Ben Lee Properties — September 2021 Newsletter
This Month's Article
By Ben Lee H ello and happy September. It was so nice to hear from those who reached out after last month’s issue to tell me that they liked hearing about the trips I’ve been lucky enough to take lately.
One in particular (George) commented that he doesn’t particularly like traveling but reading about our adventures may inspire him to think about visiting foreign lands once again.
George, while I applaud that goal, my latest trip probably shouldn’t serve as your first foray back in.
Two of my oldest friends and I decided to go down to Mexico for a boys’ surf trip.
This was when the Delta variant wasn’t quite so prominent, yet Covid precautions were in full force.
Not sure we had much to worry about on that front, though, as our accommodations were rather, hmm, remote.
Imagine a hut on the beach about an hour outside any nearby town.
After the first two days we had run out of fresh food so we sustained ourselves the rest of the week on a few dry sandwiches a day.
WiFi vacillated between spot ty and nonexistent.
There was running water but no a/c. Mosquitoes and humidity were abundant.
Even for an ardent traveler such as myself, staying here was tough.
If it wasn’t for the exceptional surfing conditions and companionship of two of my oldest, closest friends as co-adventure-seekers, I probably would’ve cut the week short.
But focusing on the positive has always been one of my strengths and in doing so managed to appreciate what a gift it is to be able to head out to the middle of nowhere and surf every day with guys I’ve known since ages 11 and 13, respectively.
Regardless of the minimal comforts our ‘hotel’ offered or how the only locals we encountered were enormous cows that happened to wander down the beach one day, we had an undeniably fabulous time.
The positive outlook I try to maintain also helps when I recognize that September is upon us and that means I’m turning another year older.
Birthdays for me are often weird. They usually bring about feelings of panic at advancing age, questions about what I’ve done with my life and where I am going.
They make me a little sad, missing people in my life who are no longer here, most notably my mom.
However, I’m really trying to embrace my birthday this year because after living through a pandemic, it’s nice to pause and appreciate having another birthday to celebrate.
I also feel extremely happy that my three boys are back to in-person school again.
Yes, there are obstacles and hassles to endure: Covid testing each week, masks, daily symptom checks, assigned seating for potential contact tracing.
But the benefits so far outweigh the negatives, we are all willing to ignore the annoyances for the greater good.
You can’t compare learning from a computer at home to being in the same classroom as a real life teacher; not to mention how much better it is being with kids their own age again instead of hanging out with their parents every day.
I hope as we move into fall, everyone stays healthy so they are able to stay on their respective campuses.
Who would’ve thought a few years ago I’d be hoping for something so elementary (no pun intended)?
So with September comes the end of our relatively care-free summer months of camps, barbeques and swim parties, getaway adventures and spontaneous beach days with the boys.
It’s back to the grind a bit but that’s OK.
If it were not for working hard, how else could we appreciate the recreation that comes from taking much needed breaks?
And luckily, living in this beautiful city with its great weather, our good times don’t have to end just because school is back in session and it’ll start getting a bit darker earlier.
I’m grateful that our wi- fi is much stronger than it was in Mexico.
The cell service here is superior, too (although there are pockets of Cheviot that could use a little help).
All that to say: as long as I can faithfully and successfully attend to all my clients’ needs, I can also make time for the occasional midday surfing session , too.
And on those special days, summer doesn’t have to end.
