Life, death, crime, kitsch, nostalgia, immigrant aspirations and witty design — all of these elements converge in the world of motels, which didn’t exist before 1925. Here are five facts and phenomena from the century of history. The motel turns 100. Explore the state’s best roadside havens — and the coolest stops along the way. Where Magic Fingers are found From the late 1950s into the ’80s, thousands of motels proudly advertised their Magic Fingers — a little collection of vibrating electric nodes under your mattress that would give you a 15-minute “massage” for 25 cents, inspiring creators from Kurt…

The motel, a word born in California, turns 100 this year. And for road trip adventurers, there have never been more options. You might stay at the legendary pink palace that is the Madonna Inn. Or Surfrider Malibu, where you can borrow a Mini Cooper and cruise along PCH. There’s Sea & Sand Inn, which clings to a breathtaking Santa Cruz clifftop. And Pioneertown Motel, a charming desert outpost with Old West vibes. In this guide, we jangle our room keys to explore the greatest motels across the state. Along the way, we stop to discover cool vintage history, iconic…

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix”> Denise McKinney says she has probably somewhere close to half a million matchbooks tucked away inside her Riverside home. She’s been collecting for years and will typically pick up whatever strikes her fancy, no pun intended. She has specialties now, like matchbooks with animals on them or matchbooks that advertise radio and TV stations, but she says her biggest collection by far is books from Southern California, including vintage motel matchbooks. The motel turns 100. Explore the state’s best roadside havens — and the coolest stops along the way. The president of the Angelus Matchcover Club says she…

Listen. That’s the low hum of the highway you hear behind me, offset by the rumble of the ice machine down the breezeway. We gather today to celebrate the motel, a uniquely American creature, conceived in California through the unholy embrace of the automobile and the hotel. Since that beginning in 1925, motels have multiplied like bunnies. They have been implicated in countless crimes and liaisons. They have been elevated by some savvy architects, undercut by assorted chain operations and frequently left for dead by the side of the road. The motel turns 100. Explore the state’s best roadside havens…

Spiritually, Gabby Windey is all about Sundays in a hardcore, no-exceptions, day-of-rest sort of way. The “Long Winded” podcast host became the breakout star of “The Traitors” this year after winning the reality TV competition with a series of bold outfits and stereotype-smashing strategic moves. Her stream-of-consciousness podcast monologues continue to boost her star, frequently going viral on Instagram and TikTok for their vocal fry realness. Now she’s booked and busy beyond belief, a mixed bag for Windey. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to…

Is there anything more like a fairy tale than thousands of glowing lanterns floating heavenward into the night? Long before the luminescent spectacle awed viewers of Disney’s 2010 film “Tangled,” real-life lantern festivals have been taking place around the world. In China, sky lanterns were first used as a means of communication in warfare during the Eastern Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. Since then, sky lanterns have taken on a more ceremonial and celebratory significance, marking occasions such as the end of Chinese New Year and the coming of spring. Yet, as wondrously beautiful as these floating mini…

Howdy! I’m Jaclyn Cosgrove, an outdoors reporter at the L.A. Times. My job is to explore the mountains surrounding Los Angeles to find the best hikes, campgrounds and other adventures for you to tackle. I also write Between a Rock, where we feature outdoors survival stories every month, and The Wild, our (free!) weekly outdoors newsletter where I feature the absolute best things to do around L.A. and Southern California. In short, I’m outside a lot! Would you like to join me sometime? How about later this month? The Times will host its fourth subscriber hike at 9 a.m. May…

The highly coveted High Sierra Camps in Yosemite National Park that have been closed since 2018 will remain closed this summer because potable water and toilets won’t be available, according to park officials. “This decision was made in collaboration with the National Park Service [NPS], which manages the utilities necessary to run the camps,” according to the park’s website. “Impacted guests have been contacted and can book alternate accommodations within the park and will be offered priority booking for next year’s lottery.” Every year, more than 13,000 people stay at the Yosemite camps — five separate locations that offer various…

The Disneyland Resort’s new “World of Color” show begins with some regal nostalgia. Standing before a lagoon in Disney California Adventure, we hear the voice of Walt Disney, and see a host of Disney’s animated classics — “The Little Mermaid,” “Pinocchio,” “The Lion King” and more — projected on fountains to a patient, stately interpretation of “Rainbow Connection” from Boyz II Men. We are prepped for a show of romanticized remembrance while we hear Disney recite the original dedication speech for Disneyland. The park, he tells us, is hoped to be a “source of joy and inspiration,” only when he…

Some advice: If you love something, set it free — even the Miu Miu heels. This was the notion that two friends, Quinn Shephard and Francesca Goncalves, were discussing in a sun-kissed setting (a “pool somewhere,” Shephard recalls). They wanted to barter their old clothing, but that was a sticky prospect in Los Angeles — the scene is riddled with suspicious stares from thrift store employees and digital cold wars with teenagers on Depop. There’s pomp and circumstance at every turn. Kristen Vaganos and Kate Mansi help a shopper try on some shoes. (Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times) “So…

There’s an oft-repeated Disneyland creation myth: Artist and animation art director Herb Ryman was given 48 hours to draw an early, heavily detailed and romanticized map of the theme park, which would be used to help sell the project to investors. Although that’s all true, Ryman’s work — one of the most famous and important Disneyland drawings — was far from the first map of Disneyland, as it is often colloquially referred to. Ryman’s work was in fact an iteration of sorts, based upon years of master planning from Walt Disney and early collaborator Marvin Davis, a cinematic art director…

Airbnb wants to do your hair, cook your dinner, massage your back and possibly photograph your honeymoon. All these services, and several more, are part of a new bid by the company to further expand beyond its roots as a lodging broker. The company unveiled Airbnb Services — which includes 10 initial categories — while relaunching its experiences program and introducing a new app design at a media event in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Rather than heavily emphasizing lodging, the redesigned app more strongly integrates all of its offerings and encourages more interaction among guests and hosts. This new approach…

When vacationing in Los Angeles, you can truly choose your own adventure. Those in search of luxury can stay in a five-star hotel, sleeping on a plush bed, soaking in a deep bath tub and lounging on a balcony with sweeping mountain views. But, among the mountains that surround L.A., a different kind of luxury is within reach. There you can sleep above the clouds, swim in deep river pools and watch the sun set over the same mountains seen from those nearby hotel balconies. And often, it’s free. L.A.’s proximity to public lands offers the unique opportunity to slip…

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix”> I’m at peace with the idea that I won’t be visiting space in my lifetime. The cost of space tourism is out of reach for me and the vast majority of Americans. Yet on a recent Saturday afternoon, thanks to a mix of virtual reality and old-fashioned theatrics, I am on the moon. Looking to my left, I see strange, abstractly blue lights emerging from the gray, rocky moon landscape. Ducking down, I can spot the stars and piece together various constellations. Ahead, I watch the vehicle I’m standing in — technically a shipping container — move through…

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix”> While Cercle’s in-person shows over the years have required fans to get on an airplane and travel to historical and remote destinations such as the Sisteron Citadel in France, Barbolla wanted Cercle Odyssey to be more accessible to fans. “We wanted to bring nature to the city,” he says. It was also a goal for Barbolla to make the massive production as sustainable as possible, so he used projected screens instead of lead screens. That way his team only has to travel with the custom-made canvas they use for the projections, which “is very small” and can be…

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix”> Across the six players on the tennis court at noon on a Friday in Beverly Hills, I clock two Cartier watches and one Rolex. There’s tennis skirts paired with chunky cable-knit sweaters and white sneakers and tote bags with collegiate embroidery. From behind sunglasses and baseball caps, members appear to be in their mid-twenties to early thirties. But no matter how much the scene may resemble a legacy country club at first glance, this meetup exists almost in opposition to the city’s handful of expensive clubs with yearslong wait-lists and lengthy membership requirements. Kacper Owsian greets someone to…

Nature enthusiasts walked among colorful native flowers growing wild at Elizabeth Lake and Munz Ranch roads. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times) For me, springtime means taking road trips to document the wildflower fields through Southern California. But this season has not been a good one. Due to the lack of rain in the crucial winter months, the areas that are sometimes covered in poppies, lupines and other blooms — the Arvin Cross area in Arvin, Walker Canyon in Lake Elsinore and the Antelope Valley, to name a few — are more barren this year. I thought I’d have to…

Throughout the evening on Sunday, I was placed in a foreign jail, joined a folk-rock band for a sing-along uprising that involved a killer bear and ran up multiple times against selfish, greedy taskmasters, once in a comedic production in a jazz club and another time in the back room of a seedy dance space. A scene from “That’s Jazz Baby!” from immersive team Spies Among Us. “Our big goal going in was making a simple, understandable, funny piece and hoping everything else fell into place after that,” says Spies Among Us founder Prescott Gadd. (Chiara Alexa / For The…

ALCATRAZ ISLAND, Calif.  — The exhibits on Alcatraz Island, the infamous federal prison that decades ago was shuttered and preserved as a national park site and tourist attraction, invite visitors to imagine what it was like to be a guard or an inmate confined to the lonesome, foggy rock in the middle of San Francisco Bay. But on Monday, a day after President Trump posted on social media that he wants to reopen the nearly century-old prison as a “substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders,” many tourists were imagining a very different role: what…

Onscreen, multihyphenate screenwriter-director-producer Paul Feig is best known for fun and funny films such as “Bridesmaids,” “Last Christmas” and “A Simple Favor.” And offscreen, he’s known for his impeccable sense of style, enthusiastic embrace of cocktail culture (his Artingstall’s gin brand makes frequent cameos in his movies) and, it turns out, a penchant for all things spicy. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. “I am so much about hot, hot heat,” he…

Beyoncé kicked off her highly anticipated “Cowboy Carter” tour this week in Los Angeles at the SoFi Stadium, where she’ll be gracing the stage five times through May 9. Share Share via Close extra sharing options As expected, the Beyhive (a.k.a. her most dedicated fans) showed out with their western-inspired outfits, which were heavily influenced by the Grammy Award-winning country album. Attendees wore bedazzled cowboy boots and hats; chaps; fringe and leather; red, white and blue; outfits inspired by Beyoncé’s past tours and video looks; and, of course, denim on denim on denim. Before the second show on Thursday night,…

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” That’s one of Walt Disney’s most popular quotes, often used in the context of the theme park marvels imagined by the company he created. Over the decades Walt Disney Imagineering, the secretive arm of the Walt Disney Co. devoted to theme park experiences, has dreamed up a room full of singing birds and flowers, brought to life a mini New Orleans, captured the idealism of space flight and re-envisioned modern transportation, to name just a few of its many varied accomplishments. For its latest trick, Imagineering will attempt to resurrect a life…

As Savant Young carefully wipes down his charcoal gray 1973 Mazda RX-3 inside the Vintage Japanese Motor Union clubhouse, he pauses to apologize for being so focused on his car. “It gets so dusty in here,” he explains, gesturing around the space that’s situated in a mural-lined industrial pocket of Boyle Heights. Young smooths a microfiber cloth across the hood, then leans in closely to inspect it. His meticulous attention to detail isn’t just about presentation. It reflects a deep, lifelong passion for cars. “From the time I was 5, every Christmas I’d get racetrack sets and RC cars,” says…

DUNSMUIR, Calif. — Less than a half a mile from the city limits of this Northern California railroad town is a natural wonder so enchanting that locals compare it to geologic features in Yosemite or Yellowstone. “The most beautiful waterfall I’ve ever seen,” said Stephen Decatur, who works in disaster preparedness for the city of Dunsmuir. City Manager Dustin Rief agreed, adding: “And I’ve traveled all over the world.” Fed from glaciers on Mount Shasta’s majestic slopes, Mossbrae Falls cascades out of lava tubes and down mossy cliffs into the Sacramento River in ethereal curtains of mist, sending rainbows dancing in all…

