Oh hey, American Pie, Weird Science, and Donnie Darko houses are also along Country Club Drive in…read moreLong Beach too?! Sweet!!! After you've finished checking out the houses from Ferris Bueller (which was also featured in Red Dragon and Not Another Teen Movie) and Painters' House from American Pie 2, swing on over to the other streets surrounding Country Club Drive in Long Beach to check out these film location houses. Originally, I was planning on just visiting Ferris Bueller's House. Thanks to my trusty Yelp, it also pulled up this feed and other Yelpers reviewed the surrounding houses. Furthermore, a huge shout-out to Yelper Alana M., for posting the addresses on her picture captions. Definitely saved me the huge headache of trying to find them, lol! With that, I continued on my mini house tour before heading over to my first ever Long Beach Elite Perk from Alex, the newly appointed Long Beach Community Manager, yay! Admissions and Parking: All free and residential parking all around. Yes, residents actually live in these homes and so please be respectful and quiet when visiting the neighborhood. Locations: +2001 Donnie Darko House: 4225 Country Club Drive, Long Beach, CA 90807 Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Drew Barrymore: A demonic-looking rabbit tells Donnie that the world will end in 28 days when Donnie sleepwalks outside his house during the 1988 presidential election. I had never seen this movie but decided to check out house since it's here in Long Beach. +1985 Weird Science House: 4252 Country Club Drive, Long Beach, CA 90807 Starring Kelly LeBrock, Anthony Michael Hall and IIan Mitchell-Smith. Two high school nerds use a computer program to literally create the perfect woman. Loved this movie! Always rooting for the geeks and Lisa (their creation) was sassy, loving, protective and brilliant! Then again, John Hughes' movies are always dope! (Breakfast Club, St. Elmo's Fire, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, etc). +Jim's House from 1999 American Pie: 3925 Cedar Avenue (and Stewart Way), Long Beach, CA 90807 Starring Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott: Jim and his group of high school virgin friends decide to take action and vow to lose their virginity by prom. Lol, the apple pie sex scene! Can't live that imagine down...ever, lol! +Michele's House from 1999 American Pie: 3925 Cedar Avenue (and Roosevelt Road), Long Beach, CA 90807 Starring Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott. Chris Klein, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Thomas Nicholas, Shannon Elizabeth: Jim and his group of high school virgin friends decide to take action and vow to lose their virginities by prom. Michele's infamous quote: "And this one time at band camp...I stuck a flute in my...." LOL! Not so innocent, geeky, little band camp girl after all. She definitely taught Jim a thing or two.... If you're a fan of Donnie Darko, Weird Science, and/or the American Pie Franchise movies, come on over and check it out on these streets!

Looking for something fun to do this afternoon? Want to impress your out of town guests or your…read moreday date? Put on your walking shoes or hop on your bikes and check out the "Little Hollywood" of Long Beach. The Virginia Country Club area of LB is where you'll find the real homes used in the filming of "American Pie," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "Red Dragon," "Donnie Darko" , "Weird Science" and "Not A Teen Movie". Filming continues in this neighborhood and a few weeks ago they were taping episodes of "Dexter" in the area. Many of these locations are close enough together you can see a few at a time. But with nearby Rancho Los Cerritos, Los Cerritos Park or the Bixby Knolls Biz area, a visit to a few of these spots can make for a wonderful day! [ Warning: These are private homes. Do not trespass on their property, knock on their doors, or otherwise disturb the residents' privacy. ]

Bixby Knolls has lost its charm over the years. Take a stroll through the entire Bixby Knolls…read morearea. Make a day of it. Nice area to walk around and get some steps in, however the level of self absorption by its residents has reached an all time high. More specifically, the south side of Bixby Knolls. Facebook moms and never ending "post-able" content seekers on every street. Residents hosting drinking parties on their front lawns. Summer and winter concerts hosted in driveways with liquor being passed around till midnight. Playdates where parents are video recording and snapping cell phone photos non stop, searching for that perfect post-able photo! Neighbors copying each other's home re-models and re-landscape projects trying to one up each other. One neighbor buys a new car only for 3 other neighbors to run out and buy more expensive cars....again trying to outdo one another. I do not understand what has happened to Bixby Knolls. Seems like a majority of residents have become complete narcissists and are constantly in a battle of being better and having more than the next person. Very sad to see the superficial bubble world that Bixby Knolls has become. Self absorption is only one example of behavior I have observed in Bixby Knolls. There are many residents here that seem to think that they should involve themselves in everybody's lives and business, even when it does not concern them. It seems that COVID has brought out the worst of these types. While taking a stroll through Bixby Knolls, on the west side of Olive Ave., between Marshall Place and Roosevelt streets, one resident actually came outside of their house and started screaming at me, "6 feet, 6 feet!" All because I was taking a leisurely stroll with a family member that I live with. So here, the screaming Bixby Knolls resident was screaming at me all because I was walking on a public sidewalk! WOW! This is a prime example of how a Bixby Knolls resident was trying to get into somebody else's business that did not concern them! This type of behavior can be seen all over the area. If you are a Bixby Knolls resident, beware of who you associate with. Neighbors gossiping about other neighboring families, resulting in rumors flying up and down the streets is sadly an everyday occurrence. Neighboring parents bragging about their kids. "My kid is better than your kid." Again, a sad daily occurrence in Bixby Knolls. The scent of weed comes and goes all day. Take a walk in Bixby Knolls and you will smell it. Live in Bixby Knolls and have your windows open on a hot day? You will have the scent of weed blowing into your house. Take a drive through Bixby Knolls and you will smell it seeping into your car. Those kids that were better than yours? Wait till they reach adulthood - you will know why you are smelling weed everywhere. Overall, a nice place. Beware of who you associate with in Bixby Knolls. Sincerely, - a lifelong resident.

