Tiger at the Los Angeles Zoo

LA Zoo creates such an environment of recreation that everyone likes to come and want to explore about the different animals and the plants. The appreciation they give to wildlife and the biodiversity inspires people.

This is the place where you can take the glance of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and off course the unique thing about this Zoo, the botanical gardens. Different kinds of birds are found there. In reptiles, there are alligators, boa, dragons, gecko, lizard, snake and tortoise from various countries. Over 200 different mammals are present in this Zoo. The invertebrates that are exhibited by the Zoo include cockroaches, millipedes, tarantula, walking-stick, spider and scorpions. Diverse varieties of amphibians are also there. As it is said above, it is not a simple Zoo; as it has botanical gardens. In these botanical gardens you can see various trees which generally fill the landscapes such as eucalyptus, ficus and mulberry. These trees help to provide food for the animals. There are also very unusual and distinct species of plants such as cycads, bald cypress etc.

The Zoo recently introduced a program A.D.O.P.T. in which people can adopt a meerkat or any other endangered species in just $35 so as to support the funds for the endangered species. To enjoy the benefits of the Zoo throughout the year you can also become the member of this marvelous place.

The cost of admission to the Los Angeles Zoo:
Adults (ages 13 – up) – $13
Seniors (age 62 and up) – $10
Children (ages 2 to 12) – $8
Children (under 2) – Free
Group Rates: Discounts are available for parties of 15 or more people. With a group discount, adults are $10 per person, and children (ages 2-12) are $7 each.

How to get to the Los Angeles Zoo
The Zoo is located at 5333 Zoo Drive, at the junction of the 5 and 134 freeways. Parking in the Zoo’s more than 2,600 general and handicapped spaces with the main and south lots is free.

The Los Angeles Zoo is serviced by MTA line 96, which runs from Sherman Oaks to downtown’s Union Station. The bus makes frequent stops in both directions at the southwest corner of the Zoo’s main parking lot. A timetable can be found at www.mta.net

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.

Improving a “Gummy Smile”

The most operative way of improving a gummy smile is to lower the lip line cover that covers the gums. The procedure reduces the gummy smile and produces a more attractive smile. The procedure was developed by Dr. Farnosh (http://www.thetotalsmile.com/photo-gallery/results.cfm?Category=4) Also, this procedure can be performed in conjunction with crown lengthening, to reshape the gumline around short teeth by removing excess gum. In some cases, the placement of veneers or crowns may also be needed.

Dr. Farnosh can help your smile in many ways. His office provides dental implants,
laser tooth whitening, aesthetic gum treatment & gum bleaching, gum grafting & bone grafting as needed. Another therapy offered is the treatment of periodontal disease by laser. Periodontal disease may cause bad breath, swollen and bleeding gums, receding gums, extremely sensitive teeth and, eventually, tooth loss. What is Laser light treatment? Laser light is directed through a small fiber to reduce bacteria and eradicate diseased, infected tissue around the teeth. What are the benefits of laser periodontal treatment? The treatment reduces discomfort, controls bleeding, and offers healing time sooner than more conventional procedures.

Dr. Alex A. Farnoosh, D.M.D., M.S.D., Ph.D. is a dentist in Beverly Hills specializing in dental implants, gum bleaching and gum grafting. He serves patients from all over Los Angeles & other countries.

Beverly Hills Office:
8920 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 517
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Phone: (310) 657-0503

It is 2008 and the year of the rat. And the world is gearing up for this wonderful celebration of life and family. All the way from Los Angeles, to China, Vietnam, Korea, San Fransico. and to New York City.

Lately we have been going to the celebrations in Los Angeles due to travel and convience because of where we live. Chinatown businesses in Los Angeles pretty much closes down 1 – 3 days prior to the celebration to adhere to some of the New Years traditions. So roughly from Thursday and Friday of February 7th to the 8th many of the business will be closed. And the celebrations pick up on the morning of February 9th.

Chinatown in Los Angeles has a parade on February 9th, 2008. Get your seat early. There will be huge crowds. At times exceeding over 100,000 people plus. Be sure when the dragons pass you during the parade that they pass directly in front of you. You will be more blessed with luck during the year. And for the children, be mindful, and respect your parents and other adults and wish them a happy and prosperous New Year. There are many red envelopes to be had. The children will find money in the envelopes. Usually one will find anywhere between a nickel up to no more than $4.00. You are considered real lucky if you receive an envelope with $8.00(for its homophone for “wealth”). Sometimes they will find chocolate coins in the envelopes as well.