Featured Listings
Beverlywood - IN ESCROW! 9149 Cresta Drive $4,200,000 4 Beds/4 Bath 2,822 Sq. Ft., 14,744 Sq. Ft. Lot S eize this once in a generation opportunity! This property built in 1948 is ready to be transformed into your dream home. Situated on one of largest lots in the area, the home possesses many attractive design details. An incomparable development opportunity and unique possibility to make it your own! 17133 Avenida de la Herradura $2,495,000 5 Beds/4 Bath 2,961 Sq. Ft., 7,505 Sq. Ft. Lot
Pacific Palisades - SOLD! 9704 Cashio St. $4,295,000 4 Beds/4.5 Bath 3,969 Sq. Ft., 7,611 Sq. Ft. Lot
Miracle Mile - FOR SALE! 1230 Hi Point St. $2,049,000 Duplex with 3 Beds/2 Bath Each 3,818 Sq. Ft., 6,520 Sq. Ft. Lot A Spanish style duplex in a residential neighborhood conveniently located near the mid-city/Pico-Robertson area, these homes embody the integrity of their era without sacrificing ease of modern living. Original details include: hard wood floors, thick adobe walls, coved ceilings, crystal fixtures and doorknobs, oversized windows that overlook flowering Bougainvillea and flood the interior spaces with light. Each unit is roughly 1900 square feet and offers 3 big bedrooms/2 bathrooms. The bathrooms are a designer’s dream: original, colorful tile work reminiscent of old Hollywood. These units offer the best of both worlds: charm and character of yesteryear with today’s most useful feature: a fully remodeled kitchen. New cabinetry for extra storage and stainless, high-end appliances will make any at-home chef happy. With plenty of surrounding space and situated in a pleasing location mere steps from shops and restaurants of Pico, these homes are city living at its finest.
Westwood - GREAT NEW PRICE! 10345 Wilkins Ave #203 $1,149,000 2 Beds/2.5 Bath 1,446 Sq. Ft. E fficient yet stylish and exuding a smart use of space, this 2 bedroom/2.5 bath 1446 sq ft condominium situated in a luxury building on the Westside is an ideal living solution. Only 16 units in a building built in 2011, this unit offers high end finishes and flooring, stone fireplace in the formal living room, sun-dappled treetop views, a Master Bedroom with large walk-in closet and attached bath with two sinks in the vanity. The welcoming kitchen has a pass through opening to the living room, ideal for entertaining. It also offers granite countertops, stone backsplash, state-of-the-art stainless steel appliances including a Bosch dishwasher, oven & microwave and brand new Whirlpool refrigerator. With balconies, washer/dryer, ample closet and storage spaces, 2-car tandem parking with EV charger in secure garage and a stone’s throw from the shops and restaurants of Westwood, Beverly Hills and Century City, this sophisticated condominium is a sight to behold.
Wilshire Corridor - SOLD! 10701 Wilshire Blvd #1605 $630,000 1 Bed/2 Bath 1,099 Sq. Ft. P erched high atop the city with expansive views in multiple directions, this elegant Crown Towers condominium located in the heart of the highly desirable Wilshire Corridor is sophisticated, full service living at its best! Valet parking, pool, sauna, fitness room, 24 hour on site staff, laundry and recreation rooms and a guarded entrance. A must see!
Cheviot Hills - FOR SALE! – LORENZO – Best Location in the Neighborhood! 6 Beds/TBD Bath 7,500 Sq. Ft., 8,500 Sq. Ft. Lot Y ou may be curious about the new construction homes being built on Glenbarr and Lorenzo. Call Ben (310-704-6580) or send him an email (ben@benleeproperties.com) to learn more about these spectacular properties that will undoubtedly be the crown jewels of the neighborhood. 3232 S. Beverly Drive $1,595,000 3 Bed / 2 Bath 1,356 Sq. Ft.
Community & More
Beverlywood happenings IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ MORE OF MICHAEL HARRIS’S OBSERVATIONS ON LOS ANGELES AND ITS ENVIRONS, PLEASE ORDER HIS NEW BOOK, WESTSIDE STORIES TOO, FROM HIS PUBLISHER AT 310 476 6374 OR FROM AMAZON .
HIS FIRST BOOK, WESTSIDE STORIES, IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AS WELL.
By Ben Lee T hank you to all those who entered to win the $50 gift card to Sestina restaurant in Culver City.
Congratulations to Marci Maniker. You are the lucky winner and I hope you enjoy all the delicious vegan, Italian food at this fabulous restaurant.
We are trying a little something different this month that you’ll hopefully find fun and rewarding.
If you’ve ever gone to Dodgers Stadium, they do something called a 50/50 raffle.
The winner gets half the money raised and the other half goes to charity.
We would like to try that this month with a twist.
Every email we get will be worth a dollar.
At the end of the month, we’ll draw a name from all the entrants and that person will win the cash.