Very very dirty, not self-reliant at all more like relying on government hand outs, no solar…read morepanels, and Lois whom is in charge is very very rude. Also after I did my little tour I decided to talk to some people in the community and ask how is their relationship with Eco village and all I heard was terrible things so I would highly not recommend living here.

So much potential in this place for community living space, taking care of a beautiful garden and…read morechicken in the courtyard and sharing resources

Maybes it just me but it seems like there's always something new popping up in the area. It's a…read moretine little neighborhoods but packs a major punch with what they have. There's a good selection of restaurants, some bars, and a few shops here and there. Mainly more eateries than the others. It pretty much street parking along the main roads or neighborhoods. There's a huge parking lot a block away where the red line station is. Crowds are alway pretty mellow. Not stuffy like the city scene. Majority of time if we're in the area, it normally for a meal and then a drink afterwards.

A great sub neighborhood of North Hollywood with good food, bars, and entertainment…read more From the North side of the 134 Freeway down Lankershim Blvd passed local favorites like the Ha Ha Comedy Club, Tiki No (tiki bar), Lotus Vegan (originally on Vineland), Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre, the local Amazon Fresh, Player One (barcade) Brew Bros Brewing, Pitfire Pizza (with amazing outdoor layout) and down to North Hollywood Station (a major city transit hub). Or from the Vineland Avenue perspective you can cruise to places like Idle Hour (the wheel barrel bar), TeaPop (cafe meets art gallery) and that crazy multiple intersection with Lankershim + Camarillo Street that only a creative mad genius could have been ambitious enough to design O.O and place in the NoHo Arts district. Getting around via any method of travel including on foot is an interesting one. There is some free residential and business parking as well as street with few restrictions and plenty along outer streets like Vineland Place, but just keep in mind during the day certain areas are limited to 2hr parking. Enjoy a slice of NoHo via these district of creative expressive bliss... More than one Starbucks because a lot of locals need their fix (plus one is drive thru and the other is walk in) but highly recommend supporting the smaller mom & pops such as Amp Coffee, Horror Vibes and Amsterdam on Magnolia near the stellar newer brewery in the area Lawless (a hidden gem must). Q-Tip: Check out nohoartsdistrict.com for local events, entertainment or places to explore as well as stay.

Great little hidden gem for locals in Palms and Mar Vista for a step workout. The surrounding…read moreneighborhoods also have great hills. There is always ample parking on the street and generally speaking, it's not very busy.

I think it says a lot about the lack of green space and park infrastructure throughout the…read morecountry-sized city of Los Angeles that people resort to nondescript pedestrian passage-ways between two streets as a public amenity that must be yelped about. The upper entrance is between two houses on Inglewood Street. Seattle is full of passageways like this, more character-ful with beautiful vegetation and not cordoned off by chain link fencing, but few elicit actual Yelp-reviewed status. In green Seattle a stairpath between streets on different sections of a hill can be enchanting, but here it is ...not. There is a Mar Vista Recreation Center not too far from this spot, it's got ball fields. Since we are largely in the flat lands, this stair case provides a little special workout. The view of the valley is interesting from here. It's a staircase with room for two people one going up and one going down. It is enclosed in fencing. Hard to find any more words for these concrete stairs.

First time visiting Little Ethiopia, which finds itself located mostly on Fairfax Avenue with a…read moremyriad of shops, store, and other businesses. You can easily walk through the entirety of it in an afternoon and I'm sure they host community events and celebrate here too. I'm not usually in this area, so it was a treat that the Gintama Art Exhibit was randomly hosted here. There are so many options for dining here, so hopefully one day we'll be back in the area to try more or to get a drink from one of the businesses. We saw some shops selling vintage goods and a grocery store too. There were casual coffee spots, sit down restaurants that were banquet style, a buffet, and much more. Way too much for an afternoon and for only 1 stomach in that sense. Strong community feeling here as I saw the businesses owners chatting with each other and locals coming in and greeting them like lifelong friends. Parking can be free, but just be wary of where you park and READ THE SIGNS.

