You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
MARIA<br />
BAMFORD<br />
On Winning the Netflix TV Lottery<br />
AN ENGLISH<br />
CHRISTMAS<br />
Accent Your Party With<br />
Crackers and Puddings<br />
HELP FOR REFUGEES<br />
IRC’s Battle Plan<br />
For the Displaced<br />
HOLIDAY GIFT<br />
AND EVENT GUIDES
2 | ARROYO | 12.17
Design Art.<br />
Build Art.<br />
Lic.653340 Photo by Alexander Vertikoff<br />
ARCHITECTURE. CONSTRUCTION. INTERIORS.<br />
626.486.0510 HartmanBaldwin.com
4 | ARROYO | 12.17
arroyo<br />
VOLUME 13 | NUMBER 12 | DECEMBER <strong>2017</strong><br />
28<br />
35 39<br />
ENTERTAINMENT & ENTERTAINING<br />
11 LADY DYNAMITE<br />
Comedian Maria Bamford talks about her offbeat Netfl ix series and the<br />
perils of living next door to an Occidental fraternity.<br />
—By RICHARD CUNNINGHAM<br />
PHOTOS: (bottom right) Michael Cervin; (bottom left) courtesy of International Rescue Committee<br />
28 AN ENGLISH CHRISTMAS<br />
A recovering Brit offers saucy memories and home entertaining tips from<br />
family celebrations many moons ago.<br />
—By BRADLEY TUCK<br />
31 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: Museum Edition<br />
—By IRENE LACHER<br />
35 THE RESCUERS<br />
The International Rescue Committee’s Martin Zogg talks about resettling<br />
refugees, under siege by the Trump administration, here and around the world.<br />
—By KATHLEEN KELLEHER<br />
DEPARTMENTS<br />
09 FESTIVITIES Pasadena Museum of History gala, LACO @ the Movies, Bright Star<br />
opens<br />
16 ARROYO HOME SALES INDEX<br />
38 KITCHEN CONFESSIONS Animal crackers serve up tasty memories.<br />
39 ARROYO COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH The Colorado Buck<br />
40 THE LIST Nutcrackers around town, Lythgoe Family Panto revisits Beauty and<br />
the Beast, a cappella holidays with the Alley Cats and more<br />
ABOUT THE COVER: Photo of Maria Bamford by Natalie Brasington<br />
12.17 ARROYO | 5
EDITOR’S NOTE<br />
<strong>December</strong> is the season of giving, and<br />
we at Arroyo Monthly like to take a<br />
broad view of that generous impulse<br />
by choosing gifts that also give back<br />
to the needy and the worthy. The<br />
ranks of the needy have swelled to<br />
a heartbreaking degree with the<br />
refugee crisis, now exacerbated by<br />
the Trump administration’s crackdown<br />
on refugees admitted to the U.S.<br />
(80 percent of whom are women,<br />
children and the elderly, by the way).<br />
According to the United Nations, more<br />
people than ever are seeing their lives<br />
threatened and upended by displacement from their home countries.<br />
One of the world’s top humanitarian organizations for refugees, the<br />
International Rescue Committee, has an offi ce in Glendale, whence it<br />
helps new arrivals resettle in the Los Angeles area. Kathleen Kelleher speaks<br />
to Martin Zogg, IRC’s executive director for L.A. and chair of the California<br />
State Advisory Council on Refugee Assistance and Services, about the<br />
organization’s local activities and what you can do to help refugees here and<br />
abroad. One possibility is a visit to gifts.rescue.org, where you can buy a year<br />
of school or temporary shelter in the name of your recipient — terrifi c presents<br />
for people who have too much stuff (which describes most people I know).<br />
Other options? Check out our guide to striking museum store gifts, which<br />
support the institutions while delighting your giftee. And Anglophiles inspired<br />
by Bradley Tuck’s tongue-in-cheek essay about Christmas English style can<br />
pick up books benefi ting Rose Tree Cottage’s African children’s foundation<br />
when they shop for seasonal treats at its English Village Shop in Pasadena.<br />
Finally, our gift to you — a visit with your delightful neighbor, offbeat<br />
comedian/actress Maria Bamford. Richard Cunningham talks to her about<br />
the new season of her acclaimed Netfl ix comedy series, Lady Dynamite, and<br />
the perils of living next door to an Occidental fraternity. (Goodbye, Eagle<br />
Rock. Hello, Altadena!)<br />
—Irene Lacher<br />
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Irene Lacher<br />
ART DIRECTOR Stephanie Torres<br />
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Richard Garcia<br />
PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Rochelle Bassarear,<br />
Jospeh Sanchez<br />
EDITOR-AT-LARGE Bettijane Levine<br />
COPY EDITOR John Seeley<br />
CONTRIBUTORS Denise Abbott, Leslie Bilderback,<br />
Léon Bing, Martin Booe, Michael Cervin, Scarlet<br />
Cheng, Richard Cunningham, Kathleen Kelleher,<br />
Brenda Rees, John Sollenberger, Nancy Spiller<br />
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Dina Stegon<br />
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Lisa Chase,<br />
Brenda Clarke, Leslie Lamm<br />
ADVERTORIAL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR<br />
Bruce Haring<br />
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Andrea Baker<br />
PAYROLL Linda Lam<br />
CONTROLLER Kacie Cobian<br />
ACCOUNTING Alysia Chavez, Perla Castillo,<br />
Yiyang Wang<br />
OFFICE MANAGER Ann Turrietta<br />
PUBLISHER Jon Guynn<br />
arroyo<br />
FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA<br />
SOUTHLAND PUBLISHING<br />
V.P. OF OPERATIONS David Comden<br />
PRESIDENT Bruce Bolkin<br />
CONTACT US<br />
ADVERTISING<br />
dinas@pasadenaweekly.com<br />
EDITORIAL<br />
editor@arroyomonthly.com<br />
PHONE<br />
(626) 584-1500<br />
FAX<br />
(626) 795-0149<br />
MAILING ADDRESS<br />
50 S. De Lacey Ave., Ste. 200,<br />
Pasadena, CA 91105<br />
ArroyoMonthly.com<br />
©<strong>2017</strong> Southland Publishing, Inc.<br />
All rights reserved.<br />
6 | ARROYO | 12.17<br />
Correction: An article in the October issue misstated the Center Theatre Group’s relationship to the Music Center and<br />
L.A. Opera. The Music Center is the landlord for both organizations.
12.17 | ARROYO | 7
8 | ARROYO | 12.17
FESTIVITIES<br />
Jeannette O’Malley and Steve Mulheim<br />
Nancy and Don McIntyre with Pasadena Mayor Terry and Maria Tornek<br />
Dave Davis and Charie Laugharn<br />
Steve Martin and A.J. Shively<br />
PHOTOS: Joanne Wilborn and Marlyn Wu (<strong>2017</strong> Contemporary History Makers); Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging (Bright Star); Jamie Phan (LACO @ the Movies)<br />
Karen and Steve Craig with Randy Wilson<br />
Pat and Sandy Gage<br />
Pasadena Museum of History supporters converged on The<br />
California Club in downtown Los Angeles Oct. 28 to honor<br />
this year’s Contemporary History Makers at a black-tie gala.<br />
After the crowd dined on filet mignon, Pasadena Mayor Terry<br />
Tornek presented a new award — the Arroyo Service Award — to<br />
former City Manager Don and Nancy McIntyre for their help<br />
in preserving Old Pasadena. Also honored for fostering Old<br />
Pasadena was Penny Plotkin, who, along with developer Ken<br />
and Tracy McCormick, took home Contemporary History Maker<br />
Awards. “We are but bricklayers in the foundation of the city,”<br />
Ken McCormick told the crowd… The L.A. Chamber Orchestra<br />
drew more than 1,000 guests to downtown L.A.’s Theatre at the<br />
Ace Hotel Nov. 11 for the latest installment of the popular LACO<br />
@ the Movies series. LACO screened Buster Keaton’s The General<br />
while performing a world premiere of composer Jeff Beal’s<br />
stirring score for the silent 1926 classic… Bright Star, a country<br />
musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, lured a galaxy of<br />
fellow celebrities to opening night at The Ahmanson Theatre in<br />
downtown L.A. on Oct. 20.<br />
Michelle Nigro and Brigette Allen<br />
Kimberly Villwock and Alex Pfeiffer<br />
Edie Brickell and Paul Simon<br />
Joan and Jeff Beal<br />
12.17 | ARROYO | 9
10 | ARROYO | 12.17
LADY<br />
DYNAMITE<br />
Comedian Maria Bamford talks about her<br />
offbeat Netflix series and the perils of living<br />
next door to an Occidental fraternity.<br />
BY RICHARD CUNNINGHAM<br />
PHOTO: Natalie Brasington<br />
As Maria Bamford’s hit Netflix show Lady Dynamite takes a turn in its second<br />
season currently under way, the comedian/actor has likewise begun a new<br />
phase of her life in Arroyoland — she recently moved to Altadena from<br />
Eagle Rock, where the good life sadly turned sour. Although the comedy series based<br />
on her real life is set in Highland Park, Maria had in fact been living in Eagle Rock<br />
for years, quite contentedly. And then her life became a bit of a horror movie.<br />
–continued on page 12<br />
12.17 | ARROYO | 11
–continued from page 11<br />
“We lived next to a fraternity from Occidental College, it was a rental right next<br />
door to us,” Bamford, 47, says as she sips water at her favorite coffee shop, Café de<br />
Leche, high in the hills of her new, more serene hometown, Altadena (the café’s<br />
Highland Park location is a recurring setting in Lady Dynamite). “The first five years,<br />
it was owned by a family, and then they started to rent it out to a fraternity. And then<br />
it just got worse and worse and worse. And we looked online and it turns out there is<br />
no real way to fight a fraternity, really.<br />
“Because it’s off-campus housing that’s private, the [college] won’t do anything<br />
about it — like, campus security can only drive by it… it’s really dumb. Then the<br />
LAPD is completely overrun — they’re attending to actual crime. It was not as funny<br />
as the movie [Neighbors] — the movie was very good.”<br />
And while that frat horror flick was unfolding in the real world, Maria’s personal<br />
experiences were inspiring a boldly off beat series on Netflix. Lady Dynamite, which<br />
co-stars comedy veterans Mary Kay Place and Fred Melamed, premiered May 20,<br />
2016, to much acclaim — Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 97 percent rating. The series<br />
has been lauded for one of the key ingredients she and the show’s creators set out to<br />
achieve — to destigmatize mental illness. The series orbits around a mental breakdown<br />
Maria experienced after she broke into showbiz. (Bamford, who suffers from<br />
depression and anxiety, has been diagnosed as bipolar with obsessive-compulsive<br />
disorder.)<br />
Lady Dynamite revels in ignoring narrative conventions, like not breaking the<br />
fourth wall (it does) and giving three characters the same name. It also jumps around<br />
in time, with “Present” segments reflecting recent events of her life in Hollywood<br />
and Arroyoland; the “Duluth” segments — she grew up and was hospitalized in that<br />
Minnesota city — trace her post-breakdown days finding her way back to a new life;<br />
the “Past” chapters go even farther back to her career-building years and successes in<br />
the entertainment world. And, as Maria revealed in our interview, the new season also<br />
reaches into the “Future” of her fictional character’s life (she hinted at marriage!).<br />
In real life, the series concept was hatched over “many, many lunches” with Arrested<br />
