Row Houses in the Gold Coast neighborhood

Chicago’s storied Gold Coast neighborhood is notable for its stately mansions and millionaire residents but there’s much more to this area than a glittery facade. As one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, the Gold Coast was once a maligned piece of marsh land that grew to represent centuries of Chicago history and wealth. Read More »

A Harlem brownstone

Dig into an enticing array of gastric delights during the Taste of Harlem Food and Cultural tour.  There’s no more memorable way to experience New York than to eat your way through it and this tour provides a detailed exploration of Harlem eateries.  The three hour tour features six restaurants, a historic bed and breakfast, shops and landmarks that reflect Harlem’s storied history. The tour kicks off at Amy Ruth’s, the legendary southern-style restaurant where guests are treated to fluffy biscuits and buttermilk-battered chicken wings while classic R&B music plays in the background. Read More »

Hymn of Life:  Tulips (photo courtesy of Beverly Hills.org)

On July 11 For Your Art, a local art collective website, will host their first annual Public Art Party, which is a self-guided walking tour of Beverly Hills that takes you to installations of art by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.  Local businesses have joined the party – the map starts you off at the restaurant Porta Via so you can pick up a boxed lunch.  Then you’re on to Hymn of Life: Tulips at the junction of Santa Monica Boulevard and Rodeo Drive, where the party really gets started.  “Around the sculpture there will be face-painting and digital portraits taken– reading, knitting, hoola hooping and yoga are also encouraged.”

It’s LA, after all.

Other stops on the tour include short films at The Paley Center for Media and an exhibit of Kusama’s work at Gagosian Gallery.  To top it off, stop by CRUMBS for a special Kusama-inspired cupcake.

It’s not just a cute place for a romantic encounter, a la “The Truth About Cats and Dogs.“  The canals of Venice Beach , California are eye candy for anyone, especially architecture or  style enthusiasts who just love to ogle a uniquely designed home.

View of Venice, CA canals

At one time the city of Venice, CA consisted of a network of canals created by the developer Abbott Kinney as a tribute to the Italian city.  Over the years many of them were filled in and paved, but a small enclave of the original grid was allowed to remain and eventually took its place among the priciest real estate in the area.  The canals are best viewed on foot.

The Truth About Canals and Babies

Located a few blocks inland from the beach between Washington Blvd. and Venice Blvd, the canals can be reached by parking on Ocean or Dell Street, but pay attention to the signs, because with Los Angeles’ budget deficit reaching up to $1 billion, every nickel and dime the parking attendants can squeeze out of your error counts.

Great place to take a baby

Walking through the canal neighborhood you might forget that you are in Los Angeles at all.  The noise and bustle of the crowds at the boardwalk seem worlds away from this tranquil and colorful area.

Foot bridge over Venice canal

It takes a special kind of person to live in a thin, tall house whose front yard is a sidewalk and a duck-filled waterway, and that kind of person also often has a quirky eye for design.  A stroll through the canals at sunset allows you to peer into the front windows and see what they live like inside.  During the holidays the residents dress up their little boats and canoes for a holiday boat parade.

Funky homes line the canals

When you are hungry head to a restaurant instead

If you work up an appetite some good local spots to visit are House of Teriyaki Too on Ocean if you are gritty and sweaty or if you clean up a bit they might let you into Hal’s Bar and Grill on Abbott Kinney.