My first pick: Deep Ellum – I discovered this hunting around on the net and it looks amazing for a full day into night trip.  Try out the Art Cafe and shop for odd stuff surrounded by the NY loft backdrop before picking a live music spot to settle into.  Deep Ellum has been often described as a ‘little New Orleans and Southern SoHo’ – It is trendy, zaney, and very unique. The shops you will see there are even decorated in a very colorful manner. This is the place for pyschics and tattoo shops, as well as individual nightlife and restaurants. Deep Ellum is the modern eclectic side of Dallas. This website gives you all the info but the upcoming events calendar is a bit outdated… 
http://ondaweb.com/deep_ellum/

This one deserves a “hod-dam!” The 6th Floor Museum -   Go to the ‘lower Greenville Street’ area, northeast of the city. It’s a small, ‘happening’ area, with some blues bars, restaurants, and shops.  Definitely go to Dealy Plaza downtown, where President Kennedy was shot. You’ll see, at all times, conspiracy nuts searching the ‘grassy knoll’ and surrounding areas for overlooked bullets and other missed evidence! Go to the ‘sixth floor’ too, where Oswald was (supposedly) when the shots rang-out. The exact spot where the tragedy occurred is marked on the street–somewhat macabre, but specific. This street passes in front of the Texas Book Depository on Elm Street and to the side of Dealey Plaza.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sixth-floor-museum-at-dealey-plaza-dallas

Family picnic at White Rock Lake -White Rock is a small suburb 10 miles north of downtown Dallas. It has the largest public recreation area in Dallas which attracts joggers, cyclists, boaters, fishermen and families all year round. White Rock Park covers an area of 2,115 acres, and White Rock Lake. a man-made reservoir, is the focal point of the park.
A lot of the park facilities were constructed during the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. There are bridges, playgrounds, drinking water fountains, restrooms, and picnic pavilions with more than 200 picnic tables being provided.

Romantic hideaway stroll in Big D – Located across the street from the Mustangs of Las Colinas is the Mandalay Canal Walk (a tree-lined cobblestone walkway, reminiscent of a European village with eateries, shops and gondolas).

Lakeside Park: This park is a hidden gem that is so close to the beaten path in Dallas but yet it feels like a world away! It is near Turtle Creek Blvd and adjacent to the Dallas Country Club. The park and lake is located in Highland park which is an area of very impressive homes just north of Downtown Dallas. The park is full of bridges, waterfalls, pathways, sculptures, trees, rivers, lakes, and stone walls. This is a great resting spot after a long day. It is a very peaceful spot to go and walk around. Everywhere you look there is a bench just waiting to be used as a nature observatory. In a short walk I so quite a lot of wildlife for being so close to downtown. Watch the ducks, squirrels, birds, and city dwellers walking their domesticated dogs. Historical Park (formerly Old City Park) that has original houses and buildings that date back into the early 1900′s. It’s outside the downtown area.

Downtown Mckinney – it’s a historic district with an old court house, many antique malls, cafes, and even a British Baker (107 South Chestnut)…in case you want really good food and need a scones fix. The neighborhood around downtown is very nice too. Many old houses/mansions with spires and other fancy architecture.
Barhop on the McKinney Avenue Trolley    http://www.mata.org/map.shtml

Celebration Restaurant – a restaurant out of real stone, wood and copper, has a monthly “Dinner with Dialogue” night with invited guest speakers.  Check the speakers when it gets closer to your travel dates and see if it’ll be anyone amazing.
http://www.celebrationrestaurant.com/history.htm

There’s also the Dallas World Aquarium,- They not only have a traditional aquarium with fish in tanks divided by locations, countries, & islands around the world, they have an area with South African penguins,  and a rainforest. You start at the top of the rainforest and wind your way through the monkeys, down to the sloths & birds, over to the otters, snakes, down to the crocodiles, piranhas, and then you’ll find yourself below the fish looking up through the glass at manatees, fish, ducks, turtles, etc.  They have a new exhibit, Mundo Maya, featuring what it feels like in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. See hummingbirds, a jaguar, flamingos, and sharks. Wind your way down and find yourself walking underneath the shark tank. They have two terrific restaurants on site.  The reason this place is so great is that they make it feel as though you are in a rainforest and in Mexico. You aren’t looking at animals behind glass. Rather you are out there with them.

and the Zoo?  AND the Opera!  Oh my!!!

