#244: The Echo Park Time Travel Mart

Whenever You Are, We're Already Then

If you could travel to either the past or the future, which would you choose? I have a weakness for australopithecines named Lucy, so I'd choose the past. Brad is a closet Trekkie and perks up at the mere mention of Armageddon, so I think he'd pick the future.

There's only one place in L.A. that can take you to both the past and the future in one trip: The Echo Park Time Travel Mart. The Time Travel Mart is a convenience store where robots and cavemen can shop side by side for everyday household wares like Mammoth Chunks in a can, Barbarian Repellent, Big Bang in a Jar, and Robot Emotion Chips. All proceeds benefit 826LA, a non-profit organization that supports students ages 6-18 with their writing skills by offering free tutoring and workshops. Dave Eggers and many other influential writers are on the Board of Directors!

The store is small but it's packed full of merchandise. Take the time to browse every square inch of this place--you'll have a laugh and feel good about yourself for supporting a great cause.

The Echo Park Time Travel Mart

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#243: The Original Farmers Market

What are these? Tacos for ants? Well whether you're a hungry ant or an indecisive human, you'll drool over Loteria Grill's 12 piece mini taco sampler. Each mini taco is loaded with a different topping, such as cactus salad, chicken in mole sauce, and mushrooms with epazote.

Loteria Grill has restaurants all over the city, but there's no better place to enjoy your bite sized taco platter than at their stand at the Original Farmers Market.  

The Farmers Market is located at The Grove on the corner of 3rd and Fairfax. Just how original is this Farmers Market? It was created in 1934! Old school.

Unlike other farmers markets, this one is open everyday and has permanent shops which sell sushi, crepes, sausages, nuts, pastries, toffee, ice cream, and much more.

When you're finished with your tacos, ride the free trolley around the rest of The Grove and get your shop on!

The Original Farmers Market

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#242: Lower Arroyo Seco Park

As a new parent, I find that my mind and body are often at odds with one another.  In my mind, I envision myself taking my little girl on fun filled adventures everyday. My sleep deprived body, however, says... Um.... Uh.... Zzzzz... 

Take last weekend. After spending Saturday sprawled on the sofa, Brad and I vowed to at least take our girl to the park on Sunday. Sadly, our tiredness won out yet again and our front lawn became the "park". Yeehaw. 

This weekend I told myself "Mind Over Body!" and was determined to get out and do a nature walk. Kelly encouraged me to check out the Lower Arroyo Seco Park in Pasadena. The walk takes you along a river bed and under beautiful bridges, including Colorado Street Bridge. It's also on fairly flat ground, making it great for the out of shape and weary. The pictures on Yelp looked amazing, so when our little rooster woke at 6 am, we hit the road. 

We started our walk at the parking lot which can be accessed at the corner of South Arroyo Blvd and Norwood Drive.  

Turn when you see this sign and follow the road down to the parking lot.  

at the beginning of the walk

heading north toward the bridge

The walk starts at the archery range and takes you north along the concrete channel towards the Colorado Bridge.



You can walk along either side of the channel, but as you approach the bridge, get to the right side (the left side dead ends).

Once under the bridge, you'll have to go up a semi steep dirt hill to continue along the path, so this is not a walk for strollers or high heels.  Continue walking and you'll find yourself under the 134 freeway.

We continued walking a little more, and then turned back around. This KCET article outlines our 1.4 mile walk.  If you want a longer walk, I found this L.A. Times article that describes both a 3 and 7 mile walk you can take in the area. 

When we left around 10 am, the lot was full and there was a line of cars waiting. I think this was due to Saturday morning archery practice. So if you plan on going, you might want to avoid this time or just park on the main street and walk down.

I loved Arroyo Seco Park and only wished I had more time to explore it. While we were there, we saw a lot of joggers, hikers and dog walkers, but in no way did the park feel crowded. It's the perfect urban nature getaway! 

Have you been to Arroyo Seco Park? What did you think of it? Leave me a comment below! 

Arroyo Seco Park

#241: Lots of Food Truck Lots!

I must confess, Gourmet Food Trucks exhaust me. Just the thought of following them on Twitter, driving to wherever they're located, standing in line, and then eating my food on a street corner... It's enough to make me want to get Thai food delivered to my house and veg out while watching The Voice. Who's with me?

Don Chow Tacos

If you're like me (i.e. lazy), then a Food Truck Lot might just make you want to give food trucks another chance. What's so great about a Food Truck Lot? Instead of one food truck, you get a handful, and you can graze to your stomach's desire while knowing that this event will always take place at a regularly scheduled time at the same location.


