And **POOF** just like that, it’s the weekend once again.  It is time for the Open House Guide for Glendale, La Cañada and La Crescenta.  There are not a lot of homes being held open- since this is the weekend before Thanksgiving you’d think everyone would want to be open!  The weather should be outstanding and the buyers are in a buyin’ mood.  Alack, and alas, I am currently out of inventory myself or I would surely be at a home to greet you.

If you’re looking for value in La Cañada,  Indiana is your clear choice. The front courtyard is nestled between garage and house for an intimate and completely serene experience.  Perhaps you want a Northwest Glendale Character Home- I would hustle over to 1420 Sycamore, just above Bel Aire. This is a sweet home that just exudes love. Finally, I am in love with this private retreat in Glendale, deep in the Chevy Chase Canyon.  There are two homes on the lot and each one is sited to give maximum privacy and views.

Enjoy the weekend Duckin’s!  I shall be hiking and doing good amongst the community. What have you planned?

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A little ways into the El Miradero section I wrote,

In 1925 Mr. Brand died, leaving the estate to the City of Glendale upon the death of his wife. In 1945 Mrs. Brand died and by 1956 the 5,000 sf mansion had been turned into a beautiful Art and Music Library for the public to enjoy. A little known rumor is that the ghost of Mr. Brand might still inhabit the building. Here is a wonderful article by Nancy Garza, originally printed in the Glendale News Press in 1993.

Just think, we have our very own ghost, right here in Northwest Glendale!  Make sure you click on the link.  The article is a gas.

Someone told me that it was fall, but I told them that were lying.  No tootin’ way it is fall when the temps are above 100!  However, I’ve heard a rumor that fall will make a brief appearance this weekend- which will make this Sunday’s Open Houses a pleasant respite.

So- where will you go?  If you are in the mood for the lovelies (and who doesn’t love a beauooootiful house?) I can’t get enough of  4168 Dover in the Flintridge Hills.  This is local developer Jay Johnson’s idea of a La Cañada post and beam modern and I LOVE it.  If the Lotto struck today I would be hard pressed between this one and the other PB Modern on Domal.  Too bad I don’t actually play! (Bwahahahaha).

Further into the foothills the clear choice is 3300 Henrietta.  This cute home is crisp and clean (with no caffine) and for $499,000, well above Foothill in La Crescenta- it is a bloody steal.  See it now, because if you snooze you lose.

Moving down the hill takes us the Jewel City- Glendale, where this redone 2 story Craftsman home awaits your visit.  This home is located on the part of Spencer that is west of Pacific.  Wow-I saw this last year while I was making my rounds of the neighborhood- this sucker was a dead ringer for a haunted house.  (Get it?  Dead Ringer? Halloween?)  Today it is all spiffed up, remodeled and landscaped and I think they did a bang up job.  Added bonus- there are killer views of the Downtown Glendale buildings from upstairs.

Remember- if you see it, like it and want to buy it,  call me.  I am an amazing buyer’s representative!

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Ok, show of hands, People.  Who is boring, like me, and has no sexy plans to take the weekend in Tahoe or Palm Desert or Malibu?   I thought about jetting down to the South of France for the weekend, but, decided I could knit, just as well, on my couch in the living room watching Dr. Who.  C’est la vie.

SO, for those who are in town this weekend, I present the usual Sunday diversion- the Open House Guide!

Best bets: for a great priced Montecito Park cutie, 3381 Vickers Dr. is a must see.  It is $574,500, it’s super clean and adorable and it belongs to CVHS.  Puh-lease!  Just go see it.   2732 Sleepy Hollow is a very splashy newer built executive home in Glenoaks canyon.  Here’s a little 15 sec video I took on caravan.  As one of tweeps said, “this place is sick!”.  4168 Dover is a treat for the eyes and for the soul.  This La Cañada Mid-Century home is Zen, re-imagined by Jay Johnson.

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I know I’ve ben a bit heavy on the Open House info this week- but I’ve heard from many of you that you like this kind of stuff.   If you like the open house guide would you leave a comment?  Thank you so much!

