Home Care In Athens, LA

July is officially around the corner. In preparation, restaurants around town are gearing up for July Fourth festivities and catering their menus, deals and specials toward the hot season ahead. Check it all out in this week's restaurant roundup.

La Parrilla Mexican Restaurant

La Parrilla Mexican Restaurant is coming to the Beechwood Shopping Center, according to Beechwood’s Instagram. There is no set opening date yet, however, Beechwood said in its post that it hopes to open it in late 2023.

Southern Brewing Company

Thursday, June 29, Southern Brewing Company is hosting “Pride Karaoke” with a food truck from Taqueria Luna Rosa, a Mexican restaurant located in Elberton, Georgia. The menu includes quesadillas, tacos and more, according to Southern Brewing Co.’s Instagram. The event also includes pop-up shops, temporary tattoos from 3 Ravens Tattoo & Piercing and more.

@Local Coffeehouse & Study Lounge

@Local Coffeehouse & Study Lounge, located on College Avenue in downtown, is offering a new drink for the summer: the strawberry shortcake chai. This sweet drink is a chai latte made with toasted marshmallow syrup, vanilla syrup and your choice of milk, topped with strawberry cold foam and dried strawberries.

el Barrio tacos & tequila

This Five Points Mexican eatery is offering a fresh summer menu item special, going on through this Sunday, July 2. The meal includes crispy fried flounder, rice and sautéed mushrooms, a tomato and cucumber salad and a side of sweet chili aioli.

Akademia Brewing Company

From July 3-4, Akademia Brewing Company is offering deals on chicken wings for to-go orders only. First, wings are a dollar per wing. Second, you can order 12 wings and a six-pack of beer, with the choice of the Sour Frosty or Altered Minds pack, for $24. It is closing at 3 p.m. on July 4, so orders must be placed beforehand.

Square One Fish Company

Square One Fish Company released its new bar and wine menus to suit the warmer season. The seasonal sangria is a part of the featured cocktails, made with your choice of house wine, peach brandy and fresh fruit. Another, the Square-rita, is made with Herradura silver tequila, fresh lime juice, jalapeño simple syrup and Grand Marnier, complete with a cajun salt rim and also available in Square One’s current seasonal flavor for an additional dollar charge.

The Princeton Women's Basketball Team began their international trip by arriving in Barcelona, Spain on Sunday morning.

On Sunday, the team did a tour of the Sagrada Familia, a church in Barcelona. Monday featured a guided bike tour and along with a trip to Barcelona Beach.

Momma, we made it (to Barcelona!) ?? ???????tour of La Sagrada Familia ?? ?? ?? tour of downtown and Las Ramblas ?? Barcelona Beach ??? Los Tigres x #GetStops???? pic.twitter.com/4bETwu9L3E

— Princeton WBB (@PrincetonWBB) August 21, 2023

Tuesday featured a Catamaran Tour and a workout on the streets of Barcelona!

No days off here in the streets of downtown Barcelona! ?? Shout out @Strengthgirl for keeping us ready for our first game in Spain tomorrow! ?? Los Tigres x #GetStops???? pic.twitter.com/6xUMb9moQF

— Princeton WBB (@PrincetonWBB) August 22, 2023

The squad did a Paella cooking class prior to its game before Catalonia Elite on Wednesday.

Paella cooking class as a pregame meal? Sure! ????? Los Tigres x #GetStops???? pic.twitter.com/dZCiDy8rNI

— Princeton WBB (@PrincetonWBB) August 23, 2023

That's game! Los Tigres x #GetStops???? pic.twitter.com/afw7BERBXv

— Princeton WBB (@PrincetonWBB) August 23, 2023

The squad did a Paella cooking class prior to its game before Catalonia Elite on Wednesday. Today, the squad is traveling to Athens, Greece to begin the second part of the trip which goes until Aug. 29.

Why do we recycle?

Californians recycle because “they’re attached to the environment they live in,” says Rachel Machi Wagoner, the director of the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, known as CalRecycle. “Especially with the impact of the pandemic, we’re craving connection to people in our community, our state and our country.”

And the state can point to some progress:

But Californians still have a way to go.

If the Golden State is going to lead the world toward a better, safer future, our political and business leaders — and the rest of us — will have to work harder to rewrite the California narrative. Here’s how we can push the state forward.

Read our stories

In 2021, Wagoner said, the state discarded 41.5 million tons of waste in landfills — a result, in part, of the pandemic, as we hunkered down in our homes and used single-use packaging in our online orders, to-go meals and in-store pickup bags. Compare that to 40 million tons of waste in 2020, 42.2 million tons in 2019 and 39.9 million tons in 2018.