This past Tuesday, we headed out to Santa Monica to check out Santa Monica's Food Truck Lot as they celebrated their 2 year anniversary. The lot is located on the corner of Main St. and Ocean Park next to the California Heritage Museum and it's open every Tuesday from 5 - 10 pm.  Bonus points for the large lawn where you can relax and enjoy your meal.

Don Chow Bowl

The selection of trucks changes weekly and is posted on their calendar.  When we went, the most popular trucks seemed to be the Lobsta Truck (lobster rolls) and LudoTruck (fried chicken). There was also the Buttermilk Truck, Coolhaus, Komodo, India Jones, Slammin Sliders, Don Chow Tacos and Fry Smith. We went with some tacos and a bowl from Don Chow and a couple of tacos from Komodo.

Komodo Tacos

Here are some tips for your outing:

• If you go, you might want to bring your own drinks since the trucks don't sell beverages. Otherwise, there's a small booth in the middle of the lot that sells drinks. 
• Bring a blanket to sit on if you're going to eat on the lawn. 
• Even though the Lot is advertised as opening at 5 pm, some of the trucks didn't open until about 5:30 pm. 
• If you ride your bike there, they have free bike valet service starting from 5:30 pm. 

Don't live close to Santa Monica? Here are some other Food Truck Lots: Gateway to Go near LAX, Westside Food Truck Central (although somewhat unreliable. I would check their Twitter page to make sure they're open on the day you want to go), Culver City Food Truck Fest, and On the Lot in Los Feliz.

Can you recommend any other Food Truck Lots in L.A.? Leave me a comment below!

Santa Monica Food Truck Lot

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#240: Culver City Farmers Market

What do Culver City's Farmers Market and my husband have in common? They're both short but have plenty of personality! 

This market is one block long on Main Street between Culver and Venice Blvd. It's open on Tuesday from 3-7pm and there's free parking right near the market.  

Kelly invited me and my little girl to walk around the market last week, where I purchased some coconut juice straight from the coconut, a Korean sticky rice dessert, and beef jerky. 

Kelly snagged a couple of cobblers from the cobbler lady and a gourmet balsamic vinegar.  

It's impressive how many booths they fit onto this stretch of Main. There were booths selling bakery items, hummus and dips, cactus tortillas, smoked meats, crepes, artisan chocolate, jewelry, gourmet Korean food, fresh seafood, knife sharpening, plenty of fruits and vegetables, herbs, and wild mushrooms. There was also a clown, and this guy playing music for little kids:

Even though this farmers market is quite small, I like the quality of vendors who sell here (the seafood booth is expensive but fantastic!) and the friendly atmosphere of downtown Culver City. 

Check out more farmers markets here: Beverly Hills (#229), Westwood (#171), Hollywood (#139), Mar Vista (#134), Santa Monica Main Street (#91), and Santa Monica Arizona Ave (#90). 

Have you been to the Culver City Farmers Market? What did you think of it? Leave me a comment below!

Culver City Farmers Market

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#239: FIDM Museum

Game of Thrones Costumes

photo from Huffington Post

 "Do you want to check out the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum this weekend?" I asked Brad. I think he just heard the word "fashion" and replied with a half-hearted "Eh". This is a man who owns five identical plain grey t-shirts and still says he needs to get more, so perhaps fashion isn't a big draw for him.

"The current exhibit has the costumes from Emmy nominated costume designers."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, like Game of Thrones."

I said the magic words. Brad has read five of the novels (no small feat, since they are enormous!), and is hooked on the TV series. We were soon out the door with our little adventurer in tow.

 Boardwalk Empire Costumes

photo from Huffington Post

The FIDM museum is located on the corner of Grand and 9th in Downtown L.A.. After grabbing a quick bite to eat at Bottega Louie two blocks away, we met up with a couple of friends to check out the museum.

The exhibit is in a large room and features costumes from Boardwalk Empire, The New Girl, Pan Am, Once Upon a Time, Smash, Pretty Little Liars, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story and more.

Downtown Abbey Costumes

photo from Huffington Post

There is a mini exhibit in an attached room that showcases women's hats from the 1820's to the 1920's, and a fragrance archive which features cosmetics and perfumes from the house of Lucien Lelong. (Unfortunately, we didn't realize there was a fragrance archive until after we left. Be sure to ask someone who works there to show you the way.) There's also a museum shop which sells everything from PanAm bags to the latest Game Of Thrones book.

The current exhibit runs until October 20th. There is no photography or cell phone use allowed in the museum.  When we went on a Saturday afternoon, the underground parking was free (normally it's paid parking, but there was no attendant when we went). The museum admission is free as well and they even had some candy and pink lemonade in the lobby for visitors.



There's a beautiful park adjacent to the museum. Pack a picnic and you're all set for a fun adventure!

dog statues

Have you been to the FIDM museum? What did you think of it? Leave me a comment below!

The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum

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