Ben Lee Properties — August 2018 Newsletter
This Month's Article
By Ben Lee T his picture very well may be the embodiment of pure, summertime happiness.
Seeing it provided an enormous sigh of relief.
When our three sons found out we had signed them up for camp several months ago, let’s just say their reactions were not very positive.
Our youngest went so far as to take the joyous “Welcome to Camp!” postcard that shot through our mailbox way back in February and tear it up into tiny pieces.
He then chucked the confetti on the floor in a huff and then declared he would NOT BE GOING TO CAMP.
There may have even been a door slammed.
His brothers were no more enthusiastic about what my wife and I had figured would be a carefree, bonding adventure for the three of them to share.
Our eldest wanted to go back to the camp he had been to in the past and was already familiar with.
Our middle son (the young cowboy in the picture) didn’t like the camp he had already been to and would’ve preferred to stay home.
Our youngest son (the accidental receiver of the welcome postcard) had never been away before and possibly would’ve been swayed into going to the same camp as one of his buddies but that was not the one that was selected on his behalf.
The camp my wife and I chose, in addition to having a stellar reputation and esteemed alumnae (if it’s good enough for a young Eric Garcetti, it’s certainly good enough for us!) also satisfied one crucial criteria: they could take all three kids at once.
Done! Now, in retrospect, we admittedly handled breaking the news to them badly.
Certainly if we had known they would’ve found out they were being sent away against their will courtesy of three cheerful, individually personalized postcards, we would’ve done a better job of hiding the mail that day.
Oh, well- best laid plans, right? But once the band aid was inadvertently ripped off, the good news was we only had to deal with three angry children for five months.
They didn’t complain about going everyday (actually, they wouldn’t speak to us at all for the first few days).
After the initial shock wore off, they mellowed out a little and only declared their absolute refusal to go periodically.
During any random dinnertime conversation, one of them would remind us, just in case we forgot, that hey, by the way, they would not be going to THAT CAMP.
Even as we were actually on our way, driving to THAT CAMP last week, our youngest was still trying to find a way to eject himself out of the moving car and run the three hours home.
So, just imagine how shocked and thrilled we were to see this picture of our middle son, the one who wanted nothing to do with any camp whatsoever, high atop a horse grinning and looking as happy as can be.
For my wife and I, it did not provide just a simple sigh of relief – this evidence of joy was a true summertime miracle.
We rarely know what we’re doing as parents.
In fact, in many ways, my wife and I still feel like kids ourselves.
We try the best we can to do what’s right but at the end of the day, we never really know if the decisions we make on their behalf are right, wrong or just more fodder for the therapist’s couch later on.
Maybe it’s absolute luck that they’ll end up loving the camp we chose based primarily on the fact that all three could attend at the same time.
And, guess what? Even if they don’t love every minute of their time spent at this rustic wonderland, that’s certainly fine, too.
I firmly believe that just about every experience we have helps shape who we are and the kind of people we become.
These three adorable, sweet, sheltered, blessed boys may very well hate sleeping outdoors for two weeks straight.
They may not like doing ranch tasks or enjoy every little bite of food prepared for them.
I think that’s a great thing. Let them come home a little wiser, a little braver, a little more flexible and a lot more accepting of the fact that sometimes life just isn’t what you want all the time.
Sometimes you do what you didn’t set out to do yet somehow manage to not just make it through, but have a great story to tell at the end of it.
Of course, I still really hope they enjoy it because then I get to be the hero who provided them with two amazing weeks in the wilderness and opened up their eyes to experiences they never imagined possible.
They’ll come back and say thanks for being the best dad ever and count the minutes until next year when they can go again.
Or maybe, once they decide they love it, we can tell them that instead of returning, they’re going somewhere new where the kids do lots of chores, write book reports and eat nothing but fish and liver for two weeks straight.
As long as we don’t accidentally let them learn of this fun summertime plan by postcard five months before departure date, we should be in great shape.
Lessons learned! Summer Lovin’
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Community & More
By Ben Lee I was invited to attend a presentation regarding what will become of the Westside Pavilion in the next few years.
Cheviot Hills’ native Chris Pearson, spoke on behalf of Hudson Pacific Properties, the new owner of the Westside Pavilion and explained to a gathered group of realtors and residents what the company plans to do with the space.
He explained that the current structure will get a cosmetic face lift and provide a 525,000 square foot vacancy in its Pico location. 500,000 square feet will be leased to a single, unknown tenant (most likely a big tech company similar to Google or Netflix). 20,000 square feet will become small retail stores and coffee houses, open to the public as well as the occupants of the aforementioned unknown large-scale tenant. 5,000 square feet will be dedicated to a restaurant (or maybe more than one).
Also included will be an open air, park-like expanse of landscaping and greenery.
The Westside Tavern and Landmark Movie theaters would be untouched in this renovation and even though Whole Foods was rumored to be high on the list of local residents’ priorities, Pearson is not projecting that a market will be part of this structure.
He did promise, however, that because the original exterior is going to remain relatively intact, traffic due to construction should not be a major concern.
Pearson explained that they will break ground in early 2019 and the project should take about two years to build.
Locals can exhale a giant sigh of relief because with all the variables associated with this renovation, there is one institution that is totally protected.
Pearson promised with 100% certainty that everyone’s favorite burger joint is safe.
He stated, “We would never touch the Apple Pan.” Phew!
By Michael Harris T he Nethercutt Museum is located at 15200 Bledsoe Street in Sylmar.
It was established by one of the founders of the Merle Norman cosmetics company.
It houses one of the five finest automobile collections in this country as assessed by a leading automobile magazine.
It features various antique and special cars of various countries of origin as well as a collection of music boxes, and mechanical musical instruments.
For those who can appreciate the design and the art of a beautifully restored and vintage automobile then this museum will be a treat to visit.
The museum may not have been the locale for notable movies, but the stars who owned cars displayed there include Irene Dunn whose 1931 Packard is worth the trip.
Beverlywood happenings Westside Places By Ben Lee T hanks so much to all of you who entered the very sweet raffle to win a $50 gift certificate to Top Tier Treats in West L.A.!
Congratulations to Lynn Bennett. You are the lucky winner of this month’s raffle.
Hope you pick out something delicious to enjoy.
To all those who entered but didn’t win, don’t worry!
There’s always another raffle around the corner.
For the month of August, we’re giving away a $50 gift certificate to everyone’s favorite neighborhood Hardware Store: Emil’s!
Located on Robertson Boulevard in Beverlywood, this longtime family-run institution has everything you could possibly need for any at-home summertime project you could imagine.
To win, simply email me: ben@benleeproperties.com and write: HARDWARE in the subject line.
That’s it! We’ll draw a name at random at the end of August and then notify the winner.
Thanks and good luck! Bring home the hardware in this month’s raffle Westside Pavilion Update If you enjoy reading these vignettes each month, you may want to check out my father-in-law's book, Westside Stories.
It’s a memoir/history of growing up on the Westside of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 1950s with great photos, anecdotes and stories.
Perfect for the history buff/enthusiast in your family!
It’s available for purchase on Amazon, search Westside Stories by Michael Harris.
