The Hobbit's House is just a cute house to see if you are in the area. It is not a must stop. The…read morehouse actually has an owner and there is an apartment there. It was built by a former artist for Disney Studios and the builder, Lawrence Joseph worked on all of it for decades. There are adorable cottages and a view from the street is super. I think some of it may be occupied, I am not sure, so I did not venture far, just the front and back yard and stopped when I saw what looked like an apartment building. It is an LA Historical Landmark and just so cute. It is near Sony pictures. It almost looks like you are walking into a movie set. There is a great garden and a pond and it really does look like a Hobbit house. We were not there long, maybe 15 minutes and did not need to be. So, if you have 15 minutes and want to see a super cool house go take a peek.

When in LA on a rainy bank holiday (dramatically less traffic) do what Angelenos do! See the…read moresights!! These are people's homes aka the Lawrence and Martha Joseph Residence and Apartments, commonly known as the "Hobbit Houses," located in Culver City, California. The structures were designed and built by Lawrence Joseph, a former artist for Walt Disney Studios, starting in the 1940s and continuing construction for decades. Now surrounded by high rises it is difficult to land a parking spot but worth it to get a closer look. For a moment imagine yourself on a walk through emerald green grass & fields of wildflowers. And then look up & see these enchanting cottages.

Recently: February 23, 2026 | Venice Beach | The Venice Canals are dreamy, peaceful & filled with…read moregorgeous scenery at every turn or over every bridge taken! It's always fun walking around and exploring the wonderful creativity, as well as vibrant nature simply existing, all around! Fragrant Flowers | Each time I wander around the Venice Canals, I always seem to discover a colorful, new flower, often times quite fragrant, which catches my eye! The Birds of Paradise always makes my day, as it's one of my favorites, standing proudly, in its exotic glory! Connected | It's always fun, walking over the different bridges and taking in the scenery & sights along the way! You may spot people going for a walk, others walking their dogs, some taking photos and are simply enjoying the moment while walking! Personality Plus | It's exciting seeing a variety of colorful homes, with each having a personality of their own! Whether big or small, the details seems to tell a different story, reflective of the owner/renter and how they naturally stand out on their own! Sightings | While out & about, I often see cute little dogs walking around alongside their friendly owners! On some occasions, it makes my day to spot a stroller and the excitement of seeing that there are actually dogs inside! Haha! You may see ducks walking around together along the walkways, or swimming around, peacefully! While the walkways are for pedestrians only, you might even see cars driving over the vehicular bridges! Festive | The Venice Canals definitely know how to ring in the holidays! I'm grateful to experience the festivities inside of some of the homes with friends, as well as attending fun holiday boat parades(open to the public!), and events on the canals! Holiday cheer and neighborly camaraderie seems to flow with good vibes from beginning to end! Flutter By | It always makes my day whenever I see a pretty colorful butterfly flying by during my walk! Note | I usually walk through the canals during the morning/daytime and if at night, during a celebration where there are many people out and about! Overall | I absolutely love walking through Canals! I'm in incredibly grateful that they are nearby, walking distance, and a hop, skip & a jump away! I highly recommend and of course, be respectful of the people living there! Good vibes throughout as well as beautiful scenery keeps me coming back for more!

I returned to the canals after a very long time, well over a decade. It had been so long that I…read moreforgot what it looked like. I was also curious about what Venice is looking like lately after huge companies like Google have moved into the area with presumably a lot of of their staff. I also thought that during the holidays there would be a lot of cute holiday decorations. It was actually refreshing to see that the place had not changed much at all. It was very low-key and homiey. In fact, it looked like time had not changed at all. It is a very peaceful spot to enjoy a little walk, and there are quite a few runners and bikers that are doing the same thing.

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.

This is a little known location, used by local exercise enthusiasts, in the very nice residential…read moreneighborhood of Mar Vista/Westdale (a hundred yards from our L.A. house). The top of the stairway is on the hilltop of Inglewood Avenue, north of Palms Blvd. The landing is directly across the street from Mar Vista elementary school on Granville Ave. There is good parking available on both Inglewood and Granville. The flight is around a hundred steps. At the top of the stairs, there are great views of downtown L.A. and the San Gabriel Mountains. This location is never too crowded and also has overhead vapor lamp lighting if you want to exercise in the evening.

Beautiful. I love this place…read more The Cinderella is picturesque. Good eats near by. Don't be shy.

*** I returned this year for my 2nd visit. ***…read more I enjoyed 2011 Walk more than last year. Art walk was scheduled 2-8pm and there were many ppl still perusing when I left at 7:45pm, so I concluded it was successful. Bradford Stewart Gallery remains my fave. He has gotta modern day Jackson Pollock kind of style: paint spillings and platterings to make interesting faux landscape images. *** A nice way to spend a Sat afternoon. ***

One of the most vibrant food spots in the city. Awesome night spot with people walking the block…read moreand outdoor eating. Interesting shops. One of my favorite streets in LA. Seems safe. Save time for parking. So many choices for food and desert close together within walking. Go to dinner at one spot and desert at another.

