Arroyo Monthly Sept 2012 by Southland Publishing

FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA SEPTEMBER 2012

get Smart

ABOUT YOUR HOME’S TECHNOLOGY

SMART HOME DESIGN Already on your doorstep

MUST-HAVE GADGETS For high-tech living

LOVE BETWEEN THE SHEETS Of paper, that is

arroyo VOLUME 8 | NUMBER 9 | SEPTEMBER 2012

23 29 9 50 SMART HOME DESIGN 10 SMART HOMES ARE FINALLY MOVING IN Leave the shopping list to your trash can with technology that's raising the I.Q. of contemporary homes. —By Noela Hueso

23 HOME TECH TACK Cynthia Bennett & Associates launches its CBA Technology division to surf one of the industry's hottest trends—smart home technology design. —By Lynne Heffley

41 A LITERARY LOVE LIFE Novice novelist Sandi Tan and culture critic John Powers find romance between the sheets of paper. —By Lynne Heffley

DEPARTMENTS

PHOTOS: Top,Tom Queally

FESTIVITIES “California's Designing Women” opens at the Autry, Gloria Gartz Awards Dinner

ARROYO HOME SALES INDEX

OBJECTS OF DESIRE Spiffy new gadgets for the smart home

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS SB1520: Protecting animals, liberties or political careers?

WINING AND DINING At long last, Trattoria Neapolis

THE LIST PMCA celebrates its first decade, Gilbert & Sullivan come to Sierra Madre and more

ABOUT THE COVER: Illustration by Kalawin Jongpo

09.12 | ARROYO | 7

EDITOR’S NOTE

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BUY AN $87 TICKET TO CHECK OUT SOME OF THE “innoventions” in home technology that Disney heralds in its Tomorrowland exhibits. Yes, Arroyans, Tomorrowland is here today. A lot of it, anyway, if you have the dough (but at least you get to use it, not just eyeball it). Smart home technology may have had its infancy back in the 1970s, but it’s finally beginning to crack mainstream design. That inspired seasoned interior designer Cynthia Bennett to launch a discrete division, dubbed CBA Technology, that enables her firm to incorporate the latest advances in its South Pasadena practice, as she explained to Lynne Heffley. What are the possibilities for home technology? Noela Hueso looked around and found such Tomorrowland-friendly innovations as trash cans that generate shopping lists by keeping track of your throwaways and refrigerators that survey their contents and spit out recipes that use them. With this month’s Objects of Desire feature, you can shop for light switches that sense the presence or absence of someone in the room and turn lights on or off accordingly, and a “super selective” cat flap that allows entry only to the best felines (yours). We also introduce you to a local couple who are making waves in the literary world: Sandi Tan, whose first novel, The Black Isle, is garnering warm reviews, and her husband, NPR and Vogue culture critic John Powers. Heffley visited the pair to find out how these two manage marriage and separate creative lives . Tan’s tip? “Our cat is the mediator.” Sounds like someone may need a super selective cat flap. —Irene Lacher

EDITOR IN CHIEF Irene Lacher ART DIRECTOR Kent Bancroft JUNIOR DESIGNER Carla Cortez PRODUCTION Richard Garcia, Rochelle Bassarear

arroyo FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA

COPY EDITOR John Seeley CONTRIBUTORS Leslie Bilderback, Michael Cervin, Scarlet Cheng, Mandalit del Barco, Lynne Heffley, Noela Hueso, Carole Jacobs, Kathy Kelleher, Carl Kozlowski, Bettijane Levine, Brenda Rees, Margery L. Schwartz, Kirk Silsbee, John Sollenberger, Nancy Spiller, Bradley Tuck PHOTOGRAPHERS Claire Bilderback, Gabriel Goldberg, Christie Hemm, Melissa Valladares ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Dina Stegon ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Brenda Clarke, Joseluis Correa, Leslie Lamm, JJ Weiland ADVERTORIAL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Joanna Dehn Beresford ADVERTISING DESIGNERS Richard Garcia, Rochelle Bassarear

SOUTHLAND PUBLISHING V.P. OF FINANCE Michael Nagami V.P. OF OPERATIONS David Comden PRESIDENT Bruce Bolkin CONTACT US ADVERTISING dinas@pasadenaweekly.com EDITORIAL arroyoeditor@pasadenaweekly.com PHONE (626) 584-1500 FAX (626) 795-0149

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Andrea Baker

MAILING ADDRESS 50 S. De Lacey Ave., Ste. 200, Pasadena, CA 91105

BUSINESS MANAGER Angela Wang

ArroyoMonthly.com

ACCOUNTING Alysia Chavez, Monica MacCree OFFICE ASSISTANT Ann Weathersbee PUBLISHER Jon Guynn 8 | ARROYO | 09.12

FESTIVITIES Bill Stern

April Greiman, Deborah Sussman, Gere Kavanaugh and Stern

Cher Pendarvis and Marilyn Kay Austin

Some 550 guests celebrated the Aug. 8 opening of the Autry National Center’s “California’s Designing Women: 1896-1986,” heralding the work of 46 designers

Greiman with her work

Kavanaugh pointing to her quote

in widely diverse fields, time periods and styles. Designers in attendance included April Greiman, Deborah Sussman, Judith Hendler, Marilyn Kay Austin, Gere Kavanaugh and Cher Pendarvis. Also on hand was guest curator Bill Stern, who selected 200 objects for the show, thereby recognizing women in commercial design and fine craft, who've long been overlooked in those male-dominated fields. The exhibition runs through Jan. 6... The Women’s City Club of Pasadena honored Cristina Regalado of the California Wellness Foun-

PHOTOS: Abel Gutierrez (California’s Designing Women); Bob Reiter (Gloria Gartz Awards Gala)

Christina Regalado and Dr. Lois Frankel

dation, Libby Register and Loretta Vigil at its second annual Gloria Gartz Awards Gala at the club’s quarters on July 28.

(Left to right): Elizabeth (Libby) Register, Regalado, Loretta Vigil and Yvette-Janine Pardo 09.12 | ARROYO | 9

SMART HOMES ARE FINALLY MOVING IN Leave the shopping list to your trash can with technology that's raising the I.Q. of contemporary homes.

A universal remote controls a 46-inch all-weather Sunbrite TV, lighting, fireplace and multiple speakers, hidden in the ceiling, that evenly disperse sound. 10 | ARROYO | 09.12

PHOTO: Chris Woolman/Wilshire Media Systems

BY NOELA HUESO

JUST IMAGINE IT: YOU’VE COME HOME AFTER A LONG DAY OF WORK AND ALL YOU WANT TO DO IS RELAX. YOU WALK INTO YOUR MEDIA ROOM AND PUSH A SINGLE BUTTON---THE LIGHTS FADE, THE CURTAINS DRAW CLOSED, THE TEMPERATURE ADJUSTS, THE TV TURNS ON (AT THE PERFECT VOLUME, NO LESS) AND, JUST AS YOU’RE SITTING DOWN, YOUR DVD PLAYER BEGINS PLAYING THE FILM OF YOUR CHOICE. The stuff of fantasy? Not if you’ve installed “smart home” technology, a network that enables electrical items and appliances to communicate with one another, all controlled by wireless keypads, wall or wireless touch panels, voice command, remote control, tablet, smartphone or computer. While certainly nothing new---smart home technology has been in existence since 1975, with lighting automation one of its early hallmarks---the idea of customizing one’s home to make life simpler is growing increasingly popular and more sophisticated. Indeed, these days, almost anything is possible, whether we’re talking about individual smart appliances or the efficiency of a larger network. Consider: • Hallway lights that spontaneously turn on as you walk by; • Window treatments that adjust at preset times to reduce glare and protect delicate fabrics and fine art; • Door handles that unlock with scanned fingerprints; • Refrigerators that craft dinner recipes using the ingredients stored inside; • Washers and dryers that alert you with text messages when their cycles have ended;

PHOTO: Courtesy of Crestron (iPod remote control)

• Trash cans that monitor what you throw away and generate online orders for replacements. The fun factor in having such amenities is obvious, but having smart home technology in place also makes practical sense. First, there’s the convenience, which is universally appealing. “I put a system in my own home,” says David Lavi, owner of Studio City--based Lavitech, which installs smart home networks throughout Los Angeles and Pasadena. “My wife isn’t technology-savvy, but she knows that one button on the keypad turns everything on and off in the house and another lights up our detached garage even before she walks back there.” For the security-conscious, a smart home provides welcome protection. “The safekeeping of your home is critical,” says Josh Topaz, home-automation specialist at Monrovia-based Czar Home Theater Construction, which installs smart home systems throughout the San Gabriel Valley. “With smart home security cameras, you can check on the status of your property even if you’re in another country. Our customers appreciate the ability to pan, tilt and zoom to different areas of their home and to check in on their pets as well. We have a client who even has a camera positioned on his fish tank.” In an automated home, property owners have the ability to program lights and thermostats to turn on and off at specific times. Doing so increases energy efficiency,

Remote-control interface makes home adjustments an easy touch.

which, in turn, reduces costs. That’s good news, since installing an extensive smart home system doesn’t come cheap. In 2007, Bill Gates’ $113 million home outside Seattle made news when it was revealed that he spent more than $100 million on smart home technology. That’s an extreme example, certainly, and you don’t have to be a billionaire to enjoy the perks of home automation---but a comprehensive starter system can cost about $5,000 and run into tens of thousands of dollars. On the bright side, experts say, technology prices continue to come down as smart homes’ popularity increases. “You can get the same amount of home automation for probably a third less than what was paid five years ago,” says Czar home-automation specialist Dave Fernandez. And installations can be as simple or elaborate as your budget (and imagination) will allow. If you’re starting small, “you can also pre-wire –continued on page 12 09.12 | ARROYO | 11

Now you watch it, now you don’t: Seura’s 52-inch LED TV (background) is a mirror (left) when not in use.

infrastructure, so it’s easy to do yearly upgrades and add more toward a bigger system,” he adds. “They’re always very scalable.” Websites such as smarthome.com, automatedoutlet.com, smartenit.com and orchestratedhome.com cater to do-it-yourselfers, though Topaz warns, “Anyone who thinks of installing a smart home system themselves should be completely computer-savvy and be willing to have a learning curve.” (According to TechNewsWorld, about 60 percent of homebuilders who have installed home-automation devices hired professional help.) Smart home technology was on display in Arroyoland last spring when the Pasadena Showcase House of Design featured a Crestron smart home network in the 1930s-era Cravens Mansion. Crestron is bills itself as the leading manufacturer of home entertainment and control systems, which counts (in addition to its residential customers) Lockheed Martin, the Ritz-Carlton at L.A. Live, Ivy League universities such as Columbia and Yale, the 2012 Olympic Stadium in London, the Pentagon and the White House among its many worldwide clients. “We had thousands of people pass through this room, ranging from the general public to architects and professional decorators—and I think every one of them was shocked when we turned on the audio/video system. They just didn’t realize it was there,” says Wilshire Media Systems’ John Sporney, referring to the system, hidden from view when not in use, that his Thousand Oaks–based company installed in the Cravens family room. “We had a gorgeous wall-mounted 52-inch LED mirrored TV. We also had a 46-inch flat-screen rising out of a cabinet. More people had seen this type of device, but they still 12 | ARROYO | 09.12

TV mounted with no visible cables and conected to a 32-camera DVR system

were impressed by the beautiful piece of furniture we enclosed it in.” A set of in-ceiling surround loudspeakers and a subwoofer were almost invisible, even while in use. The installation also included an automated lighting and shading system. So what’s next? After all, like all technology, the world of smart home automation is constantly evolving. At January’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the annual convention that showcases the latest and greatest in the world of high tech, Samsung announced that it plans to include smart-interaction technology in some of its high-end TVs, which means that speaking, yelling, waving or otherwise gesturing will control the functions of the set. Now if only someone can come up with devices that will do our taxes, wash our windows, or go to the dentist for us…||||

PHOTOS: Chris Woolman/Wilshire Media Systems (52-inch LED mirrored TV), Courtesy of Lavitech (Mounted TV )

–continued from page 11

™

arroyo ~HOME SALES INDEX~ JUNE 2012

+3.4% ALTADENA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. ARCADIA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. EAGLE ROCK HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. GLENDALE HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. LA CANADA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. PASADENA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. SAN MARINO HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. SIERRA MADRE HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. SOUTH PASADENA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. TOTAL HOMES SOLD AVG PRICE/SQ. FT.

JUNE ’12 47 $385,000 1464 JUNE ’12 33 $680,000 1801 JUNE ’12 18 $552,500 1649 JUNE ’12 114 $462,500 1470 JUNE ’12 24 $950,000 2067 JUNE ’12 177 $566,500 1574 JUNE ’12 11 $1,813,500 2837 JUNE ’12 10 $508,750 1454 JUNE ’12 11 $593,000 1418 JUNE ’12 445 $386

RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE ARROYO FOOTPRINT CLOSE DATE PRICE

BDRMS.

