The Tournament of Roses Parade is fast approaching and you better hurry over to Colorado Boulevard for prime seating. Although we are still a week away from celebrating the New Year, the streets of Pasadena fill faster than a homeless shelter giving away Prime Rib.

Only once in my lifetime did I join the overnight crew that awaits the parade stuck to sidewalk pavement. Based on that experience, I don’t plan on showing up till the day of!

This is the 118th annual parade and the theme is “Our Good Nature.” George Lucas is going to be the Grand Marshall and the 89th Rose Queen, Mary McCluggage, will be flaunting her patented wave throughout the 5.5 mile route.

Note: Restrooms are a luxury and if you find one it will most likely be an outhouse.

From the pits of hell (ok maybe it wasn’t that bad). The winter in LA is reminding me of that of Maine.

Nevertheless, I walked through that Metro tunnel at 10:30pm and ended up in 30 degree-weather. Fortunately, the hot chocolate lady was waiting for me.

This blog might not make sense tonight, but I am still cold. So bare with me, please!!!

Leave your worries behind and table the world’s woes for an hour while you enjoy healthy and affordable fare at The Good Earth in Studio City. I recommend the hearty breakfast menu during afternoon hours for those looking to cure a Saturday night concoction of lingering fun. Oatmeal cookies are face size and worth every raisin.

Getting to know the source…

Many of LA’s major publications, including the LA Times, use a Web site entitled Daily Candy as a fashion resource. It is a free daily e-mail newsletter and is geared specifically to markets in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, London, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Philadelphia, Miami and Seattle.

I do not consider myself a fashion guru, but I’m learning more and more everyday about the LA culture by reading www.dailycandy.com

Read my latest article about LA’s Free Top Ten Attractions on GoNomad by clicking here

So you get a Zagat rating and you raise the price of pasta. Is that how it works these days?

I remember a few years ago when filling up my stomach at Mazzarino’s didn’t cost the same as my fuel tank. However, once that Zagat decal was placed on this mom-and-pop restaurant in the Valley, Chicken Rolatina began being served with Andrew Jackson’s face on it.

Nonetheless, the breadsticks are to-die-for and worth every Lincoln (penny).

http://www.mazzarinositalianrestaurant.net/

Heading to this hotspot tonight won’t be difficult, that is unless your name isn’t on the list. Even so, you never know what high-profile celeb might be lining up to make a grand entrance; only to make everyone else wait in the unusually cold LA winter weather.

According to Hollywood Life Magazine, “This still-trendy nightspot–the site of the after-party for the premiere of Vince’s Head On in episode 1–is a magnet for party-circuit celebs like Paris Hilton, Ashlee Simpson and Hugh Hefner.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m praying Britney makes an appearance in her newfound fashion.

If you have never seen this car, you have between now and December 10 to get to the LA Auto Show and view the Spyker first hand.

For a $10 entrance fee and a $1.25 Metro fare, the Dutch-made sports car will be within your sights. And for $250,000, it can be in your garage.

There are more than 100 vehicles making their debut at the LA Auto Show and the Spyker happened to be my personal favorite. If you visit or know of a car that you think is more powerful, exciting and as easy on the eyes, let me know. Domestic need not apply.

Los Angeles might be known for its palm trees, but what most people don’t know is that these trees ain’t native.

Our neighbors to the south have not only graced our presence in the human form, Mexican fan palms have absorbed much of our city’s landscape.

“But as it turns out, palm trees, particularly Mexican fan palms, feature big, spiky fronds that fall off the trees in the Santa Ana winds that sweep through in winter. The palms clonk cars, and occasionally pedestrians, said city officials, who also say that palm trees do not clean as much carbon monoxide from the air as do shadier trees.”

The New York Times recently featured an article about our $600,000 palm tree upkeep, that they see as being unnecessary. I beg to differ…these trees are as much a part of our social makeup as our Spanish-speaking comrades.

I’m already giving up an immense amount of money to the federal and state governments; I would at least like to have a little aesthetic beauty available to me on my commute to pay Uncle Sam.

Que locura!

Only two hours outside of LA and less than a tank of gas round trip, I made the voyage East to Big Bear and skied down Snow Summit.

There are two major resorts in Big Bear, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain. Although the mountains were nearly as bald as the eagle I saw perched on a tree, snow-making machines blew almost as much snow as I saw fall during a Maine winter.

Snow Summit officials say they can powder an entire mountain in less than 36 hours with their new machinery. I wouldn’t doubt it. After all, without snow, there is no skiing…and without skiing, there is no business!