At the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books some years ago, I heard a writer claim that he gets up at 6 a.m. every day, does 50 push-ups, drinks a pot of coffee, and then sits down to write. He seemed very proud of this fact, as I suppose he ought to be, but I confess I looked at him the way one...
Neil Gaiman is as big a rock star as you’ll find in the literary world, and not just because he’s close friends with actual rock star Tori Amos or married to Amanda Palmer, one half of rock duo the Dresden Dolls. He’s a rock star because he succeeds at just about everything he does. In the ‘90s,...
When it comes to getting the best price for your house, there might be no higher-profile experts than Drew and Jonathan Scott, the personable hosts of several HGTV series including the long-running “Property Brothers.” The 38-year-old twins started their real-estate ways while still in college,...
Mary Roach’s books come marinated in bodily fluids and infused with noxious vapors; you feel like you should be wearing rubber gloves to turn the pages. She’s unflinchingly ready to explicitly describe things we’re inclined to be squeamish about, and in her latest book, “Grunt: The Curious Science...
Irvine is known for its chain restaurants, a good UC school, clean wide highways and planned housing communities. But a new food hall called Trade, scheduled to open later this summer, may turn the city into a real food destination. Developed by the Lincoln Property Company, Trade is located a...
Cheese and crackers — it’s a snack pairing as common and comforting as milk and cookies, or hummus and pita bread. At Leona in Venice (named for the original street name for Washington Boulevard where the restaurant is located), cheese and crackers are listed as a starter. But chef Nyesha Arrington...
If you’ve never thought of adding beer to your soup, you’re not alone. But adding a cold pilsner to a chilled tomato soup is a match made in heaven. This recipe, from food writer Regina Schrambling, adds just the right amount of effervescence to the gazpacho-like soup. Think of it as pure refreshment...
Wander through gardens composed of low-water plants from South Africa, Australia, the Mediterranean and California during the inaugural Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Drought Tolerant Garden Tour on Sunday. Presented by the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Sustainability Committee,...
Sorry, summer travel is no excuse. Whether you are a road warrior on back-to-back business trips or a leisure traveler taking advantage of your annual vacation days, there are plenty of ways to stick to your diet and fitness goals while on the road (or even if you just don’t have time to make it...
The cricket ran off the other day. That’s the kind of summer we’re having. The insects are fleeing the house. Actually, after weeks of chirping from behind the fridge, the cricket just wandered out one morning to see what all the yelling was about. For, as my wife Posh was complaining about the...
Summer just wouldn’t be summer without relaxing by the pool and throwing pool parties. But pools present many safety concerns, especially for children. Here are seven ways to keep summer pool time safe, according to John Drengenberg, consumer safety director at UL, the safety consultation and certification...
Some crucial piece of knowledge must have eluded me. I felt completely heartbroken, and there had to be a reason for this unexpected devastation. My long-distance relationship with a woman in New York had fallen apart, in spite of the fact that we had such intense love for one another. We both...
A man who's lost everything he ever loved in life begins a new job as a caretaker for a cynical teenager afflicted with advanced Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It's not the kind of plot that lends itself naturally to comedy. But novelist Jonathan Evison managed to make readers laugh — and cry —with...
Have a craving for Caribbean food? Need a recommendation for sushi? Want to know where to find the best tacos in the city? Need more dining questions answered? Jonathan Gold is your man. Come back here today at noon for a live chat with him. You can ask your question via Twitter using #AskJGold,...
Come the new year, you may not be able to buy bottles of craft beer within the city limits of Lancaster, Calif. Mayor R. Rex Parris has thrown down a legislative gauntlet with a new city ordinance that would restrict sales of single-serving alcoholic beverages at certain businesses. And if local...
It doesn’t get much more decadent than a plate of aushak, the chive-filled dumplings from Afghanistan. The sheer dumplings are typically served with a meaty, Bolognese-like sauce, layered with swirls of creamy garlic-infused yogurt, a sprinkling of stewed yellow dal and dried mint. In this one...
It doesn't get much easier than parfait when you’re thinking of a quick meal or snack. Combine granola, fruit and yogurt – and you’re done. But did you know how easy homemade granola is to make? Try it once, and you might never go back to store-bought again. Combine a few cups of rolled oats with...
Name of Restaurant: The Cannibal Beer & Butcher. Owner Christian Pappanicholas opened the first location in New York in 2011 before expanding to a second New York location, and then to Los Angeles. Cannibal opened the end of May. Concept: Meat, meat and more meat, with beer, beer and more beer....
A cat convention created to debunk stereotypes of what it means to be a “cat lady” is set to return to Los Angeles for its second run June 25 and 26. CatConLA returns to the Reef in downtown L.A. complete with several new events and attractions including an escape room that requires participants...
Go big or go small. Or figure out a way to do both. That's the choice facing design fans in Los Angeles this weekend. Dwell on Design returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 24-26 with more than 350 exhibitors and 100 speakers. Topics include how to regulate energy consumption with...
We're asking Southern California readers to share photos of their lawn-to-drought-garden makeovers. Here’s how one Tustin couple did it: After they let their lawn die last year, Lorna and Phil Sikorski took advantage of Orange County’s Turf Removal Program and transformed it into a low water oasis....
After the mass shooting at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Fla., earlier this month, clothing and fitness companies, musicians and others have created T-shirts with messages and slogans and other fashion-oriented gear to allow consumers to help support Orlando, the LGBT community and the nightclub...
Ticketmaster isn't the only site giving out freebies this week. Thanks to a class-action lawsuit, Apple is paying for Amazon account credit for people who bought certain e-books between April 2010 and May 2012. You can check here to see if you've got any settlement money in your account. Amazon...