SOURCE: CalREsource SQ. FT.

YR. BUILT PREV. PRICE

PREV. SOLD

ALTADENA

445 406

AVG. PRICE/SQ. FT.

HOME SALES ABOVE $750,000 ADDRESS

HOMES SOLD

-8.8%

JULY 2012 HOMES SOLD

HOME SALES

SPONSORED BY

JULY ’12 29 $465,000 1547 JULY ’12 27 $745,000 1678 JULY ’12 24 $468,500 1312 JULY ’12 113 $500,000 1458 JULY ’12 17 $917,000 2231 JULY ’12 145 $530,000 1390 JULY ’12 20 $1,774,500 2992 JULY ’12 7 $878,000 1836 JULY ’12 24 $722,500 1774 JULY ‘12 406 $399

1530 Braeburn Road

7/2/12

$810,000

$815,000

2/11/08

384 East Calaveras Street

7/5/12

$768,000

2036

1939

1982 Craig Avenue

7/3/12

$760,000

1608

1948

$700,000

3/14/08

1055 Wapello Street

7/17/12

$760,000

1850

1950

$274,000

2/26/99

1014 West Orange Grove Avenue

7/10/12

$2,080,000

4205

1948

$510,000

1/8/96

1110 South 2nd Avenue

7/25/12

$1,870,000

5139

1989

$1,550,000

4/25/06

1255 North Santa Anita Avenue

7/17/12

$1,608,000

2228 South 5th Avenue

7/25/12

$1,218,000

3878

1996

$960,000

12/4/03

33 East Las Flores Avenue

7/25/12

$1,050,000

1499

1949

$888,000

5/24/07

1003 South 8th Avenue

7/31/12

$930,000

2670

1989

1732 Vista Del Valle Drive

7/5/12

$900,000

1865

1951

211 East Camino Real Avenue

7/23/12

$877,000

1008

1921

1742 Claridge Street

7/10/12

$850,000

2662

1953

2120 South 2nd Avenue

7/5/12

$845,000

2284

1952

$732,000

2/24/05

1312 South 8th Avenue

7/9/12

$845,000

2597

1947

$308,000

4/15/94

1500 Louise Avenue

7/20/12

$757,000

1641

1958

505 South 2nd Avenue #A

7/25/12

$750,000

2517

1999

$750,000

1/20/10

824 Moorside Drive

7/10/12

$1,208,000

3093

1979

$587,000

2/3/98

1729 Foothill Drive

7/13/12

$1,030,000

$985,500

1/14/04

700 Avonglen Terrace

7/27/12

$1,000,000

3496

1973

$505,000

9/19/00

1112 East Maple Street

7/6/12

$949,000

4350

1927

$840,000

5/12/10

311 Kempton Road

7/26/12

$918,000

2729 Hollister Terrace

7/19/12

$900,000

$576,000

6/10/04

1609 El Rito Avenue

7/27/12

$886,000

4084

1927

$860,000

8/8/03

851 West Mountain Street

7/6/12

$876,000

3788

1903

$176,000

2/5/79

2530 Hermosa Avenue

7/6/12

$855,000

2338

1962

$835,000

8/24/07

3233 Dora Verdugo Drive

7/13/12

$850,000

3019

1999

$665,000

8/14/01

3623 Valihi Way

7/27/12

$837,000

2557

1952

$240,000

9/6/05

2345 Caldero Lane

7/30/12

$820,000

2906

1964

2313 Hermosita Drive

7/20/12

$815,000

2102

1929

$925,000

5/31/06

2512 East Glenoaks Boulevard

7/11/12

$800,000

2348

1938

$875,000

2/24/05

2727 East Glenoaks Boulevard

7/17/12

$789,500

2929

1948

$690,000

4/29/11

1510 Moreno Drive

7/6/12

$780,000

2865

1937

$735,000

12/2/09

920 Crestview Avenue

7/27/12

$780,000

2068

1941

$741,000

10/31/08

1313 Grandview Avenue #A

7/23/12

$775,000

3703

1964

132 North Everett Street

7/24/12

$765,000

4876

1987

$650,000

7/7/03

1641 Camulos Avenue

7/27/12

$760,000

1590

1920

$575,000

3/27/03

1647 Vista Drive

7/24/12

$750,000

1783

1940

3728 Madison Road

7/20/12

$2,550,000

$3,470,000

5/9/06

4429 Woodleigh Lane

7/31/12

$2,180,000

$880,000

8/20/99

4342 Chevy Chase Drive

7/23/12

$1,880,000

3293

1941

$330,000

7/17/86

463 Richmond Road #108

7/3/12

$1,725,000

4940

1998

$1,300,000

5/21/12

425 Richmond Road

7/31/12

$1,662,500

3066

1940

$853,000

10/25/01

4941 Indianola Way

7/27/12

$1,450,000

2782

1948

$610,000

5/15/02

5030 Castle Road

7/20/12

$1,150,000

2246

1953

$1,045,000

6/5/06

1119 Atlee Drive

7/26/12

$996,000

2068

1947

$976,000

7/22/09

281 Starlane Drive

7/31/12

$917,000

1930

1967

5036 Westslope Lane

7/13/12

$885,000

1617

1951

$355,000

9/10/97

ARCADIA

GLENDALE

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE

1514 Descanso Drive

7/19/12

$880,000

1557

1951

$835,000

7/30/03

4642 Rockland Place

7/27/12

$845,000

2215

1947

$575,000

9/1/11

2100 Tondolea Lane

7/26/12

$838,000

2274

1956

$749,000

5/4/04

continued on page 14

The Arroyo Home Sales Index is calculated from residential home sales in Pasadena and the surrounding communities of South Pasadena, San Marino, La Canada Flintridge, Eagle Rock, Glendale (including Montrose), Altadena, Sierra Madre and Arcadia. Individual home sales data provided by CalREsource. Arroyo Home Sales Index © Arroyo 2012.

09.12 | ARROYO | 13

continued from page 13

HOME SALES ABOVE $750,000 RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE ARROYO FOOTPRINT ADDRESS

CLOSE DATE PRICE

BDRMS.

SOURCE: CalREsource SQ. FT.

YR. BUILT PREV. PRICE

PREV. SOLD

PASADENA

1066 Charles Street

7/19/12

$4,550,000

$3,950,000

1/31/06

315 Bellefontaine Street

7/11/12

$2,650,000

4707

1933

$1,055,500

8/18/92

628 Magnolia Avenue

7/27/12

$1,725,000

3812

1929

$1,800,000

8/3/07

711 South San Rafael Avenue

7/26/12

$1,599,000

2576

1947

840 South Grand Avenue

7/11/12

$1,530,000

2494

1923

$1,653,000

9/21/07

915 South El Molino Avenue

7/12/12

$1,400,000

3478

1914

1215 Romney Drive

7/20/12

$1,361,000

$700,000

4/8/11

1135 Church Street

7/20/12

$1,325,000

2734

1959

$855,000

11/27/02

650 Busch Garden Lane

7/17/12

$1,150,000

1808

1956

$1,275,000

12/30/05

2552 San Pasqual Street

7/26/12

$1,070,000

2573

1969

$485,000

9/25/92

480 Glen Holly Drive

7/3/12

$1,050,000

1283

1988

$1,200,000

7/15/08

251 South Orange Grove Blvd #8

7/26/12

$1,050,000

2396

1980

$850,000

4/14/10

99 Annandale Road

7/17/12

$1,049,000

2148

1936

$1,050,000

4/1/08

3705 New Haven Road

7/2/12

$1,015,500

2636

1951

$704,000

5/28/04

850 Burleigh Drive

7/6/12

$1,000,000

2231

1960

853 South Euclid Avenue

7/3/12

$990,000

1040

1908

$1,002,500

5/28/04

3795 Shadow Grove Road

7/3/12

$975,000

2585

1949

$960,000

5/5/05

1790 Rose Villa Street

7/6/12

$965,000

1828

1923

$515,000

3/16/01

531 La Paz Drive

7/18/12

$939,000

2079

1939

$340,000

6/6/97

431 South Sierra Bonita Avenue

7/13/12

$930,000

$700,000

11/18/04

1429 Paloma Street

7/6/12

$865,000

$846,000

3/19/10

1644 Kaweah Drive

7/10/12

$860,500

$835,000

6/21/11

642 Woodward Boulevard

7/30/12

$860,000

$425,000

7/25/00

1238 East Woodbury Road

7/12/12

$850,000

2394

1925

$590,000

3/22/04

372 Rosemont Avenue

7/27/12

$850,000

2322

1924

$1,125,000

2/28/07

1209 Romney Way

7/26/12

$830,000

44 Arroyo Drive #302

7/30/12

$830,000

2610

2008

$725,000

1/13/11

171 Annandale Road

7/19/12

$825,000

2378

1930

40 Arroyo Drive #101

7/31/12

$800,000

3220

2007

$701,000

9/23/10

2150 East Mountain Street

7/24/12

$785,000

2948

1930

995 Ellington Lane

7/6/12

$784,500

1755

1959

2240 East Woodlyn Road

7/13/12

$775,000

2254

1948

3603 Grayburn Road

7/26/12

$761,000

1801

1948

740 Chester Avenue

7/13/12

$4,460,000

5196

1941

2350 Montecito Drive

7/2/12

$3,000,000

3889

1972

1224 Sherwood Road

7/5/12

$2,568,000

3883

1930

2305 Ridgeway Road

7/12/12

$2,510,000

4030

1929

1181 Old Mill Road

7/18/12

$2,030,000

1541 Euston Road

7/5/12

$2,000,000

2771

947 South Santa Anita Avenue

7/10/12

$1,953,000

2892

2245

1923

23 $515,000

10/31/02

SAN MARINO

14 $2,500,000

3/20/08

21 $1,820,000

1/7/09

1948

$990,000

3/31/89

1952

$279,000

10/9/80

$1,228,000

5/29/03

1471 Bedford Road

7/23/12

$1,950,000

3091

1947

1055 Sherwood Road

7/11/12

$1,855,000

3518

1984

2070 La Cala Place

7/18/12

$1,825,000

3554

1963

1874 Warwick Road

7/5/12

$1,724,000

3242

1933

2140 Ashbourne Drive

7/25/12

$1,695,000

2108

1940

575 Winston Avenue

7/12/12

$1,690,000

3240

1470 Bedford Road

7/18/12

$1,680,000

2490 Cumberland Road

7/18/12

$1,450,000

1485 Bradbury Road

7/10/12

575 Old Mill Road

20 $925,000

1/10/03

1938

$610,000

8/5/94

2404

1949

$1,525,000

10/5/11

2714

1930

$1,350,000

7/1/05

$1,350,000

2414

1947

$587,500

6/19/00

7/12/12

$1,255,000

$745,000

12/21/00

930 Darby Road

7/12/12

$1,250,000

2350

1931

$650,000

12/2/99

2005 Sycamore Drive

7/11/12

$1,076,000

2340

1941

$493,000

5/1/91

2440 Lorain Road

7/24/12

$925,000

1495

1938

16 SIERRA MADRE

536 West Highland Avenue

7/10/12

$1,315,000

3492

2007

$1,598,000

9/12/07

407 Pleasant Hill Lane

7/13/12

$1,160,000

3746

1917

$810,000

10/22/03

635 East Orange Grove Avenue

7/17/12

$1,126,000

3102

1939

$799,000

7/31/01

460 Fairview Avenue

7/20/12

$878,000

1836

1957

$730,000

7/27/07

319 Fremont Avenue

7/2/12

$1,358,000

3720

1935

$810,000

7/23/04

1725 Monterey Road

7/12/12

$1,125,000

2061

1907

1840 Laurel Street

7/26/12

$1,025,000

1625

1927

$1,075,000

6/17/05

929 Magnolia Street

7/31/12

$965,000

2440

2005

$905,000

5/28/10

314 Grace Drive

7/26/12

$920,000

2540

1955

SOUTH PASADENA

14 | ARROYO | 09.12

440 La Terraza Street

7/31/12

$918,000

1865

1970

1672 Via Del Rey

7/10/12

$880,000

1871

1964

$400,000

6/2/94

2039 Empress Avenue

7/20/12

$870,000

1770

1951

$715,000

8/17/06

1317 Lyndon Street

7/24/12

$830,000

2027

2005

$134,000

5/31/85

1115 Glendon Way

7/10/12

$815,000

1706

1905

$310,000

11/23/88

1212 Diamond Avenue

7/18/12

$805,000

$299,000

5/10/00

arroyo HOME & DESIGN SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

FROM THOREAU TO GATES BUILDING THE HOME THEATER OF YOUR DREAMS BY JOANNA DEHN BERESFORD

WHEN CONFRONTED WITH THIS MONTH’S ARTICLE ON SMART HOMES AND, IN PARTICULAR, HOME THEATERS, SUBJECTS IN WHICH I AM VERSED BUT NO EXPERT, I WAS FILLED WITH AN AWESOME TREPIDATION BECAUSE THE ELECTRONIC WORLD IS CHANGING SO FAST AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT ALL THESE CHANGES ULTIMATELY MEAN - AS IF MEANING COULD BE DEDUCED FROM MY CHAIR AND THROUGH MY CONVERSATIONS AND RUMINATIONS UPON THE TOPIC. FRANKLY, I AM A TECHNO-GEEK IN THE UNCONVENTIONAL SENSE OF THE TERM: I AM GEEKY IN DIRECT PROPORTION TO MY LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCE REGARDING TECHNOLOGY. MY CHILDREN ARE MY GUIDE; MY WILLINGNESS TO LEARN DICTATED AS OFTEN BY NECESSITY AS BY TRUE CURIOSITY; MY FAITH IN INVENTION ALTERNATELY EUPHORIC AND UNCERTAIN. BUT MY ASSIGNMENT WAS CLEAR: WRITE A PIECE ABOUT AUTOMATION. SO, I DECIDED THAT I NEEDED A COMPANION, A CO-WRITER. AFTER CAREFUL THOUGHT I CHOSE NOT A GADGET GURU, BUT A GUY WHO COULD PROVIDE A PLAYFUL DIALOGUE AND CONTRAST TO CONSIDERATION OF OUR VIRTUAL WORLD. I ENLISTED THE COLLABORATION OF HENRY DAVID THOREAU. –continued on page 17

