|
|
Vintage L.A.
 In this day of disposable, cookie-cutter style, the elegance of Hollywood’s golden era has never held more allure. Amy Tara Koch offers the inside scoop on how to experience the storied glamour of Tinseltown.
+
Sipping cocktails in dimly lit, velvet-trimmed boîtes laden with mid-century crystal chandeliers. Shopping for a Veronica Lake goddess gown (and matching lamé party jacket). Dining in a legendary eatery frequented by film-noir starlets. Welcome to Old Hollywood.
TRAVEL
Shop
DECADES
Want to stand out in a crowd? Decades is the chief source of vintage couture and red-carpet gear for celebs like Nicole Kidman, Chloe Sevigny, and J.Lo, hands down. The shop is filled with designs from Ossie Clark, Halston, Stephen Burrows, and Thea Porter. Decades also stocks glam accessories like vintage Hermès Birkin bags and Bottega Veneta weave belts. 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (just east of Harper), www.decadesinc.com
THE WAY WE WORE
This jewel box of a shop offers everything from ’40s swing dresses and ’50s cocktail frocks to slinky Studio 54 knits and Balenciaga pieces. Boasting a couture-stuffed designer shop and a chic ready-to-wear area, the store also excels with reasonably priced accessories and casual, non-designer clothing. Scoop up rhinestone-studded chain belts, strappy ’70s sandals, suede clutches, oversize tribal beads, and Pucci-esque duster coats. 334 South La Brea Avenue, www.thewaywewore.com
Drink
THE VERANDA AT FIGUEROA HOTEL
With the revitalization of downtown L.A., hipsters are discovering old-school gems like the Figueroa Hotel. Originally built in 1925 as a YMCA residence, the property boasts an eclectic California-mission-meets-Casablanca style. The outdoor Veranda bar, a poolside retreat surrounded by exotic foliage and garden statues, is an urban oasis. Have a few cocktails in the lobby while you admire the beamed ceilings, Moroccan lanterns, and Moorish-style tiled floors. 939 Figueroa Street, (213) 627-8971, www.figueroahotel.com
THE MINT
Opened in 1937, the Mint is a legendary bar and music venue that has attracted jazz and blues greats like Ray Charles, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ben Harper, and Macy Gray. The vibe is quintessential supper club; wooden bar, Sinatra-era red walls studded with celebrity photos, velvet curtains, leather banquettes, and chandeliers. Though the size of the club was doubled in 1996, the space has not lost its authentic ambience. 6010 Pico Boulevard, (323) 954-9400, www.themintla.com
Eat
THE DRESDEN RESTAURANT
Featured in flicks like Swingers and That Thing You Do, this restaurant and lounge has been a Hollywood staple since 1934. The decor -- high ceilings, white spiral booths, Venetian chandeliers, and tables that wheel out so that guests can be seated comfortably -- emanates old-school elegance and charm. The reasonably priced menu features classics like escargot, shrimp scampi, roast beef, and a dazzling peach melba. After nine p.m., sip a Grasshopper in the lounge while jazz icons Marty and Elayne take center stage. 1760 North Vermont Avenue, (323) 665-4294, www.thedresden.com
MUSSO & FRANK GRILL
The clubby, wood-paneled walls and red-leather-and-mahogany booths of Hollywood’s oldest eatery transport diners back to the Golden Age. Here, Charlie Chaplin knocked back martinis. Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and F. Scott Fitzgerald penned novels over filet mignon. Raymond Chandler wrote The Big Sleep in one of the grill’s dimly lit booths. On the menu? Old-school faves like corned beef and cabbage, oyster stew, and chicken potpie. 6667 Hollywood Boulevard, (323) 467-7788
DAN TANA’S
For almost 45 years, Angelenos have beelined toward this Hollywood eatery for classic Italian fare. Bob Dylan, George Clooney, and Drew Barrymore are frequently seen dining on heaping platters of spaghetti and meatballs and lasagna. The best part? Despite its star clientele, it’s as unpretentious as you can get. 9071 Santa Monica Boulevard, (310) 275-9444, www.dantanasrestaurant.com
Sleep
SUNSET TOWER HOTEL
A relic of Jazz Age swank, this Hollywood landmark has been featured in The Italian Job, Get Shorty, The Player, and Strange Days. Built in 1929, complete with brass inlay walnut paneling, French sconces, suede window banquettes, and fireplaces, this hotel has served as home to Howard Hughes, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Errol Flynn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Frank Sinatra. The current lobby and Tower bar was formerly gangster Bugsy Siegel’s apartment. The hotel was recently restored by Jeff Klein in a modern manner, “not a literal interpretation of deco.” 8358 Sunset Boulevard, (323) 654-7100, www.sunsettowerhotel.com
Do
THE VISTA
As Hollywood was built on film, a great way to channel Old Hollywood is to take in a movie at this legendary single-screen movie theater. Designed by Lewis A. Smith in the 1920s, the Vista boasts Egyptian- style architecture and huge seats. Plus, tickets are offered at prices below the industry average. 4473 Sunset Drive, (323) 660-6639, www.cinematreasures.org/theater/32/
|
TOOLS
The Eco-Conscious Gardener
These
days, the way you care for your lawn and garden can be almost as green
as the plants themselves. Just in time for Father’s Day, here are some
great tools for tending to your backyard without trampling on the
environment. -- Tracy Staton
 1.
