Community Resources- West Hollywood, California and more.

Exercise:  Exercise us an important aspect of helping with depression, anxiety and relieving stress and improving our overall mental health.  Here are some places in out community that I continue to get positive feedback about;

Equinox fitness: www.equinoxfitness.com on Sunset Blvd.  Another West Hollywood favorite is Barry's Boot Camp www.barrysbootcamp.net. A high energy challenging fast paced work out is not for everyone, though it's a great way to improve your overall fitness level  and wow it feels great both mentally and physically- when you are done with a one hour power workout. 

If you are not a workout person, I recommend getting exercise at least 3 times per week an hour at a time.  Whether hiking up canyons, visiting a local park or joining a sports organization.  Many people have found good luck with such things as a local tennis club like LATA.  Not only a great way to get out of the gym, it also helps with isolation and making new friends and social contacts.  www.lataweb.com

12- Step programs: The many A's.  AA, NA, DA and OA. There is a program for everyone these days.  Do we all know about the Log Cabin on Robertson?  SCA, and SA.

Recovery Programs:  High raves for a drug and alcohol rehab program in Palm Springs California, called Michael's house. The "Rehab that's Fab" truly is. www.MichaelsHouse.com 1-877-345-3216.  Treatment, Support and Recovery.  I was invited to go there this summer for a tour- and professional conference.  This place is and the staff there are a miracle in and off itself.

Money Matters: DA and BODA, are two 12-step programs that are wonderful, not as well know programs for helping people with debt and manageing money.  www.socalda.org.  In L.A. : Saturday mornings in the basement of the church on the corner of Wilshire and Plymouth at 9:00 am.  It's a hard first step zero to take, though a very solid and rewarding place to figure out money stuff.  Get there early, otherwise there will be no parking to be had.

Gay and Lesbian: www.laglc.org low cost counseling and medical services.

Real Estate, Housing, The rental market, and finding a place to live.

With the real estate market on the down swing predictions say it still might be an okay time to buy property.  Here are some good residential agents that I think are pretty trustworthy.   The Millennium Team, is part of Keller Williams agency.  Anthony Vulin is the broker. visit  www.themillenuumteam.com.  You might consider listing with them as well.

Not so unlike other big cities, finding a place to live in Los Angeles, can often be a big challenge.  Sometimes the ending of a relationship or even finding of a new job can bring about a needed living arrangement change and a time to move.

On the rental market:  Though tight, in West Hollywood, Hollywood and Los Angeles, a good rental is still obtainable with the right resources.  The city of West Hollywood itself, makes a great list. got to www.weho.org and then click on the Residential tab and then the residential referral link- will show you a good link to currently available rentals.  Many are still under rent control.  A great resource for out city.  

Others report that a method of finding a good rental, may be a little more old fashioned;  driving around town and looking for signs to call landlords directly, you can save a lot of headache for the strange experience of trying to weed out the Craig's list phenomenon, and other scams like Westside Rentals.

Travel: Traveling is a great way to get to know yourself and the world outside of the 310.  For many people though, time for a vacation can bring up lots of feelings about ourselves. Especially when newly single.  We often wonder, who will I go with? How much will it cost? where to go? or How much time do I have to take off work?

An awesome gay vacation has never been easier.  Atlantis events in West Hollywood, has created a fabulous all inclusive vacation package. For a real bargain, and a great time Atlantis, is sure to be a life changing event.  It's a great way to meet new people from around the world. I understand they now host about 20,000 people per year. Are you still a newbie? www.atlantisevents.com

Entertainment: section in progress,

Chiropractic:  Oh how we love those chiropractors.  Not only are they wonderful healers and great way to relieve stress- tension and gain mental clarity. They are a big help to many clients in terms of Insurance.  Want to get rid of that annual deductible? A chiropractor may be a great way to go.  Here are some of my favortites in town:

Dr. Tom Marinaro www.drtomspainreliefcenter.com

Dr. David Tennenbaum and Dr. Andy Mauer, on Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills.

Medical and Psyciatric:   Tower I.D. Medial on West 3rd Street at Cedars Sinai, is the best in town for primary medical care.  Without health insurance ?,  head to the L.A. gay and lesbian Center in Hollywood at once.

Commuity and self help:  Free HIV testing, is available at The Spot- West Hollywood. This place is in a little office near the corner of Santa Monica Blvd, and San Vicente is an ultra convenient place to go for a free and confidential HIV test.  Park at the library. Call (310) 993-7400 Hours Tuesday- Friday 1-7 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday: closed. This is a great place to go.

Legal: The law offices of Jerry Milliken Esq. Century City office. (310) 273-7222.  An excellent PI attorney, and a great colleague, Jerry really helps out after those unwanted fender bender accidents on our freeways.  Don't hesistate to call him- after the shock of being hit by another car.