09.12 | ARROYO | 15

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

–continued from page 15 “IF YOU HAVE BUILT CASTLES IN THE AIR, YOUR WORK NEED NOT BE LOST, THAT IS WHERE THEY SHOULD BE. NOW PUT THE FOUNDATIONS UNDER THEM.” - HENRY DAVID THOREAU Bill Gates built his castle into the hills outside Seattle, overlooking Lake Washington. He named the complex Xanadu 2.0 in reference to the iconic Citizen Kane mansion, and not surprisingly, the 66,000 square foot residence is probably the most noteworthy Smart Home in the world. Guests who enter the home wear uniquely programmed pins that communicate with the estate’s comprehensive server system so that every time they enter a room, the lights, temperature, music, television/video screens, and even the digital artwork automatically adjust according to the particular visitor’s preferences – because, like my collaborator says, we all keep pace to a different drummer. All the floors and driveway are heated, another element that Thoreau may have appreciated as he noted that “heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.” It took seven years and an estimated $100 million to build the home. –continued on page 19

09.12 | ARROYO | 17

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

–continued from page 17 In terms of tech-related entertainment, the provisions of Xanadu 2.0 predictably blow the average home-owner’s mind. The 1,500 square foot home theater, housed in an underground concrete shell, features an art-deco design theme, plush chairs and couches, state-of-the-art machinery and a popcorn machine – at least, as described in the most recent video tours and online portrayals of the home. For larger or more formal gatherings a 2,300 square foot Reception Hall offers a 22-foot video display with 24 rear-projection television monitors, each serving images to discreet 40-inch screens. The family wing includes a “techno-playland” for the children, and there’s a separate, private theater in the guest quarters. Thoreau, during the mid-19th century when he wrote On Walden Pond, lived in a hut, not a mansion; and in fact he had the good sense or the good fortune not to own that cabin. It belonged to his friend Emerson. Naturally he didn’t have a television, a PC, a phone or even a horse. Two legs, two eyes and ears, some pens and notebooks sufficed. But even for transcendental poets and philosophers, times have changed, and I imagine that Thoreau would have been (or, perhaps, is) compelled by our advances. “IT IS TOO LATE TO BE STUDYING HEBREW; IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND EVEN THE SLANG OF TODAY.” -HENRY DAVID THOREAU Somewhere between Thoreau and Bill Gates we find ourselves. Most of us require more than ice bubbles forming on a pond or rings widening around a tree trunk to stimulate our imaginations; and most can’t or won’t spend millions of dollars on home entertainment and communication systems. As a conglomerate, American homeowners spent roughly $14 billion in the effort to network their homes in 2005 and that amount was expected to climb to nearly $85 billion by 2011. The cost of home theaters falls somewhere in the midst of those numbers, so if you’re creating or updating your entertainment centers, how exactly do you want to invest your portion of that expenditure? –continued on page 21

09.12 | ARROYO | 19

20 | ARROYO | 09.12

—ADVERTISING —ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT— SUPPLEMENT—

–continued from page 19 Even for sound and vision aficionados the choices and vocabulary regarding home theater installation and improvement can be overwhelming. If code words like rainbow effect, screen door effect, deep color, frame interpolation, dynamic iris, anamorphic lens, spatial sound application, synthetic undulations and wave drops make you feel like your head’s going to explode, you might want to go for a walk. After all, Thoreau described walking as a “noble art,” and claimed that “every walk is a sort of a crusade…to go forth and reconquer this Holy Land.” Once your mind is clear you should simply consider several aspects of your home theater endeavor. What will you view or access from your designated theater space: films, concerts, television programs, sporting events, games, internet activity? Who will use the space and how often? How much space do you have and what existing equipment, wiring, amenities are available? What sort of design aesthetic will you pursue? What’s your budget and your timeframe? How do want your home theater to evolve over time? Then you should do some research and talk to the experts. –continued on page 22

09.12 | ARROYO | 21

H ME TECH TACK Cynthia Bennett & Associates launches its CBA Technology division to surf one of the industry’s hottest trends—smart home technology design.

PHOTO: Alfreda Maloof, courtesy of the Maloof Foundation

BY LYNNE HEFFLEY

WALK INTO THE MASTER SUITE OF A CERTAIN 16-ROOM ENGLISH TUDOR--STYLE HOME IN TOLUCA LAKE AND THE IPAD DOCKED DISCREETLY ON THE WALL WILL BE THE LAST THING YOU NOTICE. YET THAT UNOBTRUSIVE DEVICE IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT IN THE SUITE’S STRIKING NEW INTERIOR DESIGN. –continued on page 25 09.11 | ARROYO | 23

LEFT: A Portable iPad touch interface that controls fire in the fireplace, window shades, lighting, heat and air conditioning. ABOVE: Designer Cynthia Bennett and Michael Fehmers, head of CBA Technology division

PHOTOS: Courtesy of CBA

–continued from page 23

Using the portable iPad touch interface, the homeowner can turn on the fire in the fireplace, raise and lower window shades in the home office, adjust the shades over bathroom skylights and choose desired levels of lighting, heat and air conditioning. He/she can control a multi-room integrated sound and video system that includes a mirror doubling as a television and FastFrame’s VisionArt wall installations: custom-framed fineart prints that retract to reveal flat-screen TVs. Those high-end amenities and more are “about the max” in home automated systems, said Cynthia Bennett, owner and founder of Cynthia Bennett & Associates (cynthiabennett.com). A noted design firm based in South Pasadena, CBA is in the process of an extensive interior and exterior remodel of the nearly 8,000-square-foot Toluca Lake home. As part of the remodel, CBA’s new Technology division is integrating novel and varied products into one master system. Bennett’s company, established in 1981 and nested in a renovated 1908 Craftsman bungalow, launched its cutting-edge Technology division in March, recognizing smart home design as one of the industry’s hottest new trends, “matching energy management and conservation,” Bennett said. The new division is the latest expansion for CBA, which grew from a kitchen specialty house into a design-and-build provider of comprehensive residential design that includes hardscaping (patios, walls, tile paths, decks, etc.) and custom homes. It has remodeled and rebuilt more than 800 homes and additions in the L.A. area. CBA projects are featured in Pasadena Showcase Houses and on local American Society of Interior Designers tours. With the rising demand for evolving smart-home interfaces and electronics, a separate division within the company made sense, Bennett said. Client needs vary widely. One security-minded homeowner wanted to be able to push a button at his bedside to turn on lighting around the perimeter of his property. For a travel writer’s at-home retreat, Bennett designed an elegant “inspiration wall” displaying multiple electronic im-

“The ultimate goal is to hide technology.” ~ Michael Fehmers, CBA Technology ages and quotes. Some clients are simply looking for small-scale entertainment set-ups. “Sound systems, everything to do with computers and home offices—all of that is part of it,” Bennett said. “We were doing more and more of it, but we were having to go out and look for it, so it wasn’t as integrated as it could have been.” “The ultimate goal,” said CBA Technology head Michael Fehmers, “is to hide technology.” That requires extensive integration by and interaction among designers and architects, he said. “Not enough, and it can lead to unfortunate instances where cabinets, etc., need to be altered to accommodate the lack of communication. I see the architects and designers every day. We share a project manager and nothing falls through the cracks.” A licensed veteran of the automated systems industry, Fehmers, who is Bennett’s son, was making plans to start his own business when mom called. “I said, ‘I think you should come and join my company,’ ” said Bennett, whose daughter, interior designer Carolien Fehmers, is also an integral part of Bennett’s 12-member professional staff. “I've always been interested in gadgets,” Michael Fehmers said. “In college, I was the guy who had the monster speakers hanging on big iron chains in my tiny dorm room.” –continued on page 27 09.12 | ARROYO | 25

LEFT: Seura’s mirror-inset TV provides entertainment during bathroom rituals. RIGHT: In VisionArt TV concealment system, art (above) rises to reveal flat screen TV. Savant iPad controller sits below.

PHOTOS: Courtesy of CBAPHOTO: James Reese

–continued from page 25

After earning his Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer license and serving a stint as a Y2K preparation technician, Fehmers spent 15 years at leading audiovisual integration firms. Audio systems, he said, are what clients most frequently ask for first. “People want to access all of the great new ‘streaming’ options around the house, and there are some great [systems] like Sonos (sonos.com) that provide an easily retrofittable and economical option for distributed audio. “We are also often asked about lighting control,” Fehmers added. “Lutron RadioRa2 (lutron.com) is a great product that can start small and grow.” Mac-based Savant (savantsystems.com) is the primary home automation system used by CBA. It provides the “umbrella” that integrates and allows for the automation of all of the home’s sub-systems, such as lighting, heat, ventilation, air conditioning, audio and video, Fehmers explained. “Energy management is a question I hear more and more,” he added. “Savant has a ‘smart energy solution’ that allows for monitoring of energy usage to automate lighting, heating, cooling and shading, accordingly.” The energy advantages of such technology dovetail with CBA’s signature green approach—in 2003, the company built the first house in Pasadena to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star home qualifications. The company routinely uses Energy Star appliances, non-formaldehyde materials, low-energy lighting, solar tubes, zoned heat and air conditioning, and it recommends dimmers on every light. (“Dim an incandescent light even 10 percent,” Bennett said, “and you save as much energy as if you were using fluorescents.”) Automated home systems are a boon, too, for the aesthetics of interior design, Bennett said. “Instead of having switches everywhere, you can have one little system at the door or in a couple of places in the room.” Bennett understands that many homeowners remain reluctant to explore smart home technology because they’re concerned about the expense. Costs can begin at a few hundred dollars and climb into the tens of thousands at the high end. “But it depends on what you do,” Bennett said. “It can be expensive if you go all the way. I recommend beginning with the low-voltage wiring in your house; then you can start with a very simple system and add to it over time.” ||||

GET STARTED WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK The cost for fully integrated smart home technology with all the bells and whistles can climb into tens of thousands of dollars. The average homeowner can get started for much less.

MICHAEL FEHMERS, HEAD OF CYNTHIA BENNETT & ASSOCIATES TECHNOLOGY DIVISION: Today’s improved technology and control points such as iPhones and iPads have dramatically reduced costs for an automation system. In the past, a touch-control panel could cost $4,000. Today, a homeowner can begin to build a distributed audio system “with a Sonos amplified unit for $499 and a pair of speakers. Installation would be extra, but all told, it’s very economical to bring all the current music options to the home. The system can be controlled with an IOS [iPhone/iPad] or Android device as well, so no proprietary controller is required.” To move further into home automation, a Control4 processor and licenses can be purchased for less than $1,500.“That setup would provide a universal remote control for a local TV/surround-sound system, and the processor to use as the heart of an automation system. At this point, via radio-frequency technology, lights and thermostats can be added and integrated into the system.” While hard-wired solutions are still the most reliable, new wireless options, such as Sonos audio,“can be a breeze to install. And the more reliable wireless becomes, the easier installations will be.”

CYNTHIA BENNETT, FOUNDER AND OWNER, CYNTHIA BENNETT & ASSOCIATES: “When remodeling, do all the low-voltage wiring, and then set up a basic control system to automate your house. There are different products you can use, but the wiring is important because it’s behind the walls. You can add to the system later.” Sound, lighting, shading and security are the first four things to consider adding to an automated system,“and you can control all of this from your iPhone and iPad.” —L.H. 09.12 | ARROYO | 27

Objects RAISE YOUR HOME'S IQ WITH THESE SPIFFY NEW GADGETS.

