Monrovia Old Town Report 03/01/18

Brush up on the news and issues occurring in Monrovia Old Town recently. – Courtesy photo

By Pam Fitzpatrick

Yes!  Basin 141 is really coming to Old Town with a planned opening in Spring (which is right around the corner). Check out the cool images on the windows of what was once Café Opera then Sow House, and most recently Craft Hill at the SE corner of Myrtle and Lime. The Basin 141 in Montrose, according to their website, is a “neighborhood social bar and kitchen developed to celebrate the cultural diversity, rich history and proud spirit of Los Angeles.” The photos of the food presented on that site look delicious however I’m wondering if Monrovia’s Basin 141 will have the same rules as Montrose. The current website has a disclaimer

that says “Basin 141 is a 21 and over establishment. We will only seat parties of legal drinking age.” That would be a real change for Old Town, but our Planning Department says they are unaware of their actual plans, so we’ll have to wait for this to appear before the Planning Commission.

And, another long-awaited opening: Frooza, at 521 S. Myrtle (west side where Candy Connection used to be) will be opening next week. I spoke to the owners on Tuesday at our MOTAB (Monrovia Old Town Advisory Board) quarterly dinner meeting and they said they’re shooting for next week on Monday, March 12th for a “soft” opening.  I’ve been particularly anxious to see this opening, partly because I’m really curious about their frozen desserts. What kind of frozen desserts? That’s the question. See you all next Monday the 12th before they run out!

Tuesday this week, just before the MOTAB dinner meeting up at the Community Center, I attended the unveiling and dedication of the new Monrovia Reads van. Thanks to some very generous sponsors, Monrovia Reads was able to purchase a Foothill Transit bus and convert it into a kid’s mobile library. The brightly colored van will visit school sites during the school year, and during the summer months will be at local events such as the Spring Egg Hunt. After the dedication, several of us attended the dinner meeting for merchants where we learned that the MonroviaGo is a go, so the LimeBikes will be on the streets of Monrovia beginning in mid-March with a kick-off bike ride on March 17th. Check out the City website for the details (www.ci.monrovia.org).

The 2nd Annual Monrovia Wine Walk was also discussed at the dinner meeting. I’m thinking this year’s event will be even better than last years, partly because I suspect there will be more food available along with the wine. The new Old Town website is scheduled to be live on April 1st and it looks like maybe it will bear the City’s logo since the proposed new logo was voted down at the last Council meeting. The subject of allowing tattoo services in Old Town was discussed at last Council’s study session, but no decisions have been made yet.

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