Cheers!

During a 3 1/2 month stay in Argentina last year we visited the town of San Antonio de Areco.  We missed the Dia de la Tradiccion festival but were still eager to visit the town and stay at a nearby estancia. In my research I quickly learned that a stay at an estancia doesn’t come cheap, even in Argentinian Pesos. Our family decided to go for “broke” and we chose the highly lauded Estancia El Ombu de Areco for a night’s stay (you can also purchase a day visit).

We arrived at the  Estancia El Ombu de Areco to find tables set up on the beautiful lawn for lunch.  That dissipated the stress of the bus ride from Buenos Aires. The freely flowing Malbec didn’t hurt either. In a page right out of the guidebooks we enjoyed a magnificent traditional Argentine asado (meal of barbecued meats) – served by gauchos.

During the meal we were entertained by various Gaucho “feats” of strength. Ok, not feats of strength but gauchos like to show off many of their gaucho skills. We were also treated to some traditional Argentine folk dances.

Speaking of gauchos. How unbelievably cool are they?! I love the gaucho uniform that includes a knife tucked into the back of their belts. The flowy gaucho pants, the woven berets, down to the traditional alpargatas (Tom’s shoes are based on this design) – gauchos get major style points from me.

A carriage ride through the property gave us some splendid views of the pampas.  The quiet and open spaces provided a welcome respite from big city Buenos Aires.  The afternoon passed quickly but we managed to enjoy a pleasant merienda while our kids chased after the many dogs on the property and learned how to play Juego de Sapo. Dinner was simple yet delicious.

After we left the estancia the next morning we had a bit of time to enjoy the town of San Antonio de Areco before taking a bus back to Buenos Aires. Our kids loved playing in the park and on our walk to the bus station we checked out a few leather and silver shops.  You’ll find plenty of pulperias in San Antonio de Areco and we couldn’t pass up a chance to dine at La Esquina de Merti before leaving this charming town.

Larisa Safaryan

Presenting her intricate egg shell sculptures.

Larisa Safaryan chose egg shells to create her delicate works.

On the same show – a Group Exhibition of original oil paintings,

Mixed media and sculptures by our gallery artists.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to attend our Artist’s Reception

Opening night Reception and Exhibit

Saturday, March 31, 2012

From 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Gallery Exhibit

March 31, 2012 - May 18, 2012

Please join us on March 31 for a special reception and meet these artists in person!

Silvana Gallery

 Location and Hours

 Get Directions

We arrived in Port Grimaud on Saturday afternoon, quickly changed into our swim suits and went to catch some afternoon rays of sunshine on the beach.  We sat under the warm and soothing sun, which felt so good on our tanned skin, and quietly and peacefully read our books, from time to time reading to each other funny excerpts from each of our three different books…laughing and sharing…

As we sat along the bord de la mer, smelling the salty and crisp air of the sea…we heard the sea gulls crying and the waves crashing along the seaboard…the sound of these natural phenomenon made us relax even further into a tranquility and peace that rarely exists in Paris.  The fresh and clean air was beating against our soft skin delving us further into a meditative state of being…

We looked far at the sea, mesmerized by the waves that were dancing and seducing us…with the strong and green mountains behind the body of water… it reminded us of the hills of Spain.

And as we walked back to the cozy and quaint summer holiday villa along the canal and marina of Port Grimaud, we saw some boats go by and the yachts sleeping in their harbor, with colorful Venetian canal style villas in the back drop with Spanish tiles atop the roofs.  We passed a skipper who was hosting a bar-b-que on his boat…drinking wine, and enjoying the late afternoon with his family. 

After this blissful afternoon of enjoying many indulgences…the three girl friends from Paris enjoyed  velvety red wine over more intimate and friendly conversations…creating memories that will last a lifetime…

At night, the loud thunder and bright lightning of the storm scared us as if we were young girls again…we could not sleep from the yelling and crying of Mother Nature.  By morning, it is raining but it’s so peaceful and relaxing as we enjoyed our café et tartine on a terrace that we walked to near the house….

A picture-perfect South of France in Port Grimaud, near St. Tropez.

