14th Annual Plein Air Invitational

For the past 13 years, the nation’s top plein air painters have been welcomed to Laguna Beach for a weeklong landscape painting festival.  They will be competing for prestigious prizes and participating in  public paint outs, environmental awareness activities and educational events.

The week kicked off with the highly popular Quick Draw event in Heisler Park. Last Sunday, the 40 artists had two hours to complete a painting. The works were immediately taken to the Laguna Art Museum where they were displayed, still wet, and available for auction.

Greg LaRock

Billyo O'Donnell

There are many more opportunities for you to watch these talented artists in action this week:

LCAD Next Generation Paint Out- Wednesday,October 17, 2012

11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Heisler Park, Laguna Beach. Open to the public for viewing. The LCAD Next Generation Paint Out is designed to cultivate the next generation of plein air painters. This event also aims to deepen Laguna Beach’s reputation as an arts destination by giving the community and guests the opportunity to view the work of young artists from Laguna College of Art + Design.  Participating students will have just three hours to create a work of art at Heisler Park in Laguna Beach. These works will then be hung at Laguna Art Museum and judged by Mr. Jean Stern, Executive Director of The Irvine Museum. The paintings will be on display at the October 20 Collectors’ Soirée, and the top three winners will be invited to attend the celebration where they will be presented with scholarship awards sponsored by LCAD.

Paint Out at Crystal Cove- Thursday,October 18, 2012

Sponsored by the Crystal Cove Alliance Art Council - 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.  Crystal Cove State Park; Open to the public for viewing, $15.00 parking fee. At the north end of Laguna Beach lies the magnificent Crystal Cove State Park, which boasts 3.2 miles of beach and 2,400 acres of pristine coastal habitat. The participating plein air artists will be at the Park’s famous Historic District on Thursday, October 18 to paint the beautiful landscape and cottages, and bring awareness to the Park’s protected environment. Spend the day at the park, watch these master painters in action, and then head on over to the Shake Shack or Beachcomber Café for a leisurely lunch. Other activities at Crystal Cove State Park include exploring tidepools and sandy covers, hiking, mountain biking, scuba diving, swimming, surfing, tours, and more.  This event is sponsored by the Crystal Cove Alliance Art Council, a part of the Crystal Cove Alliance which is the non-profit Cooperating Association partner with Crystal Cove State Park dedicated to education, conservation, and restoration.

Collectors’ Soirée-Saturday, October 20,2012

6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Laguna Art Museum-Museum members $125.00 | Non-members $150.00, Dressy casual attire | Complimentary valet parking. Nearly 400 guests attend the Collectors’ Soirée annually at Laguna Art Museum. Join us for this exciting party where you will have the exclusive opportunity to view and purchase, in advance of the general public, the artworks created throughout the week by forty of the nation’s top plein air artists.  The evening’s highlights include delicious food courtesy of 24 Carrots Catering, lively cocktails, wine by 14 Hands Vineyard, gorgeous flowers by Laguna Nursery, and live music by the Dan Reckard Trio. The prestigious artist awards will be announced, and works created during the Kids’ Paint Out and LCAD Next Generation Paint Out will be on display during the evening. New this year! Enter for the chance to win a gift basket courtesy of St. Regis, which includes a two night stay at the St. Regis, Monarch Beach, golf for two, and spa treatments. Valued at $2,730. Each raffle ticket is $25.00 and can be purchased at the event. Reserve your Soirée tickets now as this party sells out quickly!

For a full listing of events: HERE 

For a full list of participating artist: HERE

Three Cheers, Old Chap, for 39 Steps

Laguna Playhouse  presents the Olivier & Tony Award-winning play; Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps. With a four-person cast playing over 150 characters, the show is a mix of comedy and suspense that will thrill you up to the closing dramatic moments.

“The original 39 Stepswas not funny. The 1915 novel by John Buchan is a thriller, and the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film is a noteworthy precursor to the psychological suspense genre known as film noir. However, when Patrick Barlow re-imagines Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps for the stage, he made it a farce—a style of comedy based on inane plots, mistaken identities, linguistic acrobatics and easily identifiable characters,” says Lauren Simon, Artistic/Literary Manager at the Laguna Playhouse.