Development creator and Maria fan Mitch Hurwitz. Hurwitz eventually brought former<br />
colleague and South Park producer Pam Brady into the mix. “So Pam and I met,<br />
and we had a really good connection, and it worked out,” Bamford says. “I think it<br />
was almost two years of just sort of chit-chatting back and forth. And then we pitched<br />
it to Netflix. We didn’t really know we had gotten the show until I found out from a<br />
network executive at a whole different thing [at Netflix], like a week later. It was like,<br />
‘Oh, we’re so happy to be working with you!’ And I’m like, ‘Oh? What are we doing?’”<br />
While the series is born from Maria’s personal experiences, she notably has done<br />
no writing on the show. “No, no, I don’t. I just come in and I tell stories, and then [the<br />
writers] take it and go everywhere with it, wherever they want to go. And that’s wonderful<br />
’cause I’m not really a writer, in terms of scriptwriting. That’s not something<br />
that’s been an enjoyable process for me. At this point, I’d rather do standup and just<br />
have a fun time. And I think it probably helps the writing process that I’m not there,<br />
’cause it is personal stories…And I don’t think I have the energy to do all that, I just<br />
don’t. It’s 12-hour days in an office, where you’re sitting there at a table and making a<br />
show. Pam Brady is amazing, and they’ve just done a beautiful job.”<br />
Critics agree. Describing Bamford as “a beautiful wackadoo,” IndieWire called Lady<br />
Dynamite’s new season “the perfect antidote to this woman-hating garbage world.” The<br />
Hollywood Reporter said the show “mostly remains sharp, vital and groundbreaking.”<br />
Since the topic of mental illness is a key element, I ask Maria how she decided to<br />
embrace that part of her life so fully for the world to see. “I think I wanted to be open<br />
about it for myself, for selfish reasons, so that if I did get sick again, that somebody<br />
would notice. And I would get help earlier. ’Cause I think I have trouble — feeling<br />
ashamed [about mental issues]. Even though I grew up — you know my mom’s a<br />
therapist, there’s mental illness in our family… my parents were very open and understanding<br />
about mental health issues, and I don’t understand why I was so embarrassed,<br />
but I was. So at least it’s a self-protection thing — if I can be open about it, then the<br />
village, if you will, can rise up and help out, on that level.”<br />
Bamford’s openness has elicited a grateful reaction from people who have been<br />
comforted and inspired by Maria’s forthrightness. She has said she hopes that what<br />
people get from the show “is that by losing everything, it’s possible to become something<br />
better.”<br />
–continued on page 14<br />
PHOTO: Bruce Smith<br />
12 | ARROYO | 12.17
12.17 | ARROYO | 13
–continued from page 12<br />
“Yeah, it’s really lovely for me to have people come up and say that they had<br />
a similar experience, and that makes me feel useful,” she says. And yet, Bamford<br />
acknowledges that her experiences are not what everyone with mental issues undergoes<br />
or should expect. “I don’t know if everybody’s meant to do things the same. I<br />
understand people not wanting to be labeled, but the bipolar label was helpful to me<br />
because it completely described what I had struggled with for so long. I was just like<br />
‘Oh….’ I had read so many memoirs by bipolar people before realizing, really relating<br />
to these stories, but going ‘Oh, but I’m not them like that. It’s nothing like that.’ And<br />
then I was like, ‘Oh, s—.’ And I also appreciate people like that who are public about<br />
their struggles, so that when I did finally put it together, I was like ‘Oh… right.’ And<br />
that they were hospitalized, and they were able to move on, and get married and have<br />
lives. There’s even a magazine called BP Magazine, comes out quarterly.<br />
Is it good?<br />
“Oh yeah, it’s awesome, it’s wonderful. I get it, it’s delightful. Because I think<br />
there really are so many celebrities, or people who have a lot more access to health<br />
care than your average person — like, you don’t really need to hear about me having<br />
an experience because the real majority of people who experience mental illness are<br />
experiencing so little resources, so much more of an uphill battle, in terms of finances<br />
and getting help, and taking time off from work. So that magazine focuses more on a<br />
regular person’s experience.”<br />
When did you start seeing the red flags?<br />
“It wasn’t until I started just really feeling terrible, it was like feeling terrible enough.”<br />
Were you an adult?<br />
“Yeah, 40. I started having depression and having high anxiety, and not being<br />
able to sleep when I was around 11. And then I kind of went all through high school<br />
and college. Then I got on an SSRI [antidepressant] and joined a number of support<br />
groups, and that was really helpful. But then — and yet I don’t know if it was<br />
a hormonal change — but when I was 40, things just got very untenable, where it<br />
was like… not working. But I actually, I’ve been feeling so good mentally, probably<br />
the past five or six years, I’ve been on a very good medication regimen. So it is funny<br />
because I just go, ‘Oh, now I’m out of that material.’”<br />
While Maria says she might be out of “that material,” she makes no pretense<br />
about being out of the woods when it comes to her lifelong struggle with a bipolar<br />
condition. As we chat on the café’s patio, I mention that I’ve noticed a large number<br />
of churches in the area. Maria lights up: “You know what it means for me, though?<br />
My favorite thing in the whole world! Which is 12-step groups! I’m an atheist, but I<br />
love 12-step groups, so I love a church! I like sitting in the basement of one and chitchatting<br />
with people. I love that, I feel like it’s one of the last free things. I can walk<br />
to three meetings, which are within distance of my house. And so that’s great!”<br />
I ask Maria exactly how long she and her artist husband Scott Marvel Cassidy<br />
(they met on OKCupid) have lived in Altadena. “Just two months! And we just sold<br />
the [Eagle Rock] house. And we called it ‘a noise lover’s paradise!’ to the new buyers,<br />
and so they’re psyched and love noise. I’m afraid it had become so bad… I mean, you<br />
want to be friends with everybody, but I think that where it’s combined with drinking<br />
and machismo — at least for me — it’s a real bummer, it’s just such a bummer. I<br />
mean, you can talk to somebody when they’re sober, and they can say one thing; and<br />
then when there are 60 people in the back around a swimming pool, and there are<br />
hot ladies, it’s a whole ’nother story.”<br />
So you’re liking life in Altadena then?<br />
“Yeah, we’re loving it. We’ve got a pool — we were able to afford a pool because<br />
we won the Netflix television show lottery. A wonderful pool and pine trees, it’s really<br />
nice.”<br />
These days, both fictional Maria (who experiences “Future” segments in season 2)<br />
and real-life Maria are looking forward to what’s ahead. Her comment on the new<br />
season seems to portend wonderful things for both the Maria Bamfords we are rooting<br />
for: “I love the future – the future was really fun!” ||||<br />
14 | ARROYO | 12.17
12.17 | ARROYO | 15
arroyo<br />
~HOME SALES INDEX~<br />
HOME SALES<br />
-32.21%<br />
AVG. PRICE/SQ. FT.<br />
5.71 %<br />
OCT.<br />
2016<br />
385HOMES<br />
SOLD<br />
ALHAMBRA OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17<br />
Homes Sold 38 31<br />
Median Price $605,500 $585,000<br />
Median Sq. Ft. 1558 1343<br />
ALTADENA OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17<br />
Homes Sold 30 25<br />
Median Price $705,000 $836,000<br />
Median Sq. Ft. 1452 1570<br />
ARCADIA OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17<br />
Homes Sold 37 22<br />
Median Price $999,000 $1,097,500<br />
Median Sq. Ft. 1815 2326<br />
EAGLE ROCK OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17<br />
Homes Sold 13 13<br />
Median Price $811,000 $801,000<br />
Median Sq. Ft. 1431 1732<br />
GLENDALE OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17<br />
Homes Sold 90 59<br />
Median Price $712,500 $720,000<br />
Median Sq. Ft. 1509 1471<br />
LA CAÑADA OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17<br />
Homes Sold 15 10<br />
Median Price $1,505,000 $1,570,000<br />
Median Sq. Ft. 2328 2618<br />
PASADENA OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17<br />
Homes Sold 132 82<br />
Median Price $696,000 $732,250<br />
Median Sq. Ft. 1504 1452<br />
SAN MARINO OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17<br />
Homes Sold 11 6<br />
Median Price $2,000,000 $2,494,000<br />
Median Sq. Ft. 2187 2574<br />
SIERRA MADRE OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17<br />
Homes Sold 8 5<br />
Median Price $908,250 $830,000<br />
Median Sq. Ft. 1487 1619<br />
SOUTH PASADENA OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17<br />
Homes Sold 11 8<br />
Median Price $840,000 $545,500<br />
Median Sq. Ft. 1692 1571<br />
TOTAL OCT. ’16 OCT. ’17<br />
Homes Sold 385 261<br />
Avg Price/Sq. Ft. $543 $574<br />
OCT.<br />
<strong>2017</strong><br />
261<br />
HOMES<br />
SOLD<br />
HOME SALES ABOVE $750,000<br />
RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE PASADENA WEEKLY FOOTPRINT<br />
source: CalREsource<br />
ADDRESS CLOSE DATE PRICE BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILT PREV. PRICE PREV. SOLD<br />
ALHAMBRA<br />
509 West San Marino Avenue 10/03/17 $1,245,000 7 4612 1967 $85,500 07/08/1975<br />
301 North Almansor Street 10/06/17 $800,000 3 1495 1926 $458,000 02/03/2004<br />
1504 South Olive Avenue 10/17/17 $800,000 4 1688 1936 $630,000 03/14/2014<br />
1417 Violeta Drive 10/27/17 $795,000 4 1620 1947 $258,000 04/13/1989<br />
29 South Curtis Avenue 10/27/17 $780,000 3 1932 1907<br />
2908 Terrace Avenue 10/24/17 $770,000 6 2545 1930 $155,000 05/21/1986<br />
ALTADENA<br />
559 Chaparral Court 10/06/17 $1,575,000 5 3881 1999 $1,300,000 08/27/2013<br />
2103 Hill Avenue 10/17/17 $1,361,000 3 2474 1949 $325,000 08/31/1995<br />
487 East Mariposa Street 10/04/17 $1,350,000 8 5473 1936 $375,000 12/18/1987<br />
3855 Luna Court 10/30/17 $1,350,000 3 3196 1999<br />
1550 Meadowbrook Road 10/11/17 $1,300,000 4 2373 1958<br />
1760 Pepper Drive 10/06/17 $1,278,000 4 2289 1927<br />
1549 Meadowbrook Road 10/31/17 $1,270,000 3 2724 1957 $340,000 03/31/1994<br />
828 La Vina Lane 10/03/17 $1,250,000 4 3879 2007 $675,000 03/02/2006<br />
3663 Giddings Ranch Road 10/16/17 $1,139,000 3 2149 1998 $880,000 05/29/2009<br />
3506 Monterosa Drive 10/27/17 $1,100,000 4 2011 1956<br />
2162 Grand Oaks Avenue 10/12/17 $1,002,000 3 1649 1936<br />
3183 Olive Avenue 10/30/17 $850,000 3 1448 1926 $500,000 06/12/<strong>2017</strong><br />
589 Athens Street 10/02/17 $836,000 3 1432 1927 $619,000 08/29/2008<br />
969 Shelly Street 10/06/17 $765,000 2 1155 1926 $627,000 04/03/2015<br />
779 East Woodbury Road 10/27/17 $760,000 3 1479 1928<br />
ARCADIA<br />