Bob Gurr has often joked that if it’s at Disneyland and it moves, he likely had a hand in its design. Gurr first started working for Disney in late 1954, just months before Disneyland would open in July 1955, and is one of the figures instrumental in the look, feel and tone of the park. Gurr was the pivotal designer behind the Autopia cars, the Disneyland Monorail, the Matterhorn Bobsleds and the tomb-like ride vehicles — the “doom buggies” — of the Haunted Mansion. But there’s one of his designs that’s often overlooked by fans, and it holds a special…

Taylor Tomlinson, the comedian and writer who has hosted the CBS talk and variety show “After Midnight” for two seasons, has lived in Los Angeles for nine years. But thanks to a robust stand-up schedule (her now-in-progress “The Save Me Tour” has 76 dates booked across North America and Europe through January, including an L.A. hometown show scheduled for Aug. 10 at the Greek Theatre), she’s only around L.A. for about 20 Sundays a year. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to…

In L.A., there are two types of locals: those who have a Google Maps list filled with recommendations ready to go for every scenario. And those those who panic at the very thought of having to curate an itinerary, whether it be for an overzealous auntie who’s in town and wants to see “all the sights!” during a weekend trip, or a group of friends who want to grab dinner and drinks but all have different dietary restrictions and budgets. If you fall into the latter group, we want to help. We’d like to be your personal L.A. concierge, if…

The 24th summer of movies under the stars at Hollywood Forever Cemetery will begin Memorial Day weekend when Cinespia screens “The Big Lebowski” on May 24. The next night comes a 30th anniversary presentation of “Clueless,” followed by a May 31 screening of “Blue Velvet” and tribute to director David Lynch, who died in January. Cinespia, which is teaming with Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video to present the summer series, is selling tickets now for those three shows. The organization hasn’t released the rest of the schedule yet, but typically screens about 30 movies per year at Hollywood Forever…

Charlie Sampson competes in the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City in December 1982. (Denver Post / Getty Images) Bull rides, rope tricks and a crowd just as focused on history as the thrill — the inaugural Charlie Sampson Rodeo is set for June 28 in Norco, Calif., and it’s already shaping up to be a high-octane event, as well as a tribute to the Black cowboys who helped shape American history. Born and raised in Watts, Sampson made history in 1982 as the first Black man to win a world championship in professional rodeo. Now 67, he’s launching this…

Seven years ago, after visiting Los Angeles nearly every summer to spend time with relatives and friends, I took the plunge and finally moved from Las Vegas to L.A. Two weeks later, I got into my first car accident. A driver slammed into the back of my car while I was at a stoplight during rush hour. When I told my co-workers, they made sure I was OK (I was, thankfully) and then said, nonchalantly, “Welcome to L.A. You’re a local now.” Of course, I didn’t feel like a true local until years later when I had solidified my L.A.…

Shooting stars will usher in Earth Day starting late Monday night as the Lyrid meteor shower reaches its peak — and Californians will have some of the best views in the country. The annual meteor shower event will be most visible in April and is named after the constellation Lyra, the harp, located near the point in the sky where the Lyrids appear to originate. The shower is one of the oldest on record, with observations dating back more than 2,700 years. The peak of the event will be Monday night into the early morning hours of Tuesday, Earth Day.…

On a Saturday night in Beverly Hills, nearly 150 stylish people filter into a grandiose ballroom for an exclusive event. Martinis are flowing and skinny French fries are arriving on small plates. Upbeat music booms over the speakers, and laughter fills the lively space, which is adorned with marble walls, a massive wine cellar and a nearly $2-million Swedish sports car on display. But these guests aren’t just here to mingle and sip on fancy cocktails. They‘re here to play Rummikub. Nearly 150 people attended RummiKlub’s game night in March at Gravitas in Beverly Hills. (Alex Papke / For The…

Making a comedy-music album based on secrets shared by internet strangers might not seem like an obvious step for Jordan Firstman, who stars in FX’s “English Teacher” and Rachel Sennott’s new HBO show that’s being called the “It” pilot of the season. But there is nothing about Firstman’s career that feels textbook Hollywood — and that’s what makes him such a compelling figure. That, and all the jokes. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on…

The Disneyland Resort is turning 70 in July, and it has never missed an opportunity to throw a party — especially one rooted in nostalgia. For the year-long event, a number of fan favorites are making their return, in addition to some new shows and tweaks to favorite attractions. The festivities officially launch May 16, although not all offerings will be available right away. Some will be rolled out to coincide with Disneyland’s official birthday on July 17. The celebration is planned to last through summer 2026. Here’s everything you need to know about the Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration —…

For some, it’s as routine as paying at the checkout counter. For others, it’s as nerve-racking as a root canal. Which experience you have depends largely on one thing: where you were born. We’re talking about international travel. Since President Trump took office, Western travelers trying to enter the United States have been getting a taste of what it can be like to be a traveler from the Global South. German tourist Lucas Sielaff was handcuffed and shackled at the border in Tijuana, held in detention for 16 days and then deported at his own expense, apparently because he misspoke…

“Star Trek” is a franchise that’s always seemed ripe for exploration in a theme park. Space travel, aliens, magic-like technology and, perhaps most importantly, an underlying belief in human-centered optimism. Encounter someone who saw “Star Trek: The Experience” in Las Vegas, which opened in the late ’90s and ran for about a decade, and expect nostalgic reflections of running aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise and taking part in transporter illusions. But since the latter shuttered, “Star Trek” has essentially lacked a major theme park-like attraction in the U.S. Guests at Universal Studios’ new Fan Fest Nights will get to explore the…

A funny thing happened almost a decade ago when I told my girlfriends that I was embarking on a two-week anniversary trip with my husband. Eyebrows were raised. One friend shook her head and said, “That would quickly become problematic.” Another said she never goes on vacation solely with her husband anymore because they always fight or he is “too needy sexually.” Still another told me I was brave because that was “too long,” and buried issues would start to rear their ugly heads. And these were the “happy couples” in my friend group! I was intrigued by their reaction.…

Growing up in Westchester, Amanda Gorman’s Sundays were dedicated to one thing: church. “I went to a historically Black church and I feel like it’s always an occasion to go to church as an African American,” says 27-year-old Gorman, who became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history in 2021. “You’re dressing up in your Sunday best and you’re going to be there for several hours.” In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.…

On a recent Saturday afternoon in the Arts District, a group of seven friends — plus a tiny dog — contorted and twisted their bodies to fit inside a light brown, 8-foot-tall box that had a mirrored door inscribed with the words “Memory Archive.” Once they were all mostly inside, they looked up toward a Canon DSLR camera that was peeking out of a small hole.They posed — smiling brightly, forming their fingers into peace signs and heart shapes, and holding the dog in the air like Baby Simba — as the shutter clicked eight times. They then stepped out…

Orlando, Fla. — There is no theme park land quite like Dark Universe. Don’t expect warm reassurance as you enter the space, which is tucked inside Universal Studios’ showstopping new Florida park Epic Universe. Coffins, a crypt and a creepy statue of a young girl are what greet us. Round the bend, and the world opens up; a steaming, fog-shrouded well gives way to a gray-toned castle. Magic? No, this is something more foreboding, albeit a bit mystical with its electrical volt shocks that hint at an afterlife rather than a happily ever after. Dark Universe is one of five lands at…

After telling me to close my eyes, the voice instructs me to notice the sounds around me. I hear the drone of Tibetan bowls mixing with an insect chorus, scattered yawns and what sounds like a flowing brook. Upon opening my eyes, I discover the ‘brook’ is, in actuality, a horse releasing a powerful stream of urine. Kiki Ebsen is the owner of the Healing Equine Ranch in the Santa Monica mountains. (Jennifer McCord / For The Times) The, uh, water feature is thanks to August, a stallion. He’s one of five horses who have joined a group of about…

The stalactites and stalagmites of Sequoia National Park’s Crystal Cave, a sprawling subterranean wonder that’s been closed for four years, will be accessible again this summer. But to get in during the open season of May 23 through Sept. 7, you’ll need tickets, which are available now. The guided tours are considered strenuous with steep terrain. (Sequoia Parks Conservancy) Visitors will walk through the cave on 50-minute guided group tours, inspecting mineral formations and hearing about the cave’s history and rare geology. Rangers describe the trail — a steep half-mile to reach the cave, then a half-mile loop inside —…

New Zealand-born actor Antony Starr, best known to American audiences as arch-villain Homelander from the Prime Video superhero parody “The Boys,” says that although he’s lived in Los Angeles for the better part of a decade, his busy shooting schedules have kept him far afield for long stretches. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. “The Boys,” now in the middle of production on its fifth and final season, shoots in Toronto, and…

There were no vacancies beneath the old neon Farm House Motel sign last Saturday — no guest rooms at all, in fact. But the 1950s Riverside property, now known as the Farm House Collective, was busier than it has been for decades. By 10 a.m., when a ribbon-cutting marked the Farm House’s rebirth as a mini-mall, food hall and music venue, the parking lot was full. The motel’s old carports next to the guest rooms were enclosed and became indoor retail spaces. (David Fouts / For The Times) By midday, Steve Elliott of Smokey Steve’s barbecue had sold about 160…

In our Between a Rock series, we share thrilling tales from local adventurers about close encounters in California nature, whether it’s a story of being stalked by a mountain lion or getting snowed in on a simple day hike.

It was May of 2020, in the thick of the pandemic. There was nobody around, literally no one anywhere on any of the trails. I worked as a full-time trauma nurse. People couldn’t even imagine the things we saw every day, all day long. I lived and breathed running. If I had to work a 12-hour shift, I’d get up at 3 in the morning, go run 16 miles before work, go to work and then sometimes run on the treadmill or go to the trail. Between a Rock is a Los Angeles Times series that shares survival stories from…

To television viewers, Kat Dennings is probably best known for playing down-on-her-luck characters — first in a six-season run as Max Black on the CBS sitcom “Two Broke Girls,” and, more recently, as Tim Allen’s estranged-but-reunited daughter on ABC’s “Shifting Gears,” which aired its first-season finale earlier this month (all episodes are available for streaming on Hulu). But to hear her tell it, there’s hardly a down-on-your-luck aspect of her real-life ideal Sunday itinerary, which starts with double belly rubs for her two cats, ends with drifting off to “Columbo” and includes an eclectic lineup of museums, rare-book-browsing and dinner…

In the early 1990s, Kelvin Anderson Sr. built a makeshift recording studio in the back of his Long Beach record store, a vinyl-filled paradise called the World Famous VIP Records on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. He wanted to give youth a creative outlet in the gang ridden neighborhood. Word quickly spread around the city, and aspiring artists started sprinkling in. Folks like Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg — who were part of a trio dubbed 213, the Long Beach area code at the time — famously cut their first demo…

The all-things-puppetry extravaganza that is the yearly Bob Baker Day at Chinatown’s Los Angeles State Historic Park has landed on its themes and parade-leading grand marshal for its 2025 edition, set for April 13. Animated characters SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star will launch the festivities at 10 a.m. with a parade that will span the grounds. The “SpongeBob SquarePants” stars are not the first animated characters to lead the processional. Back in 2023, Pinocchio from Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning film led the walkaround. SpongeBob will be joined by Logan Hone and his Feel Good Music Train, Tierra Del Sol’s large-scale…

The ball pops up in the air and soars into an arc, drifting against the blue sky, then comes down with a plunk on the glass wall behind Jon Guerra. Out. “Your swing is too hard,” Guerra says to me. Guerra, who goes by Coach Jon, is sending lobs across the net toward me and three other students at the Padel Courts, a hideaway just off Sunset Boulevard in Little Armenia. We’re learning padel, a racquet sport played with foam paddle rackets on a tennis-like court surrounded by tempered glass walls. And it’s proving to be quite a challenge. “Don’t…