Remington Cordless PowerMower
Remington’s
electric mower delivers a full hour on a single charge, and its power
boost can get you through any rough patches. So plug it in -- use a
solar-powered outlet if you want to be really green -- and give that
tall grass the business. $450. www.remingtonpowertools.com
2.
Agri-Fab Push Lawn Sweeper
To
help your hard-won lawn look its best, sweep up after yourself (and the
trees and the squirrels) with this lightweight, fully adjustable push
model. It’s not as fast as the gas-powered tractor version, but it
beats raking -- and the only fuel it uses is yours. $100 to $149. www.agri-fab.com
3.
Lehman’s Rotary Cultivator (not shown)
Leave
it to the Amish to build a non-motorized tool that works better than an
engine-powered tiller. Lehman’s version breaks up and aerates soil,
levels planting beds, and, when you flip it over, handles your weeding
too. $150. www.lehmans.com
4.
Garden Groom Pro Hedge Trimmer
This
award winner shreds and vacuums your trimmings as fast as you can
produce them, saving you time with the lawn sweeper or rake afterward.
Plus, the concealed blade protects you from injury -- and ensures that
you don’t trim right through the power cord. $199. www.gardengroom.com
5.
Grocor Grow More Root Feeder/Irrigator
Using
a sprinkler to water shrubs and trees wastes a lot of water, and it can
even lead to leaf diseases for certain plants and the need for chemical
treatment. So save H2O and curtail the chemicals at once by watering
the roots instead of the top of the soil. Use it to apply liquid
organic fertilizers and organic soil amendments too. $50 to $80. www.rootfeed.com
6.
Black & Decker Rechargeable String Trimmer
This
36-volt bad boy can power through dense weeds just as well as its
gas-powered competitors can -- but it runs on a high-tech battery.
Plus, it doesn’t leave behind a stinky cloud of emissions. (In fact,
you could drive your car for seven hours without emitting as much
pollution as you’d create in one hour of using a gas-powered trimmer.)
$250. www.blackanddecker.com
7.
Sunlawn LMM40 Push Reel Mower
Not
only is it peaceful on the ears, but this 19.3-pound beauty also comes
with five blades, and they’re guaranteed to stay sharp for seven to 10
years. Even your old gas mower needed sharpening annually. $199. www.sunlawn.com
|
EVENTS
Crushing 101
Instead
of reaching into your cellar or dropping by your neighborhood wine
shop, take your vino habit on the road. These California wineries offer
blending workshops or training, guaranteeing you’ll do more than just
belly up to the tasting-room bar. -- Kristine Hansen
Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines
(owner of Sonoma and Napa labels Sterling Vineyards, Beaulieu Vineyard,
Moon Mountain Vineyard, Provenance Vineyards, and Acacia Vineyard)
hosts two Crush Camps in September. You can learn the steps in the
winemaking process -- from picking to stomping to blending your own
varietal -- by visiting Diageo’s five wineries for intensive
instruction. The package includes two nights’ lodging and four meals,
as well as a truck ride up the Mayacamas Mountains for a gorgeous
sunset view and time in the kitchen with chef Joey Altman. September
18–20 and September 25–27, $965 per person. (707) 967-5288
It’s Friday morning, and that means it’s time to start mixing at the blending lab at Ravenswood Winery,
a celebrated producer in Sonoma with a strong following. With just 10
people in each Blending Seminar, you get to play with pipettes,
graduated cylinders, and learn more about grapes such as zinfandel,
petite sirah, and carignane. Ravenswood can accommodate groups of up to
35 people on Fridays at 11 a.m., by appointment only; $50 per person.
