What a pleasant surprise it was recently visiting Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Located just 20 minutes outside Los Angeles, the Gardens are the perfect little escape from the city. I enjoyed Descanso Gardens more than the better known Huntington Gardens because of its proximity to the city (it’s much closer than going to San Marino) as well as its rugged trails and secluded areas. It also has an abundant tree covering that’s ideal for filtering out the harsh afternoon sun.

Before the area was opened to the public as Descanso Gardens, the land was a live oak forest. In the late 1930s and ’40s, when newspaper publisher E. Manchester Boddy was building his estate Rancho del Descanso (which means "rest" or "repose" in Spanish), he planted thousands of camellias in the shade of the oaks to provide blossoms for the cut-flower industry. Those camellias continue to thrive.

Today, Descanso Gardens is home to North America’s largest camellia collection – more than 34,000 plants and more than 700 species and varieties that grow on 20 acres. Many of these camellias are more than 20 feet tall. Camellias at Descanso bloom from early autumn to early spring, with the most dazzling floral display in winter – January through February.

A natural "bowl" in the San Rafael hills provides a secluded setting for Descanso Gardens. The first inhabitants of the area were the Los Angeles basin’s Gabrielino Indians. They relied on the native oaks for the mainstay of their diet, pounding acorns into meal for mush and bread.

In 1769, the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola arrived in San Diego and traveled northward along the route now known as El Camino Real ("The King’s Highway"). He claimed the area, which includes Descanso Gardens, for the King of Spain. Governor Fages in turn deeded the site as part of a vast rancho – over 36,000 acres – to Corporal José Maria Verdugo in 1784, probably as a reward for loyal service.

Verdugo died in 1831, and his estate was divided between his two children. The property remained in the Verdugo family until 1869.

The 160 acres that form Descanso Gardens today was still undeveloped when E. Manchester Boddy, publisher of the Los Angeles Daily News, purchased them in 1937. Boddy cleared the land and built an elegant two-story mansion of 22 rooms, designed by architect J. E. Dolena of Beverly Hills. This mansion overlooks 25 acres of live oak forest and a camellia-lined driveway. The Boddy House, used today as an art gallery, is open daily to visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Descanso Gardens is located at 1418 Descanso Dr., in La Cañada Flintridge. Hours: Open every day of the year except Christmas, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Price: Admission is $7, $5 for students; parking is free. For more information about the Gardens, call (818) 949-4200 or visit www.descansogardens.org.

(Source: www.descansogardens.org)

WHOLE FOODS MARKET – FAIRFAX LOCATION

Whole Foods Market located at Fairfax and Third Street is the perfect destination to grab a quick lunch or dinner. The world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket offers ready-made and made-to-order meals at reasonable prices.

What began as the "Deli" with a few cold cuts and pre-made salads has evolved into the Whole Foods Prepared Foods Department, a lively, warm and appetizing part of the store showcasing the creativity and culinary talents of the Whole Foods team of chefs. The store has an ever-changing variety of quick entrées, side dishes, soups, rotisserie-grilled items, pizza, teriyaki bowls, sushi and sandwiches. My top picks in the deli case are the Cajun catfish, turkey cutlets, crab cakes and grilled vegetables.

The prepared food area bustles, especially around the lunch and dinner hours. The buffet area offers fried chicken, baked chicken and a variety of Mexican entrees and side dishes, while the salad bar is well stocked with fresh produce. The burgers are top notch and the brick oven pizza looks delicious.

Whole Foods also offers turkey and veggie burgers. The sandwiches are oversized and customers have the choice of multiple breads, cheeses and fixings for every palette. The hot bar deli case features turkey meatloaf, chicken and short ribs.

For dessert, wander over to the bakery for some freshly baked goods or a vanilla pudding. There’s also an open-air refrigerated case with bottled waters and juices along with a variety of brand-name sodas.

Whole Foods manages to create a more entertaining, theatrical and scintillating prepared foods department than you might expect to find at your local supermarket. In addition to the great food and the hustle and bustle of patrons, music plays overhead for customers as they shop. I wouldn’t be surprised if the chain kicked out a compilation CD in the near future.

The Whole Foods staff is friendly and quite unique. You will not find uniforms here, but instead young hipsters at the registers checking people out while conversing with the baggers over local rent costs or which apartment complexes have the best gyms. After paying for your groceries, enjoy your food at one of the many indoor and outdoor tables reserved for customers.