501 Danimere Avenue 10/31/17 $2,270,000 4 4219 2015 $1,070,000 09/12/2014<br />
1838 North Santa Anita Avenue 10/18/17 $2,250,000 3 3830 2016 $999,000 08/13/2014<br />
330 Leda Lane 10/31/17 $2,200,000 0 0 $818,000 09/04/2013<br />
1900 Highland Oaks Drive 10/17/17 $1,630,000 3 3203 1953 $280,000 12/05/1985<br />
1227 Highland Oaks Drive 10/20/17 $1,600,000 5 3015 1951<br />
1043 Don Diablo Drive 10/24/17 $1,408,000 5 3118 1969 $504,000 01/11/2001<br />
624 Beverly Drive 10/04/17 $1,390,000 4 2512 1956 $825,000 02/25/2014<br />
1609 Wesley Lane 10/24/17 $1,360,000 4 3071 1987 $525,000 07/14/1988<br />
728 Nicholas Lane 10/26/17 $1,338,000 4 3427 1988 $840,000 03/19/2004<br />
2401 Louise Avenue 10/25/17 $1,249,000 5 2527 1951 $1,238,000 08/23/2013<br />
1200 South 3rd Avenue 10/23/17 $1,170,000 3 1811 1955 $180,000 09/03/1980<br />
2564 Mayfl ower Avenue 10/11/17 $1,025,000 6 3520 1951 $210,000 07/12/1996<br />
309 East Lemon Avenue 10/20/17 $998,000 3 1097 1950<br />
2424 South 8th Avenue 10/13/17 $954,000 3 1650 1958<br />
417 Diamond Street #A 10/05/17 $875,000 3 2326 1990 $498,000 12/12/2003<br />
401 North 5th Avenue 10/16/17 $868,000 3 1743 1945 $858,000 04/28/<strong>2017</strong><br />
152 California Street #B 10/26/17 $801,000 3 1718 2001 $400,000 12/12/2003<br />
EAGLE ROCK<br />
5141 Ellenwood Drive 10/03/17 $1,165,000 3 1765 1941 $675,000 03/31/2004<br />
2101 Estes Road 10/12/17 $1,150,000 5 4473 1994<br />
1626 Wildwood Drive 10/11/17 $1,050,000 3 2280 1960<br />
5245 La Roda Avenue 10/18/17 $1,030,000 3 1732 1922 $621,000 11/05/2012<br />
2253 Hill Drive 10/18/17 $990,000 4 2149 1959 $825,000 10/14/2014<br />
1215 Neola Street 10/06/17 $960,000 8 3618 1912 $240,000 07/03/2001<br />
2592 Hyler Avenue 10/11/17 $801,000 2 1064 1949<br />
G L E N DA L E<br />
1623 Hillcrest Avenue 10/25/17 $2,681,500 4 4291 1951 $2,135,000 10/30/2014<br />
503 West Kenneth Road 10/13/17 $1,650,000 4 3037 1950 $1,450,000 05/10/2013<br />
1134 Berkeley Drive 10/20/17 $1,625,000 4 3391 1925 $1,380,000 07/23/2013<br />
435 Audraine Drive 10/13/17 $1,600,000 2 2651 1967<br />
1424 El Miradero Avenue 10/05/17 $1,400,000 5 2665 1931 $869,000 08/31/2010<br />
909 Rosemount Road 10/18/17 $1,350,000 4 2355 1931 $899,000 03/31/2011<br />
1026 Calle Azul 10/31/17 $1,310,000 3 2479 1989 $1,045,000 09/09/2015<br />
3310 Sparr Boulevard 10/26/17 $1,276,000 3 2192 1966 $585,000 05/30/2003<br />
933 Calle Simpatico 10/26/17 $1,220,000 4 2528 1990 $915,000 05/04/2009<br />
1429 Campbell Street 10/27/17 $1,200,000 3 2167 1941 $375,000 05/11/1999<br />
1607 Puebla Drive 10/10/17 $1,180,000 3 1915 1937 $740,000 12/20/2016<br />
2510 Hermosa Avenue 10/12/17 $1,082,500 4 2449 1963 $700,000 12/31/2003<br />
The Arroyo Home Sales Index is calculated from residential home sales in Pasadena and the surrounding communities of South Pasadena, San Marino, La Canada Flintridge, Eagle Rock, Glendale (including Montrose), Altadena, Sierra<br />
Madre, Arcadia and Alhambra. Individual home sales data provided by CalREsource. Arroyo Home Sales Index © Arroyo <strong>2017</strong>. Complete home sales listings appear each week in Pasadena Weekly.<br />
16 | ARROYO | 12.17
ADDRESS CLOSE DATE PRICE BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILT PREV. PRICE PREV. SOLD<br />
G L E N DA L E<br />
3111 Kirkham Drive 10/16/17 $1,051,000 3 1861 1973<br />
462 West California Avenue 10/24/17 $1,030,000 5 2141 1913 $255,000 01/07/2000<br />
3621 Los Amigos Street 10/11/17 $998,000 3 1996 1968<br />
1811 Oakwood Avenue 10/19/17 $990,000 5 2500 1927 $330,000 06/30/1995<br />
2248 East Chevy Chase Drive 10/26/17 $950,000 3 1879 1951 $725,000 05/16/2013<br />
1748 Stanton Avenue 10/30/17 $925,000 2 1609 1939 $810,000 09/28/2006<br />
959 Calle Amable 10/24/17 $910,000 3 2041 1989 $728,900 02/25/2005<br />
4039 Willalee Avenue 10/06/17 $900,000 2 1506 1950<br />
985 Verdugo Circle Drive 10/25/17 $830,000 2 1684 1942 $600,000 12/16/2004<br />
931 North Isabel Street 10/27/17 $830,000 2 1228 1927 $305,000 06/09/2000<br />
1406 Alameda Avenue 10/03/17 $810,000 2 1186 1939 $525,000 11/10/2009<br />
118 South Kenwood Street #503 10/27/17 $799,000 2 980 2015<br />
2211 Hollister Terrace 10/19/17 $795,000 2 1553 1956 $606,000 07/15/2009<br />
1912 West Kenneth Road 10/11/17 $787,000 4 2139 1929 $298,180 03/23/1989<br />
4910 Lowell Avenue 10/11/17 $765,000 4 1638 1965<br />
1301 Dorothy Drive 10/05/17 $750,000 3 1519 1925 $205,000 12/18/1992<br />
LA CAÑADA<br />
4428 Woodleigh Lane 10/04/17 $6,500,000 8 7071 1941 $2,400,000 06/14/2006<br />
4210 Hampstead Road 10/25/17 $2,100,000 3 3034 1980 $1,435,000 10/17/2013<br />
5132 Jessen Drive 10/02/17 $2,000,000 4 2701 1957 $1,240,000 05/31/2007<br />
5404 La Forest Drive 10/24/17 $1,860,000 3 2821 1949<br />
4903 Castle Road 10/27/17 $1,790,000 3 2747 1923 $720,000 06/14/2011<br />
5204 Diamond Point Road 10/26/17 $1,350,000 4 2535 1966<br />
2054 Lyans Drive 10/26/17 $1,267,000 1 1470 1952 $375,000 07/23/1992<br />
5625 Ocean View Boulevard 10/19/17 $1,100,000 3 1781 1962 $230,000 09/25/1985<br />
4402 Wasatch Drive 10/27/17 $1,000,000 2 896 1954 $925,000 09/25/2015<br />
4709 Cypress Street 10/24/17 $775,000 2 1364 1950<br />
PASADENA<br />
160 South Orange Grove Blvd. 10/02/17 $4,500,000 5 7544 1924<br />
555 South Orange Grove Blvd. 10/24/17 $3,749,000 6 5162 1927 $207,285 01/05/1995<br />
1265 Chateau Road 10/16/17 $3,398,000 5 5955 1988 $1,450,000 07/31/1997<br />
536 Glen Court 10/31/17 $2,425,000 4 3251 1968 $376,000 02/04/1998<br />
1046 Lagunita Road 10/12/17 $2,400,000 3 2772 1918 $1,900,000 11/17/2005<br />
664 Linda Vista Avenue 10/27/17 $1,725,000 6 3765 1987 $432,000 01/19/1995<br />
51 South Craig Avenue 10/20/17 $1,548,500 9 4408 1980 $650,000 06/26/2002<br />
770 Panorama Place 10/13/17 $1,480,000 3 2600 1976 $1,150,000 06/20/2006<br />
985 Brentnal Road 10/17/17 $1,456,000 3 1692 1954 $867,500 03/26/2013<br />
340 West Bellevue Drive #7 10/19/17 $1,430,500 3 2242 1973 $1,425,000 07/12/<strong>2017</strong><br />
426 South Berkeley Avenue 10/04/17 $1,425,000 3 1950 1925<br />
288 Congress Place 10/06/17 $1,420,000 4 2285 1910<br />
1290 Club House Drive 10/03/17 $1,400,000 2 1758 1952 $160,000 06/15/1984<br />
2928 Magna Vista Street 10/25/17 $1,335,000 3 2267 1948 $937,000 04/22/2005<br />
250 Malcolm Drive 10/27/17 $1,166,500 3 1755 1955 $179,000 05/01/1986<br />
3695 Fairmeade Road 10/19/17 $1,155,000 3 1690 1952 $846,000 02/28/2006<br />
1091 East Elizabeth Street 10/16/17 $1,070,000 4 2144 1925 $475,000 03/09/2000<br />
803 North Michigan Avenue 10/25/17 $1,000,000 3 1701 1916 $620,000 11/25/2015<br />
348 South Orange Grove Blvd. 10/26/17 $1,000,000 2 1896 1974 $853,500 02/22/2010<br />
1597 North Altadena Drive 10/26/17 $950,000 2 4397 1927 $185,000 07/16/1981<br />
723 North Catalina Avenue 10/26/17 $940,000 3 1356 1948 $545,000 03/18/2010<br />
2152 Brigden Road 10/30/17 $890,000 4 1765 1972 $665,000 01/09/2013<br />
1038 East Elizabeth Street 10/31/17 $868,000 2 1744 1912 $650,000 01/28/2015<br />
1436 Brixton Road 10/24/17 $865,000 3 1950 1979 $182,000 07/10/1980<br />
238 South Arroyo Parkway #402 10/31/17 $860,000 2 1330 2008 $735,000 11/18/2014<br />
1450 Daveric Drive 10/25/17 $849,000 3 1936 1952 $178,180 05/24/1985<br />
1020 North Mentor Avenue 10/20/17 $810,000 2 1797 1947 $270,000 08/22/2001<br />
1845 North Oxford Avenue 10/10/17 $806,500 3 2300 1968 $193,000 09/26/1995<br />
156 West Peoria Street 10/04/17 $800,000 3 2480 1905<br />
1900 North Arroyo Boulevard 10/31/17 $800,000 4 1629 1954<br />
1640 East Mountain Street 10/19/17 $800,000 3 1437 1923 $690,000 10/31/2013<br />
1776 Walworth Avenue 10/26/17 $800,000 3 1356 1925 $580,000 12/21/2004<br />
484 East California Blvd. #13 10/26/17 $800,000 2 1292 1983 $540,000 09/01/2015<br />
470 Eaton Drive 10/13/17 $800,000 2 1440 1952 $780,000 10/31/2016<br />
2035 Fox Ridge Drive 10/25/17 $800,000 2 1750 1956<br />
272 East Glenarm Street #115 10/31/17 $775,000 3 1610 2004 $769,000 11/14/2005<br />
3017 Oneida Street 10/04/17 $770,000 3 1320 1927 $665,000 06/06/2008<br />
2098 Lambert Drive 10/25/17 $750,000 3 1565 1925 $282,000 04/15/1994<br />
SAN MARINO<br />
1713 Virginia Road 10/05/17 $4,530,000 4 3645 2016 $1,998,000 03/12/2014<br />
2360 Adair Street 10/26/17 $2,920,000 3 2182 1939 $1,800,000 11/02/2015<br />
1780 Warwick Road 10/30/17 $2,550,000 4 2952 1937<br />
2870 Lorain Road 10/05/17 $2,438,000 5 3073 1938 $1,600,000 02/21/2013<br />
1539 Mirasol Drive 10/26/17 $1,880,000 2 2195 1926 $495,000 09/28/2001<br />
2945 Woodlawn Avenue 10/24/17 $1,688,000 2 2000 1948<br />
SIERRA MADRE<br />
307 Toyon Road 10/25/17 $1,100,000 3 1619 1957 $490,000 12/19/2002<br />
528 Ramona Avenue 10/27/17 $1,000,000 4 1808 1924 $280,000 04/08/1999<br />
44 Windsor Lane 10/18/17 $830,000 4 1578 1921 $689,000 05/29/2015<br />
241 North Lima Street 10/13/17 $780,000 4 1658 1946<br />
SOUTH PASADENA<br />
1119 Diamond Avenue 10/23/17 $1,400,000 5 2232 1922 $408,000 07/25/2000<br />
1740 Raymond Hill Road 10/26/17 $1,360,000 4 3026 1946 $1,005,000 07/24/2012<br />
1320 Indiana Avenue 10/30/17 $1,150,000 4 1867 1924 $846,000 06/08/2010<br />
331 Hawthorne Street 10/23/17 $1,099,000 4 1775 1926 $750,000 01/15/2014<br />
12.17 ARROYO | 17
ARROYO<br />
HOME & DESIGN<br />
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT<br />
PHOTO: Courtesy of Brooks Berdan Ltd.<br />
THE STREAM’S THE THING IN<br />
HOME ENTERTAINMENT<br />
The explosion in streaming entertainment options is leading to big changes<br />
BY BRUCE HARING<br />
By the time Labor Day rolled around this year, your local movie theater owner<br />
was not in a good mood. That’s because summer box offi ce revenue was down<br />
almost 16 percent from last year, marking the biggest drop in a decade and the fi rst<br />
time since 2006 that summer movie-going didn’t clear a $4 billion total, even though<br />
ticket prices have gone up since then.<br />
You can blame bad movies like The Mummy, or noisy theaters, or the hassle of<br />
having to drive to the local cinema, or even the price of popcorn. Maybe it’s the<br />
overall price of tickets, which combined with the requisite snack bar stuffi ng, makes a<br />
night at the movies an expensive evening out.<br />
But the truth may run deeper, and that’s what really scares your local theater<br />
owner. Because with the advent of Netfl ix, Amazon Prime, SiriusXM and other streaming<br />
options, it’s becoming increasingly clear to many people that you can stay at<br />
home and experience what you used to only get at the movies or other traditional<br />
entertainment locations - great sound, fantastic images, and a selection that goes<br />
beyond the dozen or so fi lms on display at any given time in the local cinema.<br />
All that minus the noisy patrons, the high price of popcorn, the parking hassles,<br />
and grants the ability to relax in the safety and comfort of your own dwelling. Thank<br />
the growth of technology in home theatre industry, which has risen from something<br />
that only the rich could afford to a true family experience that is reachable even on a<br />
modest budget.<br />
–continued on page 21<br />
18 | ARROYO | 12.17
12.17 | ARROYO | 19
20 | ARROYO | 12.17
