Los Angeles Greater Area
Powerhouse Pasadena restaurants
Whether your taste buds tend toward the masterfully classic or the intriguingly exotic, these Crown City spots will make them tingle. Old Pasadena is the key destination, but there are also delights beyond its boundaries. Just keep your eyes peeled and your Waze on.
The Bowl schedule is here
True, the season doesn’t start until June, but anticipation is part of the fun. So are decisions: Brahms or Bugs Bunny? Rhapsody in Blue or the B-52s? Better finalize your Liszt soon: tickets to the Hollywood Bowl always disappear faster than falling fireworks.
Iconic Southland parks
Around here, there are lovely public parks everywhere you go. But a few capture the spirit of this place in uniquely compelling ways. From South Pasadena’s Garfield jewel box to the Palisades’ sprawling Will Rogers, each one is an exceptional way to say LA.
FIDM movie costume show: closing soon
It happens every year: you only realize FIDM’s movie costume show is on when you learn it just closed. This time, you still have a couple of weeks to spare. And with over 100 costumes from 30 films including all five Academy Award nominees, this production is too breathtaking to miss.
San Francisco Bay Area
Sweet San Francisco
Calling all chocolate lovers! Here’s a chance to sweeten up that secret afternoon stash of cacao with something a little classier than peanut butter cups and Snickers. San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts is hosting the inaugural Craft Chocolate Experience, a marketplace featuring more than 90 artisanal chocolatiers from 25 different countries that would make Willy Wonka himself jealous.
The man behind your Original 501s
He’s the man behind a legendary brand that’s stayed strong as denim for nearly 150 years. The Contemporary Jewish Museum’s newest exhibit spotlights Levi Strauss, the German-Jewish immigrant who invented the blue jean and whose Levi Strauss & Co. is still headquartered in San Francisco—and remains a global retailing powerhouse. Levi Strauss: A History of American Style recounts his and his company’s remarkable success story with a display of some 250 photos, advertisements, documents, and garments (including a pair of 501s from 1890) from the Levi archives.
Who’s who of Bay Area food
Question: Who are Corey Lee, David Kinch, Joshua Skenes, James Syhabout, Pim Techamuanvivit, Brandon Jew, Mourad Lahlou, Kim Alter, and Christopher Kostow? Answer: The best of the best of the Bay Area’s fine dining chefs, all of whom were just announced as semifinalists for a prestigious James Beard Award, a.k.a. the Oscars of food. Check out the complete list—and start making reservations now…
Vino, solo
Nibble on small plates at Artesa in Napa, admire the open-air sculpture collection at The Donum Estate in Sonoma, or take an estate vineyard tour at Corison in St. Helena. Wine tasting by yourself doesn’t have to be awkward. The San Francisco Chronicle breaks down the top wineries in Sonoma and Napa counties to sip stag. And hey, you might even meet someone new.