The Whole Foods Market across from the Original Farmers Market is located at 6350 West 3rd St., in Los Angeles, (323) 964-6800. Store hours: 7 a.m.-11 p.m. seven days a week. For a store location near you, visit

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/.

Located in Pacific Palisades, Temescal Gateway Park is one of the most popular parks in the Santa Monica Mountains. The park encompasses 141 acres of oak and sycamore canyons, ridgetop views and access to miles of trails in Topanga State Park, Will Rogers State Historic Park and the 20,000-acre "Big Wild." Park amenities include easy to moderate trails, picnic tables and grassy areas, restrooms, a camp store, meeting rooms, an auditorium and classrooms.

The Reverend Dr. Charles Holmes Scott developed what is now Temescal Gateway Park for the Methodist Church in 1922 as a West Coast center for the Chautauqua movement. Originated in 1874 on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in Southwestern New York State, Chautauqua assemblies were aimed at challenging the minds and spirits of their participants by offering families seasonal programs of lectures, music, elocution and open discussion of public issues, literature and science.

Some of the canyon’s earliest structures are still in use. Built in 1922, the building now known as the Temescal Camp Store was two buildings – a grocery store complete with a butcher shop, and the local post office. The Presbyterian Synod purchased the property in 1943 and used it as a private retreat center until the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy purchased the property in 1994.

What to Bring:

Exact change – For parking, plan on dropping dollars in an envelope and sliding it into a bin. If you don’t pay for parking, expect a nice-sized ticket.

A backpack, even if it’s your school pack. Load up on water and some energy bars.

A digital camera – The park has incredible scenery including a waterfall. Why not document it for friends, family and those who just wouldn’t believe a place like this exists in L.A.?

Good hiking shoes – My Air Jordans worked just fine, but my fiancé slipped a couple of times.

Your A-game – I was amazed how friendly everyone was. With a good rap you never know whom you might meet here.

Finally, make sure your sunglasses are secured around your neck. My glasses fell off and landed in a waterfall. I was amazed that I was able to pull them out after blindly raking my hand through the cold water.

Directions: Temescal Gateway Park is located in Pacific Palisades, just one mile north of Pacific Coast Highway at the intersection of Temescal Canyon Road and Sunset Boulevard.

From Los Angeles, take the Santa Monica Freeway (10) west until it becomes Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Continue west on PCH. Turn right (north) on Temescal Canyon Road and continue for one mile. You enter the park immediately after crossing Sunset Boulevard.

From the San Fernando Valley, take Topanga Canyon Boulevard south to the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Turn left (east) on PCH. Go left (north) on Temescal Canyon Road and continue for one mile.

Address: 15601 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades, 90272.

Parking: Ample parking is available at the park entrance for $5 per day.

For more information, call (310) 454-1395 or visit www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=58.

(Source: www.lamountains.com)

The popular FREE CONCERT SERIES is back for its 14th season at the LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA). Concerts are presented in the Los Angeles Times Central Court on Fridays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Check out the link below for the jazz schedule. The museum is free after 5:30 p.m., so stop by to listen to music, grab some food (at either the Pentimento Restaurant or the Plaza Café) and enjoy some art. Two special exhibits worth taking a look at include the architecture of RENZO PIANO and RAUSCHENBERG: POSTERS, the latter of which focuses on artist Robert Rauschenberg and his nearly 50 years of public-use fine art posters.

LACMA is located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 90036. http://www.lacma.org/

Quick, run out and try the new breakfast sandwich at BURGER KING! The ENORMOUS OMELET SANDWICH is a whopping 740 calories and 47 grams of fat, overtaking the WHOPPER which stands at a hefty 700 calories and 42 grams of fat. The sandwich has one sausage patty, two eggs, two American cheese slices and three strips of bacon. Burger King should have gone all out and thrown a hash brown on this baby to push it over the 50-grams-of-fat marker. Take a peek at this delectable sandwich and check out the article online. Don’t forget to let us know how it is. We eagerly await your response. http://tinyurl.com/6h6ag

