TRAVEL: A “Greetings from San Diego” photo tour, letter by letter
Those who don’t really know California might get the idea that our state has two main cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and that’s where most of the action is. Los Angeles, birthplace of the movies and the media capital of the world, and San Francisco, home to Cable Cars, the Golden Gate Bridge and […]
Huge crowd gathered to watch sun set in-between Manhattan Beach’s Light Gate
Over 200 people came out Friday night to watch the sun set directly within the Light Gate art project at the Manhattan Beach Library on 14th street. “I’ve been coming here for years, and this is by far the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen for this,” said Tracy Windes, a member of the Manhattan Beach […]
Hermosan wants owls to not be disturbed by city
Hermosa Beach resident Izumi Brandvold has been back and forth with the city of Hermosa Beach for months about trimming trees in front of her home. The city wants the leaves cut back, but she doesn’t and she had a good reason. A nesting pair of barn owls owls live peaceably in the tree, and […]
Photo project: take a new look at the Beach Cities with your camera eye
You could spend thousands of dollars to visit Europe and explore other worlds. Or you could do something way cheaper and very novel this weekend: take a “photo-cation” like visit to your hometown, going to places that have been ignored by you, as you lead your busy life. Think Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo. Open your camera […]
Travel: The winter magic of Palm Desert
“Wilderness. The word itself is music.” ― Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire Winter in the California desert is the best time to leave the South Bay bubble and visit. Warm weather, the colors, wide open spaces, blooming flowers, snow-capped mountains—does it get any better than this? Palm Springs is the poster child for the California desert, […]
Closed Pier, flooded Polliwog, huge waves: Manhattan Beach in-between rain
The South Bay caught a break Thursday afternoon when the huge California rainstorm of 2023 stopped briefly and opened up to sunshine. The rainfall brought massive waves to area beaches, and a flooded Polliwog Park, with picnic areas covered in overflow water. Both the Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach Piers closed early Thursday. The Manhattan […]
10 Great Smartphone Pro Photography Tips for the New Year
We all know how to click the shutter button on our phones and get a basic shot. But how to take it to the next level? As the host of the YouTube PhotowalksTV series, I get asked the question all the time, and with a new year ahead of us, what a great time to […]
Travel: PhotowalksTV Best of 2022
We went to lots of fabulous places in 2022 for PhotowalksTV, my streaming travel photography series that’s seen on YouTube, Tubi and the Roku Channel. Photo moments, of course, stand out, but equally special are some of the cool people I met on the road. The joy of traveling and making videos is meeting fascinating […]
Hanukkah: How to make Latkes
By Ruth Stroud I won’t say I’m a world expert on latke making, but, as I’ve probably made more than 1,000 of them in the past decade for parties, to give away, or just for noshing, I do have some experience in turning this fairly simple mixture of grated potato, onion, egg and flour into […]
TRAVEL: Visiting France’s most underrated city, Vieux Lyon
Lyon, France isn’t usually a must stop for those who visit Paris, and then perhaps venture out to Cannes, Versailles and the Provence area as well. But it should be. Lyon, a two hour train ride from Paris and nearby the Alps and Swiss border, ranks as the third largest city in France (after Paris […]
Highlights from Manhattan Beach Fireworks show
Hundreds of people came to Manhattan Beach Sunday night for the annualManhattan Beach Holiday Fireworks show, sponsored each year by Skechers and produced by Pete Moffett Here’s a short video of the awesome finale.
TRAVEL: Paris’s most walkable & photogenic neighborhoods
The city of Paris is broken up into 20 districts, or arrondissements, as they’re known. Ask someone to meet and they might mention a cafe “in the 11th,” or a park in the “19th.” They can be a little hard to follow. The 1st district is in-between the 7th and 8th, while 4 borders 5 and 12. […]
TRAVEL: Photographing Paris
Look up any list of the most photographed cities in the world, and Paris is in the top 3, usually along with New York and London. And for good reason: every street (or Rue, as they are called there) is a work of art. The Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and all those buildings […]
Photos with Surfing Santa, toys for Beach Cities Toy Drive
Surfing Santa and his South Bay Boardrider Elves will pose for photos with families, and collect toys for the Beach Cities Toy Drive on Sunday, December 11, from 9 a.m. ’til noon, at 22nd Street in Hermosa Beach. Then, from noon to one, Santa will surf with families. Bagels, coffee and donuts will be served. […]
What to do in Los Angeles?
If you have friends or relatives coming to town to visit the City of Angels at some point, some opinionated guidance for all of you. The video above will show you all the expected sights, (minus theme parks!) from Hollywood and Beverly Hills, the beaches and the downtown wonders like Walt Disney Concert Hall and Union Station. But let me add […]
Owner of Simmzy’s and MB Post named named “Best of Manhattan”
Simms Restaurants, which owns several popular eateries in Manhattan Beach, including Arthur J’s, Fishing with Dynamite, Tin Roof Bistro, MB Post and Simmzy’s, won the “Best of Manhattan” award from the Chamber of Commerce at the organization’s annual 2022 gala. The top three finalists in each category were nominated by the public and the finalist […]