What We're Talking About This Week

Like everyone else, we can't believe how many incredible talents we have lost in 2016.  Prince is gone much too soon, and we'll miss his singularity as an artist and a man - these stories help us to remember the very unusual qualities that made us love him.

While SoCal has amazing tacos, San Francisco is the leader in the burrito game.  This Lucky Peach article explains exactly why the mission burrito is so good.

 LA's food scene has been going from strength to strength, and many of their hottest spots have some delicious off the menu items - you'll definitely want to try some of these.

With the success of the musical Hamilton, there has been extra pressure to keep the founder of the Treasury Department on the $10 bill, and this week the Treasury Secretary responded in kind.  The first US note to feature a woman will now be the $20 bill, with Andrew Jackson being bumped in favor of Harriet Tubman.

San Francisco International Film Festival's 59th season kicked off last night with a screening of Whit Stillman's Love & Friendship, starring Kate Beckinsale and Chloë Sevigny, at the Castro Theatre.  We were there, and if this movie and q&a were any indication, this is set to be a great festival - we are buying up more movie tickets here.

What We're Talking About This Week

 

San Francisco's food scene has been getting better and better recently, but with sky high rents, some of the most inventive meals are served in pop ups around the city.  Here's a list of some of the best options over the next few weeks.

 

LA is having a bit of a renaissance architecturally right now, and this article breaks down some of the best new buildings in the city.

If, like us, you have dreamed many times of spending the night in Versailles, the opening of a 20 room hotel in the French Palace by 2020 is extremely exciting.  We'll start saving now...

Last night, Universal Studios finally opened the doors to the long awaited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  Within the Potter themed park, you can go through Diagon Alley, drink butter beer, and ride the Hogwarts Express. Learn more and buy tickets here.

What We're Talking About This Week

This weekend, Los Feliz hosts the Roaring Twenties Street Jam, a festival that celebrates the spirit, style, music, and dance moves of the 1920s.

The Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival kicked off last night, and it's sure to be an amazing weekend of eating, drinking, and schmoozing.  There are still a few tickets left if you feel inspired to indulge and enjoy some time in Monterey County.


Up in San Francisco, this Sunday is the season opener for a summer of Off the Grid's Presidio Picnics.  Every Sunday from 11-4 there will be food trucks galore and plenty of lawn seating in the beautiful city park.

The cast for Sofia Coppola's upcoming remake of The Beguiled was just announced, and we can't wait to see it. Ice queens Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, and Coppola favorite Kirsten Dunst should make for the perfect mix within the film's Civil War era school.

What We're Talking About This Week

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are hosting their annual Easter festivities in Golden Gate Park on Sunday. There are Easter Egg hunts, an Easter Bonnet contest, burlesque and many musical acts. Our favorite is the Hunky Jesus contest, and this year they are adding a Foxy Mary contest as well.

Growing up we would sometimes visit the Queen Mary with our grandparents. We are excited about the Easter Champagne Brunch they are offering, it looks like a great reason to make the trek to Long Beach. There's also an Easter egg hunt, face painting and a petting zoo, and you can tour the ship.

We're fascinated by Seph Lawless's photos of Disney's River Country, the Florida waterpark that was permanently closed in 2001. The water park opened in the 70's, and used fresh water from a nearby lake. A boy died in the 80's from an infection from the un-chlorinated water. It's been left to decay, and the plants that have overgrown the space have created a haunting landscape. 

The Broad recently opened in downtown LA and we are especially excited to see Yayoi Kusama's piece: Infinity Mirrored Room - The Souls of Millions Light Years Away. Only one person can view the piece at a time, and the space is constructed with mirrors and LED lights, to create a sense of infinity.

We loved the Oscar de la Renta exhibit at the de Young, so it was great to see these photos of the opening night gala on Vogue's website. Curated by Andre Leon Talley, it was great to hear what a fan de la Renta was of the Bay Area: he loved The Slanted Door, and would stop at a peach stand on the way back from Tahoe. 

What We're Talking About This Week

Fort Mason is hosting a slew of food-related events this weekend. Tonight marks the return of Off the Grid, one of our favorite Friday night activities when the weather is nice. Tomorrow is the tenth anniversary of the Chocolate Salon, where many varieties of chocolate will be available to sample. The salted caramels in particular look delicious.

One of our favorite blogs, DesignLoveFest, has put together an awesome list of 12 free things to do in LA. Biking the LA river sounds like an especially great idea for this weekend.

The 1975 did an amazing collaboration with photographer David Drake and art director Samuel Burgess-Johnson for their latest album, creating neon signs with each of the song titles from the record, shot in locations important to the band. While all of the images are fantastic, we want to frame "This Must Be My Dream", for obvious reasons.

The Palace of Fine Arts is hosting an exhibit featuring costumes and props from The Hunger Games. Fashion plays a huge part in the books and movies, and we can't wait to check out the over-the-top couture outfits in person, while it's in San Francisco. It runs through July.

FIDM's downtown LA campus is hosting a cinematic fashion exhibit as well, with costumes from each of the 5 best picture nominees, as well as past nominees. We've found many of the films this year very inspiring (see here and here), and we can't wait to check out the incredible details up close. It runs through April.

What We're Talking About This Week

Northern California has never been known for its bagels, but San Francisco's Wise Son's Jewish Delicatessen has made a big investment to change that. 

Santa Barbara Wine Country keeps getting better, and the whole country is taking notice.  We love this guide to the best of what's on offer for a weekend getaway.

Since David Bowie passed away early last month, there have been many beautiful tributes to him, but the one from this week's BRIT Awards is among the best.  Performed by Lorde and Bowie's own band, it was, in the word's of Bowie's son Duncan Jones 'Just... beautiful. Thank you.'

This is an election year unlike any other - with an unusual group of candidates, many divisive issues, and a seat on the Supreme Court at stake.  But it's also a significant year due to the changing demographics in the US, namely the rise of the single woman.  This article is a great long read about the hard earned power of the unmarried American woman.

On Sunday, we'll be watching the Oscars and keeping track of our best guesses on this ballot.  Look for our favorite gowns on Monday morning!

What We're Talking About This Week

Beyoncé has been killing it lately, stealing the spotlight from her recent collaborator Coldplay during the Super Bowl halftime show and releasing her politically provocative Formation video.  We have been loving her latest tracks, but now we are also obsessing over what the lady herself is listening to - she created this phenomenal playlist for Vogue.

Cinespia has done some really amazing Valentine's Day shows over the past few years, and we are super excited for their Moulin Rouge screening at the beautiful Los Angeles Theatre in DTLA's historic Theater District.  Attendees are encouraged to dress up, with jackets and ties being compulsory for men.  

 This weekend concludes the Santa Barbara Film Festival, and there are still several movies and events leading up to Saturday's closing film, Xavier Giannoli's Marguerite. 

Mendocino County is a great last minute getaway from San Francisco, especially on a long weekend such as this.  It can be cozy and romantic or full of nature hikes and friendship, or a little bit of both.  This post is a great reminder to make our way north ASAP.

What We're Talking About This Week - Super Bowl 50 Edition

We are big fans of SF Marina restaurant Scotland Yard, and their chef was kind enough to share some recipes - including one for his amazing burger - for Super Bowl fans to make at home. 

 The Super Bowl event we are most excited for isn't happening at Levi's Stadium, but right in the San Francisco Ferry Building.  The Puppy Bowl features an adorable menagerie of pups looking for a forever home, and will be going on through this Sunday. 

There is some controversy surrounding the fact that the San Francisco 49ers no longer play in their namesake city, but in a suburb of San Jose.  To solve this, some planners are considering changing the name of the immediate area around the stadium from Santa Clara to a second San Francisco.

Inspired by this weekend's big event, a photographer from the UK's Guardian put together this striking collection of places and events, then and now, that have made San Francisco great.

If you're visiting the Bay Area for the big game, you'll want to check out all of the official events on offer to get the full experience.

What We're Talking About This Week

It's nice to have a break after the excitement of the holidays, but as January comes to a close we are thinking about our next vacation.  This guide to some of the prettiest road trip destinations in California is a great jumping off point...

The next big TV event is this Tuesday night's The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story.  This post breaks down all the major players in the trial, for those who are too young to remember or in need of a refresh.

The temperature is going to drop in San Francisco this weekeend as El Nino ushers in another storm...  It's the perfect time to check out one of these six different mac & cheese dishes. 

 Tomorrow is the SoCal Museums Free-For-All-Day.  Check out their site for all of the locations that are participating, but this is a great way to check out many of LA's museums for free, or at a discounted ticket price.

What We're Talking About This Week

We've been waiting impatiently to see Ben Stiller reprise his role as the really, really ridiculously good looking male model Derek Zoolander, and this 73 Questions with Vogue was finally something to help tide us over until Zoolander 2 comes out next month.

 The 8th annual Beer Week starts in San Francisco today, running alongside Restaurant Week.  With all of the local craft breweries and beer aficionados in the city, this is a surprisingly big deal - there are 700+ events over ten days, many featuring food pairings.  You can find your perfect event here.

 When we were in high school, we were disturbed by some of the darker plotlines in Fast Times as Ridgemont High, but now that we are older we are ready to revisit Amy Heckerling's directorial debut from a different POV when the movie screens this Saturday at The Wiltern in LA. 

The new X-Files miniseries returns this Sunday.  We aren't sure if this revival was necessary, but we are certainly curious to see what Mulder and Scully have been up to aside from aging so well.

What We're Talking About This Week

We were devastated by the loss of David Bowie on Sunday, just as millions of others around the world were.  It's amazing to see how fans are memorializing him in their own way. 

This was a sad week for celebrity deaths.  Just as Bowie passed away at age 69 of cancer, so did Alan Rickman, one of our very favorite actors.  His perfect, plummy British accent was music to our ears, and he was excellent in everything from Sense and Sensibility, to Die Hard, to Love Actually, to Harry Potter.

Eater recently updated their list of the top 38 best places to eat in the US, and California dominated this year, with seven restaurants placing between LA and the Bay Area.  One of them is a foodie favorite of ours, Guerrilla Taco.

The Oscar nominations were announced yesterday, and we will be spending the next six weeks seeing as many of the films as we can.  Favorites so far include Mad Max and The Big Short, and we would love to see best actress nominee Charlotte Rampling go home with a statue.

Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen have been taking their friendship on the road in their show AC2.  They'll be making stops in San Francisco tonight and in Oakland on Sunday, before moving down to Socal in March.

What We're Talking About This Week

It's comedy festival Sketchfest in San Francisco this weekend, with a multitude of hilarious events to choose from.  We are most looking forward to the 20th anniversary screening of Waiting for Guffman, featuring director and star Christopher Guest, and co-stars Fred Willard, Parker Posey, and Bob Balaban.  This screening is sold out, but the Castro Theatre will be holding a few tickets at the door.

 Target's latest collaboration melds fashion with fitness, featuring pop up classes and work out wear from Soul Cycle.  We are obsessed with the upbeat spin sessions and free LA classes are on February 12-14 and you can sign up for them here.

Awards show season kicks off in LA this Sunday night with the Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Ricky Gervais.  You can watch the show at 5pm PST/8pm EST, stalk the celebs outside the Beverly Hilton, or just wait for our fashion recap on Monday.