Desire

BY IRENE LACHER

Clothing designer Jason Wu—who was put on the fashion map by none other than First Lady Michelle Obama—is glamming up bathrooms with his collection for Brizo, which includes a

SensoWash Shower Toilet Seat Starck 610000—part of designer

sleek black faucet with SmartTouch-

Philippe Starck's collaboration with bathroom furniture and accessories

Plus and TempIQ Temperature Control

supplier Duravit—is a sharp new toilet seat–bidet combo that offers such

Technology, allowing you to clean up

hygienic perks as “rearwash” and “ladywash.”

with a mere wave of your hand.

$1,895,duravit.com

$799, brizo.com

Kohler's VibrAcoustic tub uses Bluetooth technology to broadcast sound waves that travel through the water and “permeate your entire body with buoyant rhythms that carry you on a course toward complete relaxation.” Starting at $3,400, kohler.com

–continued on page 30

09.12 | ARROYO | 29

Objects

Desire

Show off family photos and access the latest weather, news and Epicurious.com recipes on the eight-inch WiFi-enabled LCD screen of Samsung's smart 28-cubic-foot, four-door fridge. $3,699, samsung.com

Hands full when you go in and out of the laundry room? Let Lutron's Maestro Occupancy Sensing Switch save you money and maintain your green cred by turning the lights on as you arrive and off after you leave. Starts at $29,

Pasadena Lighting, 731 E. Walnut St., Pasadena, (626) 564-1112

LG's Hom-Bot does another round self-propelled vacuum cleaner one better with advanced control features that allow you to steer it using your smartphone. With a camera eye and “innovative learning algorithim,” the Hom-Bot “memorizes mapping information to calculate optimal paths for future cleaning sessions,” according to the company. $799.99, lg.com

30 | ARROYO | 09.12

Ramp up your homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s security with the Actatek3 1,000 User Fingerprint and Pin Pad + Access Control Unit, which makes sure only people with the best fingerprints can get past the door by themselves. $1,190, actatekusa.com

While you're keeping out undesirable humans, vet your indoor animal population too with the Ani Mate 305W Cat Mate Elite Super Selective Cat Flap, which opens only for kitties sporting an electronic I.D. disc. $210.27, pet-mate.com

Hands full of kitchen ook? Wave them over Innovia's Automatic Paper Towel Dispenser, and clean up without adding to the mess. $99.99, innoviahome.com

09.12 | ARROYO | 31

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

Education

& ENRICHMENT AND SUMMER CAMPS Altadena Stables Altadena Stables is a full-service facility, offering a safe and friendly environment for your riding enjoyment. Boarded horses are attended to 24/7 by experienced caretakers who live on the property. The location is next to the Arroyo Seco and its beautiful forest trails. Instruction is provided on reliable stable horses by experienced professionals and trainers who offer lessons, camps, clinics and groups for riders of all ages and skill levels. Visit www.altadenastables.com. (626)797-2012 Barnhart Barnhart School offers a private elementary and middle school education for children in kindergarten through 8th grade from the Arcadia, Pasadena, Sierra Madre and other San Gabriel Valley communities. Distinguished programs of Barnhart School are the

32 | ARROYO | 09.12

Writers’ Workshop, the 7th grade Biotech project sponsored by Amgen, Spanish at all grade levels with a conversation club in 8th grade, early literacy emphasis, the Virtues character development program, and continued integration of technology, arts, and physical education. 240 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia. barnhartschool.org (626)446-5588 Child Education Center The Child Educational Center offers a wide variety of summer camp experiences that are sure to meet you and your child's ideas of summer fun! Summer exploration camp has a different theme each week and includes field trips, swimming and special guests. Our partnership with Altadena Stables and Descanso Gardens continues with two weeks of Horse Camp and three weeks of Descanso Discoveries. Adventure Zone will peak your older child's interest

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

with trips to amusement parks, Boomers and more. 140 Foothills Blvd., La Canada Flintridge. (818)354-3418 ceconline.org Drucker School of Management The Drucker School of Management in Claremont offers a world-class graduate management education through our MBA, Executive MBA, Financial Engineering, and Arts Management degree programs. Our programs infuse Peter Drucker’s principle of management as a liberal art along with our core strengths in strategy and leadership. We offer individualized, flexible course scheduling, an innovative curriculum focusing on values-based management, and the opportunity to learn from worldrenowned faculty. To learn more, visit us at www.drucker.cgu.edu. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church School Our church welcomes all families and children to share the Word of God. We have a Youth Group and Sunday School. Our preschool and K-6th classes emphasize reading and mathematics in prepa-

ration for the annual S.A.T. tests given to each grade. Computers are used by all the grades. Day Care is also available. Please call (323) 255-2786 to arrange a tour. More details, and the tuition rates are on www.goodshepherdla.org. Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 6338 North Figueroa St. LA 90042, (626)226-6818 www.goodshepherdla.org Mathnasium Mathnasium is a highly specialized learning center where kids go yearround to improve their math skills. Students attend as often as they like - for as long as they like. The goal is to enhance your child’s math skills, understanding of math concepts and overall school performance. At the same time, Mathnasium builds your child’s confidence and forges a positive attitude toward the subject, yielding overwhelming results. Independent studies by EyeCues Education Systems found that Mathnasium students’ performance increased more than two letter grades in as little as three to six months. Visit mathnasium.com to find out more, or call (626)532-7587. ■

09.12 | ARROYO | 33

arroyo

RESOURCE GUIDE ARCHITECTS ARCHITECTURE PLUS Architecture Plus is a full service A&E firm established in 2000 in La Canada. We specialize in Custom Residential, Commercial and Architectural Interiors. Our services begin with initial concepts through occupancy, working with you and your contractor or ours to ensure your project is properly executed as well as delivered in a timely and cost effective manner. 1045 Foothill Boulevard La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011 (818) 952-8143 HARTMAN BALDWIN DESIGN/BUILD HartmanBaldwin Design/Build is a fully integrated Architecture, Construction and Interior Design Company specializing in upscale remodels, additions, historic restorations and new custom homes for highly discerning individuals that are passionate about their home and lifestyle. We pride ourselves in being chosen by clients who look for a full service firm that will provide them with outstanding design services, cutting-edge materials and products, quality construction that is sustainable and energy-efficient, as well as a relationship that goes beyond the duration of a project. Call (626)486-0510 www.HartmanBaldwin.com. JAMES COANE & ASSOCIATES Since 1994, James V. Coane, has specialized in: custom residences, estates, historic renovations and expansions, residential and apartment interiors, multi-family residential, corporate interiors, retail and small commercial building design. American Institute of Architects award winners, and named Best Architect by Pasadena Weekly, their projects have been in Architectural Digest and other magazines and used as locations for filming and fashion shoots. Well-versed in historical and modern architecture and design and known for attention to detail on all projects. Visit jvca.com or call (626)584-6922. MARK HOUSTON ASSOCIATES For the past 24 years, Mark Houston Associates has provided residential design and construction services for clients throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Projects range from custom homes and remodels, kitchens and baths, interiors and landscapes. The client is a key member of our team at Mark Houston Associates. We strive to create a residential environment that reflects our client's unique personality, values and vision while ensuring client satisfaction. Mark Houston & Associates, Inc., 135 W. Foothill Blvd., Ste. 5, Monrovia, CA 91016 (626)357-7858 Fax (626)357-2049 www.markhoustonassociates.com

CUSTOM HOME BUILDERS CHELSEA CONSTRUCTION Chelsea Construction is a full service design and construction company, specializing in luxury home remodels, custom homes and commercial construction. Our full time staff provides one stop comprehensive contracting services with cost efficient solutions and quick turnaround for our clients. Since the company’s proud beginnings in finish carpentry, window installations and crown moldings our precision and craftsmanship has evolved into an award winning team that focuses on detail, quality and service. Call us at (818)949-4595 and visit us online at www.chelseaconstructioncorp.com

DINING & NIGHTLIFE NEW MOON The popular, award-winning New Moon is Zagat listed with locations in Montrose, Downtown L.A., and Valencia. Our families' recipes have been developed over three generations, and continue the philosophy of food as a dynamic and evolving art form. We've updated and re-imagined

34 | ARROYO | 09.12

Chinese classics for contemporary tastes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Nestled in quaint Montrose, we also feature an inviting lounge with a full bar and an extensive wine list. 2138 Verdugo Blvd., Montrose. (818) 249-4393 newmoonresaurant.com THE VOL. 94 Our goal at Vol. 94 is to make sure your night is memorable we strive to be the best in all of Pasadena with our modern cuisine and eclectic wines. Our menu consists of our variations on familiar dishes such as X.O Risotto, Fauxsagna, Melon & Prosciutto Soup , and SGV Duck. Our forte is our Seoul food since Chef Phil is Korean and most of our kitchen staff. The Food is served in small plate portions to keep the palate excited. Our wines come from all over the world including South America, France, and the Napa Valley. A small number of craft beer is also an option of one does not favor wine. We hope to fulfill and please everyone who walks in our door. 239 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena 91104. (626)356-9494 ZUGO’S CAFÉ Owners, Chez and Sherry Grossi have built their menus and food preparation using Chez's mother Palmira's ethos: fresh, quality ingredients prepared from scratch. All entrees are served with a side salad and fresh bread which is baked throughout the day. Their wine list is extensive featuring award winning wines from around the world. While dining at Zugo’s you feel like you’re in a café in Italy. Lunch and dinner Tuesday- Sunday and breakfast on the weekends. Zugo’s Café 74 Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024. (626)836-5700 Fax (626)836-5723 www.zugoscafe.com

GIFT BOUTIQUES FANCY THAT! It’s that time of year again and the Fancy That! Holiday Store is ready for the colors of Autumn in our second location at 2529 Mission St. As for Halloween… visitors to FANCY THAT! will be whisked away by a coven of wicked witches, ready to turn your All Hallows Eve into a memorable moment in time. Whether shopping or simply celebrating this most unique season, Fancy That! is a spellbinding, not-to-be missed event. See you there, if you dare! 2575 & 2529 Mission St. San Marino 91108 www.fancythat.us.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY ARCADIA EYE CENTER Arcadia Eye Center is a practice providing medical and surgical care of the eyes. We emphasize eyelid cosmetic surgery, and facial cosmetic procedures, including facial laser, photoderm treatments, Botox, and facial fillers. An in-office surgical facility provides convenience for our patients. In addition, the practice provides traditional cataract and glaucoma care, as well as refractive care, including lasik, contacts and prescription eyewear. Free Consultation at our Arcadia Office Call Maria, or office Coordinator for an Appointment. 622 W. Duarte Rd. Suite #103. (626)445-4873 ARCADIA HEALTH CARE CENTER Finding the right skilled nursing community can be a very difficult and sometimes painful experience. The staff at Arcadia Health Care Center works hard to assist in transitioning a patient from hospital to home. We take pride in offering a gentle transitioning program allowing residents the support and assistance they deserve to make the transition as easy and acceptable as possible. AHCC is a 99 bed skilled nursing facility providing both short-term rehabilitation and long-term care. Our beautiful property and caring, professional staff make you feel at home as a resident or a visiting family member. For more information or to schedule a tour, please

call 626-445-2170. www.arcadiahealthcarecenter.com AURORA LAS ENCINAS HOSPITAL Behavioral health care treatment options are offered for patients with psychiatric, chemical dependency, or co-occurring disorders. Psychiatric services include inpatient, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs. has remained committed to quality care and service to the community for over 100 years, and grown to include 118 licensed acute care beds, plus 38 residential treatment beds. Please call (626)7959901 or (800)792-2345 and ask for the Assessment & Referral Department. CHRISTINE WON, M.D. What is Concierge Medicine? It’s a type of practice that allows you to spend 30 minutes for office visits (rather than 8 minutes in a traditional practice). You’ll be treated like a person instead of a number. We’ll focus on preventive care to maintain your good health through a comprehensive annual physical that includes extensive blood tests, EKG, metabolic test and much more. Call us for info and how to join at (626)793-8455.

clear blemishes? We at Vanity Medical Aesthetics promise affordable medical aesthetics and great service. As the premier Med Spa, we have the reputation, experience, technology, training, and focus on safety to create the red carpet experience you deserve. Not only will you look your best, you will feel your best.” (626)284-9589 www.vanitydoc.com

HOBBIES & CRAFTS CLAYCASSO Paint Your Story! Explore your inner Picasso at Claycasso: Pottery Painting Studio in Pasadena!! We have hundreds of individual ceramic pieces that you can paint and make your own. Use Claycasso Studio to make decorations or a personal and meaningful gift for loved ones. It's a fun and artistic way to spend time with your family and friends. Claycasso also hosts parties, fundraisers, and other special occasions! Celebrate a special moment in your life by gathering and doing this unique activity together. 450 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena. (626)844-7173 www.claycasso.com