Possessing valid documentation is the second item on the State Department’s checklist for U.S. tourists traveling internationally. It’s required for pilots, too, as an estimated 257 passengers found out the hard way last weekend. United Airlines Flight 198 left Los Angeles International Airport at 1:47 p.m. Saturday for a roughly 14-hour journey to Shanghai, China. However, the plane was instead diverted to San Francisco as the pilot “did not have their passport onboard,” according to an airline spokesperson. The plane landed in the City by the Bay at 5:05 p.m. The plane was delayed more than 3 hours before taking…

Mark Duplass offers a warning before he starts talking about his ideal Sunday. “Be prepared,” he says. “There’s not gonna be a lot of leaving the house today.” In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. The actor-director-producer has settled into a comfortable rhythm with his wife, Katie Aselton, their two kids and their pack of rambunctious dogs. For them, home is Valley Village, a neighborhood the couple quickly fell in love with. “It’s…

POINT REYES STATION, Calif. — With fog-kissed streets featuring a buttery bakery, an eclectic bookstore and markets peddling artisanal cheeses crafted from the milk of lovingly coddled cows, Point Reyes Station is about as picturesque as tourist towns come in California. It is also a place that, at the moment, is roiling with anger. A place where many locals feel they’re waging an uphill battle for the soul of their community. The alleged villains are unexpected, here in one of the cradles of the organic food movement: the National Park Service and a slate of environmental organizations that maintain that the herds…

There are technological and biological wonders inside the sleek San Gabriel offices of Seamus Blackley, which are evasively named — intentionally so — Pacific Light & Hologram. Best known as the creator of Microsoft’s Xbox video game console, Blackley can’t talk about his latest computer work — he’ll discuss it only under a “Friend-D-A,” a playful twist on a nondisclosure agreement. But he can chat about the 1970s Dodge camper one sees when entering the building. Complete with chalkboard-like scientific diagrams, the vehicle once belonged to Richard Feynman, the late Nobel Prize-winning Caltech physicist. Blackley has long been campaigning to…

My mother, Donna, died unexpectedly earlier this month. On a recent Tuesday morning, she got up as normal, and even went to the salon. That evening, she was in the hospital. Thirty-six hours later, she was gone. These have been among the most difficult weeks of my life. I spent the first half of March at home near Chicago to grieve with my family and will likely be visiting often throughout the year to continue the process. I’ve never liked the past tense — grieved — as that implies a conclusion to something that changes us, alters our course and…

Tucked away from heavy foot traffic and noisy crowds, the Delta One Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport offers a different kind of travel experience. Customers can enjoy hot towels, zero-gravity massage chairs and caviar-topped ice cream while waiting to board their flights. They also have access to private security lanes and baggage check, eliminating the need to wait in lines. The lounge opened in October and is part of Delta Airline’s most premium offering, an airport and in-flight experience known as Delta One. Available on several international routes and from Los Angeles to New York and Boston, a Delta…

Can hotels legally ban children? With spring breaks starting momentarily and summer vacations not far away, the question is puzzling a wide scope of California travelers — parents booking their next family vacation as well as adults looking for a child-free escape. And the answer is complicated. The issue flared in February when the Alila Marea Beach Resort in Encinitas, part of the Hyatt hotel empire, announced it would exclude children as overnight guests, thus becoming the self-described “only adults-only oceanfront resort in Southern California.” This move at a high-profile beachfront property sparked a debate about state law and hotels’…

Long before Leslie David Baker took on the role of Stanley Hudson — the grumpy pretzel- and crossword-loving salesman on the long-running comedy “The Office” — he was working as an administrator for the health department in his Chicago hometown, while doing commercials and community theater on the side. It wasn’t until he turned 40 that he decided to go full throttle on his acting career and move to Los Angeles. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to…

Walking barefoot across the cool tile floor, her silver face gems twinkling in the sunlight, sound bath practitioner and energy healer Maya Andreeva distributed paper cups filled with brown liquid to the 20 mostly youngish adults seated on yoga mats and blankets on the ground. They had gathered this Saturday morning on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in the courtyard behind the Japanese skincare store Albion Garden to attend Echoes of the Heart, a two-hour cacao, breathwork and sound bath workshop that promised to guide participants toward “deep self-exploration, energetic healing and profound relaxation.” “Just allow yourself to feel the intention within…

The Hollywood Premiere Motel hasn’t won any prizes lately. It has a 1.5 star rating on Trip Advisor, which ranks it 112th of 118 motels in Los Angeles. “Never again,” writes one reviewer. “I prefer to sleep in my car,” writes another. But the motel’s chances of being named a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument? Strong. In fact, the Hollywood Premiere might become the first motel on the city’s monuments list. The motel, which stands at Hollywood Boulevard and Serrano Avenue, is a 1960 throwback whose neon sign rises over a gritty stretch of Hollywood Boulevard. On Thursday, the L.A.…

Adam Devine (“Workaholics,” “Pitch Perfect”), who reprises his role as youth pastor Kelvin Gemstone on the HBO televangelist comedy “The Righteous Gemstones” for a fourth and final season that begins airing (and streaming on Max) Sunday, won’t share many details about how the Danny McBride–created series ends, besides that it goes out big. “It ends with a bang,” Devine said in a recent interview with The Times. “And I think people are really going to love it.” In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go,…

Is this the moment for a spring break in Mexico or Canada? The idea might seem iffy as the Trump administration confounds its neighbors by toggling tariffs on and off and throwing countless jobs into doubt. Yet for travelers, industry veterans say, this seesaw experience won’t make an immediate difference to the cost of flights or lodgings in Mexico or Canada. Because the tariffs are based on goods crossing borders, not people, they don’t directly affect airlines and hotels. But the tariff battle may also bring indirect effects that could bump up travelers’ costs, anxieties or both. In all three…

To walk through Leicester Square in central London is to endure a pummeling of the senses. Its jostling tourists, the glaring lights of its supersized casino and M&M‘s store, and a backing track of buskers’ out-of-tune guitars put it among the worst places in one of the world’s best cities. The area also symbolizes an inevitable truth about London: Without the thronging masses of tourists, and the attractions designed to amuse them, the city might disintegrate completely. Though most Londoners (this one included) would go to great lengths to avoid admitting it, the capital badly needs its millions of incomers…

As the Trump administration continues to slash the federal workforce, the National Park Service — which has lost nearly 10% of its staff to the sweeping cuts — just reported that 2024 set a record high for visits to its parks. Nearly 332 million people showed up to hike, camp or simply get a breath of fresh air in America’s national parks last year. That’s 6 million more visits than the year before, and a million more visits than the previous record, set in 2016. The news comes as park supervisors scramble to figure out how they’ll keep the parks…

Catalina Island, which has plenty of horses in its history but stopped offering rides to visitors in 2008, is bringing trail rides back. The fledgling, Avalon-based Catalina Horseback Adventures offered its first guided rides Feb. 22. Most rides take 45-90 minutes and include hills, valleys, clifftops with ocean views and occasional encounters with deer and island foxes. This move draws on island tradition that goes back to the 1930s, when Catalina’s owners, the Wrigley family, set up a ranch known as El Rancho Escondido, which grew into an Arabian horse-breeding operation. The working ranch continues, 12 miles outside Avalon, and…

On the golf course just outside the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, thousands of people stride across the grass, phones in their hands and eyes on their screens. “Who has a shiny Oshawott they can trade? What about a Blitzle? Any Pansages?” one person asks. “I’ve got a Snivy!” someone shouts back. “I’ll trade a Panpour,” another counters. Attendees were decked out in gear featuring Pokémon and Poké Balls. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) To an outsider, the scene might sound like an episode of “Storage Wars” — gibberish over a megaphone — and look a bit like a…

Melissa Fumero’s sons, at 5 and 8 years old, are almost at the age that they can prep breakfast for themselves. When the time comes, it will be a help for the busy mom, who also doubles as the queen of network television. The actor is perhaps best known for playing the over-eager, by-the-rules Det. Amy Santiago in the police comedy series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. But she…

When Dylan Anderson was eight years old, he discovered an old telescope of his grandfather’s. The pirate-esque rig was dusty from years in the garage, but Anderson was instantly intrigued. “I was like, ‘Hey, what’s this?’ ” the now-18-year-old member of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society said. “I saw Jupiter and its four moons, and I was hooked.” You’ll hear similar stories from a lot of astronomy enthusiasts, who say that seeing their first big planet was what sparked a lifelong enchantment with the stars. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that the line to see Jupiter, with…

To set foot inside the Gallery, a new restaurant and bar in downtown, is to be whisked into a world fit for a theme park. Walk in via its bar, and gone are views of Olympic Boulevard. In the place of windows, you’ll find a fantastical, idealized take on a major city, a skyline vision that looks ripped from an animated film. Stroll into the dining room and at first you may see a blank canvas, only soon its walls and tables awaken to place you underwater, in nature or surrounded by a scalding hot warehouse where lava flows over…

According to travel experts, early spring is the ideal time to begin planning your summer vacation. Some of the more anxious among us (OK, me) might even push that to pre-spring, as in late February or early March, if only to provide a beacon of hope during the year’s gloomiest months. Lord knows we could all use a beacon of hope right now. I just fear summer vacation may no longer be it. President Trump and world’s richest man Elon Musk seem determined to make any upcoming vacation plans as difficult, expensive and potentially dangerous as possible. In a quest…

As the Trump administration continues its campaign to slash the federal workforce, more than 700 year-round National Park Service employees have taken buyouts, according to an internal email sent to supervisors late last week. That brings to at least 1,700 the number of year-round permanent staff members that the service — arguably America’s most beloved federal agency — has lost this month. The number equates to roughly 9% of the agency’s workforce. In addition, remaining staff members have been banned from traveling for work purposes — unless it’s to support national security or immigration enforcement — and some staffers have…

There’s a big bloom coming to the Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch, along with many tiny flutters. On March 1, the property alongside I-5 opens for its annual springtime seasonal celebration, with color and scent supplied by 55 acres of ranunculus flowers that typically bloom for six to eight weeks. Dating back to the 1960s, this roadside spectacle has become one of Southern California’s most familiar rites of spring, along with the hunt for wildflowers in the desert and renewed rivalry between Dodgers fans and Padres people. Admission to the fields (via timed-entry tickets) is $22 per adult, $20 for…

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif.  — On a clear, cold day in mid-February, we had spent hours on backcountry skis trudging up and across a remote mountainside in the eastern Sierra when we noticed that the trees directly above us were much smaller than the others we had passed along the way. Still panting from the workout, I looked down the steep slope — something I had carefully avoided up to that point — and saw more suspiciously small trees stretching below us. “Avalanche,” said my ski partner, Howie Schwartz, a veteran backcountry guide. “Huge one, back in the ’80s, reached all the…

With a toddler, a Shih Tzu and several chickens, actor Poppy Liu has a full house. “I’m raising so many beings,” said the “Hacks” star, who recently appeared in the Netflix drama series “No Good Deed” and will star alongside Tessa Thompson in the streamer’s upcoming series “His and Hers.” In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. “I love having chickens because it feels grounding to eat eggs from my own backyard,” she…

Following a loud public outcry about job cuts at the National Park Service — and a relentless media campaign from outdoors enthusiasts across the country — it looks like the Trump administration has reconsidered. A plan to eliminate thousands of seasonal workers at the beloved federal agency appears to have been reversed. Last month, prospective seasonal employees — the people who collect the entrance fees, clean the trails and restrooms and help rescue injured hikers — received emails saying their job offers for the 2025 season had been rescinded. This week, a memo sent from the Department of Interior to…

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, two-bath house with a connected two-car garage. A couple gliding past the open kitchen marvel at the room’s “good natural lighting.” In the hallway outside the expansive main bedroom, a tall bearded man compares the space to a “luxury Airbnb experience,” while two grade-school-age boys play with a light switch on the wall, flicking the ceiling fan on and off. “I’ve never seen a house like this,” one of them says, “but I…