There’s something about Miami. It welcomes you by not making too much of a fuss about you. “Oh, so there you are,” it seems to say. Great. Dale, Chico. Te veo despues y nos tomamos un cafe.” And you know, it’s happy to see you.

My favorite spot to welcome the day in all of Miami is not anywhere near the infamous SoBe of the tanned and gorgeous. It’s not on a boat gliding past tall downtown buildings on bayside waters. It’s sitting on the sidewalk facing the huge, colorful, exhuberant sculpture at the entryway of the otherwise unremarkable Dadeland Metrorail Station in South Miami.

It’s fittingly called “Welcome” and stands amid the light gray concrete on mornings when my own bed wants nothing to do with me and, as my mother would say, “el que me fume, pierde el vicio.”

And here’s the trick: you sit on the sidewalk in front of it with your newspaper and your strong, sugary, Cuban coffee, you look at it for awhile, and pretty soon you start to feel happy and, god forbid, optimistic. By then you’ll look a little crazy to couples walking by with their strollers or their dogs, so taking a few pictures of the pure, innocent, joyous embrace it offers won’t make much of a difference. (I recommend polaroids because you’ll want to touch your production inmediately. Don’t make it too precious. You’ll be back.)

Its creator, Romero Britto, has long been an outcast of the traditional art world. (“He’s too commercial.”) He’s also an outcast of the outcasts who say there’s no depth to his work. I wouldn’t know, and I confess to being unmoved by the hanging pictures in his gallery space. But his sculptures: these big gifts of happy for open spaces, sum up for me what he’s often quoted as saying: “For me, art can reflect the celebration of the simple and good things in life. This is most important to me!” Just like Miami.

*****

Anjanette Delgado is an Emmy award-winning writer and multimedia producer with over eighteen years of experience in broadcast, cable, print and Internet environments, both nationally and internationally. Her book “The Heartbreak Pill” is out in stores and she is hard at work on her second novel “The Calle Ocho Clairvoyant.” Anjanette lives in Miami, Florida, and her very favorite quote is “When you’re going through hell, keep going,’” by Winston Churchill.

Mark DeCarlo visits the island of Maui and invites you to join in on all the fun.

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Thanksgiving conjures multitudes of memories and impressions in our minds of stupendous family meals.  There is the enduring image of going to grandma’s house where she spent all day in the kitchen cooking up homemade ravioli and other special holiday dishes – a feast for her eager family.  While the adults snuggled around the dining room table, the kiddies caused a ruckus in the kitchen.
These days I’m no longer the young mother with small children, but the grandmother, who has never made homemade ravioli. The shame of it haunts me – but only for a little while. Times change. This year I engineered our Thanksgiving dinner, but did not cook it, as we dined in comfort and charm at the splendid Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach, California. I’m sure my mother never enjoyed such luxury back in Chicago.
The BBC provided the ideal venue for an elegant family Thanksgiving dinner, serenely soothing with tinkling piano in the background, and I knew every song being played, including the lyrics. It wasn’t just recorded noise…it was authentic music. The four-course menu offered several choices ($75 adults; $37 children) – and all were declared “delicious.”  Though I am the only person who actually ate turkey – the others opted for prime rib, sea bass, and, in the case of the youngest, peanut butter and jelly, even though it was not on the menu…
Every one of our family of nine enjoyed the beauty of the bayside scenery just beyond the wall of mullioned windows. The children liked watching the magnificent yachts gliding past or moored just beyond the glass. The BBC is perfect for watching the famous Newport Beach Christmas boat parade, Dec. 14-18.
This was the best Thanksgiving dinner in recent memory – great food, excellent service, all amid what is possibly the prettiest dining room on the water. It is not overdone, with gaudy appointments – it is a symphony in creamy tones with touches of terra cotta. Tables and comfortable rattan chairs are spaced at distances, which make for a secluded sense. For those who value a dining experience which leaves one happy and content, this is the place. There are many opportunities in the next month to savor the season’s festivities at the beautiful BBC.

Balboa Bay Club Holiday Events

Wed., Nov. 30th6- 7 p.m. Complimentary
HolidayResort Lighting Ceremony – cookies& hot beverages.
Featuring the 1st Marine Corps Band, Camp Pendleton
Please consider donating a new, unwrapped toy for the Toys forTots program.

