Pay It Forward: Make a gift of support to the UCLA Spark crowdfunding drive

The UCLA Volunteer Center is excited to participate in the launch of UCLA Spark, an online crowdfunding platform that allows multiple donors to contribute small amounts towards a specific project. Their goal is to raise $15,000 by March 19th to fund ten "One Bus, One Cause" projects. With your donation, volunteers can serve our community, cover the cost of transportation to service sites, and provide supplies for landscaping, painting, general service work, and interactive mentorship projects. 

The Westwood Village Improvement Association supports the UCLA Volunteer Center in its goal of helping UCLA students learn important skills, including time management, leadership, and team building. These qualities extend beyond one-time volunteerism and lead to lifelong engagement in  communities. The experiences earned through the UCLA Volunteer Center are valuable for current and future generations, offering a way to give back to the community, to inspire, and to create social change. 

How can you help? Make a donation today, every bit counts. Each donation tier specifies where and how your donation has contributed to the project. So, dig in, give by the gallon, sponsor a volunteer or leave your mark today! 

$10 Dig In
Donations of $10 go to providing a shovel to one volunteer.

$25 Give by the Gallon
Donations of $25 go to a gallon of paint for school beautification projects.

$50 Sponsor a Volunteer
Donations of $50 will help send one volunteer.

$100 Leave Your Mark
Donations of $100 will help purchase over 200 markers that the volunteers use during interactive activities with school children. 

For more information on this cause and other upcoming volunteer projects, visit: http://volunteer.ucla.edu/2014/02/it-only-takes-one-to-spark-change/

Free For All: Hammer Museum Goes Free For Good

Art aficionados rejoice! The Westwood art institution, Hammer Museum, has eliminated the admission fee and now is entirely FREE to the public! Through large, generous donations from longtime benefactors Erika Glazer and Brenda Potter, will fund free admission to the museum for four years, by which time the Hammer board hopes to have a plan for permanent free admission. 

The Hammer joins the Getty Museum and the Fowler Museum at UCLA in offering free admission to visitors at all times.

For all the Hammer happenings, including its amazing free-for-good roster of public programs, check out their site.

FREE FOR LA. FREE FOR YOU. FREE FOR GOOD.

Where To Watch The Super Bowl in Westwood Village

Are you ready for some football? This weekend is the BIG game: the Super Bowl. If you don't already have a seat booked on your favorite couch, you should consider coming to Westwood Village to eat, drink, and see the Seahawks play the Broncos for the Championship.

While there are plenty of bars and restaurants that will have their TVs on and airing the game, a few Westwood Village-area places have specials to add some cheer to the day. Here are some great suggestions:

Palomino: This vibrant "Urban Italian" restaurant has already geared up for the Big Game this weekend with their 12th Man cocktail available right now. With some of the best all-day happy hour deals in the Village, Palomino will have four TV's tuned to the game and plenty of seats to sit back and cheer for your team. Also, on the menu: Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos themed cocktails. 

10877 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 150; 310-208-1960

Napa Valley Grille: Enjoy a first-class experience for Sunday's game with Napa Valley Grille's daily happy hour drinks and delicacies. The fancy, reasonably priced, happy hour items will have you cheering! Happy hour is everyday from 3pm to 7pm and late night at 9pm to midnight is offered at the bar and outside patio. 

1100 Glendon Ave., Suite 100; 310-824-3322

O'Hara's:  O'Hara's is a UCLA neighborhood sports bar that hosts daily drink specials, including Monday Movie Night, Tuesday $2 pint night, Wednesday trivia night and Sunday Funday beer Pong tournaments. This weekend, they are serving up $3 AMFs for Seahawks fans and the $3 Orange Crushes for Broncos fans! O'Hara's also serves pub-style food, such as burgers and fries priced between $8-14, and appetizers and bar snacks that cost between $4-$8. 

1000 Gayley Ave., 90024; 310-208-1942

Barney's Beanery:  If you are looking for a great Super Bowl experience, you can't go wrong at Barney's Beanery. This famous Los Angeles restaurant/bar boasts an amazing 60 HGTV's for your viewing pleasure. Along with the funky, fun, sporty vibe they have, Sunday Brunch and bottomless Mimosas and weekend promo shot specials are the perfect way to get your game day started. 

