After a few long-haul trips, I was keen to spend quality time with my husband and son that didn’t involve tickets, passports, and speaking another language. Four nights in Laguna Beach at the extraordinary Pacific Edge Hotel was the perfect answer. Just a couple of hours from our home in Hollywood, California, the hotel is positioned on […]
Hollywood is not the only famous city that boasts celebrities and stars. Just 44 miles south of Los Angeles, the city of Newport Beach, California, has attracted the rich and famous for years to reside in one of the wealthiest areas on the coast. From legends to modern day film stars, the list includes Rock […]
In the early 1900s, painters such as Frank Cuprien and Edgar Payne found themselves drawn to the isolated coastline and scenic beauty of Laguna Beach, California. Together with other plein air artists they established the Laguna Beach Art Association in 1918, kicking off the city’s lasting reputation as an artist community. Today, art creators and […]
I had the pleasure of enjoying an amazing Sunday brunch at Sidedoor, the sister restaurant of Orange County gem Five Crowns, located in Corona Del Mar, California. Although Five Crowns and Sidedoor share the same building and kitchen, the similarities end there. At Sidedoor, chef Ryan O’Melveny Wilson strives to provide Lawry’s quality, small-plate meals […]
Wines from around the world and local cuisines came together to delight palates at the second annual Laguna Beach Uncorked International Wine & Food Fest in March. Presented by the Laguna Beach Visitors Bureau, this festival is dedicated to creating an educational experience and benefitting the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
The stories are legendary. “I was talking to this really cool Alice Cooper look-alike,” one delegate related of a previous National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) convention. “Later I discovered he wasn’t a look-alike. He WAS Alice Cooper!” And there’s the time a few years back when Stevie Wonder was just playing and singing on […]
I will admit that when initially invited to inaugurate the new Friday-night “Chef’s Supper” at Five Crowns, I was curious to see how far this British-themed Corona del Mar institution and part of the Lawry’s family of restaurants planned to step outside of their somewhat traditional prime-rib-focused box. I am happy to report: pretty far.
There are plenty of charming towns along the California coastline, and Balboa Island does not disappoint. The man-made island was created in the early 1900s as a part of railroad expansion and continues to prosper today.