Culture: Feminine Mystique from an Unlikely Place: Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming

Culture: Feminine Mystique from an Unlikely Place: Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming

by Gina Horan At first there was laughter from everywhere in the audience. A.C.T.’s production of Harold Pinter’s “The Homecoming” is bursting with such clever lines and witty dialogue, to view the play as comedic seemed natural. But, by the middle of act one, laughter faded into uncomfortable silence. Shock and discomfort followed. Pinter’s Tony©…

Inspiration: Southern Utah: Diplodocus was Here

Inspiration: Southern Utah: Diplodocus was Here

by Alison McFarlane I live and love the legend and lore of the American West. Cowboys thrill me, Indian culture captivates me, prehistoric life intrigues me. Craving hot hiking trails and blazing fiery sunsets, I journey deeply westward whenever the long weekend, spring break, summer escapade or winter doldrums hit. Cedar City, Utah is home…

Inspiration: The NOLA Bucket List: What to See and Do in the City of Mardi Gras

Inspiration: The NOLA Bucket List: What to See and Do in the City of Mardi Gras

by Shannon Connell New Orleans is a place where African American and European lineage and traditions collide to create a culture completely unique to the city; there’s really nowhere else like it in the world. In New Orleans you can sense a kind of energy that permeates the atmosphere, likely instilled by the passion and…

Style: Cristóbal Balenciaga captured Spain. In sound. In movement. In color. In spirit. Through Fashion.

Style: Cristóbal Balenciaga captured Spain. In sound. In movement. In color. In spirit. Through Fashion.

by Cynthia English Balenciaga and Spain, an exhibition curated by Hamish Bowles, European editor at large of VOGUE, featuring nearly 120 haute couture garments, hats, and headdresses designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga, conceived and inspired by Oscar de la Renta, is now open at the de Young Museum of San Francisco. Spain. Land of paella, tapas,…

Culture: Big Sur: Explore the Magical Territory of California’s Central Coast

Culture: Big Sur: Explore the Magical Territory of California’s Central Coast

by Kirby Brooks “Big Sur is the California that men dreamed of years ago, this is the Pacific that Balboa looked at from the Peak of Darien, this is the face of the earth as the Creator intended it to look.” – Henry Miller. Big Sur had always existed as a mythical place in my…

Culture: Catalunya, Spain: Straddling the Cultural Divide

Culture: Catalunya, Spain: Straddling the Cultural Divide

by Rachel Ward “Esta es la Cataluña profunda,” quipped Juanjo—the tall and dark cinematographer boyfriend of my language partner Laia—referring to our remote location, deep in the wine and olive country of the Spanish province that borders France, called Catalunya in Catalan. I suffered waves of nausea from the backseat as our car curved deeper…

Culture: Tucson, AZ: Savoring the Sizzle of the American Southwest

Culture: Tucson, AZ: Savoring the Sizzle of the American Southwest

by Alison McFarlane I’m a desert rat. I love dry heat, hot salsa and icy margaritas. I just spent a sizzling 72-hour summer weekend exploring Tucson, Arizona and all of the above delicacies. I picked up the scent of deep, rich, dark-roast brew the first morning. Raging Sage, an independent coffee joint, provided the day’s…