1037 Broxton Ave., 90024; 310-443-7777

Bel Air Camera Super-Store

Bel Air Camera Superstore is a family run business in Westwood Village. In operation since 1957, their building is widely known for the oversized camera and a jumbo roll of Kodak film on the building's facade. Bel Air Camera is located on the corner of Kinross and Gayley in the heart of Westwood Village. Bel Air Camera lives up to it's Superstore name. The 20,000 square foot business offers a wide variety of products, services and special events to peak the interest of photography newbies and avid professional alike. The store boasts rental and repair departments, a gallery and classroom space, and an extremely knowledgeable and friendly sales staff. Frames and albums, professional and consumer camcorders, lighting, tripods, audio for video equipment, consumer and professional digital SLR cameras, point and shoot cameras, storage devices, memory cards, photo bags and cases, printers, media, color management and a large, ever-changing selection of used cameras, lenses and video gear are just some of the things you will find in the store.

We spoke with the store's founder's daughter, Suzanne Herskovic, about the ups and downs of their business. "It has been a challenge for us. Photography is an ever changing industry," she said.

Yet Bel Air Camera has made strong strides to stay competitive. The store offers some of the lowest prices in the area and will even meet or beat any competitor's prices. They also sell most of their products online. "Bel Air Camera is known around the world. I've run into our customers all over the world, just this year, I ran into people in Amsterdam and Paris. We have very loyal customers and are the go-to place for tourists," said Suzanne. While new customers enter the store daily, continued excellent service to established customers keeps them coming back throughout the years. "We are now seeing multi-generations of families coming into the store." Celebrities like Elvis, Marlin Brando, and Steven Spielberg have also been seen shopping at Bel Air Camera. 

Photographers of all levels can benefit from Bel Air Camera’s free classes. Add to this the store’s custom photo gift department and film processing services provided by their in-house lab, and you truly have a one-stop shop for all of your photographic needs. Visit their website for deals, and even take a Google map virtual tour!

Stan Berman, The King of Donuts

Stan’s Donuts is one of the true gems of Westwood Village. Donuts from this famous old school shop have delighted visited for decades. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Stan Berman himself to get his perspective of Westwood Village and to hear some of the shop’s long history. Stan’s Donuts is one of the oldest businesses in the Village, a fact of which Stan is very proud. “I came here to visit my friend who owned it in December of 1963, and I haven’t left yet,” says Stan.

Stan’s Donuts has many characteristics that make it unique. One asset is its convenient location and long hours, according to Berman. “We are a different style donut shop,” he says. “We actually do half of our business in the afternoon because of the area we’re in. We get a lot of action from the [UCLA] campus and the local business community. While most donut shops do all their business before 3 o’clock in the afternoon.”

Another distinguishing factor would be the quality and diversity of the donuts sold at Stan’s. The store’s specialties include its lines of Baker’s Cheese donuts and Peanut Butter donuts. The latter, in particular, has an interesting history behind its ever-changing name. About 45 years ago, Berman said that a customer came in requesting a peanut butter donut and helped him discover how to make it using fresh peanut butter sealed inside the donut like a “peanut butter pocket” to retain the flavor and keep the peanut butter texture. Originally called the "Reese's Peanut Butter Pocket,"it is now known as "The Huell," after the late TV personality Huell Howser, of the travel show, "California's Gold."

“Huell featured the Peanut Butter donut on his show and people still talk about it,” Berman says. “Everybody who ever saw his show in California knows about the Peanut Butter donut. It’s one of our best sellers.”

Also popular are the donuts with apples and raisins, as “we make a lot of donuts with apples and raisins because I love apples and raisins,” according to Berman. In fact, his favorite donut is the Raisin Buttermilk bar. He says that every customer’s request is important to him, which was apparent while sitting with him at the counter. He knows the name of each of his regular customers and has a personal story to share about every one of them. These kinds of interactions are very rare nowadays, especially in Los Angeles, which could explain why Stan's has been able to stand the test of time. On any given day, Stan’s attracts customers from all walks of life, ranging from first-timers from out of state to long-time friends who grew up visiting the local donut shop.

While Berman has a great team and staff, he says that he still comes in the shop almost every morning to do one of his favorite things — make the donut icing. Being physically involved at the store is both enjoyable and necessary, according to Berman.

For Berman, “Stan’s Donuts” truly means more than selling donuts — it’s about connecting with customers and making everyone feel like a part of his family. 

