I’ve not had a chance to do a trip the last few weeks as things have been sort of busy and chaotic and my next backpacking trip is quickly approaching at the end of September, earlier than my usual November trip! I’ve been trying to work on plans and itinerary with that as well as keep up with work and daily grind.

This week I did manage to get in a short little period of relaxation and exploration. I went to a movie. The thing that made this special was that the movie was an independent movie about Hurricane Katrina and has only been released to a few theaters in New York and Los Angeles. But to make the movie even more special it was only showing at three theaters in Southern California one of them being the Long Beach Art Theater.

The Art Theatre is the last remaining single-screen movie theater in Long Beach, and one of only a handful in Los Angeles County.

When it opened in 1924, the 636-seat theatre showed silent films and contained an orchestra pit and a pipe organ.

Ten years later, following the 1933 earthquake, the theater was remodeled in the Art Deco style. Plans indicate the first building, constructed in 1924, was built in a modest vernacular style with "orientalizing" touches reminiscent of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. After the theatre suffered significant damage in the 1933 earthquake, it was redesigned by noted local architectural firm of Schilling and Schilling. In 1947 architect Hugh Gibbs added a glass-block wall and updated the marquee.

The Art Theater is a local Long Beach landmark and is protected from destruction and gross remodeling. Area residents are very pleased to see that not only the exterior will be restored but the interior will be refurbished in the Art Deco style, as well.

The theater was sold and renovations began in March of this year (2008). It just re-opened August 22^nd, 2008 and showing independent movies.

In addition to the old style movie house, there is also a coffee shop and wine bar attached to the theater.

The movie I went to see was Trouble the Waters, winner of the Sundance Film Festival Award for Best Documentary. The film shows the impact of Hurricane Katrina and what happened to the city's poorest residents both during and after the storm.

Roberts, who bought a camcorder off the street for $20 a week before the storm hit, intending to use it only to shoot family gatherings, captured the residents of the 9th Ward, one of the hardest-hit areas of New Orleans, as those who could got out and those who couldn't battened down the hatches in preparation for the storm. Roberts and her husband Scott were among those who were unable to evacuate the city because they had no transportation and no money to go anywhere. The mayor of New Orleans ordered the city evacuated, but there was no public transportation organized to get out those people who didn't have the means to do so on their own.

Roberts kept filming as the storm's intensity increased. When the levees (located just a few blocks away from her neighborhood) broke under the weight of the storm, the water rushed in, forcing Roberts, her family, and neighbors they took in to take shelter in the attic of her house. But the flood waters kept rising, trapping them inside, and there was no National Guard or Coast Guard attempt to rescue the stranded. During the most harrowing part of the film, we hear a call to 911begging for rescue, while the dispatcher just keeps saying there are no rescue vehicles available, and the police are not coming out "until the weather clears."

They finally manage to escape with the aid of a neighbor, who braves the floodwaters the police and National Guard refuse to venture out in to save his neighbors one at a time, using a punching bag and later a boat that floats by to move people to higher ground. In another incredible bit, we see a vacant military base being guarded by a few soldiers, who have been ordered not to allow displaced residents to take shelter there, even though the base has hundreds of rooms not being used. When a group of residents, including women and small children, came to the base seeking shelter, the soldiers turned them away with M-16s in hand; they were later given a commendation for their "bravery" in protecting the government's property.

Roberts keeps her camera rolling in the weeks that follow, showing the plight of the residents who have lost everything they own, the fight to get the $2000 per household payout from FEMA that's supposed to allow displaced residents to rebuild, and the Roberts' move to Memphis to start a new life -- and then back to New Orleans when they realize what they really want is to help rebuild their hometown.

As shocking as the story is, Trouble the Water is as much a story of hope and inspiration as it is about anger.

The best part of this theater is that admission is equal to and even less than some of the mega theater complex and shows a different movie each week. Plus the ability to see a gem of architecture preserved and watch a movie in a historical building!

Whether living in Los Angeles or visiting, when one hears about Manhattan Beach they often think of the pier, surfing, laying on the beach, volleyball, and trendy shops. However, there is another side of Manhattan Beach offering tranquility, recreation, and escape….Polliwog Park.

While Polliwog Park provides picnic tables and childrens play areas like thousands of other neighborhood parks, this park has a lot more to offer.

Encompassing 18 acres, this is the largest and perhaps loveliest park in the South Bay area. The focal point of the site is a large pond bordered on one side by a natural wildlife refuge, home to migratory birds and an occasional raccoon or opossum. A favorite site for concerts, performances, weddings and other special events, the park's amphitheater looks out over the majestic pond as ducks and geese swim by providing one of the most idyllic and scenic backdrops for any occasion. During the summer months there are music concerts provided free to the public.