Prior to the parade you may want to enjoy some of the traditional Chinese and Vietnamese styled restaurants with more of the authentic foods. Not really much of the American-Asian fusion food one would eat outside such enclaved cities. All are wonderful in taste and variety. I always enjoy the traditional bowl of Vietnamese soup called Pho’. One of the many pho’ restaurants I frequent is on Broadway by the name of Pho’ 79. Order the simpliest soup called Pho’ Tai. It is pretty much a steak and noodle soup dish. One may top the soup with bean sprout, basil, hoisen sauce, nuc mum(fish sauce) and a green chile or two.

You may want to do a walking tour of the many shops that have great deals on textiles, art, clothing, toys and food at reasonable prices. You may also be surprised of the many Asian and American galleries spotted throughout Chinatown. It is also rumored that a few Hollywood stars have bought lofts in the area as well. I hear that Quentin Tarantino may be one of them. You know the producer/director/writer of such films as Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and From Dusk to Dawn.

If you are unsure what Chinese Zodiac(Horoscope) you fall under, you may find out your animal sign here. Your sign will come every 12 years. If you would like to know more about the legend of the 12 signs, you may read more about it at Chinese Zodiac Page.

LA KINGS DOWNTOWN ON ICE, celebrating its 11th
spectacular season at Pershing Square, (532 South Olive, LA), open everyday November 20, 2008 through January 19, 2009.

The 11th installment of the Pershing Square Ice Skating Rink continues through Monday, January 19, 2009. There is plenty of time remaining to skate and take advantage of the activities at the L.A. Kings Downtown on Ice rink in Pershing Square. With a low admission price of only $6 (+skate rental $2), it’s a fun thing to do without spending lots of money.

Pershing Square Downtown on Ice, which will stay open until January 19th, so make a date! 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.

Free L.A. Kings Youth Hockey Clinics Ages 14 and under with advance registration Register Now!

The Pershing Square Ice Rink is open every day from Nov. 20, 2008 to Jan 19, 2008. Admission is $6 and skate rental is $2.

Centrally located in the heart of the City of Angels, the facility is easily accessible by car, bus or rail. Rewarding commuters, a collaboration with Metro allows mass transit riders to receive a $1 skating session discount by showing a coupon available for downloading via the Destinations Discounts webpage at www.metro.net. The convenient stop at Pershing Square Station makes getting there easy. Underground discount parking is available with validation.

Pershing Square Ice Rink
532 S Olive St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 624-4289
TOLLFREE: 1-888-LA-PARKS (527-2757) or visit www.laparks.org and click on Pershing Square

THREE WEEK HOLIDAY SCHEDULE – 2008-2009 Season
Friday, December 19, 2008 through Sunday, January 11, 2009
Monday – Sunday 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
NOTE: CHRISTMAS DAY – PUBLIC SKATING HOURS ARE 12:00 NOON to 10:00 PM

SKATING SESSION TIMES – 2008-2009 Season
Monday, January 12, 2009 through Monday, January 19, 2009
Monday – Thursday 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Friday – Sunday 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
NOTE: MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAY (JAN 19) – PUBLIC SKATING HOURS ARE 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM

Nintendo has sold more than 6 million Wii systems and wii sales are now outstripping PS3 and the Xbox 360. It seems that everyone loves the wii. Even 4 year olds enjoying playing it.

MP3tunes has just announced custom technology for Wii, plus more music for New Year’s. If you were lucky enough to get a new Nintendo Wii for Christmas you now can play all your digital music through the video game with new technology from MP3tunes. Wii owners can now use the device’s controller to wirelessly stream their personal music collections from their
own Music Lockers.

MP3tunes is offering free playlists to sideload to the Music Locker for immediate access on the Wii and other devices. “To demonstrate how simple it is to add playlists to a Locker, we’ve created, in partnership with CDBaby, a terrific New Year’s Eve music set for our customers,” commented Emily Richards, President of MP3tunes. “With just one click, this New
Year’s playlist is sideloaded to your Music Locker for access on dozens of devices — with no listening limits.” Sideload the playlist to your MP3tunes Locker at http://www.mp3tunes.com/ .

