Venice Does Halloween '18 Right!

It feels like Halloween started like a month ago, but the real deal was last night, and it was so fun.
After all the parties and Electric Bike Parades and school Halloween events and theme parks and hay rides happening the last couple of weeks, Venice had the Halloween spirit down all over town, with yards and homes decked out with a ton of fake spider webs, lots of cemeteries, and ghosts, goblins, skeletons, and monsters of all shapes and sizes.

 

People were walking around in costume all day, at their jobs, in their cars ... folks were feeling it. It was a perfect day for trick or treating, nice and balmy even after the sun went down.

 It's always the cutest to see little ones out for their first Halloween trick or treat, and Miss Magnolia was out as a little lamb. The most darling little lamb ever, I mean, with her Chef mom brandishing a meat cleaver, for good Halloween measure (not pictured, but hilarious).

 A lot of people like to take their kids to the walk streets for trick or treating, but my favorite Halloween zone in Venice has always been Rialto Avenue.

Though a lot more sparsely decorated this year, it was still the best. Our headquarters was our longtime friends, Russ and Harry's house, where cocktails were served and we passed out candy to all the little kids out having a blast.

A highlight every years the Haunted House at Dillinger's house, and this year was the best one yet. I actually screamed a blood-curdling scream after one good jump-scare from a terrifying werewolf that jumped out at me (Hi Dillinger, if that was you!). Excellent work.

The Haunted House corner was kind of the main hub of activity for Rialto this year, as the street filled with kids and their adults in one costume better than the next. Baby Trump even made an appearance!

I didn't get a picture that turned out of the cutest little costume of the night ... a baby chick that was so tiny you couldn't stand it. That kid should wear that outfit every day, they could write their own ticket. This one little Hulk cracked me up - because look at him (or her) - but also because it had big mitts on that made it nearly impossible to get the candy out of the bowl without a little help. That kid kept on trying though!

Old friends and neighbors greeted one another up and down the block, even if sometimes you had to be told who was who, so well-costumed were many of the usually familiar faces. Like Dennis as Little Boy Peep.

Russ and Harry were kind of Eyes Wide Shut beaked creatures that were pretty scary, especially if you're a toddler. I love that they have their open house every year, keeping this Venice tradition alive. It was one friend's kid's first Halloween on Rialto, and I wanted them to see the house that turns into a big dragon every year, but I was sad to be told that they had moved away. I guess they didn't share the drill with the new people, because that whole end of Rialto closest to the post office was completely dead - and not in a Halloween way, but in a non-participating way. Lame.

Kids got so much candy that their bags were nearly bigger than them ... which soon meant meltdowns and tired parents. Once it was bedtime, the grownups got down to socializing over on the walk streets, which were also pretty decked out.  While hanging out over on Nowita, I got a call from my brother, who had an extra ticket to see Thee Oh Sees downtown at the Teragram Ballroom. I was in.

We raced downtown, in time to see Thee Oh Sees shred it up for a bunch of costumed moshers. I laughed every time I looked at the drummer (there's two) who was dressed up as Macho Man Randy Savage, fake muscles and all. The Smurf on bass was pretty good too.

Sweaty, spent, and fully rocked, we made our way back to Venice, with another excellent community Halloween celebration on the books! Good job, Venice ... you're the best.

Another Venice Family Leaves ...

I was walking down Pacific Avenue yesterday, and got a lump in my throat to see that yet another Venice family is having to leave their house.  This great old beach house is on the corner of Clubhouse and Pacific, and you just know it's going to be torn down for yet another BUB.

I don't know the real story on this situation at all, but I can tell by looking at it that it meant a lot to the "Venice Beach Pontius Family" from 1965 - 2018. 53 years in a wonderful pad full of happy memories ... and I bet they didn't want to leave. I didn't know them, I don't think, but I'm still sad to see them go.

Oh, Venice ... we're doing our best to keep you real, but when will this housing madness end? How? Let's hope we are not reduced to merely a cautionary tale, and folklore about how cool it used to be here. There's still time, while there's still cool. I love you, Venice ... no matter what.

A Halloween 2017 Wrap-Up

Happy Halloween! - is finally over! Is it just me, or does it feel like Halloween goes on for at least a week now? And that's not even including Dia de Los Muertos! It's crrrrazy. And also really fun. Venice is an excellent place to celebrate the holiday that has come to be as big a deal for adults as it always has been for kids ... if not bigger. With all the artists and creatives that call Venice home, the decorating and Halloween spirit is in full effect here in these parts. Even the Venice Sign goes orange for the season! Settle in ... this is a long one.

