Via his facebook page, Bill Rosendahl just posted:

For several months, rumors have been swirling in Venice that Gold’s Gym, the iconic “Mecca of Bodybuilding” was going to be forced out of its location by Google, which last year made an historic move to Venice.

This morning, my staff spoke with both local Google officials and the head of Google America’s real estate group. We have been thoroughly assured that Google appreciates the significance of Gold’s Gym to the Venice and bodybuilding communities, and wants the gym to stay where it is.

Google America’s Real Estate Group confirmed that Google has acquired the lease for a number of properties in the area near its Venice campus, including the property occupied by Gold’s Gym. Google is currently negotiating with the Gold’s Gym parent company, TRT Holdings, Inc., and hopes to strike an agreement that will keep Gold’s Gym where it is for 10 more years.

I anticipate Google and TRT Holdings will make their own public statements when negotiations conclude. But in the meantime, Gold’s Gym is staying put, in the heart of Venice, as a landmark, and as the world capital of bodybuilding.

I had heard about it, of course, but I don't think I'd ever noticed it in all the years I rolled around the Westside. That changed Saturday when my friend Emily and I went to pick up an out-of-town friend at the Viceroy in Santa Monica.

We were looking for a place to stop for a cocktail when we drove by it. It's a little shack of a building with a vintage cocktail sign. As soon as I saw it I made an elaborate U-turn to enter its lot. I'm a sucker for classic bars -- I love the Prince, Musso & Frank, the H.M.S. Bounty and Dan Tana's --  so when we entered Chez Jay and saw its tiny, well-worn interior with old-school checked tablecloths, scratched bar and cast of colorful regulars, I fell in love.

It was mid-afternoon and a relaxed vibe prevailed. People ordered the omelet special and read the paper, sipping on bloody marys and beer. The top of the front door was open and warm sunlight filtered in. As Malcolm Lowry (a notorious drunk) once noted in his book "Under the Volcano," there is something sad and lovely about watching specks of dust drift through the sunlight under the crack of a bar door when you're day drinking.

And so it was at Chez Jay as Emily and I drank a tequila gimlet and enjoyed the sense of discovery that came with stumbling across this priceless piece of L.A. history.

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-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Chez Jay. Credit: Jessica Gelt / Los Angeles Times

We've found love in a rad place

In a statement read at a planning hearing in West Los Angeles, Rosendahl urged developer Charles Munger to develop an alternative that would preserve the mid-century modern structure on San Vicente Boulevard as part of his planned Green Hollow Square shopping center. Munger is seeking permission to raze the historic-cultural monument and replace it with a new, much larger retail complex.

"I cannot in good conscience and will not vote at City Council to allow this designated ... landmark to be demolished, especially when the building can be preserved and reused as part of the project," Rosendahl's statement said.

Rosendahl said he had received hundreds of calls, letters and emails from "impassioned citizens, community leaders and experts in the field of architecture, expressing a wide range of well-informed opinions." They expressed concern about the proposed development's potential for increasing traffic congestion, destroying neighborhood character and threatening portions of the boulevard's coral tree median.

Rosendahl said that, although the developer had hired Leo Marmol, a highly regarded architect who has worked in preservation, "he chose not to consider a preservation alternative that would reuse the Barry Building."

Rosendahl again urged the developer to work with a preservation architect to devise a project that would meet with residents' approval. Dozens of residents and preservationists in attendance applauded the remarks.

One resident called Rosendahl's statement "a home run." Green Hollow Square officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

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-- Martha Groves

Photo: People make their way through the courtyard area of the Barry Building in Brentwood in 2009. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

Free L.A.’s free store will be somewhat similar to this Fo’ Real Free Market from Richmond, Virginia

Vassar College student and L.A.-native Laura Smith is dedicating her summer to establishing a free store in Los Angeles.

