Places to go, things to do, what to eat, where to shop and how to fulfill your life in the South Bay.
Welcome to THE MOUTH of the South Bay
Hello and welcome to South Bay Mouth.
Many of you may already know why this is site is called The Mouth, but for those that don't, locals commonly call the South Bay, "Mouth Bay." The South Bay is a section of South Los Angeles County encompassing a cluster of beach cities.
For a long time now I have wanted to create a place where locals and visitors alike can see what is going on and available to them in the South Bay. Although I have lived most of my life in the area, I realize there is so much to do and see that I was never aware of. I hear of great events and local fun and often when I share it with others they say they have lived here for so long and they never knew about it! So, here we are... My hopes are that this site will provide something new to improve the quality of your life in the South Bay. I do believe this site will be beneficial to both those living the single life and to families. Please visit the South Bay Mouth often to stay on top of special events, new restaurants/shops, bargains and sales, reviews and opinions, bands and music, a video from an aspiring Chef or even just a photo of a beautiful sunset.
Stay tuned for updates and posts and please leave comments and share us with your friends.
I can not believe that the new season of American Idol has just started, it seems like just yesterday we were watching Adam's try outs and being so excited that he was so well received. I remember I was with friends in New York when we found out that Adam had made it in to the top and we were all so excited. Over a year has passed since then and it has been so amazing to watch his growth. It cracks me up when I read comments from all of his fans, they write some crazy things sometimes, but wow he really is loved. Of course Adam is a bit controversial to some, but he is himself and we think he is amazing and talented. How he chooses to live his life just adds to his beauty and character and we are all so happy for his success.
Citizen Vein, photo by Erin Fisher
Once upon a time Adam was the singer for Citizen Vein. The Citizen Vein was Monte Pittman (guitar player and teacher for Madonna and also guitar player for Prong), Steve Sidelnyk (drummer for Madonna), Tommy Victor (lead singer and guitarist for Prong) and the now ever so popular Adam Lambert. Wow those days seem like yesterday, but the reality is they will never be the same. Now Monte is Adam's guitar player and both Monte and Adam released their own albums at the end of 2009. Go on out and support them! You can find the album, The Deepest Dark for Monte Pittman at CDBABY, my favorite song is "After the Last Wave" because it has two of my great friends singing together on it.
Citizen Vein, photo by Erin Fisher
On a last final note, I finally checked my Youtube account today and my world famous "38 second video" has nearly 100,000 views. It cracks me up! I took the video in early 2007 at the Citizen Vein show, took it down during all the AI stuff and then reopened it to the public when Adam made it in to the top ten. I never really noticed the funny things in the video that the viewers can not seem to disregard, but it has been a fun adventure seeing all the love that Glambert and Monte get from the fans. :) Here is the video that made me famous! LOL (I put all the text there so people would not steal it, that did not work, it was all over the internet very quickly and they all figured out how to remove it)
Video of Citizen Vein taken at the Cat Club, by Erin Fisher
The following photos are also property of Erin Fisher and were taken at a couple of Citizen Vein shows. These are just some of my favorites that I will share.
Adam Lambert, Photo by Erin Fisher
Monte Pittman and Adam Lambert, Photo by Erin Fisher
Adam Lambert and Tommy Victor, Photo by Erin Fisher
Monte Pittman, Photo by Erin Fisher
Tommy Victor, Photo by Erin Fisher
Adam Lambert and Tommy Victor, Photo by Erin Fisher
Many of us are eager to help the people of Haiti during this time as they have suffered such devastation from the recent 7.0 earthquake. Of all places, the hospital collapsed and at this point they are saying about 50,000 have perished. There are many avenues to which you can help the people of Haiti, some for immediate and some over time. Many places have run out of medical supplies and injured are being transported to the Dominican Republic for help. Here are a few avenues that you can use to assist during this sad time for Haiti.
Child Hope is an organization that was created and is run by locals in Redondo Beach. They have orphanage facilities in Haiti and are now housing rescue victims. Reports from them today said they had to close their clinic because they are now out of medical supplies. You can donate to edivvy and 5% of all donations will be matched.
In times of need, through my personal experience, Rotary International always pulls through and does amazing work throughout the world. They have connections in most countries around the globe and can directly get money and supplies to the places it is needed. Rotary set up a Haiti earthquake relief fund where you can send your donations to assist in emergency and long term aid.
