Tiffany Wilson - Green Real Estate, First Time Home Buyers & Investors

This is a continuation of a series of blog postings on the communities in the Wiseburn school district in Hawthorne - Wiseburn, Holly Glen, and Del Aire.

The Wiseburn Public Library is almost literally the center of the communities of the Wiseburn school district. Though the area it serves is small in comparison to some of the larger libraries, like the ones in Manhattan Beach or Redondo Beach, the library is always bustling with activity during peak times. Many families, seniors, and school children are drawn to this quaint library with a large community heart.

Located at 5335 West 135^th Street in Hawthorne, this county library is conveniently located right next to where the new Juan Cabrillo Elementary school is being built, and also less than a mile from Peter Burnett and Dana Middle schools. Because of this ideal placement, it draws a large number of after school kids looking for homework help, project research, and to use the publicly available computers.

The library also holds many weekly children's events which draw a regular - and growing - crowd of kids and parents. Every Saturday at 10:00 am is storybook time, followed by a fun craft for the kids. On Tuesday nights at 7:00 pm, kids in their nighttime wear crowd onto the A-B-C rug to listen at Pajama Storybook Time. For new (and not-so-new) families in the area, attending either of these educational and fun events is a great way to meet other families in the community.

On top of these regularly scheduled events, the Wiseburn library also schedules some special treats at different times of the year. There is a day dedicated to Dr Seuss on his birthday, where - you guessed it - they read all Dr. Seuss books. Christmas is special, as the big man himself, Santa Claus, makes a special stop to greet the children of Hawthorne.

Summertime is no exception. Though school is out and the "boob tube" -watching time is on the rise, the Wiseburn library presents some stiff competition with special guests like a portable petting zoo, magicians, humongo-bubble makers, and many more. They also hold a reading contest, publicly logging young readers' progress throughout the summer, and rewarding every reader.

The Wiseburn Library is also host to a book club that meets on a regular basis. This group of intelligent folks read some of the recently-talked-of literature, and then do some of it themselves at the library. The only requirement for joining this club is a thirst for reading!

Though this library is small, it does have a wide variety of media available to all patrons of the Los Angeles County Public Library. Available are a wide selection of children's books, fact and fiction, CDs, DVDs, and VHS. Several computers are also available for accessing the Internet, and most recently, free Wi-Fi is available to folks with laptops that have wireless Ethernet cards.

But the icing on the cake at this library is the folks working there. Many of them have been working at the library for years, and are as much a part of the community as the folks that live here. Library patrons are warmly greeted as they come in the front double-doors, "early-birds" are rewarded with stickers as they arrive for Storybook Time, and if you are nice enough, they may even waive late fees for you (I know this for a fact!).

So if you are new to the neighborhood - or even if you have been here for years - take a trip to the Wiseburn Public Library in Hawthorne, and tell them I said "hi".

Copyright 2008 Tiffany Wilson. All rights reserved.

Every year, accompanied with Earth Day are a variety of events occurring on the days around Earth Day. Earthy Day is April 22nd, which falls on a Tuesday this year. Here are some of the Earth Day events going on in Los Angeles county's South Bay communities:

Saturday, April 19, 2008

• Earth Day at Sea Lab in Redondo Beach - Trade your plastic bags for reusable totes, green giveaways, beach clean up, native plant sale, tours, demonstrations, entertainment, and more. 10 am to 3 pm. 1021 N Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach. 310-318-7458.
• Polliwog Park Earth Day Celebration & Concert - Green vendors, green ideas, food, shopping, learning, music, projects, fun, and tips for all. Also present, some of my favorite folks from the South Bay chapter of Surfrider. Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach. 310-226-2927 for more information.
• Eco-chic at the South Bay Galleria - Mall-goers will be treated to green education and give-aways, educating and informing people on how to protect the environment. The first 200 guests get energy efficient light bulbs. The first 700 bringing in plastic water bottles will receive a reusable tote bag with "I am Eco Chic" on it. Artesia and Hawthorne Blvds, Redondo Beach. http://www.southbaygalleria.com/
• HazMat Redondo Roundup - A greate opportunity to dispose of those items that have been collecting in your garage, that cannot be thrown out with the regular garbage. Batteries, old paint, used motor oil... For Redondo Beach residents only (bring proof of residency). 152 Kingsdale Ave., Redondo Beach. For more info, contact Public Works at 310-318-0686 x4193.
• Earth Day at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium - Beach cleanup, speakers, information, activities, information sharing, grunion egg hatching, guided walks to the salt marsh, and more. 10 am to 3 pm. 3720 Stephen White Dr., San Pedro. For more information, call 310-548-7562 or http://www.cabrilloaq.org/

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

• Whole Foods Market is giving away over 50,000 reusable bags to customers. Bag it, don't drage us all down! Locations in Manhattan Beach (Sepulveda, between El Segundo and Rosecrans) and Redondo Beach (Pacific Coast Highway, just South of Beryl).

If it weren't for a children's birthday party that we promised to attend, I would definitely take my kids to one of their favorite parks - Polliwog Park - for Saturday's Earth Day celebrations. It's going to be a popular spot tomorrow, so best to go early to get convenient parking! Maybe I can go early for an hour or so...

It is extremely important to me to teach my children about being responsible stewards of the Earth, and all of these events are a fun way of accomplishing that. I know that I will be instilling in them important values that will last for their entire lives.

So what are you going to do for Earth Day?

I want to share with you all an amazing, and not-so-well-known area of the South Bay called Wiseburn. I actually live in Wiseburn, which is a small subdivision of Hawthorne, and I have been here for 9 years. I absolutely love it! This small community has continually improved since I moved here, and become a great place to buy in the South Bay, without paying Manhattan Beach prices.

