Getting Ready for the Long Beach Grand Prix

The 2012 Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix kicks off in just two weeks, and downtown is all abuzz in preparations for the three days of events.

This is the premier event for the year in Long Beach, followed by the marathon and Pride Parade.  Check the image below to see the circuit route and happenings of the weekend.  If you're in the area April 13-15 or don't yet know what to do that weekend, hop on the light rail and come on down to the waterfront to check out the Grand Prix!

Beautiful March Weather: LA Photos

Eat your heart out, Middle America!  This is what the beginning of March looks like on the Santa Monica Bay...

 

 

NYE in Long Beach: Don't Say I Didn't Let You Know

Sure sure, I'll be in Costa Rica (Arenal to be more specific) for New Year's, but I couldn't help but share when I came across this little flyer for Saturday Night's activities in the heart of downtown LBC.  I've walked by this place dozens of times and am always intrigued by the look from Ocean Blvd.  Haven't actually been to Sip just yet, but based on the layout, ammenities, location, the online menu, and the below flyer, if I were in town, this is where you'd find me on Saturday night.  Anyone who goes, let me know what you thought of the event and venue; I'm gonna need some LBC haunts when we move down here!

Getting out of Town...Sorta

Heading to the V-Town for a beach house vay-cay with the fam for what is debateably a staycation, given that it'll only take about a half tank of gas.  The VC fair is on, so I'll take the opportunity to post on other happenings in So Cal outside of LA city limits this weekend.  Keep the feed rolling!

2011 6 Man Tournament: Recap

The 2011 6 Man Volleyball tournament in Manhattan Beach, the 50th Anniversary of the Charlie Saikley event btw, was a great scene as always.  This year had a different vibe early on, as the sand wasn't as packed as in years past.  That definitely changed by about 1pm, so perhaps everyone was just getting a lazy start due to the marine layer that dominated the morning.  Here's a few of the photos I took during this year's tourney, and why I always say that if you haven't been....GO.  Set Your calendars for ONE YEAR FROM TODAY.  August 4, 2012...Celebrate Obama's Birthday in Style, like this....

Team WWF Huddles up, prior to dominating

Luke Walton can't help himself, has to run through the ring...

It quickly became apparent what the players are up to during the NBA lockout.

Kevin Love tries to show Jordan Farmar how it's done; an exercise in futility, no doubt.

...but he does know how to negotiate with the ref, regardless of what court he's on!

Luke gets pumped after his teammate puts up the monster block

Preview: Some Photos of 6-Man's Past...

A view of the scene from the pier.

Where I plan to start the day.  Remember, no booze
on the beach!  Just @ the bars & house parties.

Lots of people, lots of sponsors, lots of fun!

Fun costumes from Twister themed....

...to WWE!

There's even B-list celeb sightings like Luke...

...Coach Pete...

...and B-Griff.  But now that he's actually played a full regular season, he may be
too cool for 6-man.  I'm keeping my eyes peeled for someone, though!

6 MAN!!!!

Holy Hot-Bodies, Batman!  Have you been before?  If not, you've been missing out.  THIS SATURDAY, head on down to the Manhattan Beach pier as early as you can- heck, stop at the Kettle for breakfast, and then wade through the sea of beach-partying animals in all kinds of costumes to watch some quality 6-on-6 beach volleyball....where every participant is stone sober. rrriiiiggghhhttt.

Anyway, it's quite an event and it is a HUGE scene, so if you haven't been before, head on down and check it out this Saturday!  I'll be sure to follow with a post of some teaser photos to further entice attendance...

Check out the link for more info on the International Surf Festival (the formal name of the event).... http://www.surffestival.org/

Carmageddon: The Chaos That Never Happened

Last weekend's 405 closure ended up to be much ado about nothing.  Traffic was flowing freely, people seemed to stay put, and the whole experience appeared rather painless as the job was completed 17 hours ahead of schedule.  Being the curious individual that I am, I tested the epicenter last weekend.  Here's a bit of what I captured...












I even took Sepulveda through the pass, and ass you can see below (with Who accompaniment), everyone who did use the roads last weekend sure wasn't here...

Surviving Carmageddon in Glendale

Dear residents of the San Fernando Valley,

Yeah, the 405 closure is going to cause us to all rethink our plans and routes for the weekend, but here are some alternatives to going over the hill this weekend....

Cruise Night! - Brand Blvd. is being closed to traffic from Milford to Broadway for the classic car show, food, and entertainment on Saturday.  Come on out from 5-10:30 tomorrow and have some fun!

