Out with the Old…Consignment Shopping in Las Vegas
Out with the Old…Consignment Shopping in Las Vegas
Arts on the Ocean – Laguna Beach, California
By
Mike Sweeney
Southern California has no shortage of gorgeous beach communities. Take a drive along the PCH and you’ll find enough panoramic views to fill an entire rack of postcards. During your cruise with the top down, plan for a stop in Laguna Beach, where you’ll find more than just sand and surf. There’s a thriving arts community hiding in plain sight here beneath the California sun, a world where age old masterworks and modern creativity come together in living color.
Masters of Fine Arts
Long known as a haven for artistic types from all walks of life, Laguna features one of the best art scenes on the California coast, culminating at the annual Festival of the Arts, which runs this year from July 1st – August 31st. The festival revolves around the stunning Pageant of the Masters, where recreations of classic and contemporary works of art are brought to life with real people in a vivid display of imagination. Watch in awe as famous paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Norman Rockwell, Vincent Van Gogh and more turn into “living pictures” before your eyes, taking the idea of “performance art” to new levels of inspiration and creativity.
Purchasing a ticket for the Pageant also earns you free admission to the festival’s ongoing art exhibition, where paintings, photography, sculpture, jewelry and more go on display just blocks from the ocean for casual viewing and for purchase. Stroll through the outdoor gallery as you browse through all the best art the festival has to offer. You can also take part in workshops, daily tours, live music and hands on demonstrations in everything from printmaking to ceramics and more. For more information on this year’s Festival of the Arts, visit www.foapom.com.
Pardon Our Dust
If you still haven’t had your fill of the Laguna Beach art scene, be sure to check out the Sawdust Art Festival, which runs from June 29th – September 2nd. Shop along sawdust covered paths through a handcrafted village as you peruse the work of over 200 local Laguna Beach artists in all media, including hand blown glass, jewelry, ceramics, painting, surf art, textiles and more. The festival also offers art classes every Friday and Saturday, where you can create your own art piece in the Sawdust Studio in one two-hour session. You’ll also find plenty of food and drink and live entertainment on three outdoor stages, along with roving performers that include circus acts and much more. For more information, visit www.sawdustartfestival.org.
Galleries Galore
While you’re in town for the various festivals, take time to visit some of Laguna’s fine art galleries, many of which are located up and down the scenic Coast Highway. The Fingerhut Gallery (www.fingerhutart.com) highlights work by many famous artists from around the world, including a collection of rare creations from the legendary Dr. Seuss. Peter Blake Gallery (www.peterblakegallery.com) showcases modern and contemporary art from a diverse group of artists in a variety of mediums with a focus on abstraction. Wyland Galleries (www.wyland.com) features the work of Wyland, whose paintings, sculptures and photography bring the world of the ocean and its creatures to vibrant life. For more information on Laguna’s many art galleries, visit www.art-collecting.com/galleries_ca_lagunabeach.htm.
Beach Eats
Some of the best culinary hotspots in Laguna Beach can also be found along the Coast Highway. For breakfast, hit up the Koffee Klatch (949.376.6867), a cozy bohemian coffee shop. Plush couches, ottomans and pillows will keep you comfortable while you peruse a wide selection of coffee, tea, espresso and blended drinks to help open your sleepy eyes. Chow down on a delicious egg and cheese croissant, oatmeal with fresh fruit or a plate of scrambled eggs with avocado for a morning treat. Best of all, it’s just across the street from the ocean, so grab that coffee and Danish to go and spend your early hours taking in the gorgeous Pacific scenery.
Closer to the Main Beach, you’ll find The White House (www.whitehouserestaurant.com), one of the oldest restaurants in Orange County and a pillar of great California cuisine. Eggs Benedict, omelettes and Belgian waffles highlight the breakfast menu, while lunch and dinner offer sandwiches, soup, pasta, salads and entrées that cover everything from baby back ribs to charbroiled Atlantic salmon. Portions are plentiful, so your chances of walking away hungry are slim to none. Right next to the dining room, you’ll find a lounge bar with a dance floor, where you can hear live music seven nights a week and keep the party going well into the wee hours.