—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—<br />
–continued from page 18<br />
NOT YOUR FATHER’S STEREO SYSTEM<br />
Your notions of what constitutes a “home theater” may need some adjustment<br />
if you haven’t been paying attention. Gone are the days where elaborate wiring and<br />
huge speakers ruled. Technology in the form of wireless transmission and speakers<br />
that are one-third the size, but deliver as much punch as the giants of old, are now<br />
the mainstays of the home theatre experience. Add in the ability to hook up to virtual<br />
libraries that contain almost every song you can imagine or a list of movies that stagger<br />
the imagination, and you start to realize that a home theatre is not only fun, but<br />
good economic sense.<br />
Yes, there will always be an excuse to leave the house for the young men and<br />
women of the tribe who need to go off on their own at times. But as for the rest of us,<br />
we’re increasingly intent on enjoying our castles without dealing with the hoi polloi..<br />
Research fi rm Strategy Analytics determined that Americans spent $10 billion on<br />
home theater equipment in 2016. This includes speakers and wireless hookups to augment<br />
your television, as well as accessories to accommodate various formats, from<br />
streaming to DVDs. All of it is smaller and more powerful than previous generations of<br />
equipment.<br />
For example, Bose, the venerable speaker company, has introduced Sound-<br />
Touch 10, a wireless speaker with a retail price of $200 that works with a tablet or<br />
smartphone. It’s the size of a book, yet its playbacks can fi ll any living space short<br />
–continued on page 25<br />
12.17 | ARROYO | 21
22 | ARROYO | 12.17<br />
12.17 | ARROYO | 23
24 | ARROYO | 12.17
—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—<br />
–continued from page 21<br />
of a palace. Gone are the days when a speaker system that rivaled the Who’s was<br />
required for authentic sound.<br />
The good news doesn’t stop there. As with all technology, prices have dropped<br />
significantly in the past few years. Now, for slightly more than $1000, you can feel like<br />
you’re at the movies, or inside your own private nightclub if you crank the music. And<br />
if you live in an apartment with tolerant neighbors, the systems have grown so small<br />
that they will work well even within limited spaces. You can buy everything in a package,<br />
or you can augment your existing TV with some speakers, perhaps a DVD or<br />
Blu-ray player, and a way to process audio from your iPod, smartphone or other array.<br />
ASK AN EXPERT<br />
As with any modifi cations to your living situation, whether it be a home renovation,<br />
new furniture or a change in decoration, it pays to talk to a professional if you<br />
are installing or upgrading a home theatre or entertainment system. They know what<br />
works, what doesn’t, and what can bring you hours of entertainment joy on a reasonable<br />
budget.<br />
Sheila Berdan is president/general manager of Brooks Berdan Ltd. a Monrovia<br />
home audio store that will celebrate its 30th year in business on January 20. Their<br />
8,500-square-foot showroom has seven listening rooms that cater to everyone from<br />
the newest noob to the sophisticated audio-video phile.<br />
Berdan advises that you determine your budget and whether you will dedicate<br />
–continued on page 27<br />
12.17 | ARROYO | 25
26 | ARROYO | 12.17
—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—<br />
–continued from page 25<br />
a room to your entertainment experience as your fi rst steps. Then you can approach<br />
the task of selecting equipment with a clear objective in mind. You should also determine<br />
if the acoustics in a home entertainment room would be an issue. Echo, reverberation<br />
and other anomalies can affect the performance of even the best systems.<br />
While bigger can be better - larger images on a screen create a greater sense<br />
of immersion, Berdan says - smaller 4k Ultra Hi-Resolution displays can make a fi ne,<br />
budget-friendly alternative. When it comes to projectors or other components, the<br />
quality is more important than size, and many customers now prefer that the speakers<br />
and equipment remain hidden in the decor rather than be part of the visual landscape.<br />
“Most people spend less than they need to on their system,” says Berdan. “They<br />
lack the knowledge and understanding of the importance of selecting properly<br />
matched components working well together, creating a synergistic system.” Buying<br />
quality upfront pays off in the long run, she says. “Choose products that hold their<br />
value and are repairable,” she says. “Reliability, performance and value for the dollar<br />
is paramount.”<br />
When planning your system, don’t overlook one important component - seating.<br />
“Being comfortable adds a strong component in making the overall experience<br />
more enjoyable,” says Berdan. Lighting is also crucial. “Proper color, placement and<br />
directivity all work together in achieving the cinematic experience.”<br />
While the temptation is to order products online, Berdan says coming into the<br />
store will give you a chance to truly see what a world-class audio system is like. ||||<br />
12.17 | ARROYO | 27
AN ENGLISH<br />
CHRISTMAS<br />
A recovering Brit offers saucy memories and home-entertaining<br />
tips from family celebrations many moons ago.<br />
BY BRADLEY TUCK<br />
Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen,<br />
When the snow lay ’round about, deep and crisp and even.<br />
Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel,<br />
When a poor man came in sight, gathering winter fuel.<br />
If there ever was a song to tug at the damp<br />
heart of an Englishman at Christmas, this<br />
would be it. A cruel frost, a benign royal and<br />
a peasant who “knows his place” stoically<br />
gathering fuel to keep his presumably<br />
shivering family warm. Having lived in<br />
Southern California for 20 years, and having<br />
spent a sizable portion of my childhood<br />
in Gibraltar, the cheery bleakness of that<br />
carol doesn’t resonate as strongly with me<br />
as it might with other Brits. But still I recall<br />
Christmas dinners with extended family,<br />
endured rather than enjoyed, because in<br />
Britain, life is often a thing one suffers with<br />
a stiff upper lip. And never more so than at<br />
Christmas.<br />
28 | ARROYO | 12.17
A Christmas cracker<br />
In England, Christmas dinner really means Christmas lunch, served early enough on<br />
Christmas Day so that everybody can eat and drink as much as they can manage, and<br />
leave the table just in time to turn on the television to watch the queen’s Christmas<br />
message. Her Majesty spends 10 minutes reflecting on moments the royal family has<br />
enjoyed during the past year, as well as touching on public tragedies, always ending by<br />
wishing her subjects a wonderful year ahead. Whereupon the adults pour another sherry<br />
or make another gin and tonic and eventually succumb to the heat and the alcohol and fall<br />
asleep in their armchairs.<br />
What’s this, I hear you say, it’s hot in Britain at Christmas? No, indeed it is not. It’s<br />
almost invariably as cold and damp as a gravedigger’s socks, but perhaps in remembrance<br />
of the peasant gathering winter fuel, homes are heated to equatorial temperatures during<br />
the holidays, particularly the homes of seniors. Pallid, cold Anglo-Saxon skin is warmed<br />
next to a fire, real or otherwise, until the legs and cheeks are splotched with red, a pattern<br />
my mother likes to call “fireside tartan.”<br />
Americans living in Britain had better be fans of Thanksgiving, because in Britain “the<br />
bird” means a turkey. In bygone days, at least for persons of means, it would have been<br />
a goose, but at some point in the 20th century, the goose fell out of favor. Perhaps it had<br />
too much flavor and needed to be replaced with something less delicious, lest too much<br />
enjoyment be had? As a small act of mercy, the turkey is sometimes surrounded by baconwrapped<br />
mini-sausages, known as chipolatas. But that pleasure must be paid for, so the<br />
British turkey is served, not with cranberry sauce, but instead with “bread sauce.” If ever<br />
two words formed an oxymoron in combination, it’s this pair — but bread sauce indeed<br />
it is. Made from breadcrumbs, milk, onion, mace, cloves, butter and cream, it’s a thickish<br />
sauce that, left for a few days, makes a reasonable substitute for wallpaper paste, should<br />
one’s wallpaper be peeling from the combination of cold exterior moisture and Indonesian<br />
temperatures inside.<br />
Now, it wouldn’t be a British celebration if it didn’t involve the possibility of unnecessary<br />
embarrassment or personal discomfort, so at the dinner table every place setting has a<br />
Christmas cracker. This isn’t a cracker in the American sense of the word, one you might<br />
eat topped with cheese. The Christmas cracker is a cardboard tube wrapped in colored<br />
paper, twisted at the ends to give you something to grip.<br />
Inside is a tiny explosive device, a plastic toy, a paper crown and a piece of paper with<br />
a bad joke printed on it. Think of it as a cross between a fortune cookie and a piñata! You<br />
grab one end of the cracker while the person next to you grabs the other end, all around<br />
the table. Then you pull hard, the cracker’s explosive device goes off, the cracker’s end<br />
comes off and whoever has the main part of the cracker still in his/her hand gets to keep<br />
the contents. Everybody places the paper crowns on their heads for the duration of dinner.<br />
What could be more fun? For a nation of people raised on the idea that one shouldn’t<br />
draw attention to oneself, wearing a paper crown at the dinner table is about as much<br />
fun as self-immolation or suddenly realizing that one is naked in public. Thankfully, at a<br />
British Christmas dinner, the only thing being set on fire is the dessert. Christmas pudding<br />
is basically a cake made from suet, dried fruits and spices, which is then boiled, aged<br />
for several months, then doused in brandy at the dinner table and ignited. What could<br />
possibly go wrong? A blazing dish, in close proximity to drunk people wearing paper hats.<br />
Christmas pudding<br />
Nothing to see here, folks!<br />
If this all sounds a little bleak, fret not. Anglophiles in the U.S. can incorporate a few<br />
British touches into their festivities without going “the full English breakfast,” as it were.<br />
Mince pies are a delicious treat — a flaky shortcrust pastry case dusted with icing<br />
sugar, filled with another variation of moistened dried fruit, but lighter than Christmas<br />
pudding. They’re delicious with some whipped cream, especially if said cream has a little<br />
Baileys Irish Cream liqueur whipped in! Mission Liquor and Bristol Farms often carry<br />
some leading up to the holidays. Cheese lovers might enjoy the British tradition of Stilton<br />