Last July, San Diego resident Trisha Malone applied for a disability exemption at a booth just outside the Disneyland and California Adventure theme parks. The Disability Access Service, or DAS, pass she wanted would have allowed her to avoid waiting in time-consuming lines for popular Disney rides. Malone met with personnel representing Disney for her DAS application interview. In that public setting, they solicited private medical information from the disabled woman. After a short exchange, Malone was rejected, as her disability did not meet new, stricter DAS standards. That denial was detailed in a 32-page class-action complaint Malone filed against…

On a recent weekday evening, I found myself in a romantic position for which I have had zero training for: a dating coach. Yet there I was, at an East Hollywood bar, listening and analyzing a conversation among two prospective partners. The pair had already debated local hiking spots, yet when one said she leaned homebody and the other favored nights out, our trainees needed help. A sudden lull in the chat caused a panic, and a coach for the other team called for a pause. “Time for a sidebar,” she said, as we all huddled around our dating cadets…

• Yoga adds flexibility and strengthens lower body joints, which makes it a great addition to your hiking routine. • Try these structured events in L.A. and Orange counties that combine the activities. • We’ve also found trail-adjacent yoga classes, including in Runyon Canyon and Griffith Park, so you can plan your own workout. “Isn’t this grand?” Laurie Hang Hutter swept her arms across a swath of open green space near the hummingbird garden in Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. Palm trees swayed in the distance and gave way to clear views of the Hollywood sign and the eastern Santa…

Artist David Hockney was a driver: after visiting and then moving to Los Angeles in 1964, he zipped around the Hollywood Hills in his red 450 SL Mercedes, perhaps to Chateau Marmont, his spot in Malibu or the studio at multimedia workshop Gemini G.E.L. on Santa Monica Boulevard. “For David in the 1960s, Los Angeles was an enigma — a unique city different from his native London or even from New York City where he had his first encounter with ‘America,’” says his close friend and fellow artist Doug E. Roberts. The drives were a way not only to catalog…

About five years ago, when Meredith Hagner (whose characters range from clueless to maniacal in “Search Party,” “Vacation Friends” and “Bad Monkey,” to name just a few) fully committed to giving up her rent-controlled Williamsburg apartment in Brooklyn, N.Y., to make a home on the West Coast, she thought she knew exactly where she wanted to live. “I told my husband [actor Wyatt Russell, son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn] I’d try out L.A., but I’ll only do the Eastside because that’s the closest to [where I lived in New York City]. And he was like, ‘When we have…

Of our five senses, smell might be the most ignored. And yet the role it plays in our lives is inescapable. Smell activates many parts of our brain, including our limbic system, which plays a key role in memory recall. That’s why the aroma of baking bread might bring you back to your grandma’s kitchen or a whiff of freshly cleaned clothes might bring you back to long nights at the laundromat when you were younger. The Times asked readers to share the scents they consider synonymous with Los Angeles, and their responses painted a vivid olfactory portrait of the…

Summer online reservations for Yosemite National Park have been postponed indefinitely. After the park announced several months ago that a new system was in the works, the online reservation page now reads, “Yosemite National Park anticipates sharing details about this year’s reservation system early in 2025.” The implementation of a new system has apparently been delayed to first get the approval of the Trump administration, according to park officials. A park spokesperson was unavailable to respond to a Times email asking when reservations would be accepted. Currently, no reservations are needed to visit the park during the weekdays, except for…

Much of Angeles National Forest reopened Thursday after a weeks-long closure because of wildfires and red flag warnings, but some beloved trails and campgrounds will remain inaccessible while the land recovers from the blazes. The areas that burned in the Eaton fire in January and Bridge fire in September will remain closed, an area that makes up about 17% of the 700,000-acre forest. Both fires’ closure orders are set to expire Dec. 31, 2025, although the U.S. Forest Service has the authority to extend those orders if necessary. One of the biggest losses to L.A’s outdoors community is the closure…

While it’s true that who you know can matter just as much as talent, for Topher Grace, the connection that ultimately launched his career was formed in New Hampshire, not L.A. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. While attending a New Hampshire boarding school in the late ’90s, Grace appeared in his first play and befriended a girl who worked on the set designs. Later, after he had moved to L.A. to…

As the Trump administration rushes to cut spending and eliminate federal jobs, even the people who work at the national parks — among the country’s most beloved and least politicized institutions — find themselves directly in the crosshairs. Last week, the seasonal workers who staff 433 national parks and historical sites, including Yosemite, Death Valley and Joshua Tree, began receiving emails saying their job offers for the 2025 season had been “rescinded,” with little further explanation. The move set off panic in the ranks of park employees, and threw into limbo the vacation plans of hundreds of millions of people…

The first home Bozoma Saint John bought in L.A. was a condo in Marina del Rey. “It was the first time I bought anything on my own, and it was such a boost to my confidence,” said the entrepreneur, marketing executive and star of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” “L.A. has been an interesting place for me from a real estate standpoint.” In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. Saint John has called…

The world inside a downtown L.A. warehouse seemed to come to a halt, and all I saw was a blur of colors, where pinkish-red hues bled into shades of yellow and purple. And I was surprised at what I felt: rested but not tired. This was a deep, calming state, one in which I was wide awake but unable to zero in on a specific thought or concern. Even if only for a moment, worries, loneliness and to-do lists felt as if they were sailing by. Everything I have a tendency to dwell on was present but also slightly out…

As historic fires continue to burn across Southern California, a number of Los Angeles brands have started selling limited edition merchandise to raise crucial funds for relief efforts. Pulling from themes of unity and strength, brick-and-mortar stores, as well as online shops and a few celebrities, have designed items for shoppers to rep their beloved neighborhoods and help their L.A. community at the same time. “We love and embrace, laugh and cry with our community and customers every single day” says Bernard Denney, co-owner of the West Los Angeles shop Only the Lonely which has released a line of items…

Since the Palisades Fire broke out on Jan. 7, it has burned almost 24,000 acres through Pacific Palisades and several neighborhoods along Pacific Coast Highway. Many of those acres were populated by homes, and others popular hiking trails throughout the Santa Monica Mountains. Firefighters continue to make progress on extinguishing the Palisades fire, which was 63% contained as of Tuesday afternoon. But it will take months to account for the scale and reach of damage it has caused. Though there’s not yet a clear verdict on how the Palisades fire started, it may have been somewhere near Skull Rock. To…

An accounting of the damage of the Eaton fire is still ongoing. Since starting in early January, it has burned more than 14,000 acres, destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in Altadena and, as of Friday, killed 16 people. Now that the fire is 65% contained, we can begin to examine the damage and trail closures in the surrounding mountains as well. The fire is believed to have started in Eaton Canyon, a beloved hiking area, before spreading east and west into Angeles National Forest. More than two dozen trails, many of them popular, interconnected day hikes, appear to have…

When Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion reopens Saturday in its classic, non-holiday form it will essentially mark the completion of a nearly yearlong refurbishment project, one that added significant backstory and lore to one of the resort’s most famed and mysterious attractions. A fixture at the park since its 1969 opening, the Haunted Mansion has been the subject of regular tinkering, its illusions evolving and changing as technology — and culture — advances. This update will be no different. One of the Mansion’s signature scenes has been remade, and now has a much more somber story to tell. Walt Disney Imagineering, the…

The operators of Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner are offering one-way $10 fares between any two of the train’s 29 stops from San Diego north to San Luis Obispo. The rare offer is intended “to assist those impacted by the Southern California wildfires.” The Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency unveiled the coach-fare offer Monday afternoon as the region struggled with two large wildfires — the Palisades and Eaton fires — and braced for winds that might spread the flames. Travelers can check schedules at pacificsurfliner.com and use code V505 when booking to receive the discount. Tickets must be purchased…

January is usually an easy month to book a Southern California hotel room. Not this year. Driven by the fires that have uprooted hundreds of thousands of L.A. County residents, legions of displaced families and individuals are grabbing rooms in surrounding counties, especially along the coast and in the desert. Beyond those under mandatory evacuation, many more, including many families and anxious pet owners, have left because of poor air quality or general wariness of the county’s precarious state. “It’s been insane,” said Marie Corbett, group sales manager at the 14 West boutique hotel in Laguna Beach. “I’ve had people…

The Hotel Assn. of Los Angeles reported that its members “are currently taking in thousands of Angelenos who have been displaced by the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires,” often at discounted rates. Many of the hotels are also taking in pets, the association board said in a statement Wednesday. Five people have died, but officials say the death toll is likely to be higher. More than 6,000 structures have burned and at least 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders. Experts say L.A. is not out of danger yet and these fires have the potential to be the costliest wildfire disaster…

“I’m gay so I can’t do the guitar solo,” quips Sam Buck. A grin plays across his face as the unmistakable jangle of Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It” wafts through the room. Members of the audience chuckle knowingly — the tall, bearded musician could absolutely shred it if he wanted to, but on this night, fun trumps virtuosity. Buck stands under the soft glow of Tiffany-style fixtures, his guitar slung casually over his shoulders and his brown cowboy hat casting a shadow over his black denim jacket. Behind him, silver tinsel sparkles, a Nashville-glam backdrop to the…

I’ve never felt weird about paying strangers to touch me. Massages, facials, martial arts — it’s all just bodywork to me. That is, until I booked my first professional back scratch with Julie Luther, the founder of Soft Touch ASMR Spa in Pasadena. Something about being touched softly made me nervous. In part, because that’s the kind of physical interaction you expect from your closest companions. I have childhood memories of loved ones tracing patterns on my skin and playing with my hair. Between meetings and mindless scrolling, that kind of touch feels increasingly scarce, almost indulgent, as we grow…

Last summer I had a chance to strike a deal with the devil. I sat, contemplating my choice — what I could live without to acquire the one thing I most desired. This was no arbitrary crossroads. Over the past 40 or so minutes I had confessed long-held goals and romantic yearnings while revealing details of my most intimate relationships. They were now being weighed against me. All, I was told, could be mine, minus what I would sacrifice. The contract would be binding, necessitating a drop of blood. I was left alone, a tiny lancet sitting before me. The…

SANTA CLARA, Calif. —  Not everyone got the email. But the word spread, along with the dread. California’s Great America — Northern California’s best-known theme park — appears set to scrap its winter run for the 2025 season, according to a message sent to some seasonal pass holders, potentially spelling an end to the annual Snoopy Christmas ice show and other festivities that have become seasonal staples for ardent fans. The message, sent Dec. 19, said the park’s upcoming season would run from April 5 through late October, and that “seasonal events will not be part of the 2025 calendar.” As…

Jaclyn Cosgrove covers the (great!) outdoors at the Los Angeles Times. They started at The Times in 2017 and have written about wildfires, culture, protests, crime and county government. In 2022, they managed For Your Mind, a yearlong mental health project. Cosgrove is originally from rural Oklahoma and is a proud Oklahoma State University graduate. They fell in love with the Southern California landscape when they moved here in 2017. They are always looking for the next adventure and welcome your ideas. If their phone goes straight to voicemail when you call, it probably means they’re in the mountains with…

Has it occurred to you that civilization might be overrated? Me too. So I’ve been thinking about the natural world — actually, the many natural worlds contained within California, and how whole they can make us feel. With that and the new year in mind, here are a dozen seasonally suitable classic California adventures. These are places where you can huddle with a loved one or steer clear of people entirely. If you’ve been in the state a while, you’ve probably tried a few of them. Maybe you’ve meant to try a few more. And maybe 2025 is the year…

