Ventura CA Blog featuring unsolicited opinions and random observations
Well it’s been a good year for new restaurants! We got a Freebirds, a Panera, and now we’re FINALLY getting a ToGo’s Sandwich Shop. I saw the sign today between Robek’s Juice Bar and the Baja Fresh over off Telephone, where the old Quizno’s used to be. Of course I’d rather see more locally-owned restaurants open but I love all this new variety. Cheers!
This looks like fun: In November, the Ventura County Winery Association is going to be offering a “Harvest Passport” for $35 that gets you a full tasting at six Ventura County-based wineries. You also get a 10% discount at the wineries and get entered into a drawing for some prizes.
Thankfully they give you the entire month to visit all six wineries so we don’t have to do it in a day! I think we’ve all tried to do that once or twice up in Santa Barbara, and by about that fifth winery it’s hard to tell Sea Smoke from Charles Shaw. =)
Here are the wineries that are taking part:
Bella Victorian Vineyard & Winery
Cantara Cellars
Four Brix Winery
Herzog Wine Cellars
Magnavino Cellars
Old Creek Ranch Winery
You can purchase tickets on the association’s website at www.vcwines.com. Enjoy!
Still looking for something to do this Saturday night? Surprisingly there isn’t a beer, wine or food festival scheduled in the Ventura area (that I know of). Seems like we’ve had one of those every weekend since June! Anyway, there are still great seats available to see Death Cab for Cutie at the SB Bowl Saturday night. The opening act is Explosions in the Sky, which I’m looking forward to almost as much as Death Cab. Should be a beautiful night to listen to some live music under the stars!
Looks like the revolution is arriving in Ventura some time over the next couple of weeks. As part of the 99% I’m glad to hear it! I’ve moved my money from the big four Banksters but am ready to do more. I’m not sure exactly what yet, but this movement is still in its infancy and will hopefully mature quickly into a true revolution against the 1% of the population that is running this country into the ground.
Here are the links to their sites if you’re interested in jumping in:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002949629078
Website: http://occupyventura805.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @occupyventura
I can’t believe someone was motivated enough to collect 10,000 signatures to force an expensive ballot initiative to remove the $1/hour parking meters. In reading about this in the local rags it appears there are two groups who say the parking meters are ruining their lives: Some downtown merchants and some downtown shoppers. It seems to me that the problem isn’t the parking meters – they’re just being blamed for other shortcomings in those peoples’ lives. Here’s my advice to both:
1. Merchants: If someone is not willing to pay $1 to park in front of your store or restaurant, and they are also not willing to walk a block or two to avoid paying said dollar, it means YOUR STORE SUCKS. Sorry to put it in those terms, but that’s exactly what the market is telling you. Do us all a favor and close up shop and move on. How many gifts from heaven, thai/peru/sushi restaurants and sharp knives do we really need? You’re taking up valuable space in our downtown district.
2. Shoppers: There are still free parking spaces everywhere in downtown. If the prospect of having to walk an entire block or two or three in order to enjoy a meal is too daunting that means you’re probably too fat and/or lazy to be eating out anyway. That’s not the fault of the parking meters. Stay home and skip a few meals! How on earth could you reasonably say that you love going downtown and there are things there that you need, but the idea of paying ONE DOLLAR or walking a couple blocks keeps you from doing it. Ridiculous.
OK that’s enough already. I’ve spent more time on this than it deserves.
Freebirds World Burrito at Telephone and Victoria is doing a soft launch today (the official opening isn’t until Wednesday) and the first 250 people to show up between 11-1 and 5-7 today will get to test out the food in exchange for a $5 donation to Food Share. They’re doing it again tomorrow (Tuesday) for Schools on Wheels. Don’t miss out!