The latest thing technology is trying to make obsolete: visiting the doctor's office. An increasing number of apps and online services are offering women a way to get birth control, including emergency contraception, without having to visit a doctor in person. California is one of a handful of...
Italian luxury menswear label Ermenegildo Zegna and Los Angeles Clippers player Blake Griffin hosted a made-to-measure suiting event earlier this month, with 15% of the evening’s proceeds being donated to Team Griffin, an Oklahoma-based AAU basketball squad that Griffin himself was part of in his...
Margaret Atwood is ready for her adaptation. Netflix and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation are bringing Atwood's historical novel "Alias Grace" to the small screen, Deadline reports. The book will be adapted as a six-hour miniseries being written and produced by Sarah Polley and directed by...
Name: Restaurant Marin, named after co-owner Marín Howarth. She and her husband, chef Noah Blom (he worked at Daniel in New York City), are also the duo behind Arc restaurant next door. Restaurant Marin opened in April. Concept: The restaurant, located at the South Coast Collection shopping center...
Crisp, cool and refreshing – sometimes that’s all you want on a hot day. This lemonade certainly fills the bill. A little sweet yet tart, the simple drink is flavored with fresh mint, cucumber, lime and club soda for a light, fizzy finish. And it’s the perfect beverage when you’re looking for a...
Alpha Dogs, a family-run hot dog stand that serves burritos, bacon-wrapped hot dogs and burgers inside a Mobil gas station/car wash in La Verne, will close June 30 after four years in business. The stand is known for serving breakfast burritos such as the Alpha, made with bacon, sausage, eggs,...
Some in the audience confessed to having an obsession with Steely Dan. Others said they came for love of one of Los Angeles’ most iconic music venues. Yet for opening night patrons, support for the Los Angeles Philharmonic may have been the primary objective for attending Saturday’s start to the...
Amazon will open its third brick-and-mortar bookstore in the Portland, Ore., metropolitan area. It’s probably just a coincidence that Portland is home to legendary independent retailer Powell's Books. The Oregonian reports that Amazon Books will be located in the tony Washington Square shopping...
It’s not a party without the guacamole, right? It seems everything from chips to chicken is improved with a little guac (or a lot). And though a store-bought version will work in a pinch, it’s so easy to make a batch from scratch. All you’ll need are some ripe avocados, onions, chiles, cilantro,...
It’s hard to decide what about “Around the Fire,” by Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton and Greg Denton, is most intriguing: that the new meat-minded, grill-centric cookbook arrives just when you’ve been spending time cleaning the cooking grates of your backyard Weber? Or that these James Beard Award-nominated...
Dine L.A. restaurant week, also known as your chance to try 20 restaurants on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list on a budget, returns July 18. This year, the two-week, bi-annual event presented by the L.A. Tourism and Convention Board, has partnered with the California Avocado Commission....
If you braved the heat to spend Sunday at the debut of Smorgasburg, a weekly outdoor food market at the Alameda Produce Market in downtown Los Angeles, congratulations. And thanks to the many folks who spent their day cooking stellar barbecue, tacos, porridge and many other great dishes under the...
As you read up on the latest recommended pairings of sunscreen and beachwear for the new season, let’s also pay tribute to one of the most coveted and most underrated items of summer fashion: the beloved concert tee. Before Instagram or Snapchat offered the immediate gratification that comes with...
A sign at the entrance to Aja Malibu asks visitors to drop their cellphones in a basket. They are verboten during a stay at the new deluxe retreat, along with laptops and tablets. And don't even think about smuggling in those Doritos or the rest of that takeout macchiato. “We're not going to deprive...
We’re told again and again that “diets don’t work.” So what are we supposed to do? Many people are turning to mindfulness – noticing the here and now without judgment – in hopes of breaking bad eating habits. “It’s about creating a new lasting relationship with your eating. It’s not deciding...
Even after nearly 20 years, ceramist Meredith Metcalf can still remember her first entrepreneurial endeavors. “Ever since I was little, I was making things and selling them,” she recalled. “I made hemp jewelry at a young age and I would sell shells on Balboa Island.” “I bought my potter’s wheel...
The plus-size woman is having her moment, while her counterpart, the plus-size man, is finally stepping out, striking a pose and getting plenty of attention for however long it lasts. Headlines were made earlier this year when top-tier agency IMG Models signed New York resident Zach Miko, who’s...
There’s a myth about why so many fashion companies offer the majority of their pieces up to only a size 12 despite the average American woman being a size 14. “Plus-size women don’t shop” is the underlying whisper in the fashion industry. Now tell that to Eloquii, the plus-size-focused fashion...
On a May afternoon at eyewear design guru Larry Leight’s Santa Monica home, Leight, founder of Oliver Peoples, and his son, Garrett, founder of Garrett Leight California Optical, took a break from actual work to consider how they each created successful eyewear labels that have captured the cool,...
Six months ago, getting an envelope in the mail from a choice college was cause for rejoicing. The coveted acceptance letter meant you or your youngster would be embarking on one of life's most rewarding journeys. Now, however, an envelope from the college likely contains a tuition bill, and many...
Every decade gets two moments in the sun it seems — when the years actually occur, and when they're fashionably retro. In the twenty-teens, it looks like everything 90s is hot again. The influence of the 90s is showing up virtually everywhere in pop culture in 2016, from reboots of movies and TV...
What we think we know and what's actually true are often very different. Those popular internet memes based on the theme of "what I actually do" are a humorous example of how perception and reality can differ for certain professions. That is sometimes the case with public service professions. As...