Jaunted

Tags: Train Travel / California / California Travel / Napa Valley Travel / Thanksgiving Travel / Thanksgiving Alternatives / Wine Travel / Wine Country / → All Tags

Gourmet On A Train: Ditch Cooking For A Napa Wine Dinner

There is a certain romantic allure to train travel—just ask fictional sweethearts Jesse and Céline of Before Sunrise. But Stateside, unfortunately, the mode of transport isn't as common as it is in other parts of the world. While you continue to dream about hopping aboard a Darjeeling Railway car, we're happy to report that a smaller-scale train trek can be had in California, even if it is less grand than journeying across exotic international ground.

The Napa Valley Wine Train is a refined alternative to unofficial "drunk buses" tourists often book to stay safe while sipping wine flights throughout the day. Equally drinker-friendly, and much more respectable, the train is holding a special Thanksgiving dinner aboard its Gourmet and Vista Dome cars for $104 and $139, respectively. Sadly, lunch tickets have already sold out.

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Tags: Airport Restaurants / Airport Food / LAX / Pinkberry / Airport News / Airports / → All Tags

Load Up on Pinkberry Before Your Southwest Flight

It was only a matter of time before the faux fro-yo craze that is Pinkberry would hit the airports and we were oh so privileged to see it in action last night at LAX's Terminal 1, known to locals as The Southwest Terminal (although US Airways does have some presence here.)

Wedged in between a Starbucks, a California Pizza Kitchen ASAP and a Gordon Biesch brewery, the Pinkberry seemed to hold its own. We saw many a customer in our 45-minute wait in this airport fast food haven that solely came in to get some Pinkberry.

The bonus? You can also get Pinkberry as soon as you deplane as the location is right before the escalators down to the baggage claim.

Related Stories:
· Pinkberry Coverage [Jaunted]
· An Injection of Frozen Yogurt for Terminal 1 at LAX [Jaunted]

Tags: Cirque du Soleil / Circus / Santa Monica Pier / Santa Monica Travel / → All Tags

Koozin' It Up In Santa Monica: The Kooza Cirque Du Soleil Show

While VegasChatter is all a-tizzy about the new Viva Elvis Cirque du Soleil show that is set to hit The Strip next month, the folks in Los Angeles are getting a chance to experience Kooza in their own backyard at the Santa Monica Pier.

Kooza is the story of a little boy who's trying to find his place in the world. Called The Innocent, he's guided by The Trickster who shows him all sorts of things in the world of Kooza from a bumbling king and his clown sycophants to a loudmouth pickpocket, pretty female contortionists, jugglers, dancers, tightrope walkers (and cyclists) and tumblers extraordinaire.

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Tags: Shopping Travel / Neighborhood To Know And Go / Los Angeles / Los Angeles Travel / → All Tags

Off Rodeo Drive: Our Top Picks For Shopping Larchmont Boulevard

Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills is one of the world's most trafficked shopping streets, with the allure of Chanel, Dior, Vuitton, and other luxury retailers attracting shoppers with padded wallets or those just wanting a taste of over-the-top glamour. The first time you do Rodeo, it's all good fun, but the novelty quickly wears off after you realize a few things: a) there are way too many picture-happy tourists milling around, b) its clientele and shopkeepers sometimes live up to the snobbery seen in Pretty Woman, and c) dropping $3,000 on the latest "It" bag may not be feasible.

But you've come to Los Angeles to shop, and shop you will with our guide to what's off Rodeo Drive. There is no shortage of consumer fodder in the city, from West Third Street to Silverlake, and we'll introduce you to what these different neighborhoods have to offer, starting with a nondescript street just east of West Hollywood: Larchmont Boulevard.

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Tags: Los Angeles Travel / Television Travel / Chelsea Handler / Los Angeles / How To Get Tickets To / → All Tags

How To Score Tickets To Chelsea Lately

E!'s Chelsea Handler is a boisterous blonde with a dirty mouth, a cutting sense of humor, and a history of deviant activity on the Oxygen show Girls Behaving Badly. These days, she's known for dishing on topics ranging from sex to ridiculous reality television in her books, standup routines, and her late night television show Chelsea Lately. Conan and Dave aren't the only ones ruling TV after hours, with Chelsea having gained a following for being brash, honest, and one of those non-parelil females that refuses to be prim and proper.