A phishing text message warning of a legal threat and financial penalties has been hitting users and even non-drivers of Los Angeles County’s Metro ExpressLanes. The spam has led to a flood of complaints from Metro ExpressLanes users, who have been calling the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority seeking verification and advice, Metro authorities have noted. Metro officials said they posted a warning about the fraudulent text messages on their homepage as soon as they became aware of the scam. “The ExpressLanes system has not been hacked, and no customer information has been compromised,” the message said. Metro ExpressLanes…

For years, Justine Lupe bopped back and forth between Los Angeles and New York. It wasn’t until the pandemic that she decided it was time to stop living out of her suitcase in hotels and short-term sublet apartments. “The world was in upheaval,” the actor says. “My idea of what my life was felt like it was [too].” In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. In 2021, she and her fiancé, Tyson Mason,…

Now that he has a baby, Kyle Mooney doesn’t leave a certain L.A. radius much if he doesn’t have to. And he’s content with that. The “Saturday Night Live” alum spends most of his time in Pasadena, Glendale, Highland Park and, most of all, Eagle Rock, where he lives with his wife and their infant daughter. “I felt like the ‘artsiness’ of it was something I could relate to,” says Mooney, explaining why he was drawn to the neighborhood. “Highland Park [now] feels a little bit like what Silver Lake did when I was in my 20s, but we were…

Southern Californians can expect to see high wait times at the airports and congested traffic on the freeways during the holidays this year. And because Christmas and New Year’s days both land in the middle of the week, the weekends before the holidays are expected to be the busiest times to travel. But the good news for road warriors is that gasoline prices are down nationwide. About 119.3 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between Saturday and Jan. 1 using all modes of transportation, according to the American Automobile Assn. About 107 million travelers — or…

In the summer of 2023, Alix Max, new to town with a cigarette in their mouth, was shooting pool on the patio of 4100 Bar in Silver Lake. They were pretty good, too — good enough to catch the eye of two regulars, Andrea Lorell and Julianne Fox, who recruited them to join their practice group. Their proposal was simple: “We have this group chat, and we play together and get better. The goal is to beat men at pool.” It’s a plotline that could be lifted from the classic billiards film “The Hustler”: an up-and-coming pool prodigy, James Dean-cool,…

Snow has been slow to arrive in Big Bear this year, but the long-term forecast calls for big changes. Bear Mountain resort in Big Bear is adding its first new chair lift in 30 years, a six-seat, high-speed lift that will carry its first customers Thursday. The new Midway lift (also known as Chair 5) holds up to six skiers at a time. Its features include a short conveyor belt that carries skiers and boarders to the spots where the lift will pick them up for a ride of about 2,500 feet. “This is our bright, shiny, new toy for…

Mark Olson at the gym. (Mark Olsen) “Throughout my life I’ve been a skier, weightlifter, hiker and runner, including many local 10K races. Following open-heart aortic valve replacement surgery in late 2023, I embarked upon a cardio rehabilitation program introduced by the cardio center: I do a mix of of high-intensity resistance training, free weight exercises, machine resistance training, cardio on the treadmill or stationary bike, lap swimming and yoga. I do all of this at my local 24 Hour Fitness, where 20 years ago I was able to snag the greatest deal of my life — a lifetime membership…

As an L.A. native and a professional traveler, I know getting a ride to LAX is rarely fun. But even I was tested in summer 2023 after an Uber and then a Lyft canceled on me when I needed to be at the airport in an hour and a half. Trying not to throw up for fearing of missing my flight, I drove myself to the familiar parking lot next to the In-N-Out on Sepulveda. I checked in by app, photographed the spot so that later my dad and nephew could retrieve my car, and galloped to the airport shuttle.…

When David Brown moved from Chicago to Los Angeles this summer, one of the first things he did was download an app that aims to “fight big-city loneliness.” The 35-year-old sales director had seen an Instagram ad for Timeleft, which matches users with strangers for dinner via a personality algorithm. Since he only knew a handful of people in his new city, he decided to give it a shot. On the night of his first dinner, Brown, a self-described introvert, was “super nervous” as Timeleft provides participants with limited details about who they will be dining with, including their job…

About a year ago, longtime friends Laura Baginski and Susie Lee reconnected at their 30-year high school reunion. As the two women caught up with each other about their careers, motherhood and everything in between. They vented about how they missed going out and had been struggling to find a spot that played music they liked and didn’t start late at night. That lengthy conversation is what inspired the duo to start Earlybirds Club, a joyous dance party for “middle aged-ish” women, nonbinary and trans people who want to go out, and also be in bed by 11 p.m. because…

SALTON SEA, Calif.  —  In a state boasting epic mountain ranges and stunning coastlines, the Salton Sea is not typically considered an outdoor-lover’s paradise. California’s largest inland lake, which straddles Riverside and Imperial counties, is in fact beautiful. The 35-mile-long sea shimmers, a cascade of colors in the desert, when the sun sets over the Santa Rosa Mountains. But after its heyday as a popular resort destination in the 1950s, the sea has become one of the state’s most critical environmental challenges. The Salton Sea is shrinking as less water flows in from the Colorado River, surrounding farms use more…

Before me stands a glistening silver box — sleek, elegant and with boldly defined protruding vertical lines, giving it an ever-so-slight vintage Art Deco look. A golden vent rests at its top, the figures on its grille appearing like alien hieroglyphics. This, I am asked to pretend, is an elevator, which will take me from Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade and into Earth’s orbit. I step inside and stand on an assigned number. Four windows surround me, and one sits below me. They are, in actuality, OLED TVs, sitting inside oval, astronaut-white frames. Soon, I am awash in ambient, serene…

• Big Basin Redwoods State Park, near Santa Cruz, is recovering after fire scorched almost the entire park in 2020.• Of 115 miles of trails and fire roads in the park, 31.5 are open. More are to reopen soon. • Many post-fire redwood shoots are 10 to 20 feet tall. Walking among them is an lesson in earthly renewal. It’s a life, death and disaster hike. Yet it’s also a stroll in the park. The route in question is the Redwood Loop Trail, part of Big Basin Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains. One lap around the 0.63-mile…

Best for: Ultra-luxury travelers who want extra privacy What it’s like inside: Though it doesn’t come cheap, PS is the ultimate commercial-yet-feels-private airport experience. Travelers begin their journey at a facility completely separate from the rest of the airport, with an entrance that is off Imperial Highway. Say goodbye to typical LAX traffic. Upon arrival, guests are whisked away to one of two secluded, luxury experiences — either the “Private Suite,” a fully enclosed oasis for a group, or “The Salon,” a sophisticated shared social lounge. PS representatives then take care of every logistical element pre-flight, including monitoring for delays…

One of the Disneyland Resort’s new holiday offerings is a show featuring the young guitar-slinging character of Miguel from “Coco.” But it’s ultimately rooted in a culture and history that long predates the 2017 film. Show director Tobi Longo pulled from her childhood, her family roots and a cultural heritage in working with her peers to bring the mariachi-focused performance to life. In turn, its primary influence was not the Disney/Pixar film, but Las Posadas. The latter — think a festive procession that travels among the community — are traditionally staged in Mexico between Dec. 16 and 24. In their…

Molly Baz ended up in Los Angeles by chance. In March 2020, she was vacationing in L.A. with her family when government officials issued a stay-at-home order due to COVID. She didn’t feel comfortable going back to her crowded apartment building in New York. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. “So I just ended up extending my stay out here and then we just never went home,” says Baz, a recipe developer,…

Disneyland is turning 70 next year, and the theme park has never missed an excuse to throw a nostalgia-fueled party. The coming months will be no different, and arguably the star of the festivities will be Walt Disney himself, albeit in robotic form. The Disneyland Resort’s 70th anniversary happenings launch May 16 and are expected to extend through summer 2026. To celebrate, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will be resurrecting some fan favorites — the buoyant and gleaming nighttime parade Paint the Night will return to Disneyland — and the park will also get a new, technically advanced show that…

On May 20, 2016, my wife and I visited Yosemite National Park. Before we set out on a trail, I talked to a park ranger. I told her that I was looking for a picture of water reflecting the trees. The ranger, a third-generation Yosemite employee, stated that Lukens Lake was one of the most beautiful places in the park. “I think you get the best views in the park,” she said. Highway 120 had opened the day before, and it was only a one-mile hike from the highway-adjacent trailhead to the lake. We’d been to Yosemite before. At that…

There’s no single smell that defines Los Angeles. Certain scents are often linked to the bustling streets of downtown or the verdant banks of the L.A. River, while others are tied to the more secluded, quiet corners of places like Mount Washington or Bel-Air. The city’s essence shifts subtly as you move through it, with each location offering a different sensory experience that reflects the multitudes of Los Angeles. Our sense of smell is often overlooked, but it’s the one thing that can bring back memories of a place faster than anything else. There’s the rich, loamy aroma of the…

TONOPAH, Nev. —  Business is so good at the Clown Motel, you might expect more of its painted faces to be smiling. But as Vijay Mehar has learned in his years as owner of the creepiest motel in Tonopah, Nev., happy clowns are not what most of his customers want. What they seem to want is fear, loathing, painted faces, circus vibes and hints of paranormal activity. Basically, Mehar said recently, “they want to be scared.” So aiming to lure more people off Main Street (a.k.a. U.S. 95) to visit this 31-room motel in the dusty, stark middle of Nevada, Mehar…

Tiffany Haddish names her pets after things she wishes she could have more of. Namely, sleep. Her dog Sleeper and cats Sleepy and Catonic (whom she adopted from the set of the cat-themed movie “Keanu”) make her house in L.A.’s Crenshaw district a home. That and her underwear. “I’ve spent six months here or there doing movies, but my animals and my underwear, my trophies, everything’s in L.A.,” she says. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy…

Prospective new owners intend to revitalize the vintage Mt. Waterman ski resort in the Angeles National Forest — in part by selling exclusive access to coveted powder days to well-heeled customers and ferrying them to the mountains in chartered helicopters. But there’s a snag: The federal agency that has the final say on what can be done at the homey 390-acre resort hasn’t approved such a plan and said it would be hesitant to sanction anything that smacked of exclusivity. “I’m pretty confident we would not allow … any kind of exclusive use,” said the U.S. Forest Service’s Justin Seastrand,…

“Code Green” has the trappings of a modern escape room. We enter what we are told is a hidden bunker-turned-research lab. It’s dark, but there are clearly challenges that surround us: patterns in the walls, a cork board filled with notes and images connected by string and, before us on what appears to be a concrete table, a small puzzle board with many of its twisted pieces — something akin to strange, otherworldly tools — missing. The trend today is escape rooms with a heavy narrative — see “The Ladder” from L.A.’s Hatch Escapes, a multidecade corporate mystery — and…

Los Angeles is teeming with beautiful places to walk, but for many of us, our favorite paths are those that are closest to home. These are the walks we do again and again, when we need to shake out our blues, get a new perspective or just enjoy some of our city’s famous sunshine. So it comes as no surprise that when we asked readers to share their favorite walks, many of you responded with a path in your neighborhood. L.A. really is a walking city. Explore our ground-level guide to the people and places keeping our sidewalks alive. As…

Holiday gift shopping? It’s chaos. The Grove on Black Friday? Good luck finding parking — it’s a two-hour wait just to squeeze into a spot. And big box stores? Just no. If you’re looking for something less stressful and more creative, there’s a better option: Museum Store Sunday, sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday (this year, it falls on Dec. 1). Since 2017, Museum Store Sunday has grown into a global event, bringing together over 2,100 museum stores worldwide — including 28 right here in L.A. County — for a day of discounts, special events and gifts-with-purchase (the deals…

Manuel García-Rulfo moved to Los Angeles 15 years ago, and now the Guadalajara-born actor says he feels more like an Angeleno than a transplant. “I love this city. It’s cool. It has so much to offer,” he says with a charming smile. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. It’s fitting then that he’s in the most quintessential of L.A. shows. García-Rulfo is readying his fourth season as defense attorney Mickey Haller in…