The whole week kicked off with a big Halloween day party at Couer D'Alene Elementary School last Saturday (because I had to miss the big Jim Robb/Paige Petrone party the night before at The Victorian), that was both really impressive and very small town feeling. Kids and parents alike were all decked out in fun costumes, and the candy barrage had already begun. They had games and crafts and giant bounce houses and just about anything a kid could ever want in a party. Then it was time to go home to get ready for the grown up parties. This was THE night, and there were a ton of them happening, and you want to hit them all, but you just do your best to have the most fun possible.

My brother, Paul, decided to have a Halloween party this year, and worked for weeks and weeks on turning his house into a haunted one, so that's where I was going to post up. He refused all offers for help, as he had a particular vision in mind for what he wanted. And that vision was spoooooky.

You entered through a dark walkway, where a big spider jumped out at you at the exit. A kid friend of mine who all week has claimed to be unafraid of anything jumped about a mile at that one, pleasing me greatly. Right when you walked out of the dark, there was a peep hole area, where you could look inside to see photos of awful clowns ... including Trump. My little pal, Beckett, peered inside and jumped back at that one, yelling, "Scary!" He doesn't even know. There was also a hole to reach inside of that was full of guts (spaghetti, hot dogs, and if you reached far enough back ... a big dildo).

The kids only got to stay briefly, because ... nope. But they got to hang out in the scary cage and take a turn at scaring the grownups. Kids can be very creepy, after all.

There was an entirely new structure that Paul built, to house an alien that lived among bloody hands reaching out at you. Not a room you'd like to be locked in. Sound effects were equally nightmarish.

A portal to Hell had burned up hands reaching out at you that I could barely look at, and a gigantic spider that hung over the outdoor proceedings.

The garage held a bunch of dangling, plastic-wrapped bodies, making me wonder how my brother knows how to do that. Very Saw like (I say that, but I've never seen any of them. Nope.)

Inside the house, Slender Man resided, as well as a very eerie man inside of the wall.

I recently had a real life cockroach incident at La Cabaña, so when I turned on the light in my brother's bathroom to see all of these awful creatures skittering up the wall ... Ok, I really did jump. Disgusting jerks. *Health code note - they were not real.

My favorite costumes at the party were Van Gogh (complete with severed ear) ...

And I also have to give it up for the Fantasia couples costume. 

The party hosts were pretty good too ... Spacepants (I guess it's an SNL skit starring Peter Dinklage) and Yacht Rock. Good times!

Paul's band, spaceblanket, ruled it as usual, even throwing down a little Halloween theme song cover. In the middle of their set, Steve Irvin did a performance art piece that featured him fully nude, tearing liquid latex off of him like it was his skin. It was both brave and cool, and when the "skin" was left behind on the floor, appropriately creepy.

All in all, it was a complete blast and I'm so proud and impressed with Paul and all of his hard work - Oh, and I almost forgot to mention his delish vegan curry he made for everyone - it was totally worth it and THANK YOU, for providing so much fun for everyone! LOVE you!

A couple days off to recover, and then real Halloween. Venice goes off. And it starts early. I've always gone mainly to Rialto Avenue, but the people I don't see there told me that the walk streets are great, so this year I decided to check out all of it if I could.

The walk streets are great because they never have cars on them, and Rialto is great because they close down the whole wide street. Both are very decorated, and both you will see friends and neighbors ... as well as all of the people that drive in for the occasion. I dug the fresh graves at one house ... meaning I liked them, not that I physically dug them.

There were a couple of witches hanging out, stirring their cauldron of brew. They were great, and it was cute to hear a little kid say, "I remember you from last year!", all excited. He explained that he was something different last year, so they might not remember him. Adorable.

The adults were pretty dressed up to accompany their kids this year, and I especially appreciated one family that was the Von Trapp Family Singers, with all the little kids in dirndls and leiderhosen, only the mom was the captain and the dad was the singing Maria. It was great, and they win my favorite of the walk streets.

The walk streets were cool, but they're very narrow, and there is a lot of trick or treater gridlock. Everyone was having a great time, and I saw more than a few Dads looking at their phones to keep track of the Dodger Game 6 (They won! Game 7 tonight!), and more than a few Dads AND Moms holding on to their Solo cup roadies. Necessary. 

Rialto is still the best, in terms of concentrated Halloween spirit, and almost everyone getting in on the scene. One nice family again rented a giant bounce house thing for the kids to jump in if they could be torn away from the candy getting.

