The Hobbit's House

4 years in this city, and I'm still finding these hidden gems.

Sorry for the brief hiatus, the past three weeks I've been in the process of moving in with my boyfriend to our new place. Moving is such a pain in the butt, especially when you've been living by yourself for the past 4 years in the same apartment. I've come to the realization that I am a hoarder; I had held onto so many things because it had sentimental value at some point or what if Vine rises from the dead and I can start making my stop motion stuff again? With that said, I'm now settled into my new apartment and can devote more time to things that make me happy, like exploring!

Before I had my life sucked away from what I'm calling "The Great Purge of 2017,"my best friend, MJ, and I took a walk down to Culver City. On one of the side streets, we came upon one of the cutest apartment complexes we had ever seen. One building looked like the White Rabbit's house from Alice in Wonderland (you know, that scene where she eats the cookie and grows so big that her arms and legs pop out of the house, that house). 

These cottages were built from 1946 - 1970. They were designed by Lawrence Joseph, a former Disney Artist. He took an existing family residence and added two two-story building with multiple units. When we visited, there was a friendly gentleman that invited us onto the property to look around. He told us that he had been living there since the 60s.  Lawrence was a great carpenter and the kind gentleman (who I wish I remembered his name), pointed out the little parts of the cottages and the stories tied to how it was made. Like the big log that was sent down stream from the north, or the how some of the wood he got at a discount price because a driver had a flatbed full of wood he needed to get rid of...every nook had a story.

We also met Misty the cat. She is the greeter of the Hobbit House. So affectionate, she followed us when we left all the way to the end of the block. If a feline companion isn't your thing, you can also say hi to some turtles, roughly about 20. You can tell they have become accustomed to having visitors because as soon as you come to the pond, they come towards you looking to see what treat you're bringing them. 

I think it's important for cities to have these hidden gems. Once you've lived in a city long enough, the honeymoon phase wears off, nothing feels new, everything feels routine. Being able to still discover new parts, I feel like I'm not done getting to know this city yet. LA and I still have more to know about each other. 

If you're in the area, you should definitely check it out. There are residents living here so please be respectful to their property and privacy. 

Hobbit House

3819 Dunn Drive

Culver City, CA 90232