Irvine Real Estate Blogger

Photo courtesy of Irvine Ranch Conservancy

Join in on a docent-led mountain bike ride through the Irvine Open Space Preserve. This is a moderate-paced mountain bike tour through the picturesque hills of Bommer and Shady Canyons with a combination of ranch roads and multiple intermediate level technical singletrack trails, and many steep climbs and descents. Over 2000 feet of accumulated climbing elevation is experienced on this route. Participants should be physically fit and possess above-average mountain biking skills. Mountain bike, helmet, and 32 oz. of water (minimum) required.

Please note, this is an intermediate ride. This ride features only a few, short rest stops, steep climbs and rocky descents. It requires above average fitness, and a mountain bike with a minimum of front suspension. If you are unsure of your abilities, please call first. There are beginner rides for those who are new to the sport which are offered as well.

For Irvine Ranch Conservancy and Irvine Open Space Preserve Programs, registration for weekday programs closes at 4 p.m. on the day prior to the event. Weekend program registration closes at 4 p.m. on the Friday prior to the event. For policies of other organizations, please contact them directly using the links on the home page.

Photo courtesy of the Irvine Ranch Conservancy

Take a break and get some fresh air!  Join in on a mid week hike through Quail Hill.

Crystal Cove Historic District

We have some idyllic places just a short bike ride from Irvine, CA. One of these places is a throw-back to an earlier time–Crystal Cove State Park in Corona del Mar, CA. We had a pleasant, sunny afternoon strolling on the beach, catching some raysand cogitating how fortunatewe are to live in this little piece of paradise.

Back in the 1920’s Crystal Cove was transformed into “a paradise of the south seas” by a budding silent film industry, and small cottages were built and thatched with palms to reflect the exotic appearance of Tahiti or Hawaii. Silent movies were filmed on location here as it was easily accessible by rail and much more affordable than shooting in a far off location. (more…)

Free Pacific Symphony Concert on Sat., August 16th, 2008

Photo Courtesy of Asiir

You won’t want to miss one of the highlights of this summer by attending this free performance by the Pacific Symphony, sponsored by Target, as part of their 2008 “Symphony in the Cities” concert series this Saturday evening, August 16th at 7:00 p.m. in Irvine’s Heritage Park.

It’s a great opportunity to hear our beloved Pacific Syphony, with Musical Director Carl St. Clair, while enjoying a picnic in the park with family and friends. And did I mention that it’s free! If you have children (nieces, nephews, friend’s/neighbor’s children) you definitely want to show up by 5:30 p.m. for the “musical playgound” in which the kids will participate and share in interactive and hands-on activities that include a conducting workshop and a chance to assist Maestro St. Clair during the concert. What an opportunity! It’s a sure bet to be a highlight of your summer experience here in Irvine. (more…)

The Annual Persian New Year celebration will take place in Irvine’s Mason Regional Park this coming Sunday, March 30th. This day long celebration is the culmination of the Persian New Year, “Norooz,” which began on the first day of Spring. On the 13th day of the New Year or “Sizdeh Bedar,” families and friends gather in the park to picnic as an annual rite of renewal to start the New Year fresh. Thousands of people are expected to partake in the New Year’s celebration. We wish all our friends a very happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

We were visiting our son over Easter weekend up in the Bay area and happened on a delightful fair in Yountville, a small but notable community in Napa valley. We had decided on visiting Napa for a little bit of wine-tasting, and wound up discovering an annual festival replete with wine-tasting, live music, and delectable hors d’oeuvres offered up by the local wineries and notable area restaurants.

It was perfect in that one could park one’s car and saunter from booth to booth sampling each distinctive treat. Oh, did we mention reasonably priced as well. We purchased a number of tickets which we used as script toward food and drink. A generous sampling of wine was equivalent to two dollars (two tickets), as were many samplings of tasty tidbits. The firemen served up a great sampling of BBQ ribs, and bistro Bouchon offered up their signature chocolate delight.

For those of you who haven’t yet experienced Yountville, it is home to one of the best restaurants, and several great bistros in the region and, perhaps, the country. For a very special occasion, such as a round-numbered birthday or important anniversary, you might want to make plans to visit the French Laundry, housed in an unassuming building in the heart of town. It is one of the most divine and memorable dining experiences you will ever have. However, it requires planning. One cannot decide to go on the spur of the moment. Rather you must make reservations 60 days in advance of the date you plan to dine.

On the other hand, you can dine more spontaneously in one of the other well-acclaimed bistros in town. Check out Bouchon Bistro, Bistro Jeanty, or Ad Hoc for a very satisfying culinary experience.

So if you happen to be in the Bay area on the Saturday following the Spring Equinox next year, plan on venturing up to Yountville in Napa for a most enjoyable day.

Venturing into real estate can be compared to jogging in that just as you would want to get a health check-up before embarking on any serious exercise program, so too would you also want to get pre-approved by a lender to see if your current financial “health” can support a housing payment.

Exercising, like real estate, can seem daunting: it takes research and commitment to do both right. But while you can exercise on your own, some choose to seek the assistance of a fitness trainer or coach to help follow an exercise program; similarly, some find that looking for real estate on their own suits their needs just fine, while others, though, recognize and seek the value that a real estate professional can provide to the process.

While jogging ultimately enhances your overall well-being, energizes both your body and your mind, and allows you to take charge of your life, real estate instills a sense of pride of ownership, enhances your self-esteem, and allows you to be the master/mistress of your own castle.

Furthermore, as jogging or any consistent aerobic exercise will stave off diseases and extend the quality of your life, owning your own home has historically been a source of tax relief, enhancing your net income, and allowing you to have more disposable income for even a little self-indulgence on occasion. (Like, for example, enjoying that aged-to-perfection glass of wine—which, coincidentally, could help break down plaque build-up in your arteries just as a morning or afternoon jog would!)

As jogging and exercising regularly could actually add quantitative and qualitative years to your life (if coupled with other healthful lifestyle changes and activities, of course), owning your own home is a major step towards enhancing your future, securing your retirement—and fulfilling the American Dream of home ownership.

The return of the swallows to San Juan Capistrano has become a symbol associated with Saint Joseph’s Day on March 19th of each year and is celebrated as the day that marks the annual arrival of springtime, a time of renewal and rebirth.

However, Eric and I have come to view the first day of spring, as the date upon which we first sight the red-winged blackbirds by the Upper Newport Ecological Preserve where we have jogged since 1999. Like clockwork, the red-winged blackbirds arrive and announce that it is indeed springtime.

Their name reflects the fact that the male birds have red shoulder patches when they are in flight. They migrate over the Pacific Flyway and inhabit the wetland areas of the fresh and saltwater marshes making the Back Bay one of the places where come to nest.

Last week we were sure that we would have our first sighting. But the weather turned cold as strong winds swept through Irvine. Today we went on our usual jog, and Eric observed, looking at the snow-capped mountains of Mt. Baldy against the clear blue sky that the blackbirds intuitively knew that winter was still with us. Indeed, we’ll just have to wait and see. But it is certain that once we sight the red-winged blackbirds at the Back Bay, we can be assured that Spring will have arrived just as sure as the sparrows return to the beloved Mission at San Juan Capistrano.