The disposal of plastic bags is still a sticking point in our efforts to reduce waste. In 2014, California was the first state to adopt a ban on single-use plastic shopping bags, and most grocery stores started to use thicker bags that are supposed to be recyclable. But in 2021, it was reported, more plastic bags ended up in state landfills than in 2018.

Wagoner said it’s not enough to have programs in place and a list of what can or can’t go in certain receptacles. It’s time, she said, for Californians to think about recycling as a lifestyle.

Know what goes in the bins

Even if you think you have it down, reacquaint yourself with your community’s rules for what goes in the trash, recycle and green waste receptacles. Depending where you live in L.A. County, you may be served by Athens Services, Waste Management, L.A. City Sanitation or another provider. And make sure to check CleanLA.com when you’re figuring out how and where to properly dispose of batteries, electronics and other hazardous waste.

Commercial and multifamily units in the city of Los Angeles are serviced by six different waste haulers, according to Jessica Aldridge, director of sustainability and zero waste programs for Athens Services — a waste collection and recycling company.

Athens and the city of L.A. accept plastics labeled 1, 2 and 5, and you can find the number within the chasing arrows logo. (The symbol alone — without a number— is not an indication that an item is recyclable.)

If the item isn’t labeled a 1, 2 or 5, Aldridge said, it won’t be recycled and belongs in the black bin.

“When it comes to plastic, it doesn’t need to be 100% clean and you don’t need to waste a bunch of water to clean this stuff out,” Aldridge said. However, the plastic container does need to be empty. If a container contains food, throw the scraps in the green bin. If a bottle has liquid in it, pour it out. That liquid can leak onto other recyclables like paper.

The liquid can also change how the machinery in the recycling facility processes the plastic container.

The machine recycling facility initially moves recyclables through the system by their weight, Aldridge said, adding: “Bottles with liquid may land in the reject pile.”

All of this should be useful information for aspirational recyclers — a person who is unsure if something is recyclable so they throw it in the recycling bin and hope for the best. The Consumer Brand Assn. says 40% of Americans follow this philosophy.

And know this, aspirational recyclers: The stuff that can’t be recycled ends up in a landfill.

Up your recycling game

Before you try to overhaul your current lifestyle, remember that change happens gradually. You’ll be more successful, Wagoner said, if you avoid guilt about what you consume and throw away.

And keep in mind that recycling isn’t just about what goes in your various bins. It can mean giving an item a second life. Give clothes a second life by attending a clothing swap in your area. Take a pile of clothes you’re no longer using, and pick up a few new (to you) items someone else no longer wants.

You can also donate clothes to a textile donation center such as the Suay Sew Shop, a Los Angeles-based sewing company. The shop accepts clothing (shirts, shorts and jackets) and textile (denim, cotton, wool, leather, silk and polyester) donations daily Then the staff repurposes those items into sustainably made pillow cases, tea towels, sweatshirts, fanny packs and other items.

Do you have furniture that’s in good condition but no longer needed? It could bring joy to a family that is transitioning from homelessness or temporary living situations into permanent housing. Moving Families Forward provides free furniture and household items to Los Angeles families making the transition.

Used furniture is also accepted by organizations such as the International Institute of Los Angeles, which gives used items to refugees resettling in the area.

Books, meanwhile, can be donated to your local library branch or the branch’s Friends of the Library, a nonprofit that raises funds to support library services. (Give your local branch a call to ensure they’re accepting donations.)

You can also donate books at a neighborhood Little Free Library. Or support a local book shop, such as Dave’s Olde Book Shop in Redondo Beach, which has a donations bin at the back of the store.

To involve the whole family, make recycling a game. Wagoner said for Earth Day this year, she and her family embarked on a zero-waste challenge to reduce the family’s overall waste impact.

Her son realized his favorite chocolate milk came in a single-use container. Together the family decided he could continue having chocolate milk but drink it from a reusable bottle. Wagoner said she’s seen a 50% reduction in her trash because of the changes her family has made.

Wagoner advises that people ask themselves, “What happens to this product at the end of its use?” and “Where will it end up?”

The road ahead

Lifestyle changes you make now, Wagoner said, will complement larger efforts to get away from being a single-use economy to being a circular one. She added that many millennials and Gen Zers are rethinking their purchases based on the sustainability of the packaging.

Trivium Packaging, a global metal packaging company, partnered with Euromonitor International to publish an annual report to learn what consumers value and perceive when it comes to sustainable packaging. One big takeaway from the report? Fifty-nine percent of respondents look for information on the recyclability or sustainability of the packaging on products they buy. Another highlight: 82% of respondents would be willing to pay more for sustainable packaging.

