There is a moment, somewhere on the drive east when the city releases its grip on you. The traffic thins and the sky opens up. The mountains appear on the horizon, purple andorange-hued, and you remember that the world is considerably larger than your inbox. By the time you pull up to a desert, you understand it’s time to relax. Palm Springs, Scottsdale and Death Valley in summer is its own particular pleasure. With fewer crowd and lower rates, a desert getaway mid-year has its advantages. The pool, which in February you share with half of Los Angeles, becomes something closer to your own. Yes, it is hot, an unapologetically 110-degrees-by-noon hot. But heat, when you stop fighting it, has a way of slowing everything down…

By Michele Stueven When the Queen Mary ship, currently and permanently docked in Long Beach, originally set off on her maiden voyage from Southampton in England to New York in May of 1936, passengers dined on classic French-influenced cuisine, featuring dishes like  Honeydew Melon Glacé, Croutes-au-Pot au Perles (potato soup), turbot, braised chicken (Poulard de Braisée Belle Mère), Pommes Garfield (French fries) and Fraises Chantilly.  Today, Kirt Finley, executive director of food and beverage, and Executive Chef Andre Lane have made the Long Beach landmark a dining destination once again with updates and nods to the nostalgic past. As part of the ship’s extensive revitalization efforts, the menus across the seven dining areas are being reimagined. The…

The American Heart Association’s annual event rallies support for the fight against heart disease and stroke    Community leaders, volunteers and survivors gathered for an evening of inspiration and purpose at the American Heart Association’s Los Angeles Heart Ball, held March 28 at The Langham Huntington in Pasadena. The event raised more than $1.7 million to advance the fight against the nation’s No. 1 killer, cardiovascular disease.   The Los Angeles Heart Ball marks the culmination of the year‑round Heart of LA campaign, which engages companies, civic leaders and individuals in the American Heart Association’s four pillars of work: Discovery, Advocacy, Access and Knowledge. Funds raised support the Association’s mission to build…

By Michele Stueven Los Angeles’ historic Jonathan Club is continuing the celebration from 2025 into 2026 to honor the 100th anniversary of its landmark Town Club building. They are celebrating the original 1925 building foundation, in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles Founded in 1895, Jonathan Club was established by some of LA’s founding fathers as a modest social club. Members over the years have included LA Times publisher Harry Chandler, San Fernando Valley developer James Boon Lankershim, Tarzan writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, George Pepperdine, film pioneer Jesse Lasky, Buster Keaton and President Ronald Reagan. From 1896 to 1905, the…