Thurs. Dec. 1 –The Four Preps Holiday Concert
Grand Ballroom 6p.m.
Tickets $25 949-630-4120

Dec. 14-18 Christmas Boat Parade
Starting at 6:30p.m.

Dec. 1st-23rd  Holiday Afternoon Tea
Two seatings – 2 p.m.& 4 p.m.
The Library
Traditional Tea  $34
Governor’s Tea – w/champagne $39
949-630-4145

Dec. 23rd The Night Before Christmas Eve
Featuring the All-American Boys Chorus
6 p.m. & 9p.m.
The Grand Ballroom
Please considerdonating a new, unwrapped toy for the Toys forTots program.
$68 adults; $34 children
949-630-3120

And these special evenings -
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Dinners
New Year’s Eve Black Tie Gala
New Year’s Eve in Duke’s Place

Balboa Bay Club
1212 West Coast Highway
Newport Beach, CA 92663
949-645-5000
For details visit http://www.balboabayclub.com/
www.balboabayclub.com
Reservations - 949-630-4145

Angela Rocco DeCarlo  copyright 2011

Hotel Casa 425 is just what it claims to be: a home away from home. Located on the town square, within steps of fine restaurants, cafes, boutiques, art galleries and the prestigious Claremont Colleges, Casa 425 is a sophisticated boutique hotel with spacious rooms with clean lines and understated art. This diva recommends you grab a drink at the hip lounge or a complimentary green apple on your way out.

Another great alternative is the Doubletree Hotel Claremont. DIVA’s TIP: All Doubletree Hotels offer a warm cookie at check-in. If you are nice, you can get more than one…. Want to float off into winter? Try Essentials Day Spa & Salon at the Doubletree Hotel Claremont 555 W. Foothill Blvd. Claremont, CA 91711 Phone: 909-626-2411 www.Doubletreeclaremont.com

Charming Downtown streets have a charm of their own. Reminiscent of middle America, with the advantages of LA’s technology-driven stores, downtown offers select stores, products and services, sure to satisfy the most eclectic of tastes. For the visiting foodies, La Parolaccia, an Italian gourmet corner restaurant seems to be the all the rage in Claremont Village. Within the fancy interiors, the first thing you notice is the smell of delicious garlic and the smile of our server. Try the Focaccia Forza Italia, a thin crust focaccia from their wood burning oven, topped with goat cheese, tomato sauce, arugula, fresh tomatoes and white truffle oil, or their Carpaccio di Bue con Arugola e Funghi, or as I called it, heaven in my mouth. This appetizer of raw beef tenderloin came topped with fresh arugula, mushrooms, capers and shaved parmesan cheese. La Parolaccia Osteria Italiana 201 N. Indian Hill Claremont, CA 91711 909-624-1516 http://laparolacciausa.com/

This tree-lined downtown houses a myriad of mom and pop places as well as trendy favorites. You.ll find a specialty cheese and olive oil place, The Cheese Cave, where you can try cheeses from all over the world, specialty fennel salame and hand-pressed olive oils. Definitely ask for a taste of Snow White. You’ll absolutely adore it. You’ll never think of the fairy tale the same way again. Cheese Cave 325 North Yale Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711-4727 909-625-7560 http://www.claremontcheese.com/

What a better place to start a hot date than a dimly lit place being served high quality wine and light fare, surrounded by comfy pillows? Add 1950′s standards to that equation and no woman could resist. Packing House Wine Merchants on First Street offers excellent service with an enjoyable, relaxing, and fun atmosphere at which to shop, drink, and learn about wine. This is definitely a place of which Sinatra would approved. Packing House Wine Merchants 540 West 1st Street Claremont, CA 91711-4618 909-445-9463 http://www.packinghousewines.com

For those looking for nightlife, there’s Hip Kitty, a swanky and intimate jazz supper club and lounge in downtown Claremont Village. Live music is featured on its stage 6 nights a week and every seat in the house has a great view. If comedy is your style, Flappers Comedy Club’s A-list comedians perform for very thankful audiences. Order the cheese plate, unexpectedly fantastic, and even the MC and host comedians were great. Make sure you drink plenty at the Wine Merchants downstairs and the comedy and cheese will seem even better. There’s also Piano Piano, your big city dueling piano bar with some of the most amazing talent you’ve ever seen come out of a small town.

La-la land getting too crowded for you? Come relax in Claremont. This is a place you will want to go back to time and time again.

