Celebrate Never Lost, Polynesian navigation, enjoy Hawaiian music and hands-on interactive science. Go solo or with a gang of friends – easy to meet people as there is always interactive aspects.
First Thursday of the month – May 6th, 2010
During the evening, expert ocean navigator Kalepa Baybayan will share some of the astounding non-instrument techniques that have enabled Pacific Islanders to cross the Pacific for thousands of years. Award-winning slack key guitarist Makana will also play. Only 31, he has toured the world numerous times with regular appearances on the mainland United States
Exploratorium After Dark, an adventurous after-hours series for adults.
$15 per person, 6-10 PM, first Thursday of every month – plan ahead
$25 member pass to all After Dark events for the year- score – $2 per evening!
What better incentive to have fun outdoors on a challenging hike, an arduous mountaineering ascent or the conquest of the hair-raising via ferrata route, than to be alongside great living explorers who have conquered the outer limits of space and the depths of the deep sea.
July 24 – 27, 2010 guests at the Bobbie Burns Lodge will have the opportunity to meet Dr. Joe MacInnis, the best-selling author and Canadian conservationist who led the first team of scientists to dive under the North Pole and was among the first to dive to the wreck of the Titanic.
August 17 – 20, 2010 the Bugaboo Lodge will welcome Dr. Roberta Bondar, who is well-known as Canada’s first woman astronaut and the world’s first-ever neurologist in space. Bondar flew on the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery doing experiments in the spacelab.
Back on earth, Bondar examined data obtained from astronauts on 24 space missions to better understand the the body’s ability to recover from exposure to space.
Dr. Roberta Bondar is also a highly respected physician, scientific researcher, photographer, author, executive coach and team leader and she uses all of her knowledge and skills to inspire insights on innovation, discovery and leadership.
After a grueling day-hike, take a hot-tub soak and enjoy a much-deserved gourmet family-style dinner back at the lodge after a long day of exploration in the mountains, these great Canadian explorers will be on-hand to meet and talk with guests and give special evening video presentations.
Malan Breton from Bravo’s TV show The Malan Show as well as Project Runway, is selling a limited edition accessory to raise money for children in India.
La cle de mon couer “The key to my heart” dyed metal necklace $25, and a portion of the proceeds goes towards the awareness of Care+Share India, an international NGO working to enhance children’s lives in India near the city Vijayawada.
Care+Share India benefits over 5,000 children living in the city’s slums. So far, 1,000 of them have been rescued and 600 of those are now living in Care+Share’s Daddy’s Home campus.
Still feel bad about when you were 7 and dug up all of your mother’s house plants? Not to mention she deserves a huge ‘thank you’ for being so tolerant of you during your rebellious teen years.
Make her feel appreciated and treat her to Hotel Blake’s Mother’s Day Package. Discounts all around!
Which add-on would your mom oooh and aaah over? Just-for-Mom flowers in her room pre-arrival?
$100 credit towards in-room spa services?
or Mother’s Day brunch at the critically acclaimed Custom House Tavern?
Your choice comes with the package! And Matisse is in town at the nearby Art Institute of Chicago
California cows have got real competition! “Dutch Groundhog Day” signals the start to spring and it’s quite an experience to see the cows literally run and jump with anticipation as they rush to freely graze on the lush, untouched spring pastures of the Beemster polder.
Spring Cheese Festival takes place on May 28th this year in Alkmaar in the Netherlands. This 100+ year old cheesemarket is still in operation with the fellowship of cheese carriers carrying the cheese to the weighhouse in their bright colored hats on wooden “berries.
Seek out the Beemster Graskaas – the creamiest most delicious cheese of the entire season.
Singing songs around the campfire just got whipped! Spend a few days in Laguna Beach dabbling, gabbing and enjoying the colorful camaraderie of artists this September!
American Artist magazine, the country’s oldest and leading monthly magazine for representational and figurative artists, is the organizer of the retreat and its editors will also be active participants and hosts throughout the week. This year, it is being held at Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa, a coastal retreat perched high atop the cliffs of Dana Point, overlooking the Pacific.
