Pictures of Ventura Churches

Pictures of Ventura Churches

Back in September of 2014 I started a new blog for the same reason that many people start blogs. I was interested in something and couldn't find much information about it. I'd driven past this church, or at least I assumed it was a church, but there was nothing on it to identify it. (Rick's note: Being a bit more creative with my Google search, I cane across a tax record for this building. It was a church in the 80's, but I wasn't able to find out why it isn't anymore. If you have some information, please send it to me. Thanks.)

And as I drove around Ventura, I'd see other churches, or what I assumed to be churches, but I didn't always see anyone near them. This one on Main Street always looks on the verge of being abandoned, for instance, though I do see a congregation. It appears as though it might have been pretty at some point.

Others seem to be very well maintained, with large congregations. This one is at the top of Poli, and has an amazing view of the ocean. As part of my Lenten sacrifice a few years back, I made my kids go with me to various churches for Sunday services, while going to our own church Saturday night, in part because I wanted to see the inside of this particular building. It's nice on the inside too.

Years ago, I was visiting Budapest, Hungary, and walked through the Hilton Hotel, which was built on top of and uses walls from both an old church and monastery. Part of the historian in me was shocked, but then I thought to myself, if something can't be preserved as a whole (and apparently the buildings were abandoned and unsafe), then parts should be reused. The hotel had some displays showing the old walls, and explanations in several languages as to what was done.

With that, it's interesting to see churches repurposed, either by new congregations, such as this, which went from being a run-down and apparently abandoned building to becoming a lovingly maintained Buddhist temple.

Or this, another building that was in pretty bad shape when we moved into town in the 90's and is now a bed and breakfast that has excellent reviews on the internet, and is apparently haunted as a bonus! 

When I initially had the idea, my original plan was to write little histories of the church buildings, the congregations within and their part in Ventura, and that is still what I intend to do somewhere down the road. But I thought to myself that if I waited to gather the information, I'd never start the project. I also had an idea of taking pictures with several different cameras for different effects, but that proved to be impractical for the amount of time I had to work with. 

Now, if I happen by, have time, and the light is good, I pull out my iPhone 4 and snap a picture. I then use the picture, and if the church has a website, I try to link to it in case someone stumbles across the site and would like more information. I've never tried to find churches in any other way-I have to cross paths with them in my wanderings about the city. That's how I've come across places like this one.

Surprisingly, at least to me, is that some of these churches have no website. Also surprising, is that some of the websites have no pictures of their house of worship, as if they are ashamed of where they gather. My iPhone picture, along with the Google Maps street view, appear to be the only picture of some of these churches on the internet.

I publish a new photo every Sabbath, except when the synagogue comes up, which will published on the Shabbat of that week. I'm writing this on Dec. 28, and I went bike riding yesterday to take a bunch of pictures and have them set up to publish through April, 2015. I think I've all of the Avenues, and I'm working my way through Mid-Town.

On another note, this is the 53rd post of the year, making two consecutive years where I've posted an average of once a week. 

Thanks for reading, and have a great New Year!

Lalo's Ventura

Lalo's Fast Food

1580 N. Ventura Ave.

Ventura, CA  93001

Lalo's is one of two places that the old timers talk about when heading to the Avenues. (Johnny's Fine Mexican Food on the other end of the Avenues is the other), and I went there a lot when I first moved to Ventura. But I generally like sitting inside when I eat, and I don't like to bring food home, so I usually head to Cuernavaca (a place I really need to write about here).

But Cuernavaca is on a two week holiday. I was out bike riding with my daughter and taking pictures for my other blog (consider this a shameless plug for my Pictures of Ventura Churches photo blog) on the Avenues, and my daughter and I were really hungry. 

Seafood through this door

Whenever I drive by, there always seems to be a crowd, but the line moved pretty fast. I felt 'surf and turf', and ordered a pulpo (octopus) tostada ($5) and a carne asada soft taco ($2).  My daughter opted for the quesadilla con carne asada ($6.50). I had the Mexican bottled Coke and my daughter went with a Lime Jarrito.