Ok, here are your best bets for the weekend.

Obviously, I want you to see my two listings, the remodeled Glendale home on Kirkham and the charming Glendale cottage on Highland. Pretty high on the Deal-O-Meter is this lovely view home in Glendale Whiting Woods.  4 bed, 3 bath and nearly 2200 sf- I can’t believe it is still available.  If you are in the mood for some sight seeing, I highly recommend this remodeled La Cañada ranch home on Descanso.  It is so lovely it’ll poke your eyes out and Descanso is one of the loveliest streets in town.

Interest rates are still very low and you have a chance to scoop these properties while al the other buyers are out of town, on vacation!

Here is your weekend’s list.  Enjoy!

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New Feature!  You can now check out a list of open houses in town, right here on Kendyl’s Open House.

In Glendale your best bet is 506 Solway; a particularly cool house.  You would never know it existed because it is up what looks like a private road.

In La Cañada you simply must see 5224 Escalante.  This is a home filled with the Aloha spirit (in a very authentic, classy way- not kitschy or tacky way) and pictures will never do this home justice.  I also highly recommend 5307 Harter Lane.  This is the definition of the soulful, private retreat.  It is located behind a lovely wall and this is a unique chance to see one of the best homes in town.

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Glendale Cruise Night, 2011, was a spectacularly fine night for our fair city.  The cars were outstanding, the people, amazing, and the entertainment, splendiferous.

450 cars of all sorts lined Brand Blvd. and I saw everything from shiny new Mercedes Coupes to custom American Muscle cars to a sweet GTO.  My husbands teenage dream car- a Triumph TR6, was there, along with the Asian Rice Rocket of my day, the Datsun 510.

People were of every make model and color.  Many either wore their Sock Hop finest or, like me, were adorned in their Ugly Shirts- mine was an unfortunate choice from Hilo Hatties.  Community groups had information booths, corporate sponsors had give aways and there were 2 stages of entertainment with live music.

If you’ve never been I made a short little video to give you enough flavor to want to come out next year. What Ugly Shirt will you wear?

Today I had lunch at the Glendale Pho Company

The newer establishment on Glendale Ave and Broadway just below Trader Joes and across from the Jewel City Bowl.

I’ve been wanting to go ever since it opened- it looks hip and cool and I have a soft spot for all sorts of Vietnamese food.  Even the really suspicious stuff that does not have an English translation.

The first thing you have to know

is that this place was NOT designed for the commuter.  Parking is nearly impossible.  The minuscule lot is verboten to restaurant guests from 11AM to 6PM and there is simply no street parking.  The business plan must be to serve the workers in the nearby city buildings.

Once inside

I was treated to the expected “hip and cool” interior.  This restaurant looks like it could easily be in Silver Lake or Eagle Rock.  The menu was unsurprising.  Eggrolls, Bunn (cold vermicelli noodles), pho with various meat combinations and a few “grilled bit of meat over rice” dishes. My daughter had the pork chops over rice- it was nice.

The Pho

My husband and I like to order the traditional Pho at any new place. A steaming bowl of Pho beef broth with the noodles and various beef parts, some of them too exotic for delicate occidental ears to hear.  A new addition, for me, was the beef ball- a Vietnamese product that I generally treat with healthy suspicion.  While these beef balls had that funny, almost rubbery, texture common with the dish, the flavor was wonderful. Garlicky, a tiny, tiny, bit spicy and fragrant with something like 5 spice powder.  Yum.

The various beef parts, however, were very tough.

I loved the broth, though.  Traditional Pho broth calls for simmering ox tails and other meaty boones for about 16 and a half years.  It is perfumed with 5 spice powder, cinnamon and star anise.  It should be rich enough that it has body, but it should not be greasy.  To get broth like that, I have had to haul myself down to Chinatown. This was a very close second.

Conclusion

This place has promise,  and I hope they improve some of the weak spots.  The lack of parking kills it as a lunch spot, for me, but I would like to go back to try their Bunn or a rice dish.

