Monthly Archives: April 2012

Downton Abbey – LA Style

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My favorite TV show, Downton Abbey, takes place in the English countryside at the beginning of the 1910s and evolves around the lives of an aristocratic family and their servants in the magnificent setting of the Highclere castle. The abundance of characters belonging to these two opposite classes, offers juicy story lines and intrigues that are just irresistible. The costumes, the mannerism and the events throughout the episodes are so grand and fascinating that one develops a real dependency to the show. With the second season over in February and the third one not beginning until the Fall, the wait is almost unbearable!! What’s going to happen next?* Will Lady Mary and Matthew finally wed? Will Lady Edith find love and fulfillment? What about Lady Sybil? Will she ever come back? Will Mr Bates finally enjoy some peace? Will Thomas change and become a nicer human being? LOL….Although I have affection for most of the characters, my favorite one is the witty Dowager Countess Grantham played by the amazing Maggie Smith.

There are a few places here in LA that remind me of the magic of Downton Abbey but probably the one that best captures the spirit and esthetics of this period drama is the Huntington Library and Gardens. The Huntington has that dreamy quality that transports back in time and makes you feel you’re either in Italy or France, it is hard to believe this place is only a few miles east of Los Angeles, in the elegant city of San Marino.
Henry Huntington, a railroad and transportation magnate, purchased the land in 1903 with the intention of using it as a ranch. When he retired, he decided to devote his time to his book and art collections and the landscaping of the ranch. The property covers 207 acres, of which approximately 120 are landscaped. More than 14,000 different varieties of plants are showcased in more than a dozen principal garden areas (my favorite are the Rose, the Cactus, the Japanese and Chinese gardens.)
The Huntington Art Collections reside in two buildings on the Huntington estate: The Huntington Art Gallery, and the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art. The Huntington Art Gallery is housed inside Huntington’s original mansion and includes the most distinguished collections of 18th- and 19th-century British paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts outside London, including Thomas Gainsborough’s Blue Boy and Thomas Lawrence’s Pinkie (Sarah Barrett Moulton.) There is also a collection of 18th-century French sculpture, tapestries, porcelain, and furniture. Every time I walk in there I’m breathless!! This place is certainly fit for a duchess! ;)

To complete the Downton Abbey experience, you need to have a tea party at the Rose Garden Tea Room; it’s so delicious!!! There are all sorts of scones, pastries, little cucumber and egg sandwiches and a vast assortment of teas. It’s the perfect place to raise your pinkie and be sassy Lady Grantham style!

*Spoiler alert!! If you haven’t watched DA, yet, but you’re planning to, don’t read any further.

My Coachellas

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It’s that time of the year again when festivals start kicking off the celebration of music, arts and overall fun. The biggest festival in California is Coachella, a three day event located in the Coachella Valley in Indio, just a few miles east of Palm Springs. Through the years, I saw Coachella evolving from a cool little indie baby into a world famous giant, being now the biggest music event on the planet. It started off as a one day festival and was lucky enough to be one of the few cool kids attending it, when no one knew it even existed. It progressively added more days but, besides the main headliners, the majority of the bands and of the DJs were still bona fide indie. Then, more big bands were added, more  money was charged, the camping ground was added and single day tickets were gone. Although, I was able to attend Coachella for free most of the times (and VIP, LOL) I thought that the policy of charging for the whole three days without offering the option of a one day pass, was a little lame. This year for the first time, the festival is a two weekends affair!! The same line ups performed last Friday, Saturday and Sunday and are performing again this weekend; the logic behind was to accommodate the wide demand. Wow, what’s going to happen in the future? Is it going to be a month long festival? LOL

No hard feelings, Coachella, I just miss the early innocent days! I have great memories and despite all, I wish I was there now. The atmosphere is always so cool and magical especially at sunset when the sky turns pink and awesome bands perform against the setting of the San Jacinto mountains and tall palm trees.  The giant grassy polo field transforms itself into a colorful open air circus with the art installations all lit up and the music pumping with every genre and in every corner.

I saw many of my favorite bands at Coachella (including Faith No More, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Massive Attack, Blur etc…) and many new emerging ones (the White Stripes, the Strokes, Bloc Party etc..) but the performance that really surprised was Madonna’s in 2006.  I would have never imagined in a million years to see the Material Girl in a festival in the desert performing inside a tent!! It was very special and this is the stuff Coachella is made of, improbable music acts and great memories!!

