As part of my efforts to stay local and get back in shape, I have been attending a morning bootcamp in Rancho Park for the last week or so. It is called Boot Camp 90210 but don't let the name fool you, the classes are held behind the baseball fields, near where the dogs run their obstacle courses, in the back of Rancho Park. Trainer Chuck leads this ladies-only class with no yelling and screaming…

In the midst of planning train lines, widening the 405 and other ongoing  transit projects in and around Rancho Park and West LA, the city is also undertaking a comprehensive study of transportation issues on the Westside to form the basis of  what they are calliing the Westside Mobility Plan, a forward-looking blueprint that will offer strategies addressing issues like how to get across town and where to park over the next…

Even before the current route for Phase Two of the Expo Line had been selected, Rancho Park area resident Johnathan Weiss proposed turning the existing right of way between Overland Ave. and Westwood Blvd. into a greenway. His plan includes details about how to filter runoff and provide a parklike setting for recreation and education, including bike and pedestrian pathways. 

Now all it needs is…

If you missed yesterday's Expo Construction Authority's community planning meeting in Santa Monica, fear not. There is another meeting for folks at our end of the line tomorrow evening in the Vista del Mar gymnasium. The formal presentation begins at 6:30 pm , followed by breakout sessions from 7:00 - 8:00.

The community meetings are billed as a time to learn about the project design and…

The Pico Playhouse, Rancho Park's 99-seat theater is currently staging the classic courtroom drama Twelve Angry Men. The LA Theater Review gave the Mechanicals Theater Group production a largely positive review. If you are looking for…

The Electric Lawn Mower Exchange Program allows residents to turn in their working gas-powered lawn mower and purchase a new cordless rechargeable electric mower at a discounted price. Using a typical gas mower for one year…

Children's Book World on Pico Blvd. has been a Rancho Park fixture for almost a quarter century. From its beginings when owner Sharon Hearn sold books out of a garage, the store has grown in size several times over the years, making it possibly the largest children's book store on the West Coast. Yet is has never strayed from its core audience, newborns to eighteen-year-olds.

Visit  on…

Reported by Kerry Cavanaugh of the Los Angeles Daily News on April 22, 2011, changes in Los Angeles Fire Department deployment were to be announced yesterday, including the CLOSURE OF ONE OF THE COMPANY FIRE TRUCKS AT FIRE STATION 92 that serves Rancho Park, Cheviot Hills and Century City.

As reported by Cavanaugh, Fire Chief Millage Peaks' redeployment plan will permanently and selectively close fire companies based on…

When I stopped by the new Blossom Floral, not only was I impressed with the selection but also what they did with the pedestrian alley between them and…

My husband and I finally had dinner at The Six, on Pico Blvd, just east of Overland. I had a hard time getting my spouse to try the place because seeing the air fries on their menu convinced him that it was actually still Jack Sprats, the previous restaurant at that location which was well  known for…

Thanks to Steve Lopez for highlighting the bureaucracy entailed in local citizens and the Westside Neighborhood Council simply trying to help our firefighters at Station 92 that will ultimately benefit all of us.

Special thanks to Rancho Park residents -- Lisa Morocco of the Overland Avenue Community, and Terri Tippit of the West of Westwood HOA & Chair of the WNC; as well as Tract 7260's Mike Eveloff,…

The Expo Construction Authority has scheduled two upcoming meetings for Phase 2 of the Expo Light Rail. The meetings will be an opportunity for community members to meet the construction team and learn about the design process and timeline.

The first meeting will be held May 9 at the Santa Moncia and the second here in our Rancho Park/Cheviot Hills neighborhood on May 11.

According to the…

Ian Cruickshank, a travel reporter for the Toronto Star, gives top billing to the Rancho Park Golf Course on his short list of where to play golf in Los Angeles.

Cruickshank said he was already a fan of Arnold Palmer when he came upon the 18th tee at Rancho Park Golf…

April is National Earthquake Preparedness Month (just in case March didn't scare you into action) and so I am going to do my best to list some local and city resources to help get you and your family as ready as you can be. And hopefully after writing this, I will finish working on our family's disaster plan as well.

 …

After reading an article in Friday's the L.A. Times, I took my son and his friend, both devoted Harry Potter fans, over to the field behind the Rec Center on Saturday to see the Western Cup, a real life Quidditch tournament.  11 college teams from up and down the West Coast competed in a tournament where they played the game created by J.K. Rowling and described…

I just returned from historic Haines estate on Overland just north of Pico in Rancho Park.

According to RanchoParkOnline.com member Overland Avenue, the Haines have owned the house since it was built in 1930 when there was a dirt road in front.…

Laduree Hair Salon is so close to my house, I can walk there. But if that doesn't work out, they have parking in the back. I first discoved this Rancho Park hair salon because I was heading north up Westwood Blvd on a Friday evening and needed to find somewhere that would blow dry my hair for an event I was on my way to attend. Owner Rayn fit me in and has contined to do so even though I have never made an appointment more than a…

Big decisions affecting Rancho Park, Cheviot Hills and the entire Westside are slated for Friday, March 18, involving  the Expo Line and its two Rancho Park stations. Up for consideration  -- whether to use city funds to elevate the Sepulveda Blvd station and whether a park or parking lot will be built at the Westwood Blvd. station…

Part of the area anyway.  . . .

The area South of Pico, adjacent to Overland Avenue, was owned by Ferdinand R. Bain, head of Southern Counties Gas Co., who came to California from New York in 1911.

Bain built a colonial mansion at the top of what was then called "Overland Hill" and named his 90 acre estate "Rancho La Lomita" (Little Hill Ranch).  The property was used as a dairy farm (Jersey cows).  There was a creek running just south of the Exposition…

Great Indian food at this Pico dining spot and they don't bat an eye or tack on a fee when you bring your own wine. I'll drink to that!…