By Greg Aragon Sometimes I like to throw a proverbial dart at the map to find new places to discover. And when it’s an unexpectedly hot day, I usually aim for the beach. Such was the case last weekend, when a couple friends and I drove to the neighboring cities of Camarillo and Port Hueneme,…
By Greg Aragon I hit the jackpot recently at Pala Casino Spa & Resort in San Diego County. I didn’t win any money, but I did stay in an awesome hotel room, dine at a couple great restaurants, and experience the resort’s stunning, new pool area. The getaway began when a friend and I checked…
By Brianna Chu When I approached the Pasadena Playhouse early Monday evening, the air was abuzz with conversation and laughter; graduands’ family and friends were standing as close to the front doors of Playhouse as they could, arms full of flowers and balloons, waiting to celebrate their graduands. The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) welcomed…
By Donna Polizzi Venice is as magical as imagined and a weekend isn’t nearly enough. Still, two days is sure to give you a lifetime of memories. Taking the train to Venice from Rome takes approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes. It’s a comfortable ride and the scenery alone is worth the scenic journey through…
By Greg Aragon I never met a kid who didn’t love Legos. They are simple, durable and inspire creativity and imagination. So when Legoland California opened in 1999 as an entire theme park dedicated to the little, plastic building blocks it was exciting news. And now today, as the destination celebrates its 20th birthday, it is…
By Greg Aragon Each year thousands of swallows fly 6,000 miles from Goya, Argentina to San Juan Capistrano, Calif. in large groups. The chestnut and orange-colored birds return to reclaim their old mud nests in the ancient arches and walls of the city’s historic Mission, and to raise their young in the warm coastal climate. I…
By Greg Aragon After three nights in Madrid, Spain, my friend and I continued our impromptu tour of Southern Europe with a last minute trip to the beautiful waterfront city of Porto, Portugal. Neither one of us had been to Portugal before, so we figured that since we were only about 350 miles away, we…
By Brianna Chu November 19, 2019 will mark Mi Piace’s 30th anniversary; when they opened in 1989, Old Town Pasadena didn’t even have Cheesecake Factory yet. Mi Piace is one of the few restaurants that were open in 1989 still left. Armen Shirvanian opened Mi Piace with his mom, and partner and pastry chef Takis Markoutsis….
By Greg Aragon As Spain’s largest and most populous city, Madrid might sound too big and touristy to have an authentic Spanish experience. But as I learned on a recent trip to the ancient, European capitol, if you just take your time and explore, you can encounter a great amount of the history, culture and…
By Brianna Chu Greg Lukasiewicz is no restaurant industry rookie. Lukasiewicz’s career has taken him from the highly Zagat-rated French-Japanese restaurant, Shiro, to opening two high-end restaurants named after his daughters – first Devon, and then Halie – to starting a “recession gourmet” taco chain, Bull Taco, on the beach when he was supposed to…