November 2020 Family Events

There are some fun and socially distant events throughout the month of November and we will be rounding them up every week. Grab your quarantine pod and go on a COVID safe adventure!

WonderLAnd

When: November 30, 2020 – December 30, 2020

Where: Westfield Promenade – Topanga Canyon

For a few weeks this winter, Woodland Hills is turning into the North Pole. The crafty team behind the sold-out Haunt’Oween is bringing us WonderLAnd next, flipping its jack-o-lantern tunnels and spooky surprises into a drive-thru holiday experience that involves millions of Christmas lights, a holiday-tree forest, and even an appearance by Santa. Throughout most of December, the site of the former Westfield Promenade (6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd) will go snowy, tinseled, and festive with immersive holiday-themed installations and even a few elves. The colorful event will be family-friendly, and entry is priced per car.

Holidays in Your Car

When: November 22, 2020 to Jan 2, 2021

Where: Ventura County Fairgrounds

It’s hosted drive-in movies and concerts, and now the Ventura County Fairgrounds is adding another car-friendly series to its lineup: Christmas lights. Starting November 22, Holidays In Your Car will, well, do exactly that and bring some seasonal festivities into a drive-thru setting. The mile-and-a-half-long trail includes millions of LEDs, laser light shows, and projections all set to holiday tunes. Timed tickets cost $49 for a vehicle with up to four people in it and $64 for five or more passengers. And if you’re farther south, lookout for a similar event at the Del Mar Fairgrounds starting December 5.

Street Food Cinema

Where: King Gilette Ranch, Santa Monica Mountains

When: November 14, 2020 – December 12, 2020

Outdoor movie season isn’t canceled—it’s just headed to the drive-in. Seasonal fave Street Food Cinema is making some social-distancing–friendly tweaks to its schedule and parking itself at a few locations for drive-in movie screenings. There are some important rules you’ll need to follow: Guests must remain in their vehicles (except for when going to the restrooms or food trucks) and wear masks when interacting with staff. Cars must park one space apart from each other. And though outside food and beverages are permitted, dogs are not.

The Elf on the Shelf’s Magical Holiday Journey

Where: Fairplex, Pomona

When: November 12, 2020 – January 3, 2021

From November 12 through January 3, you’ll be able to drive through the Elf on the Shelf’s Magical Holiday Journey at Pomona’s Fairplex. The hourlong experience is set to include all sorts of glittering holiday scenes (conjured up by Broadway set designer David Korins), like a toy workshop, gingerbread village, and “Santa’s magical grotto” (for which, uh, we have some questions). And of course, there’ll be a drive-through gift shop at the end.

South Coast Botanic Garden’s GLOW

Where: South Coast Botanic Garden

When: November 21, 2020 – January 10, 2021

Take a twinkly walkthrough South Coast Botanic Garden during this illuminated, after-hours installation, which kicks off just before Thanksgiving and runs until after New Year’s. Since it’s the first time the Palos Verdes Peninsula garden is staging GLOW, we don’t know what exactly to expect. But we are told that the rose garden, banyan grove, desert collection, and the living wall (a vertical assembly of succulents and ferns) will all be illuminated with thousands of twinkling lights and casts of color. It’ll all be set to an electronic soundtrack created for the event by DJ Jerzy, plus an, uh, eclectic mix of tunes that makes room for Baja surf music, Train and Vivaldi.

November 9, 2020

Economic Update For The Week Ending November 7, 2020

October Job gains beat expectations -The Department of Labor Statistics reported that the U.S. economy added 638,000 new jobs in October. The unemployment rate dropped to 6.9% in October from 7.9% in September. These numbers beat analysts’ expectations of 530,000 new jobs and an unemployment rate of 7.7%. It should also be noted that private employers added 906,000 jobs, but 268,000 government jobs were lost in October. That included 147,000 census workers that were hired to complete the census count, which is now concluded.

Stock markets posted their highest weekly gain in six months – Stock markets soared this week erasing most of their losses suffered over the last three weeks. Strong data outweighed COVID concerns as investors pushed up stock prices. Retail sales, housing sales, industrial output, and corporate earnings all exceeded expectations. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 28,343.40, up 6.9% from 26,501.60 last week. It’s down 0.8% year-to-date. The S&P 500 closed the week at 3,509.44, up 7.3% from 3,269.96 last week. It’s up 8.6% year-to-date. The NASDAQ closed the week at 11,895.23, up 9.0% from 10,911.59 last week. It’s up 32.6% year-to-date.

