Southern California Guide

by Valerie Summers Final Interview, now playing at the intimate Pico Playhouse, is by far the best drama I have seen in a very long time.   Featuring two main characters, a big shot head of a large company and an interviewee, an apparently bumbling, insecure guy who is not making a very good impression. […]

by Valerie Summers Now, more than ever, this beautifully organized exhibition tells the story of one of the most creative artists of our time…the unique Jim Henson.  He took puppetry to a whole new level with his creations which not only made us laugh but sent a strong message about differences and getting along…most appropriate  […]

Josh Grisetti and Rob McClure with the cast of Something Rotten! Photo: Jeremy Daniel by Valerie Summers In all my years of attending theatrical productions, last night, at the opening of Something Rotten! at the Ahmanson Theatre, I witnessed a first…a standing ovation in the midst of the performance.  Multi-award winning brothers Karey Kirkpatrick and […]

by G. Rockmael Situated in the beating life force heart of technology in Southern California that has been affectionately dubbed “Silicon Beach,” PetSpace is a pet adoption, rehabilitation and general resource center. PetSpace is an extraordinary concept, the likes of which has been unavailable until the vision and financial resources of philanthropist Wallis Annenberg made […]

by Valerie Summers Brilliant and multi-talented Hershey Felder, a unique presence in the entertainment world,  has outdone himself with the  Los Angeles premiere of Our Great Tchaikovsky which recently opened at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. Written and performed by Felder, this one-man show presents a time-bending tale of […]

by Valerie Summers On a beautiful summer morning I arrived at the gate to Lotusland, a 37-acre botanic garden situated in the residential neighborhood of Montecito, just south of Santa Barbara. I had heard tales about its creator, Polish born opera singer, socialite and collector of several husbands, Madame Ganna Walska, a woman who lived […]

by Valerie Summers     The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has always been on my list of must see places each time I visit the city.   When I learned it would be closed for renovation I could not have imagined the scope of its new home which recently reopened.  I returned to the […]

By Valerie Summers More than 20 years ago, I traveled the Silk Road across China.  I was stunned by the many exotic sights but the one that captured my heart was my visit to the Mogao cave temples, Buddhist Art on China’s Silk Road…unforgettable. Situated near the town of Dunhuang at the edge of the […]

by Valerie Summers Dr. Andrew Weil, long known as an advocate for a healthy lifestyle has added Vionic footwear products to his ever growing list for keeping fit.  A new technology helps align the feet from the ground up by helping to hug your arches and support your natural footprint. This orthotic technology often helps […]

Story & Photos by Valerie Summers I hoped that rerouting my trip to Washington DC through Philadelphia to make a single stop was going to be worth the inconvenience.  Having heard and read about the much heralded Barnes Museum and its unique beginnings, I decided to investigate for myself.  Upon my arrival, as I approached […]

by Valerie Summers When I overheard someone in the beautiful Los Angeles international Emirates airport lounge say that one of the best parts of their previous trip to Dubai was the flight, I found it hard to believe. However, from the moment I boarded the Emirates A380 airbus, my experience did turn out to be […]

by Valerie Summers It’s a one man show, written and performed by Brad Zimmerman at the Scherr Forum Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. For an evening of laugh out loud good clean comedy, My Son the Waiter, A Jewish Tragedy can’t be beaten.  With the only staging, a simple table covered with […]

by Valerie Summers U.S. Highway Route 66 is both a physical road and a romantic notion much of which is both confirmed and dispelled in the current do not miss exhibition at the Autry National Center of the American West. This is not a “fluff” presentation as portrayed in TV shows of days gone by […]

by Valerie Summers Having recently briefly visited the newly transformed Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX, I had the good fortune to return for a closer look.  The  stunning 150,000 square foot Great Hall creates an impressive send off to passengers traveling abroad.  It’s a shoppers paradise with world class shopping at the mega duty […]