Strangely, at least I thought, I had to go around the corner from the order window to the screened-in patio area to place my tostada order. The tostada was up first. Some sort of  mayonaise-based white sauce and avocado, with tapitio and lime, all on a crunchy tortilla, it was fresh and good.

 The rest of the food came up a moment or two later. My daughter powered down her quesadilla, and said she really liked it. The taco, though meaty, was a bit chunky and chewy, and would have benefitted from having the meat cut a bit smaller. Also, I thought the red sauce tasted like a ranchero sauce and not really a salsa. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I expected. Still, I'd eat it all again.

A couple of other quick asides. The stand is attached to a house and car wash. I don't know if everything is connected to one another-the paint scheme is all the same, which is why I have that impression.

It's worth a trip.

Goleta Coffee, Santa Barbara CA

Goleta Coffee Company

177 South Turnpike Road

Santa Barbara, CA 93111

At the heart of every coffee house is, of course, coffee. And since I started writing the blog and really paying attention to coffee is served, I've come up with some favorites. 

I must confess, as much as I hate to go to chain anythings-restaraunts, stores, whatever, I do like Starbucks. Not that the 800 lb. gorilla of coffee chains needs a plug in my little blog, but I know what I'm going to get going in, and it's consistent, reasonably priced and good. Not only that, they're everywhere-I think there are 8 stand alone shops in Ventura, and more at Vons, Target, etc. There are two Coffee Bean's and one Peet's here in Ventura as well, and I like them, but not as much as Starbucks. The independent coffee houses between here and Santa Barbara usually use Santa Barbara Roast, which I tend to find a bit acidic, or Beacon, which I like and is roasted here in town but not found in as many places.

I've stopped at the Goleta Coffee House a few times before, and have liked their coffee. On a recent Sunday afternoon, there was a crowd but a few seats available for what I was doing-drinking a cup of coffee and reading the paper. I was expecting the usual SB Roast, and was surprised by the smooth smokiness of the Mexican organic. While sitting, I saw several people order the sandwiches, which also looked quite good. There was ample seating up front, outside, and in a rear indoor area that had a fireplace blazing on the cool morning.

Goleta Coffee is reasonable close to UCSB, and what appeared to be several college students were sitting about with books and laptops open, studying-I believe finals were coming up-along with the many locals coming and going, chatting with one another. 

I asked, and discovered that Goleta Coffee used Peerless Coffee out of Oakland, and they keep several types brewed and ready for drinking. A small coffee, or any size of your own cup is $2. With a relaxed, locals favorite atmosphere, it was a good place to sit and have a cup.

No website, but there is a Facebook page. They do have wi-fi. 

World Famous Franks truck

World Famous Franks

Ventura/Oxnard Area

The wife made corn dogs the other night. 

I don't like corn dogs, and since I had to pick up some kid from some practice or another-and the kids'll eat corn dogs, I left the house a little early headed toward Primos Tacos 805 (11/1/14), but on my way I saw World Famous Franks in front of Hypno Comics, which is open until 9 on Wednesdays.

There are actually two comic book stores within 10 blocks of my house, and both seem to do pretty good business. Hypno Comics is the newer of the two, with Ralph's Comic Corner being the larger, older store. Except for a brief time when I was living in San Luis Obispo when I would follow the exploits of Lobo, I was never much for comic books. I'd read the ones my cousins read back in the 60's, and Mad in the 70's, but that was it. I assume both comic book stores are good-they always seem friendly enough when I'm in-but I really can't say. 

Back to World Famous Franks. Loud music blasting as I pulled up, and one of the truckers was advising two women on both the grilled cheese and hot dogs. I didn't need any coaching up, and went straight for the Sinatra, an apple/garlic sausage with sour kraut, grilled onions, mustard, and interestingly, sliced apples, and a bottle of Coke, which set me back $11-more than I would have spent at Primos Tacos, but within the realm of truck food.

I walked into Hypno Comics while waiting, which was hoppin' at the 8 o'clock hour, with a group playing some sort of game in the back and browsers taking in the various comic books. I heard my name, and got my dog. That first bite was good. I wasn't sure how the apples would work against the sausage, but the sweet/tart of the apple against the spiciness of the sausage and deli mustard combined in an interesting and tasty way. On the whole, it wasn't bad. If there'd been a bag of chips, it would have been a pretty good meal. As it is, I'd eat there again-if I wanted a hot dog specifically.