U.S. Treasury bond yields – The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 0.83%, down from 0.88% last week. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 1.60% down from 1.66% last week. We watch bond yields because mortgage rates often follow treasury bond yields.

Mortgage rates – The November 5, 2020, Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate average was 2.78%, down from 2.81% last week. The 15-year fixed was 2.32%, unchanged from 2.32% last week. The 5-year ARM was 2.89%, almost unchanged from 2.88% last week.

November 5, 2020

November 2020 Events

There are some fun and socially distant events throughout the month of November. Grab your quarantine pod and go on a COVID safe adventure!

Poolside Dinner and a Movie Series at L.A. Live

Where: LA Live

When: November 6, 2020 – November 14, 2020

We might be passing go-in-the-pool season, but sit-by-the-pool season isn’t going anywhere. You can do just that—and eat dinner and watch a movie while you’re at it—during this poolside screening series at Downtown’s JW Marriott. Each $45 reservation includes one appetizer or snack, one entrée and unlimited popcorn.

Street Food Cinema

Where: King Gilette Ranch, Santa Monica Mountains

When: November 14, 2020 – December 12, 2020

The Elf on the Shelf’s Magical Holiday Journey

Where: Fairplex, Pomona

When: November 12, 2020 – January 3, 2020

South Coast Botanic Garden’s GLOW

Where: South Coast Botanic Garden

When: November 21 2020 – January 10 2021

Take a twinkly walk through South Coast Botanic Garden during this illuminated, after-hours installation, which kicks off just before Thanksgiving and runs until after New Year’s. Since it’s the first time the Palos Verdes Peninsula garden is staging GLOW, we don’t know what exactly to expect. But we are told that the rose garden, banyan grove, desert collection, and the living wall (a vertical assembly of succulents and ferns) will all be illuminated with thousands of twinkling lights and casts of color. It’ll all be set to an electronic soundtrack created for the event by DJ Jerzy, plus an, uh, eclectic mix of tunes that makes room for Baja surf music, Train and Vivaldi.

November 5, 2020

LA & Valley Eats: Comfort Food

With the world’s current events, it is safe to say we are all looking for a little comfort. May that be through listening to music, petting your dog, watching a show, or eating food that brings you comfort! We have rounded up some of our favorite restaurants for delivery of delicious comfort food.

Teddy’s Red Tacos – South Los Angeles & Echo Park

This Tijuana-style taco truck (and their brick-and-mortar spot in Venice) will give you a life-affirming assortment of cheese-encrusted molitas, quesadillas, tostadas, pozole, and birria-stuffed tacos, plus, an 8 oz. cup of consomme. Their South LA and Echo Park trucks are only available for pick-up, and Teddy’s Red Tacos’ Venice location is available via various delivery platforms.

Badmaash – West Hollywood & DTLA

Chicken Tikka Poutine– Salty, savory, and covered in cheese curds, this dish from Badmaash is basically Priority Mail heaven-sent. Yes, it’s as messy and caloric as it sounds, but when something tastes this good, who even cares? Plus, the rest of their menu, from saag paneer to chili cheese naan, is also available to-go. Both locations of Badmaash (Fairfax and Downtown) are available for takeout and delivery via various platforms.

Papa Cristo’s Catering & Greek Taverna – Westlake & Koreatown

Part-deli, part-bakery, part-Greek grocer, Papa Cristo’s is, to borrow a very niche industry term, a “triple threat.” And while we can no longer loiter like truant teenagers in their spacious dining hall, even to-go, their fantastic Greek food is still good for almost any occasion, like a quick lunch, celebratory dinner, or for when you glanced at a calendar then accidentally thought “What is time, really?” for, like, way too long. So order some moussaka, “spanakopita” pizza, and double the amount of saganaki (fried cheese) you think you can eat. Papa Cristo’s Greek Grill is available for takeout and delivery, call (323) 737-2970 or find them on various delivery platforms.

Petit Trois – Sherman Oaks

Now that they’ve transitioned into a market, for the time being, Petit Trois le Valley has all sorts of well-curated goods for sale, like Comté cheese, Madagascar green peppercorns, and rose-infused vodka. But whenever life seems to be full of constant anguish, there’s no better way to go full Sartre than with their pre-made French foods. From escargot to apple tarts to kits full of ingredients to recreate their legendary Big Mec (one of our favorite burgers in LA), this incredible Sherman Oaks restaurant still has everything you need for an existential spiral – all of which you can now enjoy from your own home. Petit Trois is available for takeout and delivery, preorder through their website.

