); an area in Santa Monica with about a dozen blocks of boutique stores and great restaurants all around.  They have sidewalk sales ($20 unique dresses, anyone?), designer stores (Jonathan Adler designs, ABS, and apparently even Rachell Ashwell's Shabby Chic).  I wouldn't mind checking these places out if I didn't have Tico with me, but it's too hot out so he's a little cranky and tired to be tied up and waiting for me outside of the stores.  One of my favorite bars, The (original) Father's Office has great sweet potato fries.  Marmalade and Rosti are great restaurant/cafe's that I liked too.  There's also a cute little dog shop called "To Wag For" that we browsed in.  They also do dog grooming so I might check that out in a few months.  Williams-Sonoma would be a great place to check out as well.

The Shops at Montana Avenue is between about 7th street and 17th Streets up and down Montana.  The best way to get there, IMO, is to take the Lincoln Boulevard exit off of the 10 West Freeway, make a right, and drive north on Lincoln Boulevard, which is also known as the 7th Street.  Two years ago, in the height of recession, I heard that this place was practically empty.  I'm glad to see that it's finally picking up again.  So the shop and restaurant owners are pretty nice and grateful to the customers that shop there.  So if you're in the area, do check them out.  Meter parking is 75 cents an hour; and you can find street parking north of Montana if you are patient enough to do a few blocks of walking.  And it's a dog-friendly area; I've seen about a handful of dog dishes in the storefronts.  There's a little dog in Jonathan Adler's that saw Tico outside when we were window shopping/ogling, and he wanted to come out and play.  The dog owner/sales associate scooped him up before he got out.

I would definitely come back to this place within a few weeks because of it's local, independent theater called Aero Theater, which also plays old double-features for $11.  They have great upcoming movies such as Plattoon, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Reservoir Dogs and Casablanca.  Maybe I'll make a cheap movie night out of it with hubby, and down a craft beer and a burger with sweet potato fries at the Father's Office.  There's nothing like scoring on a great value on an otherwise Ritzy neighborhood.  And in our household, frugal is the name of the game, and this is how we roll.

http://www.fathersoffice.com/.
http://www.americancinematheque.com/Aero/aeromastercalendar.htm
    
    

"Uh,-oh; B-E-R-N!" 01.16.11

Ah, the great movie "Rainman".  Two great actors, one iconic movie.  The distinct homage for this movie in "The Hangover" is also pretty cool.  I love Vegas.  Bryan and I love Vegas.  Even Tico loves Vegas.  And being only 4 hours away, I tend to go on average twice a year.  I'm not a gambler; I usually put aside a couple of 20 bucks; and once they're gone, I stop.  I don't have enough funds to take a larger risk than that.  I did, however; have lost a couple of hundred bucks over 6 years ago; and that was embarassing to admit. 

I usually go to Vegas for the nightlife, the buffet, and the energy level in that city is just incomparable.  And every time I go, there's always something new.  The girls and I also try to go once in a blue moon to unwind, and have some sort of retreat from our daily tasks, our career issues, our money problems, and our love woes.  But once in Vegas, who would have time to talk about those things?  We are there to unwind, decompress, and have FUN.  Life is too short to not have fun.  We lounge around in the pool, eat bad, greasy food, and dance our asses off at night. 

We don't let not having money to stop us from having fun with other ways, such as scoring on cheap buffets, great discounts, and affordable lodging.  But each time I go, I always thought "would it be cool if I walk out of these casinos and win $1 million?"  But once my first $20 is out, I get discouraged and nurse myself back to the ramen house or do some sight-seeing.  When I'm with the girls, my favorite place to hang out is in one of the half a dozen clubs in Palms.  When I'm with B, I liked to try out new dancing spots.  B loves to dance.  When I'm with family from Hawaii, I usually spend time in downtown Vegas, and eat Hawaiian Oxtail soup in California Hotel, rub the buddha's belly, and try my luck in the 25-cent Wheel of Fortune. 

For buffets, Main Street Cafe is great for some Hawaiian food binge-ing, there's an Indian buffet on Flamingo Drive, Makino sushi on Las Vegas Premium outlets, and the seafood buffet on Rio Hotel.  They range from $9 to $40; so they don't really break the bank.  But they can easily break my waistline.  I guess it's a good thing that we live 4 hours away from this city.

I had plans to take Tico to another park today; but alas, we can't.  His paw skins are really hurting from  yesterday's skids, so he needs to take it easy today.  I feel really bad because his energy level is 100 times less than normal; he now walks like a broken old man; and his appetite is low.  We've put some hydrogen peroxide, and applied Neosporin and bandaged him; but he would try to take them out with his teeth; so we came up with putting socks over them.  And it helps especially when he goes outdoor to do his business.  So far, we're on day 2 and the skins are getting better; but we are worried that he will gnaw at them tomorrow and make it worse.  I can understand having a wound and having the need to scratch it because of the pain.  We are good at reinforcing that what he's doing is bad, but who knows what he'll do when both of us are not around to stop this behavior. 

I just don't get it.  For a really intelligent dog, I don't get why he won't stop running and skidding when he realized he's hurting himself.  He could have skidded his paws raw yesterday.  Luckily B noticed a red spot on his paw in time.   I feel super guilty that I am feeding him his "Maro Bone" instead of his regular biscuits that helps his bad breath.  And whenever I give him snacks, I used to make him do his "lying down" tricks; but he's having none of it.  Poor boy.

I also realized today, after reading my Calfiornia Dog Lover's Companion book, that the city of Santa Monica is a nazi when it comes to dogs.  They don't have much of a good selection of dog parks, as well as off-leash dog parks; and if they do, they tend to cater to local dogs with Santa Monica licenses.  My license says county of Los Angeles, but Santa Monica has it's own city license.  That city requires licenses and permits for everything.  Santa Monica is a city that I have a one-sided love-hate relationship with.  Their parking sucks, and everything is over-inflated, and overcrowded.  But it's a pretty city with great dining and shopping offerings.  And the beaches are pretty good for West LA. 

But I digress.  For the next few months, my goal is to find dog parks and beaches that are:

1.  Off-leash

2.  Unrestricted and not exclusive

3.  Large dog-friendly

I don't see a point in having a dog park when you don't allow the dogs to roam around freely.  But we can't win them all.  But my point is, I won't be looking around to Santa Monica anytime soon for any doggie adventures, unless I really need to.  I used to live in Mar Vista, which is a few miles south of Santa Monica, so it's still one of my favorite hangouts; but for a non-resident, large dog owner - - it's not the best city for dog parks.  That and Pasadena.  Go figure.