Kelson Reviews Stuff - Page 19

One of my favorite places to go walking (and photographing) in the South Bay. (SCBG is the other.) It’s the last remnant of the seasonal marshes that once covered the western part of the LA basin. (Basically a large city block that was set aside as a nature preserve.) It’s carefully maintained to assist the natural environment. Ponds form naturally during the winter and spring rains and dry out over summer. All kinds of waterfowl visit the pools during the wet season. There is a broad path suitable for strollers (and possibly wheelchairs?) that runs around the edges and through the center, and depending on the time of year and how much rain there’s been lately, smaller footpaths run between the ponds and through the wooded area. Very flat, mostly open, shade in the wooded corner where the ponds tend to last longest.

Great for spotting birds and small animals in all seasons, butterflies and dragonflies in spring/summer, and for hearing tiny frogs that hide very effectively in the grass and stop croaking when you try to locate them. Worth visiting in multiple seasons, too.

You can see some of the many photos I’ve taken there on Flickr and on my blog. Blog highlights include hawkspotting, winter birds and seasons of the marsh.

There’s a visitor center (with restrooms!) and a garden of local native plants across the street, and the gates shut at 5 pm.

Great smoothies and tropical juices, plus Brazillian-style grilled pita sandwiches and Açaí bowls. Tiny (small business, literally!), with a handful of small tables (and not much shade) if you want to eat there, great for takeout whether you’re just going for smoothies or getting lunch. I keep getting the Kamehameha (pineapple, mango and banana), which is kind of ironic since it’s named after a Hawaiian. The Beirute Turkey is really good, and they have a vegetarian version using hearts of palm.

(Pronounced like in Portuguese: Nah-TOO-ray-bah, not Nature-ba!)

(If you drive, park on the street, not in the hardware store lot next door.)

Not just great scones, but a great variety of scones (as well as coffee, tea and custom soda drinks). Good for breakfast, lunch, a snack or just coffee. I’ll sometimes grab a lunch sandwich (a “sconewich”) made with a savory or plain scone, and a sweet scone to save for a snack or dessert later.

In a large brick building next to Anthony’s Lounge. Lots of indoor seating and a few small tables outside. Only open mornings and afternoons. If you want coffee later in the day, The Press Espresso is across the street.

To my shock and surprise, this D&D movie was actually good! (I still remember the…let’s just say “disappointing” 2000 film.) The characters are engaging. There’s a reason for them to be working together beyond “the plot requires it.” The story is more than just collecting plot tokens (and even tries to say something about the nature of found families). It focuses more on the “role” aspect and using the game world than on adapting game mechanics to the screen, and doesn’t assume you already know the setting inside-out and backwards. Heck, I wouldn’t have minded paying to see it in a movie theater, if I was still going to movie theaters these days.

Entradero Park is a flood control basin hidden away in a residential part of Torrance, but for the 99% of the time that it doesn’t need to keep storm drains working, facilities include:

1. Restored wetlands habitat in the middle.
2. Shaded picnic area in one corner.
3. City park with field, playground, basketball courts and a dog run along one edge.
4. Baseball fields wrapping around the center (used by the local Little League, among others).
5. Walking path through the scrub habitat around the edge of the basin.
6. Parking.

The loop trail itself is a relaxing walk. Depending on time of year, you may be able to spot wildflowers, birds, rabbits, etc. There’s not much in the way of shade - it’s almost all scrub - but it has a couple of scenic viewpoints, and part of it runs close to the wetlands. The pond usually has water in it, and often has ducks, geese, and other waterfowl.

The combinations can sometimes be amusing: I once watched a flock of geese trying to share the baseball outfield with a riding lawnmower. The lawnmower would approach them, they’d all take wing, and then they’d settle somewhere nearby where the grass hadn’t been cut yet…and then repeat the cycle when the lawnmower turned around for the next pass!