The president was Eisenhower. The Dodgers belonged to Brooklyn. The cost of a Los Angeles-London round-trip flight was $720 — a staggering amount in 1956. Yet in his off hours, a young Manhattan lawyer named Arthur Frommer pressed ahead with a wild idea. As a U.S. Army serviceman in postwar Europe a few years before, Frommer had seen the wonders of the continent and the purchasing power of a dollar abroad. He realized that many Americans could do the same, if only they knew where to go and how to pinch pennies. He’d hatched the idea of a guide, tested…

Joanie Kasten remembers peering out the kitchen window of her 108-year-old cabin in the Angeles National Forest and seeing a woman “going potty” near a large rock. “Poor thing,” the 74-year-old thought. “She doesn’t know I’m right here.” That was before the fierce Bobcat fire tore through Big Santa Anita Canyon in 2020, closing it to the public. Much of the canyon — which includes the popular Chantry Flat recreation area — is slated to reopen Oct. 1, and some who live there in historic cabins are worried that it’s going to open a floodgate of feces and urine. Aggressive…

When I video-call Lisa Ann Walter, she’s in the middle of making a banana cake to serve alongside the curry she’ll soon prepare for Sunday dinner, a standing tradition at her house. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. “Very regularly, there’s a rotation of something with red sauce,” Walter says of her menu. “Sunday red sauce is Nana’s recipe, it’s tradition. It just really moves me when my kids come to the…

Of course, naming the best beaches of Southern California is subjective. But when a group of reporters set out to take on this massive task for The Times, they had some guiding principles. We sought beaches from San Diego to Santa Barbara that were easy to access and offered something special like amazing views, great surf, tide pools, firepits, volleyball courts or bike and walking paths. We made a handful of exceptions for beaches that feel more remote. We also considered parking, bathrooms and ADA access — and the complicated issue of ever-changing water quality in limited areas at some…

I know my way around a facial. I have well-formed opinions about collagen face masks and laser treatments. I planned a trip to Seoul, in part, so I could visit a famous spa known for its advanced skin care techniques and K-drama celebrity clientele. So when I saw a TikTok video that described a local L.A. treatment as “gua sha on steroids,” I couldn’t resist. The $108 service is offered at JY Beauty in San Gabriel. Owner Yajing Lu opened the shop in 2021 after she cut her teeth in local salons for six years. Before launching her own business,…

For a rare, if not lucky, few days a year, Yosemite National Park’s famed El Capitan granite cliff converts into what looks like an active volcano jutting 3,000 feet above the valley floor. The conditions need to be right, including early-evening clear skies, generally in February, and plenty of water. Should the sunset properly backlight a small waterfall known as Horsetail Fall just so, the cascading water becomes a “firefall,” taking on an orange glow that can appear very lava-like. The phenomenon has grown so popular of late that Yosemite officials say a growing number of visitors have destroyed natural…

For Kaley Cuoco, Sundays mean one thing: football. Her fiancé Tom Pelphrey first made her a fan. “Because Tom is so obsessed with football, if I wasn’t going to join then I would be an outsider,” she says. “I needed to be included so I jumped in. And by the way, I’m so glad I did.” In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. Now, she describes football season as “very iconic and sacred”…

Splash Mountain’s eviction is complete. With the opening Friday of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Disneyland has formally rid itself of an attraction that came to be seen as problematic. In its place is a ride that serves as a celebration, boasting a statement about the communal power of music and a narrative that serves as an American success story. Centered on characters from the 2009 animated film “The Princess and the Frog,” Tiana’s Bayou Adventure makes the argument that thrill rides can enchant rather than frighten us. The ride still features its steep 50-foot drop begging us to hold on tight,…

The first time Bill Cooke ever saw a meteor shower, he was 11 years old in the woods of North Georgia getting eaten alive by the mosquitoes. But as he looked up, the sight of color streaks from the Perseid meteor shower made him forget his itchy red bumps — if only for a moment. Now Cooke, 66, is the meteroid environment program manager at NASA in Huntsville, Ala., where he studies the skies for a living. And he said it is just as easy for him to witness the meteor shower at its mid-August zenith as it was 55…

All aboard! Starting this week, the Descanso Railroad train ride is open to riders once again. And model trains winding their way around a new railway garden promise to charm a generation of engine-obsessed little kids. Imagine a garden where cedar trunks and fallen branches from nearby oaks uphold an overhead miniature railway, with more rails and trains running at toddler eye level. The landscape is dotted with small plants and miniature versions of iconic American train stations, including L.A.’s Union Station, made of natural materials like acorns and seedpods. The experience inside La Cañada Flintridge’s Descanso Gardens was created…

The game started as an experiment. A way to look at emergent behavior — the coordinated and mesmerizing flight of a flock of birds, for instance. For artist and researcher Hillary Leone, the concern was that the world was becoming more divisive. She wanted to create a new language, one that showed the power of cooperation. Teaming with a host of researchers, she wanted to study human communication, to probe how individual actions contributed to collective problem solving. What, essentially, makes a successful group? This is “Sync.Live,” and while you don’t need to know the science behind it to play…

There are two words that will strike fear in a grown-up fan of a Disney theme park: Disney adult. While some may wear the designation as a badge of honor, many associate it with a specific form of humiliation. For a Disney adult is typically seen as not an adult at all. Their obsession, detractors argue, revolves around a capitalistic enterprise focused on childish happily-ever-after delusions. They are not living in reality, at least if the sneering definition on Urban Dictionary is to be believed; it argues that Disney adults are among “the most terrifyingly intense people you’ll ever encounter.”…

SACRAMENTO —  Last month, the California State Fair announced plans to allow cannabis to be sold and consumed on-site for the first time in its 170-year history. On Sunday, I hopped on a flight from L.A. to Sacramento, bypassed the stands of deep-fried foods and whooshing carnival rides and made a beeline for Expo 6 to watch the first symbolic smoke sesh firsthand. Here’s how the first four hours and 20 minutes went down at the fair’s new weed lounge. Noon At the back of the California Cannabis Experience, a brightly colored sign beckoned in a font you might find on…

“Great Gold Bird,” a theatrical production unfolding across multiple sites in Los Angeles, begins inside my home. It starts with a mystery, introducing itself as a missing persons story. Yet it’s also a puzzle. Henry, we’re told, has disappeared. Only he didn’t just suddenly vanish. I’m now an active investigator, as the protagonist has intentionally left behind a trail of clues. “Great Gold Bird” can be heavy, tugging at our hearts even as it becomes more mystical — its themes ricocheting among grief, science fiction and spiritualism. Twice it brought me to tears, its script feeling at once deeply personal…

Want to know the secret to longevity? Hint: It can’t be found at the bottom of a serum bottle or at some luxury doctor’s office. The key is to consistently engage in “multicomponent” physical activities that encompass aerobic activity, muscle strengthening and balance training, according to the national Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. For older adults, even moderate physical activity offers health benefits ranging from improved physical function to reduced risk of injury from falls. And when it comes to muscle retention, it’s move it or lose it. From playing double Dutch to pole dancing, Angelenos are redefining what “age-appropriate”…

At some point in your time living in L.A. you’ve probably heard someone bemoan it as a city built for cars. I’ve never quite understood that complaint. While it may be true that we spend a fair share of our time on freeways, there are thriving pedestrian-friendly pockets tucked all around our unwieldy city. What’s more, they’re often framed by colorful bougainvillea, fragrant jasmine and photogenic palm trees. And our ideal climate ensures nearly every excursion by foot will be a sunny one. L.A. really is a walking city. Explore our ground-level guide to the people and places keeping our…

Walking might not be built into the daily life of your average Angeleno, but our city is still full of fantastic places to explore by foot. Our team of experts is constantly scouting the best ones for you and talking to the people and businesses who are keeping our sidewalks vibrant. Whether you’re looking for the best path for the most scenic staircases to climb or a group of fellow walkers to hit the pavement with, we’ve got you covered — one step at a time. — Alyssa Bereznak, Wellness Editor Plan your next walk around L.A.’s many Little Free…

The morning I meet Michael Schneider at a quaint coffee shop in Glendale, it quickly becomes clear that he walked here. His sneakers are the first clue — worn, white Nike trainers smudged with dirt. It’s uncharacteristically warm out this morning and his sweat-speckled forehead offers the second clue. His lean, exercised frame cinches my suspicion. L.A. really is a walking city. Explore our ground-level guide to the people and places keeping our sidewalks alive. “I’ve probably walked more than 10,000 steps already today,” he tells me proudly, checking the health data on his phone to be sure — and…

Admit it, you’re here because you want to see how walkable your favorite (or least favorite, I suppose) L.A. neighborhood is. You want bragging rights, you want your biases confirmed, you want a totally unscientific, more than a little opinionated ranking of Los Angeles neighborhoods by walkability. And we’re here to give it to you. L.A. really is a walking city. Explore our ground-level guide to the people and places keeping our sidewalks alive. Why unscientific? For starters because those kinds of number-crunching rankings already exist in urban planning master’s degree projects and on apartment-rental websites such as walkscore.com. And…

To say that jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington is a fan of Los Angeles is an understatement. “I love how big L.A. is and how it’s like 10 different cities in one,” said the Grammy-nominated Washington, who released his third full-length album, “Fearless Movement,” earlier this year. “I love how you can kind of go and immerse yourself into almost any culture you can think of.” In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. A…

It’s fall, and for many that means it’s “Gilmore Girls” season. Though its original run ended in 2007, the series about the mother-daughter escapades of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore has remained a viewing behemoth, often returning to the top 10 of Nielsen’s streaming chart during the autumn and winter months. Consider it a soothing symbol of a less digital, pre-pandemic world centered on convivial small-town life. A gazebo on the Warner Bros. backlot, often featured in “Gilmore Girls,” will be decked in holiday decorations for the studio’s “Holidays Made Here” festivities. (Warner Bros. Studio Tour) Capitalizing on the show’s continued…

“Hello, old friend.” That’s the phrase that popped into my head at the start of my favorite walk recently. It was a warm October evening and the swaths of black mustard weed on the trail had completely dried up, leaving the towering stalks spindly and bare. Some were more than 8 feet high. They lined the path as it curved to the right, swaying and rustling in the breeze, like an overeager welcoming committee. L.A. really is a walking city. Explore our ground-level guide to the people and places keeping our sidewalks alive. It had been several months since I’d…

Walking is considered one of the healthiest ways to exercise, but let’s be honest: Unless you have a dog dragging you to the door or a friend pulling your arm, it’s easy to find reasons to stay on the couch. Especially in a place like L.A., where cars typically take us from point A to point B. L.A. really is a walking city. Explore our ground-level guide to the people and places keeping our sidewalks alive. These 10 walking clubs won’t help you get a dog, but they can give you a compelling reason to get up and out. They’re…

When it comes to “walkability,” L.A. gets a bad rap. To the weekend visitor, our city can seem like a maze of twisting freeways and roads built for cars, walled off to pedestrians. But those who really know L.A. can tell you it’s a pleasure to stroll through, replete with blooming bougainvillea, rich history and street vendors and shops. You just have to know where to look. Lucky for you, we’ve put together a guide for exactly that. Discover the essential walking paths that will show you the best of L.A. Get to know local groups and leaders who are…

According to the census, nearly a third of Los Angeles residents are over 50. And we’re aging collectively — according to a Times report, L.A. County’s median age rose 2.6 years between 2012 and 2022. Thankfully, L.A. is an enticing place to grow older, and not just because of the temperate climate. The city is one of the few municipalities in the world with a “purposeful aging” initiative (though the budget for senior programs will be reduced in 2025). It’s a place that understands that older Angelenos are our cultural core. “Older people tend to be the holders of culture,…

Los Angeles-born actor and singer Miranda Cosgrove has been part of our pop culture landscape for more than two decades. She made her big-screen debut in 2003’s “School of Rock” (filmed when she was 9) followed by a run of sitcom roles (first from 2004 to 2007 on “Drake & Josh” and then 2007 to 2012 as the star of “iCarly,” a role she reprised for its 2021-to-2023 revival) before returning to movie roles where she’s been seen — or, in the case of the “Despicable Me” animated movie franchise, heard — ever since. (She most recently reprised her role…

We spoke to experts in the realms of science, academia and water filtration to help you navigate the often complicated, ever-fluid world of residential tap water, so that you can make smarter and more informed choices about how to purify your drinking water.