If you're a fan from the Los Angeles area or will be visiting soon, requesting tickets to Chelsea Lately is slightly less annoying than the process we've experienced with other late night shows. The reason is simple: you'll know right away whether you've landed a coveted bunch of passes (up to four in one party) rather than being thrown into a lottery pool where nothing is guaranteed. Obsessive planners should appreciate this.

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Tags: Museum Travel / Comic Book Travel / Literary Travel / Los Angeles / Los Angeles Travel / Museums / → All Tags

Deepak Chopra Does Comics? See The Battle For Good And Evil At LACMA

Spider-Man, Batman, and the X-Men are just a few of the superheroes who've earned a respected place in the comic book canon. Dedicated collectors know about mainstream bionic men and woman, and maybe a few underground characters as well, but a new exhibit at Los Angeles' LACMA introduces the public to the transportive world of Indian comics.

Being generally familiar with stories from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana, our interest in modern renderings of ancient gods and goddesses, and the interpretation of said stories, is what drew us to the exhibit. Heroes and Villains: The Battle for Good in India's Comics runs through February 7th of next year, and is a compact representation of cultural comic book art and well-preserved folios from hundreds of years ago.

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Tags: San Francisco Travel / Museum Travel / Museums / San Francisco / → All Tags

San Fran's Next Museum May Feature a Fire-Shooting Tree

Only in San Francisco would a house with a tree that shoots fire be considered a future museum site. That is, if saw player extraordinaire and former hotelier Bob Pritikin has his way. According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, Pritikin, who often throws lavish fundraisers at his residence—sort of an adult's fun house with kitschy memorabilia strewn throughout—is hoping to "pay the bills, make a nice contribution to the community and have some daytime visitors" by transforming his mansion into a museum. He originally suggested the less-than-humble "Only in San Francisco" name for the prospective museum site, though his hopes were dashed after learning that the city's Convention & Visitors Bureau already owns said URL.

The visiting groups would be relatively small, limited to 20 people per day, six days a week, says the Chronicle. Pritikin's idea, if realized, would place his home in the esteemed, eccentric company of one of the Bay Area's other homes-turned-tourist attractions, the Winchester Mystery House. This isn't Pritikin's first hubris-driven campaign on behalf of his home, having previously lobbied for it to have it turned into San Francisco's mayoral residence in 2004. That plan predictably never took off, and handsome politico Gavin Newsom is dwelling elsewhere these days.

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Tags: Bridges / San Francisco Travel / San Francisco / Oakland / Oakland Travel / Public Transportation / Accidents / → All Tags

When Bridges Attack: SF's Bay Bridge Closes Indefinitely

Where you perhaps planning on driving over to Oakland from San Francisco to check out why we named Oakland as one of the Five Cities With A Bad Rap worth visiting? It's too bad you'll be cut off from the goodness for who knows how long, after steel cables snapped last night, hitting three cars on the roadway below and stopping up traffic for over two hours.

There were no injuries when the bridge cracked its metal whip, but repairs and general safety issues will keep the region's busiest bridge shut down at least through tonight. Granted, the pieces that snapped were themselves an emergency repair made over Labor Day weekend, but now we're generally worried about bridge fatigue; perhaps we should be putting pennies into boxes for "Save The Steel Bridges" instead of Ronald McDonald House?

Public transporation options, after the jump.

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Tags: Halloween Travel / Parties / Los Angeles Travel / Food Trucks / → All Tags

Dance, Drink, and Don a Disguise at LA's Biggest Masquerade Ball

The bands and DJs performing at KCRW's Halloween Masquerade party in Los Angeles have absolutely nothing in common with the Andrew Lloyd Webber song of the same name. If you're a Southern California resident or avid follower of independent music, then you're probably familiar with KCRW, one of the area's most tuned-into radio stations. The station's DJs, all of whom share a similar baritone rumble to their voices, are known for helping dictate the swing of the local music scene and attracting listeners to live shows en masse.