served with a glass of port. It was a favorite of Princess Diana. Just remember when passing<br />
the port bottle around the table, you always pass to the left, because pointless traditions<br />
matter in this sceptered isle! Mini Christmas crackers are also available and can be<br />
fun to pass to guests with a drink when they arrive. As with everything in life, the more<br />
you spend, the more you get, so pay a little more to get better party favors inside. Finally,<br />
remember the British tradition of taking the Christmas tree down before Twelfth Night<br />
(after Christmas, that is — January 6, for the math-challenged), lest you be cursed with a<br />
year of bad luck, an annus horribilis that nobody wants.<br />
Happy holidays, and don’t forget the chipolatas! ||||<br />
For chipolatas, Christmas crackers, Christmas puddings, mince pies and other seasonal<br />
treats, visit Rose Tree Cottage’s English Village Shop, 801 S. Pasadena Ave., Pasadena.<br />
Daily hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call (626) 793-3337 or visit rosetreecottage.com. While<br />
you’re there, pick up a gardening book or a classic like Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter<br />
Rabbit --- book proceeds benefit Bloom Where Planted, Rose Tree Cottage’s African Children’s<br />
Charitable Foundation (bloomwhereplanted.org).<br />
12.17 | ARROYO | 29
30 | ARROYO | 12.17
HOLIDAY<br />
GIFT GUIDE<br />
Museum Edition<br />
BY IRENE LACHER<br />
HERE AT ARROYO MONTHLY, WE’RE BIG FANS OF HOLIDAY<br />
GIFTS THAT GIVE BACK — AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO<br />
VERY FAR TO FIND THEM. MUSEUM GIFT SHOPS HERE AND<br />
AROUND THE COUNTRY HAVE EVOLVED INTO CURATED<br />
SOURCES OF STRIKING AND UNUSUAL ITEMS YOU WON’T<br />
FIND ELSEWHERE — AND YOUR PURCHASES HELP SUPPORT<br />
THE INSTITUTION. HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR<br />
ARMCHAIR SHOPPERS; MOST STORES OFFER EVEN MORE<br />
CHOICES TO FOLKS WHO SWING BY, AND SOME, LIKE THE<br />
PASADENA MUSEUM OF HISTORY, DON’T SELL ONLINE.<br />
CONSIDER GIFTING ART CLASSES OR MEMBERSHIPS TO<br />
A LOCAL MUSEUM OR GALLERY. BUY A MEMBERSHIP FOR<br />
YOURSELF, AND ENJOY A MEMBER DISCOUNT ON YOUR<br />
HOLIDAY SHOPPING!<br />
FOR WOMEN<br />
Round mother-ofpearl<br />
necklace,<br />
of-<br />
$3,500, The Huntington<br />
Store<br />
Sterling silver Navajo cuff,<br />
$600, Autry Store Welcome Companions lip pouch,<br />
$140, MOCA Store<br />
Votes for women souvenir mug,<br />
$19.95, Brooklyn Museum Shop<br />
Renaissance embroidered<br />
velvet wrap, $445, The Met Store<br />
Magritte: Interpretation tation<br />
of Dreams watch, $100,<br />
MoMA Design Store<br />
–continued on page 32<br />
12.17| ARROYO | 31
FOR MEN<br />
Ry Rocklen’s: Trophy Modern Chess<br />
Set (basketball), $2,800, LACMA Store<br />
–continued from page 31<br />
FOR KIDS<br />
Babar’s Yoga for Elephants,<br />
$9.95, Norton Simon Museum Store<br />
Dashing gentleman<br />
wash bag,<br />
$45, The Huntington Store<br />
Hoveric levitating speaker,<br />
$99, MoMA Design Store<br />
Jaquet slim card wallet,<br />
$85, MOCA Store<br />
William Morris Blackthorn tie,<br />
$65, The Met Store<br />
ABC Kids’ Tent,<br />
$125, The Huntington Store<br />
Ryan McGinness<br />
soccer ball,<br />
$60, Brooklyn Museum Shop<br />
Child sheriff badge,<br />
$4, Autry Store<br />
32 | ARROYO | 12.17
FOR<br />
AESTHETES<br />
FOR KIDS<br />
Andy Warhol Brillo<br />
wooden blocks,<br />
$19.95, MOCA Store<br />
Yayoi Kusama pumpkin,<br />
$285, MoMA Design Store<br />
Michael Aram black<br />
orchid menorah,<br />
$295, The Huntington Store<br />
Lucille, 1995, limitededition<br />
print by Peter<br />
Alexander,<br />
$1,620, $, , LACMA Store<br />
Lego Flatiron Building,<br />
$39.99, LACMA Store<br />
Dali cuckoo clock,<br />
$240, MoMA Design Store<br />
#3, <strong>2017</strong>, print by<br />
Alexis Zoto,<br />
$75, Armory Center for the Arts<br />
Oaxacan wood<br />
carving of a bear,<br />
$900, Autry Store<br />
MUSEUM AND GALLERY WEBSITES<br />
Keith ithHaringglow-in-the-<br />
glow-in-thedark<br />
puzzle,<br />
$11.99, MOCA Store<br />
Armory Center for the Arts<br />
armoryarts.org<br />
The Huntington Store<br />
thehuntingtonstore.org<br />
MOCA Store<br />
mocastore.org<br />
Autry Store<br />
shop.theautry.org<br />
LACMA Store<br />
thelacmastore.org<br />
MoMA Design Store<br />
store.moma.org<br />
Brooklyn Museum Shop<br />
shop.brooklynmuseum.org<br />
The Met Store<br />
store.metmuseum.org<br />
Norton Simon Museum Store<br />
store.nortonsimon.org<br />
12.17| ARROYO | 33
34 | ARROYO | 12.17
THE<br />
Martin Zogg<br />
RESCUERS<br />
The International Rescue<br />
Committee’s Martin Zogg talks<br />
about resettling refugees, under<br />
siege by the Trump administration,<br />
here and around the world.<br />
BY KATHLEEN KELLEHER<br />
PHOTO: Courtesy of International Rescue Committee<br />
The world is witness to unparalleled levels of human suffering, with the numbers<br />
of displaced people exceeding even the devastation of World War II, according<br />
to the United Nations Refugee Agency. More than 65 million people, or 24 per<br />
minute, are displaced by conflict and persecution. For refugees who can flee, resettlement<br />
in countries offering safe haven and a new start saves lives. Many die trying to escape<br />
war, poverty, famine, drought and oppression. The German newspaper Der Tagesspiegal<br />
recently published the names of 33,293 refugees who drowned en route to Europe<br />
from 1993 to <strong>2017</strong>. Last year proved the deadliest on record — 5,000 migrants died or<br />
disappeared while crossing the Mediterranean Sea.<br />
But here in the U.S, the Trump administration has stopped welcoming refugees, drastically<br />
cutting the overall number allowed in and banning arrivals from certain Muslimmajority<br />
countries who lack ties to the U.S., while battling a series of court rulings blocking<br />
the country’s most restrictive travel ban, primarily impacting Muslims.<br />
President Trump slashed the total number of refugees allowed into the U.S. for the<br />
year that started Oct. 1, imposing a limit of 45,000 — down from 110,000 — the lowest<br />
number in more than three decades, according to the Pew Research Center. Though the<br />
move resumed the refugee admission process (Trump had suspended it by executive order<br />
soon after assuming office in January), a partial ban on refugees from six majority-Muslim<br />
countries is now in effect and a complete ban could still be enacted, reducing refugee<br />
numbers even more, depending on future court rulings. The partial ban bars arrivals<br />
from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen who lack a “bona fide” relationship<br />
to family, a company or a university in the U.S. Family ties are defined as “grandparents,<br />
grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.”<br />
The latest ban also bars entry by certain Venezuelan government officials and most North<br />
Koreans. Administration officials also announced that 11 unidentified countries will be<br />
subject to a 90-day review for possible threats. The 11 impacted countries remained unnamed<br />
at press time.<br />
Advocates for refugees strongly object to the administration’s new order reducing the<br />
number admitted to the U.S. and the implementation of the partial ban. They point to<br />
the exhaustive vetting process already in place for refugee applicants, the strictest security<br />
scrutiny applied to any traveler to this country. The Cato Institute, a libertarian think<br />
tank, says that over the past 40 years, only 20 refugees out of 3.25 million resettled in the<br />
U.S. have been convicted of committing terrorist acts or attempting to do so. Just three<br />
Americans have been killed by refugees — all three by Cuban refugees in the 1970s.<br />
Americans have a 1 in 3.64 billion chance of being killed by a refugee in a terrorist attack<br />
per year, according to the Cato Institute’s risk analysis. But since the U.S. established the<br />
resettlement program with the Refugee Act of 1980, there has not been a single lethal<br />
terrorist attack by a refugee among the hundreds of thousands resettled in the U.S., says<br />
Martin Zogg, executive director of the International Rescue Committee (IRC)’s Los<br />
Angeles office based in Glendale.<br />
Zogg has been working with persecuted asylum seekers since the early 1990s. IRC<br />
is a highly regarded global aid, relief and development nongovernmental organization<br />
rated 4 out of 4 by Charity Navigator and A+ by Charity Watch. Currently led by David<br />
Miliband, a former British Foreign Secretary, IRC has been responding to the world’s<br />
worst humanitarian crises since World War II, helping people flee devastation, oppression,<br />
war and religious persecution. The organization was founded in 1933 at the request<br />
of Albert Einstein, himself a German refugee, who recruited 50 additional American<br />
intellectuals including philosopher John Dewey, writer John Dos Passos and theologian<br />
Reinhold Niebuhr to join him in helping refugees. IRC’s humanitarian relief operations<br />
are now in more than 40 war-torn countries and its refugee resettlement and assistance<br />
programs are in 28 American cities.<br />
Here in Los Angeles, about 1,459 refugees were initially resettled in 2016-17 compared<br />
to 2,250 for 2014-15, according to the California Department of Social Services<br />
(CDSS). From 2000 through 2016, the agency says, 34,278 refugees had been initially<br />
resettled in L.A. County through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. (There is no<br />
way to determine how many refugees who come to L.A. still reside in the county.) Arroyo<br />
Monthly talks with Zogg about IRC’s Los Angeles refugee assistance effort:<br />
How long have you been working with the International Rescue<br />
Committee and specifically, IRC’s L.A. office?<br />
I started with IRC in 1992 as a country director in its international humanitarian relief<br />
program in Bosnia as the war there began, then worked in international programs for several<br />
years. I’ve been the executive director of IRC’s office in Los Angeles for nearly six years.<br />
Tell us about the work the International Rescue Committee does with refugees<br />
in Los Angeles.<br />
IRC is one of just nine agencies authorized by the State Department to resettle<br />
refugees in the U.S. In Los Angeles, it’s the largest of those agencies, resettling hundreds<br />
of refugees each year. For the past 10 or so years, about 2,500 refugees have resettled here<br />
every year.<br />
–continued on page 36<br />
12.17 | ARROYO | 35
An IRC client from Syria<br />
Participants in IRC’s Bikes for Refugees<br />
Volunteer Day last summer<br />
–continued from page 35<br />
How long has IRC been working with refugees in Los Angeles?<br />
IRC opened its office Los Angeles in 1975, even before the U.S. established its formal<br />
resettlement program [with the Refugee Act of 1980]. The first refugees IRC resettled here<br />