Take a walk down my memory lane of the Coachella festivals I attended:

2010

2006

2003

2002

2001

Herb Ritts at the Getty

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The Getty is the best place to impress a guest or to go on a date….always a great and pleasant destination, so unlike any other museum that when I’m there, I don’t feel like I’m in LA. From the shuttle that takes visitors from the parking structure to the top of the hill where this impressive white stone architectural wonder sits, to the massive and spectacular art collections that includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, manuscripts, photos, the Getty offers a different kind of experience that I would define almost European.

Among the pre-20th-century European paintings, there are a few world famous pieces by, to name a few, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Sisley, and Renoir. There are also masterpieces by maestros such as Masaccio, Gentile da Fabriano, and Carpaccio. Among the Reinassance paintings on display, there’s one by one illustrious Bassano resident that is considered by many to be the first modern landscape painter. Apparently, Jacopo Bassano (1510– 14 February 1592) and I, not only share the same birthplace but also some blood, as my family has always been brawling about it with pride. I often wondered…I know it’s been a long time and Jacopo’s artwork belongs to humanity, but how come we’re in possession of no letter nor a little drawing?

Oh well, I’m not the one who is going to spoil the family legend..after all, we also have a Count in our bloodline, so I’m embracing the heritage and always take pleasure when I see Jacopo’s Bearded Man on display in the 1500-1600 room at the Getty. As the guide describes, ‘This is a rare portrait from the artist’s middle years, this work departs from portrait conventions of the time in its depiction of the sitter’s melancholic mood and in the animated way he turns his head to one side, as if momentarily distracted. The man’s strong physical presence is emphasized by the shadow he casts against the wall behind him.’ I think it’s pretty modern and it strikes me how this man looks like my uncle Raffaele! Ha!

The Getty hosts different exhibitions all year round, a retrospect on high fashion and celebrity photographer Herb Ritts’ works just opened this month. The photos are stunning, I recognized many of them, being iconic images that now belong to the pop culture of the 90s. I’m intrigued by the way he utilized the human body as a whole powerful expression; my favorite pictures are the ones portraying athletes in unusual poses showing the wonders of their muscular bodies. I couldn’t take pictures because cameras are not allowed, so you have no excuse, you have to go and see them yourselves ;)

Highland Fun

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Not many Angelenos know this part of town and rightly so; Highland Park up until recently  has been a grungy rundown haven for gangsters and a poor neighborhood. The evolution of its main boulevard, York, began about four years ago with the opening of The York, an awesome restaurant with delicious food and a large selection of drinks. It now has added one cool coffee shop and a cafe and a few vintage and furniture stores. The one that really caught my attention is Platform with its eclectic collection of exotic objects, plants and jewelry. Among my favorite pieces, was a giant wooden deer head.

A little southern from this main lively block is Maximiliano, an Italian restaurant whose building looks like a giant iron. I haven’t tried the food there, yet, but I’ve heard it’s pretty good and will definitely grab some friends who live in that area and hit it for dinner.

I wonder if this area will become the next Silverlake with its growing gentrification and hipsters invasion! I’m always fascinated by the reinvention and beautification of old neighborhoods; it shows that there’s potential and creativity in every corner of this city! Gotta love LA and its diverse, multicultural gems!! :)

Sunnylands

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While in Palm Springs last week, I was able to visit the Camp David of the West Coast, Sunnylands. I was poured with emotions while entering this property as it has been the center stage of many historical retreats and the playground for several U.S. Presidents, politicians and dignitaries. And did I mention that Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh also stayed here in 1983? Hello?! Of course, I dressed up for the occasion and marveled that these 200 acres in the outskirts of Palm Springs attracted so much power and influence.

Sunnylands was the home of the fabulously wealthy entrepreneurs, ambassadors and philanthropists Walter and Lee Annenberg. They purchased the desert land in 1963 and hired prominent LA architect A. Quincy Jones to design the 25,000 square foot home. The mid-century modern residence hosts an incredible art collection and with its large windows, has breathtaking views of the nearby San Jacinto mountains and the surrounding landscape which features 11 lakes and a nine-hole golf course. Tickets must be purchased in advance as there is a limited number, however, you are free to stroll the brand new visitor center and garden with no reservation. I just did that, as tickets were sold out and loved the grounds with the beautiful geometrical designs created with a variety of succulents and desert plants.

I wonder if the Annenbergs foresaw that their winter home, the desert getaway, would have played such an important role in impromptu presidential meetings. Richard Nixon wrote his 1974 State of the Union here, and George H.W. Bush hosted a State dinner for Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu in 1990 for starters. Ronald Reagan came to the Annenbergs NYE party every year for 18 years while Eisenhower would come here to golf and fish. Sunnylands is still hosting retreats for domestic and global leaders to address significant challenges and to advance world peace and the common good. How’s that for a place in the middle of nowhere?