Another way to help the victims is by going through Yele Haiti which is an organization started by Wyclef Jean.
If you are interested in donating items, my girlfriend that is from Haiti and still has family there is collecting donations for blankets, clothing, medical supplies, shoes etc... this weekend you may drop off items to:
(drop off anytime)
28649 Vista Madera
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
(drop off anytime)
1881 Walnut Street
La Verne Ca 91750
(drop off anytime)
19776 Ottowa Road
Apple Valley, Ca 92308
(drop off between 10am-6pm)
Bird Call Productions/Cardiac Studios
3450 Cahuenga Blvd
Lot #603
Los Angeles, Ca 90068
Thank you all for your support. Best wishes and thoughts for everyone out there.
Yankee Candle has been around awhile with their jar candles of a gajillion different fragrances. Well right now Yankee Candle is having their semi-annual sale at yankeecandle.com, but even better, the Yankee Candle store at the South Bay Galleria is going out of business and closing in 2 weeks. Apparently they have some great prices on their yummy (sometimes overpowering) candles and other scented items. What makes this deal super amazing is that there is a coupon available for $10 off a purchase of $25 that you can print and take in with you. I think that is a great way to start your Valentines Day or Mothers Day shopping don't you?!
Another offer for FREE AVEDA and this time if is for a Color Conserve Sample Pack with shampoo, conditioner and strengthening treatment. I am really starting to love this Aveda stuff :)
Thank you to those of you that participated in my First Giveaway. Each Winner will receive 4 cards, each is for an 8oz Frozen Yogurt. We went last night and were pleasantly surprised, not only by the ginormous portion but the taste was great too! Not only did we get our FREE yogurt, but we went and rented "Julie and Julia" with our FREE Redbox movie rental code also. Super Sunday for sure!
This is the photo from our Golden Spoon experience. We would have been content with our yogurt when they put the toppings on, but we found out that was the middle because they then went back and piled yogurt all over the top. WOW!
The following is a list of the participants in the order they occurred. Each is one entry.
1. Lori lynn - comment
2. Lori Lynn - Follower
3. Tash - Follower
4. Tash - comment
5. Robin - Follower
6. Lori Lynn - comment
7. J Danger - Follower
8. J Danger - Comment
9. Steph - Follower
10. L Cope - Follower
11. L Cope - Comment
12. Tash - comment
THE WINNERS according to Random.org are LORI LYNN and TASH! Congratulations ladies, I will send you an email to get your addresses so I may send you your prizes. (Not sure why when I put the generator on my blog it keeps resetting the max to 100, but I did have it from 1 - 12 when I generated the winners)
True Random Number Generator2Powered by RANDOM.ORG
and
True Random Number Generator12Powered by RANDOM.ORG
Groupon has a great offer for TODAY ONLY!!! Pay $10 on Groupon and get $20 worth of food/baked goods at Torrance Bakery.
I know so many of you local South Bay people are familiar with the goodies from Torrance Bakery, it is a South Bay icon. I can't even count the amount of wedding cakes, birthday cakes, fresh baked cookies and other treats I have had from there. I am certainly going to get one of these, always great for taking yummy things to a friends house or buying a cake for an upcoming celebration. The deal is only good for a limited time (usually 1-3 days) so hurry over to Groupon today!!!
There are many of places in the South Bay that offer KIDS EAT FREE, certainly a great find for "The Mouth."
According to our local Daily Breeze
there are many local restaurants that offer free meals for kids with the purchase of adult meals. During hard times, these are certainly great ways to go out for dinner with your family on a budget. Check out the Daily Breeze KIDS EAT FREE section to choose a day of the week or a restaurant from the pull down menu and see when your kids can eat free and help your family enjoy a cushier wallet.
Have you rented a movie from Red Box? Red Box has kiosks in various locations where you can rent a movie for $1. You enter your credit card # as long as you return the movie by 9pm the following evening then your rental is just $1.
The even better news, there are currently some codes you can enter that will make them FREE! When you get to the kiosk click on "Rent with a Promo Code", enter the code, enter your CC# (which only charge if you are late), choose your movie. It looks like you can use the promo code once with each CC# so it is possible with the 4 Codes I have to give you that get them FREE, you can get 4 with every card you have... Now that sounds like a Movie Marathon to me!
Current Promo Codes:
DVDONME
BREAKROOM
FREE45W
RBX2NITE
As a big fan of the Frou Frou Fro Yo craze I am pleased to announce The Mouths first South Bay Giveaway!
