Halloween Meatloaf of Rat - slide of the week by Charles Phoenix

Every holiday time party should have an edible meatloaf sculpture to serve as centerpiece, theme setter and conversation starter. In the tradition of the Tiki Turkey Meatloaf, Easter Meatloaf of Lamb and the Meativity Scene, I am proud to present to you... the Halloween Meatloaf of Rat!

NEW TYPE OF WATCHDOG?

I spotted this Spot near Pershing Square keeping an eye on the street at a construction site. You just never know what you'll find in Downtown L.A. these days so much is going on.

Check the Eye Spy LA calendar to find out what's going on there now.

THAR SHE BLOWS: A WHALE OF A TALE IN NEWPORT BEACH

Southern California beach towns are great places to visit anytime. Scenic Newport Beach is no exception. The main attraction here is the harbor and the best way to enjoy it is to get out on the water. Kayak or paddleboard in the back bay, take a harbor cruise, or do like we did recently and go whale watching. On the way out of the harbor we saw some beautiful beaches, homes and yachts.

'THE PURGE: FEAR THE NIGHT' GOES ALL OUT by M.R. Hunter

The standard haunted house has a new breed of competition: immersive theater. Instead of walking through a labyrinth corridor where actors jump out from corners and say "Boo!," now audiences can become part of the action and storyline. This isn't for the faint of heart though.

For those who've seen enough haunted house attractions to not bother flinching anymore, 'The Purge: Fear the Night' does get your adrenaline pumping and your feet running in an entirely new way, but there are challenges with the interactive demands and questions concerning taste and the physical requirements for undertaking the roles immersive houses foist on its patrons.

EYESTROLOGY LA by Cici Psy-Chic

SCORPIO the month of 10/23/13-11/22/13

Happy birthday to these celebrity October Scorpions: Weird Al Yankovic (10/23), Kevin Kline (10/24), Katy Perry (10/25), Keith Urban (10/26), Ruby Dee (10/27), Julia Roberts (10/28), Gabrielle Union (10/29), Diego Armando Maradona (10/30), Vanilla Ice (10/31)

Celebrity November Scorpions: Anthony Kiedis (11/1), Stevie J. (11/2), Roseanne (11/3), Matthew McConaughey (11/4), Kris Jenner (11/5), Sally Field (11/6), Joni Mitchell (11/7), Gordon Ramsay (11/8), Eric Dane (11/9), Tracy Morgan (11/10), Leonardo DiCaprio (11/11), Anne Hathaway (11/12), Jimmy Kimmel (11/13), Josh Duhamel (11/14), Ed Asner (11/15), Lisa Bonet (11/16), Rachel McAdams (11/17), Owen Wilson (11/18), Jodi Foster (11/19), Joe Biden (11/20), Goldie Hawn (11/21), Scarlett Johansson (11/22), Robin Rene Roberts (11/23)

Trick or treat? There will be more treats than tricks for most signs this month. Although there will be bursts of energy and fun activities, we should also be mindful of our thoughts and feelings. Find time for meditation or yoga before the holidays make it so easy to procrastinate. We would do well to balance the whirlwind with deliberate moments of respite in between. The more we get lost in the constant doing is where we may lose sight of our responsibilities. Don't forget to attend to the small stuff too. This is a good period for charity and giving to worthwhile causes. 

Details for all of the signs...

'WAIT UNTIL DARK' AT THE GEFFEN A THEATRICAL THRILLER by Mark Share

Geffen's new production of the thriller Wait Until Dark is a great play for young people because they'll be scared--and that's not something they expect a live show to be able to do. Without giving much away, this play has about the best cat-and-mouse climax of any thriller, and Matt Shakman's direction worked, we know, because of the gasps and shrieks in the audience. Even if you've seen the Audrey Hepburn film or a prior production of the play, this tense production will make you feel the thrills all over again.

