Natalie Lewis (David Mark Simpson dave@smdp.com) DOWNTOWN — Natalie Lewis doesn’t recall many specific instances from her run, at 50 years old, from Santa Monica to New York City. She slept in a tee-pee and cemeteries. She lost and found her envelope of money in Pennsylvania. People were beautiful and kind, she said. “It was... Read more →

REED PARK — City officials will pay tribute to world-famous tennis pioneer Gertrude "Gussy" Moran this Sunday by naming the Stadium Court at Reed Park the Gussy Moran Stadium Court. "Gorgeous Gussy" Moran with her famous knickers. (Photo courtesy Google Images) In addition to adding the court signage, a permanent didactic sign with... Read more →

Is a meal without Sriracha worth eating? It’s a quandary that recently took on real and scary proportions for fans of the wildly popular tangy Thai hot sauce. There are plenty of alternatives to Sriracha. But are you willing to put your tongue to the test? (Photo courtesy eats.blog) Sriracha lovers had a near miss this week when a... Read more →

This will be a short article because there aren’t many French restaurants left. In the 1950s and ‘60s if you wanted to take out a business client to a fancy and impressive restaurant, you took him or her to a French restaurant, like La Rue on Hollywood Boulevard. Now you take a client to a Japanese restaurant instead, and pay $150 or so... Read more →

CITYWIDE — With only three months left to finance the restoration of Santa Monica’s iconic anti-nuclear sculpture before a City Hall-imposed deadline, supporters of  “Chain Reaction” are far from reaching their $400,000 fundraising goal, sources say. 'Cradle' by Los Angeles-based studio Ball-Nogues hangs from Parking Structure 7... Read more →

DIGGING DIRT: 'Symphony of the Soil’ is a documentary that explores the mystery of soil. (Photo courtesy Lily Films) I’ve mentioned the monthly storytelling series Shine a few times here and finally attended the Oct. 24 edition, where storytellers shared tales on the Halloween theme “Hauntings.” The series, produced by Jen... Read more →

GOOFING AROUND: Beth Triffon, Ava Bianchi and Eric Hunicutt in ‘The Pain and The Itch.’ (Photo courtesy Ed Krieger) Bruce Norris’ play “The Pain and the Itch” is rendered perfectly in a current revival at Los Angeles’ Zephyr Theatre. Perfect ensemble work by a superb cast. Perfect direction. Funny dialog. Perfect... Read more →

File photo Halloween is one of the most anticipated nights of the year for kids, but many parents fail to talk to their kids about how to stay safe while trick-or-treating. Here are some tips parents should know, provided by Safe Kids Worldwide, a global organization dedicated to preventing injuries in children.   Walk... Read more →

For Pacific Palisades attorney and freelance writer Paul Morantz 1978 was looking to be the best of years. And yet, at 32, 1978 was almost his last. In February, Paul’s teleplay “Deadman’s Curve,” based on the lives of surf singers Jan and Dean, aired as a TV movie. It was a big success and Paul’s future was filled with plans of... Read more →

ICE at Santa Monica (File photo) Lace up your skates and head Downtown this Friday for the 2013 opening of ICE at Santa Monica. The annual ice rink installation, located at the corner of Fifth Street and Arizona Avenue, will be open from 2 p.m. to midnight. It is $12 per person to skate, and rentals are available at no additional... Read more →