Jennifer Love Hewitt joined the Los Angeles Mission at the annual Christmas event to help spread holiday cheer to skid row. Hewitt and nearly 400 volunteers distributed Christmas toys and dinner to thousands of homeless men, women and children at at the Los Angeles Mission at 303 E 5th Street from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“I have made it a point to come to the Los Angeles Mission at Christmas,” said Hewitt, who stars in the TV show “Ghost Whisperer.”

“There are so many hurting people on the streets of our city, but when I’m here I get to see the smiles of the children and the great food for everyone. I think they are getting real help from the staff and volunteers. I come to give something back, but invariably I get more blessing than I give,” she said.

The menu included rotisserie chicken, glazed ham, three-cheese macaroni, mixed vegetables, dinner rolls, cranberry relish and chocolate cake for dessert. Santa was on hand to greet the children and pass out gifts donated by area businesses and individuals. The mission expected to serve about 3,000 meals and give out more than 1,000 gifts to 600 children.

The Los Angeles Mission mission serves the homeless living on the streets of downtown’s Skid Row by providing shelter, food, clothing and professional medical and dental care. In addition, the Los Angeles Mission also offers long-term residential rehabilitation programs through its Urban Training Institute, including education, job training, transitional housing and counseling.

InvisibleLA is pleased to introduce our new blogger from Los Angeles, Linda Tong.

InvisibleLA will be providing more frequent posting including Local cafe reviews (contact us for more information) and Live content - in regards to Los Angeles. Here are a few topic ideas you may want us to let you know about. Like the writers guild strike…..Hot spots for travel…Things to do free in LA. Tourist spots with pictures like Graumans Chinese theater. Or Vine and Sunset with the stars with the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Venice Beach - Santa Monica Beach, Pinks, Tommys Burgers. Pictures of outside the studios like Paramont(LA) and Sony(Culver City) and CBS studios on 3rd and Fairfax. A pic of the Hollywood sign(can be seen from in front of my house) to a pic of the Pantages theater.

Ok, Linda is just on her way out the door to Farmers Market behind CBS Studios. Let her see what she can pull up. She knows about 3 restaurants at Farmers Market. Farmers Market is a tourist attraction for its history(has been around since late 1920’s). Its behind CBS studios and right across the street from the Screen Writers Guild/Union where the strikes has been taking place. And the movie the “Black Dahlia” was about a murder that took place across the street in the 40’s.

So give her about 24 hours and let her pull something up for you.

This site needs a new author could it be you?

Invisible L.A. is ready and waiting for your creativity.

If you’re a passionate resident of Los Angeles, please apply using this form, we’d love to hear from you.

Many of us in L.A. have never stopped for a minute to make human contact with our neighbors. I’m not even talking about the kind of neighbor that lives in the house next door to you (although it’s pretty pathetic that we don’t even know them, either!), I’m talking about the homeless guy that you see every day and try and ignore.

When was the last time you stopped and realized that there was a real person there?

A few weeks ago, I finally decided to stop someone that I have seen all the time for the last six years, but didn’t even know his name. Take a look and see what I found out…

see you on the freeway

A few weeks ago, when my daughter was down visiting, she asked me one cold and dreary afternoon if we could go for High Tea. I thought that would be a grand idea, and the trusty internet lead us on an adventure for the afternoon! Take a look and see what happened…

 

see you on the freeway…

 

 

There are so many fantastic ways to gather in groups in L.A.

I know that some people just aren’t “joiners”, but I am, and I am a HUGE extrovert, so a fun, lively gathering of interesting people calls to me. If you need a little jolt to spur you to action, here are some ideas…

There are networking meetings for business, there are singles gatherings, there are social groups to find new friends and then there are plenty of special interest groups like the Sierra Club, etc.

The other night, I attended my first meeting of a business networking group that I recently joined called Ladies Who Launch. More about the organization in a minute, but this gathering was held in a retail store. Not just any store, but the fabulous Three Dots, home of the famous delicious high end T Shirts and comfy, hip easy to wear clothing that feels like you’re in your pjs, on Melrose near Crescent Heights.

The founder of Three Dots, Sharon Lebon and her creative director Yuchin Mao were on hand to tell the fascinating tale of rags to riches (Yuchin recently came on board, previously designing for the likes of Helmut Lang and Prada). There were about 75 high-powered business-owners and would-be start-ups and a good time was had by all. Most inspiring to me was Sharon’s humble account of the last 10 years, growing the company from having $4000 in the bank to an expected gross next year of over $100,000,000. That’s ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS. Wow. She made it really clear that if SHE could do it, we could do it and each one of us went away with a feeling of true inspiration. If you’re interested in hearing an interview with the innovative young designer Yuchin Mao, go here: Three Dots Creative Director Yuchin Mao. There are many amazing stories in Los Angeles, it was extraordinary to get such an up-close and vulnerable peek into a superstar in the fashion industry’s business.

