If you have never paid attention to the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Marine in the city of Long Beach, perhaps you should: it has been voted the best in the nation, and my experience over the past few months has led me to understand why. There are dozens and dozens of activities to get you started on a fun, new activity, from fly casting to needle point, and they all cost very little. I poured over the offerings for summer of 2007 and selected three for a start: dog training (we rescued a new addition to the family in August 2006), ballroom dancing (I’ve always wanted to learn the walz), and Vietnamese cooking (I’m a life-long cook). As I was leaving the cooking class, I noticed that fencing instruction was happening in the room next door …
Archive for June, 2007
Long Beach Parks, Recreation, Marine
Friday, June 29th, 2007Following the Real Estate Herd
Friday, June 29th, 2007
The main reason home sales are slow is that many potential buyers are waiting to see if prices will come down. Regardless of whether or not prices decline (and interest rates keep creeping up), as soon as market direction becomes clear, these buyers will enter the market in unison, unleashing pent-up demand and driving prices up. But there are savy buyers in today’s market. These guys know that there are sellers out there who cannot wait 3-4 months for a sale, and who are compelled to entertain any offer, even those well below market value. (Two weeks ago, I presented an offer that was $50,000 under the $599,900 asking price, and the seller accepted it.) Of course, finding bargains takes effort, persistence, and time. But the bargains are out there. And it beats following the herd.
Satellite Radio Bliss
Friday, June 22nd, 2007
To finally escape the tortuous blah-blah-blah of commercial music radio stations, I finally embarked on the bliss of satellite radio. Not only did I joyfully reject the advertisements and annoying DJs, but I now get to hear many more songs by my favorite artists. Not just the few “hit” songs commercial radio stations play over and over again. But a word of advice about after-market installation: the FM connection between the satellite radio and your regular car radio does work, but abysmally. It needs to be hard-wired professionally to get the quality sound I expect. Circuit City can get the whole job done for around $250, including the satellite radio, but not including the $12 monthly subscription fee.
Island of Romance
Friday, June 8th, 2007
Catalina … and most importantly, the town of Avalon … survived the recent fire and remained beautiful for my daytrip on June 7. It was the first visit to the “island of romance” in more than 10 years, and it was just as visually stunning as any visit in memory. After a very fast voyage on the Express boat, my companions and I logged several hours on bicycles on the hilly roads above the town. A little more strolling and shopping, some sidewalk sight seeing, and a casual dinner preceded the trip home. A great way to spend the lion’s share of a day!