INTERIOR DESIGNERS DR. MARILYN MEHLMAUER Having smooth, youthful skin is the first step to feeling great about your appearance. Dr. Marilyn Mehlmauer offers a wide variety of solutions for any problem areas on your face. Whether you have lines, wrinkles or acne, we have a remedy to restore the elasticity and refine the appearance of your skin. Visit us and explore our facial rejuvenation treatment options. Call and schedule your consultation today, (626)585-9474. DR. JACKLIN POLADIAN, M.D. You don’t have to pay a fortune to receive the medical care that you deserve. With Dr. Jacklin Poladian, your every medical need is thoroughly addressed in a timely manner. Whether you have a chronic condition that requires continual management or you have an acute illness and want to be seen immediately, you will be taken care of like it should be. Make an appointment and start taking care of your health today. (626) 200-4500. 301 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Suite 403, Pasadena, CA 91214. (626)200-4500 Fax (626)795-0704 healthcare@drjacklinpoladian.com LOS ANGELES CENTER FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH You have unique healthcare concerns, and we have a comprehensive set of services. We offer you world-class treatment and management of health conditions, from the most common to the most complex. Plus screenings, risk assessments, wellness and health education. Timely, thoughtful guidance by our care coordinator – appointment scheduling, follow-up care and help in researching the answers you need – defines our mission of creating healthcare designed with you in mind. Please visit www.lacwh.org or call 213-742-6400 to schedule an appointment. MASSAGE ENVY As noteworthy studies continue to demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of massage, more and more people seek the restorative and preventative results of regular massage practice. In the same way that people from all walks of life seek the healthy advantages of routine exercise, proper diet and spiritual or meditative alignment, they also turn to the kinds of treatments offered at Massage Envy, in order to maintain a balanced and productive lifestyle. Massage Envy, 3707 E. Foothill Blvd., Hastings Ranch, Pasadena, CA 91107 (626)351-9100. 333 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale (818)-246-ENVY. 345 S. Lake Ave., #205, Pasadena (626)240-1060. VANITY MEDICAL AESTHETICS “Thinking about cosmetic surgery, but concerned about the cost and possible complications? Disappointed by expensive department store skin care, touted to eliminate wrinkles and

BONITA INTERIORS Bonita Interiors believes in living comfortably chic. Perfection is not something we strive for. We strive for interesting, eclectic and individual interiors. Our environments reflect the people who live there. Everything and anything goes as long as there is a certain "sense" to it all. Our furniture brings the “designer” into your home at an affordable price. Visit Bonita Interiors at the Pasadena Antique Center. We’re the largest retail space on the 2nd Floor. Ask for Angela Dickerson-Lee. 480 S. Fair Oaks Ave. Pasadena, CA 91105. (626)975-2714 angela@bonitainteriors.com www.bonita-interiors.com CYNTHIA BENNETT & ASSOCIATES, INC. Cynthia Bennett & Associates has been a celebrated design and build firm for almost 30 years. They specialize in innovative kitchen and bath design, general construction, historical renovation, project management and interior design. With all areas of residential design and construction being taken care of by Cynthia Bennett and Associates, Inc., each detail will be thought of and coordinated. Call for a consultation at (626)799-9701. DAY OF DESIGN WITH TERRI JULIO Day of Design with Terri Julio — Imagine the opportunity to consult with a professional designer for an entire day. Now you can for a fixed flat fee. Let Terri’s expertise be the first thing you call upon when considering any project. It is a worthwhile investment and a good dose of prevention considering valuable dollars and time can be lost when improvements go awry. Call (626)447-5370 or visit www.terrijulio.com. VONDERAHE DESIGN Blending value, design and inspiration is the phrase we live by at Carolyn Von Der Ahe Interiors & Exteriors. Carolyn is adept at mixing high-end, custom, and value-added design for each client's needs, all the while creating beautiful, classic, livable space. Carolyn's design always stays true to the client's lifestyle, personality, and interests. She styles a home to be current but still classic. Carolyn draws her inspiration from years of worldwide travel and has established relationships with the best of artisans. Supporting charitable causes is an integral part of her business beliefs. www.vonderaheinteriors.com - (818) 952-7470

INTERIOR SPACES CAROUSEL FLOORS This family-owned, 38-year-old company provides a superb selection along with remarkable

service. For hardwood, select from all the top names, including Appalachian Hardwood Floors, pre-finished or finished by expert craftsman. For linoleum, Marmoleum is a natural, ecofriendly, stylish flooring with multiple patterns. Carousel is a Mohawk Color Center, carrying Fabrica, Karastan, Masland and Schumacher to name a few. Free consultations; designers welcome. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 am to 4 pm Sat. or by appointment. 676 E. Green St., Pasadena. Call (626)795-8085. LBC LIGHTING LBCLighting offers you with the easiest and most convenient way to purchase contemporary lighting for your home or business. Our website is dedicated to assist you with your lighting requirements. We offer you the widest range of contemporary lighting products and we are committed to help you find products that will fit your needs and meet your budget requirement Celebrating our 21 year in 2012 . LBC lighting continues to offer practical lighting solutions for designers and architects to help accomplish their lighting projects. We carry over 200 brands of lighting products and have been serving the local community for over 21 years. LBCLighting.com LBCmoder.com 18-20 E. Duarte Rd., Arcadia 91006. (626)574-1298 MODERN LIGHTING Modern Lighting has been serving Southern California’s lighting needs since 1946. With all types of fixtures in every price range, you’ll find what you want. If not, we do custom design. We have stocks of light bulbs to compliment your fixture and we continually watch the marketplace for the best buys. Our staff has decades of lighting experience. Feel free to contact us if our service is what you are looking for. Call (626)286-3262 RAGERS ABBEY FLOORING If you're looking for the best value on floor and window coverings plus the national buying power of more than 800 stores, look no further! Rager's Abbey Flooring & Window Covering is a locally owned store offering the best personal service and expert installation. Our friendly staff specializes in residential, commercial, and insurance restoration work. We are also a proud industry partner of the ASID (American Society of Interior Designers). Discover our huge selection of top quality and fashionable carpet, hardwood (including bamboo), cork, laminate, sheet vinyl, tile, and window fashions. Don't forget to ask about our environmentally friendly products. Visit our showroom today! Monday through Friday 10:00am-6:00pm Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm. Serving the Southern California area for over 20 years! 52 E. Huntington Drive, Arcadia. (626)446-6753

JEWELRY, ART & ANTIQUES ARNOLD’S FINE JEWELRY It’s a busy time at Arnold’s Fine Jewelry. Bruce Arnold and his seasoned staff work with patrons in choosing just the right gifts from diamond heart pendants to watches and rings. They also personalize jewelry by engraving graduation gifts sure to please lucky high school and college grads. If you have something special in mind or an estate piece that needs updating, Bruce will custom design a piece of jewelry. 350 S. Lake Avenue. Hours are 10-6 Tuesday-Saturday. (626)795-8647. JOHN MORAN AUCTIONEERS A full-service auction house for over 40 years, John Moran Auctioneers is internationally recognized as a leader in sales of exceptional antiques, fine art, jewelry and eclectic estate items. In addition to monthly Estate Auctions, Moran’s conducts tri-annual California and American Art auctions featuring top 19th and 20th century Impressionist and Western artists. For information about consigning, purchasing at auction, estate services, appraisals, and free walk-in Valuation Days, please call (626)793-1833 or visit johnmoran.com.

WAYNE JASON JEWELRY DESIGNS Wayne Jason Jewelry Designs has been in business since 1987, in the same location in the city of Pasadena, California. Wayne designs most of his own jewelry and manufactures it on the premises, eliminating a middleman. Wayne Jason Jewelry Designs offers unique, often one of a kind, top quality jewelry pieces at a value well below the competition. Most of our designs can be made in any color gold, 18-karat or 14-karat, with any stones. 105 W. California Blvd., Pasadena (626)795-9215

OUTDOOR LIVING A.SARIAN POOL CONSTRUCTION A pool builder that stays with you after the pool is built. There are many pool builders; however there is only one that backs up the pool after it is complete. With over 30 years of experience the Sarian brothers know how to construct a pool so it is not only superior in design but will ensure form will follow the function. With the help of their father Gary, Andy and John started a company that is based on three solid principles: high quality product, fair price and they deliver what they say. In the words of one customer, “I had no idea you guys were so good at such a reasonable price.” (818)625-2219 GARDEN VIEW LANDSCAPE Specializing in landscaping, nurseries and pools, Garden View Inc. can take you from a design idea to a finished, detail-oriented garden. Garden View & their clientele are recipients of 60 awards from the California Landscape Contractors Association. The intent of the company is to provide high-quality interrelated outdoor services. The synergy between having their own designer/project managers, in-house crews, their own large nursery, and being a licensed pool builder provides for efficiency, competitive pricing, quality and schedule control. Call (626)303-4043. HUNTINGTON POOLS & SPAS Huntington Pools & Spas designs and builds custom pools, spas, and outdoor spaces. We create spaces that complement your home’s overall landscape and architecture using a combination of engineering, form, and fit. Our philosophy is that each project should have a unique balance and connection to the property's overall landscape and architecture. We view each of our waterscapes as a unique work of art and use only top industry professionals, select finish products, and proven technologies. (626)332-1527 www.huntingtonpools.com JEFF KERBER POOLS Fully licensed since 1989, we are the "One-StopShopping" resource when it comes to remodeling your swimming pool. While many of the pool plastering companies only carry a C-35 contractor’s license Jeff Kerber Pool Plastering, Inc. has a C-53 & C-8 contractor’s license. We are licensed the same as a pool builder allowing us to satisfy ALL of your pool remodeling needs (not just re-plaster and repair tile). Our goal is to make your swimming pool look like new. 10735 Kadota Avenue Montclair, CA 91763 (800) 560-7946 OLD CALIFORNIA LANTERN Recognized as one of the leading companies in the historical lighting business, Old California Lantern Company’s focus is decorative lighting inspired by the rich history and architecture of California. There are over 1,400 items in the Old California Lantern product line (including mailboxes, portable lamps, desk accessories and garden lighting) with many born through the company’s extensive experience in custom commercial and residential lighting projects. Their goal is to create lighting and accessories that will live for years as family heirlooms. (800)577-6679,(714)771-5223 www.ldcalifornia.com

TEAK WAREHOUSE Today’s hottest outdoor trend is the outdoor living room ... a favorite for hotels & resorts for years and now available for residential settings. Why go to an expensive resort for the weekend when you can turn your back yard into one? Invest in something that will bring comfort and style for the long run! Teak Warehouse boasts over 16 varied collections of deep seating, offering teak and wicker at the best prices in California. 133 E. Maple Ave., Monrovia. Call (626) 305-8325 or visit www.teakwarehouse.com TOM’S PICTURE PERFECT LANDSCAPE We accommodate all size projects from the small backdoor patio to the estate garden. Your go to company for all jobs such as construction, water, lighting, stone layout and irrigation. You will receive hands on customer service that includes daily visits to your project by Tom for optimum communication. Our goal is to ensure that the final project is exactly what you expect. No subs ever. All work is done from start to finish by Tom’s certified landscape professionals. Call (626)443-3131 for more information. VEGA+BERNIER DESIGN GROUP Bringing Design to Life is our mantra for every landscape project. With your needs and desires in mind, our design team creates diverse landscapes, outdoor living spaces, container gardens, green roofs and living walls that allow you to escape the distractions of modern life and return home to heart of who you are. Specializing in Mediterranean, California native and droughttolerant landscape design, Vega+Bernier uses sustainable design/build practices that are both budget-friendly and minimally invasive to our environment. Please visit us at www.vegabernier.com/land or call (626)795-5494 for a personal design consultation.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BOWHAUS Welcome to the Bowhaus Pet Company! We offer a full service doggy day care, full or self-service grooming, and a complete line of today's best pet products and foods. Whether you are dropping Buster off, picking up food, or stopping by for a quick wash, we aim to ensure that you are worry free and confident that Bowhaus will take care of Buster here at our facility or with one of our products back at home. Feel welcomed to come in and enjoy your stay at Bowhaus!" 2472 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena 91107 (626)229-9835. www.bowhauspets.com CHEFELLE A PERSONAL CHEF SERVICE When you use Chefelle Personal Chef Service, preparing dinner is just one LESS thing you have to think about. We bring the food and equipment, prepare healthy meals and clean up! If you prefer to have prepared meals delivered, we do that too. It's your choice! Thinking of having a party but don't want to do all the work? Let Chefelle make the evening wonderful and delicious. We can even do a drop-off of lunch or dinner items for you to serve, if you prefer. (888)409-CHEF (2433) / (626)303-7117 / Mobile: (626)841-1601 GROOM FOR LESS Groom for Less goes beyond mobile pet grooming to create the ultimate experience for your pet. Our experienced groomers will give your pet their undivided attention and will have him/her looking and smelling great. We offer a calm and safe environment which reduces stress and separation anxiety. Our mobile spa comes to you (home or office). Call us at (323)244-3307 to set an appointment. Groomforless.com JORDI & CO Jordan Stringfellow, of Jordi & CO, invents and executes celebrations of all sizes, occasions…and budgets. Parties are invented and executed with reliability, creativity, precision

and uncommon detail. Jordi herself will meet with you once, or as often as you like. Be it an intimate dinner party at home, a lavish celebration at a destination, or simply changing the décor of your living space to match the season, Jordi personally wraps her heart around your desire to entertain with style. Jordi & CO brings out the soul of events. www.jordiandco.com or call (626)665-4222.