Parts of Venice Beach and Dockweiler State Beach are closed after 15,000 gallons of sewage leaked into the ocean near Marina del Rey over the weekend, the Los Angeles County Public Health Department said. Beachgoers are being advised to stay out of the water one mile north and one mile south of Ballona Creek until tests there over 48 hours show the water quality meets health standards. The first test was scheduled for Monday, according to the health department. On Saturday, a broken water main pushed sand into the city sewer line, causing sewage to back up and discharge into…

You won’t find any clowns at the L.A. leg of the traveling Balloon Museum, but there are plenty of other carnival-inspired sights and sounds to be experienced: massive inflated tents, queue lines marked by bright primary colors and concessions fit for the midway. The award-winning contemporary art museum unveiled its “Let’s Fly” show last week for a limited run at the Arts District’s Ace Mission Studios, which previously housed the fantastical amusement park Luna Luna. Founded in Rome in 2020, the museum has welcomed more than 4.4 million visitors at its runs in cities across the globe, including Paris, Milan,…

Robotic dinosaurs. Mechanical miners. Unpredictable chaos. Our local water rides offer the promise of getting wet with a dash of surprise and excitement. Home to four world-class theme or amusement parks, the Southland isn’t lacking in inventive ways to get soaked. Some of these rides are exquisitely designed, emphasizing show scenes and story rather than simply pummeling us with water. Others aim to do exactly that. In L.A., water rules everything around us. Drink up, cool off and dive into our stories about hydrating and recreating in the city. Getting waterlogged, after all, is part of our history. In 1900,…

Credits Creative Director: Amy KingFeatures Editor: Brittany Levine BeckmanLead Gift Guide editor: Marques HarperProject editors: Jen Doll, Philip Gray (books), Betty Hallock (food), Michelle WooWriters: Lisa Boone, Stephanie Breijo, Kailyn Brown, Cindy Carcamo, Jaclyn Cosgrove, Danielle Dorsey, Betty Hallock, Jenn Harris, Jeanette Marantos, Todd Martens, Deborah Netburn, Bethanne Patrick, Christopher Reynolds, Jessie Schiewe, Adam Tschorn, Deborah VankinSenior deputy design director: Faith StaffordLead art director: Ross MayArt director: Gloria OrbegozoIllustrations and animation: Qianhui YuExecutive director of photography: Kim ChapinPhoto editor: Taylor ArthurCopy editors: Dave Bennett, Alison Dingeldein, Lisa Horowitz, R. Marina Levario, Hannah Ly, Doug NorwoodDigital production: Ross MayFact checking: Michael…

PARIS —  Throngs of tourists flocking to the Eiffel Tower on a warm, humid afternoon cannot help but notice the 2024 Summer Olympics are close at hand. Much of the surrounding gardens have been cordoned off with chain-link fencing, transformed into construction sites with big trucks rumbling in and out. Work crews in hard hats are finishing a temporary beach volleyball stadium and the grandstands around a plaza where athletes will receive their medals each night. It makes sense that Paris has put the iconic landmark to use — these Games will be nothing if not a picture-postcard affair. Equestrian events…

Outside it was sunny and in the high 80s, but inside, a large, spectral-like glacier was rushing toward me. As it broke apart in the water, it looked sickly, with glowing green streaks running through it. Then it was overhead, and I was spiraling, traversing oceanic crests only to arrive inside an underwater forest. I was at Cosm in Inglewood. And I was watching a short film, “Seek,” from local artist Nancy Baker Cahill. As images of leaves and algae swirled below, in front and above us, some audience members gasped. Others pointed at mystical details in the fantastical take…

Ten years ago, in an opinion article for the Los Angeles Times, Rick Steves advised readers to swallow their fears of terrorism and disease, “just get on the plane” and go see the world. And who am I to disagree with a beloved travel writer and fellow Norwegian American? But after returning from a three-week trip seeing family and sites in Norway and Italy, my advice is a little different: Maybe don’t get on that plane, especially if you, like me, are concerned that tourists are ruining the world. My advice has nothing to do with conflict or pestilence. Or…

Sophie Thatcher isn’t in L.A. at the moment — but “Yellowjackets” fans will appreciate the reason. She’s in Vancouver filming the new season of the hit Showtime series, in which Thatcher’s character Natalie was revealed last season as the ringleader of a soccer team marooned deep in a mystical wilderness after their plane crashed on their way to a tournament. “I think this season will be very satisfying for viewers,” Thatcher says. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how…

Truism No. 1: Los Angeles is a patchwork of vast hiking terrain, with about 1 million acres in the L.A. area. The Angeles National Forest alone offers 700,000 acres and 8,000-foot-plus peaks to explore. Truism No. 2: Even the most comprehensive hiking guide can’t possibly incorporate every craggy nook and spindly trail. Which is partly what makes the area so inspiring — there’s a sense of expansive adventure, with still-uncharted territory ahead. We asked Times readers for their favorite hidden or go-to hiking spots that were not included in our recent guide. And in our request, we were reminded of…

When readers shared their favorite Southern California beaches with us, the majority of their recommendations were for beaches that made our recent top 50 list. Picking the best beaches out of the roughly 200 in Southern California was an ambitious task, and it’s gratifying to be in alignment with so many beach lovers. (Keiji Ishida / For The Times) That said, locals recommended other treasured beaches too, some of which we considered but didn’t make the cut. Here you’ll find a sampling of those suggestions in alphabetical order. A few are harder to get to than ones we prioritized in…

• In April, comedian Allan McLeod launched “Walkin’ About,” a podcast in which he and a guest stroll somewhere in the L.A. region.• His walking companions have included actor Dan Stevens, Ed. Begley Jr. and comedian Jon Gabrus. • Through his many adventures on foot, Mcleod has discovered that walking “can be really complex and profound.” It’s hot when Allan McLeod and I meet up for a walk in Old Pasadena, but thankfully we’ve missed the early September heatwave that blanketed L.A. County with triple-digit temps. He’s no stranger to braving our county’s persistent heat. Since he began making his…

No one has ever applauded me for getting out of bed before. But for the last week and a half a tiny, cheery red machine has been rewarding me with a fanfare when I decide to rise. Its digital screen explodes with animations of parade-like confetti, and my first stretch of the morning is greeted with my own personal cheering section. This is life with Nintendo’s Alarmo, a new alarm clock that’s part nostalgic love letter to the worlds of “Super Mario Bros.” and “The Legend of Zelda,” and part modern sleep-tracking device. As someone who has long suffered from…

For Andrew Bird, Sundays hold special meaning. Those were the days when jazz would be etched into his subconscious before sunrise — as a 20-something living in Chicago, he’d doze off to late-night music broadcasts on local radio, listening to greats like Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins. Now, two decades later, Bird’s latest album, “Sunday Morning Put-On” (with Ted Poor on drums and Alan Hampton on bass), pays homage to those early influences. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and…

Los Angeles is brimming with special slices of nature, tucked high in the mountains or along the coast. So when we put together a guide highlighting some of the best first-come, first-serve campsites in the city, we asked readers to share their favorites too. What we received were notes from nature lovers that waxed poetic of wildflowers and wildlife, and expressed a longing to escape the bustle of the city. As one reader put it, camping is “the quintessential escape from the maddening machinations of our urban quotidien.” We rounded up some of our favorite responses below. Reader Jan Rasmussen…

Imagine that your local public library is inhabited by an undiscovered race of tiny people. They’ve hidden themselves in the racks, tucked behind books and magazines, amidst history and fiction, new media and old. If you’re lucky, you might spy them — or at least their tiny homes, which are filled with minuscule beds, microscopic stools, itty-bitty flowers and furniture fashioned out of found objects such as board game pieces and one-use spice bottles. And these little folks need help. You have been cast as a “Teeny Tiny Beings Residential Specialist,” charged with finding the micro-humans new homes. It appears…

Five hundred feet outside the Lahaina burn zone, the tourists receive their leis. As the torches of the Old Lahaina Luau flicker, bartenders mix mai tais and hula dancers get ready. After dinner, dancer and emcee Niki Rickard gathers the performers in a circle and asks the audience for “a moment of silence … to acknowledge all we have lost.” A year after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century, which killed at least 102 people and leveled 2,200 structures, this is what passes for business as usual in West Maui. Though 98% of the island carries no visible signs…

Walt Disney created it. James Cameron will help add to it. The Disneyland Resort in its seventh decade is getting a new area dedicated to a world of fantasy, this one having originated from the mind of filmmaker Cameron. A long-teased “Avatar”-inspired section is coming to Disney California Adventure. The Walt Disney Co. confirmed the plans Saturday night at its D23 fan convention in Anaheim. Concept art shown by Disney revealed a water-focused attraction that Walt Disney Imagineering, the division of the company responsible for theme park design, promised would be “dynamic, intense and an emotional experience on a grand…

AMSTERDAM —  For people who live in particularly picturesque quarters of charming European cities, the words “Instagrammable” or “Tik-Tok famous” can feel like harbingers of doom. Or harbingers, at the very least, of intense annoyance. Across the continent, this has been a summer of visitor-related discontent. The stresses of over-tourism sometimes spur irate displays directed at outsiders — such as attention-grabbing anti-tourist protests in Barcelona last month, with demonstrators wielding water pistols, or hostile graffiti popping up in places like Athens. In some of the more iconic way stations on Europe’s tourist trail — Amsterdam and Santorini, Prague and Bruges, Dubrovnik…

The last time the Dodgers were in the World Series, it was in the thick of the pandemic. So all the games were played at a neutral site in Arlington, Texas, and the capacity was capped at 25% of capacity. The big ‘fit that year was face masks. Which is to say, Dodger fans weren’t able to show out in their usual way, showcasing a blanket of blue-and-white colors for their boys. This time around, they are getting their chance. Dressing for a Dodgers game comes down to a simple formula. You have to make sure you’ve got enough blue.…

AMSTERDAM —  Travel can be exhilarating or awful, and like it or not, we all leave footprints. Of course, some tourists tread more heavily than others, leaving residents swearing, slack-jawed or just shaking their heads. In this busy European travel season, here are some things tourism professionals and local people would like you to know, so you won’t be that tourist: Buy locally made items “Don’t just purchase cheap souvenirs,” said Lony Scharenborg, who manages a merchants’ association for Amsterdam’s Nine Little Streets, a picturesque shopping area in the canal district. “Remember that the people who live here need their bakeries…

“Have you ever pickpocketed?” No, I have not. At Knott’s Berry Farm, it was suggested I give it a try. Thieving, the man gushed, is freeing, and, by its very nature, comes with a reward — or spoils. But I was in the presence of an unreliable narrator, for I was leading “Honest” Cody Sullivan to theme park prison, that is, a single cell in the middle of the Knott’s historic Old West-themed Ghost Town. Sullivan’s recent crime? Stealing a judge’s gavel. I have never worked for a sheriff’s department, either, but at Knott’s annual summertime offering Ghost Town Alive!…

