This was my first time ever stopping here, and boy was I impressed for a public facility! For those…read moreof you who are ever in the area and need to print out a few forms or documents, you can't beat this library. Your first 10 printouts are free. And while my home public library in Culver City is up to the task and gets the job done, the environment here is on another level all together. Perhaps it has something to do with looking out on the mighty Pacific right? Lol Leslie and Ann were super helpful immediately upon entry as my guest and I had never been here before. In addition to their great customer service, the cleanliness of the facility also stands out. Would highly recommend to anyone.

I visited this library for the first time yesterday, and I was impressed at this facility. Parking…read moreis free (at least for two hours) if you park at the lot that is connected to the library. You can either walk around or cut through the path to get to the main entrance. The bottom floor is mostly kids media as well as DVDs, and when I went the library itself was pretty quiet, so that was a pleasant surprise. The construction of the building was nice to look at as well, with a lot of glass and stainless steel, and there were also a ton of art features, such as the hanging jellyfish when you walk up the stairs to the second floor. There are rentable study rooms, but also a good amount of tables and chairs, and most of the tables had their own outlets to use as well, making this a great place to study. I took up a spot at a table that faced the ocean, and it was just so calm and serene. I would come again, as it wasn't too busy from 1-3 PM.

The 2024-2025 NBA season kicked off today and what better place to kick off basketball season than…read morewith a visit to the Kobe Bryant Mural located in Torrance! Painted by Mike Trujillo; the mural highlights Kobe's basketball journey via all his jerseys. The mural starts off on the left with a painting showasing when he played high-school basketball at Lower Merion High School and wore #33. The mural then shows how he first wore #8 for the Lakers for when was first drafted and on to when he won three championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. The mural next highlights him wearing the #10 jersey for the USA men's basketball team at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. Lastly it shows Kobe sporting #24 starting in the 2006-07 season; all the way till he retired in 2016. I also loved how the mural had purple and gold hues for the background. This is an amazing mural to see and it can be easily missed as it is on the backside of the Burger City restaurant in Torrance. I definitely say though it is one not to pass up seeing as it's a great tribute to Kobe via showcasing all of Kobe's jerseys from the start to the finish of his career. This mural is something Lakers and basketball fans will truly appreciate. I know I certainly did!

Public art in Torrance, California…read more.. My friend, Craig Y., knew that there was a relatively new Kobe Bryant mural in his hometown. He tried to figure out where it was located on Torrance Boulevard. We found it in Old Town Torrance... on the wall of Burger City Grill. It's by Mike Trujillo and is awesome! The gigantic mural has great illumination at night! It includes all of the numbers that Kobe wore: from High School, to the Olympics, and when we was with the Lakers! Look for Kobe's Academy Award! It's very cool - go see it!

Free admission for all with a suggested donation of $5, a small neighborhood museum with rotating…read moreexhibits that reflect current events.

I would call this a hidden gem in Torrance. I had heard about it, but finally decided to visit…read more Best part, it's free. No charge. It's located in the civic center, in the back, so you can't see it off of the street. It's almost a game of hide and seek, where you need to find it. Even when I did finally find it, I wasn't sure I was at the right place or if it was even open. However, I was not disappointed when I finally walked inside. It's a teeny place. More like a gallery than what I would call a museum. Open floor plan. Great art though. An eclectic collection of paintings and mixed media when I visited. There were a couple other parties viewing the artwork. Not crowded. Parking: Free lot.

Awesome mural in Chinatown behind the Bruce Lee statue!…read more There are too many cookie cutter buildings popping up all over Los Angeles. Michael adds great flavor and brings back the art and soul of the city of angels! I hope to see more of his work in the future!

I no longer fear going to the crash site It is now a beautiful light pole done by Michael Che…read moreRomero of Vivache Designs, he was able to express all of what Valentina was and is! Among unicorns Mermaids and the stars #ValAunicornLover #3Stars To see the full story visit his website at Www.Vivachedesigns.com

Watts Towers has been named to the World Monuments Fund's inaugural Irreplaceable America list…read more recognizing 10 U.S. historic sites considered essential to preserving the nation's cultural heritage, officials announced Tuesday. The list was created as the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and highlights historic places facing significant preservation challenges. The Watts Towers, created over more than three decades by Italian immigrant Sabato "Simon" Rodia, consist of 17 hand-built reinforced-concrete structures decorated with tile, glass and found objects. The tallest tower rises nearly 100 feet. The Watts Towers are a monumental achievement by one individual, Simon Rodia, yet are of cultural significance and meaning to all of the local community, and its visitors," Daniel Tarica, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, said in a statement. "The conservation and preservation of the Watts Towers ... reinforces a message to the community of investment, value, and stewardship, while also supporting increased cultural tourism and generating economic opportunities that benefit both the immediate Watts community and the wider region."