Brents Deli – Northridge & Westlake Village

This iconic Jewish deli has been serving The Valley since the ’60s and has over 650 dishes on its menu that are guaranteed to bring you back from any existential spiral. The matzo ball soup is a must, the stuffed cabbage is too, and make sure to get at least one order of their black pastrami Reuben – served on rye and topped with crunchy sauerkraut and house-made Russian dressing, this massive sandwich can go head-to-head with any pastrami in town, and most importantly, can be served with curly fries. Both their Westlake and Northridge locations are available for takeout and delivery, call (805) 557-1882 or (818) 886-5679, or find them on various delivery platforms.

November 5, 2020

Streaming: November Releases

Check out November’s streaming releases– coming to your couch… near you! From action to comedies to holiday films, we have you covered.

Bombshell

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime

Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie star in this film which offers a fictionalized look at life at Fox News under the leadership of the late Roger Ailes.

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square

Where to Watch: Netflix

A rich and nasty woman returns to her small hometown after her father’s death to evict everyone and sell the land to a mall developer — right before Christmas. This holiday film features 14 original songs with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton.

I Am Greta

Where to Watch: Hulu

The story of Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teen leading the global school strike for action on climate change.

James May Oh Cook!

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime

James May is not a chef. But that’s the whole point: you don’t need to be a brilliant cook to make delicious food. Transporting us to the Far East, the Med, and the local pub — all from the comfort of a home economist’s kitchen — he’ll knock up delicious recipes that you can actually make yourself.

Marvel’s 616

Where to Watch: Marvels 616

This anthology series explores Marvel’s rich legacy of pioneering characters, creators, and storytelling to reflect the world outside your window.

November 3, 2020

Home Tips: Fall Closet Hacks

Even though Californians don’t need to brace themselves for a cold season with plush sweaters and puffer coats, a new season comes with a new wardrobe. Time to put away your denim shorts and sundresses. However, this does not mean cramming stained or unloved items into a box and stowing them away under your bed.

For clothes to look their best—and to ensure they last for seasons to come—it’s important to prep and store them the right way. Here, we’ve rounded up a few tips for sorting out the items you don’t want, cleaning the ones you do, storing them in a way that won’t ruin them, and unpacking your in-season wardrobe no matter what time of year it is.

Follow these tips to seamlessly transition your wardrobe from warm weather to cold and back again.

Spruce Up Your Shoes

Be vigilant with your shoes. Mucky sandals will rub off on other items and packing away smelly sneakers is a recipe for disaster. Use a soft bristle brush to rub off any caked-on dirt, then clean the shoes with detergent and water, baby wipes, or with a cleaner made specifically for the material. Check the brand’s website as most provide detailed cleaning instructions.

Donate, Recycle, or Resell Unwanted Items

While it’s still fresh in your mind, sort out the old or unwanted items. Not loving that shirt or bathing suit anymore? Find a new home for it. Clothing free of stains, holes, or rips can be donated or sold. The rest can be dropped off at textile recyclers—if your local community doesn’t have one, H&M and other stores will take them off your hands, and some might even give you a discount on future purchases. In any case, you should wash and remove stains beforehand. Once you’ve gone through your collection, you’ll most likely have a lot less to store.

Store Clothing in a Dry, Dark Space

Storing your out-of-season clothes in a clean, unused suitcase is a great use of space, as is sticking them in attractive storage containers on the upper shelves of your closet. In order to prevent delicate dresses and blouses from getting crushed, hang them in a single garment bag to keep them protected and contained. Never store the item in a dry-cleaning bag as they trap in moisture.

Unpack In-Season Clothes

If you didn’t do a thorough review of your winter wardrobe last year, do it before putting the clothes back in your closet. Check for stains and tears, and determine whether someone else might get more use out of the items. Utilize Marie Kondo’s “spark-joy” test to make sure you are keeping items for the right reason. If you’re cramming your coats and boots back into your closet, it might be time to give something up.