For years I have been getting frozen yogurt, many of us started with Penguins, if you were in PV then you may have loved Yummy Yogurt next to the mall, and nowadays in the South Bay it is all about the Pinkberry, Yogurtland and Dolci Mango craze.
Golden Spoon in Torrance seems along the lines of Yogurtland or Penguins, that original creamy and not so tart style of Frozen Yogurt. Reviewers on Yelp have given them some very nice reviews.
GIVEAWAY: starts NOW through Sunday January 10, 2010 at 11:59pm PST
2 lucky winners will receive 4 FREE GOLDEN SPOON 8oz Servings.
(Each winner gets 4 cards, each valid for one free 8oz serving, not including toppings, one card per person per visit, must give card upon ordering, valid ONLY at Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, 4437 Sepulveda Blvd, Torrance CA 90505 (corner of Anza and Sepulveda next to Starbucks)
Value to each winner aprox. - $13.00
HOW TO WIN:
Each person may earn up to 15 entries.
1. Become a Follower and receive 1 entry per person
2. Leave a comment on one of my posts, relevant to the post. (ex: leave a comment about a Sushi Gone Wild experience or perhaps about your favorite SB Sushi place) Max 2 comment based entries per person, be sure there is a link or name and city so I may identify who you are to announce later.
3. Invite a friend and ask them to reference you in a comment on my blog saying that you referred them - Max 1 entry per person (meaning you may earn one entry TOTAL even if 10 people comment)
4. Sign up for Shop at Home using this link for 1 entry per person
5. Sign up for Shop at Home using this link and make your first qualifying purchase to receive 5 entries per person
6. Make a blog post about South Bay Mouth
on your blog and leave a comment here with a link to your blog. = 5 entries per person
That is a total of 15 entries. The winner will be calculated using Random.org and will be ANNOUNCED ON MY BLOG on Monday January 11, 2010. Please check back that evening to see if you are the winner and so that I can get a mailing address.
Ortega 120 is a great Mexican Restaurant in Redondo Beach. If you do not look carefully you may pass it up and miss it entirely. I can only imagine the number of people that drive by, take notice of its uniqueness and then continue driving by. This funky and modern Restaurant and Cantina opened in a strip mall faced housing area on PCH between Prospect and Palos Verdes Blvd., taking over a location that has quite a bit of turnover since its fruition.
I remember randomly running across a myspace page a few years back for a young man, a chef, that said he would be soon opening a restaurant and that it would be a very new and different kind of place. The management is generous to my understandings, they participated in sponsoring my 10 year high school reunion and offered a $50 gift certificate to our raffles. A friend of mine mentioned the other day how he loves this restaurant and I told him I saw they were having a promotion on Restaurant.com, so we should go together. Next thing I know, today I went with a few friends and we used our $25 Gift Certificate from Restaurant.com.
The food was wonderful, we were all very happy with our choices. The flavors were great, the portions were perfect and the presentation was distinctly different for each entree. I might just consider the fresh homemade chips and guacamole to be the best I have had in the South Bay. I definitely also recommend getting enchiladas with their homemade Mole sauce. Not only was the food great and the service friendly, but with tax and tip after our discount the bill came to $53 which was a fair amount for happy bellies.
*side note - the only beans they have are made with meat and have chunks of meat in them, there are no alternatives to this.*
Two years ago I bought my first pair of TOMS shoes. The plain white canvas shoes I bought had great intentions. I gave them to my brother in October and said "this year, all I want for Christmas is for you to decorate my shoes." This seemed like an easy task, he is artistic and enjoyed making small pictures and bubbly letters all over his sketch pad and canvases. Apparently the task was not that easy. After begging, pleading, and offering to allow my shoes to be my gift for so many different occasions, two years later I got my shoes!
So yes, I cried in excitement and happiness and joy this Christmas as I unwrapped my shoes. I had seen the work he had been doing over the years because I was so anxious and recently gave him a couple ideas as to something he could add to them. There they were, with so many things that relate to me and he added my favorite quote from Gandhi "Be the change you with to see in the world." Last year for Christmas my brother and my friend both gave me a pair of TOMS for Christmas with the Gandhi quote, my girlfriend exchanged mine for a necklace with the same quote that I loved just as much. I wore those shoes till their dying days as my toes popped through as I galavanted around Botswana this summer. I wish there was video footage or a photo of my face when I opened my shoes, certainly more emotional than I have ever been over a gift. Thank you Chris!