I grew up knowing that the Watts Towers were there. Sometimes, they were the photo on the front of…read morethe phone book. More often than that, they showed up as background photos of the Southland displayed between commercial breaks on TV news programs. I would have liked to have seen them in real life. It's just that you didn't go there because of the reputation of this part of South-Central Los Angeles. Things have changed. The 105 Freeway now provides that much needed link across between the top of the Gateway Cities and LAX, going but a few blocks south of the Watts Towers. What was called the Blue Line of Metro's light rail has a stop at 103rd Avenue, within walking distance of the towers. I'm also older than when Watts might have seemed ominous. Then, the neighborhood is changing, which is par for the course everywhere in Los Angeles. Predominantly African-American Watts has now become predominantly Hispanic. When I visited, I lowered the car window and asked two Hispanic twenty-somethings taking a very relaxed walk near this historic site what Watts was currently like. While not a "meet and greet" sort of neighborhood, the mixing of cultures probably helps bring a broader swath of people closer to seeing the towers. I took the 105, got off the large well-designed interchange at Central Avenue, and drove a few blocks north. The Watts Towers didn't seem as tall as I would have thought, but, when put under a different lens, they are very tall! The towers are the work of one man - Simon Rodia - and the tallest one stands about 100 feet (think 10 stories)! I am writing to review the towers and believe that, on the day I went, the Arts Center and tours were not operative. There are additional exhibits that can be seen and would be explained by taking the tour. However, you can definitely park within a block and visit the site. There is even a hardscaped plaza with tiered seating to the north of the towers. The towers are a little strange. They look like pyramidal cone shaped and opened up Slinky toys. Their cage structures are made of structural steel. However, the ribs are not just the steel. The ribs are "coated" with ceramic material, glass, mosaics, tiles, shells, and other objects that give them color and texture. They reminded me of some of the work that Antonio Gaudi designed in his native Barcelona, Spain in that the effect is organic ... and even a little hippie dippy. Knowing about the Watts Towers and knowing about Simon Rodia are intertwined. The Watts Towers are the largest major project built by just one individual, thus of historical import. He worked on them for 33 years! They are now under the purview of the California park system. Rodia was an Italian immigrant from a small town in the region of Italy in which Naples is the principal city. He was trained as a stone mason. I was fascinated by his trajectory. Upon coming to the United States from Italy, he first lived in Pennsylvania. From there, he moved to Seattle, WA, where he married, to Oakland, CA, where he had children, and then to both Long Beach and Watts in Southern California. People told him he was odd and criticized his work, but he persevered and we are richer for it. I'd say that a person had to have some unique wiring to push the envelope in terms of innovation, and even eccentricity, to be able to visualize and build the towers. Eventually, Rodia's health worsened and he moved north within California, dying closer to family members in Martinez, CA at 86 years of age. I had a school friend who lived not too far from the Watts Towers. He was Japanese-American. His parents did not move away until they retired. And I remember that there was a neighboring household where the couple occupying the house, and who also remained, was from France and that I would speak to them in my high school French. That said, it could explain how other immigrants, such as Simon Rodia from Italy, might have lived in the area, along with other newcomers. While not as singularly intriguing as the Watts Towers themselves, the evolution of and rationale for demographic changes in almost all of big L.A.'s neighborhoods would make for volumes of interesting accounts. I highly recommend visiting the Watts Towers, especially to Angelenos who have yet to do so.

This museum is small but packed full of incredibly detailed and interesting displays. The quality…read moreis incredible for the price of admission: free! I was surprised how amazing this place is and how much fun I had exploring the history of Whittier. Although I knew that President Nixon was from Whittier, I still did not expect to see an entire display about his history in Whittier. It was also interesting and very well curated. I can't wait to come back one day for a Haunted Whittier Tour! Instead of donating money to the museum we loaded up on a couple souvenirs instead. This museum is definitely worth a few visits since the displays are constantly changing and evolving.