Now, to be honest though, if one is to talk about Wiseburn, the conversation must include the adjacent subdivisions of Holly Glen and Del Aire. These are all small communities within Hawthorne, which reside on the Western border of Hawthorne. All 3 areas comprise the Wiseburn school district, which has some exciting things happening right now (stay tuned for future blog postings on Wiseburn schools).

The communities of the Wiseburn school district are conveniently located near several other beach cities of the South Bay - Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and El Segundo. From anywhere in the Wiseburn school district, you can get to any of these cities within approximately 2 miles. There, you will find major retailers such as Home Depot, Costco, Best Buy, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Staples, and many more.

The communities of the Wiseburn school district are also strategically placed, with regard to major transportation routes. This offers extreme accessibility to other parts of the South Bay, and beyond. However, even though these major routes are very accessible, there is little negative impact on homeowners (like noise, visual blight, etc.)

As mentioned previously, the Wiseburn school district has some new and exciting things going on. At the beginning of this past school year, the brand, new Dana Middle School was opened and ready to educated the middle-school-aged youth of the Wiseburn school district. But in addition to that, work is currently underway in the construction of a brand new elementary school, Juan Cabrillo's replacement. As a mom with young children, I am excited to see these brand new facilities that my children will be able to take advantage of.

Also new within the last few years is Glasgow Park, a long, walking park where the folks of Wiseburn and Holly Glen often go to exercise or walk their dogs. The area where Glasgow Park now is used to be an abandoned area full of weeds and broken concrete. Not so anymore!

And speaking of parks, you will also find Holly Glen Park which has a great children's playground, picnic benches, barbecues, and even public tennis courts. Many local families frequent this park throughout the year, and especially in the summertime when they fill up the wading pool for all the little kiddies to splash around in.

Even though the communities of the Wiseburn school district are small, they have so much to offer. I hope you enjoyed this introduction to the communities, and I plan on posting many followups where I will focus on each of the great aspects of these communities, along with some pictures! Hey - we all love pics, don't we?

From this... to this!

Over 10 years ago, I made a major life decision: I decided that I had had enough of the blustery, snowy winters in Western Canada's prairie province of Manitoba, and that I was going to escape to the sunny, sandy shores of Southern California. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made (along with marrying my husband, having my kids, and getting into real estate).

Now, at the time I was not married and I did not have any kids. But that did not make the move a "slam dunk". Luckily for me, finding a job at the time was easy as it was the height of the web boom and I was an IT professional.

I didn't even have a lot of furniture or other personal items that needed moving. But when you are moving across the border, it's always a hassle whether you have a lot or a little.

Bringing a car into California (especially from Canada) also needed careful planning. California had and has strict emission standards, and at the time there were only 2 cars that I could register in California (2 Honda models). Registering that vehicle at the DMV was another lesson in patience that I don't care to do again - but can share with others to help them avoid pitfalls.

I was fortunate that I had a cousin and friends here already that I could rely on to help me as I was looking for a place to live. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for folks looking to buy from outside of California BEFORE moving down here.

Because of this experience, I have an idea of what folks are feeling as they are contemplating a long distance move, or even looking for a home to move to! I hope that I can share my experiences to make the entire process a lot easier.

The happy ending is that I LOVE living in the South Bay of California and have acclimated very well to it. Would you believe me if I told you that I surf in the same waters where that picture above was take? ;) El Porto - my home break.

What? Me exaggerate? Okay, I admit that I can sometimes get a little passionate about certain things, and end up being a little too dramatic. But in this case, all the drama and hype are warranted.

First off, I would consider myself a "foodie", but not in the sense that I have a snobbish palate that settles only for the finest pate and caviar. In fact, I've never even tried either one! I know what I like and I appreciate high quality, fresh ingredients at a reasonable price.

Now, there are lots of great restaurants in the South Bay of Los Angeles county, but one stands out as I think I have tried - and enjoyed - just about everything on the menu. That place is Wahoo's Fish Taco in Manhattan Beach.

Wahoos is a chain of "fast food" restaurants which started in California years ago and has spread throughout the southland and into other states. Actually, saying that Wahoos is "fast food" is actually doing a disservice to this great place, as many of their food is prepared fresh daily using their own recipes.

Wahoo's cuisine is described as Baja Mexican food - fresh vegetables, seafood, chicken, beef, rice, black beans. But they also have some fusion menu items like their Baja rolls (cream cheese, spinach, chicken, and salsa rolled in a flour tortilla) and my favorite, the Wahoo's Salad (green salad with fresh pico de gallo, fresh guacamole, tortilla strips, and choice of meat or grilled veggies). And of course, the fish tacos - which come with rice and bean - are amazing!

But in my opinion, food alone does not make an establishment exceptional. There has to be atmosphere which promotes socializing and good value. Check and check! The decor is surfer/skater influenced - appropriate for a restaurant chain that grew up catering to the hungry surfers and skaters. Wahoos energy draws people of every age, every economic level, every type of job... They all find something there that Wahoos can offer them. For the stay at home mom, Wahoos is a great place to meet and chat with their fellow moms while they let the kids munch on their quesadilla and rice. Office workers find a great place to get a well-valued meal where they can get away for an hour and unwind in the middle with their co-workers.

And of course, being real estate professionals, we can't forget location! My favorite Wahoo's restaurant is located down in Manhattan Beach, just a single block from the Manhattan Beach pier. Who can beat a tasty, healthy, inexpensive, lunch or dinner at the beach?

Whenever I have friends or family in town to visit, I make sure that I take them for at least one meal to Wahoos. I have gotten many of them hooked on Wahoos, and when they return, they insist on making a trip to Wahoos!

So if you are new to the South Bay, visiting, or just haven't tried Wahoos yet, plan a visit there ASAP! You won't regret it.