You’re a Yankees fan headed to Los Angeles for the first time. Of course you have questions. After all, you’ve come west from an old, dense, stinky, shrinking, corruption-plagued city while we wait here in a young, sprawling city that’s — well, OK, also stinky, shrinking and plagued by corruption. But we have In-N-Out. And on those winter days when you’re at risk of freezing like an ice sculpture on the sidewalk, we’re standing around in yoga pants and board shorts, pretending we’ve just been surfing. You’re rooting for a fledgling team (founded 1901) whose home is a newfangled ballpark…

The first two surprises, as you roll up Old Highway 80 into this dry and silent Sonoran Desert town, might be the steam and the music. The steam rises from two pools at the recently reborn Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel. The music seeps from a bathhouse ruin where the hotel stages weekend performances. On this night it’s a torch song from long ago, sung by an acoustic duo for a small, rapt, eclectic audience — hipsters in their 30s, retirees in their 70s, desert rats and spa seekers, all sitting under the open sky as night falls on the roofless…

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif.  —  Emily Markstein, a sinewy rock climber and skier who has spent seven years living and working in the Sierra resort town of Mammoth Lakes, opens a large sliding door and welcomes a stranger into her home. One of the gleaming multimillion-dollar mansions nestled among towering pine trees and granite peaks in this exclusive mountain enclave? Not exactly. Markstein, who has a master’s degree in historic preservation and has coached skiing, taught yoga, trimmed trees and waited tables at one of the fanciest restaurants in town, lives in a 2006 GMC van. A rare sign for new…

When Alexander Payne’s wine-drenched dramedy “Sideways” first came out, Santa Ynez Valley didn’t have the luster of Napa or the breadth of the Russian River Valley. It still doesn’t match the touristic draw of either, but the spunky kid sister of the California wine countries has grown up since 2004, when Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church took their fateful stag trip into the region, declaring war on Merlot and driving Pinot Noir sales through the roof. Locals called it the “Sideways effect.” In the years since the film’s release, tourism to the region has exploded, whole towns have been…

An Italian surfer died last week after being impaled by a needlefish in the waters off Masokut Island in Indonesia. Antara, a local news agency, reported that 36-year-old Giulia Manfrini had been surfing at around 9:30 a.m. when the freak accident occurred. For the record: 9:31 p.m. Oct. 22, 2024An earlier version of this article said Manfrini was impaled by a swordfish. She was struck by a needlefish. The fish “jumped toward Manfrini and stuck her right in the chest,” said Lahmudin Siregar, head of the Mentawai Islands Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency. Manfrini was rushed to a local hospital…

A few minutes after the play begins, the actors stop, empty their pockets and repeat their last few lines. And then they do it again. And again. And again. This live approximation of a vinyl record that catches on loop goes on for a few more minutes, the actors getting slightly louder and a tinge more testy as they continue the repetition. They can’t move, they say, as they are “waiting for Godot.” But they are actually waiting for us, the audience, to get out of our seats, walk onstage and start to piece together a puzzle out of the…

Disneyland is set to update one of its oldest rides to correct racist tropes about Indigenous people. Peter Pan’s Flight, one of the original theme park attractions when Disneyland opened in Anaheim in 1955, will update Tiger Lily and her tribe in the ride, which has come under scrutiny for its racist portrayal of Native American characters. An updated Never Land Tribe scene recently was unveiled at the company’s Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and the company said riders can expect to see those revisions at all its locations globally. The company did not provide a timeline. “Imagineers have…

Nothing screams “summer” more than a day spent by the water. And Angelenos have many ways to access it, including a long coastline hugged by the Pacific, plenty of pools and refreshing swimming holes galore. But consider the local lake, an underrated option. Unlike the ocean, the lake is a calm body of water. The only waves that exist there are created by passing boats. You can float in essentially one place without having to be worried about being carried out to sea. And if, like me, you have an irrational fear of sharks, lakes offer a swimming environment with…

TV travel host Rick Steves, who has been guiding Americans through Europe for nearly half a century, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is set to have surgery this fall. “My doctor assures me that, if you’re going to get cancer, this is a good kind to get, and careful scans show no sign of it having spread,” the guidebook author said Wednesday in an X post announcing his diagnosis. There is a clear path forward to getting healthy, and this fall, I’ll be in the hospital for a few days having prostate surgery.” Prostate cancer is the most…

When Jessica Alba reminisces about her Sundays as a child, the first things that come to mind are sleeping in and having Sunday dinner with her tight-knit family. “We would do enchiladas, al pastor or a more elaborate dinner that took more time,” says the Pomona-born actress, adding that one of her fondest memories is making tortillas in the kitchen with her grandmother. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. Over the past…

The house, a French palace on a Santa Barbara bluff, stands as undisturbed as a crime scene, a pair of unstrung harps in the music room, china laid out on the dinner table, waves crashing on East Beach below. This is the mansion that heiress Huguette Clark left behind — well, one of them. For half a century, as Clark (1906-2011) paid an estimated $40,000 per month to keep it unchanged, the coveted estate known as Bellosguardo remained no livelier than the cemetery next door. A tour group waits to enter Santa Barbara’s Bellosguardo Estate. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles…

Just five hours north of Los Angeles sits a national park that should be on your outdoor bucket list. It features a valley carved millions of years ago by glaciers, hulking mountains made of granite and other rock, countless waterfalls, massive ancient trees and a cool, clear river. I know what you’re thinking: “That sounds like Yosemite.” Even better. It’s like Yosemite but way more chill. Kings Canyon National Park will give you the majestic outdoors respite you’re dreaming of without all the busy trails, swarming crowds and traffic jams at the park entrance gate that come with the Hollywood…

For Julie Bowen, mom of three teenage boys, a perfect Sunday would include plenty of “me time.” “My whole family calls laundry and dishes my ‘hobbies,’” she said. “No, no, my hobbies are reading, going to museums, hiking and playing pickleball. Those are my hobbies. They’re like, ‘No, it’s not. It’s laundry and dishes, Julie.’” In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. Bowen, who won two Emmys for her performance in the beloved…

As the Latin trap anthem “Singamo” rings over the speakers at the Echo in Echo Park, more than 50 people sing along and twerk onstage. Dina Ben-Nissan and Courtney Hollinquest take turns spinning tracks by artists from around the globe while images of flags from countries such as Puerto Rico, Brazil and Mexico rotate on a projection screen behind them. Off on the side of the stage, La Goony Chonga, a Cuban American rapper and singer from Miami, snaps selfies with fans. This is what it’s like to attend ¡BAILE!, a world music dance party that’s been taking place in…

Rolly Crump had an outsized reputation. A rebel in the Disney fold. A beatnik. An unapologetic tell-it-like-it-is you-know-what. Crump, who died last year at the age of 93, also forever changed the look of Disneyland. His art can be found in the Enchanted Tiki Room and, along with close friend and fellow artist Mary Blair, throughout It’s a Small World. Crump’s style possessed a larger-than-life whimsy and circus-like loudness, and it caught the eye of Walt Disney, who plucked Crump from animation and one day assigned him what would become arguably the most recognizable clock in Southern California. The timepiece…

It was 1996, and while traveling through the Lost Coast in far northern California, my boyfriend and I were camping without a tent on the beach. We’d been to Yosemite and some other places, but we’d just gotten there. We took this road that goes up and through the Lost Coast area. We finally get to Shelter Cove, and the black sand is just awesome. The redwoods come straight down to the water. Between a Rock is a Los Angeles Times series that shares survival stories from the California wilderness. We saw the signs warning about cougars, but, for some…

Approaching Laguna Beach on the hike from Newport Beach to San Clemente. (Tom Courtney) This charming stroll will transport you back to the 1930s, through popular Laguna Beach, with its throngs of tourists and stylish art galleries, to Dana Point, where fishing tourism is big business, and finally San Clemente, equally known for its regal Spanish architecture and surf spots. As you amble past the rocky shores, you’ll glimpse seabirds, crabs, lobsters and seals. Here you can swim some of the finest beaches Orange County has to offer, so pack your bikini and swim trunks. One of the best parts…

Any Dodgers fan visiting New York is bound to have questions. Why is the Statue of Liberty calling for a right-handed relief pitcher? Why does the wait for trains along the High Line seem like forever? Can I trust these tacos? When the game is over, are we going to hear Randy Newman? We have no answers. But we do have this travel advisory for any Dodgers fan considering a quick trip east. Broadway: This is the Manhattan street where the Mets had a grand ticker-tape parade after winning the 1969 World Series in Shea Stadium. Soon after, ticker tape,…

DIXON, Calif. —  Deep inside one of the world’s largest corn mazes, where the tri-tip sandwiches and soft-serve ice cream purchased at the concession stand have become but a memory and all that can be seen in any direction are dirt paths and dead-end walls of green plants whispering in the breeze, people tend to reveal themselves. From humble beginnings with a not-very-impressive pumpkin patch two decades ago, a farming family in this Solano County town decided to move into the corn maze game, hoping to have some seasonal fun and earn a little extra cash. And then, fueled by corny…

Tourists view a variety of locations during the Sony Studios lot tour, with Tony Tasset’s 94-foot, 2012-constructed rainbow that references “The Wizard of Oz” in the distance. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) Best for: Game show devotees and a vision of Oz The Times first wrote about a tour of the famed MGM Studios lot in the late ’60s. Times, culture and ownership have changed, and the now Sony Pictures Studio Tour no longer, for instance, provides a look at Esther Williams’ private swimming pool. Today, it begins with a re-creation of the “Seinfeld” set and props from the “Men…

When NFL Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez was growing up in Torrance, he remembers spending Sundays watching the Los Angeles Raiders on television. After all, “They had Bo Jackson,” Gonzalez says of the famous running back. (The Rams, led by quarterback Jim Everett, were a close second.) Like Jackson, the 48-year-old grew up to be a multisport athlete. Gonzalez played basketball and football at Huntington Beach High School and UC Berkeley and had 17 seasons in the NFL as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons. He may have retired from playing football, but…

Carlos Leon found himself in a depressed state — a personal relationship was stalling and his career seemed directionless. What he craved was an escape, one inspired by the fantasy worlds he devoured as a child and continued to consume into adulthood. Think those inspired by “The Lord of the Rings” and Dungeons & Dragons, fantastical spaces filled with wizardry, wild creatures and, most of all, tales of adventure. Lacking any real-life dragons to slay, Leon began attacking metaphorical demons by disappearing into these imagined universes. He found comfort, at last, by transforming his apartment bedroom into a Medieval bar…

As members of Disney’s exclusive Club 33, Scott and Diana Anderson visited the two Anaheim theme parks 60 to 80 times a year. The private club, with its wood-paneled trophy room and other amenities, was the center of their social life. They brought friends, acquaintances and business associates. As a couple, they went on the Haunted Mansion ride nearly 1,000 times. For the record: 5:08 p.m. Sept. 4, 2024A previous version of this article referred to Disneyland’s Haunted House ride. It is the Haunted Mansion ride. The club’s yearly dues were $31,500, and with travel and hotel expenses, the Arizona…

The conceit: Players are tasked with tracking down a rogue spy. But perhaps they’re the ones being tracked. I’m standing in a Little Tokyo courtyard, and I receive a text message from a stranger. I’m being watched, they tell me. And then they offer an observation, specifically that I’m “acting a little weird.” I look around, surveying the behavior of everyone around me on a busy Sunday afternoon. Diners waiting for a seat at a revolving sushi restaurant, shoppers in line for Hello Kitty merch, a couple enjoying a pastry on the foot of a stage, a young man drawing…

Yosemite National Park’s historic Wawona Hotel is closing, and park officials are not saying when it will reopen. The hotel’s workers are being reassigned elsewhere. One of the last times this Victorian-era hotel closed in Yosemite National Park, the raging flames from the 2022 Washburn fire had encroached and encircled the institution. The hotel, which has the same name as the neighborhood in which it resides, was closed for two weeks that July, reopening that same month when the fires were extinguished and smoke and ash cleared. Unlike that quick turnaround, the hotel’s next closing may not be so brief.…