Three Gazeebos, one situated adjacent to the park's Rose Garden, another positioned near the amphitheater and the third adjacent to the pond, are also favorite spots for birthday parties, anniversaries and family reunions. These can be reserved in advance for two-hour periods.

Play areas include a large light house inspired play apparatus with several slides including a spiral tube slide, misters, a small sand area and three separate areas for younger children filled with colorful and imaginative climbing and exploration equipment. Premier Little League Field is located adjacent to the park. The picnic area is comprised of a number of tables and six barbeques which can accommodate large groups.

The park contains an exercise course, restroom facilities and drinking fountains. Numerous park benches, grassy mounds and shady areas make this an ideal spot for all types of recreational activities including just relaxing or enjoying a conversation with friends.

Also adjacent to the park is Begg Pool, which is open during the summer for classes and recreational swimming.

A 9-hole disc golf course is now located in Polliwog Park. Disc golf is a recreational sport for anyone, regardless of age, gender or ability. The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the frisbee. Each consecutive throw is made from where the frisbee came to rest after the last throw. Score is determined by counting the number of throws made on each hole plus penalty throws and then summing all holes. The winner is the player who completes the course with the lowest score.

In the middle of the park sit an old red cottage. I wasn’t sure what it was, thinking it might be the restroom. As I approached I found out that the Manhattan Beach Historical Society is housed there.

Dedicated to the preservation, protection and promotion of the heritage of Manhattan Beach, the Manhattan Beach Historical Society collects and displays historical information and memorabilia about the city. The Society began as a committee in the early 1970s and incorporated as a non-profit, tax exempt organization on October 20, 1977. The Society is headquartered in the 1905 historic beach cottage. The Society uses the following teaching tools: artifact and photo displays, books, videos, films, old newspaper articles, and recordings of history. Various historical pictures and newspapers are archived in the Library.

Lastly, and my primary reason for my visit is on the southwest corner of the…the Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden. This actually how I found out about this park. I was looking for something to do and came across this botanical garden and decided to check it out. In going to the Botanical Garden I found the entire park!

Three hundred years ago, much of the Southern California landscape consisted of native drought-tolerant vegetation growing in open spaces and living in balance with native animal and insect species. Today, almost all of the gardens in the South Bay survive with the help of substantial irrigation, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides.  The concept for the Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden is to demonstrate the use of plants suitable for our small gardens and yet able to live in equilibrium with our natural climate and soil type, thus requiring little additional irrigation and no fertilizer or pesticides.

In the early part of the 20th Century, the site on which the Botanical Garden lies was used for farming and greenhouse acreage.  Originally established as a public garden by the Neptunian Women's Club in the 1960's, the area needed a make-over by the late 1980's.

In 1994, the name was changed to the Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden.  Also that year, the first work day was held and volunteers began preparing the site for conversion to an earth-friendly habitat.  A group of 30-40 people worked diligently to clear the weedy, overgrown area, taking out huge garbage bags of material.  New paths were laid out and the Garden's design was roughed out.

In late 1995 the "Bird and Butterfly Habitat" was the first themed area to be completely planted.  Other areas that followed included the "Meditation Garden" and the "Matilija Poppy Hillside" in 1996.  Plants native to California as well as some from similar Mediterranean climates were installed.   Years of fund-raising culminated in the completion of walkways in 1999.  The "Children's Garden of Discovery" and a "Wildflower Meadow" were planted in 1999 as well, and the 30-seat Chevron Amphitheater was constructed in early 2001.  On Earth Day, April 2001, the Garden officially opened to the public.

Since the official opening, the overall ecology of the Garden has improved so dramatically that dozens of bird species, many lizards, and a multitude of beneficial insects have returned.  This success enabled the Garden to earn a designation of "Certified Wildlife Habitat" by the National Wildlife Federation.  

Volunteers have continued to maintain the Garden and thanks to a variety of sponsors, donors, and groups there have been yearly enhancements.  

Luckily I had packed a picnic lunch and was able to sit in the garden gazebo enjoying birds, lizards, and butterflies while observing the beauty of indigenous plants.

So if you find yourself in Manhattan Beach and want a break from the maddening crowds along the strand or you simply want to spend some solitary time or family time on a nice sunny Sunday afternoon, Polliwog park has ample recreational activities or simple relaxation.