DiscoverClaremont.com

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Even a three-year old understands the concept of saving old things for the future.

Michelle Christine, my toddler granddaughter looked around our house one day at the children’s table and chairs and toys she knew had been her daddy’s.

“You saved this for me, “ she stated, not asked. She knew.

I pounced on her thought and told her there were people we didn’t even know who had saved things for us in big buildings called museums. Would she like to go see them? She said, yes, and so our museum adventures began ten years ago.

With my second granddaughter, Serritella Dainelle, I was late starting. She is six years old and last Sunday we went to the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, CA. The facility is having great success with its China exhibits  – China’s Enduring Legacy – Warriors, Tombs and Temples; and Ancient Arts of China, but we were there to see the memorial to Christopher Columbus and the small gallery of oil paintings tucked upstairs in an out of the way location.

You are not likely to find Columbus’ bust as it is secreted deep in a courtyard near the entrance, but set back so it is not in plain sight. It is worth seeing. Serritella brought a long-stemmed rose from our garden to place on the monument. We’ve been talking about the great age of exploration and how important Columbus was in turning terra incognita into the world we now know. She was interested to see a likeness of the man she’d been learning about. Though it is generally agreed by scholars that no known portrait of Columbus shows the man as he appeared in life.

After we had paid homage to our cultural cousin we headed for the little picture gallery I remembered from past visits. In particular I wanted to see the oranges again…a vibrant painting of  parchment-wrapped fruit that is as beautiful as anything I’ve seen in European galleries. As we slowly made our way around the small gallery, Serritella was entranced by the room’s ceiling of painted decorations. Then she seemed to study the paintings and asked: ‘Why are there trees in all the paintings?” I was rather astounded she had realized, without knowing the name, that she was viewing examples of California plein air paintings. This school of artists captured the natural beauty of old California with its canyons, streams and towering trees.

Painting outdoors became more likely once paint tubes were invented in 1841. Artists were able to abandon mixing their own pigments and carrying them in pig bladders or glass vials.   Paints could now be produced in bulk and sold in tin tubes with a cap. The cap could be screwed back on and the paints preserved for future use, providing flexibility and efficiency to painting outdoors. The manufactured paints had a balanced consistency that the artist could thin with oil, turpentine, or other mediums.  Paint in tubes also changed the way some artists approached painting. The artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir –“Without tubes of paint, there would have been no Impressionism.” For the Impressionists, tubed  paints offered an easily accessible variety of colors for their plein air palettes, motivating them to make spontaneous color choices. With greater quantities of preserved paint, they were able to apply paint more thickly.

Serritella and I talked about the scenes of trees, rivers and mountains which the California plein air artists had painted. She reminded me of having seen “Blue Boy” and “Pinkie” with her mother and brother at the Huntington Museum and Library, Pasadena, CA. The galleries in which those paintings reside are mostly portraiture, so she obviously was comparing the differences between those pictures and the outdoor scenes at the Bowers. Not a bad introduction to the world of art for a very little girl.

Westrolled around the Bowers for a while after leaving the paintings looking at the artifacts displayed in the large galleries. As we were leaving Serritella asked if she could paint outside when we got back home. And that’s what she did.

Upon arriving back at our home she gathered up her water color paints, brushes,smock and set up her work on the little picnic table outside under the trellis facing the garden and pool. She worked with deep concentration for some time, creating pictures of the pool, another of the flower beds and others of the scene before her. Meanwhile, her brother, Sam, who had gone to a hockey game, not the museum with us, worked on his own picture of the yard. He chose to do a draftsman-like rendering of the pool, complete with brick coping in great detail. Their individual work indicated again, every artist has his or her unique vision and each is to be nurtured and treasured.  We plan to return to the Bowers again and again for longer visits as the children gain in age.

Bowers Museum of Cultural Art
2002 N. Main St.
Santa Ana, CA 92706
714-587-3600

Days & Hours – Tues. – Sunday
10a.m. to 4 p.m.
General Admission
Adults $12, reduced rates of $9 for younger visitors.
Free Sundays –first Sunday of every month, Target Free Day

Special ticketed exhibits, such as the Chinese exhibits, require additional fees.

Credit: Angela Rocco DeCarlo, is a veteran journalist.She covers culture, travel and lifestyle.