For a dash of elegance, make a reservation at French 75 (www.french75.net) for dinner. Nestled inside a country cottage, French 75 offers a modern take on French bistro fare in a romantic, intimate setting. Appetizers such as foie gras and shucked oysters will start your evening off right as you segue into main courses that include Bacon Tomato Mussels, Filet Mignon au Cognac and Roasted Maple Leaf Duck Breast. Choose from many a la carte side dishes as well such as mac and cheese with manchego and chorizo or their signature pommes frites. With live entertainment several nights a week and special events that include everything from wine tastings to Sunday brunch, French 75 brings a touch of class to the seaside scene.
Bunking Down
If you’re looking for a rustic, old fashioned place to hang your hat at the end of your day, check in at The Carriage House (www.carriagehouse.com). This pastoral bed and breakfast was built in the 1920s and features six two bedroom suites, each decorated with its own unique theme, including Lilac Time and Green Palms. Enjoy a family style breakfast in “Grandma Bean’s” dining room or lounge in the courtyard instead as you sample granola made from scratch and other home cooked recipes. Filled with colonial charm and located within convenient walking distance to the beach and local hotspots, The Carriage House is the perfect ocean getaway.
For something more quaint, try the Manzanita Cottages (www.manzanitacottages.com), where old California charm and modern comforts come together for a cozy beach experience. Choose from one of four private cottages, each with its own exclusive furnishings and décor. All come fully equipped with a kitchen, dining room, king size bed and the usual relaxing amenities of home. Secluded and hidden away in a storybook setting that includes floral gardens and an elegant courtyard, Manzanita Cottages will keep you away from the tourist hubbub when you want to unwind while still providing easy access to all the excitement Laguna has to offer.
A luxurious escape from the everyday world awaits at Montage Laguna Beach (www.montagelagunabeach.com), known for its elegant suites and beach bungalow style rooms that hearken back to the early days of the Laguna arts movement. Take a walk down to the shore and wade in the ocean or gaze out across the Pacific while enjoying a relaxing soak at Spa Montage. And if that doesn’t cure your ills, head back to your room for a nap on your feather top bed while you fall asleep to the cool ocean breeze. No matter what kind of vacation experience you have planned, Montage has all the tools you need to spoil yourself.
Laguna Beach may be known for its sand and surf, but its artistic side is what truly makes it shine. Where else can you explore the works of master painters, shop for homemade jewelry and then run across the street to enjoy some of the most beautiful ocean views in the world. Life may be a beach in Southern California, but thanks to Laguna, it’s a creative and inspiring one as well.
What’s Up, Doc? The Chuck Jones Experience
By Mike Sweeney
Even if you don’t know the name Chuck Jones, you’re probably still familiar with his work. Over the course of his distinguished 60-year career, he created over 300 animated films and helped bring to life some of the most beloved cartoon characters of all time, such as Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Pepé Le Pew and that “wascally wabbit” himself, Bugs Bunny. Thanks to the new Chuck Jones Experience exhibit, which will hold its grand opening at Circus Circus on January 18th, Las Vegas residents can get an inside look at the life and career of this extraordinary artist.
Every aspect of the exhibit is designed to celebrate Jones’ brilliant work, including the Acme Warehouse gift shop and animation gallery found at the main entrance. Themed after the infamous mail order company from which Wile E. Coyote acquires his mediocre anvils and explosives, the store offers books and souvenirs of all kinds, including a display of artwork and framed animation cels. Once you’ve had a good look around, purchase your ticket and make your way inside a cartoon lover’s wonderland.
The first stop on the tour is Animation Alley, a painted street scene that’s bursting with color, where the walls display some vivid renderings of treasured characters and a timeline of Chuck’s life. Here you’ll also find the Chuck Jones Theatre, a small movie house designed to resemble the 1930s-style venue from Jones’ classic cartoon, One Froggy Evening. Take in the old-fashioned surroundings as you view a short film that serves as an introduction to Chuck’s world.