Sometimes I get into a roll and keep doing the same thing over and over again. Last summer it seemed liked each week my trip of the week was a different beach along the Southern California Coast. This summer, it seems like each week is a visit to a new theater and different production. But I assure you, this is the last “trip of the week” to a Southern California theater for a while!

I live in Torrance, California (for those not from this area about 18 miles south west of downtown LA or 30 km for my friends internationally!). This week I visited the Torrance Cultural Arts Center and especially the James Armstrong Theater. I am partial to this theater because a few years ago I was on that stage with the Torrance Civic Chorale! Rather than performing this time, I was in the audience to see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

To be honest, I would only go for rehearsal and performances but this time I had more free time to wander the grounds of the Torrance Cultural Arts Center.

Located in the heart of the South Bay, the Torrance Cultural Arts Center combines modern design and natural beauty into a unique multi-purpose complex. Built for convenience and diversity, the Center houses meeting and banquet rooms, visual and performing arts studios, a 502-seat theatre, two spacious outdoor plazas, and an authentic Japanese garden.

My first stop was the Japanese Garden which featured landscaping and architecture, including a waterfall, koi pond, and stone pathways. It was a very tranquil and relaxing and an excellent spot for meditating. You would never imagine you were in the “middle of the city.”

A few steps away from the Japanese Garden is the Torrance Art Museum which I didn’t even know we had an art museum! The Torrance Art Museum is a program of the Cultural Services Division of the City of Torrance Community Services Department.The Cultural Services Division is responsible for City-sponsored arts and cultural initiatives held at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center and throughout the City.

Through its emphasis on contemporary artistic expression in Southern California, the Torrance Art Museum brings together visual artists and community members; fosters personal and civic well being by inspiring understanding and appreciation of the visual arts; promotes meaningful experiences in the arts to strengthen creative and critical thinking skills; and builds bridges between the visual arts and other disciplines in the humanities and sciences.

Admission to exhibits at the Torrance Art Museum is free. Regular hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 am - 5 pm.

My final stop on the grounds of the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, and primary destination was The James Armstrong Theater. The 502-seat Armstrong Theater hosts all varieties of professional and community productions, as well as large-scale meetings, film screenings, and seminars. The auditorium's plush seating and superior acoustics ensure quality entertainment from every seat in the house, while the extensive backstage scene shop and dressing rooms provide critical resources for performing groups.  Aside from theatrical production, the theater hosts stand up comdedy, orchestras, dance, and a variety of productions. I was here today for the showing of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers by the Torrance Theater Company.

The foundation for the Torrance Theatre Company was laid in 1999, when Bob Myers of the Torrance Cultural Services Division decided it was time to revive the City's once popular summer musical program. The Torrance Parks and Recreation Department had run the program for many years with great success, but when budgets grew tight, the program was cut.

The Torrance Cultural Arts Center was completed in the early 1990's and the Cultural Services Division was created in the late 1990's; now there was a home for the musical - the 502-seat Armstrong Theatre- and a team of arts professionals on site who could get the program off the ground.

Todays show was spectacular with great acting, singing and dancing and excellent set design. And again, as in recent weeks I was able to see a truly profession and spectacular piece of theater for a fraction of the cost of the big name theaters.

Lasty, there is a feeling of reward in supporting local arts and the community so that others may learn to express their creativity and motivate them to participate in the arts and humanities.

I grew up in Los Angeles and it amazes me that there is always things I still haven’t seen. One such thing is the Watts Towers in South Los Angeles. I think part of the thing that kept me from visiting this historic site was growing up I was told this was a dangerous neighborhood.

Well, today I ventured into South Los Angeles to visit this site which I found out is one of the top visited “historical sites” in Los Angeles City! Spiraling steel spires embellished with colored glass, beach shells, broken tile, mirror shards, and pottery fragments, all circa 1920-1950. The Watts Towers were built by Italian immigrant Simon Rodia on his triangular lot in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts over the course of 33 years.

Rodia began work on The Watts Towers around 1921. Work continued until 1954 when the structures were declared by their creator to be finished. Over the next 20 years the structure suffered from neglect, weather and earthquakes until they were gifted to the City of Los Angeles. The site is now a unit of California State Parks and managed by the Los Angeles City Cultural Affairs Department. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. In 1954, at the age of 75, Italian immigrant Simon Rodia packed up his things and declared he was going away to die. He had spent the last 33 years building what is today a popular tourist attraction and a California landmark, The Watts Towers. The Towers and the small triangular lot they stood on would pass to a neighbor, who would later sell the land for $1,000. Rodia had single-handedly built these structures from steel and mortar. He had decorated them with broken glass, pottery shards and beach shells he collected himself. For the next three decades, the Towers would live a precarious existence, threatened by demolition and natural disaster before finally gaining protection by the state in 1985.