REAL ESTATE DICKSON PODLEY Richard Langstaff is an effective Realtor who works hard for his clients. Representing clients in the sale of their Architectural and character homes for over 20 years in the Pasadena area. Richard Langstaff states "The greatest satisfaction in my Business comes from getting results for my clients. I believe that the client’s goals and needs are always the key and the first priority. Podley Properties Richard Langstaff (818)949-5750 SOTHEBY’S, LIN VLACICHLin Vlacich of Sotheby’s, a 25-year veteran in the real estate profession, is known for her reputation and success as a leader in the San Gabriel Valley brokerage community, as well as for high professional ethics, superior negotiating skills, innovative marketing plans and extensive knowledge of real estate sales. Committed to excellence in representing buyers and sellers throughout Pasadena, San Marino, South Pasadena and the surrounding communities. Call (626)688-6464 or (626)3963975 or email vlacichs@aol.com

SENIOR RESOURCES FAIR OAKS BY REGENCY PARK Regency Park Senior Living, with over 40 years’ experience, is renowned in Pasadena for its luxurious, beautifully-appointed senior communities. The Fair Oaks by Regency Park is Pasadena’s most luxurious independent and assisted living senior community. Here residents enjoy a lifestyle of relaxed elegance and the opportunity to select from a broad array of services and activities—from fine dining and daily housekeeping to assistance with any of the activities of daily living. 951 S. Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena. (626)921-4108. Visit us at www.regencypk.com for more information PROVIDENCE ST. ELIZABETH (PROVIDENCE ST. JOSEPH’S) Providence St. Elizabeth Care Center is a 52 bed skilled nursing facility. We offer an array of health care services for residents to enjoy themselves with family and friends. To complement our reputation for caring, our specially trained staff works in partnership with residents, families, doctors, referring hospitals, and health professionals to make sure residents' needs are met. As a skilled nursing facility, Providence St. Elizabeth is staffed 24 hours a day by licensed professionals specially trained in geriatric medicine. For more information or to tour Providence St. Elizabeth Care Center, please call (818)980-3872.

TRAVEL MONTROSE TRAVEL Celebrating 53 years in business, Montrose Travel, a family-owned travel management company, has grown from 14 employees in 1990 to more than 150 today. Firmly established as a Top 50 Travel Management Company and a Top 5 Host Agency nationwide, Montrose Travel strives to provide the highest quality services and most complete vacation, corporate travel, loyalty and group travel management solutions for its customers and homebased travel agents. 1-800-MONTROSE (800-666-8767), MontroseTravel.com

09.12 | ARROYO | 35

36 | ARROYO | 09.12

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

–continued from page 22 “DO NOT HIRE A MAN WHO DOES YOUR WORK FOR MONEY, BUT HIM WHO DOES IT FOR LOVE OF IT.” – HENRY DAVID THOREAU You have two choices when it comes to establishing or upgrading a home theater. You can Do-It -Yourself, or you can enlist a customized home theater installation expert to do it for you. In either case your active involvement in the process is essential. You should familiarize yourself with these fundamental elements of the home theater: audio and visual presentation, acoustics, lighting, furnishings and ambient features. You have to see and hear stuff to believe it in a home theater environment; that’s the point. An audio specialist – online and/or in person – can elucidate the myriad possibilities of tower speakers, ceiling and wall speakers, soundbars and subwoofers. Audio experts will also make recommendations regarding acoustic considerations, without which the finest speakers in the world will provide a frustrating, mediocre sound experience. Screens and projectors vary about as widely as human nature itself. Traditional televisions, blu-ray, plasmas, LCDs, DLPs and film-specific projectors abound in nearly every size and configuration. You can buy an old fashioned TV for 500 bucks, but unless you’re outfitting a dorm room, you probably want a more sophisticated, integrated system that features a large screen and environmental sound. That kind of arrangement will cost, (whether you rig it up yourself –continued on page 39

09.12 | ARROYO | 37

38 | ARROYO | 09.12

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

–continued from page 37 or hire a professional design and installation team) anywhere from five to ten grand. If your plan includes construction or extensive remodeling then you should expect to invest at least $20,000. But think of all the money you’ll save on commercial film-going and outrageously over-priced movie-theater snacks and refreshment! Furnishings present another world of creative opportunity. Possibilities include sofas, recliners, love seats, movie-specific seating and authentic or reproduced period-style seating. You can even order custom sports recliners that feature team colors and logos (cheerleaders not included). Comfort, color, texture, durability vary, as they do in all facets of design. For lighting considerations review and repeat the process that leads you to the ideal speakers, screens and furniture. The cinematic experience begins long before the lights go down and the opening credits roll – so consider the atmosphere you want to create before, during and after viewing events. Regardless of budget, taste and your own level of expertise, the most indispensable aspect of home theater success lies in your use of resources. Investigate every aspect of your expansion, remodel or new construction. Wear out online and print publications; interrogate friends and neighbors; scour retail and professional outlets. Confer, especially, with those who will use the space most frequently. “LIVE THE LIFE YOU’VE DREAMED.” - HENRY DAVID THOREAU It’s safe to assume that Thoreau would drown himself in Walden Pond before he would settle in for beer, popcorn and a round of Monday Night Football. Even PBS or the Discovery Channel might give him a heart and soul attack. But we don’t know. On the contrary, he might delight in viewing his own biographies. He might find himself glued to youtube or hulu. He might keep the most amazing blog and fire off the most provocative tweets anyone could imagine, and it actually doesn’t matter. What we do know is that he would exhort all of us to not only be good,“but be good for something,” and to build our lives and our homes the way we dream them to be. AMHD

09.12 | ARROYO | 39

40 | ARROYO | 09.12

A LITERARY LGVE LIFE Novice novelist Sandi Tan and culture critic John Powers find romance between the sheets of paper. BY LYNNE HEFFLEY • PHOTOS BY ANNE FISHBEIN

FIRST-TIME NOVELIST SANDI TAN SPENT 31⁄2 YEARS WRITING HER ASTONISHING GHOST STORY, THE BLACK ISLE, RECENTLY RELEASED IN HARDCOVER BY HACHETTE BOOK GROUP’S GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING DIVISION AFTER A PROMOTIONAL EBOOK RELEASE IN JULY. A FAR-REACHING, EROTIC, OFTEN HORRIFIC TALE OF ONE WOMAN’S SURVIVAL AND REDEMPTION, TAN’S BOOK TAKES READERS ON AN ODYSSEY OF THE SUPERNATURAL FROM 1920s SHANGHAI AND THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION OF INDONESIA DURING WORLD WAR II TO PRESENT-DAY TOKYO. THE BOOK HAS RECEIVED EARLY APPLAUSE FROM PUB-

LISHER’S WEEKLY FOR ITS “BOUNDLESS IMAGINATION” AND “MESMERIZING POWER,” WHILE BOOKLIST HAS PRAISED THE NOVICE AUTHOR’S “RICH IMAGINATION” AND “LUSH STYLE.”

Sandi Tan and John Powers

Tan sold the book half-finished, an odds-defying surprise for both Tan and her husband, writer John Powers, who wasn’t allowed early access to the work-in-progress. “I knew that he would have opinions,” said Tan, a petite 39-year-old percolating with intensity and a wry sense of humor, “and I knew I didn’t want them.” Seated near his wife at the dining room table of the couple’s modest 1905 Craftsmanstyle home in Pasadena, Powers smiles and nods his understanding. He’s never short of opinions. They’re his livelihood. A longtime contributing editor covering film and politics for Vogue and critic-at-large for NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Powers spent 12 years as a critic and columnist at the L.A. Weekly, taught English at Georgetown University and is a former Southeast Asia correspondent for Gourmet Magazine. His reviews and commentaries have appeared in other publications, from Rolling Stone and The Nation to the Washington Post and The New York Times. Powers is also the author of Sore Winners: (And the –continued on page 43 09.12 | ARROYO | 41

42 | ARROYO | 09.12

–continued from page 41

Rest of Us) in George Bush’s America (Doubleday; 2004), a tour through American culture and politics. Surrounded by an eclectic clutter of books, art and curios from their travels—including an eye-catching stick insect professionally mounted in a specimen box—the couple discussed Tan’s novel, how they met and what it’s like for these two idiosyncratic artists to manage marriage and their separate creative lives. When they’re working, “we’re very grumpy usually,” said Tan, a filmmaker and herself a former film critic for The Straits Times, Singapore’s major English-language daily newspaper. “Our cat [their beloved Siamese, Nico] is the mediator,” she deadpanned. “It happens more often with me,” said Powers. “Every now and then there’s a piece that I know isn’t very good, but I want it to be done. I show it to Sandi, and all of a sudden she’s marking things, and I’m furious.” “I feel the same when he’s marking my manuscripts,” Tan said. “We have more disagreements over my things than yours,” Powers countered. “Yes, because you write more and about different things. Mine is kind of like a secret that I keep close to my chest for months. His job, mainly, is to remind me, this is your rhythm—you’re going to be upset and then it’s going to be okay. He’s like a psychological coach.” It was as a filmmaker that Singapore-born Tan, who holds an MFA in screenwriting from Columbia University, first met Powers. Tan’s short films, which have been screened at such prestigious venues as Lincoln Center’s New York Film Festival and the Museum of Modern Art, include Moveable Feast, her entry in the 1996 Singapore International Film Festival. Powers was among the noted film critics serving as festival judges. “I was the spring chicken of the jury,” he joked. (Powers, 61, blue-eyed, curly-haired, grew up in small-town Iowa in the 1950s and ‘60s.) The relationship got off to a rocky start. When Tan saw Powers’ name and Vogue affiliation on the list of judges, she wondered why some “trivial person” from a fashion magazine had been invited. “I was young and naïve and self-serious,” she said. “One of our friends says that it was the classic ‘cute meet.’ ” “The thing that you’re too modest to say,” Powers told Tan, “is that we met because your short film won the festival. Now all these old guys,” he said, referring to his fellow judges, “think they have a special investment in us because they were basically three feet away the first time that we met, even though we didn’t get together for years after that.” “He was involved with somebody else,” Tan said, “and then it took some years of getting to know him.” “And you stood me up,” Powers reminded her. “Yeah, at Cannes,” Tan said. “I didn’t think he was serious. He said, ‘Meet me after this film,’ and it turned out to be a horrible film. I thought no one could possibly sit through this thing, it’s so wretched. I saw about 10 minutes of it and left.” She turned to Powers. “I assumed you would split.” The couple was married in 2000 in Las Vegas with friends and family in attendance. “I was just attracted to the whole ersatz thing,” Tan said. “They had roller coasters outside the hotel.” –continued on page 44 09.12 | ARROYO | 43

–continued from page 43

“But to make us seem less frivolous,” added Powers, “we then had a huge banquet in Singapore,” where the couple lived for a year, before relocating to California and one of Pasadena’s artists’ enclaves on the Altadena border. Tan’s cinematic eye is a major factor in her writing. “Basically, I see images and scenes before the language even comes in.” A photograph Tan found on eBay of G.I.’s kissing women made of snow sparked one memorable scene in her book. Animals behaving strangely—sharks and jellyfish, a lovelorn octopus, a Rottweiler named Agnes—are among other riveting images that signal things are going very wrong on the fictional Black Isle. The racing heartbeat of Tan’s novel, however, is the history of her home country and her own experiences growing up there as an only child raised by grandparents and an aunt.

