The Alpine Village is a little slice of Bavaria transplanted right into the heart of sunny Southern California.

The home of the biggest Oktoberfest celebration in Southern California, The Alpine Village plays many roles, as part restaurant and bierhall, part event center, part nightclub, and part import food market. Needless to say, there is a lot to do, see and eat at The Alpine Village.

The restaurant and bierhall, dubbed the Alpine Village Inn, is truly a step back in time. Open six days a week for a casual dinner, stop by for some standard German fare – sausages, schnitzels, potatoes – and live entertainment on most nights. The highlight of the week is the Sunday Champagne Brunch, where you can sample the menu and create your own omelet for $20 while enjoying bottomless champagne.

What The Alpine Village is most known for is its annual Oktoberfest celebration. While it doesn’t exactly feel like you’re in Munich,  the eight-week celebration has been going on for more than 45 years and was chosen by USA Today as one of the best Oktoberfests in the World. The bands are flown in from Germany, traditional German food is available and several types of beer from Warsteiner and Konig Ludwig are on tap.

You can even bring your own stein to drink out of! The party is loud and crowded, but that’s exactly what you should expect.
 What is lesser known is that The Alpine Village houses an authentic European bakery, a butcher shop making fine sausages and an import grocery featuring other imported products.

If you’re looking for anything German and authentic that you can’t find anywhere else, you will likely find it here. If you pay a visit to The Alpine Village, you will likely find yourself browsing one of the number of quaint little shops, where you will find much more than you would ever expect, from clocks and antiques to collectible children’s books.

For more information on Oktoberfest, or to get a better grasp on all of the things to do and see at The Alpine Village, check out their website and Facebook page.


The Alpine Village
833 Torrance Blvd
Torrance, CA 90502

Phone: 310-327-4384

[email protected]
http://www.alpinevillagecenter.com/

Whether your next project is a simple renovation, a major remodel or a custom designed home, hiring an architect is an important first step.

There are plenty of factors to consider in hiring an architect, who each has their own style, techniques and portfolio. Regardless of whether your project is large or small, once you have made the decision to bring in help, it is important to hire an architect who is right for you.
Put In A Plan
An architect can only help you when they understand the details and scope of the project. Clarify what your needs are, what work needs to be done, the timeline, and what your budget looks like. The more the architect knows about the project, the easier it will be to determine their prospective fees and whether they can meet the requirements.

Do Your Research
No two architects are exactly the same, so do your research. Your local chapter of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a great place to start. Ask friends for references, browse websites, review portfolios and visit previous projects to get a feel for their style. It’s good to interview at least three firms at their offices to make a comparison, because you will be working with them closely.

What Is The Vision?
References and portfolios are great, but that doesn’t indicate how an architect will approach your project. Ask how they envision the solutions to what you need, what currently works, and what needs to be improved. Learn how they think and work. Get a strong feel for their signature style to ensure it can be tailored with your project.

What To Ask
No question in your hiring process should feel insignificant. Understand the fees involved, the terms of the contract agreement, and what the contract does and doesn’t cover. Many architects offer many other services during construction, so understand what is included. If you are considering hiring a firm, know who will be designing the project, who will do the work, and what contractors will be hired. Be sure to consult the AIA owner-architect agreement and have a signed contract before work begins.

Be Clear
Above all else, be candid and clear in your communications about your expectations. Ask about anything you do not understand. Take the time to work closely with the architect on pre-design services before any work begins; the due diligence in the beginning will help avoid a whole host of issues that can arise.

Next time you sink your toes into the sand at Manhattan Beach, know that there’s some history behind it. At one time, the white, fine-grained sand from the South Bay was used to help create one of the most famous resort beaches in the world.

The area now known as Manhattan Beach once had a problem: Too much sand. Manhattan Beach is built on sand, and as civic development was underway after the turn of the 20th century, a broad sand dune ran the length of the city, some standing 50 to 70 feet high. 

As it turned out, during the early 1920’s developers in the Hawaiian Islands just happened to be in the market for sand. They found it in Manhattan Beach.

According to a 1973 article from The Daily Breeze, Marshall and Bob Kuhn of Kuhn Bros. Construction Co. and Builders Materials Co. made a deal with Hawaiian officials to ship sand to Waikiki Beach, which suffered from erosion problems. So the Kuhn brothers hauled the sand up from the beach and loaded it on to railroad cars, where it was transported to the harbor in San Pedro and shipped by barge or ship to Hawaii. 

According to Bob Kuhn, his company was the sole provider of sand to build Waikiki and other beaches.The sand exporting lasted until the 1970's. The sand at Manhattan Beach had other destinations, such as the base of the Los Angeles Coliseum and to help build the Pacific Coast Highway. But as fate would have it, Waikiki Beach would not be what it is today without an assist from Manhattan Beach.

A mainstay of the Redondo Beach community, Veterans Park is an oceanfront relaxation space that is enjoyed throughout the year by locals for community events.

Veterans Park, located just south of the Redondo Beach Pier, is home to the Veterans Park Community Center, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a popular host for weddings, banquets and special events. Many other community events take place at this park, from activities at the Veterans Park Senior Center to the Redondo Beach Farmer's Market every Thursday.

The park is spread out over 6.3 grassy acres with ocean views, featuring vast areas for picnics, mature shade trees, a band stand for small concerts and a play area for kids, with plenty of equipment and a sand area. Because of the stunning views, you will often see photo shoots and camera crews filing at Veterans Park. Beach access is just a staircase away at Veterans Park, making it a popular destination for local scuba divers and classes alike, as it is known as one of the easiest shore dives in California.

For more information, including an interactive map, visit the City of Redondo Beach website. 

How do you define what makes a good home environment? Do you find peace and comfort every time you walk through the front door? Do you feel inspired by each of the items in your home? Would you say that everything in your house in peaceful, calm and organized? If so, then you are already a master of Feng Shui. If not, this article will help you ensure that you can describe your home in this way.

Feng Shui, meaning "Wind and Water" in Chinese, is the ancient art of creating balance and harmony in our lives through the effective management of our environment. Because we are connected to our environment, our environment is a reflection of our lives. For example, if you change or move something in your home you will experience a corresponding change in your life. Using this principle, you can apply Feng Shui to get more of what you want and less of what you don't want. So if you want to feel less stressed or have more balance in your life, then you first need to set up a conducive environment for that to take place.

A major reason why you may not have a peaceful and organized home environment yet is clutter. It is important to free your home of anything that does not reflect the environment you want. A few good questions to ask yourself to help decide what is clutter and what is not are:

•   Do I really love this item?
•   Does it enhance my life in any significant way?
•   How often do I use it?

The answers to these questions will tell you whether or not it is truly time to let something go. So clear the clutter, and pursue a life of harmony between yourself and your environment so that the energy surrounding you work with you rather than against you.