Ladies Who Launch, the group I mentioned, is for women only (sorry, gentlemen, there are plenty of places for you guys to gather!), particularly women who have the intention of launching a business or who are ready to jumpstart a business they already have. They offer a four week program called an incubator, where you declare your idea and get support, homework and a shot in the arm from the leader and the other participants. MANY women-owned business, as well as friendships, partnerships and affiliations have started from these impactful groups!

Pictured here is LA Chapter Founder Amy Swift (on the right) and Jen Sincero, sex columnist and Incubator leader extraordinaire. They are modeling Three Dot dresses, hence the title of this post. If you are interested in finding out more about this amazing group, go ahead and check out their website. And if you don’t live in Los Angeles, they have chapters in most of the major cities in the US.

I feel so great about being a member of this national organization that boast some powerful movers and shakers in their membership.

Here are a few other resources for connecting with people in LA:

My People Connection

My People Connection features weekly events for friends in most of the major cities, including LA. With thousands of subscribers and thousands of events in the past eight years, MyPC brings together friends from diverse backgrounds and communities. It’s still FREE to belongno mandatory membership fees, since 1999!

These events are for any age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, etc. It’s just people getting together to have fun and to meet others in this vast metropolis of ours.

Meetup Groups

Time magazine says MeetUp is:

Meetup is a website where anyone can create an interest group and for a small fee, post their ongoing event or meeting on the site. There are so many interesting and quirky things going on here, such as Santa Monica DEPECHE MODE Devotional Group or the Gin in North Hollywood group for those gin rummy enthusiasts in the San Fernando Valley, that you are sure to find one to suit your lifestyle!

“every year” (and I put that in quotes on purpose, because…well, you’ll see), we head downtown to Pershing Square where the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks creates a veritable winter wonderland in between the tall buildings in L.A.

The ice skating rink has been our destination for the last few years over the holidays. Usually, we’ve gone at night and during the week, so it hasn’t been too crowded, but this year, we made Jan. 1 our skating day…take a look and see what happened.

So, “skate wars” was a real problem for us, Dakota and I could only stand the pain for about 25 minutes before we wimped out and ran back to our comfy shoes, I honestly don’t remember the skates being that uncomfortable in previous years. It’s still worth the trip, though, I would HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you go at night when it’s all sparkly and magical and there aren’t as many people on the ice.

 Here’s a link for the hours for the Pershing Square Downtown on Ice, which will stay open until January 15th, so make a date!

Here’s a blurb from the website:

Tis the season to chill out under the sun and stars at the Southland’s largest holiday outdoor ice skating rink LA DOWNTOWN ON ICE, gliding into its ninth spectacular season November 16, 2006 through January 15, 2007 at Pershing Square (532 South Olive) made possible by sponsorship from the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, LA Kings and Council member Jan Perry (9th District). As the Rockefeller Center of the west, the vast outdoor ice oasis lies nestled downtown in the heart of the city among the towering skyscrapers and historical landmarks, easily accessible by car or Metro stop. The conveniently located facility unites an estimated 500,000 spectators and 200,000 skating enthusiasts for unique, healthy and safe, seasonal recreation in what LA Parent Magazine and City Search hail as the number one family attraction for the holidays.Open seven days a week (including holidays), admission is only $6 per skating session, plus $2 skate rental.
A partnership with allows riders to receive a $1 skating session discount by showing a coupon available on Metro lines. The convenient stop at Pershing Square Station makes getting there easy.
Call 213/ 847-4970 or toll free 1-888-LA-PARKS (527-2757)  And if you want a date skating lesson with Clark Thompson, here’s the link to the Simi Valley ice arenaAnd if you want a skating lesson with Clark Thompson, here’s the link to the Simi Valley ice arena. Have fun, and let me know how it goes!

see you on the freeway

Hey, gang, I just put my 15 year old on the plane in Burbank this afternoon and *whew!*, life resumes it’s normal pace again and I can (finally) get back to blogging.

Meanwhile, over the last few weeks, I have been busy taking some great cellflix that I will be sharing with you over the next few days.

Right now, though, I want to give you something to “chew” in (no pun intended), a short (and growing!) list of cool websites that give you the scoop on what you need to know in Los Angeles. Please feel free to add to this list in the comments section.

1. Apartment Therapy L.A. everything you need to know about decorating your space, great stores, great suggestions, great finds, all in the LA style. I never knew I cared so much, but I am an addict now!

2. BargainsLA.comas they call themselves: The Premiere Bargain Hunting, Bargain Shopping & Sample Sales Guide to the Los Angeles Area!