November 2, 2020

Economic Update For The Week Ending October 31, 2020

Stock markets -Stocks dropped drastically this week as COVID-19 cases have spiked in almost every state. The largest drops occurred Thursday in a reaction to France, and Germany initiated lockdowns. Investors do not feel that the U.S. will go back to shutting down the economy but do fear that the re-opening will stall, and it will take longer than expected to return to normal. They also believe that Europe’s shutdown will severely affect their economy which was recovering from shutdowns earlier in the year. Congress’ failure to pass another round of stimulus also was a drag on stocks this month, but investors still feel certain that a large stimulus package will be passed after the election. This did not have the effect that the increase in COVID-19 cases had. It should be noted that third-quarter corporate profits have been extremely strong, and the third quarter preliminary GDP increased 33.1% on an annualized basis from the second quarter when much of the country was under shut down. The output is still below one year ago, but we have been on the right track. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 26,501.60, down 6.5% from 28,335.67 last week. It’s down 7.1% year-to-date. The S&P 500 closed the week at 3,269.96, down 5.6%from 3,465.39 last week. It’s up 1.2% year-to-date. The NASDAQ closed the week at 10,911.59, down 5.4%from 11,548.58 last week. It’s up 21.6% year-to-date.

U.S. Treasury bond yields – The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 0.88%, up from 0.85% last week. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 1.65% almost unchanged from 1.64% last week. We watch bond yields because mortgage rates often follow treasury bond yields.

Mortgage rates – The October 29, 2020, Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate average was 2.81%, unchanged from 2.80% last week. The 15-year fixed was 2.32%, almost unchanged from 2.33% last week. The 5-year ARM was 2.88%, almost unchanged from 2.87% last week.

U.S. Existing-home sales soared in September – The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales in September rose 6.4% month-over-month from August and rose 21% year-over-year from the number of homes sold in September 2019. The median price paid for a home increased 15% from one year ago. The inventory level in the United States was 1.47 million homes, a 2.7-month supply. That is a record low.

November 2, 2020

Economic Update For The Month Ending October 31, 2010

Stock markets -Stocks soared in the first three weeks of the month but collapsed in the final ten days, as COVID-19 cases spiked in the U.S. and Europe. Stocks dropped drastically after France, and Germany initiated lockdowns. Investors do not feel that the U.S. will go back to shutting down the economy but do fear that the re-opening will stall, and it will take longer than expected to return to normal. They also believe that Europe’s shutdown will severely affect their economy which was recovering from shutdowns earlier in the year. Congress’ failure to pass another round of stimulus also was a drag on stocks this month, but investors still feel certain that a large stimulus package will be passed after the election. This did not have the effect that the increase in COVID-19 cases had. It should be noted that third-quarter corporate profits have been extremely strong, and the third quarter preliminary GDP increased by 33.1% on an annualized basis from the second quarter when much of the country was under shut down. The output is still below one year ago, but we have been on the right track. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the month at 26,501.60, down 4.6% from 27,781.70 last month. It is down 7.1% year-to-date. The S&P 500 closed the month at 3,269.96, down 0.1% from 3,263.01 last month. It is up 1.2% year-to-date. The NASDAQ closed the week at 10,911.59, down 6.5% from 11,167.31 last month. It is up 21.6% year-to-date

U.S. Treasury bond yields – The 10-year treasury bond closed the month yielding 0.88%, up from 0.69%, last month. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the month at 1.65%, up from 1.46% last month.

Mortgage rates – The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey released on October 29, 2020, reported mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate average was 2.81%, down from 2.88% last month. The 15-year fixed was 2.32%, down slightly from 2.36% last month. The 5-year ARM was 2.88, almost unchanged from 2.90% last month.

The U.S. economy added 661,000 jobs in September – The Department of Labor Statistics reported that employers added 661,000 jobs in September. Analysts expected 800,000 new jobs, so this number was quite a bit below expectations. This represented a slowing in the pace of the job’s recovery, as over 1.3 million jobs were added in August. The unemployment rate dropped to 7.9% in September. It was 8.4% in August.

Home sales are released in the third week of the month for the previous month. These are September’s numbers.

September California Home Sales Report – The California Association of Realtors reported that existing, single-family home sales totaled 489,590 on an annualized basis in September. That represented a month over month increase of 5.2.% from August and a staggering year over year increase of 21.2%from the number of homes sold in September 2019. Usually, because of seasonal adjustments, home sales begin to cool in September, but this September marked the highest monthly number of homes sold in over a decade. The median price paid for a home in California was $712,430, up 17.6% from the median price last September. Inventory levels were lower than one year ago. There was just a two-month supply of homes for sale in September.

