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A note of thanks to Pacific Symphony and Music Director Carl St. Clair for keeping opera alive in Orange County since Opera Pacific's abrupt demise, November, 2008, leaving we docents, who doted on bringing opera education to schools throughout the area, adrift. Georges Bizet's smoldering "Carmen" is the fourth in the "Symphonic Voices" series, which began with a luminous concert production of Puccini's "La Boheme" in 2012. "Tosca" and "La Traviata" followed, bringing superb stagecraft to bereft opera audiences. "Boheme" demonstrated an audience could be transported into an opera with bare minimum set, as long as there were singers who could bring the characters to life with beautiful voices and impassioned acting. Of course, it is the music which ignites the flame which warms the soul and stirs audience empathies. "Carmen" is among the most performed operas since its Paris debut in 1875, at the Opera Comique, where it has repeated nearly 3,000 times, or an average of once every two weeks for the past 140 years. It is a simple story, set in Seville, Spain, in the early 19th century, when Spain strictly controlled the production of tobacco products. The local cigarette factory is guarded by military where Don Jose, a duty-bound ...

Did you ride the subway today?  Did you notice anything out of the ordinary? Show off those New Year's Resolution-ready legs at Improv Everywhere's annual No Pants Subway Ride. Strip down to your skivvies and embark on a discreet mission with other half-naked Angelenos at Metro's North Hollywood (Red), Wilshire/Western (Purple), Culver City (Expo) and Atlantic and Sierra Madre Villa (Gold) stations. If all goes according to plan, No Pants participants should all pull into the Hollywood/Highland stop around 2:30pm—spot any in-the-buff commuters before that and they're likely your typical Hollywood lunatics. Stick around afterward for a debriefing at Loaded Hollywoood (6377 Hollywood Blvd). Unlike the parka-wearing East Coast participants, you probably won't have too many layers on (thank you, LA winters) so make sure to hold on to your TAP card—a day pass costs $5 ($6 if you don't have a TAP card already). PHOTOS: http://www.laweekly.com/slideshow/la-no-pants-subway-ride-2724740 Content borrowed from TimeOut Magazine and Los Angeles Times.

A bust of the famous Serbian-American scientist Nikola Tesla, made by academic sculptor Bojan Mikulic, will be officially unveiled at the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan on January 10. The bust of Nikola Tesla is placed in the central lobby of the New Yorker Hotel, which on Saturday will also host the Tesla Commemorative Conference with an aim to include Tesla and his work into the school curriculums across the U.S. The Serbian inventor made most of his inventions in the U.S. and held the U.S. citizenship for nearly 60 years. He was a resident of the New Yorker Hotel from 1933 to his death on Orthodox Christmas, January 7, 1943. The unveiling of the bust, the conference and the gala dinner will be organized by President and Founder of Tesla Science Foundation Nikola Loncar, Consul General of the Republic of Serbia to New York Mirjana Zivkovic, father Djokan Majstorovic of St. Sava Church in New York, and many others committed to promoting the legacy of one of the most important inventors of the 20th century. “The conference will bring together around 30 experts in this field, and we consider it to be the most important thing that Serbian diaspora can and should do ...

There's a new Chef in town... If you've been living under a rock these past few weeks, you may not have noticed a stylish new eatery below Universal City in the historic Cahuenga Pass where the old Oak-Crest Market used to be.  Where tchotchkes, old books, and overpriced wine-gone-terribly-bad once lined dusty shelves, has now been resurrected as slick new boulangerie GC Marketplace, where you can find everything from a wine bar to a French style boulangerie, house-made pizza, artisanal coffee,  and a cheese and charcuterie counter.   GC Marketplace is Gary Arabia's swanky new place, and in partnership with Executive Chef James Dame and Executive Pastry Chef Kelly Dame, they've created an amazing global menu that include some of my all-time favorites: GC's Thai Chicken Noodles with rice noodles and roasted thai spices is my latest obsession.  The Greek Turkey Burger is one of the juiciest I've ever had and you want to have it with any of the delicious side dishes, including fluffy mashed potatoes, butternut squash, or my new favorite; parsnips. Who knew those things were so yummy! Their gourmet coffees and mouth watering pastries are all the rage... They have a truly amazing almond croissant that melts slowly in ...

