A non-hiker’s guide to Death Valley — what to do, see and eat in the charming towns nearby
The Los Angeles Times After hours of driving through the remote and redundant high-desert landscape, Angelenos eager to reach the boundaries of Death Valley often zip straight past two gems on the route to the fabled national park. But the historic towns of Shoshone...
Shaky voice? There’s no shame at this no-audition choir that’s teaching Angelenos to sing
Published in The Los Angeles Times print newspaper
A Tranquil Hotel at the Edge of Joshua Tree National Park
The New York Times Style Magazine Just 15 minutes from Joshua Tree National Park, an arrow-shaped sign beckons drivers off historic Route 62 and down brush-lined roads to the Mojave Desert’s newest accommodations, Hotel Wren. Initially built in the 1940s as a motor...
15 L.A. restaurants where ordering the house specialty is a must
The Los Angeles Times Food section Decision fatigue is a real issue when it comes to dining in Los Angeles. With so many fantastic restaurants to choose from, the first hurdle is simply deciding where to go for your next meal out. Once you’ve narrowed that down,...
‘Houses don’t get funerals’: Artists offer free portraits of homes lost in L.A. fires
The Los Angeles Times - published in print on March 23, 2025 Click for PDF of print article First came the “wows,” followed by waves of emotion. “I thought we were done with the tears,” said Seth Fonti, a 44-year-old father of two, his eyes glassy. “Apparently not.”...
‘My next home must be fireproof’: Why more Angelenos are looking to build ‘SuperAdobes’
Published on the front page of the The Los Angeles Times Click for PDF of print article At the southern edge of the Mojave Desert on an unusually warm Saturday in February, dozens of people mill throughout the living space of a 2,300-square-foot three-bed,...
11 holiday pop-up bars to visit in Southern California this season
Los Angeles Times Like Spirit Halloween stores, Christmas-themed pop-up bars are a ubiquitous part of the holiday season, except instead of getting spooked by animatronic ghouls and 12-foot-tall skeletons, you get to cozy up next to real (and fake) fireplaces, sit at...
MAXWELL: Neo-Soul Grows Up
SF Weekly Maxwell isn’t supposed to be talking — at least not to me. When I catch him on the phone on a Wednesday morning in November, his press agent tells me that I’m lucky to be speaking with him. Normally, the singer takes vocal rest on the days that he has shows,...
VALERIE JUNE: Follow the Signs to Mother Earth
SF Weekly In 1976, a commercial showing a man in a wife-beater zooming down the highway while chucking trash out of his dingy, white convertible flickered across television screens throughout Tennessee. In the background, a tune by country singer Ed Bruce played,...
DAVID CROSBY: The Legendary Rocker is as Feisty as Ever
SF Weekly It’s the middle of the week and David Crosby is sitting in his home office in the Santa Ynez Valley, staring out his window. “I’m looking out at a beautiful, green valley,” Crosby says. “The trees are just starting to bud out new leaves and the places...
Throne of Terror: Celebs Who’ve Died on the Toilet
SF Weekly (part of the "Toilet Issue") Ah, the bathroom: one of the most important, but least loved rooms in a house. We never stay in it for very long — the toilet website MaP Testing found that most people use the restroom six to eight times each day for a total of...
Cover Story: Finding a Place in Homophobic Hip-Hop
SF Weekly (cover story) It’s an unusually warm Sunday in October, and half a dozen women mill around the Chabot Space and Science Center in East Oakland, in a room designed to look like a Mission Control. Dressed in black latex, metallic fabrics, and colorful wigs,...