I'm originally from Japan. When I need to buy or eat anything Japanese, I always go to Sawtelle…read moreinstead of Little Tokyo in downtown. You can find virtually anything Japanese you want in Sawtelle. It's easy to find parking and often free parking. It feels so much safer than downtown. My two most frequent businesses, Daiso and Nijiya Market, are in the same building. Right across the street from that building is another small strip mall with many restaurants. I highly recommend that you visit Sawtelle if you haven't already to experience Japan while in Southern California.

The Culver City Summer Music Festival is A LOT smaller when you compare it to the Santa Monica…read moreTwilight Dance Series. Both are free concerts that occur on Thursdays in the summer. I prefer the Santa Monica concert more, because it's at the pier. Or, you can also watch the concert on a megascreen on the beach! The Culver City concert is located at city hall. Minimal grass space. Mostly concrete for you to sit on. There is free parking underneath city hall. Or you can park at the nearby Culver City Garages for 2 hours free. We got there at 6:30, when the concert was scheduled to arrive at 7. There was no place to sit. Every inch was taken. There isn't too many places to stand either, without blocking the sea of people sitting down. Luckily we managed to find a tiny spot in between two groups near the stage. If you get there early enough, the city of Culver City puts out chairs right in front of the stage for people to sit on. (About.. 30-40?) I don't know if I would come back. It's nice. And parking was relatively painless. And the concerts in Culver City have better acoustics. I guess I would . . . if there was a good band playing that night. *Two thumbs up*

If you, like: 1) music (jazz, swing, salsa, folk,…read morebrazilian...) 2) being outdoors 3) meeting people 4) dancing 5) the summer 6) free things Stop by the Culver Summer Sunset Music Festival. Every Thursday night there are different live performances. It can be anything that you want it to be. Wild and crazy! OR relaxing and chill...Start off the weekend right listening to good music with good company.

It isn't every day I drive by a set of huge pair of Nintendo Remote Controllers! Also, if you are…read morefacing the remotes, you will see a large Rubik's Cube to the right! Such a flashback of some fun days my husband and I shared back in the 1980's. The Nintendo Entertainment System was our first gaming system! There isn't much to write about, but if you want to see these, come take a quick drive by! It isn't in the best part of town, but driving by here shouldn't be a problem!

I had seen this spot on yelp. Being lucky enough to grow up with a Nintendo game console years ago…read morethis is something I had to see for myself. This place is right off the 110 freeway and right past the train tracks on a corner. You can miss it if you have never been. But who can miss these giant controllers. Only down side is the location. Parking is kind of tough in this area I was lucky enough to find some close by. The installation is a cool sight to see if your into gaming or just for nostalgia sake. Not much to do but to soak it in and take pictures if you like. There is also a Rubik's cube and a Tetris replica which is all graffitied out. Ever in the neighborhood or want to take a drive check it out. It's one of those hidden gems in LA which is free. 1up!

Randyland is the best! It's unique and beautiful on its own, but to make the experience extra…read morespecial, you'll want to reach out to schedule a visit with Randy in person. Depending on the season and the weather, he'll be able to tell you what time of day is optimal for the best light. In my case, he responded quickly and made it so easy. I'm drawn to quirky people who are compelled to do something, do it well, and keep trying out new ideas simply because they love it. That's Randy in a nutshell, and his enthusiasm and creativity are infectious! You'll leave feeling inspired to see the world a little differently and to make your OWN art more often. Enjoy!

OK, I have had this place on my list of things to do for years. I saw it on Atlas Obscura and then…read moreI saw a video about it on YouTube. It was definitely worth the wait! What an amazing experience! Went with my sister, mom and dad on a Sunday afternoon. Beautiful light in October...beautiful light sculptures and what an interesting interaction with the universe. Randy was just a lovely individual. Like a really interesting, eccentric artist who just is behind what he is proffering 100%. Great talk. GREAT art. Great day. I really recommend it 100%.

A new exterior public art installation in Culver City. It sits in a line of trees in a parking area…read moreof Culver Crossing, a retail and office complex opposite the Culver City Metro Rail Station, adjacent to the Helms Building and Platform. Viewing is free to the public. Don't forget to park and check out the installations' lower information panels, which include, among other things, historic Southern California Edison photographs, including one of a man dressed as an iron, demonstrating one of the many wonders that electricity could provide to households.

Best as a Sunday activity if you wanna feed them. My girl loves turtles, I love koi. It was nice to…read moresee them after a break in heavy rain.

I read reviews for this place and cracked up. People were ripping on it for some crazy reason…read more It's a pond full of koi and turtles in the middle of the city. It's adorable and pretty and close to great bars. Shary and I made up a whole imaginary life, trying to picture someone who would give a random pond full of turtles a one star review. I was picturing how this, the final disappointment in a long and difficult day, would have made someone take the time to complain about this whimsical little landmark. Like, how bad is it that you see a cute little turtle sunbathing and say, "This place is some trash"? It's so cute.