were from Southeast Asia following the end of the war in Vietnam.<br />
Does Los Angeles have something specific to offer refugees that other cities<br />
do not?<br />
A long history of immigration, deep respect for diversity and enormous community<br />
support.<br />
Where do the refugees come from?<br />
The refugee community in Los Angeles is as diverse as any in the country, with<br />
Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian and Hmong; Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian; and<br />
Iranian, Salvadoran, Honduran, Iraqi and Afghani, among many nationalities. All have<br />
fled persecution, oppression, deprivation and violence, and the overwhelming majority are<br />
women, children and the elderly. As a rule, it is about 80 percent or more women, children<br />
and elderly.<br />
What countries are refugees currently fleeing and what circumstances are<br />
driving them to leave their countries of origin?<br />
Since 2004 the primary population of refugees resettled in the Los Angeles region is from<br />
Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, El Salvador, Syria, Honduras and Burma, with some very small<br />
number of additional refugees from Eritrea, Russia, Somalia, Cambodia and North Korea.<br />
Why are they arriving in Los Angeles?<br />
Iranian refugees enduring religious persecution have the opportunity to resettle here<br />
through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Most Iranian refugees are Armenian, and<br />
the large Armenian community in Southern California is supportive and welcoming.<br />
All refugees meet the definition in the 1951 U.N. Convention: someone who, “owing<br />
to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership<br />
of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality<br />
and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that<br />
country.” In some unique cases, the State Department will allow persons who’ve otherwise<br />
met the definition but remain in their country of nationality. All of the refugees resettled in<br />
Los Angeles through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, whether from Iran or another<br />
country, meet the convention’s definition.<br />
In addition to resettling refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan, we resettle Special Immigrant<br />
Visa holders from those countries, which are granted through a long process similar<br />
to the refugee-vetting process to Iraq and Afghanistan nationals who have been employed<br />
by the U.S. government and have experienced or are experiencing ongoing serious threat as<br />
a consequence of that employment.<br />
How does the IRC help refugees and immigrants in Los Angeles?<br />
IRC supports newly arrived refugees by providing immediate aid, including food, housing<br />
and medical attention. It also serves as a free one-stop center for refugees’ needs during<br />
their pivotal first months in the U.S. IRC staff members and volunteers help refugees learn<br />
about American customs, secure jobs, learn English and eventually become citizens. In<br />
short, IRC provides most of the basic things refugees need to restart their lives here and<br />
helps them overcome cultural barriers so that their adjustment is as easy as possible.<br />
Are there challenges to refugee resettlement particular to Los Angeles?<br />
Many. The primary challenges are the high cost of living and lack of affordable housing,<br />
but there is also a shortage of affordable ESL classes and limited public transportation.<br />
What is striking is that refugees are undeterred in the face of these challenges and establish<br />
strong foundations in their new homes despite them.<br />
With lack of affordable housing ranking as one of L.A.’s most pressing problems,<br />
how hard is it to house refugees?<br />
Housing is one of the greatest challenges for resettlement agencies. Fortunately, Los<br />
Angeles is a remarkably welcoming community to refugees and IRC has developed wonderful<br />
relationships with landlords and property owners across Southern California who know<br />
the reliability of refugees as tenants and support refugee resettlement.<br />
What do refugees contribute to Los Angeles?<br />
Aside from obviously enriching the cultural diversity of our region, refugees actually<br />
start businesses, are employed and pay taxes at rates higher than those for native-born<br />
Americans. Over just the past decade, refugees in the U.S. have contributed $63 billion<br />
more than they cost, according to a report commissioned by President Trump’s own administration.<br />
What is the impact of President Trump’s indefinite travel ban on refugees?<br />
The ban prevented refugees — the most vulnerable people in the world — from finding<br />
safety and showed a stunning cruelty toward those fleeing our common enemies, enemies<br />
who intend to paint the U.S. as indifferent to refugees’ suffering.<br />
Can you describe the vetting process?<br />
The hardest way to come to the U.S. is as a refugee. They are vetted more intensively<br />
than any other group seeking to enter the country. All refugees must first be registered by<br />
the United Nations Refugee Agency, which identifies those most vulnerable. The U.S. then<br />
hand-selects every person who is admitted. Security screenings are intense and led by U.S.<br />
government authorities, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the<br />
Department of Defense and multiple security agencies. The process typically takes up to 36<br />
months and is followed by further security checks after refugees arrive in the U.S.<br />
Why do you think the general public appears to misunderstand the depth<br />
and complexity of the vetting process refugees go through before gaining<br />
admission to the U.S.?<br />
Perhaps it’s simply the fear of the unknown, because once one knows the exacting details<br />
of the process, no amount of misinformation about it would be credible.<br />
PHOTOS: Courtesy of International Rescue Committee<br />
36 | ARROYO | 12.17
An IRC citizenship class in Pico-Union<br />
Why does a perception that refugees are more likely to commit acts of<br />
terrorism persist in some sectors of the U.S.? What percentage of refugees<br />
commit such crimes?<br />
Zero percentage of refugees commit such crimes. Since the U.S. established the resettlement<br />
program with the Refugee Act of 1980, there has not been a single case of an act of<br />
terrorism among the hundreds of thousands of refugees resettled in the U.S. According to<br />
the Cato Institute, the chance of being killed by a refugee is 1 in 3.6 billion. And according<br />
to the New American Economy research, there is no link between resettled refugees in the<br />
U.S. and crime rates. Even more telling is that over the past 10 years, in cities that received<br />
the most refugees relative to their size, crime rates have declined after refugees moved in,<br />
and nine of 10 cities on the list had property and violent crime levels decline precipitously.<br />
Does the U.S. Diversity Visa program impact refugees?<br />
The State Department program known as the Diversity Visa Lottery is utterly separate<br />
from the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and has no effect on refugees.<br />
How can people help refugees and immigrants in Los Angeles?<br />
Everyone can help refugees by welcoming them as new and valuable members of American<br />
society. They can also help by volunteering at a local resettlement agency, or by donating<br />
money, furniture and household items, or by urging elected officials to support refugee<br />
resettlement, or by employing or encouraging local businesses to employ refugees.<br />
PHOTO: Courtesy of International Rescue Committee<br />
Is there anything IRC urges concerned citizens to do to urge the administration<br />
and elected officials to support a rational refugee admission policy in<br />
the U.S.?<br />
President Trump and his administration have actively sought to prohibit refugees from<br />
reuniting with their families. They have restricted resettlement agencies from fulfilling<br />
promises to refugees who have already been approved to come to the U.S. and left thousands<br />
of vulnerable families to question their futures. This cruel cessation of resettlement<br />
has to stop. Every day, refugees who have completed security screening continue to wait for<br />
their travel to be approved and their lives to be saved. Any further delay would be negligent<br />
and contrary to our American values as an immigrant nation.<br />
Congress needs to know that Americans believe in refugee resettlement and that we<br />
won’t stand for further unnecessary delays in their arrival. The House Judiciary Committee<br />
has oversight of refugee admissions and needs to know Americans value refugee resettlement.<br />
Every Representative needs to know it. Call Congress today at (855) 472-8930 and<br />
say: “I am a constituent living in Southern California. I am extremely disappointed in the<br />
president’s decision to drastically reduce and delay refugee arrivals to the U.S. I am calling<br />
to urge you to tell President Trump to start letting refugees in and to stop delaying the<br />
process.”<br />
Everyone should also share messages of solidarity on social media. Tweet “I #Stand-<br />
WithRefugees & @theIRC. Join me. Call (855) 472-8930 & tell @HouseJudiciary to<br />
demand refugee admissions now!” ||||<br />
To make a donation, visit help.rescue.org. Visit gifts.rescue.org for holiday<br />
gifts in your recipient’s name, such as a year of school for $58, four temporary<br />
shelters for $54 or a baby goat for $90. Ninety-two cents of each dollar<br />
donated go directly to help refugees and others in need.<br />
12.17 | ARROYO | 37
KITCHEN<br />
CONFESSIONS<br />
Nibbling Heads<br />
ANIMAL CRACKERS MAY BE MUNDANE, BUT THEY SERVE UP TASTY MEMORIES.<br />
BY LESLIE BILDERBACK<br />
Imake cookies all year long. In fact, with few exceptions, every dessert I make at work<br />
includes some type of cookie as an element. That’s because my personal pastry philosophy<br />
requires that each plate have a variety of textures, and cookies provide the best crisp.<br />
But even though I make them all year long, <strong>December</strong> is when I embark on my real cookie<br />
tour de force. Even if I didn’t have family and friends with whom to share, I would still<br />
go through the holiday cookie ritual for myself because it is, without a doubt, my favorite<br />
dessert. (Accompanied by, of course, a tall glass of milk.)<br />
And although I am physically and mentally equipped to create any cookie I want<br />
from scratch (not to brag, but, yes, I’m that good), in a few exceptional cases I defer to<br />
the superiority of the store-bought. Pepperidge Farm’s Mint Milano is one. I have been<br />
presented<br />
on more than one occasion with attempts at the homemade version of this minty morsel,<br />
but they are never quite right. The Oreo is another. While the effect of ebony cocoa and<br />
