From: Beverly Hills, CA Sunny and mild (78° F) I had a déjà vu experience on Broker’s Caravan today. Broker’s Caravan, which occurs on Tuesdays, is an opportunity to see new listings in the area, usually before the first public showings. Today, I went to look at a home in Pacific Palisades. It was located across the street from the home where I grew up. The first thing that was interesting was to see how big the trees in the neighborhood have gotten. When we lived there, it was a brand-new development. My parents sold that home 30 years ago. When I walked up to the house, I realized something else that was familiar. A very, very long time ago, before I had a driver’s license, I used t
From: Beverly Hills, CA Sunny and hot (86° F) These past two days we been experiencing record heat levels for the month of June. Temperatures have neared or reached 100° in downtown Los Angeles, 110° in the San Fernando Valley and 120° in Palm Springs. What is going on here? Many older residences near the coast, both single family homes and apartments, do not have air conditioning. This is not a problem for most of the year. However, these past two days have been problematic for many. As I have previously mentioned, I grew up near the ocean in Pacific Palisades. I remember that air conditioning was not standard, that it was an upgrade option. My parents decided to pay for the option, a
From: Beverly Hills, CA Partly cloudy and mild (69° F) As I was reviewing the weekly activity, I came across a new listing that gave me pause to think for a minute. The new listing is for a home located in the Upper Riviera area of Pacific Palisades. The home, on San Onofre Drive, is the former home of President Ronald Reagan, who lived there after his terms as California’s Governor ended. This was the home that he lived in when he was elected President in 1980. On a personal note, I grew up in Pacific Palisades, moving there from Santa Monica, in 1973. I remember those Sundays in the car, with my family, looking at homes. There was one day when we went to look at a home, and my father t
From: Beverly Hills, CA Partly cloudy and mild (71° F) Muhammad Ali, a man who truly transcended sports, passed away this week. As I saw the story break on the news, I recalled my one-time “close encounter” with Muhammad Ali. It was March, 1978, and I was in 11th grade. My older brother was home from college for the weekend. It was a Saturday night, and my parents, for what turned out to be the last time ever, gave us money and treated us to a night out. We wound up going to The Roxy Theater in Hollywood (a small intimate night club) to see Kiki Dee. She had a new album and had a hit duet song with Elton John. It turned out to be one of those amazing Hollywood nights that occurred in t
