Pop quiz. Where can you find more celebrities in one place at any given time, a place where over 60,000 people have been married (including Ronald Reagan), watch white swans glide across a lake, and attracts over a million tourists a year?

With Halloween lurking just around the corner, I thought now would be the appropriate time to mention all the celebrities near Adams Hill- at Forest lawn Mortuary. Or as I like to say, "our quiet neighbors on the other side of the hill."

To mention a few of the dearly departed: ClarkGable, CaroleLombard, JimmyStewart, JeanHarlow, HumphreyBogart, MaryPickford, ErrolFlynn, SpencerTracy, George Burns & Gracie Allen, W.C. Fields, Tom Mix, SammyDavis Jr., Walt Disney, Red Skelton, Robert Young, Lon Chaney, Ethel Waters, and Alan Ladd. The list goes on and on.

This place is over 300 acres, so finding these guys might not be that easy, but there are other things to do inside the iron gates...the rumor mill sez they have a great art gallery and a killer flower shop (are we having fun yet?).

I found a great website that will fill you in on all the greatest and the "late- est." OK, I'll stop now.

Go here if you dare! wooOOOOooo

 Mary Pickford living large even in death!

And that was just in one week! We actually had 4 new escrows this past month, and we are seeing more and more people discovering the value, quality and great neighborhood we're in. With interest rates still low, there is no better time to own real estate on Adams Hill.

So who's buying over here? The Hudson is steadily becoming an amazing eclectic community of industry people, folks in the health and medical profession and everything in between (hope that was vague enough). Point is, we are located near all the major film and TV studios, and just a short 20 minute drive to downtown- without ever getting onto a freeway! With Glendale Memorial Hospital just down the street and other major hospitals just up the road off Sunset, choosing The Hudson's a no-brainer....a short commute to work and easy living.

The gods did me right and lined everything up perfectly- our server went down, the internet connection crashed and the phones lines at the office went dead. I’m sure LADWP ripping up the street in front of our office had nothing to do with this (ahem). This was my perfect storm, something only a mighty Greek god could conjure up. (Could it be that giant, golden Poseidon the middle of the park?)Regardless, I did the only sensible thing left to do- I blew off work and went to TAAB.

First the broad strokes-

A) The good news is that The Hudson is only about 5 minutes from this gargantuan Mecca for food, fun and entertainment.

B) The better news is that we are about 5 minutes AWAY from this gargantuan Mecca for food, fun and entertainment.

Okay, let’s first visit item A. It’s great being this close to shops, restaurants and theatres. Now onto item B. Would you really want to live in all the density? The key here is the word “away.” Hanging at The Hudson is serene, peaceful, uber low density. Lost on the hill, in the middle of a great neighborhood. Away from it all.

Right now, it’s kind of like Disneyland- all that magic mixed with all that traffic and congestion. In fact they seem to be replacing the grass constantly from the daily stampede that treks through. But I digress…

This place brings an amazing vibe and sense of place to downtown Glendale. This is definitely the better downtown. 

First, the parking. Normally, my parking philosophy is all about the escape. I like to park far away and walk, so I can get out quick and easy. But for this excursion, I drove into the belly of the beast, and spiraled my way to the top of the parking lot. By the way, I like parking on the top level- easy as pie and the walk to the elevator is still the same distance as it is on the lower levels. Think about that next time you block all the traffic on level 2, waiting for someone to pull out of a space.

Each level tells you how many spaces are left at that givenlevel, so those days of guessing while aimlessly driving around is history. I’m not sure how they actually keep count; maybe they recycled those flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz.? Hey, in Caruso-land (the developer), anything is possible. Again, I digress…

So what exactly is the Americana? It’s a park, fountains, a crazy gold god, and an outdoor shopping and dining experience. It’s also a condominium project where there smallest unit starts at more than twice the price of a townhome at The Hudson. Granted, no one brings your car around for you here, but a small price to pay for living with less than 10 times the density.

I took the elevator down, complete with a real live elevator butler (is that what they’re called?) who looked like he could be Vin Diesel’s uncle. He was actually entertaining, even sounded like him. I'll bet he has his SAG card.

So, after a little exploration, I hit Katsuya for some sushi. An excellent place. Designed by internationally known maestro Philippe Starck, this place has the vibe to match the food. I highly recommend those little ice cream puff balls for dessert- or whatever they're called.

They also have those shops we all know and love- The Coffee Bean, Jamba Juice, and what’s a Caruso project (The same developer who brought us The Grove) without a Cheesecake Factory? The park in the middle of the mall has events all summer- you can visit their website and click on the Entertainment link.

By now most of you have heard about the opening of The Americana At Brand (otherwise known as TAAB) and I was able to finally spend an afternoon over there- I'll be reporting back soon. By the way, The Hudson is just 5 minutes away!

A couple other worthy blogs heading your way- seems Glendale has some of the finest wine bars in LA, so I started hitting a few, and while enjoying the Ercavio from Spain at The Red Carpet, I've been inspired to start a new category called "Wine and Dine." this should help you engage in some of the cool social stuff going on in the area, and find some of our local restaurants. Keep in mind I might venture outside of the greater Glendale area for eateries, but I have my faves and they are definitely worth a mention.

Finally, we are approaching our Adams Square Annual Street Fair (mid- June). Half a block up the street, the roads are closed off for food, fun, beer gardens, bands, rides- a cornucopia of delights! Stay tuned...

The Hudson is pleased to announce our Salon Series Seminars, a co-sponsorship with industry experts to demystify as much as we can about the realm of first-time home buying.

Our first seminar will be prsented by Steve Mass, President of President of National Credit League (NATCRL). Steve will present an informative 2 hour seminar on how to leverage your credit score for the best loan possible.

Get the inside scoop on how credit bureaus operate- did you know that paying off an old debt can actually lower your credit score? Hold tight until you learn the secrets and get on the path to homeownership with a mortgage you can live with! RSVP with John Calderon as 323-962-1000 ext. 220 or sign up on our website here.

When: This Wednesday, May 14th from 7-9pm

Where: THE WORKLOUNGE, located at 6600 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028, at the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Seward St., upstairs through the metal doors (Inside the 2-story Spanish Building on the SW corner).

Map it!