Crisco cream filling can be approximated, the real thing is always better. Girl Scout cookies,<br />
too, are a must-buy. A homemade Samoa or Thin Mint is wrong on a number of levels,<br />
not the least of which is that it denies little girls their cookie sales. (I feel this way about<br />
marshmallows too. Yes, we can make them in cute shapes, colors and flavors, but it turns<br />
out that they taste exactly the same as a bag of Jet-Puffed once melted into your cocoa, or<br />
flaming on the end of your campfire stick.)<br />
But of all the store-bought cookies in the world, my favorite is the very un-haute animal<br />
cracker. The recipe is easily duplicated at home (it’s not a particularly intricate cookie), but for<br />
me, the joy of eating it comes from its circus box, and the discovery and identification of the<br />
animals, which cannot be duplicated in one’s own kitchen.<br />
I talk a lot about food-related sense memories — the way the smell or flavor of a dish<br />
whisks you back to a time and place. Nothing does that for me more than animal<br />
crackers. Carrying the box by the string handle as if it were a grown-up handbag.<br />
Unwrapping the waxed inner bag to discover, hopefully, my favorite animals.<br />
Eating them in order of their hierarchy in the animal kingdom. Nibbling<br />
their body parts in a way that offers the animal the least amount of<br />
suffering (head first). Eating them now, I remember this ritual and<br />
am instantly sitting cross-legged in the sun in my grandmother’s<br />
yard, feeling the scratch of her perfectly manicured lawn on<br />
my bare summer legs.<br />
As it turns out, a lot of folks have similar animal<br />
cracker memories. Nabisco says that everyone eats its<br />
animal crackers head first, which is a relief to those<br />
concerned with what that might say about you —<br />
apparently we are all a little morbid. The string<br />
handle was not added to make little girls feel like<br />
fancy ladies, but rather so that the box could be hung<br />
on a Christmas tree. The original box looked much<br />
the same, but the wheels of the circus wagon were<br />
partially printed on the underside of the box and were<br />
perforated so that kids could punch them out after<br />
snack time and have a circus wagon toy. Simple joys.<br />
Animal-shaped cookies were first imported from<br />
Britain in the 1870s, prompting many local bakeries to<br />
begin making them. The Brits called them “biscuits,” but<br />
here in the U.S. we preferred the term “cracker.” Like most<br />
38 | ARROYO | 12.17
products of the era, they<br />
were sold in bulk out of<br />
cracker barrels. Soon<br />
automation transformed<br />
small bakeries into large<br />
companies like Stauffer’s<br />
Biscuit Company and<br />
the National Biscuit<br />
Company. In 1902<br />
Nabisco began using the<br />
infamous P.T. Barnum<br />
as inspiration — though<br />
there was never a licensing agreement between the baking company and the Barnum &<br />
Bailey Circus (a lapse we all know would never happen today).<br />
The term “cracker” always confused me, because these were not salty like the crackers I<br />
crumbled into my Campbell’s Tomato Soup. To further confuse me, according to the 1935<br />
film Curly Top, Shirley Temple liked the sweet cookies in her soup so much she sang about<br />
it. Animal crackers in soup still sounds yucky. After soup, sure. But in the soup? (I am<br />
making my best Shirley Temple wrinkly-nose face.)<br />
Today there are several companies making animal crackers, but for me, Barnum’s<br />
Animals are the best. The taste is classic, and the animals are recognizable. Over the<br />
years the company has produced more than 50 different animals for the box, including a<br />
special 1995 World Wildlife Fund endangered edition, from which you could decapitate<br />
a Komodo dragon. There are 19 animals in rotation at any one time, with new animals<br />
chosen occasionally by popular vote. The most recent addition was the koala, which,<br />
thankfully, beat out the cobra. Despite the lyric in Shirley’s song “monkeys and rabbits<br />
loop the loop,” there has never been a rabbit animal cracker. This fact makes Shirley<br />
Temple a liar, which I hope was disclosed to Ghana before we sent her there as U.S.<br />
ambassador. Unlike me, Nabisco didn’t care and used the song for years to promote the<br />
product.<br />
One final animal cracker fact: The monkey is the only animal in pants. Mull that over<br />
the next time you nibble off his head. ||||<br />
Animal Crackers<br />
Despite the fact that I just railed against making these cookies at home, it’s actually sort<br />
of fun. You can buy mini circus-animal cutters, but I prefer to use some of the weirder<br />
random cutters I have accumulated through the years. Let’s just say, there are shapes<br />
that Nabisco would never consider.<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
1½ cups all-purpose fl our<br />
1 cup old-fashioned oats<br />
½ teaspoon baking soda<br />
¼ cup granulated sugar<br />
1 teaspoon sea salt<br />
½ cup unsalted butter, softened<br />
2 tablespoons honey<br />
½ cup cream<br />
METHOD<br />
1. Preheat oven to 350°, and coat a baking sheet with pan spray.<br />
2. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to form a uniform<br />
powder. Set aside.<br />
3. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the honey and cream and mix thoroughly. Add<br />
the flour mixture last, and mix until just combined. Divide the dough in two, press into a thick disc,<br />
then wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Dough can be left in the fridge for a couple of<br />
days or frozen for longer storage.)<br />
4. Dust the work surface with flour, and roll out the dough to a quarter-inch thick. Cut out animal<br />
shapes and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.<br />
Cool before serving.<br />
Leslie Bilderback is a certified master baker, chef and cookbook author.<br />
She lives in South Pasadena and teaches her techniques online at<br />
culinarymasterclass.com.<br />
THE<br />
COLORADO<br />
BUCK<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
Two fresh strawberries<br />
1 teaspoon agave nectar<br />
Juice of half a lemon<br />
STORY AND PHOTO BY MICHAEL CERVIN<br />
When the Pasadena Hilton was built in 1971, no one could have foreseen the<br />
craft cocktail movement that headed this way four decades later. Good<br />
thing the hotel’s September remodel, which included the new Corner<br />
Craft Cocktail + Bar, kept pace with this welcome development. Located to the left of<br />
the expansive lobby as you enter, the bar has a cool, clean and sleek look; a retro Italian<br />
vibe with gray and beige tones is accented by walnut trim, and large windows overlook<br />
Los Robles Avenue.<br />
The bar offers a number of original cocktails, including the Colorado Buck. It’s so<br />
named not only for the whiskey in the drink, but also for Colorado Boulevard’s location<br />
in the heart of Pasadena. This is the whiskey cocktail for non-whiskey drinkers as it is<br />
mild and subtle. The addition of fresh strawberry and mildly effervescent ginger beer<br />
brings lightness to the drink, lending a playful accent to this very adult cocktail. The<br />
fresh mint, not meant to be submerged, offers a refreshing olfactory burst, resulting in a<br />
drink that’s easygoing and easily consumed. Beverage Manager Marcos Villanueva suggests<br />
pairing it with the duck egg fettuccine with shiitake mushrooms, or hoisin-glazed<br />
lamb ribs. ||||<br />
THE COLORADO BUCK<br />
1¾ ounces Tincup Whiskey<br />
Dash Angostura bitters<br />
1 ounce Fever Tree Ginger Beer<br />
METHOD<br />
Muddle strawberry, lemon juice and agave. Double strain into shaker. Add ice, bitters and whiskey, and<br />
lightly shake. Pour into a highball glass, add ginger beer and serve with mint-sprig garnish.<br />
12.17 | ARROYO | 39
THE LIST<br />
A SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS<br />
COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER<br />
Scrooge and Company Visit<br />
A Noise Within<br />
Dec. 1 through 22 — A Noise Within’s<br />
production of the Dickens holiday classic,<br />
A Christmas Carol, starts running at<br />
8 p.m. Dec. 1 and continues through<br />
Dec. 22. The inspirational tale of Ebenezer<br />
Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim involves<br />
greed, epiphany and redemption.<br />
Ticket prices start at $25.<br />
A Noise Within is located at 3352 E. Foothill<br />
Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 356-3100 or<br />
visit anoisewithin.org.<br />
Holiday Home<br />
Tour and Boutique<br />
Mark Half-Century<br />
Dec. 2 and 3 — The<br />
Women’s Committee<br />
of the Pasadena<br />
Symphony Association and Pops presents<br />
the 50th anniversary of the Holiday Look<br />
In Tour and Boutique. The tour features<br />
four architecturally signifi cant Pasadena<br />
homes, decorated for the holidays by<br />
local fl orists. The boutique, free to visit, is<br />
located at Pasadena’s Scottish Rite Cathedral.<br />
Tour hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.<br />
and the boutique runs from 9:30 a.m. to<br />
5 p.m. both days. Tour tickets cost $35 in<br />
advance, $40 the day of the tour (day-of<br />
tickets may be purchased at the Scottish<br />
Rite Cathedral).<br />
The Scottish Rite Cathedral is located<br />
at 150 N. Madison Ave., Pasadena. Visit<br />
pasadenaholidaylookin.org.<br />
Rock, Robotics and Desert Life<br />
at Caltech<br />
All events take place in Caltech’s Beckman<br />
Auditorium:<br />
Dec. 2 — Jingle Bell Rock is a Christmasthemed<br />
concert featuring the Alley Cats<br />
a cappella doo-wop group starting at<br />
8 p.m. Tickets cost $10 to $42.<br />
Dec. 6 — Caltech Professor Aaron Ames<br />
discusses “Toward the Robots of Science<br />
Fiction” at 8 p.m.; the lecture explores<br />
the fi rst steps toward creating bipedal<br />
and humanoid robots able to navigate a<br />
variety of terrains in a human-like fashion.<br />
Admission is free.<br />
Dec. 16 — The high-def fi lm Planet Earth<br />
— Deserts explores the diversity of desert<br />
habitats at 4 p.m. Aerial and time-lapse<br />
footage illustrates how animals adapted<br />
to the driest environments. Caltech<br />
graduate student Annelise Thompson<br />
ARBORETUM’S TREE<br />
TRIBUTE RECALLS<br />
WINDSTORM<br />
Dec. 1 through 10 — The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden<br />
presents Forces of Nature II: A Tribute to Trees, from Dec. 1 through 10. The<br />
exhibition is part of a series created in the wake of the destructive windstorm<br />
that hit the San Gabriel Valley in November 2011. Wood from the Arboretum’s<br />
150-year-old Tasmanian blue gum tree and others that toppled during the<br />
storm was distributed to area artists, who creatively honored and celebrated it<br />
by carving artworks from the remains. The works are on display and sale from<br />
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Proceeds benefit the Arboretum. Admission costs $9,<br />
