South Bay By Jackie-Weekend Guide Jan 8, 2014

Whew! We made it through another holiday season. Now we can get back to our regularly scheduled lives.

Support local merchants and get a jump start on the weekend at the Downtown Torrance Market Place. This afternoon, Thursday, January 8, Old Town Torrance takes to the streets with gifts, arts and crafts, jewelry, clothing, food, antiques and more. The weekly event features live music, tastings and product demonstrations from over thirty vendors and runs from 3 to 8 p.m. Downtown restaurants and shops will stay open late with sidewalk sales and Market Place specials. Free parking is available in the public parking lot on Cravens Avenue and the public parking structure with entrances on Sartori and Cabrillo Avenues. Free valet parking is also available at The Depot Restaurant located at 1250 Cabrillo Avenue. The Downtown Torrance Market Place is located at Sartori and El Prado in Torrance. For more information, visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/downtowntorrancemarketplace.

Uncorked, The Wine Shop, will host a special South of the Equator Varietals Tour on Friday, January 9 from 6 to 9 p.m. Everyone’s favorite, Kiyo, will take attendees on a spicy, earthy and fruity varietal road trip through the emerging equatorial wine regions. Guests will experience Torrontes from Argentina; Chardonnay from South Africa; Pinot Noir from Chile; and Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina. For additional details and to make reservations, visit the website at http://uncorkedhermosa.com/. Uncorked is located at 302 Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach.

Walk In Dance Out hosts Swing & Sway at the Knights of Columbus in Redondo Beach tonight, Friday, January 9 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.The South Bay ballroom dancing community is extraordinarily welcoming and encouraging, so even if you’re a beginner, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to practice your moves. Admission is $10 per person with light bites and no host bar. The Knights of Columbus is located at 214 Avenue I in Redondo Beach. For additional information, visit the website at http://www.walkindanceout.com/ or call 310-373-8487.

It’s time to drum in the New Year! The Torrance Beach Drum Circle meets Sunday, January 11 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. right below the Torrance Beach parking lot. All ages and musical abilities are welcome to this FREE event; drums and percussion instruments are provided for everyone. It’s a classic South Bay scene where everyone enjoys co-creating spontaneous music together! For additional information, visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Torrance-Beach-Drum-Circle/249121861823812.

During the week of January 12 to January 16, the City of Manhattan Beach, in collaboration with Urban Land Institute (ULI), will hold a five-day Advisory Panel comprised of various land use experts to engage community stakeholders and evaluate the Downtown area. The purpose of this engagement process is to ensure the Downtown area maintains and enhances its unique, quaint character and encourages business success. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE – residents, business owners, landlords – are encouraged to participate. This is important stuff, people! You don’t want to wake up a few years down the road and ask yourself, “How did this happen?” Click here for all the details: http://southbaybyjackie.com/downtown-manhattan-beach-vision-and-plan-uli-study/.

Art Flying Yoga invites everyone to celebrate the Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting of their second studio on Tuesday, January 13 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Guests will be able to tour the facility, enjoy refreshments, learn more about classes, meet the instructors and take advantage of one-time-only special offers. The evening includes special performances of various aerial disciplines. Raffle prizes include one class, one day of unlimited classes and one week of unlimited classes. Raffle tickets are $5 each. The first 10 people to RSVP will receive a FREE ticket for the raffle. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by phone or text to 310-863-1231. For additional information, visit the website at http://www.artflyingaerial.com/. Art Flying Yoga is located at 24411 Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance.

The South Coast Botanic Garden will host an Open House on Wednesday, January 14. Did you know the South Coast Botanic Garden has programs for children and families? Everyone is welcome to stop by and learn about the programs, meet some of the instructors and enjoy demonstrations and activities from 5 to 7 p.m. In addition, guests will enjoy snacks and refreshments and get a sneak peek at designs for the new children’s garden. This is a free event and everyone is welcome! For additional information, visit the website athttp://www.southcoastbotanicgarden.org. The South Coast Botanic Garden is located at 23600 Crenshaw Boulevard in Rolling Hills Estates.

These are just a few of the events taking place, so be sure to check the calendar links and ‘Things to Do’ page on my websitehttp://www.southbaybyjackie.com for details on these and other events happening throughout the South Bay.

This morning on The South Bay Show – South Bay Spotlight, we have a returning guest, Mr. Lou Giovanetti. Lou is a Bronx-bred New Yorker and THE Beach Cities’ bel canto. As he has for the last several years, Lou headlined the annual Pier Plaza New Year’s Eve Celebration last week. In addition, Lou recently soft-opened his namesake restaurant, Lou’s on the Hill, and is currently ramping up for the Grand Opening later this month. Lou has been a busy guy and this morning, we’ll spend the hour catching up with him. Don’t worry, if you missed the program, you can listen to it here: http://southbaybyjackie.com/january-8-2015-lous-on-the-hill-2/. Tune in every Thursday at 7 a.m. to keep up with what’s going down in the South Bay!

Tomorrow morning on The South Bay Show – Manhattan Beach 360, our guests will be Manny Serrano, Vice President at Bank of Manhattan; Jim Schlager, principal with Moss Adams Wealth Advisors; and Lisa Garey from Morgan Stanley and we’re going to discuss how to prepare your finances for the coming year. Listen to the program live at 8 a.m. here: http://southbaybyjackie.com/january-9-2015-preparing-your-finances-for-the-new-year/. Tune in every Friday morning for the latest Chamber news!

Have a fabulous South Bay weekend!

Jackie

http://www.southbaybyjackie.com