I looked at the grilled cheese menu, too. Some interesting choices there, but nothing that screamed out to me on this visit.

¡Loteria Grill! Westlake

¡Loteria Grill!

180 Promenade Way

Thousand Oaks, CA 91362

Though I'm of Mexican descent, I'm so far removed from Mexico that no one would ever mistake me for being anything other than what I am-a white guy that tans well. In my younger days, I would be asked if I spoke Spanish, but my parents grew up in a time when speaking Spanish in school was frowned upon, so my grandparents didn't really teach them. My parents don't speak Spanish, and I only know what I learned in my high school Spanish class.

Growing up, I didn't really feel the need to eat Mexican food, and so I really didn't. My Mom was pretty good in the kitchen, but her mother wasn't, so she didn't really cook Mexican food particularly, nor did her sisters, so I don't have that comfort food association of Mexican food that some people have when talking about their mother's specialty. So Mexican food was nothing special. My dad liked crunchy tacos, so going out for Mexican food was a place that my Dad liked in East LA that served big, fat crunchy tacos with shredded beef, lettuce, cheese and tomatoes, with so much grease that it would drip down your arm. It was good, but not special.

When I was in my late 20's, I had a girlfriend who was a little older than me and made more money. I'd take her to eat, but that meant going to funky, cheap places like the Apple Pan (which is still there and still has no website) out on the Westside, Tommy's on Beverly and Rampart or if I had a bit more money, Gorky's in Downtown. But she had more money and had a been around a bit, so she could and would take me to places we couldn't go to on my budget. She was the one who took me to Tamayo's, an art gallery/restaurant that was only 10 blocks from the barrio that my mother grew up in. I remember looking at the menu and thinking that there were places in between there and my grandmothers where we could get the few dishes I recognized for half the cost. Up until that night, I had no idea that people would pay that much money for gourmet Mexican food-it hadn't occurred to me that Mexican food would be served in a 'fancy' restaurant.

I'd like to go into vivid detail of what I ate and how good it was, but honestly after almost a quarter century I don't remember. What I do recall is that it was pretty early on in our dating, and I was intimidated that she wanted to go out with me, and I was intimidated in the restaurant itself. I also remember that whatever I had was really good, and the margarita I chased it down with was excellent. We dated a for a few years, so if my nervousness showed, it didn't bother her. I really need to eat at Tamayo's again some time.

Wanting tacos in Westlake Village on a Friday night, I saw ¡Loteria! and remembered reading about their location in the LA Farmer's Market and how good it was, so I walked in. They brought me a menu and some chips, and the first thing I noticed was that this was not going to be the dollar tacos I had "Taco Tuesday" at the Oxnard Whole Foods Market-not that those were bad, and I'm going to have to write about my Whole Foods obsession soon. Tacos at ¡Loteria! are almost four times that cost, so the question becomes, "Are they worth it?"

I was going to get the Carne Arrachers plate, but the waitress recommended the tacos carne arrachera, which she said was pretty much the same but $8 less, which made sense to me. I ordered a beer, which I sipped while waiting. The chips were fresh and the salsa seemed to be a smokey tomatillo, but I can't be sure. It had a bit of heat, but not much.

The the tacos came out. Small pieces of beef on hand made tortillas, smothered in onions and cilantro, it smelled delicious. White rice and black beans filled out the plate. I started with a bite of the beans. I could taste the bacon, which added to the flavor. Then I tried some of the rice, which had a hint of cilantro and some other flavors. Both the beans and rice had unexpected tastes which made them better than what I expected.

Then it was time for the tacos. The beef was tender, with a hint of lime and a taste of beer. The tortilla was moist, and the onions and cilantro were freshly chopped, making for one great taco. And the best part-there were two more after the first. As the tortilla collapsed under the weight of the beef, I discovered that it all tasted better if I could balance some beans, rice and a bit of beef on my fork and get them all into my mouth at one time-that was delicious! A bit of Mexican beer, and it turned into a really great meal-reminding me that the cuisine of Mexico is more than a dollar taco.

