We Rock The Spectrum Kid's Gym in Agoura Hills Slated to Open Soon

Update 11/14/13: We Rock the Spectrum Kid's Gym Agoura Hills will be opening this Saturday, November 16th, at 9am. They will be open 7 days a week, 9 am to 7pm.

Originally posted 11/7/13:

Good news for kids coming soon at 30315 Canwood Street, Agoura Hills in the space previously occupied by Jungleland and CA Kiddo Club! There's a new indoor play place coming to town called We Rock the Spectrum Kid's Gym.

According to the We Rock the Spectrum website, the gym provides children with a fun and motivational environment to help them with strength, movement, sensory processing, communication, behavior modification, social interactions, and self-care skills. All sensory-based swings and toys in the gym can also be purchased for home use.

Activities at We Rock the Spectrum Kid's Gym includes swings, crash mats and pillows, tunnels, balance beams, trampoline, indoor play structure, sensory-based toys, motor play toys and equipment, arts and crafts area and more.

The Agoura Hills location will be opening soon. Follow their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/WeRockTheSpectrumAgouraHills and their website at www.werockthespectrumagourahills.com for updates. Take a look - there's a beautiful indoor zip line and swing structure at the facility.

Metrolink Holiday Toy Express Train to be Suspended in 2013

The Metrolink Board of Directors decided in late September that the 2013 Metrolink Holiday Toy Express will be suspended in order to help close a $10.2 million funding gap for the 2013-14 fiscal year. This would have been the 17th annual event, which the agency indicates costs $269,000 to host.

Last year, the Metrolink Holiday Toy Express, 40+ city tour, passed through six counties as a brightly packaged gift – a 450-ton train decorated with holiday displays, a musical performance and 50,000 twinkling lights and of course, Santa.

The rail agency is considering seeking private funds or corporate sponsors to operate the train in the future. But without significant private sponsorship commitments in place, the Board of Directors felt it would not be prudent to move forward with this year’s Holiday Toy Express.

Funding for the Holiday Toy Express will be reconsidered by the Metrolink Board of Directors for 2014.

ABOUT METROLINK

Metrolink is Southern California’s regional commuter rail service in its 20th year of operation. The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), a joint powers authority made up of an 11-member board representing the transportation commissions of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, governs the service. Metrolink operates over seven routes through a six-county, 512 route-mile network. Metrolink is the third largest commuter rail agency in the United States based on directional route miles and the eighth largest based on annual ridership. www.metrolinktrains.com

Ori Sushi Closed Oct 5; Blue Wasabi & Asian Bistro Coming Soon to Thousand Oaks

Ori Sushi at 74 N. Skyline Drive in Thousand Oaks closed its doors on October 5th. Ori Sushi had operated at this slightly off the beaten path location just north of Thousand Oaks Boulevard where Jiffy Lube and Lassen's Health Foods operate since around 2005.

But the positive news is that Blue Wasabi Sushi & Asian Bistro (updated) subsequently opened at this location in 2014. More at bluewasabi-ca.com.

Update: Blue Wasabi subsequently closed and the newest restaurant here that opened in January 2015 is Streets by Bistro Orient.

*Lassen's subsequently moved to The Lakes at Thousand Oaks in March 2015.

El Pollo Loco in Oak Park is Closed and Will Become a Drive-Thru Starbucks

Update 11/2/13: The new Drive-Thru Starbucks in Oak Park is open. And there's already a line...

Original Post 9/28/13:

So long, El Pollo Loco of Oak Park

The El Pollo Loco located at 688 Lindero Canyon Road in Oak Park, adjacent to kid-favorite Bright Child (Bright Child subsequently closed its doors 1/20/14), has been closed to make way for a new drive-through Starbucks location. Following a trend set in Newbury Park early this year, the drive-through Starbucks will open and the nearby Starbucks at 706 Lindero Canyon Road will be closing at that time. According to employees at Starbucks, they anticipate a grand opening date of around October 16th. So get your engines revved up and ready...

Exer – More Than Urgent Care Coming to Conejo Gateway Plaza in Newbury Park

Finally, a sign (literally) of something coming to the space previously occupied by Revolution Surf at the Conejo Gateway Plaza in Newbury Park at the corner of N. Wendy Drive and Old Conejo Road! I always thought it would be a great spot for a gym, but Anytime Fitness is in process of fulfilling that vision in the same plaza.

According to its website, Exer - More Than Urgent Care offers treatment ranging from the level of your basic urgent care to just below that of a hospital ER. "Small things like scrapes and bruises can be treated at home, and life-threatening conditions like heart attacks need to be taken care of at a hospital ER. For everything in between there is Exer – More Than Urgent Care. As long as your condition or illness is non life-threatening, we can help you get the care you need quickly and conveniently but without the cost of a hospital ER. Our centers are equipped with digital x-ray, a diagnostic laboratory, splinting & laceration rooms, IV capabilities and more. We also work closely with the best local imaging centers for MRI and CAT scan imaging when you need it."

