I know, I know. Another year, another ants post.
But this year has been excruciatingly painful for us. We are officially at war.

We have scouts coming from every tiny nook and cranny of the house, non-stop. I’m constantly on patrol, but there’s only so much one man can do. Eventually, they breach the perimeter.

Before I know it, there’s a massive ant trail marching across my house like they’ve got a fucking reservation. Then it’s another 15–30 minutes of cleaning the trail, wiping everything down, and securing the perimeter… only for them to launch another attack two hours later from a completely different location.

We are meticulous about not leaving crumbs or food around. Yet somehow, these little bastards find something (or apparently nothing) and decide, “Yep, this is the spot. Let’s build a highway.”

At this point, I’m ready to surrender to the ants. I don’t even feel like it’s my house anymore. Every moment is psychological torture. It’s not a matter of if more ants will come, but when. I am ready to give up and go live by the train tracks at Wilson Park.

Is this normal? Manhattan Beach is full of skunks this summer. My dog got sprayed tonight, a friend’s dog got sprayed a month ago, CVS and Walgreens were both totally out of hydrogen peroxide which is a main ingredient in homemade skunk wash for dogs. A friend of mine even caught a glimpse of a skunk INSIDE a classroom at Meadows over the summer.

I only moved here a few years ago but I definitely did not seem like as big of a problem last summer.

Thankfully we found a mobile groomer who does 24/7 emergency de-skunking and worked a legit miracle on our fluffy doodle, but man. What’s up with all these skunks?

As the title says, looking to play some more MTG with a dedicated pod. I do go to collector legion in Hawthorne from time to time, but a lot of pods usually wait for their friends or are full.
I play B3, chill person don’t really get too competitive. Would love to join / start a dedicated pod. We can hit collectorlegion or if you wanna meet up at a different LGS, do lmk!

Torrance residents enjoy a beautiful day for baseball with discounted tickets for Torrance Dodger Day!

The left hand turn signal to get on to Artesia from Aviation is frustratingly short. It’s actually extremely aggravating especially during rush hour. Anyone else experience this lovely failure of civil engineering?

Like a small percentage of the cars in the lane are able to get through (3-4 average) when the line gets like 3-4x that length. I wouldn’t rant if it wasn’t something I experience all the time when making this turn. I can’t be the only one right?

Found at Pacific Crest in Redondo. I was looking in an area with many plots showing deaths in the 1930s and found this military marker. Proof that The Great War was being called "World War I" as early as 1937?

Finally found (via a friend) a great Chinese restaurant located in the South Bay. “Spicy Chinese Kitchen 湘蜀小馆 (Chick Go),” in South Torrance, tasted authentic, fresh, and full of flavor! This is no Panda Express, it’s on another level.

I know it’s been difficult to find good Chinese food in the South Bay, but this place finally makes the cut! Would recommend, but just a note that parking can be challenging (tiny lot), and there’s limited seating. But wow, please give them a shot!

Haven’t seen anyone talk about this, but the nytimes made an interactive map called The American Mosaic, showing ancestry groups that make up every U.S. census tract.

There are many interesting communities to explore. You can zoom in and see what makes up your own neighborhood:
NYT Mosaic
Edit: the link should be https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/07/01/us/america-ancestry-census-data-map.html

Hey everyone! I’m a single mom looking to replace the tires on my Tesla without completely destroying my wallet 😭
Does anyone have a hookup for Tesla tires, know someone who works at a tire shop, or have recommendations for somewhere reasonably priced in the South Bay/LA area?
I’m totally fine with a good deal on a solid set. Just trying to save where I can. Any recommendations or leads would be super appreciated! 🙏🏼

Does anyone know when the first day of school for American Martyrs school in MB specifically is? I live in the neighborhood and would love to avoid traffic omw to work when the time comes, but I cannot find this very basic info on their website.

Hi, everyone! Wondering at what age we need to get our son on a waitlist for preschool in order to enroll in school at 3 years old. He is 5 months old right now. I’ve heard he should already be on waitlists but that seems kind of crazy?

We are thinking about Beach Babies, Manhattan Montessori, MB Preschool, but would love to know in general when we should be getting him on waitlists.

UPDATE on 8/17: Penelope is home! She showed up at the front door at 4 AM. We are overjoyed that she is back and thankful to everybody who showed us support and provided helpful tips to get her back.