So enough about my personal shoes. The reason I love TOMS sooo much is because, not only were they created by an awesome traveler, but Blake made it so that every pair of TOMS purchased another pair is donated to a child around the globe. TOMS goes out and does shoe drops with thousands of pairs of shoes in places like South Africa, Argentina and more. The shoes have developed over the years, when I first bought them they were mostly just for women with a few designs. Now TOMS has many designs, patterns, shapes, sizes, vegan, boots, sparkles and still the same white canvas like I bought. People have TOMS parties where the buy all the shoes and everyone comes over and makes their own special pair and just remember at the same time children in another country will be soon surprised with their only pair of shoes. (If you have not yet linked on a hyperlink above, what are you waiting for!? hehehee)
Some photos of my TOMS
- My Gandhi TOMS, with a photo that TOMS had put in their TOMS blog of my feet in my favorite shoes hanging out at the Self Realization Fellowship in Pacific Palisades, California. This is a place where some of Gandhi's ashes remain.
And NOW for my new TOMS :)
Front View
Left Shoe
Right Shoe
I know you want your own pair of TOMS and they are available all over the internet. Once again I recommend going through Shop at Home and then link to TOMS SHOES. Shop at Home will give you 9% CASH BACK and you will be giving a pair to a child. If you want to try them on in person, there are many local South Bay retailers.
Over the past couple of months I have been paying attention to ways I can benefit by participating in online promotions. One site that I participate it is e-rewards, which is a quick consumer survey site. I put in a few minutes each week when they ask me to answer some questions, no big deal. A few weeks ago I cashed in my rewards for $15 Borders Bucks. That is a FREE BOOK or more! I was given a couple small Borders Gift Cards for Christmas so together this makes for an even greater deal.
Today, I decided to redeem my Borders bucks and my gift card so I went through Shop At Home. After ordering 3 books, all about travel since I am overdue on an escape, my $45 bill came to nothing. Not only am I not paying anything out of pocket, they will all be shipped for free because it is over $25. The extra bonus is because I used Shop At Home I will get back 7% of my order. Basically I am going to make near $4 and I did not even spend a penny out of pocket.
That means I used $30 in gifts and I profited from my online awareness about $19. Awesome!!! So for any of you that have gift cards to spend, I certainly not only recommend trying to do some online shopping with Shop At Home but also be aware of the deals out there. Before I buy anything online I always go to google and enter a search for a coupon code... example "Borders, coupon, promo code" and I look through the results. Then go click on Shop At Home and enter the company you want to shop with and start getting money back on the purchases.
It does not hurt to be a smart consumer, sure it may take a couple extra minutes, but when your friends are wondering how you can afford to go to dinner or buy those new shoes... it is not because you make a lot of $, rather it is because you pay attention to how you buy!
*there, my secrets are out* Happy Shopping with all those Holiday Gift Cards!
Sushi Gone Wild is most certainly a new favorite of mine and it seems to be a popular place for many of my friends and other South Bay locals. Mr. Kim is well known from a previous South Bay establishment and he has a ton of followers. Not only does Mr. Kim serve up super tasty and fresh food, but he makes his place full of life and energy. On my first night to SGW he loaded us up on Free SAKE! Since then he has come through and given free appetizers and also great deals (because I signed up for his emails, you get coupons to use throughout the month).
One of the best parts about Sushi Gone Wild are the Happy Hours. Mon-Thurs Happy Hour is from 11:30am-3pm and then 5pm-6:30pm. You have to try it out and don't let the strip mall location fool you!
You can read more about his place on the Yelp reviews.
Sushi Gone Wild
24004 Vista Montana
Torrance, Ca 90505
310-373-0706
This is the lovely Mr. Kim "See you Tomorrow!"
*Please leave some comments/reviews about Sushi Gone Wild for our other readers!*
I have not used Aveda products much before, but I recently got a sample of their hand therapy and OOO LALA I really like it. My hands felt sooo good after using it. When I spoke to an Aveda specialist at their salon, she told me that all Aveda packaging is from recycled materials and the ingredients are all natural and organic. These two things alone made me become a fan. Currently there is an offer, although it expires tomorrow NYE, for a free sample pack of shampoo, conditioner and a styler. Print your coupon here and take it to a local Aveda salon. Click here for a Location near you.
