Alpine Village

Field Trip Friday! Larry and I drove south to Torrance, to visit the Alpine Village. I had never been there, but had passed it on the freeway for decades. We wanted to visit just before the big Oktoberfest celebration to avoid the crowds. Alpine Village, a German-style compound with specialty shops, a restaurant and market, has been there since 1968. 

All of the compound's buildings are decorated in the quaint Bavarian, Gingerbread style. We walked around the shops. A few were open.

I am assuming that the shops and surrounding grounds would be busier on the weekends. Many of the shops were closed. The buildings could use a bit of paint and sprucing up. There are rumors that Alpine Village is slated for demolition and future development. This is another reason we wanted to visit, before it's all gone.

The German Market and Cafe were bustling. I LOVED the market! It was full of European delicacies that you cannot readily purchase in the standard grocery store. Many of the displays were painted with colorful folk themes. Charming!

Notice the painted flowers at the end of the aisle display

So many different varieties of delicious mustard!
 

Polish, Ukranian products

We decided to have lunch in the sit-down restaurant instead of the little cafe next to the market. The restaurant is where Oktoberfest is held. There is a huge dance floor and stage, surrounded by tables, booths and a big bar area. This place is set up for concerts. It's a wonderful venue. In addition to European bands for German festivals, the venue has held rock 'n roll, punk and other concerts. It would be perfect for a wedding!

The Stage and Dance Floor

Lunch was good. I had a chef salad with Black Forest ham and more. Larry had a bratwurst sandwich.

We wandered around the grounds a bit more after lunch, noticing the architectural details of the Village buildings.

This is a lovely respite from the big City. Visiting Alpine Village is like a little vacation. To help preserve this bit of Bavaria in the Southland, join the Facebook group, Friends of Alpine Village and sign the petition to save it from being demolished and developed into yet another boring apartment and mini-mall complex.