The set is minimalistic and as the first character is introduced on stage you know you are watching a heavily-influenced Hitchcock production. It’s the over dramatic back lit silhouettes, over pronounced accents, and long pregnant pauses punctuated by synchronized movements across the stage that make this film-noir for the stage. You can’t help but laugh at the way in which the main character, the boring Richard Hannay, is thrust into a whirlwind spy/murder mystery when a woman is killed in his flat. As he runs from the law in pursuit of the truth, he encounters a plethora of characters along the way (played by the other three cast members). One of my favorite scenes was one when Hannay is running from the law by jumping from train car to train car in the dead of night. But there was no train on stage here, only large trunks, fog, dramatic lighting, sound effects and superbly choreographed movement and acting.

Of course the play pays tribute to the great Hitchcock. You’ll notice references to North by Northwest, Rear Window (listen carefully or you may miss this slyly placed one), The Birds, Vertigo, Psycho and more. In fact, if you are a Hitchcock aficionado you’ll notice that verbatim dialog from Hitchcock’s 39 Steps is kept in the play. This was by far one of the most enjoyable and unique plays I have seen come to the Laguna Playhouse. I grew up on Hitchcock films and enjoyed the pithy physical humor and witty dialogue of the play. It was impressive to see four actors work as one well-oiled machine to bring the film-noir to life on the stage.

Alfred Hitchcock’s 39 Steps

Now playing thru October 21^st

For Tickets 

By Anne-Marie S.

Culinary Tours in Laguna Beach

Get a taste of Laguna Beach’s history paired with the town’s delectable delights, on a tour with Flavors of Laguna. 
Recently I had the opportunity to go on one of the wildly popular Flavors of Laguna tours.  We started off the 2.5 hour tour at a local favorite, La Sirena Grill. Here we sampled fresh homemade salsa, guacamole, chips and chicken taquitos. All the ingredients at La Sirena are organic and you are guaranteed that every dish is made FRESH to order because there is no room for a freezer at this walk-up eatery.  The freshness lingered down to the very last lingering morsel of salsa and guacamole. From La Sirena Grill, we took a short walk up Park Avenue where we learned about the historic Cope Family home built in the early 1900s. It is still owned by the Cope family and is the only home in Laguna that is still on its original foundation. Walking a bit further up the hill, we stopped at the St. Francis by the Sea cathedral. At only 1,008 square feet this is the second smallest cathedral in the world. The cathedral was built from the rubble of the devastating 1930 earthquake in Long Beach. Most of the building materials came from salvaged wood and supplies from buildings and churches. The cathedral is open for services every Sunday.

The next stop was a stroll down Forest Avenue, Laguna’s main street. We learned that Forest Avenue received its name after the city made a declaration that in order to obtain a building permit on that street, one had to also plant a tree. This rule was made after the hillsides had been stripped of trees for their lumber to build the growing town. Today you will find a wide variety of trees lining Forest Avenue…eucalyptus, fichus, birch and many more. About halfway up Forest Avenue, we stopped in at Sundried Tomato, another local’s favorite. Here we sampled the Sundried Tomato Bisque, the house specialty. The creamy soup is not your typical tomato bisque. It’s layered with rich flavors that both satisfy and soothe the body and soul…a true comfort food.

Following Sundried Tomato, we stopped at the Lumberyard Shops, also on Forest Avenue. The Lumberyard Shops are on the grounds of what was the longest running company in Laguna Beach, The Laguna Lumber Company (they still hold that record, open from 1910 to 1985).  In the 1970s, after the Lumber Company was relocated to the canyon, the structures were converted into the retail and restaurant space that you see today. Also located on those grounds is the Lumberyard Restaurant which opened its doors in 2008. They stayed true to the original integrity of the 1912 building, leaving the office of Joe Jahraus, owner of The Laguna Lumber Company, intact as part of the restaurant. Inside no detail has been left to chance with custom booths, a horseshoe-shaped bar, artisan woodwork throughout and a beautiful 12,000-piece mesquite wood floor entrance. The only thing that upstages the elegant décor, is the food.  We sampled a vegetable frittata that was paired with a crisp and dry Torrontes white wine. The frittata was full of flavor and yet still light with the white wine being a nice compliment.  It would make a perfect lunch treat on a hot summer day.

