T on April 14th, 2013

You know it by sight: the LAX Theme Building, home of the Encounter Restaurant. It’s an icon of 60s architecture, originally planned as a domed hub for the airport, and later scaled back to its present design. Despite my numerous trips to the Los Angeles International Airport, I’d never paid the Encounter a visit; I’d [...]

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T on January 6th, 2013

The year ended with a variation on an activity I really enjoyed earlier in 2012 – once again, I took the vintage sleeper cards down to San Diego.  But this time, I was joined by 3 more friends, and a whole extra car, the Overland Trail that has served me well on many wine train [...]

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T on November 16th, 2012

Take a couple of friends, add locally-grown produce, artisan meats and biodynamic wine and serve it up right at sunset in a picture-perfect setting — and you’ve got Outstanding In The Field.  I became aware of this organization when they held an event last year in my friends’ vineyard. It looked like a great concept, [...]

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T on July 15th, 2012

Here it is, just over a year after my first post on Coffee Bar – and I’m glad to see that it’s turned out pretty much as hoped: a great morning stop on the way home after a Friday or Saturday night in Hollywood. Not only does Coffee Bar continue to hand-brew some great coffee, [...]

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T on March 10th, 2012

Before I moved to Southern California, I saw the movie LA Story. From earthquakes to rollerblading to freeway shootings of bottled water trucks, it poked fun at life in the City of Angels.  There are certain things that Angelenos take for granted that we East Coasters would just shake our heads at.  Now we can [...]

Continue reading about Only in LA – The Cupcake ATM

T on February 20th, 2012

When I moved to California, I failed to comprehend the appeal of the desert. I held that view for my first ten years here. But it has slowly grown on me – to the point, in fact, when I’ve visited 4 times already this season. And winter is definitely the desert’s time to shine: warm, [...]

Continue reading about Desert Getaway Part I: The Valley