A lovely museum worth visiting…read more I felt like a kid in a candy store with all the different rooms to explore. My friend and I had a great time and spent about an hour and a half here. Museum is free and there is parking in the back.

I think this is my favorite art gallery of all time, and it's gate kept for a good reason. The…read moreliteral entrance is modeled after ancient Chinese palace gates, how's that for gate keeping? Anyway, for those not in the know, Chen Art Gallery is tucked away in the Sunrider office building. You have to call to make an appointment and parking is free on the street. But it's all free so book away! Anyway, once you're in, there's a heavy emphasis on no phones or photography, and you'll discover why once you step foot inside. Holly was an amazing tour guide and knows her Chinese history really well, better than most of us probably. Anyway, where to even start? There's 15 rooms of artifacts from all dynasties of China, as young as Qing dynasty up to the 19th century to as old as 3000BC. And you'll be seeing things from authentic thrones to lavish silk embroideries to beautiful jade to sculptures to ceramics to gold, gold and more gold. Everything is carefully curated and honestly, if photos got out, big museums might hound them to borrow their exhibits hah! Anyway, you will be blown away by the sheer proportion of this lowkey museum/art gallery and by the sheer quantity AND quality of everything in here. This is a must visit and I'm very lucky to live so close by cause I hope to visit again in the future. Props to Dr. Chen for having such good taste and literally paying for all of this!

What a hidden gem. There is so much to see and learn. Holly is so knowledgeable and friendly.read more

What better place to have a book club meeting than at a brewery?! Haha…read more My girls and I absolutely loved common place; such a vibe with such good music and energy! There's plenty of seating and I can imagine during this time (World Cup season) this place gets so packed and fun in the best way. The service was great. We had a lot of questions about the drinks. We were recommended a flight if we were unsure which you can customize; I definitely recommend this if it's your first time so you can try a little bit of everything. They had a vendor selling tacos, burritos and other Mexican style items which were absolutely delicious and with the drinks it was a perfect combo! I'm not sure if they change that side vendor or if they are a semi permanent partner with them, but I love that they offer small businesses an opportunity to sell their foods. I was told that they used to be located in a different area or accessing brewery was through another area so pay attention to signs, especially for their nearby parking. Although we had no issues finding this space! To end our fabulous book club meeting, we of course, had to take our festivities to the Photo Booth. Such a fun and cute little touch too and already cute place. I loved it and I hope I can catch one of the World Cup games here!

I'd be honest, I wasnt fan of this place…read more Lack of parking, lack of varietals, lack of seating, no taster choices, 20 ounce pours for $15 with only 6 beer choices, and difficult to see the screen for FIFA. That said, I had a Michelada here, something I normally don't order. It wasn't the best, it wasn't the worst. Hence the 3 stars. We were here 30 minutes after this place opened and after circling around we were told to park next to the adjacent building. I did try my friend's beers here and after 15 minutes we left. We didnt want to wait in line again for the lack of choices.

Please go. If you're nearby and can visit do so. Learned about the a couple of artist that have…read moretheir work there right now. Marbella was magnificent and amazingly patient and understand. Also showed me around the place and the nearby Colored Compton. I very much get welcomed.

Came to look at the Museum in between stopping at color Compton for a photo a photo session that…read morethey were hosting was able to view the different art pieces on the wall. Took a few pictures and enjoy what they had to offer. The front desk attendee was friendly and encouraged us to explore. Parking is ok in the shopping center but can fill up fast. Hours of the museum are ok and what the Compton museum stands for brings the community together.

The Perfect Library for kids to adults . Always clean and staff is exceptional . I came to this…read moreLibrary since I was a kid. (I no longer live in the area). Yet, I will make time when I visit my family . It's still one of the BEST Libraries in the area!!

Got to love the local library. The world is quiet here. I really enjoy getting holds sent to the…read morelibrary. I'm not sure if they have Inter Library Loan but if they do it expands the catalogue you can borrow from. The garden seems very relaxing can't wait to walk through it if possible. Thanks for your help!