“IN SINGAPORE, EVERYBODY SEEMS TO HAVE SEEN SOMETHING OR KNOWN SOMEBODY WHO HAS SEEN SOMETHING. I WAS ALWAYS AFRAID TO OPEN MY EYES IN THE DARK.” –SANDI TAN “In Singapore, everybody seems to have seen something or known somebody who has seen something. I was always afraid to open my eyes in the dark,” she said. “The thing about Singapore today is that it’s incredibly modern. It looks like Denver. I think for a lot of older people, their way of preserving the past is with ghost stories that they tell their grandchildren. “My father, who is a great believer in these things, keeps telling me that he saw things as a child. He was very bitter, and still is, that no one ever believed him. I thought that since I find these things so terrifying, I should try to get some of my fears on paper and try to exorcise them.” It worked, Tan said. “I’m no longer as superstitious as I once was, because it was hard to write a scary scene. It’s actually quite hard to scare yourself.” Writing about the brutality of the Japanese occupation proved more difficult. “Real people are more horrifying and terrifying than anything in the supernatural world,” Tan said. “But [the occupation] was very much a part of Singapore history, even though nobody likes to talk about it anymore. I didn’t want to dwell on it, but when you write about war in that part of the world, you can’t not include mentions of it.” What was Powers’ reaction upon reading the finished book? “Relief,” he said, to their mutual laughter. “Because it was good,” Powers continued. “When someone you love has been spending years on something, there’s no guarantee that it will be good. I knew that Sandi had talent, but what impressed me in reading it was that there’s a huge imagination in it. I mean, I knew that from living with her. Once or twice a week...” “...I’ll have some crazy idea,” Tan said. “We’ll be driving,” Powers said, “and she’ll say, ‘Write this down.’ And it’s either a book title or an entire idea for a story.” “I wanted to do something that was emotionally gripping, as well as exciting,” Tan said. “I’m really glad that my nonsense has finally amounted to something.” |||| Sandi Tan will read from her new novel, The Black Isle, at 7 p.m. on Sept. 20 at the Glendale Central Library Auditorium, 222 E. Harvard St., Glendale. Call (818) 548-2042 for information. 44 | ARROYO | 09.12

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS

SB1520 Protecting animals, liberties or political careers? STORY LESLIE BILDERBACK| PHOTOS BY CLAIRE BILDERBACK

On July 1, a California law went into effect that banned the sale of foie gras.This delicacy is the liver of a goose---or more frequently these days, a duck---artificially fattened through force-feeding. This indulgent morsel, historically relegated to white-tablecloth stature in the upper echelon of gastronomy, is rarely purchased, or even tasted, by the majority of Americans. But once it hit the 5 o’clock news (repeatedly), even people who have never, and would never, dare to even try it, have an opinion about it. Immediately after the ban took place, restaurateurs across the state, like all good Americans, found loopholes. A restaurant in San Francisco’s Presidio, a national park, claims it is subject to federal law, which trumps state law, and therefore it need not limit the amount of fatty duck liver it continues to serve up to gourmet rebels on a nightly basis. Because the ban specifically prohibits the sale of the liver, restaurants around the state have instituted a BYOFG menu policy, offering to cook foie gras that you bring in yourself. Others are serving it for free, albeit on a $50 slice of baguette. But these foie enthusiasts are the exception, and most places have ceased preparation of foie gras. It’s not that most people are law-abiding, per se. (One look at the guy texting in the next car is proof of that.) It’s simply the prudent thing to do, considering that outspoken advocates of foie gras are suddenly embroiled in costly lawsuits instigated by animal rights organizations. Running a restaurant is costly enough without picket lines at your hostess station. The law specifically prohibits the sale of meat that is produced à la gavage. From the French gaver (to force down the throat), the term refers to force-feeding, in which up to 900 grams of corn and fat are sent through a tube (traditionally a long ceramic funnel, now a mechanized steel or rubber hose) into the duck’s esophagus several times daily throughout its last 21 days of life.This engorges the liver to 10 times its normal size. (A normal duck liver weighs about 75 grams, while a force-fed liver can weigh up to 980 grams.) Animal rights groups claim this is painful and unnatural. In that, they are not 100 percent correct. Wild migratory birds gorge themselves annually, packing on fat in the liver and under the skin in preparation for their long flight. A fattened liver is not a sick liver, nor is it necessarily unpleasant for Donald. And while force-feeding is certainly unpleasant for humans, the duck’s anatomy is different from ours. (Your first clue: We don’t have feathers.) They do not possess a gag reflex, because their food is stored in a sort of esophageal holding pen while it awaits digestion (similar to how a snake digests... for those of you who have read The Little Prince). Because their throats are designed to swallow huge fish whole, a small tube does not appear to bother them. This is documented very nicely by several journalists who have visited, with welcomed cameras, America’s biggest foie gras producer, Hudson Valley Farms. –continued on page 47 09.12 | ARROYO | 45

46 | ARROYO | 09.12

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS

–continued from page 45 The surprisingly delicious accidental discovery of naturally fattened livers was likely the origin of the force-feeding. It began, as did many disgusting things (embalming, slavery) with the ancient Egyptians. It is believed that Jews discovered the naturally fatty livers and rendered them in kosher cooking (an ancient precursor to schmaltz).The pharaoh apparently caught whiff of this, as evidenced by relief carvings from 22nd-century B.C. Egyptian tombs, showing the force-feeding of geese. Pliny the Elder speaks of force-feeding with dried figs, and Roman recipes appear in Apicius for iecur ficatum, fig-stuffed liver. But just because something is old and traditional does not mean it is a good and right thing to do.True, the ducks processed in the U.S. do not appear to be miffed by the forcefeeding and, on the whole, seem to be leading better overall lives than the majority of livestock in America. But the amount we force-feed them is much more than they would voluntarily ingest in the wild.Then again, we happily consume all kinds of stuff that isn’t natural. (Enter Cheetos.) Unlike meat produced by factory farms, with animals inhumanely crammed in cages, loaded with drugs and hormones to prevent disease, living knee-deep in their own filth, U.S. foie gras operations (there are only three) operate relatively stress-free duck environments (less stress, say some veterinarians, than ducks have in the wild). Film of ducks trapped in poor conditions does not appear to be from this country. Here the ducks show no abnormal signs of the disease, sores, damaged esophagi or high mortality rates that the animal rights organizations are claiming.Then again, force-feeding is, by definition, unnatural. The controversy has revived interest in natural foie gras, most notably from Eduardo Sousa and his label, Pateria de Sousa, in southwest Spain. His geese have run wild for generations, gorging themselves annually on acorns, olives and flowers in their idyllic Spanish pastoral Xanadu.The foie gras they produce is delicious, award-winning and feeding tube–free. So it is fair to ban this food? Or should inhumane treatment of all animals be the thing we ban? The answer seems obvious. But if we banned all inhumane treatment, widespread factory-farm closures would devastate our economy, not to mention our year-round outdoor barbecuing habit. There are, no doubt, lobbying forces at work to discourage such a move. Putting one foie gras farm out of business has less of an environmental impact but looks, on the surface, as though legislators are taking a stand. I do not agree with outspoken foie gras fans that this ban limits our rights. I still have the right to eat abused animals, and I can get foie gras this very minute if I really want it---just like I could get crack if I wanted it. But like the war on drugs, a ban on foie gras does not address the underlying problem. I am similarly unconcerned about a potential foie gras black market. It ain’t whiskey, and this ain’t Boardwalk Empire. But like Prohibition’s Temperance League, the ban has succeeded in making self-righteous Californians think they are saving animals. Banning a food that the majority of people would never eat anyway is like

Faux Gras Chicken liver paté is an easy substitute for foie gras, but why not make a real statement with this meatless version? It's not the real thing, but it’s a damn good snack.

a Christian giving up pickled herring for Lent. It misses the point. It’s a shame all this energy cannot be funneled into an attack on the factory-farming practices that overwhelm our food supply, producing, in California alone, more untreated waste than is created by the country’s entire human population, and contributing to a host of environmental, public-health, economic and food-safety problems. Proposition 2 was, at least, a start. Why not jump on that bandwagon and start to bring about real change? Priorities, people. So what is the point? It’s a good food, don’t get me wrong, and one that I have enjoyed on numerous occasions.Yet I would happily give it up if it meant addressing the wider issues of food safety and animal cruelty. But that doesn’t appear to be what’s happening. As is usual in the world of food (and laws), the more you know, the more you wish you didn’t know.

||||

Leslie Bilderback, a certified master baker, chef and cookbook author, will discuss “Becoming a Chef” and demonstrate recipes from her upcoming book, Mug Cakes, at 3 p.m. at Good Eats Pasadena: Food, Music & Art on Sept. 8. The free event runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 23 S. Madison Ave., Pasadena. Bilderback is a South Pasadena resident who teaches her techniques online at culinarymasterclass.com.

INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons dried chanterelle mushrooms 2 tablespoons dried shiitake mushrooms ½ red onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 large Portobello mushroom, chopped fine ½ cup red wine ½ teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped ½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1 tablespoon miso paste 1 teaspoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar ½ cup toasted walnuts 1 to 2 cups water 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped fine

METHOD 1. Combine dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Set aside to plump for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. 2. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, then add onion and cook, stirring, until it begins to caramelize. Add garlic, Portobello mushroom, salt and fresh herbs, and cook 2 to 3 minutes to warm through. Add nutmeg, pepper and miso paste, and continue stirring. Add wine, soy sauce, vinegar, soaked dried mushrooms and their liquid and continue heating, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to release any caramelized bits. Cook until liquid is reduced by half, then remove from heat and cool to room temperature. 3.Toast walnuts in a preheated 350˚ oven until golden brown and fragrant, about 10 minutes.Transfer while hot into a food processor and pulse to a fine paste. (The heat of the nuts will help release their natural oils.) Add the pan of mushroom mixture and process until completely smooth, adding water as necessary to achieve a peanut butter consistency. 4.Transfer paste to ramekins and fill to the rim, scraping the surface completely flat.Top with chopped parsley and chill for at least an hour, up to overnight. Serve with crackers or thin-sliced baguette.

09.12 | ARROYO | 47

WINING & DINING

At Long Last, Trattoria Neapolis

Trattoria Neapolis 333 S. Lake Ave. Pasadena (626) 792-3000 trattorianeapolis.com Dinner entrées: $24 to $36 Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Owner Perry Vidalakis prepped for many years before unveiling his rustic Italian restaurant on Lake. BY BRADLEY TUCK

THE OPENING OF A RESTAURANT MUST BE SUCH A DAUNTING BUSI-

sarily translate into running a tough business with small margins

NESS. THERE’S A LOCATION TO SECURE, PERMITS, A TEAM TO ASSEM-

and actually turning a profit. The smart people are the ones

BLE---ALL IN THE HOPE THAT THE CUSTOMERS WILL COME AND

who’ve studied the business from the inside for many years, and

hopefully approve and return. Some people fly into this endeavor

learned from good teachers. Perry Vidalakis, owner of the new

unprepared, unaware of the huge risks and failure rate of new

Trattoria Neapolis on South Lake, earned an MBA from Harvard

restaurants. While the much-cited 90 percent failure rate is actu-

and Le Grand Diplôme from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris before

ally a myth (empirical research points to 50 percent going under

spending 10 years in the business in various locations in the U.S.

within three years), there’s still a good chance that someone will

and Italy—including Naples, where he manned pizza ovens while

lose his/her shirt. Being a wonderful host at home doesn’t neces-

honing his concept for Neapolis. And honed it is.

POLLO - Organic Mary’s Chicken Breast, Market Stone Fruit, Wild Arugula, Aged Goat Cheese

48 | ARROYO | 09.12

WINING & DINING

Garden Room

ARANCINI – Crispy Lobster Risotto Balls, Pickled Fennel, Eureka Lemon Aioli

The menu is rustic Italian with market-fresh ingredients. Not a huge stretch, but it takes skill and attention to detail to stand out among the huge number of restaurants that share this common mantra. In the kitchen, Chef Bryant Wigger mans a 7,000-pound wood-burning oven that Vidalakis imported from Naples. He also presides over a woodburning grill and a smoker. A penchant for detail is certainly evident in the drinks program as well. Both the cocktail menu and beer list have been created by experts at the very top of their game. Vincenzo Marianella, of Santa Monica’s Copa D’Oro bar, crafted the drinks list. He studied cocktail-making in London and was nominated for American Bartender of the Year 2012, bestowed by Tales of The Cocktail in New Orleans (described as a Sundance for bartenders). The list is broken down into sections: "refreshing," "sparkling," "aromatic," "classic," "bespoke" and "mixologist’s corner." This is designed to make a large menu easier to negotiate, and it works, allowing you to pore over the choice of 33 drinks without getting

toria concept somewhat and gives it a bit of California zip. The execution was spot on,

lost. I headed straight for the classic drinks and ordered a Negroni. It’s a good go-to. If a

breadcrumbs crisp, center melting and rich.

bar messes up a Negroni, you might as well switch to wine. This one was spot on--Plymouth Gin, Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth and Campari, with a big fat ice cube. Sipping on it as I waited for my food, I watched Vidalakis stopping at tables for a chat.

