747 Flies Into the Valley

What would the guys from “Swingers” do? Back in 1996, the movie’s characters could easily determine what kind of girl they were chatting up by her digits: Either 310, 213 or 818.

Twelve years later, just in the immediate region, we have 310, 213, 818, 323, 626, 562, 424… and soon, 747.

Nearly a decade after the 747 was introduced as a potential new San Fernando Valley area code, state utility officials approved it on Thursday. The good news for businesses: 747 will be an “overlay” code, which means new phone users in the 818 will be assigned it, but old 818 users can keep their number. (818 users will now have to dial the code in all cases, however.)

It might have made sense to separate Burbank and Glendale into 747 and keep the Los Angeles portions of the Valley with 818, but “overlay” area codes are gaining in popularity (such as 424, which now shares West Los Angeles with 310) as a way to placate businesses and consumers.

The 747 area code will be launched in March. If I were doing PR for the California Public Utilities Commission, I’d make sure the very first number went to the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.

Rate-A-Restaurant, #164 in a series

(Pic by Steven Pantazis.)

Restaurant: Kushiyu

Location: 18713 Ventura Blvd. (Tarzana)

Type of restaurant: Sushi

They stipulated: Kids are welcome — hell, half the tables had young ones there, so we weren’t too worried about bringing the little guy. Just try to keep them behaved. (The loud sound levels help drown out some of that.)

We stipulated: It was our friend Lizzy’s birthday, and she suggested sushi. It just so happened that we would be in West Hills on Sunday, while she was also in the West Valley looking at apartments. As you know, sushi joints dot Ventura Boulevard like coffee shops in Seattle. After a quick glance at the Chowhound and Yelp boards, Kushiyu — located in a strip mall off Yolanda on Ventura — seemed like a good pick.

What we ordered: Sushi & kushiyaki plate ($19.50); chicken and veggie plate (we needed this one for Evan; $16.50); special Asian roll, $13.50. Sushi included the basics — salmon, squid, shrimp, yellowtail, etc. Kushiyaki included chicken meat ball, lotus root, chicken breast w/citrus, fish, asparagus with pork, etc.

High point: Some of L.A.’s best sushi restaurants reside in strip malls. And while this isn’t among L.A.’s tops, it’s still a fine spot — and probably one of the better ones in the West Valley. The sushi was fresh without being too fishy (a complaint some Chowhound/Yelp readers gave Kushiya) and the skewered kushiyaki items were a hit with the BT.

Low point: Well, file this under both: You had to specifically order hot tea; in order to save a bit of money, I didn’t. Turns out it was free.

Overall impression: Well-designed dining room, and (thankfully) no wait, even though we showed up without a reservation on a busy Sunday night. Big enough that kids are welcome, and their noise blends in; not too big, though, that you get lost in the shuffle. Good service, and most importantly, good sushi and kushiyaki. Always nice to feed three people at a sushi restaurant for $55.

Chance we will go back: Don’t know how often we’ll make a point to hit sushi in the West Valley… but after reading more raves online over Kushiyu’s lemon roll, we may have to make the trip west on the 101.

For a complete list of our over 160 restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.

Rate-A-Restaurant, #164 in a series

(Pic by Steven Pantazis.)

Restaurant: Kushiyu

Location: 18713 Ventura Blvd. (Tarzana)

Type of restaurant: Sushi

They stipulated: Kids are welcome — hell, half the tables had young ones there, so we weren’t too worried about bringing the little guy. Just try to keep them behaved. (The loud sound levels help drown out some of that.)

We stipulated: It was our friend Lizzy’s birthday, and she suggested sushi. It just so happened that we would be in West Hills on Sunday, while she was also in the West Valley looking at apartments. As you know, sushi joints dot Ventura Boulevard like coffee shops in Seattle. After a quick glance at the Chowhound and Yelp boards, Kushiyu — located in a strip mall off Yolanda on Ventura — seemed like a good pick.

What we ordered: Sushi & kushiyaki plate ($19.50); chicken and veggie plate (we needed this one for Evan; $16.50); special Asian roll, $13.50. Sushi included the basics — salmon, squid, shrimp, yellowtail, etc. Kushiyaki included chicken meat ball, lotus root, chicken breast w/citrus, fish, asparagus with pork, etc.