From there, your visit takes you to a physical recreation of his office at Warner Bros., where he worked among the famous “Termite Terrace” team of animators, whose ranks also included Tex Avery and Friz Freleng. You’ll get to see Chuck’s actual work desk, along with a few book cases stocked with items from his personal library. Everything from the tile floor to the period wainscoting evokes an old Hollywood milieu. The gallery that follows puts Jones’ work front and center. Alongside his drawings and sketches, you’ll discover an impressive display of accomplished oil paintings, both of his classic creations and other subjects from real life.
One of the best things about the Chuck Jones Experience is its interactivity. Stand beside 3-D models of his famous animated characters and see how you measure up. Engage in some Chuck Jones trivia with the amusing Quiz-a-Nator by moving tiles, spinning blocks and pulling levers. In the Universe of Animation room, inspired by Marvin the Martian, try your hand at creating your own cartoons using an old-fashioned spinning zoetrope device. You can even provide voice-over and live sound effects (known in the industry as “Foley”) for a classic cartoon at the Rikki-Tikki Foley Stage, a reference to the artist’s animated version of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.
As you exit the exhibit, you’ll find the glass-enclosed Chuck Jones Center for Creativity classroom. Founded by Jones with the hope of inspiring joy and innovation in others, this nonprofit organization will offer drawing classes, lectures and various other projects and educational programs for children of all ages to explore their artistic side. Chuck believed that creativity was one of the strongest forces on the planet, and this facility serves to (pardon the expression) illustrate the fundamentals of his philosophy.
The Chuck Jones Experience brings a welcome addition of family-friendly entertainment to Las Vegas. There’s even a parking structure adjacent to the exhibit entrance, so you don’t have to walk through the casino to discover all the fun. Take a nostalgic trip back to the Golden Age of animation and experience the life, work and genius of a man who educated, inspired and entertained millions with his imaginative and amusing outlook on the world. As Chuck Jones himself once said, “The rules are simple. Take your work, but never yourself, seriously. Pour in the love and whatever skill you have, and it will come out.”
For more information, visit www.chuckjonesexperience.com.
A Century of Sunken Dreams – Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition
By Mike Sweeney
One hundred years ago, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City and sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic. Over 1,500 people perished that cold April night, the “ship of dreams” lost forever to history… or so we once thought. Thanks to decades of recovery and preservation efforts, visitors from around the world can relive the story of the doomed ocean liner at Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, a collection of authentic artifacts and dramatic recreations of the voyage, now in its fifth year at the Luxor.
From moment one, the exhibit conveys a “you are there” quality. Each guest is handed a facsimile “boarding pass” that bears the name of a different real life passenger with facts about their journey aboard the ship. From there, proceed at your own pace through a chronological timeline of the vessel’s legacy, from her construction in the shipyards of Belfast to the ill-fated sinking. Enlarged photographs and archival film footage help bring the startling details to life, while informative placards throughout provide facts on passengers both celebrated and obscure.
All the relics on display were salvaged from the debris field around the Titanic. Nothing is taken from inside the wreckage as it’s considered a memorial grave site. Glass cases house everything from clothes and jewelry to navigational tools to an impressive display of restaurant place settings. Most items are remarkably well preserved, including a half full bottle of champagne and a collection of aromatic perfume samples. Currency from around the world gives a sense of the ocean liner’s diverse collection of passengers, emphasizing the global scope of the disaster.
Beyond the exceptional gathering of artifacts, the exhibit also includes recreations of certain parts of the ship that depict a vintage Edwardian atmosphere. Stroll along the Promenade Deck and feel the chill in the night air. Admire the famous Grand Staircase as elegant chamber music sets the scene. Study duplications of first and third class cabins to see how both the affluent and the less fortunate were able to share the journey. None of it may be real, but you can still feel the lingering ghosts of wealthy dowagers and steerage drifters alike calling out from the past.
One of the most breathtaking items on display is the “Big Piece,” a 15-ton chunk of Titanic’s starboard hull, the largest section of the ship ever recovered. Standing 26 feet long and 12 feet tall, this iron monolith towers over all who stand before it, yet an accompanying illustration shows that this was but a miniscule piece of the 883-foot-long hull. With rivets the size of tennis balls and steel plates that could crush an elephant, it’s easy to see where Titanic got its name.