Next we made our way over to Ocean Avenue where we stopped at Ocean AvenueBrewery & Restaurant, the only microbrewery in Laguna Beach. Here they handcraft their own beers focusing on Pale Ales, Malty Amber Ales, German Style Weissbiers, Chocolate Porters and Black Stouts. For an additional $3, we were able to sample the Pale Ale, the Weissbier and the Chocolate Porter. All three had bold aromatic flavors that I certainly wouldn’t mind having a full pint of. The brewery offers indoor bar and table seating as well as outdoor patio seating. The casual atmosphere and traditional American dishes makes Ocean Brewery an ideal spot for post beach dining.

After finishing our beer tasting at Ocean Brewery we made a stop at the number one photographed spot in all of Orange County, the historic lifeguard tower at Main Beach. Built in 1926 as the offices for the Union Gas Station across the street, the tower was eventually abandoned after the filling station went out of business. In 1929 the city decided to move the tower over to the beach side of PCH and made it the official headquarters for the Laguna Beach lifeguards. With the crystal blue water and white sand as a backdrop, the historic lifeguard tower screams out to be photographed. 

Our two final stops on the tour were to grab a slice at The Pizza Lounge and to try a cup of gelato from Gelato Paradiso. The Pizza Lounge is located literally steps away from Main Beach on PCH. You can order pizza by the slice and either eat in the restaurant or on one of their outdoor couches, or better yet, you can have your pizza delivered to you on the beach! How cool is that?

Next we headed over to Peppertree Lane just opposite and a bit south on PCH from The Pizza Lounge. Peppertree Lane is a hidden pathway that takes you away from the hustle and bustle of PCH and transports you to a peaceful oasis. The brick pathway is lined by two historic buildings with shade provided by a canopy of giant Peppertrees. The buildings house Watermarc Restaurant, Gelato Paradiso, La Rue du Chocolat and other retail and shops.

Our Flavors of Laguna Tour ended with a stroll through the Wyland Gallery with a photo opp on the back deck of the gallery that overlooks the always stunning Laguna Beach coastline.  With Laguna’s seven miles of coastline being a protected marine environment, it is fitting that one of the most famous marine life artists, Wyland, has his homebase right in the center of town. On the outside of the gallery building you will see one of his first “Whaling Walls” (there are now more than 100 around the world) that he painted in the ‘80s not more than 100 yards from the very place he’d seen gray whales as a child.

The Flavors of Laguna tour in a MUST DO for both locals and visitors. Along with the fantastic food you get to sample around town, you receive a mini history lesson of one of the oldest cities in Orange County. Each tour is different and Flavors of Laguna will gladly customize a tour for your group.

Flavors of Laguna

Visit the website for booking or call (949) 464-8830

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By Anne-Marie S.

The Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau Takes Home the Silver in the 2012 International Magellan Awards

Travel Weekly announced the winners of the 2012 Magellan Awards. With entries from across the U.S. and around the world, the Magellan Award winners represent the best in the travel industry and salute the outstanding travel professionals behind it all. The Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau received the only silver Magellan Award for Best Mobile App for a Destination.  

“We are honored to receive this prestigious award.  Spearheading a mobile app for Laguna Beach had been on our radar for more than a year.  Working with Phondini Partners as our app developer and in cooperation with the City of Laguna Beach and our Board of Directors, it came to fruition,” said Judith Bijlani, President & CEO of the Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau. The gold Magellan was given to Visit California completing the category sweep for the State.

Receiving over 550 entries, the Magellan awards is the premier awards program honoring a broad range of industry segments including Hotels and Resorts, Travel Destinations, Cruise Lines, Online Travel Services, Airlines and Airports, Travel Agents and Agencies, Tour Operators and Car Rental Companies, the Magellan is the award to win if you are in the business of travel according to industry professionals.

“In 2012, creativity reached new heights among marketers and designers in the travel industry,” said Arnie Weissmann, editor in chief of Travel Weekly. “This year’s Magellan entries were inspiring overall, and those who ended up in the winner’s circle truly represent the best of the best.”

The Magellan Awards are judged and overseen by a one-of-a-kind panel of top travel professionals representing the best names and most accomplished leaders from the industry.   In determining winners, entries do not compete with one another, instead they are judged against a standard of excellence based on the long experience of Travel Weekly. To uphold this high standard of excellence, a category may have multiple winners, or may have no winners at all.

For a complete list of silver and gold winners, please visit www.travelweeklyawards.com.