I will then match the amount and contribute it to the charity of the winner’s choosing.
The more people who enter, the more money is raised.
In other words, if 100 readers email me, one of those lucky people will win 100 dollars and I’ll give an additional 100 dollars to the charity the winner chooses.
To enter, simply send me an email: Ben@benleeproperties.com and write ‘CHARITY’ in the subject line.
That’s it! We’ll draw a name at random at the end of the month and not only will that person win a cash prize, but so will the charity he/she chooses.
Good luck and thanks in advance for participating! – Raffle – By Godfrey (Jeff) Harris L ike many entrepreneurial projects, Michael Harris’s series of books about the Westside of Los Angeles arose from the creation of a clever name.
Just as a bar in Pittsburgh is named “Olive or Twist” and a wine store in London is called “Planet of the Grapes,” so the Harris books on the Westside Stories series began as a fun variation of the title of the musical, West Side Story.
Author, attorney and my brother Michael Harris took great pride in his involvement in the production of the original film version of the Leonard Bernstein show.
newsletter that he could bring together under the title, West Side Stories (plural).
The problem was that New York’s “West Side” is a recognized geographical part of Manhattan, always referred to in two separate words.
The Westside of Los Angeles, by contrast, is always one word and long-ago set in stone by the Los Angeles Times as the name of a longrunning recurring section of the paper.
When Westside Stories — the book — was born, it was so well received that a second volume, called Westside Stories Too (another deliberate play on words), inevitably followed.
But Harris was decidedly not done. He asked me to help him explore more of the background and development of this unique part of Los Angeles.
It turns out to be a fascinating story of why multiple movie studios concentrated their facilities on the Westside, how the game of golf came to play an important role in the area’s development, why some neighborhoods became separate cities and others decided to join Los Angeles, how deep racial and ethnic prejudices were overcome with the guile of some and the guts of others, why world class institutions — from the Getty Museum to Cedars Sinai Medical Center and from UCLA to LAX — all came to the Westside rather than go elsewhere in the Los Angeles basin.
Equally fascinating is what the future portends for the area in terms of new transportation innovations, burgeoning business trends and significant lifestyle changes.
All of these topics — and a lot more — are explored in a third volume, More Westside Stories.
More Westside Stories, expected in the late Fall, is available at a prepublication discount price of $23 at the publisher’s website, www. americasgroup.com.
Westside Stories and Westside Stories Too are available for purchase now at the Americas Group website or on Amazon.com.
More About The Westside Stories Series By Michael Harris H arper Goff is probably a name unfamiliar to many on the Westside.
He is, however, not unfamiliar to me because in the late 1940’s one of the neighborhood boys who went to school with us was a guy named John Heffernan.
John at that time was interested in customizing car engines and learning to play the banjo.
If you lived anywhere in the Cheivot Hills neighborhood and John wasn’t working on cars, he was practicing his banjo.
John told me at the time that the banjo hero he kept trying to approximate in skill was Harper Goff.
He would write Harper Goff’s name in wet cement in the neighborhood.
Harper, credited with developing camouflage during WWII, was the banjo player for a Dixieland music group called the Firehouse Five Plus Two.
The group disbanded although John never let us forget that Harper was the outstanding banjo player for the seven-person act.
While many years went by, John, who’s father was an entomologist, moved to Hanford, California.
However, it turns out that Harper had left his banjo playing career, joined the Walt Disney Company and rose to a significant and important leadership position in the Imagineers that developed much of the rides and atmosphere of the Disney theme parks.
Harper died in 1993, but as far as I’m concerned, he should not be forgotten because he left a big impression on the Westside, first as a banjo player and later as a creative member of the Disney organization.
Westside Stories - Harper Goff By Ben Lee W ith school starting up again, maybe your son or daughter (or you?) would be interested in a customized keyboard?
In full disclosure, our 11 year old is starting a business and in an effort to encourage his budding entrepreneurial spirit, we are promoting his ambitions here.
Obvious bias aside, I can 100% vouch for his work as I was his first official customer and I am extremely satisfied with his product (I opted for the non-light up version).
Please see his advertisement and reach out if you are in the market for a new, custom built board!
