Do you like doing your grocery shopping on a regular basis? Do you feel a certain sort of despair each time you go to the supermarket and you find vegetables and other produce that are not up to your standards? Well, if you are ever in Hollywood and you want to do your grocery shopping, you might want to go to the Hollywood Farmers Market instead of Costco.

This market is a true blue outdoor street market which offers a wide variety of goods. To date, it has about 90 farmers, 30 artisans, and 30 food vendors. Read the description of the market from their own web site:

Besides offering a great variety of fresh California-grown fruits and vegetables, Hollywood Farmers’ Market offers other wares such as honey, fish, free-range poultry and eggs, meats, cheeses, olives, mushrooms, jams, jellies, fruit juices, sauces, dried fruit and nuts, espresso, ethnic foods prepared on premises, hot pancakes, bread, biscuits, clothes, jewelry, gifts and more.

Now isn’t that just enough to make you want to visit the market? More than the food and produce, however, you can also enjoy other activities such as live music from street musicians. There are other forms of entertainment, family-oriented activities, and more. As such, you can make your visit to the market more than a routine chore. Indeed, it can be a family event that can keep everyone busy and happy.

The Hollywood Farmers’ Market is held every Sunday from 8 am to 1 pm. You will surely find it easily on Ivar Avenue and Selma Avenue.

I never really thought about this until I ran across a post over at WarnerBrosCan. Apparently, the writer has been sensing a dark cloud over Tinsel Town. This is what he has to say:

Hollywood is in a funk?and not just because the writers’ strike has shut down film and scripted TV drama production and directly and indirectly thrown thousands of people out of work.

No, the mood appears far deeper and more pervasive. For proof, look at the candidates for the best pic Oscar. While all are superbly made, none is uplifting. Juno is funny and full of charm, but there are sad undercurrents, especially in the relationship between the couple who adopt the teenager’s baby. No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood deal with the bleak side of human nature. Atonement is a tragic tale of betrayal and doomed romance. And Michael Clayton looks at corporate and personal corruption.

Moreover, Julie Christie was nominated for best actress for playing an Alzheimer’s victim in Away From Her. Other Oscar hopefuls focus on a murderous barber (Sweeney Todd), vicious Russian thugs (Eastern Promises, pictured) and a grieving father (In the Valley of Elah). Little or no joy there!

Hmm, he does have a point, doesn’t he? Even the newest movie in the Batman series portrays a Joker that has never been so dark.

Still, despite this dark gloom that might be prevalent in Hollywood, I don’t think that it is something that we should worry about. There is more to Hollywood than its movies, isn’t there?

One reason some people like to live in cities is the fact that skyscrapers abound. At night, they really do make the skyline a sight to behold. If skyscrapers are a measure of a city’s aesthetics, then L.A. has another point coming its way.

Yesterday, the Los Angeles City Council approved plans for a new 23-story condominium tower. This new high rise is planned to be built at the old site of the Spaghetti Factory restaurant. The now vacant place is now going to be replaced by a new skyscraper plus two humongous billboards on its south and west sides.

However, it seems that not everything is going so smoothly for the proponents of this project. There are some critics who have been voicing out their concerns regarding the zoning and the plans. For example, zoning regulations require that the project provide 512 parking slots. However, the plans only provide for 416. Despite the objections, however, the project has been given the go signal.

On the part of the Council, their argument is that their aim is to encourage residents to use their vehicles less. Less parking means more people should walk, I suppose. I do not know if the plans can be stopped at this point. Looking at the positive side, the new high rise would provide more office and residential space, which is already at a premium. For tourists’ sake, I hope that the building would be another beautiful edifice to behold.

Photo courtesy of ZSasaki

Cemeteries may not be for everyone but some of them are quite interesting. Certainly, a cemetery where some of the most famous figures of Hollywood are interred would be interesting to a lot of people. This is exactly what the Hollywood Forever Memorial Park is all about.

Located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard, the Hollywood Forever Memorial Park was built in 1899. In true Hollywood fashion, the cemetery was filled with monuments and old-fashioned headstones. Indeed, some of the monuments and headstones were not the ordinary ones that you can see in the average cemetery. A few of them are of unique shapes.

The Hollywood Forever Memorial Park has two major mausoleums, both of which house some of the most famous Hollywood stars. The first mausoleum is found in the western area of the park and is called the Abbey of the Psalms. The second mausoleum is found at the south of the lake and is called the Hollywood Cathedral Mausoleum. Though I would like to give you a rundown of all the stars interred in these mausoleums, time and space do not allow it. You can visit Seeing Stars for a more detailed tour, if you wish.

More than the mausoleum, the park boasts of a lovely lake, which many say is the most beautiful part of the whole park. In the middle of the lake, you can find a large Grecian tomb, wherein William A. Clark Jr. He may not be well known to the general public but he was the one who founded the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Photo courtesy of Alan Light

The Simpsons is probably one of the greatest cartoons of all time. I am sure that countless Simpsons fans will even argue that it is THE greatest cartoons of all time. That might be debatable but the fact remains that The Simpsons draws a huge crowd all over the world.

It is thus no surprise that Universal Studios launched their newest ride in May this year. Simply dubbed The Simpsons Ride, this new attraction has satisfied countless of visitors. The Universal Studios web site describes the ride:

The Simpsons™ are visiting Krustyland, the low-budget theme park created by famed TV personality and shameless product huckster Krusty the Clown!

You are there right alongside Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie as you enter through the carnival-like midway.

Once you board your vehicle you’re in for one surprise after another as you embark on a wild, over-the-top ride through the park… flying, floating, and more or less crashing your way through Krustyland’s kiddie attractions, stunt shows, and thrill rides.

Though I have not had the chance to try out this ride myself, it seems that people who have tried it are raving about it. Eye candy, visually stunning, and fun are just some of the descriptions that I have heard.

So how much is a ride going to set you back? You’d have to pay for at least a 1-day pass for the whole park, the cheapest starting at $54 (for children under 48”). If you are over this height, you have to pay $64.