One of our favorite oceanfront venues is Santa Monica's Annenberg Beach House, and they have just announced an upcoming opportunity to experience their gorgeous pool with your fellow grown ups for an adult evening's beach party. more ›

When the motion picture industry took root in Los Angeles in the 1920s, the rich and famous would escape the heat down at the beach. The oceanfront properties along the Pacific in Santa Monica were known as the "Gold Coast" thanks in part to the luminaries who frolicked on its shore and built enchanting cottages and mansions by the sea to get away from the rigors of movie-making. more ›

Happy MLK Day! After your day of volunteering, here are a few events going on around town today. more ›

The New American Writing Series at the Hammer Museum tonight presents readings by poets Rae Armantrout and Rachel Loden. Armantrout is a professor of writing in the literature department at UCSD and the author of 10 books of poetry. Loden is the author of Dick of the Dead, released in May. The event begins at 7 pm and is free to the public. more ›

If you’re old enough to remember the TV show thirtysomething, then you might be intrested in checking out the reunion for the angst-filled show tonight at 7 pm at the Paley Center. During its four seasons, the show broke new ground for the portrayal for the babyboomers forced to grow up. To commemorate the show and the release of the season 1 DVD, the Paley Center hosts the series’ cast and creative team, including creators Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick and actors Peter Horton and Timothy Busfield, with additional panelists to be announced. Tickets are $20 ($15 for Paley Center members). more ›

Okay, so these picks aren't related to Bastille Day...but if you must celebrate the storming of the Bastille, then we suggest grabbing a baguette and some fromage, and heading over to one of these events tonight: more ›

Yesterday, the Annenberg Community Beach House opened to the public for the first time. Run by the City of Santa Monica, the public club-like beach and recreational facility sits on property once purchased for movie star Marion Davies by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Although only the guest cottages and pool remain from the original structures (sadly the 110-room Julia Morgan-designed manse was demolished decades ago), a ten-year restoration and re-purposing plan is finally done, and now everyone can enjoy use of the beach, the tennis and volleyball courts, the rec rooms, and the marble-tiled pool all on a beachfront property that was once the playground of the stars. more ›

Once upon a time it was the beachfront estate of silent movie starlet Marion Davies, built for her by her lover, the infamous newspaperman William Randolph Hearst. It was definitely a "party house" where a who's who of Hollywood's golden era would frolic in the pool and on the shore. On the 5-acre site was a mansion designed by renowned architect Julia Morgan, boasting 110 rooms. more ›