Weekend with the Masters is designed to give practicing artists, art collectors, and art enthusiasts who are passionate about traditional art the chance to study and paint with some of the top representational painters of our time, as well as receive personal feedback and instruction on their work in a friendly, laid-back retreat setting. These master workshops will be complemented by demonstrations, lectures, special presentations, and panel discussions led by the master instructors and guest speakers during the day and evening.
My dear friend Anna Love was inspired to go to West Virginia as a curious human being who cares about our human right to live on a healthy planet. She’d gone to the opening of a documentary called Burning the Future at the Kabuki. The entire film making team was there as well as Maria Gunnoe, the 2009 winner of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize.
The movie was about Mountain Top Removal in West Virginia. Anna wasn’t an activist or a humanitarian photojournalist. She’s been photographing posh weddings in wine country for the last 8 years, enjoying eating organic food and drinking wheat grass in San Francisco. So it’s a bit unusual that she would choose a trip to West Virginia to see mountains being blown up as a vacation.
What inspired her was a sense of urgency deep in her soul, a feeling that time is running out for all of us if we each don’t do what we can to make positive choices for the planet. And what she could do was take pictures and share them.
Now, she is showing her images from her trip to the coal mines along with others who have been moved by this tragedy.
Please join her and other in San Francisco:
“Can a butterfly flapping its wings in West Virginia create a ripple in San Francisco?” Hear stories, see photography, and watch video from Appalachia regarding Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining, it’s toxic impact to local communities, the environment and our water supply.
Date:
Thursday, April 22, 2010 Time:
7:00pm – 8:00pm Location:
Bija Yoga Studio
1348 9th Ave.
San Francisco, CA
Thanks to the fantastic San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, preview screenings currently in progress, I was treated to a great independent film, sort of a romantic comedy for the hip urbanite. Daryl Wein & Zoe Lister-Jones, a real life New York couple, wrote a fictionalized version of a point in their relationship when they tried having an open relationship.
There’s plenty to chew on here; codependency, monogamy, boredom, and the trials of keeping love going.
Daryl & Zoe co-produced, wrote, edited, acted and probably ran out for sandwiches for the crew to keep to their $14,000 budget. Commedian Andrea Martin (SCTV, My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Julie White (Six Feet Under), and Peter Friedman (Law & Order, NYPD Blue ) play the oh so very New York parents. The sedar scene had the audience roaring with laughter. It reminded me of the Seinfelt episode where George’s father hosts the celebration of Festivus, the airing of grievances holiday. The difference is that in Breaking Upwards, everything is believable, to the point where you’re convinced you’re seeing real life.
I hate to beg, so please just go buy some tix to see the film. It’s at the Lumiere in San Francisco this week only. If you don’t live in the area, it’s playing in
film festivals internationally. Please consult their website: breakingupwards.com.
Starts Friday, April 16 at the Lumiere Theatre. Filmmakers and actors Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones In Person Fri & Sat, Apr 16 & 17 at 7:20 & 9:40pm
As if bike rides on the beach, a taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the world famous Rodeo Drive or a stroll down Wisteria Lane (on the set of Desperate Housewives) weren’t already enough reasons to vacation in Los Angeles; the city has launched the “Visit Hollywood 2010” campaign.
Los Angeles has the ideal mix of history and innovation, retro and hip, culture and fun. VIPs including, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Council President Eric Garcetti, and City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, kicked off the festivities at the Universal Hilton by unveiling a slew of new attractions certain to lure even more wide-eyed visitors to the City of Angels.
LA INC., the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau have joined forces to promote: the 25th Anniversary of Rock Walk, the 50th Anniversary of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the 75th Anniversary of Starline Tours, the brand new Madame Tussauds Hollywood, Peter Jackson’s “King Kong 360 3-D” on the Universal backlot, the W Hotel and Residences and two new websites offering discounts, travel deals and insider tips Experience Hollywood and Discover Los Angeles.