Do you remember when the Brady Bunch went to Hawaii?  Remember the Curse of the Tiki God?  When the Brady Bunch came home they missed Encino and came over to 1811 Niodrara in the Verdugo Woodlands here in Glendale.

This mid-century lovely is set amongst the oaks on one of the loveliest streets in town.  On a recent Facebook conversation, Niodrara was mention numerous times as people’s most favorite street.  Airy rooms feature walls of glass and natural materials echo the beauty of nature outside.  Every room flows effortlessly to the next.

But enough about the house.  You want to know about the Tiki Gods.  Ok, first off, here is a 15 second video about the Tiki Bar in the Family Room.  Ok, now here is an equally short bit about the Tiki God at the entrance. Isn’t that fun?

By the way- I am shooting these tiny bits of film throughout out the Broker’s Caravan. If you’d like to tag along and see the houses, follow me at @kendyl on Twitter!

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La Crescenta

Let’s start off easy, shall we?  La Crescenta is known as the Balcony of Southern California- not as the bastion of big dwellings.  There is a new development of 5 homes and the most expensive is at 2625 1/2 Prospect Ave.,  listed at $989,900.  The floor plan comments by the agent indicates that these are your basic modern floor plan- heavy on the master suite, bed/bath combo on the first floor.  Very little is said about the finishes, but I think it is safe to assume granite/stainless steel in the kitchen.  If you are into the new home look- this is your best bet.

Next up is the only home in La Crescenta over one million dollars 3048 Markridge is listed at $1,099,000 and has been on the market for 134 days.  It features miles of stone, stainless steel and dark wood cabinetry.  It has a large yard with a sparkling pool. Located high up in the hills it has some great valley views and is close to the Deukmajian Wilderness Park.  I am guessing, however, that the right buyer for this home is an unlikely hiker.

Glendale

The most expensive home in town- at least in terms of the absolute dollar, is (drum roll, please) 2047 Rimcrest Dr., listed for $2,899,000. This ginormous home is 8143 sf of living space (NOT the lot size,people- the house size). The ceilings are high, the floors are sparkling and the view will knock your socks off.

These homes are amazing, but, to my way of thinking, they are not even close to the most expensive listing in town.  That honor goes to 501 Caruso Ave. in the famed Americana at Brand.  This is Urban Concierge style living and it is unlike any other residential choice in the area.  This penthouse unit is listed for $2,050,000 for an efficient 1894 sf of living space.  There is also a HOA fee of $939/mo. This buys you an unparalleled style of luxury living that I can’t begin to describe.

Now, Children, I am the first to admit that this shocks my Cheap Chinese Heart in ways that I can not begin to count.  On the other hand, I would never pay for a first class airline ticket and this is clearly my own problem.   I can’t wait to sell this to someone who is free from my own, idiosyncratic, limitations.

La Cañada Flintridge

While there is no lack of money in La Cañada, we are an unpretentious people, not given to flaunting the successes of our lives.  But,  for every rule, there is the exception.  567 Meadow Grove tells the world, on no uncertain terms, just what sort of people live here.  Listed for $10,700,000, this is a French Chateau whose interior draws from the Versailles and the Louve.   It is rich, sumptuous and just a tiny bit over the top.  If you want a home that says, “I have arrived”, this is your place.

And now this is the drum roll moment, for sure… the most expensive home in all of La Cañada is… 4385 Commonwealth Ave., clocking in at a heart palpitating $12,200,000.  I wish I could list all the ways I love this home.  I love it’s elegance, quality, style and the fact that there is a sound proof studio for a drum set (a drumset!!).  If I were to win a Super Lotto (a regular lotto will not be enough) I would buy this home in a heartbeat.

This home is completely understated and completely perfect. It won’t necessarily wow you with pictures- this is home you must experience.

Which one would you like to buy?

I kid… not really.  Remember, you can click on any of the adresses to see details and pictures.  If you want to buy any one of these homes there is a convenient appointment  button at the bottom of each listing!

So, here’s my question:

If money were no object, which one of these homes would you chose and why?