Mt. Lowe

Before the Station Fire, Mt. Lowe was one of the most beautiful areas in the local mountains. Those were the days. It was like a little corner of the Sierras about a half hour from Downtown Los Angeles. There are a number of trails leading to the top of Mt. Lowe. If you are interested in the scenic route, begin at the Cobb Estate/Lower Sam Merrill, continue on the Castle Canyon trail to Inspiration Point, then to the Campground and finally the summit. In the alternative, go up Angeles Crest Highway, turn right on Mt. Wilson Road and park your car at Mt. Lowe Saddle 2.1 miles up. This is the way to go if you are not an avid hiker or are with small children. From the saddle, walk through the beautiful CCC Era Stone Tunnel and take the East Trail to the Mt. Lowe summit. It is a suitable trail for children and dogs are permitted. The area used to be home to some nice oaks but since they burned, a bunch of Poodle Dog Brush and chaparral have popped up. The rock formations with the burned trees sticking out and the backdrop of the blue sky and the green meadow below are sublime. Wildflowers with beautiful shades of red are abundant at this time of the year. From the top of Mt. Lowe, there are some nice views of the Los Angeles Basin and Mt. San Antonio and San Gorgonio to the east. You will probably see Raven or Red-Tailed Hawk.

Harold And Belle's: A perfect restaurant if you like to eat big portions

You woke up one day and decided to throw in the towel. This is a great place to help you send your diet into the crapper. Face it, it takes a great deal of effort to exercise on a daily basis and even more effort to eat healthy. Don't worry, you are a real go-getter. You need grease for your brain and need to eat thousands of calories to maintain your girth. You need comfort food because it tastes so good and Harold and Belle's is like Paula Deen's country kitchen without the n-word. You need poor nutrition, and at least something from the fried group in each course. What a fine restaurant this place can be when you are ignoring your diet and trying to stop your heart. When the chef is in high gear, some of the best (and only) Creole dishes in Los Angeles will arrive on your table. On other days, when he is not doing so well, you might end up with an over-sized pile of fried shit that tastes like the fish dicks that they gave us in elementary school. I am fond of the red beans, jambalaya, and fried chicken wings. I usually get the perfect salad with fresh blue cheese dressing. My brother gets the clam chowder and swears by it. I have tasted it and can attest to its goodness. I find this to be a bargain at 23.00 because the portions are so enormous that it can feed a normal sized family of four for an entire year. I love the Etoufee with either shrimp or crawfish, and the fish Souzette is usually most enjoyable. The fried chicken here is deep fried to order and has a good amount of pepper in the flour and on the bird. If you were lucky enough to come here when the chef is doing well, you will be licking your fingers and cursing the Colonel. It can be as good as Dookie Chase in New Orleans when it shines, or it can also be just fair at times. One order of fried chicken is an entire bird or eight pieces. Eight fucking pieces of fried chicken. Fried oysters are really good, and the fried shrimp can be great, but can arrive cold sometimes. On the bright side, they give you a dozen oysters and maybe 8 fat shrimp. It would be difficult for a person of normal girth and width to finish the plate. Also, I once ordered a Sazerac Cocktail, and everyone looked at me like what the fuck did he say? Okay- if you are a bartender at a Creole restaurant you should know how to make a Sazerac Cocktail. At last, when you get here, take a look at the reinforced iron seating chairs with extra wide carriage. They have a capacity of 1/4 ton. You are going to need one of these if you become a regular here.