A Twilight Tune

Accompaniment for an approaching night sky...

That's Show Biz, Baby

So many film and TV productions have been turning up around town lately, it really feels like living on a set. Here, Bistro de la Gare serves as a location for something that looked pretty fancy. (Expensive suits! Fancy dresses!)

I actually was living on a set yesterday. My delightful little street got yet another 15 minutes of fame as the location of a TV commercial. Well, make that about 15 hours of fame -- that's about how long it took to finish the shoot.

Note to new South Pas residents who might not know the drill: make sure to find out all specifics when a production company tells you they're using your street for a location. If they are going to feature your house, you definitely want to get paid appropriately, and find out in advance how long you will be required to find alternative parking and how long a crew will have cameras trained on your front door. (Also, for heaven's sake, make sure not to run around in front of an open upstairs window in your underwear while filming is going on, either. Not that I've done that or anything...)

For more on movie and TV production in South Pasadena, check out my tag below and look at the column and slideshow I did last year for Patch.

South Pas People

The 2010 Census results recently became available. Want to know more about the demographics of South Pas? I did. And that's what I feature in my latest column and video piece up at South Pasadena Patch.

Red Zone

Sylvia Plath saw it one way:

Out of the ash
I rise with my red hair
And I eat men like air.

Springsteen sees it like this.

My daughter calls it "mermaid hair" after Ariel's locks.

I just call it way cool.

Footage

So many film, TV and commercial productions shoot in South Pas it sometimes feels like we're living in a studio back lot. It's fun to play spot the location while watching something on TV. Shakers shows up so often that if you took a shot every time you saw it you might end up with acute alcohol poisoning. And Mad Men lovers take note: our wholesome little region has played host to some of Don's (and Betsy's) adulterous shenanigans...

Here, film crew members wait at Bistro de la Gare while cameras roll inside. That's show business.

Bistro de la Gare: Redux

I've been sorting through my picture files lately and I came across this one I had forgotten about. It was taken outside of the fabulously romantic Bistro de la Gare. I have already waxed rhapsodic about how much I love this place, but it bears repeating. This restaurant gets better with each visit. Not only is the food fantastic, but the atmosphere is as warm and inspiring as a favorite film or painting. (Perhaps not as cinematic as the settings here, but every bit as charming and magical as this.)

Bistro de la Gare

Bistro de la Gare is one of my favorite restaurants. Located literally steps from the Mission Gold Line station, it features simple French fare served by complicated French waiters in an atmosphere so cozy you definitely feel like kissing both cheeks of whoever you came with. In my experience, too many Los Angeles eateries try way too hard to impress. (Don’t get me started on the ‘Free Range Escargot” on a menu in another French restaurant in L.A.) Here, the warm red walls, beaded vintage light fixtures, antique carved wine bar and flickering red candles come together to make a perfectly lovely, authentic, unassuming setting. And the food? Délicieux! I’ve only been for dinner (savor a glass of Châteauneuf-Du-Pape with your Coeur de Filet Sauce Marchand de Vin) but I understand that for petit déjeuner the bistro's version of Eggs Benedict is out of this world.

Bring someone you love.