We have an exciting event coming up. A small group of Tesla car owners is organizing a road trip for 30 members to drive their Tesla Roadsters and Model S’s to Wardenclyffe, on Saturday, October 25, 2014. In the morning, they will join other volunteers in this second cleanup season. In the afternoon, we will open the grounds around Nikola Tesla’s former Wardenclyffe lab for the public. Our guests, the owners and enthusiasts of Tesla cars, will join TSC to raise awareness of Nikola Tesla the scientist, and to share their enthusiasm for and knowledge of the technology behind the all-electric Tesla car. For more information please read the announcement at the Tesla Motors Club website. We will share more details as our plans develop. Date: Saturday, October 25, 2014 Rain date: Sunday, October 26, 2014 Cleanup work: 9 AM to 12 noon (not open to the public, see below) Public access: 1 to 4 PM Location: 1–5 Randall Road, Shoreham, NY; north of NY Rt. 25A (GPS: 40.948358,-72.901001) The morning work session is limited to our guest cleanup volunteers (30 Tesla owners) and a small group of experienced local volunteers. We welcome all other volunteers to join us as visitors in the afternoon (1 to 4 PM). Thank you all volunteers! Your hard work, dedication, ...

  Best Chai Tea Latte Recipe by ArtandLemons.com Yield 4 servings 2 1/4 cups water 2 1/4 cups organic milk (whole cow, almond, or soy) 1/4 cup organic dark brown sugar (or more to taste) 2 cinnamon sticks 16 cardamom pods (crushed; place them in a small bag and gently crush them with a rolling pin) 1 star anise clove 1 teaspoon whole cloves 2-inch piece fresh ginger (sliced thin) 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 2 tablespoons black or green tea leaves (I like to use 2 parts Darjeeling to 1 part Assam; or try Japanese Sencha Tea) Combine the first 9 ingredients (everything except the tea) in a 6-quart pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let mixture steep for 30 minutes. Return to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the black or green tea leaves. Cover and let stand for 2 minutes. Place a sieve over a pitcher or jar. Pour hot tea into the sieve to strain. Serve tea immediately, or let cool and serve iced. (This recipe is inspired by“Chai” found in The Joy of Cooking )and borrowed with permission from http://www.artandlemons.com.  

While visiting the marvelous and glittering Los Angeles, there are also places where all the hustle and buzz of the city can almost be damped by the soothing waves of the Pacific Ocean. One of the best areas to settle down and enjoy the charm of Los Angeles is Santa Monica, a beachfront area in the western part of the city. To truly experience Santa Monica, one of the best accommodation options presents itself under the name of Le Meridien Delfina Hotel, a trademark of luxury and elegance in Santa Monica, California. Located close to the ocean and near some of the most exciting attractions in the area, including the Santa Monica Pier, Getty Museum and Venice Beach, this hotel is a perfect choice for people who are looking for excellent services and a charming atmosphere.  Mark and I were happy to find this boutique gem over a weekend of lazy getaway from ourselves. Among the wonderful amenities and services available in this exclusive Santa Monica hotel, the spacious and pleasantly furnished rooms, the famous restaurants, the heated swimming pool, the valet parking options, the fitness room and the business facilities are just some of the exquisite features of Le Meridien Delfina… ...

  As the countdown continues to New Orleans Jazz Fest, I can already taste those delicious creatures in my mouth.. I'm talking about crawfish...  And Bevi Seafood Co, is teasing my taste buds ever so with their latest post on how to eat those yummy critters.  Take a look: "The beads have been swept away and the French Quarter is the cleanest it has been all year. Mardi Gras is over and the city of New Orleans is in observance of Lent. Even if you are not Catholic, everyone in the city abides by one distinctly Catholic rite: seafood on Friday’s. Living next to the Gulf of Mexico, this religious sacrament is not necessarily a sacrifice for New Orleanians; instead it has morphed into a celebration of family, food, and the traditions of South Louisiana. If you don’t have a crawfish boil to go to on Friday, stop by Bevi Seafood Co. We’d be happy to have you at ours. Though, there is some crawfish etiquette we hope you’ll follow as you learn why New Orleans is the only city that celebrates the most somber time in the Catholic calendar. Crawfish boil etiquette from Bevi Seafood Co. Don’t eat on the obituaries. Most crawfish ...

I've been a long time fan of Henry Winkler, ever since I saw him on Happy Days and The Fonz actually responded to my fan mail. :) Today I came across an American Airlines commercial featuring a piano bar in economy class (this was before the ripped it out to cram more an more seats and make more and more money). Gone are the days of live music in the air, and the days of treating people like human beings and not cattle.  Now that we have more options, the little details like ambiance lights, no-fee extra leg room, and our own little tv with satellite included, keeps most of us savvy travelers running to Virgin America and JetBlue.  Buh-bye AA! Did they not realize the draw of the piano bar alone could be a step towards persuading us to go back to flying American?

Space Travel with Virgin Galactic's Steve Attenborough and MIT's Professor Sara Seager! https://soundcloud.com/aforkontheroad/space-travel Space. The Final Frontier. This week on A Fork on the Road Show, Yeni and Mark countdown to consumer space travel with Stephen Attenborough from Virgin Galactic, then trip out with NASA’s #1 Planet Finder, MIT Professor Sara Seager to talk about the long term future of humans traveling to far off Earth-like Exoplanets. Blast off with our annual Space episode!