It was expensive, but worth the cost.

On a side note, I was eating there toward closing time, and one by one the kitchen staff came out with meals and ate them at the counter. I thought that pretty cool.

Las Delicias, Ventura

Las Delicias

2611 E. Thompson

Ventura CA 93003

Like I usually do when I write these things, I check to see if the food place has a website. I didn't find one for the Ventura Las Delicias, but I did find one for the Santa Clarita location. I found the last sentence on the home page to the most telling-Each Las Delicias location is privately owned and operated. Prices and quality may vary depending on location.

The Ventura Las Delicias smells a little bit funny. Not "omigod run" funny, but funny. It conjures up Mexican restaurants from my past, but places where the food wasn't necessarily that good.

Since I was in the door, I figured that I'd give it a try in spite of the smell. Walking to the counter, things looked reasonably clean, which is always a good start, as did the rest of the restaurant. I actually really liked the look of the place. Orange walls with some faux exposed brick, a large Aztec calandar, and some paintings of romanticized Aztec warriors. On the walkway to the bathroom, there's a bunch of hand painted tiles on the floor that appear to be done by children, but I can't say that for sure.

You order at a counter, and it is easy to see the food being prepared. My daughter ordered the taco salad, while I had a taco and a pupusa plate. We were handed a paper tray of chips, and we walked over to a table to wait for our food. 

Interestingly, the tables had large pictures of various location locals. I walked over to the salsa bar and picked out four to eat with the chips. Both my daughter and I thought it was strange that when our second tray of chips came out, they were different than the first-tastier too. I don't know why a place would have two types of chips.

The food came out, and it was just okay. I thought my daughter's salad was a bit small, but she said it was fine. My taco and pupusa were certainly edible, but not outstanding. There are good Mexican restaurants nearby, all with a similar price points, so I don't know how long an okay Mexican place will last.
 

Wok 'N' South Mongolian BBQ, Ventura

Wok 'N' South Mongolian BBQ

2835 E. Main Street

Ventura, CA  93003

The trick to eating at a Mongolian BBQ, or any buffet type restaurant for that matter, is to load up on the meat and expensive vegetables. Stay away from pasta, which is cheap and filling. 

I read that somewhere someplace, but that's how I approach all buffets, this one included. Wok-N-South Mongolian BBQ opened shortly after my family moved to Ventura, on the site of an old Chinese restaurant if memory serves, and I think the 4' Buddha that graces the door is leftover from those days. Back then, they'd send out coupons and my then small family would go pretty often. Everyone could make something that they'd want to eat.

Food Selection

The grill

My finished plate-note the lack of noodles!

It's pretty good and all you can eat, two things that I look for. However, as my kids get older, the prices go up. Currently, the cost is $12.49 for dinner (all you can eat), and $8.49 for lunch. (1trip). They serve beer and sake, as well as fountain sodas. The meals come with an egg drop soup, flat bread and fried sweet and sour won tons.

The same Asian couple has been there the whole time, and I thought they owned the restaurant until I looked at the website. They might be part owners or franchise owners-there are other Wok 'n' Souths in Camarillo and Thousand Oaks,  with (according to their website) the opportunities to open your very own Mongolian BBQ!

It's reasonably clean, friendly, and generally quick, though it does get crowded on weekends. The dining area does look a bit worn-I don't think it's been spruced up in at least the last ten years, but there generally ample seating with a couple of tv's. 

Like I said, it's a family favorite, and great when you have an appetite.

Guitar Tech Corner, Ventura

Guitar Tech Corner

Drop Off and Pick up at Almighty Guitar Planet

1822 E. Main Street 

Ventura, CA 93001

http://www.guitartechcorner.com/

It's important to have a 'guy'. 

At least, you should have someone who can fix the things that you can't. I have a contractor that I trust, a mechanic that I trust, and a guitar repair guy that I trust. 

I came across Tracy Longo, the owner of Guitar Tech Corner, a few years ago when I had bought an Arts and Lutherie Ami guitar on eBay. A parlor size guitar that is similar to a Martin, the Ami is solid wood and made in Canada, dating from 1997 and it needed some attention when I bought it. But it only cost me $77, so with a list price of around $350, I figured that if I didn't spend too much on repairs, I'd be okay. 