One of the things that surprised us during our Egypt trip was how much we enjoyed EgyptAir business class. The majority of my photos are from our first flight from Athens to Cairo, but we also flew EgyptAir business class from Cairo to Istanbul and domestically between Cairo and Luxor.

In This Article

Check-In

We checked in at Athens International Airport (ATH) with no lines at the EgyptAir business class counter or at customs. Our flight left from gate A19. The A gates do not have a Fast Track entry for customs or security but the only things that needed to be removed from our bags were iPads and laptops.

The check-in agent presented us with a lounge access card that had a handwritten “Swissport” lounge name on it in lieu of another lounge that was printed on the card.

Swissport: The EgyptAir Business Class Lounge

The Swissport Lounge is located in a corner of Terminal A with a few other lounges including a lounge for oneworld and a handful of other airlines, and an Aegean lounge with Star Alliance airlines including EgyptAir listed on the signage.

I’m not entirely sure why we weren’t directed to the Aegean lounge (which is nicer – we’ve been in it when flying business class on Aegean).

The upside is that Swissport was empty and offered wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks, juices, Greek pies, sandwiches, breads, salad and a handful of other snacks. It’s pretty much a one-room lounge and served its purpose.

Our flight attendants were in here fueling up before departure.

Onboard EgyptAir Business Class

Boarding at the gate was hectic per usual in our experience at ATH. We were shuttled from the gate to the plane which was waiting on the tarmac some distance away which is why your ticket may tell you to board an hour in advance.

EgyptAir Boeing 737-800 business class seats are in a 2-2 (one aisle seat and one window seat on each side of the aisle) formation and provide plenty of legroom. The spacing reminds me of what American Airlines domestic first class is like (which is more spacious than say British Airways Club Europe).

Most seats do not have space to put your bags under the seat in front of you but rather metal boxes with “no stowage” written on them. I smashed my handbag into the space anyway and the flight attendants seemed fine with it, though I saw them moving other passenger bags into the overhead bins.

A bottle of water, headphones, duty-free shopping catalog, and in-flight magazine were tucked into the seat pocket in front of us. A pillow and blanket were also placed on the seat. I did try to extend my footrest but it was a bit short for my longer American legs with the tray table open.

Televisions pop up from storage between the armrests of the two seats but we were informed that there would be no inflight entertainment, perhaps as flying time was only 1 hour and 45 minutes. (Our return flight from Cairo to Istanbul offered inflight entertainment, but there was none on our short hop to Luxor).

A hot towel and guava juice or pomegranate juice predeparture drinks were presented after boarding and they were both delicious.

Promptly after takeout flight attendants served everyone the same rather fulsome meal of cold salmon, tabbouleh, mezze platter, saffron pasta, pita, and an orange dessert with filo pastry. I was impressed by how fresh and honestly delicious everything was.

We were offered the choice of tea or coffee (which are the only drinks served and offered after the meal), though some passengers requested more guava juice or water.

EgyptAir, as you probably know, is a dry airline. I read that you can bring your own alcohol onboard and that flight attendants will serve it to you on some flights. While we love a glass of wine in the air, we didn’t feel right about this on such a short flight but it is something I would consider on a long haul flight.

(You can purchase single-serve bottles of wine at the cafe near domestic departures in the Luxor airport but you should probably drink it in the airport or check with the agent to see what the policy is for bringing it onboard.)

The flight passed without much fuss. I was asked to put my computer and tray table away about 30 minutes prior to landing, which is unusually early, in my experience.

One of the main benefits of flying EgyptAir business class is Fast Track entry to Passport Control when arriving at Cairo airport (and we subsequently experienced this as well at Istanbul Airport thanks to Turkish Airlines’ Star Alliance membership), which has a shorter line than regular passport control.

You can read more about what to know before traveling to Cairo.

EgyptAir Business Class from Cairo to Istanbul

When departing Cairo Airport, you’ll also have Fast Track entry through security (tip: you must have your passports in hand so don’t send them through baggage scan — I learned this the hard way) and Passport Control. This benefit is also extended to Star Alliance Gold Members.

Our flight to Istanbul departed from gate G1 so we used the EgyptAir Gienah lounge. At 8:30 a.m. it was packed with very little available seating.

Two self-serve food areas included pastries, soft drinks, tea, bottled water, juice boxes, gourmet coffee drinks (with Starbucks beans), finger sandwiches, whole fruit (apples, oranges, bananas), cut veggies, mini cupcakes, eggs, beans, sausage, cheese, and a handful of other finger foods.

No alcohol was served but we didn’t ask for any. Staff members were preparing drinks for customers and I did see an empty wine glass on one of their trays but not a single person (and there were many in the lounge with us) drinking anything alcoholic. We were also having issues connecting to the lounge WiFi.