Whether you’re looking for delectable dining (Jar, Pizzaria Mozza, 25 Degrees, Asia de Cuba, Katsuya) hip cocktails (The Standard, The Mondrian, The London, The Roosevelt), trendy shopping (Robertson Blvd, Melrose Ave, Sunset Plaza, Montana Ave), live music (Hotel Café, House of Blues, Walt Disney Concert Hall, El Rey), outdoor music (Hollywood Bowl, Gibson Amphitheater, The Greek, Ford Amphitheater), movie studio tours (Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount, Sony Pictures), notorious landmarks (Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood & Vine, The Hollywood Sign, The Kodak Theater at Hollywood and Highland), Broadway theater (The Pantages, The Ahmanson, Geffen Playhouse, Mark Taper Forum), scenic hikes (Runyon Canyon, Griffith Park, Topanga Canyon, Rustic Canyon), poolside happy hours (The Four Seasons Doheney, The Regent Beverly Wilshire, The Avalon, The Viceroy), museums (The Getty, LACMA, Peterson Auto, Hammer) TV show tapings (The Price is Right, Deal or No Deal, Dr. Phil, Bill Maher LIVE), extraordinary opulence (the flats of Beverly Hills, the hills of Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood), or even just to frolic on Santa Monica Beach, breathe ocean air, take a surf lesson, or check out Muscle Beach in Venice- Los Angeles has an eclectic mix to satisfy every visitor’s taste.
New to LA? The best bet is to hop on a double-decker Starline Tours bus and soak in the palm tree lined streets, blue skies and multi-million dollar estates.
Naturally, no visit to Tinseltown would be complete without a celebrity sighting, or two. Regardless of what activity you enjoy, be certain to remain alert, keep your eyes peeled and camera ready because you never know what celeb could be in line ahead of you at a local Starbucks. You could see a pajama clad Hugh Hefner out on the town with his entourage of lady friends, David Duchoveny lunching at a R & D Kitchen, Kim Kardashian parking her Bentley, or a (What’s her name??) starlet in line at Sprinkles Cupcakes. Often times, if you’re bold enough to ask the team of paparazzi lurking outside of an establishment (yes the big lenses give them away) you may get lucky and see both Jessica Alba and Candice Bergen stocking up on crafts at a local Michael;s or Jake Gyllenhaal running with his trainer at (an insider) exercise spot, the Santa Monica stairs.
Wherever you go or whatever you do, keep your hopes high, because of all places on earth, Los Angeles is the one city where dreams most definitely come true!
You will be if you hurry and purchase your tickets to NYC’s incredible 11-day LUCKYRICE Festival, celebrating the finest in Asian food and culture. Be advised: THEY ARE SELLING OUT FAST!
Get your chopsticks ready to rumble at the opening night cocktail party, which will be held at the ultra-chic Bowery Hotel, followed by 10 more days of non-stop foodie fun. Consider a street food chow-down at the Dumbo night market with David Chang or maybe attending a more cerebral lecture on Buddhist cuisine featuring super chefs David Chang and Eric Ripert is more up your Asian alley.
If you’re the hands-on type sign up for a dumpling-making class, of perhaps a special behind-the-scene Chef dinner, a Flushing Chinatown walking tour, or the granddaddy of them all: The Grand Feast at the luxurious Mandarin Oriental. Over 20 top chefs (the likes of Jean Georges, Morimoto, Le Bernardin) will be showcasing Asia’s finest flavors. Beverage choices include Sake or Shochu cocktails, fine wines, and even a Japanese Whiskey Bar.
Now that your taste buds are titillated, you can spend the next week restaurant-hopping as you explore the Asian restaurants (or Asian enthusiasts) that will be participating in the inaugural Asian Restaurant Week. Many will be showing their love by creating special tasting menus. Here is the list of participating restaurants.
DETAILS:
Who: LUCKYRICE-your guide to the Asian culinary world.
What: LUCKYRICE Food Festival and Asian Restaurant Week
When: LUCKYRICE FESTIVAL runs from April 29-May 2, followed by Asian Restaurant Week, May 3-9.
Where: Exciting venues all over town.
How: Tickets to the festival events are available here.
La cle de mon couer “The key to my heart” dyed metal necklace $25, and a portion of the proceeds goes towards the awareness of 
You will be if you hurry and purchase your tickets to NYC’s incredible 11-day 