USA! - Women's World Cup Final is on Sunday morning; how about heading to the most local watering hole and cheering on the American women with the neighbors while enjoying a pint?  Of course, I'll be at the Tavern on Brand, hootin' and hollerin'.  If you haven't been to the Tavern and like a laid back bar that doesn't exactly look like a dive, then you've gotta come out for this game.  It's bound to be a scene; even if it's just me and the wife cursing at the TV's.

But of course, I'm heading to Runyon Cyn tomorrow morning to survey the damage, if any, that has been caused by carmageddon.  Naturally, I'll check in on Laurel Cyn during this visit, and even subject myself to the possibility of traffic heading north from Mulholland to the 101.  What can I say, I'm curious!

Carmageddon: Really?

The upcoming weekend's 405 closure between the 101 and 10 freeways, which has been dubbed "Carmageddon," is fast approaching.  With just a little more than 2 days to go, media hype has crescendoed and the entire LA area is being made to believe that this is practically the end of the world.  Get out of town, stay off the roads, and brace yourselves seems to be the dominating message. 

How about this one: does anybody remember the 1984 Olympics?  Granted, I was rocking some huggies at the time, but residents were told before the Games to do as much as they could to stay off the roads.  Yes, there was still a warning message prior to the event, but those that reported the upocoming event didn't speculate over the length and extent of delays.  They reported that in order to avoid gridlock and delays, the public's cooperation would be required. 

Today's journalists just like pouring gasoline on any tiny flame in the hopes of turning it into the next towering inferno.  Sensationalism sells second only to sex, apparently.  That's why reality TV is- gasp- scripted, after all.   Sure, there will be a bit of a spillover of traffic into the canyons and onto some of the side streets, but I'm thinking that overall the effect just won't be that bad.  Of course some drama queen in West Hollywood is going to perform some over-the-top lementing to the on-camera news reporter because the 3 square blocks around Coldwater Canyon were more congested than normal, and people had bad tempers, honking their horns and such, but come on...Drama Queen?...We-Ho?... it's not professional to stage newstories, people!

I plan on finding a good vantage point from a distance on Saturday morning, to assess the damage- or lack thereof- that Carmageddon is creating.  I see a problem, so I'm offering a solution.  Facts oriented observation of the issue at hand, as it unfolds this weekend.  Keep the feed rolling (blogosphere version of stay tuned)....

LA Weekend Destination: San Diego!

We're headed on our Mini-moon this weekend and taking the adventure down to one of LA's favorite weekend spots: San Diego!  We'll be staying at Paradise Point in Mission Bay, and although we're trying to keep the schedule rather light so that we can relax, this ain't our first rodeo in San Diego, and we've got a few things that we like to do while we're down there.  Of course I plan on sharing; that's where the info-tainment comes in!

First step is first...we're leaving for SD on a long, holiday weekend.  So departure timing is critical if you don't want to get hosed in traffic.  To avoid having to play the timing game, the Amtrak Surfliner is always a viable option, which I've enjoyed on more than one occasion.  However, times to depart in the situation that we are facing this weekend include... prior to 11am on Friday or Saturday, or after 7pm on Friday or Saturday....and that's it.

Got more wedding photos to post coming up, and will definitely be checking back in to update on some of the to-do's in SD.  But until then, time for coffee, loading up the car, and headin' out!

FINAL WEEKEND: What to Do?

So this is my final weekend as a 'single' man...what to do?  Well, I've been blogging about myself more than I'd care to of late, so I would enjoy deflecting attention by doing some passive blogging and taking-in the environment.  That's right, it's adventure time!  And while I'd like to post an update or two to The Spot during the day, it'll be much easier to update twitter, so follow the feed on the right side of the page, or follow me @cbucka on twitter.  But anyway, here's the rough itinerary...

- Santee Alley:  Need shades, and a ring-bearer gift for the nephew.
- Fry's, Manhattan Beach: Need blank CD's (I know, who uses those anymore, right) to copy music for the wedding
- Redondo Beach: Hang with the 'rents and Grandpa down in the South Bay
- Pasadena: Check out potential after-party locations
-Glendale: Probably going to take photos around town, we'll see.

Beautiful MLK weekend in So-Cal... What are YOU up to?

Today's only Friday and we were already flirting with 80 degrees in January. So what's on tap for the weekend? I'm thinking a beach day may be in order!

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