Halloween night's Masquerade extravaganza is sure to be no exception. If featured performers like Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and DJ Shadow don't ring a bell, then it's time to switch over from KISS FM to find out what all the fuss is about. They'll be on hand to entertain the gussied and ghouled-up crowd, along with Sea Wolf, Little Dragon, and all of your favorite KCRW DJs. Finally, a way to put a face to the personality spinning tribal dubstep you hear late at night.

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Tags: Twilight Travel / Celeb Travel / Mall Travel / → All Tags

The 'New Moon' Cast Is Coming To A Mall Near You

Last year's "Twilight" mall tour at the Hollywood and Highland complex in Hollywood, Calif.

Twihards are going to have the opportunity to see the New Moon cast at their local mall this fall. Summit is sending the Twilight kids on a 15 city tour to promote the next installment of the saga. At each stop along the tour there will be a Q & A with "select" Twilight cast members, prizes and other surprises. Some of the events will also feature performances from bands on the New Moon soundtrack.

Summit is also giving some fans VIP credentials to special events with the cast. To get one of the coveted VIP wristbands, you have to be at the Hot Topic store in a participating mall by 8 a.m. on October 31. VIP credentials will be given to anyone who buys one of the store's limited edition New Moon Tour t-shirts while supplies last. Select Nordstrom stores will also be giving out passes for special New Moon events at participating malls on October 31. For more information visit, nordstrom.com/newmoon.

The tour kicks off at L.A.'s Hollywood & Highland Center on Friday, November 6. Death Cab for Cutie, Sea Wolf and Anya Marina will also be on hand performing songs from the New Moon soundtrack. We actually (totally randomly!) hit up last year's Twilight Mall Tour at the Hollywood & Highland and it was pure chaos. Even scarier, the mania for Twilight last year wasn't as bad as it is this year. So be prepared before you go for angry, emo, vampire-loving teens. Also, R-Patz and Kristen Stewart were not in attendance at many of these mall events.

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Tags: Drug Travel / Drugs / SFO / Marijuana / → All Tags

San Fran Lets Medical Marijuana Take To Its Skies

Thanks to the TSA, travelers have all kinds of hoops to jump through when it’s finally time to catch your flight. Everyone knows there’s some math formula with the number three and something about one ounce when it comes to the rules regarding liquids and plastic baggies. Well if you have something else that weighs an ounce and comes in a plastic bag you won’t have to do much to get through security. Medical marijuana patients can now pass through the San Francisco International Airport and other Bay Area airports without any issues, or so they say.

As long as you have the proper paperwork you can carry up to eight ounces of marijuana with you. That’s the city’s policy, and it’s up to city police to make the final ruling. The TSA kind of has no authority over the issue, but if we had some healing hooch we’d still probably be a little discrete when going through airport security. The US Department of Justice pretty much told US attorneys to not bother passengers when they are just following the state’s rules and regulations.

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Tags: Brunch / Celeb Travel / Los Angeles Travel / Food Travel / Larchmont Boulevard / → All Tags

Red Velvet Pancakes and More at LA's Larchmont Bungalow

Red Velvet Pancakes at the newly opened Larchmont Bungalow.

The scene on Los Angeles' Larchmont Boulevard yesterday morning was a zoo, literally. The Annual Street Fair brought out families in droves, with a petting zoo, pony ride station, rock climbing wall, and other carnival-esque activities to regale locals and their overstimulated, hopped-up on cotton candy kids.

Larchmont is a quaint pocket of LA, "neighborhood-y" in the best possible way. This is the street where everyone really does know your name, lined with a mixture of small, independently-owned boutiques and restaurants and a few chains, too. The requisite Pinkberry and Coffee Bean are alive and kicking, rest assured. This weekend, a new restaurant called the Larchmont Bungalow joined the street's business brood, and we decided to duck past the sponge throwing station to sample their brunch menu.

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