What makes this play rise above the usual thriller fare is the multiple conflicts the writer Frederick Knott invents. At the center is a blind woman terrorized in her basement apartment by three criminals. And Knott writes fights among the criminals too. There's doubt and mistrust between the blind woman and her husband. And then there is that unpredictable teen neighbor girl.

URBAN OASIS: ECHO PARK LAKE by Leena Deneroff

First I want to make it perfectly clear. I am NOT pretending I am still living in NY and tooling around Central Park. I totally own and take responsibility for being and living in Los Angeles.

So like you, I have to drive to a lot of places. And one of those places happens to be the newly restored ECHO PARK LAKE. After being closed for about 2 years, the Park reopened in August 2013, and I for one have taken refuge and full advantage of this urban oasis.

Just the walk around the lake could be enough. The Italians call it a passeggiata. Think about it folks. No need to power walk. Take it all in.

Blow off your cardio workout, break your routines and get right down here and rent a PEDAL BOAT for some good old fashion FUN. But be forewarned don’t paddle too close to the fountain lest you dig being wet and wild!

Did I forget to talk about FOOD? Me really???? Go inside the boathouse and there you will find the FOOD concession run by Square One. The price points are really good and fair here and Intelligentsia coffee is served.

There is an Organic Beef Hot Dog on a Whole Wheat Bun for $3.25 or $4.25 with Kraut and a Grass Fed Beef Burger on a brioche bun for $6.50. Swinging the other direction is a Kale Salad for 7 Bucks.

I spent a beautiful Sunday morning here scarfing away a yummy Egg Sandwich on Brioche Toast with Frisee, Heirloom Tomato and Aioli for $4.50 and parked my butt on a lake view bench.  I'm still watching those cals so I passed on the Brioche French Toast Bites with Maple Infused Cream. Next time I’ll run around the Lake first.

We’ve come a long way since the 1880’s and the City’s amazing restoration of Echo Park Lake is NOT to be missed. Seriously folks, get in your car and drive, if you are not an Eastside Hipster. And don’t be intimated by this hood. It works for EVERYBODY.

Echo Park Pedal Boats Concession

751 N Echo Park Ave Los Angeles 90026

Monday- Sunday 9AM-1/2 hour before Sunset

$10.00 per person/hour $5.00 per child/hour

Food Concession: Square One at the Boathouse

Open Mon-Sun 9-6

MORE INFORMATION

Tasty Pastry at Les Noces du Figaro by Andrea Kirk

This expansive French Bistro seems like it was just dropped from the sky into the middle of the 600 block of  Broadway in Downtown L.A.  I spotted this place early on a Sunday morning and decided to stop in for breakfast (they open at 8am). The pastries were as good as they looked. It is next door to the Palace Theatre and a couple of doors up from Clifton's Cafeteria (still being renovated).  They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and have a full bar, lounge and outside dining area.  Plus the walk up counter where you can order pastries and other items to go.

DAMN IS THIS GOOD! SINGLE ORIGIN COFFEE AND SHORT CAKE AT THE ORIGINAL FARMERS MARKET by Leena Deneroff

Award winning pastry chef Nancy Silverton has done it again. YES this IS the woman who created and brought us the ORIGINAL La Brea Bakery and the concept of sourdough artisan breads! This time she has opened SINGLE ORIGIN and SHORT CAKE in one stall at the Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax.

Damn is this good! Everything about this place works. It is an open bar in the old Farmers Market setting. Pastries and baked goods are being made right in front of your eyes and each VERVE coffee is pulled to perfection…smooth, rich, and bold without being bitter.

Coffee choice is a no brainer for me. I am a cappuccino girl and I only sit at the bar and drink from the real and beautifully designed ceramic cups. 

The challenge is what to EAT or dare I say what NOT to EAT. Often I come for a coffee and force myself to walk away as I am working diligently to knock off a few pounds. But as we all know, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl. Soooo here we go.

My two all time favorite things here are: