It was not too long ago that my 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee bit the dust. As everything under the hood seemed to go up in smoke, so was the notion that I was going to be able to function sans motor vehicle in Los Angeles. To the contrary, getting rid of a 3,000 pound hunk of metal, glass, rubber, and plastic was the most liberating thing I... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — Organizers of the 27th annual Twilight Dance Series are trying to find a replacement for the high-tech big screen that projected performances to hundreds of people gathered on the sand south of the Santa Monica Pier to watch the free concerts. This year, the series, which features 10 concerts, partnered with... Read more →

An insecure Tennessee Williams, “suffering from the disaster of success” after the overwhelmingly rapturous response to his first major play, “The Glass Menagerie,” worries about the reception that will greet his next work, “A Streetcar Named Desire.” “What if they think I reached for the stars and... Read more →

Dear New Shrink, I feel uncomfortable around silence. Not with people I am not close to but mostly with people who I am afraid I can lose. I also have this issue where I feel like if I do not always have something to talk about, they will think I am boring, and lose interest in me. I feel a need to entertain people. For example, in my... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — Tomorrow, filmmaker Edgardo Flores will experience something entirely new. The 34-year-old Santa Monica resident will see his first feature length film, “Ill Square,” projected onto the big screen at Pasadena’s Action on International Film Festival, a smorgasbord of genres and styles featuring... Read more →

The Robata Bar is part of a group of highly successful restaurants that includes the Sushi Roku chain and the Boa steakhouses. In fact there is a Sushi Roku in Santa Monica located just next door that shares the Robata Bar’s kitchen. So management knows what it’s doing. Out-of-town visitors love the location near the beach and... Read more →

In the 1980s, the South African government considered HIV/AIDS a “gay disease,” and so they ignored it. In the 1990s, they saw it as a gigantic conspiracy, with political and racial motivations, and so they ignored it. Then, in the rush of new government initiatives designed for a productive future, they relegated the task of... Read more →

Dear New Shrink, It seems to be the season for vacations and getaways. As a result I have booked a vacation and would like your advice for making the most of it. On previous vacations I have had a difficult time un-winding. I find that for most of the trip I am worrying about work, checking in with the office via e-mail and checking... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — Ana Jara has dedicated the better part of her adult life to mentoring Santa Monica youth; now, she’s asking her community to help her realize her dreams. Jara, 31, was recently accepted to George Washington University and plans to pursue a master’s degree in public policy. As a woman dedicated to shaping the... Read more →

There are a lot of hot new restaurants opening up in Santa Monica. In fact, there are so many I am having trouble keeping up with them and writing the other two great articles I have in mind, “Where are the best BBQ ribs in the SM area” and “Old Timers.” The new places seem directed toward the younger crowd, the... Read more →

SM PIER — The Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Dance Series is back and so are grumblings about cops trying to spoil all the fun, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth, police said. Only one person was arrested last Thursday during the first installment of the popular summer concert series, and he was booked for being... Read more →

Dear New Shrink, My husband and I are having a difficult time of it these days with our teenage son. One minute he seems like he can’t be close enough to us and he is almost like a young child. Then he turns into this big little man who is very rejecting and wants us to leave him alone. He acts as if we know nothing and have gotten it... Read more →

“I’ve told you everything and now you know too much, so I’m going to have to kill you.” This, in a nutshell, is the plot of Shem Bitterman’s new play, “A Death in Colombia.” To tell more would be telling too much. But let’s give it a try. The dynamic Roxanne Hart is Lisa, an ex-pat... Read more →

Although I was raised by Japanese people for a few years when I was a young boy, that doesn’t qualify me as a sushi expert in my family because our daughter-in-law was born and raised in Tokyo, and our second son (not the one married to her) has lived in Japan for about 12 years now. So, my Japanese restaurant recommendations are... Read more →

Playwright James M. Barrie is most famous for his familiar and much-loved fantasy “Peter Pan.” However, he also produced a large body of other literary works that include two quaintly delicate playlets: “Rosalind” and “The Old Lady Shows Her Medals.” These two are currently being staged in a delightful... Read more →