High point: Some of L.A.’s best sushi restaurants reside in strip malls. And while this isn’t among L.A.’s tops, it’s still a fine spot — and probably one of the better ones in the West Valley. The sushi was fresh without being too fishy (a complaint some Chowhound/Yelp readers gave Kushiya) and the skewered kushiyaki items were a hit with the BT.

Low point: Well, file this under both: You had to specifically order hot tea; in order to save a bit of money, I didn’t. Turns out it was free.

Overall impression: Well-designed dining room, and (thankfully) no wait, even though we showed up without a reservation on a busy Sunday night. Big enough that kids are welcome, and their noise blends in; not too big, though, that you get lost in the shuffle. Good service, and most importantly, good sushi and kushiyaki. Always nice to feed three people at a sushi restaurant for $55.

Chance we will go back: Don’t know how often we’ll make a point to hit sushi in the West Valley… but after reading more raves online over Kushiyu’s lemon roll, we may have to make the trip west on the 101.

For a complete list of our over 160 restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.

In T-Mobile 411′s Alternate Universe, Valley Succession Succeeded

Wednesday night I was heading into the West Valley to meet up with the extended family for my brother-in-law’s birthday. One problem: I couldn’t remember if Maria said the Thai BBQ location we were meeting at was on Reseda, or where on Reseda.

So I called 411 on my Blackberry.

“411, city and state please,” the pre-recorded voice intoned.

“Los Angeles, California.”

Suddenly, a live voice came on: “Listing please.”

“Thai BBQ on Reseda.”

“Sorry, I have no listing for that. I have locations on Venice and on Hollywood,” she replied.

“Hmm, none in other parts of Los Angeles? Nothing in the 818 are code?” I asked.

“Sir, 818 is not part of Los Angeles.”

Ooh, dem’s fightin’ words. Of course, quite a huge chunk of Los Angeles is in the 818!

“No, 818 is in Los Angeles.”

She got testy. “Sir, I’m gonna need a city name.”

Ugh. I know what’s happening here; 411 considers neighborhoods like Northridge or Reseda as separate cities.

“OK, what cities do you have there?” I asked.

“Van Nuys, Reseda…”

“But, but, THAT’S LOS ANGELES!” I spit out.

“Sir, I’m going to transfer you to my supervisor.”

I ultimately just called the Thai BBQ in Hollywood and asked if they had a location on Reseda; they did, and gave me the address. Guess I should have just done that to begin with.

UPDATE: OK, just to be a city nerd, I tried another test. I called 411 and told ‘em I was looking for a Los Angeles phone number. “Barney’s Beanery, on Santa Monica.”

They gave it to me. IT’S IN WEST HOLLYWOOD, PEOPLE!

So here’s the recap. 411 won’t recognize parts of L.A. — Northridge, Reseda, etc. — as Los Angeles. Yet it does recognize West Hollywood — a completely separate city, unlike those Valley neighborhoods — as a part of Los Angeles. It’s an area code thing, I suppose. But still!

Thar She Blows

The Temporary Geyser of West Hills. Created, Friday, Nov. 23. Ended, Friday, Nov. 23.

Whatever caused it (car hitting a fire hydrant the most obvious guess), the nearby homes and cars were pounded by what would have been a equivalent of a torrential rain pour.

Somebody alert the DWP Drought Busters. Sadly, whatever good that initiative may do in curbing water usage was probably balanced out by this massive waste of water. Sigh.

Change My Area Code, Please!

(Graphic by L.A. Times.)

Area code changes are generally less popular than root canals, as phone customers — particularly businesses — dread having to inform everyone of the change and spend money on new stationery.

That’s why state regulators ultimately added a 424 area code “overlay” to the 310 region, rather than splitting it in half. Now, the debate is about to begin on what to do with the 818, which is about to run out of numbers: Split in half, or overlay?

In this case, however, the new area code is kinda cool: 747.