On a regional level, the median price paid for a home was sharply higher than one year ago. The year-over-year increases were as follows: LA County’s median price was $747,380, up 12.7% from last September. Ventura County’s median price was $787,500, up 19.5% from last September. Orange County’s median price was $915,000, up 10.2% from last September.

October 29, 2020

Streaming: Netflix Halloween Movies With The Family

With all of us spending Halloween indoors, a great movie with the family with some candy treats sounds like a great alternative to celebrate Halloween and get some themed family time in! Check out these Netflix movies that are fun and entertaining for the kids and the family!

The Addams Family

They’re creepy and they’re kooky, all right! Perhaps the most classic family Halloween film on the streaming platform is The Addams Family, the film about America’s favorite family filled with supremely spooky characters. This supernatural black comedy first brought the 1960s television comedy to the big screen; and with supreme casting choices including Raul Julia as Gomez, Anjelica Huston as Morticia, Christina Ricci as Wednesday and Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester, The Addams Family cements itself as one of the all-time best Halloween movies for people of all ages.

Goosebumps

R.L. Stine’s creepiest characters come to life in Goosebumps, the supernatural adventure film based on the hair-raising book series of the same name. Starring Jack Black as Stine himself, the spooky film follows the adventures of a group of teens who accidentally unleash the monsters from the books into the real world, terrorizing the local town. It is up to the kids and Dylan Minnette and Odeya Rush, Goosebumps is a family-friendly flick that perfectly honors the highly-acclaimed novels from which this movie was born.

Hubie Halloween

This year’s Halloween comedy film is Hubie Halloween, a classic Adam Sandler comedy with a timely spooky twist. The movie centers on Hubie (Sandler), an eccentric who voluntarily spends every Halloween dedicated to keeping his fellow townspeople of Salem safe. The constant recipient of both malicious and goodnatured pranks, the skittish Hubie has established himself as the laughingstock of town and a major thorn in the police’s side. So when an inmate at a nearby psychiatric hospital breaks loose, it is up to Hubie to overcome his many fears save the town he loves. Also starring Julie Bowen, Steve Buscemi, Maya Rudolph and more, Hubie Halloween is the fantastically-terrible — or maybe terribly-fantastic — film that Sandler promised he would deliver all those months ago.

The Spiderwick Chronicles

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a fantasy film about three siblings who move with their mother from their home in New York to the dilapidated house of their peculiar great, great uncle. And like every house previously owned by a weird old uncle, it turns out to be the home to mysterious and magical creatures. From trolls to goblins and evil fairies, The Spiderwick Chronicles is film is geared towards children, but we still advise you air on the cautious side and keep the lights on while watching with your little ones.

Paranorman

Fans of the stop-motion animation film Coraline are sure to enjoy ParaNorman, the next movie in the Laika film family. This dark fantasy comedy horror film centers on Norman: a young boy who can see dead people and converses with his grandmother and local ghosts on the regular. But while he uses his supernatural skill to socialize with the dead, he has a very difficult time interacting with the living. So when his wacky old uncle warns him of a 300-year-old witch’s curse that is destined to strike, Norman must convince his friends and family to help him save their Massachusetts town. Filled with witches, ghosts and zombies galore, ParaNorman is a frightening family flick that is well-suited for Halloween festivities.

October 29, 2020

LA & Valley Eats: Candy Shops

With Halloween looking a little different this year, we have decided to round up some of our favorite candy shops in LA and the Valley for you and the kids to adventure to this weekend!

Dylan’s Candy Bar

Where: 6333 W 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Whimsical candy shop offering a wide selection of chocolates & novelties plus personalized gifts.

John Kelly Chocolates

Where: 1508 N Sierra Bonita, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Boutique chocolatier specializing in handmade items such as truffle fudge & walnut-caramel clusters.

It’s Sugar!

Where: 1000 Universal City Plaza, Universal City 91608

Colorful retail chain offering classic & oversized candy, plus apparel, accessories & novelty gifts.

Sweet Tooth Fairy Custom Candy Buffets

Where: 12213 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604

The Sweet Tooth Fairy is a fresh daily, gourmet bakery, specializing in all things sweet – from cupcakes to cookies to cakes and just about everything in between!

See’s Candy

Where: 14006 Riverside Dr, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

Candies & chocolates are sold by the piece or box at this old-school chain, in business since 1921.

Godiva

Where: 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Canoga Park, CA 91303

Veteran chain specializing in gourmet Belgian chocolates, truffles, cocoa & other sweet gift items.