A Quiet Day in Del Rey

To kick off the new year, we went for a neighborhood walk today. It was beautiful outside. A few minutes into the walk, we noticed that it was also very quiet in the neighborhood. We wondered why. Was there less car traffic today? Not really.

Suddenly it dawned on my wife: "No one seems to be doing any yard work", she said. That was it! Being a holiday, the gardeners in the area had the day off and most people who do their own yard work seemed to have taken the day off as well. There was absolutely no noise pollution from leaf blowers and lawn mowers! It is amazing how peaceful the neighborhood becomes without all that noise.

It got me thinking again about how great it would be if more people would get rid of their lawns which would eliminate the need for all the gas-powered gardening equipment for the most part. All the noise from this equipment has become something we just take for granted.

It turns out that many people have noticed this leaf blower noise pollution that is present in many of our cities. Some have called for a ban on leaf blowing like Terra Nova Landscaping and ZAPLA.org, a group of concerned Los Angeles citizens. Some CA cities have even managed to get a leaf blower ban officially approved.

If you own property with a yard, please consider evolving your landscaping in a direction that reduces or completely eliminates the need for having lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Try replacing your lawn with a native plant garden. You and your neighbors will benefit from more peace and quiet.

Walking L.A. #2 - Northwest Santa Monica

We met up again at the Rumor Mill for coffee and bagels. A different group showed up this time. There were 9 of us total including two babies.

We carpooled to the start point at Ocean Ave and Adelaide Drive. The first part of the walk took us by the well-known steep staircases that lead from Adelaide down to Rustic Canyon. We descended the one near 4th Street and ascended the other near 7th Street. It was the first time there for everyone in our group except for one who was taken their by her personal trainer a few years ago. Being another beautiful day in January, the staircases were filled with exercising addicts on their quest for buns of steel as our book put it.

The rest of the walk was pretty uneventful as it just made its way through the residential neighborhood south to Montana Ave, and then circled back to the starting point via Montana Ave and then Ocean Ave. It might have been more impressive if it was our first time there, but I've been to the shops on Montana and the path at Palisades Park many times before.

The walk ended by passing by a striking white structure overlooking the ocean at 101 Ocean Ave., again the book's words. None us could figure out what it was. It seemed like either an exclusive residential complex or a fancy hotel.

After the walk, 3 of us headed back near the Rumor Mill to have lunch at Bharat Bazaar. We were hungry enough to get samosas in addition to our combination plate.

The next walk is in Southeast Santa Monica.

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