It’s worth arriving before boarding time as you will pass through another security check at the gate. Agents will check passenger visas, if applicable (carry paperwork — it would have been a huge hassle if I hadn’t printed our Turkey visas). This time, you’ll remove liquids, shoes, and laptops from carry-on bags before sending them through your third airport scan. You’ll walk through a metal detector and all passengers are patted down.

This time, we boarded the plane straight from the jetway, also a 737-800 with the same seating configuration as our flight from Athens to Cairo.

A hot towel and the same pomegranate and guava juice predeparture drinks were passed around. The only difference is that inflight entertainment worked on this flight.

And, since it was morning, we were served breakfast though this time in two courses. The first with fruit, cheese, a croissant, and roll.

The second course choices included crepes, ful medames (a traditional Egyptian breakfast dish with fava beans) that my husband ordered it and was quite good, and scrambled eggs with sausage and vegetables.

A passenger in front of us was quite demanding and the flight attendants handled the situation flawlessly.

Once again the food and service were excellent. The flight arrived on time. Upon arriving at IST, we used the Fast Track line to clear customs and baggage arrived on the carousel within minutes.

Overall, we were quite pleased with our experience in EgyptAir business class and would have no issues flying with them again. We also flew EgyptAir business class from Cairo to Luxor and back on smaller planes.

When most people think of ice cream, they think of classic — and, let’s face it, boring — flavors like vanilla. While these are good options, it never hurts to try something new.

A local ice cream shop has this covered. From guava to mango with chili, La Michoacana Es Natural is a Mexican ice cream store that offers homemade ice cream and popsicles that go beyond the typical scoops.

Owned by husband and wife Heri and Jessica Martinez, the shop brings ice cream from the Mexican state of Michoacán to Athens.

The shop is a franchise from the Mexican town of Tocumbo.

“A lot of fruits grow [in Michoacán],” Jessica Martinez said. “That’s why the ice cream shop from south Mexico is so popular, and it’s now in the U.S.”

Martinez and her husband bought the franchise several years ago but couldn’t open the shop. In 2012, they opened Los Reyes Mexican Restaurant.

In 2015 the couple opened La Michoacana and managed both the shop and the restaurant. They transferred ownership of the restaurant to Martinez’s cousin in 2017.

Martinez’s uncle owns the Mexican grocery store nearby.

“It’s very convenient, we’re always helping each other,” Martinez said. “When I miss my orders with vendors, they always order stuff for me, and I do the same for them.”

Owning businesses is a commonality in the family.

“It’s not the same type of business, but it’s all related, because it’s the Mexican grocery store, the Mexican restaurant and the Mexican ice cream shop,” Martinez said.

The family approach translates into a welcoming atmosphere, said Ruby Teran, a La Michoacana employee.

“One thing about us is that we’re really friendly,” Teran said. “We actually try to care for the customers and be really patient with them.”

Frozen food is sometimes associated with a far-off expiration date and lots of preservatives, but that’s not the case at La Michoacana.

“Most of the things we use are natural,” Martinez said. “We use a lot of fruits ... We don’t keep it frozen for years.”

Freshness is another important factor of the shop’s products.

“We’re making ice cream every single day,” Martinez said. “The longest we store each tub is less than a week, so it’s always fresh.”

Although making ice cream from scratch seems like a tedious process, practice makes perfect.

“Chopping the fruits, blending them and giving them the texture … it takes time, but once you learn how to do it, it’s pretty easy,” Martinez said.

Mary Ray, a senior journalism major from Ellijay, visited the shop.

“My first impression was that there were so many flavors that it was very hard to choose,” she said. “The ice cream itself ... is just pretty — All the colors are vibrant and it just looks tasty.”

The shop offers 40 different flavors, with 10 in the display case at a time.

One of the more unexpected flavors is pine nut with dulce de leche, which Martinez said is her favorite.

“Pine nuts here … [are used] for savory foods, and in Mexico it’s more like a dessert,” Martinez said.

Some flavors, like the mango sherbet, or “mangonada,” incorporate spicy ingredients like chili powder and Chamoy, a type of hot sauce. Fruit like the South American mamey are also used.

Another popular option at La Michoacana is the paleta, an ice cream bar-popsicle hybrid that comes in 60–70 different flavors.

La Michoacana has a branch inside the eastside location of Cali N Tito’s, which includes a freezer full of ice cream and popsicles.

Although the ice cream is sold at Cali N Tito’s, owning an ice cream shop of their own was always the end goal for the Martinezes.

“We really wanted to do the ice cream because it’s something we wanted to do from years before,” Martinez said.