The Haunted House house was even more haunted this year, and though it wasn't quite dark yet when I visited, it was still scary.

The inside part that you walk through is actually scary and I made a Frida Kahlo I just met go through it with me.

Severed heads were hanging from the ceiling, along with some Day Glo worms, but it got real when a horrifying Grandma jumped out at us with a big knife. I actually jumped.

There was also a scary Cowboy in there, and ghouls and skeletons in the bushes. I think some of them are actually there all year long - they looked familiar.

The Dragon House did it up again this year, only they added a giant, kind of albino bat thing. It looked great, as did all of the houses, really. I love how everyone gets so into it!

My favorite costume award on Rialto this year is the little family that went as a recycling truck and recyclable items. Socially conscious AND adorable. I loved them.

The Frankenstein House added some stuff this year too, and really meant business.

There was an extra graveyard and smoke and all the good stuff you want in a haunted scene. I found myself wishing I lived on Rialto, so I could stay in one place all night and watch everyone come to me. There were so many cute kids I found myself looking for new adjectives better than "cute". But they really were. I met some little skater kids who grilled me for directions to the most candy that I'd seen. I sent them to Nowita, as they'd already gone up and down Rialto. I'm pretty sure they cleaned it ALL up.

I stopped to say hi to a casual banana on a porch ...

... and then headed back to the walk streets to try to find my people that I'd taken off from. The sun had set, and spooky music was playing on every street. Every house had candy on the porch and the t.v. on inside showing the Dodgers game - truly Americana at its best. People walked up and down until the either the kids dropped or the parents did, because it didn't seem like the candy ever ran out.

Then it was back to the house to count the candy, sort the candy, eat the candy, smell the candy (I love that cumulative Halloween candy smell inside the bag, everything all mixed up. It's a classic aroma.), and then, ultimately melt down - again, the kids and the parents. Drinks, scary movies, steal some kid candy for the movie candy, and it's a perfectly wonderful Halloween '17 Season wrapped up, with candy and memories to last for ages.

Good job, everyone! I think we all really needed this fun this year, and we did it up right. Love.

Oh, hang on ... It's All Saints' Day now. Have a good one, you Saints.

And Go Dodgers!

Privée Social Club - A Cannabis Club For Now

When we all woke up on New Year's Day to see the Hollywood sign had been changed overnight to read "Hollyweed", you knew it was a whole new vibe in town following California's decision to Legalize It last fall. With everything able to be out in the open now, the cannabis industry is exploding all over the place. One of the true pioneer's in this field is Venice's own Sailene Ossman, "Mama Sailene", who started the first all-female cannabis delivery service in these parts over 16 years ago, and has been beloved by Venice ever since. 

Times have changed, and now it's all becoming mainstream, and it's great. With the passing in Los Angeles of legalization for recreational as well as medicinal cannabis, it's a whole new world, with something for everyone. Last night Sailene and her partner, Olivia Alexander, had a press preview for their new endeavor, the Privée Social Club, and all I can really say is WOW. Weed has come a long, long way.

Privée is a private, members-only cannabis club that holds events and parties, and once accepted (you need to be referred by two current members) members can gain access to the "Vault" on their website that allows them to purchase all kinds of cannabis based products, most of which are not found in your average dispensary. The events and parties feature products to sample and try, while learning through demonstrations, and mingling with a fine group of like-minded folks. You never know what might happen at a Privée event ... it could be a murder mystery, it could be a Cirque du Soleil type performance, you don't know until you go.

Last night's event was held in a private home on a walk street in Venice, and you could see from the sidewalk upon arrival that everyone was already having a great time inside. Inside, there were all kinds of different stations, from edibles to "Dabbing", all the way to bath products. There was even a CBD oil lubricant "for her pleasure"!

I was kind of a late bloomer when it came to cannabis, as all those "Just Say No" things in school worked on me. I never even tried it until I moved to Hawai'i and had a roommate that was a botany major (RIP Darren Sakai!). I can't tell you how many days I've spent in my life miserable from drinking the night before, but how with marijuana I've never had a moment of payback. None. I've never seen guys get into a fistfight at a party after smoking weed, but I sure have with drinking. Cannabis is just better all around, and better for you, so it's time to bring it out of the darkness. It's time to lose any stigma around it, and really, we should be celebrating it. What a miracle plant! That was the gist of the conversation at the party last night. One Love. Legalize It. Enjoy its benefits.