The Pershing Square Ice Rink is open every day from Nov. 15, 2007 to Jan. 21, 2008. Admission is $6 and skate rental is $2.

Pershing Square Ice Rink
532 S Olive St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 624-4289

You may also find these great hot dogs being served in Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood(The Aladdin Hotel). Or if you are ever in the mood to gamble in Los Angeles. Than you can find some Pinks Hot Dogs at the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, California, right across the street from the Forum where the Los Angeles Lakers use to play before moving to the Staples center. Pink’s Hot Dogs are also served at the Greek Theater in Griffith Park, Los Angeles(down the hill from Griffith Observatory).

The hours for the Pinks Hot Dog stand are almost around the clock. Open anywhere between 16 – 18 hours a day. It opens daily at 9:30 am and closes between 2 and 3:00 am. On top of that if you visit Pink’s you can have another chance to see a slew of celebrities. Especially since it is in close proximity of Paramont Studios. Such celebs that have been to enjoy the tasty hot dogs are: Celine Dion, Billy Dee Willaims(loved him as Apollo in the Rocky movies and Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars movies), Bruce Willis, Snoop Dog, Bobby Flay, Tyra Banks, Alec Baldwin, Rosie O’Donnell, Aerosmith(loved Steven Tylers daughter – Liv Tyler in “The Lord of the Rings”). And yes, even the great Martha Stewart was found buying and taking a few bites of these delicious hot dogs.

The hot dogs are thee best dogs one could ever possibly have. One can view Pinks menu. I usually spend anywhere from $5.00 – $8.00. My usual is just a hot dog with mustard straight up, side of sauerkraut with Orange Crush and a bag of chips. I do get adventurous and get the spicy Chicago Polish Dog – mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and no chili. My all time fav though is the Bacon Chili Cheese dog.

Really, Really trust me. Pink’s Hot Dogs are worth it. I know I said you can get them at Planet Hollywood in Vegas, Hollywood Park Casino or the Greek Theater. But for the ultimate experience stop at Pink’s Hot Dog Stand on Melrose and La Brea.

This afternoon, the 4th Festival of the Wise Men in Los Angeles (Festival de los Reyes Magos en Los Angeles) will be held 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m. at Mac Arthur Park, Whilshire Blvd & 7th St., Los Angeles.

WHEN: January 6,2009 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m.
SITE: Mac Arthur Park, Whilshire Blvd & 7th St., Los Angeles
COST: Free
SPONSOR: Cervantes Center of Arts & Letters
INFO: 310-526-1480, www.cervantescenter.org

This evening 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., the Olvera Street Merchants and El Pueblo Historical Monument sponsor the Los Tres Reyes celebration of the Epiphany (visit of the Three Kings) with music and a colorful parade on Olvera Street. Complimentary refreshments will also be served.

WHEN: January 6, 2009 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
SITE: El Pueblo Historical Monument, 125 Paseo de la Plaza, Los Angeles
COST: Free
SPONSOR: Olvera Street Merchants and El Pueblo Historical Monument
INFO: 213-485-8372, www.cityofla.org/

Chinatown
Little Armenia
Little Tokyo
Koreatown
Thai Town
Little Ethopia
Little Manila
Jewish – Beverlywood
Little Persia
Little Italy – Which is now Chinatown. Yes odd I know.

I know in Los Angeles we have many of these inner cities as well. Such as East Los Angeles – Echo Park and City Terrace, West Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles – Leimert Park and Watts as well as Hollywood. Many of them make up small businesses and have great restaurants, and annual festivals highlighting their country of orgin and its cultures.

Now you probably wonder why I would mention Los Angeles enclaves. Well I am sure you do realise the diversity of the “Little Town’s”. And this is one of the many things I enjoy about the Los Angeles community. The best of many countries being brought to one community is a difinite highlight of living or visting such large cities. This is not counting the many districts as well in Los Angeles. Los Angeles also has a financial district, clothing district, jewelry district, toy district as well as a few other districts. So you can do one of two things, visit all the “little enclaves” or shop in the many districts, or do both, your choice. Los Angeles is a must definite visit for a vast cultural and shopping experience.