Born in Southern Italy in 1879, Simon Rodia had come to the United States with an older brother in the mid-1890s. He supported himself by working in coalfields, rock quarries and railroad camps. With the death of his brother, Rodia moved west and married in Seattle in 1902. The couple would divorce ten years later and Rodia would marry twice more before eventually giving up and turning his energies to more artistic—and independent—endeavors.

Between 1921 and 1925, Rodia moved into a small cottage on a triangular lot in Watts, California. It was here, along the Pacific Electric Railway Red Car tracks, that he would set about “doing something big.” Rodia began constructing what would grow to be a series of spiraling structures, all contained within his tiny tenth of an acre. In addition to the signature towers, he made fountains, plazas, walkways and a gazebo. Rodia worked without the aid of scaffolding, building up one level at a time, and eventually reaching heights of nearly 100 feet. His construction methods were novel. Beams were tied together with chicken wire and wire mesh. Joints he cleverly configured without welding, bolting or riveting. The Towers were Rodia’s project. When asked why he worked alone, Rodia replied that he himself barely knew what he planned to do next. How could he, then, direct anyone else?

Rodia called the towers Nuestro Pueblo, meaning "our town." Rodia built them with no special equipment or (so far as is known) predetermined design, working alone with hand tools and window-washer's equipment. Neighborhood children brought pieces of broken glass and pottery to Rodia in hopes they would be added to the project, but the majority of Rodia's material consisted of damaged pieces from the Malibu Pottery, where he worked for many years. Green glass includes recognizable soft drink bottles, some still bearing the logos of 7 Up, Squirt, Bubble Up, and Canada Dry; blue glass appears to be from milk of magnesia bottles.

Around 1954, Rodia had had enough of Watts. Lack of respect and misunderstanding led to vandalism of his Towers. His construction was, in the politically and racially charged 1930s and ‘40s, viewed with suspicion. During World War II, rumors spread that Rodia’s towers transmitted secrets to the Japanese. Later on, it was feared they were relaying secrets to the Communists. What had begun as an inspired vision became, for Rodia, a burden. He deeded his property to his neighbor, Louis H. Saucedo, and disappeared.

For the next three decades, the future of The Watts Towers was in flux. The land was bought for $1,000 by Joseph Montoya, who hoped to put up a Mexican fast food restaurant on Rodia’s former lot. Around 1955, Rodia’s cottage burned to the ground. In 1959, an actor and a film editor, alarmed at the Towers’ decrepit state, bought Rodia’s vision for $20 down and a total payment of $3,000. They had planned to save The Watts Towers, but soon learned that plans for their destruction were underway. In 1957, The Towers had been declared “an unauthorized public hazard” by the city of Los Angeles, built, as they were, without a “rational plan.”

Controversy ensued and the city conceded to a lateral stress test. If The Watts Towers—built by one man using novel construction methods—could withstand 10,000 pounds of stress, The Towers would be spared. On October 10, 1959, 1,000 supporters held their breath as they watched Rodia’s structure weather—without signs of strain—the equivalent of seventy-six mile-an-hour sustained winds. It was, in fact, the testing apparatus that began to bend. The demolition order was revoked and a year later The Towers were opened to the public for a fifty-cent entry fee.

Despite the media attention, Rodia remained distant. He was no longer interested in The Towers. They were, for him, in the past. Nonetheless, he was coaxed out of hiding in 1961, when his work was publicly honored on two occasions, at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and at the University of California, Berkeley. After answering questions and demonstrating his construction techniques, Rodia received a standing ovation from the crowd. He would die quietly four years later in Martinez, California.

Today, Rodia’s vision stands as one of nine folk art environments listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The land was deeded to the state of California in 1978. The structures underwent extensive repair until 1985, when The Watts Towers were named a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The Watts Towers is now part of California State Parks, overseen by the Los Angeles City Cultural Affairs Department.

The property was deeded to the state of California in 1978. The site is now a unit of California State Parks and is managed by the Los Angeles City Cultural Affairs Department. The Watts Towers are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and are also a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

The Watts Towers are located at 1727 East 107th Street, Los Angeles, California. From downtown Los Angeles take the 110 Freeway south to Century Boulevard. On Century Boulevard, turn right on Compton Avenue then go one block to 103rd Street. Take 103rd to Graham and turn right. Take Graham to 107th Street. Turn left.