Zannee’s Blog at BargainsLA.com

Through most of the rest of this summer, my daughter is home… Yep, home and somewhat bored. So on days when she has no one to hang with or nothing to do, I try to take her interesting places.

Today I had very little time available, so a walk in the morining with me to get coffee and a run out to Highland Park in the afternoon was all I could muster. Specifically to hit famous pop and candy market, Galco’s.

I was craving a real, or as close to real as I could get, bottled Coca Cola and Shae wanted a crème soda. This place is soda heaven. Row upon row of dozens of types of cola, rootbeers, ales. Crème sodas, and even Sasparilla. So many different names and labels. Some from out of the country and some boutique (hard to find) USA brands.

But it was the candy selection that held my daughters focus. I had told her about old time candies that I had had when I was a kid, and here she could try one … anyone for just $.99

I showed her Look bars, Big Hunks, but it was the cigarette shaped gum that she wanted. So feeling totally politically incorrect, I told her she could have three boxes. After seeing Grandma suffer from Emphsyma, I am not worried about her ever smoking. We both smacked some around on the drive home… funny, it wasn’t as good as I remember.

As I write this I am sipping on a sugar cane sweetened Coca Cola in a bottle. It was as good as I remember. Regardless of how they market it, Coca Cola is better in a glass bottle. Cans be damned! I got Kevin a Saparilla and some Dads rootbeer and myself 4 bottles of sugar cane Coca Cola, Sasparilla and cream soda.

Most bottled sodas here run $1.50-$2, so this wasn’t a bargain run. But if you really want the best soda and are particular, this is the place to visit. This place is a serious throw back to the 1960’s. It’s totally refreshing from the outrageous soda and candy selections down to the conveyor belt at check out.

Galcos Soda Pop Stop
5702 York Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90042
323.255.7115

www.sodapopstop.com

Crescent City is dull and cold. A total bore. I had heard so many amazing stories about the scenic country side and towns on the Northern California Coast, that I had a vision of a city that didn’t exist.

Onward we drove thru spectacular Redwood forests and ocean scenery. The redwoods never cease to amaze and we took our time before ending up in Eureka. Again I had heard many stories of the amazing Victorian mansions and homes. I expected to see something unlike anywhere else.

Nope. Totally dull and underwhelming. Though a few spectacular Victorian do exist, one is a private club, most are poorly kept, subdivided into apartments with streets in need of maintenance and upkeep. Okay it’s a working community. I get it. But couldn’t somebody please mow the lawn or paint the exteriors occasionally?

We split pretty quick from the dull and dreary Northern California Coast scene. Sadly, we had to pass on some historical and scenic areas in North Central California because of the fires and ended up in San Jose, specifically at the weird Winchester House.

Okay, if you haven’t been there, you haven’t witnessed what happens to a women possessed. Stairs that lead to nowhere, obsession with the number thirteen, unfinished rooms…. That poor woman was a whack job. But the home has a lot of Victorian architectural details that I enjoyed.

From there we decided to head down to Paso Robles so we could see Hearst Castle. Paso Robles is another cool town that has its share of wine tasting, fine and funky restaurants along with fun shops to peruse. A neat launching point for a weekend away.

Hearst Castle was, as always, terrific. We haven’t been in 13 years and there are always new pieces of information to latch on to. But it is over so commercialized now that it diminishes the experience. However the indoor mosaic pool never disappoints. The coastline is stellar and the view even better.

After Hearst Castle, we headed into Solvang to see their July 4th Parade. Arriving late July 3rd, we scoped out the town for the usual Danish faire, but settled on dinner at the Chefs Touch. Part cooking school, part restaurant, you get to watch your meal being prepared on two large screen monitors or you can walk up to the open kitchen.

Honestly, I had the best pasta I have ever had anywhere. Really! Great wine selection, happy service. It was a delightful surprise. I never would have thought an innovative California style restaurant would be found in Solvang. This is such a great food and a great concept in a restaurant that I begged the chef to open one down here.

The July 4th parade was fun. A different sensibility is needed to appreciate it. I have never seen so many members of the Rotary Club or Kiwanis Club honored before. Tractors, horses, vintage cars, motorcycles, hay rides…. A terrific small town parade. Good fun all around.

After stuffing ourselves with pastry from Olsen Danish Bakery and marzipan chocolates from Ingeborg’s  www.ingeborgs.com we sauntered around the town, checking out shops for awhile.

We made it home just in time to catch the local fireworks at La Crescenta High School.  I day of laundry and answering emails proved finally I get more emails than anyone I know. I got so many that an e-mail box that is suppose to handle thousands was completely overloaded  and many of you got bounce backs. Sorry.

That will probably be our very last road trip until the price of gas comes down or we get an electric car. But it was worth every penny.

On Saturday morning I dragged my daughter to the Isabella Fiore Warehouse Sale. Though at most sales woman are well behaved, I warned her that she may see a side of women she hadn’t seen before. Very aggressive shopping… and if the right circumstances present itself it can turn into a full on fight. (The best one I ever saw was at a store closing liquidation sale in Beverly Hills).

I arrived at 8:40am to a line of over 50 women. It was a two day sale, which to me translated into a lot of stock that would be on sale. There were several bags I really loved, but I wasn’t set on any one bag. My daughter was just along for the ride. At 9:05 the line was over 100 strong and they let all of us in. Oops.

We were in the middle of the group and when we walked thru the door the throng of aggressive shoppers had already cleaned most the shelves bare. Women were accidentally slamming into other women with arms loaded with dozens of bags. It was so crowded I couldn’t even get to the shelving. So I slowly scanned the room. Nothing thrilling for me, but then I couldn’t see 90 % of the stock because of the throng of obsessed shoppers. I knew I now had to wait till the sorting and trading started taking place.

My daughter, who at this pointed hated being there, wandered over to the small leather goods area and found a wallet she liked. Cute as it was, I am not buying a 12 year old an $80 wallet when I can’t even get her to use the wallet she has. She went to put it back and that was when they brought out half a dozen pirate leather makeup cases. She grabbed one and some large woman apparently slapped her hand, took it out of my daughters hand and told her it was hers.

Now, I didn’t see the incident or a full fight would have taken place. I won’t fight over a thing… ever, but if some chick thinks she can bully my daughter and grabbed things out of her hand, those are fighting circumstances. But by the time my daughter made it back to me, it was all over. Plus she didn’t get a good look at the woman who did it. I had nothing to go on.

By now the initial aggressive push had tempered and the sorting, putting back and trading had begun. I tried to get the bag I really wanted, a large black & white tooled framed doctor’s bag.  But the woman who grabbed it first loved it as much as I did and there was only one. I didn’t get any of the handbags that I originally wanted but I did walk away with a really nice, leopard print pony hair and leather bag for $292 that originally retailed at $695. I think the best way to work this sale is either be the very first in line (arrive at 7:00am ) or show up an hour after opening.

To ease my daughter’s day I took her to the Grove to visit the American Girl store after the Isabella Fiore sale. She got an outfit for one of her dolls. I then let her eat anything she wanted to at the Farmers Market… Sushi, lemonade and fudge.  Opps!  She had a stomach ache the rest of the day.