I found this site through Apartment Therapy LA. You can sign up for Suzanne’s bargain tips on everything from bargain shopping for furniture, electronics, pet supplies and more! This is a treasure trove of information for the bargain hunter.

3. Daily Candy LA wanna know what’s hip, what’s happening, what’s hot? Sign up for this daily tip and you will be THERE! (along with the 150K+ others who are on the list). Whether you are a service, have a product or a storefront, one small mention in Daily Candy, and you are ‘in like Flynn’. (note the old Hollywood reference)

4. Chowhound’s LA message board leave the restaurant reviews to the reviewers and check out what the real people are saying about the chow in your neck of the woods.

5. Metroblogging Los Angeles- a sort of portal of a variety of L.A. bloggers. Most of them seem to be hip 20-somethings, but I met Heather from heathervescent last summer at the BlogHer conference in San Jose, drinking bright purple-rimmed ‘Yahootinis’ by the pool, so I feel a warmth for her blogging. Check it out, it’s an interesting look at what is happening from many different perspectives. ok, so maybe not so different, but in different voices for sure.

(hey, speaking of BlogHer, the blogging conference that had over 700 WOMEN in attendance last year, will be having it’s business version in NYC in March and yours truly is thinking of showing up. My dad will be out of town and so I would have his delightful 32nd floor apartment all to myself. yes.)

see you on the freeway

The other night, I had a lovely dinner at one of my favorite Vietnamese spots: Pho 999 in Van Nuys.

Here’s one of the reviews from Los Angeles Citisearch:

Forget the $9.00/bowl chi-chi hipster junk and try this authentic little joint. The extensive menu offers much more than just pho and the meals are true-to-form with a distinctly Vietnamese taste (as opposed to a more Americanised or Pan-Asian spin). The noodle bowls and hot seafood dishes are a treat. And although I have yet to try it, the “Beef 7 ways” meal is offered for those into the more elaborate end of the menu. I’ve been coming here for years and it’s always consistently outperformed the competition in town.

Although this place gets mixed reviews, I just love how comforting the food tastes for me. We did tried their “7 courses of beef” menu once and it was ok, but I end up ordering the same thing each time, as you will see in the video. The food is delicious, cheap and we used to go there almost once a week and never got tired of it. To me, that says a lot.

So…check out my first posted cellphone flick (shakey, but I am going to get better!) and meet David, my former boyfriend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keIbqCQ-G28

Pho 999

6411 Sepulveda Blvd # 1K1L
Van Nuys, CA 91411

see you on the freeway…

 

I have to say that since I moved to the L.A. area in 2000, Burbank Airport, a.k.a. Bob Hope Airport (BUR), has been my hub of choice. I beg friends to choose that as their arrival point and leave from there whenever I can.

My daughter lives with her dad up in the Bay Area and visits me once a month, so I consider myself a sort of “airport connoisseur” as I am there picking her up or dropping her off 25 or more times a year. Of course, I have never seen this perspective of the field, as I am driving there, but what I love about Burbank Airport is how easy it is to get in and out, especially compared to the nightmare that is LAX.

photo courtesy of PilotAge.com

The cops in front of the terminal are kind of grouchy and they don’t have a lot of patience with the pick-up scene, so my daughter and I have worked out a little system that I will share with you, because it’s been working for us. I probably should keep my mouth shut.

A side note: Here are some photos and the mission statement from the Burbank Airport Police website (!)

Their stated mission is: “…to provide a courageous, professional and courteous law enforcement response…”. OK, I get the professional and courageous part, but the courteous, well, maybe not so much. But then again, I guess standing outside in the heat and cold, telling people to move on is not that much fun.

Back to my smooth sailing technique: Right across the street from the terminal’s South entrance on Empire Ave. is the Amtrak Station. They have a small pull-in parking area there and that’s where I sit in my car and wait for my daughter’s (usually delayed) plane to land. Once her plane touches terra firma, she calls me from her cell and I swing my car into the terminal. On weekends (when she usually flies), there is often a terrible wait to even pull up to the terminal, so even though she’s on a Southwest Air flight, I have her walk beyond that first terminal, where all the crowds hang out, south to the end of the airport and wait for me there. I can usually just glide in, toss her bags in the trunk and screech out before any of the world’s grumpiest police officers can blink an eye!

Let me know (in the comment area) if you have any better tricks!

Just as an FYI, here are the airlines that currently are flying out of BUR: Alaska, American, America West, Delta, Jet Blue, Southwest and United.

If you are going out of town for a while, the long-term parking is pretty reasonable. The cheapest parking lot is across the street on Thornton and the bus ride is about three minutes. Don’t you just love it! Here is a handy parking rates chart.

burbank-parking-rates.pdf

ok, gotta run,

see you on the freeway!

jessica