Back in Little Ethiopia!…read more This small slice of culture in the mix of Central Los Angeles with awesome eats, artsy beats, cool shops and bits of tranquility. My primary doctor is a short stroll away so I pass through and by a lot, but actually got to have a nice sit down post routine check up meal and go in for the frills. Rahel's Ethiopian Vegan Cuisine is a must stop dream! I enjoy them when they do pop ups at events for sure, but nothing beats an in person experience. Vintage Treasures and Repairs is a great vintage jewelry, clothing furniture as well as repairs shop. Cannonball & Tilly is a fun thrift store that encompasses a good portion of the neighborhood and 45 Three Modern Vintage Home is thee used, vintage & consignment one truly should explore with so much amazing art. Fun markets via Merkato and Buna, which both double as restaurant/cafes. Don't forget to enjoy the iconic Paradocs Coffee and Tea featured on Infatuation LA last year, and a personal favorite of mine. That coffee is 10/10. Open to all, teatastic teas, and good vibes for everybody. You'll discover fun flyers and/or posters for music nights, events, etc., Take in the greenery throughout and large sidewalks with a mid street crosswalk, for a very pedestrian friendly area. I've only driven over once or twice, but parking is pretty adventurous. I recommend metro or rideshare. And often catch the LA Metro 217 bus over from the Hollywood area over, which goes down Fairfax and even stops at The Grove along the way. Always a great part of the city to enjoy #SupportSmallBiz #SupportCultureinLA

This place is simply home to me. Have lived at 2 sites…read more Either way, I can relate to both the good and bad I've seen posted. Yes I've had the 18th street gang on our doorstep but they were ironically always polite, offering me pcp laced ditch weed and a swig of their 40oz. Those are some crazy vatos locos. No violence ever ensued, just some sub par artistic tagging. Yes, it's tough to park, and yes there are some homeless, but in comparison to the 90068 zip code this is the dulce de leche. Especially the further north you get from Franklin. It's the fillet of the neighborhood. You can walk to the Hollywood Bowl, the metro, Runyon, and countless Hollywood clubs and restaurants. I would rather live on the westside, but this is an affordable Hollywood neighborhood on the ups.

I love my neighborhood! I love walking in the evening. It's close to everything yet off the beaten…read morepath of Hollywood craziness. They only downfall is the Hollywood bowl traffic and the disrespect people have when driving through, leaving trash, and making noise late at night.

Valmonte is my favorite neighborhood in Palos Verdes Estates (with Malaga Cove in second place &…read moreLunada Bay third). Valmonte borders the Hollywood Riviera neighborhood of Torrance on the north & Palos Verdes Golf Club on the southwest. Valmonte homes are on both sides of Palos Verdes Drive North, a picturesque road with a wide, tree-filled median. (PV Dr N takes you into Rolling Hills Estates as you leave Valmonte heading south.) That PV Drive median is so generous because it was intended to accommodate a train during the development of the City of Palos Verdes Estates in the early 1900s. For various reasons the train didn't happen....but today the lengthy median boasts a lovely, curving, gravel walking path & an adjacent wood chip trail for horse riders from nearby Palos Verdes Stables. Yes, horses, meandering right down the middle of the divided road. The residential area called Valmonte Grove is my choice walking territory on the planet. It's downright enchanting, especially just before sunset when golden glowing rays beam thru tall eucalyptus trees, casting shadows of intricate patterns. The green hills of Malaga Cove are the background. The ocean is a few blocks away. I took an out-of-towner, someone who has travelled the world for decades, on a walk though Valmonte Grove. He remarked, "This is the prettiest little neighborhood I've ever seen, anywhere. All the trees!" Yeah, all those trees. To preserve the character of the area, the city won't allow for them to be removed unless diseased. It's not unusual to count 15-20 eucalyptus trees on a single property. Gutters & lawns fill up with endless tree debris and, although eucalyptus seem to have shallow roots, not so great for underground plumbing pipes, I'm told. And the trees have been known to topple over occasionally. Worth the hassle for such unique beauty? I say yes. I see Valmonte Grove as a collection of vintage homes, of many different architectural designs, built into a eucalyptus grove. I've heard, but can't confirm, that the eucalyptus were originally planted there more than 100 years ago to be cut down & used for firewood. That would explain their density. Valmonte has no streetlights, sidewalks or traffic signals....only stop signs. There is an Art Jury, in place since the City of Palos Verdes Estates was created, that oversees any new residential building projects, including size & style of homes, as well as modification to existing houses. Changes to exterior doors & windows, roofs, even landscaping....must be approved. Exterior paint colors are restricted. If your new porch railing does not conform to your 1940s Colonial style house, you'll be replacing it. Strict, yes. But stroll through Valmonte & you'll understand why such rules endure. Photos cannot capture the intoxicating scent of eucalyptus, the sound of song birds or the charming peacefulness of Valmonte. The prettiest little neighborhood anywhere, where sunlight filters thru tall trees, where kids can safely play on narrow quiet streets, where meticulously manicured flower gardens abound, where neighbors all know each other.....this is where I've wandered on foot for years, allowing the magic to envelop me. It never gets old or boring - it only gets better as time passes.