Source: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jun/11/the-joys-of-being-a-food-competition-judge/#ixzz1PB7UQEix
This may not be news, but I just noticed it yesterday. Scientology, The “church” of Tom Cruise, has an outlet here in Ventura and they’ve put up a new sign that covers the old Bob Hope Insurance sign on Telegraph. I really don’t care what path people choose to take, but I have a real problem with a self-help cult being touted as a religion in order to enjoy tax exempt status. And in my opinion that’s exactly what this “church” does. Even their own website describes their holy book, Dianetics, as the “all-time self help bestseller”. Maybe other self-help gurus like Tony Robbins and Deepak Chopra should take note! They’re probably paying millions in taxes that L. Ron Hubbard never had to pay.
I’m especially offended that they use the Christian cross symbol in their logo. They only do that to make themselves seem more like a true religion for tax purposes, when in fact they preach that Jesus and the entire story around him is fiction (source). To be clear, I’m not offended by someone believing Jesus was fiction. I’m offended by the hypocrisy of teaching that but then using a cross in your logo because the government you’re trying to avoid paying taxes to is largely run by Christians. Shameful.
If you’re truly seeking guidance and direction in this crazy world I empathize with you. But please don’t be so blinded by an easy solution that you end up joining a cult and giving them all your money. That’s not going to make you happier. Read the New Yorker article about Paul Haggis and his tribulations with this “church”. And given their recent antics, do you really think that Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley are pillars of happiness? Are they really the BEST three examples of success this group could come up with?
I’m discovering that there is quite a bit of controversy around Healthy Family Farms of Santa Paula. Not just about the raw milk issue that I totally support them on, but about allegations of fraud. I’ve been singing their praises for over a year now, and I’ve even been to the farm for one of their open house tours. The people there seem so earnest in what they do that I would have a hard time believing that they would just re-package commercial meat and eggs to meet the weekly demand. However a site called www.UnhealthyFamilyFarm.com has popped up and has some compelling photo evidence of fraud. Having been to the farm I actually recognize the areas where those photos were taken and can verify they’re on the farm. They also have a rap sheet on the owner that’s several pages long. I can’t verify that the evidence is real though. Does anyone have any more information about this?
I love the food. I’ve been twice now and the pizzas are among the best in town, and a pretty good deal too at around $12. My favorite is the one with all the mushrooms and cheese… a masterpiece! I also liked the fruit-infused water. At first I was put off by the price ($3) but after the first drink I stopped complaining. There’s so much fruit in there that it’s practically an appetizer.
So here’s what I don’t like: Eating this great food in the small, white and very sterile restaurant. It’s rather like being in a doctor’s waiting room. The first time I drove to this restaurant was for dinner one night, and the garish light and whiteness spilling out of the front door was so uninviting that my friend and I kept driving. Thankfully I went back that weekend for lunch.
Hopefully they just haven’t decided how to decorate it yet so it’s a work in progress. Their wonderful food deserves to be served in a much more warm and inviting atmosphere! Until then I’ll grab my pizza to go.
So JPMorgan announced a 47% increase in profit for the last quarter at the same time they decided to tell their clients that they’re eliminating all free checking accounts. It’s not enough that they get to use your money for FREE since those accounts pay 0% interest… now they want you to pay them $10/month for the privilege of giving them that no interest loan. The absurdity drips from my laptop screen.
If you have not dumped the BIG FOUR banks yet (Chase, Wells Fargo, BofA and Citi) now is the time. The only way to defend against a financial oligarchy is to move your money. If they have no money to throw around they have no power and thus cannot be “too big to fail”. How do you do that? It’s easy. Just move your money to a local bank. This movement started over a year ago and has really been gathering steam. Check it out at http://www.moveyourmoneyproject.org. There are four locally-owned banks that offer totally free checking: Santa Barbara Bank and Trust, Montecito Bank, Rabobank and County Commerce Bank. I’m not saying that these banks are any kinder or gentler than the big ones, but they are more likely to re-invest your money locally which benefits everyone. And unlike 20 years ago I’ve found that the local banks are actually doing less “nickel and diming” than the big banks. I think George Bailey would be proud.