It was tempting to go for pizza, after hearing how the oven blisters the crust at close to 1,000º, but on the advice of my server, Robert, who was a real pro, I had the woodroasted pork chop with porcini crust and a side of oven-roasted fennel with fresh or-

He’s really passionate about restaurants. He loves them. When I wasn’t watching him, I

ange vinaigrette. I’ve dried out many a piece of pork in my time, but his was just full of

was admiring the design details. Neapolis is beautiful. The garden room, located at the

juices and flavor. The roasted fennel was a great complement too, caramelized and

front of the restaurant, is decked out in beautiful tile and, with its skylight overhead, feels

wonderful.

like a covered patio in some old European city. Wall-mounted sconces cast a warm, flat-

At the behest of Vidalakis, I had an untraditional tiramisu of roast peach, caramel and

tering glow. Banquettes line the walls on two sides, meaning you share a long couch with

mascarpone with a taste of Smog City Brewing’s Groundwork Coffee Porter. Good if un-

people at adjacent tables. Maybe it’s this intimacy that makes your neighbors want to

conventional call. The Beer Chicks’Christina Perozzi assembled the eclectic and mostly

chat with you. I ended up talking to and shaking hands with diners on either side of me.

local brew list. There are also some Italian craft brews, which is not something you see in a

It turned my solo dinner into a social experience and was most welcome.

lot of places. I didn’t try a wine, but with a wine program designed and organized in a

Welcome, too, was my food. It had taken me two hours to get there from Hollywood, due to some gnarly traffic snarl-ups. But I wasn’t disappointed. Arancini, literally "little oranges" in Italian, are interpreted here as crispy lobster risotto balls---basically a ball of lob-

cohesive, easy-to-understand fashion by Diego Meraviglia, vice president of the North American Sommelier Association, it’s a good bet that you’ll easily find something to love. Pasadena needs something like Trattoria Neapolis. It’s grown-up, but not fussy. It

ster risotto, encased in crispy breadcrumbs, with a Eureka lemon aioli. In Italy, arancini

almost feels like a little corner of San Francisco. The two-hour journey I made was well

often have pancetta and peas in them. I like the fact that Chef Wigger expands the trat-

worth it to experience the 10-year journey that it took to create it. |||| 09.12 | ARROYO | 49

THE LIST

A SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER

FOOD FUN AT THE LANGHAM

Sept. 1—The Lang-

GERSHWIN ON THE GREEN WITH THE PASADENA POPS

ham Huntington,

Sept. 8—Larry Blank will conduct the

Pasadena offers a

Pasadena Pops trib-

two-hour pastry class

ute to George Gersh-

at 10 a.m for kids

win in the season’s

ages 8 to 12. Chef

final summer concert

John Quinn will highlight creative cake

at 7:30 p.m. Piano

ter

pops, including cooking instruction,

recipe preparation, baking techniques

Gates open for picnicking at 5:30 p.m.

and pastry presentation. The cost is $60

Guests may bring their own picnics, pur-

per child. Call (626) 585-6218 to register.

chase food and beverages from vendors

For adults, Eric Espuny, Royce manager

or pre-order gourmet meals for pickup.

and wine director, presents a noon wine-

Tickets cost $10 to $96.

soloist is Kevin Cole.

tasting class, featuring Domaine de la Ro-

The Los Angeles County Arboretum is

manée-Conti, vintage 2009, from the

located at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia.

estate in Burgundy, France, considered

Call (626) 793-7172 or visit

one of the world’s top wine producers.

pasadenasymphony-pops.org.

The class features Grand Crus, including Richebourg and La Tache. The cost is

PMCA CELEBRATES FIRST DECADE

$500 per person. Call (626) 585-6410 for

The Pasadena Museum of California Art

Echezeaux, Grand Echezeaux,

reservations, which are required.

The Langham Huntington, Pasadena is located at 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena.. Visit pasadena.langhamho-

OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE

celebrates its 10th anniversary this month with a pair of events:

Sept. 11— The Pasadena Playhouse presents the world premiere of Under My Skin, a

tels.com.

Sept. 15—“10 x 10” is

comedy about sex, love and the health-care business by Robert Sternin and Pru-

LABOR DAY IN THE YARD, PLANTS AND THE BARD Sept. 3—Boddy’s Big Backyard, as Descanso Gardens has been dubbed, hosts its annual Labor Day bash, starting at 10 a.m. Native Horticulturist Rachel Young leads a tour of the California Garden.

dence Fraser, directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. It tells the story of New York’s most eligible bachelor, Harrison Badish, who dies and comes back to life in the body of Melody Dent, a hard-working single mom from Staten Island. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 7. Tickets cost $22 to $100.

an art auction of works by museum alumni artists and designers (including Betye Saar and the Clayton Brothers), as well as artists in the upcoming exhibition schedule. The event, from 7 to 10 p.m., includes per-

The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 356-7529 or visit pasadenaplayhouse.org.

formances, music, food and cocktails on the Rooftop Terrace. Single tickets cost $150; two for $250.

Then Incendio performs the group’s

Sept. 22—The museum’s 10th Birthday

signature Latin-guitar world-fusion music from noon to 2 p.m. Guests can bring

and friends. The cost is $140 ($120 for

designs that will be disassembled dur-

Party features music by DJs, drinks, art

picnics or purchase barbecue from

members). The reservation deadline is

ing Sunday’s closing ceremony. The

demonstrations, food trucks and art-

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free with Descanso

Sept. 7.

mandala is open to the public 10 a.m.

making activities for children and adults. It

admission.

Descanso Gardens is located at 1418

to 6 p.m. daily.

runs from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Sept. 15 through Oct. 20—Youth ages 9

Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge.

Sept. 29—Pacific Asia’s annual dinner

The Pasadena Museum of California Art

to 15 can explore

Call (818) 949-4200 or visit

gala fundraiser, “Festival of the Autumn

is located at 490 E. Union St., Pasadena.

Shakespeare’s nu-

descansogardens.org.

Moon: Celebrating Japan,” takes place

Call (626) 568-3665 or visit

at the California Club in downtown Los

pmcaonline.org.

merous plant allusions in a Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum program run-

SAND ART, CELEBRATING JAPAN WITH PACIFIC ASIA MUSEUM

Angeles, starting at 5:30 p.m. Honorees are Japan’s consul general in L.A., the

GUMBO AT THE COURT

Sept. 5 through 9—Buddhist monks are

Honorable Jun Niimi, and bank execu-

Sept. 16—Chef Claud Beltran & Com-

ning from 1 to 3 p.m. on six consecutive

scheduled to create

tive Masashi Oka. Tickets start at $300.

pany Catering hosts

Saturdays. Students learn about plants as

a sand mandala at

Visit festivaloftheautumnmoon.org.

the sixth annual

they existed in the Bard’s time and today

Pacific Asia Museum

Pacific Asia Museum is located at 46 N. Los

Mumbo Gumbo Fest

and receive play selections referring to

from Wednesday

Robles Ave., Pasadena.The California Club

on the back lot of

those plants. At the final class, students

through Sunday,

is located at 538 S. Flower St., Los Angeles.

Pasadena’s Boston

choose a favorite speech to polish and

using millions of

Call (626) 449-2742 or visit

present in a short session open to family 50 | ARROYO | 09.12

grains of colored sand to form stunning

pacificasiamuseum.org.

Court from 3 to 7 p.m. –continued on page 52

09.12 | ARROYO | 51

THE LIST

CAMERATA PACIFICA SEASON OPENS Sep. 25—A Camerata Pacifica chamber ensemble concert in the Gold Room of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium features the world premiere of “In Other Words,” a concerto for viola and ensemble by Chinese composer Huang Ruo. Also on the 8 p.m. program are Henri Tomasi’s “Cinq Danses Profanes et Sacrées,” Luciano Berio’s “Opus Number Zoo” and Beethoven’s Opus 20, Septet in E-flat Major.Tickets cost $45.

The Pasadena Civic Auditorium is located at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Call (800) 557-BACH or visit cameratapacifica.org.

–continued from page 50 Beltran’s feast will feature his famous

discovers a mysterious connection that

Louisiana gumbo; wine from Noir Food &

brings them all together. An audience

Wine and beer from T. Boyle’s Tavern will be

discussion with the playwright and direc-

available for sale.The cost is $49 per per-

tor follows the reading.

son in advance, $60 at the door, cash only.

Sept. 22—The Autry celebrates the 50th an-

Beer and wine cost $5 a glass. Proceeds

niversary of the launch of the hit TV west-

benefit Rosemary Children’s Services.

ern series The Virginian from 10 a.m. to

Boston Court is located at 70 N. Mentor

4 p.m., with a panel discussion, screenings,

Ave., Pasadena. Visit gumbofest-

autograph session and more. Cast mem-

pasadena.com.

bers scheduled to appear include James Drury, Randy Boone, Gary Clarke, Sara

ALASKANS LOST, VIRGINIAN RECALLED AT AUTRY Sept. 20—The Autry National Center’s

Lane, Diane Roter, Roberta Shore and Don Quine. Free with Autry admission.

The Autry National Center is located at

“Native Voices at the

4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park.

Autry” series presents

Call (323) 667-2000 or visit nativevoice-

a free staged read-

sattheautry.org.

Were Born by Jaisey

A MISDIRECTED CURSE

Bates at 7:30 p.m. in

Sept. 21—Gilbert & Sullivan’s Ruddigore

the Wells Fargo Theater. The play tells the

opens at the Sierra

story of two Iñupiat boys called up by the

Madre Playhouse at

Alaskan National Guard and sent to the

8 p.m. The story of Sir

sweltering war zone of Iraq. The lost soul

Despard Murgatroyd,

of an Iñupiat veteran witnesses their jour-

who inherits a witch’s

ney and, with help from a spirit guide,

curse that forces him –continued on page 54

52 | ARROYO | 09.12

PHOTO, TOP: Marta Elena Vassilakis

ing of The Way We

09.12 | ARROYO | 53

THE LIST

–continued from page 52 to commit a crime a day or die in agony,

spicy Brazilian dance troupe, an Arcadia

shows at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

High School Drum Line performance, a

and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 10

culinary contest among participating

(dark Sept. 23). Tickets cost $25.

restaurants, judged by celebrity chef

The Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at

and The Next Food Network Star finalist

87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre.

Jyll Everman, and more. Tickets cost $50

Call (626) 355-4318 or visit sierra-

in advance, available on the website or

madreplayhouse.org.

by phone, or $60 at the gate. A percentage of the evening’s proceeds benefits

REMEMBERING THE CIVIL WAR AT THE HUNTINGTON

local nonprofits.

Sept. 22 — The Huntington Library, Art

located at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia.

The Los Angeles County Arboretum is

Collections and

Call (626) 447-2159 or visit arcadiacham-

Botanical Gardens

ber.org/events/taste-of-arcadia.

commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with

A NOISE WITHIN LAUNCHES SEASON

the first of two exhi-

Sept. 29—A Noise

bitions: “A Just Cause: Voices of the

Within launches its

American Civil War,” to be followed by

2012--2013 season

“A Strange and Fearful Interest: Death,

with a production

Mourning and Memory in the Ameri-

of Shakespeare’s

Cymbeline at 8 p.m.

can Civil War” in October. “A Just Cause” examines the ways Northerners

This romantic fairy tale of devastating

and Southerners viewed the war’s ra-

loss and exquisite reunion, directed by

tionale, drawing from The Huntington’s

Bart DeLorenzo, runs through Nov. 18.

collections of some 80 letters, diaries

Tickets cost $40 to $52.

and other writings by prominent citi-

A Noise Within is located at 3352 E.

zens on both sides---including Lincoln,

Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 356-

Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, General

3100 or visit anoisewithin.org.

George B. McClellan---and by less fatheir families, clergy, doctors, lawyers,

GOLDEN AGE OF HOMES ON DISPLAY IN GLENDALE

charity workers and academics. Arti-

Sept. 30—The Glendale Historical Soci-

mous Union and Confederate soldiers,

facts include a very rare copy of the

ety hosts “Glen-

13th Amendment, signed by Lincoln,

dale’s Golden Age:

which ended slavery. The exhibition

Distinctive Homes of

continues through Jan. 7.

the 1920s and

The Huntington Library, Art Collections

1930s,” a tour of five

and Botanical Gardens is located at

Period Revival

1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino. Call (626)

homes and a Storybook house court-

405-2100 or visit huntington.org.

yard. Highlighted is the work of Ben Sherwood, designer of the Snow White

54 | ARROYO | 09.12

A TASTE OF ARCADIA

Cottages in Los Feliz (believed to be the

Sept. 24—The Arcadia Chamber of Com-

inspiration for the dwarves’ cottage in

merce presents the

Disney’s classic animated film, Snow

2012 Taste of Arcadia

White and the Seven Dwarfs). The tour,

from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at

from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., is sponsored by

the L.A. County Ar-

Glendale Adventist Medical Center and

boretum, featuring

G&C Properties. Tickets cost $32 ($22 for

cuisine, wine and

members) until Sept. 26; after that, $37

beer from top local restaurants and

($27 for members).

caterers. Entertainment includes the

Call (818) 242-7447 or visit

eight-piece band Lounge-O-Rama, a

glendalehistorical.org.

||||