Sounds like a worthy addition to the local community! This will be only the 3rd Exer location, following Beverly Hills and Calabasas. I like the sounds of this!

Its Calabasas location at 26777 Agoura Rd, Suite 4 is open 9am to 9pm, 7 days a week.

No word on when the Newbury Park location will open, but I'm sure their website at www.exerurgentcare.com will keep you posted.

New Veggie Grill in Westlake Village Anticipated to be Opening Soon (CLOSED MAY 2023)

VEGGIE GRILL WESTLAKE VILLAGE CLOSED ITS DOORS MAY 8, 2023

UPDATE 10/25/13:Veggie Grill announced today that it will open at 3825 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Westlake Village on Wednesday, October 30th at 11am! They are giving the first 50 people in line on opening day, between 10am and 11am, a $20 Veggie Grill gift card and 10 lucky guests will win “Veggie Grill for a Year.”

We mentioned back in June that the Veggie Grill is coming to Westlake Village at 3825 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Westllake Village. The place looks to be moving along quite nicely, with a bright new sign up and recent staff recruitment, not to a mention on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/veggiegrill. Based on the feedback seen on the CVG Facebook page, this place is destined to be a hit! Stay tuned.

Young Artists Ensemble Presents "The Hound of the Baskervilles" November 1-17

Young Artists Ensemble will present The Hound of the Baskervilles directed by Theresa Secor at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts, 403 West Hillcrest Drive.  Performances are November 1 - 17, 2013, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES is a play by Kent R. Brown inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel.  This comic thriller stars “Shirley Holmes” and “Jennie Watson”, the notable nose-hounds’ nieces! With Sherlock and Watson away on vacation, it’s up to their precocious teenage nieces to sleuth through the slithering mists of the moors, confront the ferocious Hound, and cure the Curse of the Baskervilles. This daring du-ette face danger head-on together and find that their differences are exactly what make them a great team. Smart and spooky fun for the whole family.

Single show tickets for THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES are $15 for adults and $13.50 for children, students and seniors.  Tickets can be purchased by calling 805-381-1246 or at www.yaeonline.com.  There is a 10% discount for groups of ten or more for a single performance. Call (805) 381-2747 or visit www.yaeonline.com if you have any questions.

Young Artists Ensemble has received many accolades in the past 33 years including the Encore Statue Award from the City of Thousand Oaks for Excellence in the Arts, and Best Innovative Program 2011, Large District from the California Association of Recreation and Park Districts.

Planned Closures of 101 Freeway at Lindero Canyon Road October 28 to November 8

Reconstruction of the Lindero Canyon Road/101 freeway overpass will force several nighttime and early morning closures of the 101 freeway in both directions. These closures will begin at 11:00 pm on Monday, October 28 and last until 5:00 am the following morning.

Closures will occur Monday through Friday for a two-week period. The final closure will take place Thursday, November 7 at 11:00 pm through Friday, November 8 at 5:00 am.

Motorists will be detoured off the freeway at Lindero Canyon Road in each direction. Northbound motorists will be routed to Thousand Oaks Boulevard and will return to the 101 freeway at Westlake Boulevard. Southbound motorists will be routed to the Reyes Adobe on-ramp via Agoura Road. In addition, both the northbound and southbound on-ramp loops to the 101 freeway will be closed during these late evening and early morning construction periods (11:00 pm to 5 am). However, one lane of traffic on Lindero Canyon Road in each direction over the bridge will remain open.

On the first two successive nights and early mornings of the closure starting on October 28, construction crews will be using jackhammers to demolish portions of the overpass as part of the reconstruction project beginning around 11:30 pm. to 5:00 am. Unfortunately, noise generated by this construction activity may be heard in residential areas adjacent to the work.

While the City is mindful of this temporary inconvenience, unfortunately the schedule of the work is dictated by Caltrans and the need to undertake this phase of the construction work in the late evening and early morning hours to coincide with the temporary closure of the freeway. Nonetheless, the City wishes to thank the community and effected residents in advance for their patience and understanding associated with this aspect of the project.

To sign up for email and text message updates on the Lindero Canyon/101 freeway overpass reconstruction project, please visit www.wlv.org and click on the blue project update icon on the left side of the homepage.

When this project is completed, the Lindero Canyon Road/101 bridge will have an additional lane in each direction of traffic, aesthetic improvements, an 11 foot wide lit pedestrian walkway on the east side and a 300 foot long sculpture on both sides of the bridge that will feaure iconic scenes of the City of Westlake Village by artist Joe Werthheimer.