(707) 933-2332, www.ravenswood-wine.com
A visit to Lodi Wine & Visitors Center
will give you access to many Lodiarea zinfandels, as the center handles
tastings of smaller, lesser-known zins, some of which haven’t achieved
national distribution. Call ahead of time, though, and your visit could
include a blending workshop. What better way to learn successful
formulas for these extremely food-friendly, cult-status wines? By
appointment, $25. (209) 365-0621, www.lodiwine.com
Not only can you sip wines at Napa’s Rutherford District Fleury Estate Winery,
but you can blend your own custom case of wine too. Napa Valley Wine
Blending 101, a two-hour seminar, provides “students” with cabernet
sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc wines, plus the best tools for
helping you get to know your palate. Winery staffers assist with the
blending, hand-bottling, and blind-tasting elimination processes. By
appointment, $1,500/ case minimum and $100/person. (707) 967-8333, www.fleurywinery.com
This lodging/winemaking package allows guests at the Hope-Merrill and Hope-Bosworth
houses (both of which are in Geyserville) to pick grapes in September
and return the following May to blend, bottle, and label the resulting
wine. Harvest occurs at a variety of local wineries. There are three
sessions with dates in September and May; $1,500 per couple for both
sessions (includes four nights’ lodging, meals at the inns, and vintner
dinners). (800) 825-4233, www.hope-inns.com
Honig Vineyard and Winery’s Harvest Education Week
is open to only six people at a time, and it’s practically an
orientation to working in Napa’s Rutherford District. The week includes
an introductory wine seminar, an intensive look at harvesting and
sustainable practices, a day in San Francisco visiting restaurant and
retail accounts, an afternoon entertaining guests in the tasting room,
and a dinner or retail tasting with the Honig family. Held the second
week of September; $1,000/ person (includes five nights’ lodging on
property). (800) 929-2217, www.honigwine.com/events
|
BUY THE BOTTLE
Don’t
necessarily feel like crushing your own grapes and blending your own
bottle? Then just pick up one of these and tell your friends you
could’ve made them, if you’d only had the time on your last
wine-country vacation.
DIAGEO
2005 BV Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $18
2006 A by Acacia Chardonnay, $15
2006 Moon Mountain Sauvignon Blanc, $13
2006 Sterling Napa Valley Chardonnay, $17
2007 Provenance Sauvignon Blanc, $18
RAVENSWOOD
2005 Ravenswood Lodi County Zinfandel, $15
2005 Ravenswood Belloni Vineyard Designate, $30
FLEURY ESTATE WINERY
2006 F in Red Proprietary Blend, $85
2005 Lauren Bryce Cabernet Sauvignon, $85
2006 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, $150
HONIG VINEYARD AND WINERY
2007 Sauvignon Blanc, $16
|
|
|
NEWSWORTHY
Where the Sendak Things Are
 The
night Maurice Sendak lay under an animal-fur blanket at the Rosenbach
Museum & Library in Philadelphia, looking at Jean-Honoré
Fragonard’s drawings for a French novel, he thought, Hey, this is living,
and then museum director Clive Driver said, “We’ll take your stuff
too!” And so Sendak gave his art and papers to the Rosenbach so that
people could have a place to go to see the things he had made.
A
few years later, inside the Rosenbach, an exhibit grew and grew -- and
grew until the museum was hung with more than 130 pieces of
“Sendakiana,” and the walls became Sendak’s world all around. And the
doors opened so that fans could sail into that world day after day and
in and out of weeks and almost over a year to see where the wild things
came from.
So the wild rumpus, known as “There’s a Mystery
There: Sendak on Sendak,” began to show original artwork and rare
sketches made between 1947 and 2006 for books like A Hole Is to Dig and The Light Princess and Outside Over There and, of course, Where the Wild Things Are.
And when the wild rumpus stops, the king of all wild things in
Philadelphia will wave goodbye and travel to three other American
venues over the next several years.
So put on your wolf suits,
head to the museum, and for a day feel like you’re king of where the
wild things are. From May 6, 2008, to May 3, 2009. Rosenbach Museum
& Library, 2008-2010 Delancey Place, Philadelphia; (215)732-1600; www.rosenbach.org -- T.S.
Sendak on Sendak
The
Rosenbach’s “There’s a Mystery There” exhibit will feature exclusive
interview footage that helps trace Sendak’s influences -- which include
Moby-Dick author Herman
Melville and romantic poet William Blake -- and illustrate his complex
creative process. Here’s a sampling of Sendak’s thoughts on his work.
On being an illustrator:
An
illustrator, in my own mind … is someone who so falls in love with the
writing that he wishes he had written it, and the closest thing he can
get is to illustrate it.
On the illustrator’s subversive role:
The
next thing you learn is that you have to find something unique in this
book, which perhaps not even the author was entirely aware of. And
that’s what you hold on to, and that’s what you add to the pictures: a
whole Other Story that you believe in, that you think is there.
On the enigma of creativity:
That
will be the mystery that will haunt me until the day of my death: What
is that thing that comes into the work that is not premeditated, that
you didn’t think of, that actually belongs there but you don’t know how
it got there?
On the enigma wrapped in that enigma:
It’s
really about the spirit, and I find that hard to talk about because,
you know, I’m a cynic. I don’t know from the spirit, and yet I do. And
that is a great puzzle of my life. … Something deeper is involved,
deeper in myself than I know what it is.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|