At last, you come to the memorial wall at the end of the exhibit, a complete list of the ship’s passengers broken down by class – and also by who lived and who died. I check my boarding pass to find out that my alter ego did not survive, but his wife and son did. Small consolation for them, but it’s a sharp reminder of the human face of this calamity. For all its historical importance, the sinking of the Titanic changed many lives forever. Thanks to wonderful exhibits such as this one, we can still experience the profound impact of such an emotional tragedy.
For more information on special events surrounding the upcoming 100th anniversary of the sinking, visit www.luxor.com/entertainment/titanic.aspx.
Made in America – The Mob Museum
By
Mike Sweeney
Wise guys and made guys have long formed an indelible part of the history of Las Vegas. While Martin Scorsese’s film Casino brought the stories of Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal and Tony “The Ant” Spilotro into the spotlight, the mob’s legacy in Sin City and throughout America goes back decades further. The newly opened National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement, better known as The Mob Museum, paints a vivid picture of the notorious gangsters and intrepid lawmen who clashed in a furious battle that forever changed the face of modern history.
Public Enemies
Housed in the former federal courthouse and U.S. Post Office building downtown, the museum offers an all inclusive chronicle of organized crime through three floors worth of photographs, films, historical artifacts and interactive exhibits. From the days of Prohibition to the glamour of Las Vegas and the modern era of media darlings such as John Gotti, the sordid tales of murder, corruption and criminal activity provide a fascinating window on American culture. Detailed accounts trace the mob’s involvement in racketeering, bootlegging, gambling, politics, prostitution and more, highlighting a widespread criminal enterprise with its hands in just about everything. As infamous gangster Meyer Lansky once said, “We’re bigger than U.S. Steel.”
Interactive exhibits such as touch screen panels provide an encyclopedia’s worth of information to read through and explore. This is one museum that encourages you to be hands on, whether it’s test firing a simulated Tommy gun with some real kick or taking a seat in the actual electric chair from Sing Sing prison, where Louis “Lepke” Buchalter of Murder, Inc. met his fate. Artifacts housed behind glass provide a tangible sense of history, from old ledgers and fingerprint records to weapons favored by merciless hit men to astounding features such as the barber chair where Albert Anastasia was killed and the actual murder wall from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, still riddled with bullet holes from Al Capone’s ruthless thugs.
On the Case
We also get a good picture of the battle from the other side of the line, where noble G-Men such as Eliot Ness and Harry Anslinger took the fight to the mob with dedicated efficiency. A major part of the exhibit focuses on hearings led by Senator Estes Kefauver that questioned key mob players about their part in organized crime. An entertaining film projected on three screens in the old courtroom brings the hearings to life with dramatic reenactments. The ground floor traces efforts of the Department of Justice and other police and governmental agencies to conduct surveillance, gather evidence and apprehend mob figures. Listen to wiretap recordings and learn about informants and undercover operatives such as FBI agent Joe Pistone (aka Donnie Brasco).
The House Always Wins
Naturally, the mob’s history in Las Vegas forms a big part of the museum. As Dean Martin plays in the background, you’ll find walls of photos recounting the glitz and glamour of old Vegas, tracing its rise from 1950s boomtown to the days of the Rat Pack and Howard Hughes, when forgotten hotels such as the El Rancho and Desert Inn were still hot properties. Here you’ll learn about the legendary “Black Book” that kept mobsters banned from casinos, battles with the Nevada Gaming Commission and how big time gangsters like Frank Costello profited by skimming money from major casinos such as the Tropicana. There’s even a display featuring mementos and court documents from defense attorney and former mayor Oscar Goodman.
While Las Vegas will always share a notorious connection with organized crime, The Mob Museum doesn’t seek to either embrace or condemn that legacy. Rather, it presents a detailed account from both sides of the law and allows visitors to form their own opinions. The result is an entertaining and educational experience that anyone with a passion for history can appreciate.
For more information on The Mob Museum, visit www.themobmuseum.org.
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