Yeah, like a jumbo jet. Given the sometimes negative Valley connotation associated with “818″ (remember “Swingers”?), I’d think there’d be some people who wouldn’t mind getting the cool, sleek “747″ area code.

According to the L.A. Times, should the 818 be split in half, the west half (including Encino and Sherman Oaks) would get the new “747,” so we’d still be stuck with 818 in Glendale. (I’d think it would make more sense to keep Burbank, Glendale and San Fernando in one area code, since they’re not a part of L.A., and then the Los Angeles city portion of the Valley in another code. Makes too much sense, I guess.)

I do find it too bad that distinct area codes are going away, and what was once a geographic identifier is no longer. With so many area codes out there now, it’s impossible to tell where people are calling from.

The paper writes:

With the rise in cellphones, Blackberrys and fax machines, and phone service offered over the Internet, they say the need for new numbers is exploding.

And the 818 — which was formed in 1984 from the 213 — is rapidly running out of numbers. Area codes have 792 prefixes, each with 10,000 phone numbers available. The 818 now has 61 prefixes left.

Officials with the North American Numbering Plan Administration, a contract agency of the Federal Communications Commission that monitors area codes, expect the 818 code to be depleted of numbers by late 2009. Similar problems exist in other Southern California suburbs, and officials are deciding whether to split or overlay the 714 (northern and western Orange County) and 760 (northern San Diego County) area codes.

Before 1984, all of the area was under 213. Actually, it wasn’t even that long ago (ten years) that living in West Hollywood, my area code was 213.

Change My Area Code, Please!

(Graphic by L.A. Times.)

Area code changes are generally less popular than root canals, as phone customers — particularly businesses — dread having to inform everyone of the change and spend money on new stationery.

That’s why state regulators ultimately added a 424 area code “overlay” to the 310 region, rather than splitting it in half. Now, the debate is about to begin on what to do with the 818, which is about to run out of numbers: Split in half, or overlay?

In this case, however, the new area code is kinda cool: 747.

Yeah, like a jumbo jet. Given the sometimes negative Valley connotation associated with “818″ (remember “Swingers”?), I’d think there’d be some people who wouldn’t mind getting the cool, sleek “747″ area code.

According to the L.A. Times, should the 818 be split in half, the west half (including Encino and Sherman Oaks) would get the new “747,” so we’d still be stuck with 818 in Glendale. (I’d think it would make more sense to keep Burbank, Glendale and San Fernando in one area code, since they’re not a part of L.A., and then the Los Angeles city portion of the Valley in another code. Makes too much sense, I guess.)

I do find it too bad that distinct area codes are going away, and what was once a geographic identifier is no longer. With so many area codes out there now, it’s impossible to tell where people are calling from.

The paper writes:

With the rise in cellphones, Blackberrys and fax machines, and phone service offered over the Internet, they say the need for new numbers is exploding.

And the 818 — which was formed in 1984 from the 213 — is rapidly running out of numbers. Area codes have 792 prefixes, each with 10,000 phone numbers available. The 818 now has 61 prefixes left.

Officials with the North American Numbering Plan Administration, a contract agency of the Federal Communications Commission that monitors area codes, expect the 818 code to be depleted of numbers by late 2009. Similar problems exist in other Southern California suburbs, and officials are deciding whether to split or overlay the 714 (northern and western Orange County) and 760 (northern San Diego County) area codes.

Before 1984, all of the area was under 213. Actually, it wasn’t even that long ago (ten years) that living in West Hollywood, my area code was 213.

Saving the Wat Thai Buddhist Temple Food Court

Last year we took you to the Wat Thai Buddhist Temple in the Valley, where a row of food vendors serve up cheap and tasty grinds. Unfortunately, the food court is now threatened, and may have already even served its last dish.