A great way to start off 2010 is to be active. I know so many out there make resolutions having to do with a healthier lifestyle, so this is an opportunity to make a tiny step in that direction. About two years ago a group of friends and I would get together and go for a walk, we were doing so well sometimes a few nights a week. Somehow, it all stopped. No time is better than now to start again.
Every Wednesday at 6:45pm we will be doing "WILSON WALK WEDNESDAY." We will be meeting anyone that would like to join us on the South East side of the Hockey rink (basically a bench area that nearly meets the pond, hockey rink and tennis courts) at Wilson park in Torrance. There is a walk/job path that goes around part of the park and each loop is .91 miles. We plan on doing at least 3 loops (which will be 2.73 miles) and we give ourselves about an hour as a general time frame. We typically start on time.
All are welcome, we often have strollers being pushed and kids on bikes in our group. We do not HAVE to all stay together, the path is wide enough for about 3 to stand side by side, but we can certainly go in a cluster. Dress warm, obviously it is winter now, I do recall my ears and fingers would get super cold so I always wear gloves and a hooded sweatshirt. The path is decently lit and when we are all in a group you feel safe too. There is a clean bathroom in the community center room by the hockey area as well as a couple of water fountains around (however if you can bring small bottle and stick it in your pocket).
I certainly hope you will join us on our walks. THERE WILL BE NO WALK ON WET/RAINY DAYS!
Wilson Park is located on the east side of Crenshaw Blvd at the corner of Jefferson, just north of Sepulveda.
So I know some out there have already disposed of your holiday tree, but for those that have not there may be some green options for you. Before you just go throw your tree in the dumpster visit this link to RECYCLE YOUR TREE
Find out how to recycle other goods like paint and batter etc. by visiting Earth 911
I had heard about a deal on another blog for Gevalia coffee and although I am not much for coffee, my boyfriend is. The deal got me 3 half pound bags of coffee (or I could have chosen tea) and a stainless steel scoop delivered to my door for $3 and it arrived today (after just ordering it I think Christmas eve). Supposedly their coffee is pretty good and the best part is you can cancel anytime even right after they have shipped your first introductory order. I kind of wish I had waited because the current deal I believe gets you a stainless steel coffee maker, scoop and 2 half pounds of coffee for $12.95. Sheesh, I do not buy coffee makers but I do know a good deal when I see one! It would have been worth it for me to wait and do the new deal, but at least my family can enjoy the coffee now and I can cancel... actually I may not because they have more good deals coming up for "members." So ya, if you are a coffee drinker, it may be worth it (or even for a pretty sweet deal on a gift for a coffee drinker) to check it out here at Gevalia.
Join us for our special Friends of Gevalia offer and enjoy a premium coffee kit including a stainless steel coffeemaker, scoop and a pound of Gevalia coffee-Just $12.95 (a $100 value!) Gevalia’s guarantee-you’ll love your coffee or it’s free!
My very favorite Vegetarian restaurant in the South Bay is Happy Veggie and it is all VEGAN. They serve more of a Thai/Vietnamese flair, but the flavors and portions are unbeatable. The dishes are probably averaged around $11, but you could get a dish and rice and share it with 2 people. Happy Veggie is the only place I can find in the South Bay that when they say Vegetarian Pho it really is. Everywhere else I have tried actually uses beef broth. Another favorite dish of mine is the "Chicken" Curry and the Pad Thai. You have to get dessert also, either the Vegan Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce or the Almond Mocha Cake.
Let me know what you think if you visit and if you have been leave some comments for others.
Happy Veggie map
709 N. Pacific Coast Highway
Redondo Beach, Ca 90277
310 379 5035
Great random find today, as we found that the Blockbuster in Hermosa Beach (map) is closing and everything must go. Movies were up to 80% off!!! They said they have been closing since October, so that means like me, your favorite movies may no longer be available. HOWEVER, there are still some out there. We bought 15 previously viewed movies today. So if you like adding to your movie collection then go check it out. You can get Surf's Up for $3.99! :)
Blockbuster
709 Pier Avenue
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
310 379 1834
Do you have an idea for a blog subject? Do you want to feature a review of your business? Are you hiring and looking for local employees? Do you want to offer a giveaway contest? Please contact me at southbaymouthblog@gmail.com and write BLOG in the subject line. xo Erin
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