Author Archives: Elisa Leonelli

Good Karma Gardens

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Elisa Leonelli

Our good neighbor who grows bananas in his backyard, tipped us off about the Good Karma Gardens (GKG) in Mar Vista. They provide free guidance for people who wish to grow sustainable food in their backyard. Check it out! Visit … Continue reading →

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Casa Rocha

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Elisa Leonelli

For years I had heard stories about this cluster of homes on Shenandoah Street, down a tree lined path from an old sign that says “Casa Rocha.”  So finally I decided to do an Internet search and I was delighted … Continue reading →

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New Culver City Restaurants

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Elisa Leonelli

We had been waiting for months to see the new LYFE KITCHEN-Love Your Food Everyday, open in Culver City, after seeing their name on the boarded up storefront, and that event finally took place this week.  I had read a … Continue reading →

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Reynier Village-South Robertson

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Elisa Leonelli

Reynier Village was featured on Departures-KCET, an online exploration of Los Angeles neighborhoods. See above the murals in the alley between Reynier Ave and Shenandoah Street. South Robertson was also explored. See below Barbara Mendes painting a wall of her … Continue reading →

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Garden nurseries

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Elisa Leonelli

As we were searching for plants to replace the old bamboo and create our new garden, we visited several nurseries. Here’s a list of some we liked. Rolling Greens in Culver City, 9528 Jefferson Blvd, was the most amazing.  Too … Continue reading →

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Redwood fence

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

I had seen inventive redwood fences with horizontal slats around the neighborhood (Holt and Halm), so, when it came to replace the old wood fences behind the thick bamboo hedge we had removed, I inquired about those custom choices, but … Continue reading →

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Bamboo removal

Posted on November 10, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

I chose Larry Hess of Bloom Landscaping to clean up my bamboo hedge, remove the morning glory and replace a portion of the decaying picket fence, because I knew him from the SORO Green Team. With Paula Waxman he had … Continue reading →

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Halloween

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

The Reynier Village Neighborhood Association hosted their annual Halloween party in Reynier Park today.  A jazz band played and lead the costume parade, pizza was served, kids had their face painted and hit the pumpkin-shaped piñata full of treats. If … Continue reading →

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Bamboo

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

For 25 years, since I bought my home in Reynier Village, I loved the tall and thick bamboo hedge that surrounded my backyard and protected my privacy through its impenetrable branches.  It was planted decades ago, in a time when … Continue reading →

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Art classes

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

We were glad to see that the remodeled space at 2803 S Robertson Blvd has been rented to Art Works Studio (310-202 1894). Starting September 10, they offer art classes and workshops for all ages on drawing, painting and mixed … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Culture, Local Businesses, Robertson | 2 Comments

Outdoor rooms

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

We were so impressed by the landscaping of the outdoor spaces of a Reynier Village home now for sale that we asked the owners for some tips on how they accomplished this result, in case other neighbors wished to do … Continue reading →

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Washington Blvd Restaurants

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

We had blogged about this stretch of Washington Blvd, between La Cienega and National, in 2010 and 2011, when it comes alive for the annual Culver City Art Walk (this event was sadly canceled this year because of citywide budget … Continue reading →

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Riding the EXPO

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

It was exciting, even for a jaded adult like myself, to ride the Metro Expo Line on the opening day of the Culver City station at Venice and Robertson, and the kids seemed to love it.  The atmosphere was festive, … Continue reading →

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SORO FEST

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

The Annual SORO Community festival celebrated its 15th anniversary this year, on Sunday June 3, 2012.  A new coordinator, Mark Fielder, and many volunteers worked really hard to organize this exciting event, that attracts throngs of neighbors to a Robertson … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Culture, Robertson, RVNA | Tagged | 2 Comments

Fracking in Baldwin Hills

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

Last night we attended a Hammer Forum, a conversation with Bill McKibben, the Vermont author, founder of the environmental action group 350.org, and Josh Fox, director of Gasland, the documentary about the devastating effects of hydraulic fracturing to extract natural … Continue reading →

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New Restaurants

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

A few weeks ago, we blogged about our old time favorite nearby restaurants, see post. Now we want to tell you about a few recent discoveries. Earlier in the year, with my neighbor Deni, co-author of this blog, we tried … Continue reading →

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Rain barrels

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

Don’t you wish you could have collected some of the rain that fell yesterday to use it in the coming dry weeks to water your garden? Well, now you can by installing rain barrels under your downspouts. Tree People has … Continue reading →

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Robertson remodel

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

Many of you probably noticed that four storefronts are being remodeled on Robertson, painted in bright pastel colors to attract new tenants. We can’t wait to find out which exciting new shops will open there. One of them is already … Continue reading →

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Schools on Robertson

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

Did you know that you could find so many learning opportunities for yourself and your family on our very own South Robertson Blvd? If you have teenage children, they may attend Alexander Hamilton High School, and qualify for their excellent … Continue reading →

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More on Robertson

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

There are so many useful places on Robertson, right next door to our homes, and we should support them, because we’d like to make our neighborhood more user-friendly. For instance, I always have my car washed locally, bring my donations … Continue reading →

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Art on Robertson

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

                  A few weeks ago I walked to Robertson Blvd to review some of the new places that have opened recently, in order to update the RVNA website.  I stopped inside the … Continue reading →

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Local restaurants

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

For over 20 years, since moving to Reynier Village, I have been going out for meals with friends and family at my favorite nearby restaurants, a short drive away. CAFE BRASIL, opened in 1991.  They were the only place to … Continue reading →

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Eat on Robertson

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

There are not nearly enough good places to eat on Robertson as we would like, so we wouldn’t have to drive to downtown Culver City to find a proper restaurant, however we have some local favorites, like Campos, not a … Continue reading →

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Swim on Robertson

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

When I moved to Reynier Village from Hollywood 24 years ago, in 1988, my daughter was still a baby, but pretty soon I was taking her to swim at the Beverlywood Swim School on Robertson, a local institution that has … Continue reading →

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RVNA Community Meeting

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

Every year the Reynier Village Neighborhood Association organizes a Community meeting, where our residents socialize and exchange ideas.  Members of the RVNA Board plus APS, SORONC and LAPD representatives make short presentations of their activities, answer questions and concerns. This … Continue reading →

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Robertson Blvd

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Elisa Leonelli

I often take walks around the neighborhood, by myself or with a friend.  Even now that our dog has passed away, I keep up this habit to get some exercise.  Last Sunday I walked on Robertson Blvd, which I don’t … Continue reading →

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