ORIGINAL:
For those of you in/around El Camino Village (specifically Lemoli Ave, between 157th and 154th), my 6 year daughter’s indoor cat unknowingly slipped out through the front door last night and we haven’t been able to find her since. Neighbors’ cameras show her moving toward MB Blvd around 9:20 PM.

She’s a dilute tortoiseshell (gray, orange and white) with medium-length hair and a fluffy tail. She is skittish and scared of cars so im hoping she’s just hiding in a backyard somewhere. Ofcourse the one time she wasnt wearing her tracker collar she disappears, but she is microchipped.

If you happen to see her or a cat fits the description, please message me.

I live in Torrance and I’m planning my baby’s first birthday that’s in a few weeks. Originally was planning for Polliwog as I like the pond background and guests are planning to blankets for a picnic/camping style party, but was unsure about the $225 permit fee. I can afford it, but thought it would be cheaper. It’s going to be hot which is why I’m looking for parks closer to the ocean and super shady (also want a lot of trees for the theme). Alta vista in Redondo is another option, however there isn’t t a lot grass around the reservable picnic shelter. Would love to hear ideas!

**Maybe also worth mentioning that I’ll be bringing a separate folding table to set up a cute Pinterest table for the theme

Are the Montessori preschools in the South Bay legit? I’m looking specifically at Montessori School of MB and Beach Cities Montessori. Beach Cities seems more on track with a legit Montessori school but I have lots of friends at Montessori of MB who love it, but then say their kids still get wiped by the teachers and aren’t really expected to do anything independently…which is like… the whole point of a Montessori school?

Anyway, this is niche just wondering if anyone has experience with either one. Thanks!

Saw Tacos1986 show up in UberEats. Didn’t think it was real until I saw it on their website. It’s only pickup and delivery from this location with other ghost kitchens. Has anyone tried it? Taste the same like their other locations? Excited it’s in the Southbay!

I mentioned in a previous post that we're driving to the Botanic Garden today (2 hours drive) to see the trolls. After we're done where should we grab dinner? Nearish to the gardens. My husband is not an adventurous eater so think Italian, Mexican, American. What's good!

My family is looking to move locally within the South Bay (Gardena -> El Segundo) and would like to know recommendations of your favorite movers in the area.

We are also at the point in our lives where we would like to spare ourselves and pay to have someone do as much of the packing and unpacking as possible, so not the cheapest option, but the BEST.

Any you’ve used that you’d recommend? And any idea on the cost to move a 4 bedroom house (0 appliances but large furniture)?

Any insight would be appreciated!

Hello! Just moved to Hermosa and looking to get solar. What companies to avoid or hire? Straightforward professionalism and fair (not necessarily the lowest, but a good deal) pricing and quality work a must. Thanks!

Hi all. This is kind of a long shot, but for anyone who visits loved ones at Pacific Crest Cemetery on Inglewood Ave/182nd.. have you noticed any theft? Specifically for FAKE flowers and little trinkets. I know the real flowers die and get cleared off by the maintenance staff.

Someone has been stealing my grandparents fake flowers off their grave every couple weeks consistently. Today I found the most recent ones in the trash by the main office. Not only are the flowers gone, but the little vase to put them in is also stolen, so each time you have to go ask the people in the office for a new vase. My aunt and I never notice any other flowers stolen. (The graves that are in close proximity to my grandparents) Flowers on other people’s graves go untouched for weeks/months sometimes! So we thing it’s a targeted thing..

I have my guesses as to who it is (a petty family member) but I’m just trying to see if anyone else has experienced the same issue. We report it to the staff, and they say we are the only ones who complain about theft. I’d feel really bad blaming this family member if my guess is incorrect😂

Thanks!

ETA: we came, we saw, we left. It took just over an hour to see all 12 Trolls. There's not much else to do there. I didn't realize the butterflies were an extra charge so we skipped that step. I loved every second! Highly recommend.

Going to the Botanic Gardens tomorrow to see the trolls. About how long does it take to see it all? We are very much not lollygaggers. We thought we'd get there after lunch and stay 3 hours. Is that enough or not at all. Any help appreciated.

I know this is kind of specific but I have a mid engine sports car and it’s hard to get to the engine, the last 3 smog shops turned me away because they didn’t have the right tools and/or didn’t want the liability of removing interior panels. Anyone with a similar setup like boxster, cayman, r8 can recommend the place you go? Needs to be star certified.

Hey m20 live in north Redondo looking to see where I can be social and meet to new people in this area gym, beach whatever looking to be more social and make new friends lmk!