Los Altos History Museum Crab Feed

Last Saturday night, Amanda and I attended the Los Altos History Museum's 25th Annual Crab Feed with our husbands Mike and Casey at Hillview Community Center.  It is the biggest fundraiser annually for the museum and was great fun.  The event started with a silent auction and social hour and then we were led into the main hall for the never ending supply of crab (or so it seemed) and live auction.  We were honored to be one of the emperor crab sponsors - and picked raffle tickets at the end of the night for gift baskets.   We didn't win any baskets - but some friends did! If you get a chance get in line for next years tickets - it's always a sell out. Don't miss the water exhibit at the museum that closes April 22nd - and my son's favorite the train exhibit upstairs.  The museum is located at 51 So. San Antonio Rd behind the Library and is open Thurs - Sun from 12-4.  Some great shots of the evening are below thanks to Diane Claypool.

Employee Parking "White Dot" Breakfast

Have you ever wondered what those white dots are for in the North and South Plaza parking lots downtown?

Those dots are actually indicators of all day employee parking. Nice right? The best part is that you can purchase a permit if you are local business owner or employee for only $36 a year! And get this, they are transferable which means your friends can share! So instead of parking in front of where you work and having to move your car every 2-3 hours, you can park all day in a white spot without any hassle. This also means that our town's valuable customers are more likely to find parking where they need it.

Kathy Kleinbaum, Los Altos' Economic Development Manager, organized a breakfast on January 25th, 2012 to inform local business owners and employees about the white dot program. The event was held at Passerelle's office and was sponsored by the City of Los Altos, The Chamber of Commerce, the Los Altos Village Association, and Passerelle. Brooke Ray Smith presented the program and held a question and answer session for over 25 community members. For more information about the white dot program see the flyer below.

White

Play Me I'm Yours

Here is a playful idea built around the universal language of music. Artist Luke Jerram created the live installation called "Play Me I'm Yours" which has been touring the world since March 2008. Jerram wanted to shake life into public spaces through the use of street pianos that could be played by anyone at anytime. The pianos are all unique in their design minus one unifying phrase -- "Play Me I'm Yours". The location of the live installation can be anywhere from parks and plazas, precincts, bus shelters and train stations, schools, and even on ferries. Over 500 pianos have been installed across the world and has reached over 2 million people. Cities that are lucky enough to have the street pianos visit also receives their own website where community members can post photos and videos of their interaction with the pianos. (Here is San Jose's site from 2010)

To find out how to bring ‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ to your city, please contact the organization.

Play Me, I'm Yours in Austin 2011. Photo by Sunny 16 PhotographyPlay Me, I'm Yours in Austin 2011. Photo by Sunny 16 PhotographyPlay Me, I'm Yours in Austin 2011. Photo by Sunny 16 PhotographyPlay Me, I'm Yours in Austin 2011. Photo by Sunny 16 PhotographyPlay Me, I'm Yours in Austin 2011. Photo by Sunny 16 PhotographyPlay Me, I'm Yours in Austin 2011. Photo by Sunny 16 Photography

The Smog Shoppe

Green is the new black these days. Smog Shoppe, a once unpleasant corner in the heart of Culiver City, is now dubbed "LA's greenest urban oasis". It is touted for its LEED Platinum candidacy and environmentally responsible interiors and exteriors. The solar panels on the 6,500 square foot facility provide 100% of the electrical needs while the oversize courtyard doors and natural lighting add to reduced energy consumption year round. Up to 90% of the building materials were either green certified, salvaged, or locally produced in order to minimize the carbon footprint. Most of the furniture has also been reused or sourced locally. Smog Shoppe's eclectic and environmentally conscious space is prime for weddings, art shows, private movie screenings and other events.

Check out their website for more information and inspiration!

Smog Shoppe's website

 

 

Factoría Joven

The town of Merida, in southwest Spain, has garnered serious attention from urban planners and skateboard enthusiasts due to the recent addition of a unique community center. The 1.2 million euro center titled Factoría Joven opened in March 2011 after only 11 months of construction. Architecture firm Selgas Cano envisioned its project to be a safe and vibrant place for children and their parents to spend time. Factoría Joven's 16,700 square foot center houses covered rock climbing, hip-hop dance classes, an oversized skate park, concert stage, graffiti and street art walls, circus training, indoor music and dance rooms, computer lab, and counseling center. The community center has been widely popular with over 150 children visiting each day. Who wouldn't want to hang out here?