$6 for students and seniors and $4 for children 5 to 12; members and children<br />
under 5 are admitted free.<br />
The L.A. County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is located at 301 N. Baldwin Ave.,<br />
Arcadia. Call (626) 821-3237 or visit arboretum.org.<br />
introduces the fi lm and leads a postscreening<br />
discussion. Admission is $10.<br />
Beckman Auditorium is located on Michigan<br />
Avenue south of Del Mar Boulevard,<br />
on the Caltech campus, Pasadena. Call<br />
(626) 395-4652 or visit events.caltech.edu.<br />
Children’s Chorus<br />
Rings in Holidays<br />
at Disney Hall<br />
Dec. 3 — The L.A. Children’s<br />
Chorus gets the<br />
holiday spirit rolling at<br />
7 p.m. with a program of classical works,<br />
holiday carols and readings at Walt<br />
Disney Concert Hall. The chorus is joined<br />
by Grammy-winning opera singer Susan<br />
Graham and members of the L.A. Philharmonic.<br />
The concert features the world<br />
premiere of composer Paul Gibson’s<br />
“Even When He is Silent” and Donald Fraser’s<br />
“This Christmastide.” Graham joins in<br />
with “O Holy Night,” “A Christmas Lullaby”<br />
and “Now Have Good Day!” by Derek<br />
Holman. Works by Thompson, Bach,<br />
Praetorius, Vivaldi and Debussy are also<br />
on the program. Adult tickets start at $20,<br />
half price for children 10 and younger.<br />
Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111<br />
S. Grand Ave., L.A. Call (626) 793-4231 or<br />
visit lachildrenschorus.org.<br />
Balanchine’s The<br />
Nutcracker Heads<br />
to the Music<br />
Center<br />
Dec. 7 through 10 —<br />
Glorya Kaufman Presents<br />
Dance at the Music Center hosts the<br />
Miami City Ballet’s production of George<br />
Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, featuring<br />
new sets and costumes by acclaimed<br />
Cuban-American fashion designers Isabel<br />
and Ruben Toledo. Student dancers from<br />
the Colburn School and The Gabriella<br />
Foundation’s “everybody dance!” program<br />
are included. The curtain rises at<br />
6:30 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2<br />
and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. and<br />
4 p.m. Sunday.<br />
The Music Center is located at 135 N.<br />
Grand Ave., L.A. Visit musiccenter.org.<br />
Rembrandt Selfi e<br />
Shown at<br />
Norton Simon<br />
Dec. 8 — The Norton<br />
Simon Museum<br />
presents Rembrandt’s<br />
Self-Portrait at the Age of 34 from Dec. 8<br />
through March 5. The 1640 painting, on<br />
loan from London’s National Gallery, is on<br />
view in the U.S. for the fi rst time.<br />
The Norton Simon Museum is located at<br />
411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call<br />
(626) 449-6840 or visit nortonsimon.org.<br />
Wildfi re Woes Covered in<br />
Valley Workshops<br />
The free La Tuna Canyon Regeneration<br />
Series of classes and workshops at the<br />
Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild<br />
Flowers & Native Plants, conducted with<br />
the California Fire Science Consortium,<br />
continues for those affected by the La<br />
Tuna Fire last September:<br />
Dec. 8 — Ellen Mackey, senior ecologist<br />
with the Metropolitan Water District of<br />
Southern California, presents “Prepping<br />
for Fire: A Neighborhood Case Study”<br />
from 1:30 to 3 p.m.<br />
Dec. 16 — Sabrina Drill, UC Cooperative<br />
Extension Natural Resources Advisor for<br />
L.A. and Ventura counties, discusses “Tipping<br />
the Scales: Invasive Species in Fire<br />
Preparation and Recovery” from 1:30 to<br />
3:30 p.m.<br />
The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild<br />
Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Arboretum<br />
40 | ARROYO | 12.17
Flowers & Native Plants is located at<br />
10459 Tuxford St., Sun Valley. Call (818)<br />
768-1802 or visit theodorepayne.org.<br />
Santa Visits<br />
Arcadia<br />
Dec. 10 — Families<br />
can meet Santa at<br />
the Arcadia Performing<br />
Arts Center from<br />
2 to 6 p.m. Guests can view holiday<br />
movies on the main theater’s big screen<br />
and have photos taken with jolly St. Nick;<br />
kids can make crafts for gifts at Santa’s<br />
Workshop, with the help of happy elves.<br />
Tickets cost $6.<br />
The Arcadia Performing Arts Center is<br />
located at 188 Campus Dr., Arcadia.<br />
Visit arcadiapaf.org.<br />
New Take on an Old Beauty<br />
Dec. 14 through 24 — Lythgoe Family<br />
Panto, in association with the Pasadena<br />
Playhouse, presents Beauty and the Beast<br />
— A Christmas Rose at the Pasadena<br />
Civic Auditorium, from Dec. 13 through<br />
Dec. 24. The updated musical production<br />
has a comedic twist, dance numbers<br />
(featuring alumni from Nigel Lythgoe’s<br />
TV series So You Think You Can Dance),<br />
magic, contemporary music and other<br />
new twists. Sheldon Epps directs, and<br />
Mandy Moore (La La Land) choreographs<br />
the show. Performance times are<br />
7:30 p.m. Dec. 14, 7 p.m. Dec. 15, 1 and<br />
5 p.m. Dec. 16 and 17, 7 p.m. Dec. 20<br />
and 21, 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 22 and 1 and<br />
5 p.m. Dec, 23 and 24. Ticket prices start<br />
at $29; $60 tickets for children 4 through<br />
12 include a special onstage experience.<br />
Look for a free Winter Wonderland with<br />
crafts, games, visits by Santa, photo opportunities<br />
and other perks starting one<br />
hour before showtime.<br />
The Pasadena Civic Auditorium is located<br />
at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Call (800)<br />
982-2787 or visit beautyandthebeastpanto.com.<br />
Pasadena Symphony<br />
Presents<br />
Candlelight<br />
Concert<br />
Dec. 16 — The<br />
Pasadena Symphony<br />
presents its annual Holiday Candlelight<br />
concert of popular seasonal melodies at<br />
Pasadena’s All Saints Church. Grant Cooper<br />
conducts at 4 and 7 p.m. Performing<br />
with the orchestra is Broadway veteran<br />
Lisa Vroman, the L.A. Children’s Chorus,<br />
the Donald Brinegar Singers and the L.A.<br />
Bronze Handbell Ensemble. Ticket prices<br />
start at $20.<br />
All Saints Church is located at 132 N. Euclid<br />
Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 793-7172<br />
or visit pasadenasymphony-pops.org.<br />
Nutcracker Comes to the<br />
Alex Theatre<br />
Dec. 22 and 23 — L.A. Youth Ballet’s new<br />
production of The Nutcracker, choreographed<br />
by Artistic Director Andrea<br />
Paris-Gutierrez, stars Darrion Sellman, 13,<br />
as the Nutcracker as well as Joffrey Ballet<br />
principal dancers Jeraldine Mendoza as<br />
the Sugar Plum Fairy and Dylan Gutierrez<br />
as the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cavalier. Performances<br />
start at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 and<br />
7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $25.<br />
The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N.<br />
Brand Blvd., Glendale. Call (818) 243-2539<br />
or visit alextheatre.org.<br />
Free Holiday Fest<br />
at Music Center<br />
Dec. 24 — The free<br />
annual L.A. County<br />
Holiday Celebration<br />
takes place at the<br />
Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion<br />
from 3 to 6 p.m., featuring diverse music<br />
ensembles and dance companies from<br />
the L.A. area. The event will be broadcast<br />
live on local public television.<br />
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion<br />
is located at 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.<br />
Visit musiccenter.org/holidaycelebration.<br />
Rose Float Decoration<br />
Viewable<br />
at Two Sites<br />
Dec. 28 through 31 —<br />
See the Rose Parade<br />
fl oats being decorated<br />
from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday,<br />
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.<br />
Saturday and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday<br />
at Rosemont Pavilion. Hours for Rose Float<br />
Plaza South in Irwindale are 11 a.m. to<br />
5 p.m. Dec. 28--30. Tickets cost $15 at the<br />
door or through Sharp Seating; admission<br />
is free for children 5 and younger.<br />
Rosemont Pavilion is located at 700 Seco<br />
St., Pasadena. Rose Float Plaza South is at<br />
–continued on page 42<br />
12.17 | ARROYO | 41
THE LIST<br />
BACH CONCERTOS<br />
COME TO CALTECH<br />
Dec. 9 — The L.A. Chamber Orchestra comes to Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium<br />
at 8 p.m. to perform the complete cycle of Bach’s Brandenburg concertos, led by<br />
Concertmaster Margaret Batjer (above), with harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani. The<br />
concert also showcases the talents of LACO’s Principal Flute Joachim Becerra<br />
Thomsen and Principal Oboe Claire Brazeau. The concert repeats at 7 p.m. Dec.<br />
10 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Caltech ticket prices start at $33.<br />
Beckman Auditorium is located on Michigan Avenue south of Del Mar Boulevard, on<br />
the Caltech campus, Pasadena. Call (213) 622-7001 or visit laco.org.<br />
–continued from page 41<br />
5400 Irwindale Ave., Irwindale. Call Sharp<br />
Seating at (626) 795-4171 or visit sharpseating.com.<br />
Visit tournamentofroses.<br />
com/events for information.<br />
Bandfest Previews<br />
Rose Parade<br />
Marching Bands<br />
Dec. 29 and 30 —<br />
Get an early look<br />
at the Rose Bowl<br />
Parade’s marching bands during Bandfest<br />
at Robinson Stadium, Pasadena<br />
City College. Bandfest I starts at 1:30<br />
p.m. Friday; Bandfest II starts at 9:30 a.m.<br />
Saturday, followed at 2 p.m. by Bandfest<br />
III. Tickets to each session cost $15; admission<br />
is free for children 5 and younger.<br />
Advance tickets are available through<br />
Sharp Seating; day-of tickets can be<br />
purchased at the venue, depending on<br />
availability.<br />
Pasadena City College is located at<br />
1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call<br />
Sharp Seating at (626) 795-4171 or visit<br />
sharpseating.com. Visit tournamentofroses.com/events<br />
for information.<br />
Equestfest Showcases Rose<br />
Parade Steeds, Riders<br />
Dec. 29 — Guests can get an up-close<br />
look at the Rose Parade’s horses at the<br />
L.A. Equestrian Center in Burbank, where<br />
animals and riders will perform drills and<br />
dances, trick riding and roping. Visitors<br />
can also check out the stables and talk<br />
to riders. A vendor court with music, food<br />
and drink is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.<br />
and the equestrian show runs from noon<br />
to 2 p.m. Tickets, available in advance<br />
through Sharp Seating, cost $15 for general<br />
admission, $40 for reserved seats;<br />
free for children 5 and younger. Day-of<br />
tickets can be bought onsite, depending<br />
on availability.<br />
The L.A. Equestrian Center is located at<br />
480 W. Riverside Dr., Burbank. Call (626)<br />
795-4171 or visit sharpseating.com for<br />
tickets and visit tournamentofroses.com/<br />
events for information. ||||<br />
42 | ARROYO | 12.17
12.17 | ARROYO | 43
44 | ARROYO | 12.17