The Militant Angeleno headed to the Wat Thai this weekend to do some research — and indeed, it looks like the food court is in trouble. He snapped this shot:

and learned, via one of his “reputable operatives in the Thai community,” that several factors are working against the food court:

First, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has recently made their annual inspection and will shut down the food court due to its findings. But the Militant’s operative said such closures are normally only temporary…

The second issue was general complaints from the neighborhood regarding noise, traffic and loitering, which is interesting since Van Noord Ave., the residential cul-de-sac directly behind the temple, is home to not only temple members, but most of the temple’s monks. The Militant’s operative said that Wat Thai has worked hard to address the complaints of the neighborhood…

The third issue was not directly related to the food court, but did make P.R. matters much worse for the temple, obviously attributed to bad timing. The Militant’s operative also mentioned that the LAPD is currently investigating allegations by children at the temple of sexual abuse directed at a male volunteer (none of the temple’s monks were named), who is a married undocumented immigrant (and could thusly face deportation regardless of whether the charges stand or not).

The Militant said it sounded like last weekend’s food court may have been the last for a while… here’s hoping it makes a return as these issues are sorted out.

Westfield to Caruso: Boo-Ya!

Remember my April Fool’s joke about Rick Caruso taking over the Budweiser plant in Van Nuys to build a new open air mall? (Yes, it was a joke.)

Well, this one isn’t: The Daily News reports that Westfield will construct a new $750 million outdoor retail complex that will connect the close-by-but-not-quite-connected Topanga and Promenade malls in the Valley.

The new mega center could be Southern California’s largest, as the paper writes:

The Village in Warner Center will include a 300-room, four-star hotel, 150 condominiums and apartments, offices, and 550,000 square feet of shops and restaurants.

At 3.8 million square feet, the three-mall behemoth – including its hotel and residences – will be larger than South Coast Plaza in Orange County and Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance.

“It will create a heart for this whole district,” said Ken Wong, president of Australia-based Westfield’s operations in the United States.

Construction is expected to start in two years. When finished, The Village could draw 10 million visitors a year – in addition to the 15 million who visit Topanga each year and the 9 million who stop by the Promenade.

Somewhere, Rick Caruso is plotting his revenge.

Around the Blog-LA-Sphere

(Left: Pic by Carmyarmyofme. Right: Pic by Will Campbell.)

Will Campbell at blogging.la discovers that the paddleboats at MacArthur Park and Echo Park are in danger, even as City Councilman Eric Garcetti attempts to save them:

“We were told a few months ago that the paddleboat operations at MacAurthur Park and Echo Park run at a deficit,” (Garcetti field deputy Kabira Stokes)Hochberg said. “They’ve never been a sustainable operation. It costs about $104,000 a year to operate both programs and here at Echo Park they make $19,000.”
…
Recreation and Parks Deparment budget cuts torpedoed any chance of funding the operations, and thus the paddleboats at both lakes are slated to be drydocked indefinitely at the end of this month.
…
“There are some monies that we have out in other parks in Council District 13 that won’t actually be used this year so we’re looking to transfer those,” she said.

Which means the boats will most likely float on, for now. But as to their long-term future, that’s pretty much adrift.

Great reporting by Will. I can’t imagine those parks without their signature paddle boats — surely there must be a way to keep them going. It’s odd that this is happening just as both parks have grown much more safe — for activities like paddle boating.

Curbed L.A. discovers possibly the creepiest Craigslist room-for-rent posting of all times. A sample:

So, if you’re stuck with no place to go and don’t mind a creative, attractive male vs. a refrigerator carton as a companion, please email me. I’m a writer and artist. Former model years ago. Intelligent, sane, in shape and considerate. Please send a photo and describe yourself. Tell me what you want/need… Please be serious and reliable. In return, shall make you the most special person in my life.

All together now: Ewww.

The LA City Nerd emailed us today, to spread the word about plans to tear down Van Nuys’ oldest surviving house. Sadly, it was already too late. According to the Daily News, developers tore it down this morning in spite of (or more likely, because of) protests from preservationists:

The home was built in 1911 prior to a land auction to boost the original settlement of Van Nuys. It’s status as a possible landmark was to have been considered by the Cultural Heritage Commission on July 12.

Real estate developer Merabi & Sons of Van Nuys bought the property for $1 million with plans to build condominiums. Three days after the house was nominated as a landmark, the developer obtained a permit to demolish the home.

Here in Van Nuys has the sad, sad pictures.

An overdue congrats to Pat Saperstein and EatingLA for winning the L.A. Press Club award for Best Individual Blog. Delicious!