Another striking aspect of the Selgas Cano design is its focus on sustainability. Factoría Joven has passive heating and cooling due to the meter thick walls that regulate the temperature during the year. The structure is also made from corrugated plastic to allow natural light into the rooms during the day and to act as the center's outdoor light source at night. An added bonus is that all furniture is recycled!

This attractive play space allows children to express themselves through many different modes. Children can try daring activities without worrying their parents about where they are. Selgas Cano's Factoría Joven is a vibrant and safe place that any city would be proud to call their own.

 

Laser Beam Zebra Crossings

Hanyoung Lee from the Idas-Hongik University in South Korea developed a Virtual Wall that can be installed near traffic lights or zebra crossings. The Virtual Wall is a warning signal that uses harmless plasma laser beams to create an image of a wall with people crossing. The message is powerful and eye-catching enough to alert inattentive drivers that pedestrians are in the crosswalk. In 2008 Lee won the iF Concept Award for his innovative concept that could save thousands of lives a year nationwide.

virtual wall

 

The Red Swing Project

Red Swing Project Why is it that we can only find playful spaces and activities in parks and school yards? Wouldn't it be great to take a 5 minute "swing break" during the work day? Well the folks from The Red Swing Project don't see any reason why you shouldn't.

Their mission is to "positively impact under-utilized public spaces with simple red swings". All swings are made from red painted wood and retired rock climbing rope (great way to keep that material out of the landfill). The Red Swing Project claims that they have hung over 150 red swings around the world. There is even a ‘how-to’ instructional video and manual, enabling anyone to join the project and improve their surroundings.

 

Park at My House

The New York times recently wrote an article about ParkatmyHouse, a British company that pairs drivers with parking stalls. Think of it as a match-making service that saves you time and money. ParkatmyHouse has been around since 2006 and has over 150,000 users and 40,000 parking stall listings. The company is already making waves on this side of the pond in the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Boston and D.C.

Here is the low-down on how ParkatmyHouse works

  • ParkatmyHouse allows individuals to list their stalls whether they have 1 or a million
    • churches, private companies, and empty lot owners have all participated in renting out parking spaces
  • the service is also for people that are looking to rent parking spaces daily, weekly, monthly...you name it
  • all stalls are listed by zip codes and searchable by parking rates, rankings, and other features like security
  • once you find the ideal parking stall you just sign the ParkatmyHouse contract and pay the rent (ParkatmyHouse makes a 15% profit from each transaction)

Bike Friendly Business Districts and The Business Case for Bikes

On November 21 2011 Passerelle invited April Economides, Long Beach's Bike-Friendly Business District (BFBD) developer, to come and speak at 359 State Street (our new bike pop-up downtown). April informed Los Altans about the benefits of having a cycling enthusiastic community and showed us that they could be developed in our own hometown. Her presentation on Long Beach's BFBD illustrated the misconceptions held by merchants about bicycles and how they positively changed over time.

Outline of Long Beach's BFBDs

  • What
    • The City of Long Beach received grant funding from the Department of Health and Human Services through the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
    • 4 BFBDs were established in the cityThe East Village Arts District, 4th Street Retro Row, Bixby Knolls and Anaheim Street’s Cambodia Town.
  • Why
    • The purpose of BFBDs is to encourage merchants and customers to choose bikes instead of cars for short trips
    • Benefits
      • Bicycling encourages us to shop and dine locally
      • Minimizes traffic and parking issues
      • Increases safety
      • Reduces air pollution
      • Bicycling is healthy and fun!
  • How
    • Merchants and their employees will ride bikes and cargo trikes to run errands, make deliveries, buy lunch, and conduct other business within and around their district
    • Retail/Service discounts for bicyclists every Saturday, all day
    • Bikes will be incorporated into existing events via:
      • Free bike valets – i.e. ‘rock star’ parking
      • Free basic bike maintenance and tutorials
      • Free bike safety training and booklets
      • Free kids’ bike rodeos
      • Free bike goodie giveaways

A unique part of the BFBD program that April highlighted as an option for downtown Los Altos is the "Bike Saturdays". Every Saturday over 100 Long Beach retailers offer discounts to cyclists. Not only does this encourage residents to shop locally but it also promotes a healthy and active lifestyle. Check out the Bike Long Beach website for more information on Bike Friendly Business Districts!

Link to Los Altos Patch article "Can a Bike-Friendly Downtown Provide a Low-Cost Boost of Vitality?"