When looking for great spots to eat in Los Angeles, I always find that the way to start is by asking a friend from another country. Recently, my Japanese buddy Masa who cuts my hair recommended a noodle house in downtown L.A.’s Little Toyko. The spot, DAIKOKUYA Original Noodle & Rice Bowl, is one of the best dining experiences I've had in the past 12 years. A specialty noodle house, it serves a homemade DAIKOKU RAUMEN special made of noodles, boiled egg, seasoned bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and green onions in a pork soup. The soup is made from soy sauce and pork bones that are boiled for nearly a day. The restaurant only uses kurobuta or black pork, known for its tenderness and unique flavor, while the eggs are soaked in a special sauce overnight. I recommend you get a combination meal that includes the Daikoku Raumen with your choice of fish, meat or chicken served over rice. I chose the Teriyaki Eel Bowl while my guest had the Tempura Bowl. Both were excellent. The tempura is some of the best I’ve had in the city. The combination meals come with a small salad. The atmosphere is typically diner-esque but with a Japanese twist that makes the place that much more interesting. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m., Monday through Saturday. Prices are inexpensive. Plan on dropping around $30 for two people. The staff is young and cool. Overall, Daikokuya has a GREENWICH VILLAGE feel. After a weekend lunch, walk it off at the JAPANESE AMERICAN MUSEUM, which is half a block from the restaurant. Daikokuya is located at 327 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, (213) 626-1680. Visit them online at

http://www.bishamon-ten.com/daikokuya.html.

I caught this exhibit today at the L.A. PUBLIC LIBRARY in downtown Los Angeles. This is a must-see photo exhibit for local sports enthusiasts. Of particular interest is the section dedicated to the Olympics. In addition to the 1984 Summer Olympics, the city hosted the 1932 games as well. The photographs of a young Michael Jordan and Mary Lou Retton bring back some great memories, while a picture of OJ Simpson running with the Olympic torch as his deceased wife Nicole jogs behind him leaves you with an eerie feeling. Here is the information, check it out.

Play by Play: A Century of L.A. Sports Photography, 1889-1989

Central Library, Getty Gallery and First Floor Galleries

Ongoing through March 27, 2005

http://www.lapl.org/events/playbyplay/index.html

The best-kept secret of the local Jewish community in the Beverly/La Brea area might be the FISH GRILL restaurant, located at 7226 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. Fish Grill is a no-frills restaurant housed next to a synagogue. I’ve driven past the place on several occasions over the years and finally decided to stop in for dinner last fall. I’ve been a regular ever since. Heavily frequented by the local Jewish population, the restaurant serves up the freshest fish around. All seafood is prepared on an open, seasoned grill. Dinner plates include a baked potato, rice pilaf or fries, all of which are amazing. Coleslaw or an Israeli salad made of cucumbers, tomatoes and a zesty dressing is also included. My favorite entrees include the whitefish and fish skewers. Fish Grill also serves salmon, red snapper, a popular ahi burger as well as daily pasta specials. The prices are modest (dinner for two costs around $22) and the staff is friendly, but seating is limited. Parking is the only problem with Fish Grill – they don’t have a parking lot. Street parking is hard to come by, but DO NOT PARK in the shopping center lot next door. Although tempting, be advised to stay away. Those who park their cars in the shopping center’s lot and don’t shop there will be towed.

It’s been a long time, over three months, since my last and only correspondence. Long story short, my iBook was out of commission and after a hard day’s work the last thing I want to do is sit at my desktop and do a posting. From now on, I’ll make it a habit to do regular postings and, in return, would like to hear from you folks.

Well, on to my first observation of March. Currently out on DVD is ALFIE starring Jude Law. I must say I had no intention of watching this DVD, but after snatching it from our film editor I thought I would give it a go. I’m glad I did, because it is a pretty good flick. Jude Law, who took a bashing from my favorite comedian Chris Rock during the Oscars, was great in the film. Alfie has terrific dialogue, is well shot and has an awesome soundtrack. Also, you get to see the future Mrs. Jude Law, Sienna Miller, act in the film as well. Check it out and you’ll know what I mean. (Think FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF meets SEX IN THE CITY with some ’60s flavor. Add a copy of COSMOPOLITAN and GQ to this list and you have Alfie.)

Hello Everyone,

I have a new advertiser in CAMPUS CIRCLE. It is the world famous HOOTERS in Hollywood, across the street from MANN’s CHINESE THEATER. They are running a coupon in Campus Circle and I want them to get a great response. Here’s the promotion: If you buy 20 wings, you will get 20 free with the coupon. I would appreciate it if our readers would take advantage of this special offer. I want Hooters to continue advertising with us. Download the coupon here: http://www.campuscircle.net/coupons.

Thanks,

Sean