Set to launch in June 2012, Free L.A. will seek to divert waste and promote reuse while spreading awareness and engaging the community in dialogue about environmental and social issues. All items in the store will be free — it will operate on donations, namely clothing, books, and CDs — and it will incorporate a time-share and skill-exchange component. It will be a space in which community organizations and individuals can host free events for the public, including themed discussions and workshops, even events ranging from knitting lessons to yoga classes to open mics. 

Free stores have existed in a variety of contexts and capacities, including at schools, such as the Vassar College Free Market, in storefronts, such as the Baltimore Free Store, as guerrilla stands, like No Moola in Hawai’i, and even online, including Freecycle. What they share is a lack of fiscal exchange and a desire to reimagine the relationship both between people and their material goods and between people and their communities.

This free store is still searching for a home! Free L.A. is currently seeking free initial space from June-August — one room accessible to the public in the greater Los Angeles area, ideally near public transportation. While there will be no monetary compensation for the owner of the space, Free L.A. will collect donations for different charities from week to week and the owner will have a defining voice in selecting these organizations.

Want to get involved and join the Free L.A. team, or offer use of your space for the project? Contact Laura at lausmith [at] vassar.edu

But it is a wonderful food tour of the hidden gems that make up LA dining.

The tour is also for the curious, carefree foodie in all of us. Foody Field Trips is designed for those who like exploring, discovering new food destination and meeting new people.

Says Foody Field Trips co-owner Ricky, “Mei and I started the company out of our passion for eating and obsession for anything and everything that is FOOD!”

Every weekend, a tour of Pasadena — a three-hour tour (cue Gilligan!) — starts at 9:45 a.m. and costs $65. A three and a half-hour tour of downtown Culver City is also offered every Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. for the same price. Private and group tours (10-35 people) are also available.

For more information about Foody Food Trips, click here.

Santa Monica residents Erin Bunch and Michelle Vick were trying to climb the entertainment industry's corporate ladder when they realized one crucial thing: They were constantly broke. Despite student loans and entry-level salaries, the two assistants were expected to look, act and dress the part of savvy Hollywood networkers, and it was killing their pocketbooks.

But they also noticed they were getting pretty good at looking like a million bucks on a small budget. The pair became so good at it, in fact, that they decided to quit their jobs and found their own start-up to share tips and stories on how to do Los Angeles on a dime. Called the Broke Girl's Guide, it's currently raising an angel round of funding.

Read the Q&A on the Huffington Post to find out which Santa Monica vintage stores they frequent and other hotspots for good L.A. deals.

It's time to celebrate Mom! Of course we should celebrate our mothers everyday, but Mother's Day is a chance for us to treat those very special ladies to a very special celebration.

We have a list of a few local stops that are featuring Mother's Day specials this weekend. Hopefully it will help you treat your mom to a memorable day.

If you know of any other specials going on in the area, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.

Happy Mother's Day!

Gladstones Malibu
When: Sunday, May 13 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Cost: $39.95 for adults, $19.95 for kids 12 and under
Details: This special brunch will feature an omelette station, brioche french toast, local halibut, assorted pastries and more. There will also be bottomless mimosas and bloody mary beverages.
Reservations: Call 310-454-3474

Taste Pacific Palisades
When: Sunday, May 13 from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Cost: $29 for adults, $14 for kids 12 and under
Details: The brunch will feature menu items like Crab Cake Benedict, Kobe Beef Meatballs and mimosas.
Reservations: 310-459-9808

Maison Giraud
When: Sunday, May 13 from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Cost: Varies per order
Details: Brunch specials include Green Asparagus Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette ($12), Roasted Halibut with Spring Vegetables and Herb Sauce ($18) and a strawberry and pistachio dessert ($9)
Reservations: 310-459-7561

The Yogurt Shoppe
When: Sunday, May 13 from 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Cost: Varies per order
Details: All moms will receive free yogurt! There will also be a raffle on Sunday. The winner will receive a day of beauty, featuring a "blow out" at Dry Bar and a manicure and pedicure at Lemon Nail & Spa. The drawing will happen after the store closes on Sunday, so the winner will be announced at a later date.