I dropped the Ami at Guitar Planet, a great guitar shop that I'll give it's own post one day, where Tracy picks up and drops off his repairs. I guess his actual shop is in an industrial part of the east end of town. Tracy called me to give me an estimate-$95 which I thought was more than reasonable. I picked it up a few weeks later, and the Ami played great! 

About a year later, I bought a Sigma 12 string Japanese acoustic guitar on the Heritage Auction site for around $100, which I then brought to Tracy for repairs. On that, he did something that I didn't expect. He called me and said that though he could fix it, it wouldn't really be worth the cost when there are plenty of newer guitars that would play just as well and cost less. He suggested I sell it because there were a lot of 'kitchen luthiers' out there who would be able to fix it on their own, and even suggested the things I should point out about the guitar to get the best price. And he didn't even charge me! 

At that point, Tracy got a customer for life.

So when I came across this vintage koa wood pineapple ukulele, I figured that if I could get it for the right price, I could probably have Tracy do the repairs for me. As I've documented here, I've done some repairs on guitars and ukuleles, but the online description led me to believe that the repairs would be beyond what I was comfortable with. It had some cracks in the back, the bridge was unglued, the soundboard had some major cracks, and two of the tuning pegs were missing.

Still, it was vintage, and it was koa, so I figured if it was cheap enough, it'd be worth it. My limit was $80, including shipping, and I was able to score it for $76. When it arrived, it was pretty, but needed some tender love and care. I opted not to even try things that I thought that I'd be able to do, and shot Tracy an email and a couple of pictures, and he said that he'd be happy to take a look.

When he finally saw it, Tracy remarked how much it looked like a vintage Kamaka (My dream ukulele), and said he could get it up and running once more. I emphasized that I really wasn't in any rush (since my repair budget was a little tight), but if he thought he could get it working, to go ahead and fix it. I said that it was okay to change the tuning pegs to geared machines, but he quickly disagreed, saying the he could find wooden ones, and that it was much more in keeping with the vintage vibe, and I said if he felt it was best, that was okay with me.

It took almost three months, which I was totally okay with. I figured that Tracy's shop was at the proper humidity for wooden instruments, and that would help the koa. He described his shop (when repairing my Ami, which appeared very dried out when I bought it), as being like a spa for guitars, and spa time for what appeared to be an 80 year old instrument seems like a good idea. 

I picked it up today, and the ukulele was beautiful, much prettier than when I took it in. In my initial playing, it seems a little muffled, but I've notice that ukulele's need time to open up, and nylon strings really need time to break in, so I'll put a sound sample up in a few days. A Kamaka of similar style and vintage is much more than the approximate $250 that I put into this, so though I'm going to hold my final judgement for a month or two, so far I'm pretty happy.

Very pretty indeed.

The Primos Tacos 805

The Primos Tacos 805

Corner of Ash and Main

(In 5 Day Tire Parking Lot)

Tuesday through Sunday 6 PM to Midnight

A new taco truck!

Driving my daughter from one side of town to the other, I noticed The Primos Tacos 805 a couple of weeks ago, and when I stopped in, I asked how long they'd been there. It's their third week was the reply, and business has been pretty good.

The trailer looks new and very clean. The price list was written by hand, and the woman at the counter still didn't have the prices memorized. They serve tacos, burritos, hamburgers, hot dogs, and what I was in for tonight, quasadillas. 

The owner was up in front when I walked up, and he suggested that I go with the carnitas in my quesadilla, which sounded good to me. The quesadilla and can of Coke came out to $7.25, which I thought was pretty reasonable. Looking in at the menu, tacos were a buck seventy-five, and I'll try some the next time I'm in.

It came up quick and was certainly tasty enough, served with pico de gallo inside and guacomole and sour cream on the side. Nothing to write home about, but certainly worth the stop. Everyone was friendly enough, the owner explaining that, like many in the food truck business, he'd been working in restaurants for years and wanted to finally do something for himself.

I wished him well. Close to the house, clean and fast, I'm sure I'll be back.