The nice thing about a thing like the Privée Social Club is that no one was sneaking around, it was all out in the open, and all very professional. Seibo Shen, from Vapexhale was there last night with his vaporizers and concentrates (this is the "Dabbing" part), and was so informative and well-spoken that I left his demonstration feeling like kind of an expert. I'm really more of a good old-fashioned flower enjoyer, but I can see the advantages to using this kind of a vapor situation - it's just a lot of apparatus for me (though Shen told me they'd be coming out with mobile devices soon. Still, vapor just isn't the same. For me.).

Once anything becomes socially acceptable, the money people are not far beyond. The line of products you can now get that are derived from cannabis is mind-boggling (literally and figuratively), and Privée makes it their business to include only the very best. The packaging these days is incredible. There were cannabis macarons last night that looked like they could be from Ladurée. There were sea salt caramels from Lord Jones that could have come from Godiva. This is not your hippie neighbor's baking, and it's all very scientifically dosed out and precise. No bad trips.

Gone are the days of smoking a grungy old one-hitter (though that's still fine too, in a pinch). Now they have bedazzled vapor pens and bejeweled grinders that are big hits with the fancy Bev Hills members of Privée, I'm told. Some people don't want to go to dispensaries or have some dealer come over, and Privée is perfect for them. It's private, discreet, beautifully packaged and delivered. It's all coming out of the Green Closet anyway. I had a P.R. friend recently tell me that she couldn't join us for cocktails because she gave up drinking, but now that marijuana has been legalized, she'd love to meet us for a smoke. Her smile was so liberated and happy when saying it, you could tell an old onus had been lifted from her conscience. It's totally cool now. Reefer Madness scare tactic days are over, no matter what this lame new administration has to say about it. Oh, and the Privée ladies are available for your own private parties! They'll come and set up a whole display of things at your own party - and I promise you it will be a hit. 

I think my favorite product at the event was the "Lit Kit" from Kush Queen Cannabis (another Alexander entity). It's a cute box with a cannabis bath bomb, a joint, and a cannabis chocolate, all meant to be enjoyed as you pamper yourself in your own little spa day. What an excellent party favor for your girls! (Not that all guys wouldn't love it too). Way better than a bottle of wine, though you could throw that in there too if it was a really rough day. But with the Lit Kit, you'll just feel excellent the next morning too, as an added bonus.

With all that smoking and vaping and dabbing and eating, it was nice that Privée always puts out a nice spread, in the event of munchies. There was a Thai food smorgasbord, empanadas from The Empanada Place (yum), and cookies in the shape of weed leaves (that were not enhanced, they just looked good).

I think the nicest part of these events is the freedom. No one is sneaking outside to share a joint, it's all in the open. There were photographers present from all kinds of media outlets, from L.A. Weekly to Playboy, and no one seemed to mind at all that they were being photographed with marijuana. Like, it's 2017. Who cares?! Plus, these days, if you're not using cannabis in some form, you're probably going crazy. Stress kills. Relax.



I'm so proud of Sailene, because she was born to be doing this, and she's finally getting her recognition for always having been on the forefront of this world. She's a leader in this industry, and is shedding so much light on the entire industry. She even had a cooking show (Smoke In The Kitchen) on Snoop's Merry Jane website. She gets tears in her eyes when she talks about her mission in helping people, and making people feel better through the use of this true and natural medicine. There is a line waiting for her and her products when she visits her parents' retirement community, because the CBD creams and oils and edibles all help so much with everything from their arthritis to cancer treatment. I got some of the Sleepytime Spray, as I get insomnia all the time. I've shared it with my own Mother, who slept great and had no qualms about trying a CBD product, and she's pretty conservative. I've shared it with one of the squarest people I know, and they became an instant fan. Because it works. Because it helps.

It was so fun to have a bunch of our Venice friends hanging out and having a ball together, learning and feeling great. It got even better when we left and were presented with a Privée gift bag to take home, filled with all of the things we'd just learned about. Stoked.

It got better than that when we all strolled home together under the starry skies, with a final nightcap visit to Mona's house. Ahh, Venice. We just love you so much.

Congratulations to Sailene and Olivia, and all of the wonderful people associated with Privée Social Club. I don't know if I've ever attended a party where every last person was warm and open and conversational and fun. It speaks to the character of our hostesses, and also to the nature of the plant. It brings people together, it allows people to share, and it heals - body, soul, and perhaps even our society.

Privée Social Club - They're waiting for you.

www.priveesocialclub