Getting to know L.A. the online way


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Last August, I was packing my bags in preparation to start at USC when I realized that I really did not know Los Angeles. I had been visiting family in Southern California for years, but I really didn’t know what it was like to live in the city. I was coming from the suburbs of […]

Culinistas take the stress out of cooking


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What if you could come home to your dorm room or apartment and enjoy a hot plate of Thai coconut curry or chicken parmesan all without having to cook or defrost? The Dish’s Dish, a chef service new to Los Angeles, offers both working adults and students a way to enjoy any food they want […]

Reissues capitalize on existing fan bases


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Twice a year, I pay a visit to the affectionately christened Elliott Smith Memorial Wall. Located on Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake, the wall — which to most simply stands as the exterior of Solutions, an electronic store — has become a sacred site for nostalgic Smith fans since the singer-songwriter’s untimely death in 2003. […]

Londoners ring in Year of the Tiger with food and fireworks


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On the eve of London’s Chinese New Year celebration, Trafalgar Square stood empty. Standing at the top steps of the National Gallery, I relished this rarity, knowing full well that by noon the next day, every inch of the concrete-covered Downtown space — which is around the same size as Los Angeles’ Pershing Square — […]

Websites remove the need for real life


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It seems like every time you go online there’s a new website advertising the next must-have service. Some are aimed at niche interests, while others try to revolutionize the way everyday needs are met. The other day I came across such a website, Twitpay.me. Advertising “payments in 140 characters or less,” Twitpay.me is a Twitter […]

Figure skater Weir evokes lost era of glam


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When American figure skater Johnny Weir glides onto the ice, people discuss more than his triple axel. Yes, it’s not easy to ignore his outlandish costumes and rocky relationship with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals because of his very public love of fur. But larger and louder than both of those is the […]

Start diva-dieting with muffin tops


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Tear open a Nabisco 100-calorie pack, and you get five little crisps that resemble the conveyor belt castoffs of Oreos or Chips Ahoy. Nabisco’s new slogan is “Diet Like a Diva,” and it bears some truth. Chances are you will feel so dissatisfied with these Oreo wafers that you’ll storm off to find a pack […]

Tourists and locals go wild at Carnevale


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Our motto was “No man left behind,” but in an ocean of people packed like the Tokyo subway during rush hour, these efforts almost proved futile. Linking arms with my traveling companions, I attempted to squeeze through the crowds in Venice, Italy’s St. Mark’s Square. The people have gathered here for the Carnevale di Venezia […]

Scorsese directs, DiCaprio shines


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Martin Scorsese has been behind the development of no small number of great actors. For instance, if it weren’t for him, Robert De Niro would not be the actor he is today. And, as the director’s new film Shutter Island will confirm, if not for Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio wouldn’t be one of the best actors […]