“You would think [we’re known for] the donuts, but it’s more than the donuts,” Berman says. “It's the feeling that every one of the customers means the world to me.”

Don't live near Stan's Donuts? They ship donuts anywhere in the country overnight! All you have to do is go onto their website, www.StansDoughnuts.com, click "Order Donuts Now," fill out the short order form and the next day you'll be munching on some of the best donuts around. 

Roll Into The New Year With Westwood Sushi Rolls

The sushi in Westwood Village is a lot like the people who live there – a little eclectic, sometimes quirky, usually creative, and almost always a little non-traditional. While the Village is not known for its haute-Japanese cuisine, there are lots of restaurants in Westwood that are putting their own special Westwood Village twists on the timeless Japanese favorite. So, if you are a huge sushi fan, someone who isn’t sure about raw fish, but likes to go out for sushi with friends, an adventurous gourmand, or just someone who just plain loves to eat, you’ll definitely want to check out each of these Westwood themed rolls below.

Westwood Roll and Bruin Roll from Yamato

First on our list, Yamato is one of the most exciting sushi restaurants in the village. It is widely known for the life-size Darth Maul statue that greets you upon entry. But, it is also popular for its delicious food options. It’s located on the corner of Kinross and Westwood Blvd, and you’ll find two Westwood themed specialty rolls on the menu: the Westwood Roll, made with cooked lobster, asparagus, avocado, and cucumber and the Bruin Roll, made with spicy tuna, cream cheese and mango on the inside and covered with the house special ponzu sauce.

Yamato - 1099 Westwood Blvd, Westwood 90024

Bruin Roll & UCLA Roll from Ami Japanese Restaurant 

On Broxton Ave, in the Village you’ll find one of the city’s best Japanese joints. One of the best things on the menu at Ami is the Bruin roll – a combo of exciting flavors and creative ingredients. This popular tempura roll combines asparagus, shrimp tempura, spicy tuna on the inside and out, seared albacore, crispy onions, with a kick of sliced jalapenos on the outside with ponzu, spicy mayo, eel sauce and sriacha- phew! Spicy food lovers will delight in this strange roll – since it mostly tastes like taking a bite of all your favorite kinds of sushi and spicy flavors all in one kickin' roll. Another Westwood roll is the UCLA roll. This delicious baked roll has a California roll on the inside and baked salmon, spicy tuna, and smelt egg on the outside. Both of these rolls are a must when visiting the Village for a sushi dinner.

Ami - 1051 Broxton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Westwood Roll, Gayley & Weyburn Roll from Tomodachi Sushi

Tomodachi Sushi located off the main drag of Westwood Blvd., boasts an impressive amount of not 1 but 4 Westwood themed rolls to choose from: the Westwood, Gayley, Weyburn and UCLA rolls. These creative sushi rolls will have you coming back for more. The Westwood includes spicy albacore and shrimp tempura on the inside and spicy albacore, popcorn shrimp and ozaki crab on the outside. Secondly, we have the Gayley roll, which is crab meat, shrimp tempura and cucumber on the inside and avocado on the outside, also available in spicy tuna. Then we have the Weyburn roll - soft shell crab, crab meat, cucumber on the inside and avocado on the outside. Lastly, is the UCLA, which is similar to the Weyburn but contains eel instead of crab. All and all, the selection at Tomoadachi Sushi is a yummy mix of unique and classic spins on the sushi roll.

Tomodachi Sushi - 10975 Weyburn Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024

What's your favorite Westwood Village restaurant? Tell us about it in the comment section!

dineLA Restaurant Week

Get ready to "eat your heart out," Westwood Village because the dineLA restaurant week is returning to Los Angeles January 20 to 31st. 

This year, five Westwood Village restaurants are offering specially priced selections of three-course lunches from $15, $20 or $25 and dinners from $25, $35 or $45 at some of LA's and Westwood Village's best restaurants that will satisfy both your stomach and your wallet.

Check out participating restaurants and reserve your table now by visiting dineLA Restaurant Week.

Participating Westwood Village Restaurants:

Donna Sophia Trattoria Pizzeria

NINETHIRTY at the W Los Angeles Westwood

Palomino Restaurant & Bar

Tanino Ristorante

TLT Food - Westwood

What restaurants are you going to try during dineLA? Let us know!