Scarlett's Cupcakes
When: Sunday, May 13 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Cost: Varies per order
Details: You can order special sweet treats at Scarlett's Cupcakes just for mom. Among the specials are cupcakes decorated with a basket weave design, a heart-shaped layer cake with roses and a "pearls and roses" design. You can also order a "Mom Box" which includes a variety of cupcakes with a ribbon.
Pre-orders: 310-454-0290

In honor of Eater’s pizza week I thought I’d post a photo of the best pizza I’ve had in the past week… Pitfire’s new spring special, The Hula Hoop. Featuring pineapple, jalapenos, straciatella, and speck, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a slice I crave come April of every year: the pineapple and jalapeno pizza from Spicy Pie.  Pitfire’s wood fired Neapolitanish pizzas bear no resemblance to the ridiculously priced $7 slices that Coachella goers stuff their faces with every year, but considering I didn’t make it to Coachella this year it was close enough.  Now if only the Tupac hologram had joined me for lunch, it would have been perfect.

Related:
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Am I Crazy or Is Pitfire Pizza Not Terrible? (Even By New York Standards!?)

More ramen for Sawtelle. In the strip mall just across the street from Nongla comes Tatsu Ramen which replaces two year old Wakasaya. Keep in mind that Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle is located a stone's throw away, as is newbie Miyata Menji. And, Jinya is under construction within close proximity as well. Anyway, according to The Facebook, "Tatsu ramen is a product of intense hours of labor of love; made with carefully selected all-natural ingredients and one-of-a-kind recipes to surely tantalize your tastebuds. Customize your bowl and experience ramen like never before." Management is now hiring. [EaterWire]

Un Solo Sol Kitchen started offering last week a 25 percent discount on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for those who arrive on foot, bike, or public transportation. Photo by Kris Fortin

Un Solo Sol Kitchen, a Boyle Heights restaurant that specializes in Pan-American dishes, but adds an eclectic and healthy twist, is offering a 25 percent discount Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to people that arrive to the restaurant by bike, public transportation, or on foot. Basically, if you want the best deal at Un Solo Sol Kitchen don’t bring a car.

The discount and restaurant’s location gives people an incentive to use a full range of transportation options.  The Mariachi Plaza Gold Line Station is across the street, and  the green-stripped bicycle lanes pass by the restaurant on 1st Street, said Carlos Ortez, owner of Un Solo Sol Kitchen.

Ortez hopes to get more people from Boyle Heights to explore transportation options to get to the restaurant, he also hopes to increase the links between communities such as Highland Park and Pasadena that are connected by the Gold Line.

Ortez is creative in his attempts to form a sense of community around the restaurant with daily $6 dollar specials, and weekly community dinners aimed at supporting local music. If the equivalent of 50 dinner specials are sold on two consecutive Wednesdays, Ortez hires mariachis to play on the immediate Thursday in front of the restaurant for Un Solo Sol’s Serenata Marichi on 1st Street.

The “anti-car discount,” and community dinners for the Serenata Mariachi on 1st Street are all preambles to Noches de Serenata en la Plaza de Mariachi, or Twilight Serenades in Mariachi Plaza, Ortez’s idea to have a weekly Thursday Mariachi concert. He hopes the Noches de Serenata can be sustained by a local collective of residents and businesses, and help bring more appreciation to Mariachi Plaza as an “icon to the community.”

“I try to focus on the idiosyncrasies of the people in the communities. If you want to help them grow as a community, (you need to) embed yourself into the idiosyncrasy,” said Ortez.

Un Solo Sol Kitchen

1818 E. 1st St.,
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Tel: (323) 269-8680
Hours: 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM.

http://www.facebook.com/un.solo.sol.kitchen