Jaunted - ca

Leapin' Lizards! Cali Man Busted Smuggling Aussie Reptiles in Money Belt

Victor Ozols — 2009-11-21T12:21:07-05:00

Things travelers should put in a money belt: Passport, tickets, cash, emergency contact information. Things travelers should not put in a money belt: lizards. It may seem rather obvious to most readers of this blog, but there's one guy in California who somehow never picked up this basic tenet of travel wisdom. As the LA Times points out, 40-year-old Michael Plank was arrested by U.S. Customs agents at Los Angeles International Airport this week when he was found to have 15 lizards stuffed in a money belt. Plank was on his way back from Australia and apparently decided to bring 11 skinks, two monitor lizards, and two geckos with him to his LA home, where they'd be worth around $8,500.

Run, Don't Walk to See David Lynch's Painting Exhibit in LA

Heidi Atwal — 2009-11-20T16:29:30-05:00

Los Angeles' reigning auteur of "weird," director David Lynch, doesn't limit his mode of creative expression to the screen. Though better known for helming films such as Mulholland Drive and hawking the benefits of transcendental meditation on college campuses, the fabulously-coiffed Lynch actually began his career as an artist. In 2007, a major retrospective of Lynch's multimedia art was featured at Paris' Fondation Cartier, and earlier this year, a selection of his photographs were on display at L.A.'s Michael Kohn Gallery.

We deemed the latter exhibition, a visual offshoot of the Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse album Dark Night of the Soul, a mediocre representation of Lynch's creative bounds. We've yet to see his paintings in person, but as dedicated Lynch-o-philes we'll be rushing off to see his first L.A. painting show in a decade at Santa Monica's Griffin Gallery.

One Year Later, 'Slumdog Millionaire' Stars Jetsetting Couple

egw — 2009-11-20T10:29:30-05:00

Last year, audiences around the world watched as Jamal and Latika (spoiler alert!) reunited for a Bollywood-style dance on a Mumbai train platform. Now Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, the stars of Best Picture Winner "Slumdog Millionaire," are a jet-setting couple chasing their next big projects all over the globe.

The young actors, British and Indian by birth respectively, were spotted recently at LAX after a romantic lunch at La Conversation Cafe in Los Angeles. Pinto recently finished filming her role as the title character in "Miral," a drama about adoption shot in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel with Best Director nominee Julian Schnabel. Now, she's filming Woody Allen's new movie "You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger" in London with Naomi Watts and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Football Rivalry Travel: The Bruins And Trojans Head To The Coliseum

kjb — 2009-11-20T09:39:30-05:00

The weather is getting cooler, and college football is going strong. Here’s the scoop on just one of the country’s best rivalries to help your sports travel planning.

· Rivalry Match-Up: UCLA at USC on November 28.
These two teams have been playing since you great grandparents were in college, so there has been plenty of bad blood over the years to get the rivalry going. Students see each other around town since both schools are located in Los Angeles, so the constant trash talking isn’t just between the schools’ coaches. Yes, they too love to mouth off at one another whenever they get the chance. USC leads the all time series and will probably bring home the win this year. However, if UCLA can pull out a win, the Victory Bell will be sporting Bruin blue for the holiday season.

Stadium Info and tips on where to sleep and party, after the jump.

San Diego's December Nights Spread Holiday Cheer Under The Palm Trees

Jennifer Kester — 2009-11-19T16:09:30-05:00

It's hard to feel the holiday vibe in San Diego when the temps hover at 80 degrees and the only trees you see are of the palm variety. But when traditional events like the Balboa Park's 32nd annual December Nights roll around, it starts to feel a lot like Christmas.

San Diego's kick-off to the season will take place December 4 from 5 to 10 p.m. and December 5 from noon to 10 p.m. in Balboa Park. More than 300,000 revelers are expected to attend December Nights, the largest free community festival in the city. Start off the festivities at the International Christmas Festival at the House of Pacific Relations Cottages. There you can get eats from all around the globe like Polish kielbasa, Panamanian fried plantains and Filipino lumpia, a yummy kind of egg roll. But wait, there's so much more...

Can You Guess The Stylish Flight Attendants?

juliana — 2009-11-19T15:34:30-05:00

Yesterday we were participating in some research at Los Angeles International Airport around the baggage claim at Terminal 4 which aside from being home to domestic airlines like American, is also a part of the airport's international terminal.

While we were there, three young ladies in stylish khacki trench coats with adorable little bows in their perfectly coiffed buns caught our attention. We've seen these international flight attendant uniforms before but we were never quite sure what airline they worked for. We now know the answer but do you? Hint: The answer lies in the hair bows.

Do you know the airline that puts their flight attendants in such pretty outfits with cute hair decorations? Put your guesses in comments below. We'll reveal the answer tomorrow.

Off Rodeo Drive: Our Guide to Shopping LA's West Third Street

Heidi Atwal — 2009-11-18T14:28:06-05:00

In this installment of Off Rodeo Drive, we're calling attention to a Los Angeles shopping destination that some would say looks like a shadow of its former self. Driving down West Third Street just past The Grove, you'll notice many more empty, stripped-down storefronts than there were just a year ago. Contemporary favorites like Built By Wendy and Pixie Market—both New York transplants—have shut down, along with a beloved cookbook store whose departure locals mourned.

Yet, West Third Street remains one of our very favorite places to shop in the city. Stores that have stuck around have earned their loyal clientele, customers which include oft-photographed celebrities ducking into Joan's On Third or Toast for a post-shopping lunch. So, without further ado, here are five stores to hit in the area for a quality retail fix—after the jump.