Hydrangeas are extravagant blooms that only get more beautiful as they fade — kind of like summer itself. I made this collage as an homage to the luxurious, lengthy summer of 2026. One more week of it, then I’m back in your inbox after Labor Day.

RTG SUBSCRIBER ADVENTURE

Join me and a group of RTG subscribers on Monday, September 28, for a tour of LACMA to see Eileen Cowin: Between Panic and Paradise and the new David Geffen Galleries. We'll meet with Eileen herself, then explore the new building. I have a few spots left, so go here for full details about the adventure and how to sign up. It's a chance to meet the artist herself as well as a good opportunity for those of you who haven't made it to the new Geffen Galleries yet. The LA Times reviewed Cowin's show here.

Subscribe now

ART and ADVENTURES

Important Addition to LA’s Architectural Landscape: The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens on September 22, and Architectural Digest has an inside look at the luscious building by Chinese architect Ma Yansong and grounds by landscape designer Mia Lehrer.

Museum Highlights: Visiting the new building at LACMA is a great goal for fall; while at LACMA, check out a Block Print show, which closes on September 13, a Picasso portrait show open through the end of the year, and a show about Chinese women’s clothing through mid-October. The Getty has moved up its closing date to March 2027, but there’s a worthy new show about photography in Mexico opening on September 1. The show features 13 prominent Mexican artists and looks beautiful. The Academy Museum’s Cinelandia is an exhibit that features artifacts and memorabilia from Mexican American cinema starting September 25 and running through next July.

Doors Open California: The California Preservation Foundation hosts an annual statewide event called Doors Open California, in which historic locations are open to the public for $20 during the month of September. Register and explore the options here — on September 6, there’s a tour of a Byzantine Revival sanctuary in Boyle Heights; a castle in Glendora is open September 26–27; and Sam Maloof’s home is open for touring on September 27.

Downtown: There is an enormous pop-up book on view at the Central Library through November. Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind is open at The Broad through October 11. I still haven’t been to Dataland (across from Disney Hall), but I recently got a taste of the AI-generated swirls of it all while going through Tom Bradley Terminal (there are huge advertisements on the walls for the museum). Finally, MOCA’s Expanding Field retrospective is on view through September 20; a subscriber toured it recently and recommended it.

Gallery Round Up: New York–based Glenn Ligon has a show opening at Hauser & Wirth on September 30. Pace Gallery on La Brea has a show of photographs by David Lynch opening September 18 and running only through October 24. Elliott Hundley opens at Regen Projects on September 16. David Zwirner Gallery will have photographs by Roy DeCarava starting September 19.

Staycation Ideas: Do you have room for one last-gasp adventure in the coming days or weeks? Here are schedules for the Hollywood Bowl (Jon Batiste, David Byrne, and great jazz programs) and the Santa Barbara Bowl (Santana, Earth, Wind & Fire, Brandi Carlile). You could take a day to explore Frogtown and the LA River with the LA Conservancy on various dates mid-September, or learn local history on walking tours of various neighborhoods with LA Explained.

The Other Art Fair takes place at Barker Hangar from September 24–27 and is a fun way to discover up-and-coming talent.

Subscribe now

PLANNING AHEAD + ARCHIVE DIVE

Get to Know Paul Williams: This fall, institutions across town are celebrating the impact and legacy of beloved architect Paul Williams, whose archives were recently acquired by The Getty and the USC School of Architecture. You can get a taste of the breadth of his impact on LA by visiting the USC Fischer Museum now, or wait for LACMA and Getty shows when they open in a few months. In the meantime, support the LA Conservancy by touring the Jay Paley Residence, one of Williams’ most beloved homes, which is open to the public on October 4. Ticketing information here.

David Kordansky at Bellosguardo Foundation: From September 30 to November 15, Santa Barbara's elegant and mysterious mansion will host art from the David Kordansky Gallery. Bellosguardo was the winter home of copper heiress Huguette Clark, who rarely visited the stunning estate overlooking Santa Barbara Harbor. Tours are offered Wednesday through Sunday and cost $100. Click here for further details.

Fleurs de Villes presents The Gilded Age at Greystone Mansion and Gardens from October 28-November 24. Tickets go on sale on September 3; here are details.

BOOKS, SCREENS and PODS

Book Stack: Late summer reading is as relaxed as reading gets, so why not pick up something completely pleasurable, like Ann Patchett's Whistler, Elizabeth Strout's The Things We Never Say, or Country People by Daniel Mason, which NPR calls a "silly, satisfying romp." For edgier options, try On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle (shortlisted for last year's Booker, and a rather stunning but quick read) or The Plunge, a thriller by Lila Raicek that a friend recommended (I found it a page-turning, above-average beach read). Also, I'm hearing good things about The Hill by Harriet Clark and the Tana French trilogy, which a friend told me she loves for its immersion in rural Ireland — albeit with a murder or two involved. My favorite book of the year so far is Transcription by Ben Lerner. And I'm eager to get my hands on Marlon James's The Disappearers, which the New York Times called one of the standout novels of the century so far.

In Theaters: Tony tells the story of a young Anthony Bourdain, set in Provincetown, MA, as he transitions from total screw-up to aspiring chef, starring Antonio Banderas as the chef who turns young Tony’s life around. KCRW put together a thorough roundup of Bourdain’s life in 2018, worth a listen if you’re a fan. The Invite is still in a few theaters and provided the most laughs of the summer, IMHO.

Back to School Reading: If you're the type who likes a fall assignment, the evils of AI and the technocratic state seem to be this season's required reading — see Jill Lepore’s The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State and The Nerd Reich by Gil Duran. Now we just need a clear-eyed assessment of how to get out of this AI juggernaut.

Writers’ Talks Around Town: The Library Foundation of LA’s excellent ALOUD fall programming includes Marlon James (mentioned above), Emily St. John Mandel, and John Green. Historian Jared Diamond will speak about his new book, Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings: (When) Do Leaders Matter?, with Live Talks LA on September 8 at the New Roads School.

What Would Dolly Do? As we mourn the loss of an American legend, it feels like the right moment to revisit the excellent 2019 podcast Dolly Parton's America. Across nine episodes, you'll hear surprising perspectives, learn about musical history, and gain an appreciation for the feminism and grit of the woman whose New York Times obituary is reportedly the most-read in the paper's history. Give it a listen, or a re-listen, this week. You can also make a donation to the Imagination Library; inspired by her father, who never learned to read, Dolly's Imagination Library mails a free book every month to enrolled children from birth to age five. It's since gifted over 200 million books worldwide.

Subscribe now

BITS and BOBS

Good Eats: Electric Bleu is a delicious French bistro in Mar Vista — highly recommended. Meeting friends for lunch at Lulu remains one of my favorite options, as you can tell from this rave review of the new chef. Also, Met Her at a Bar gets high marks from a subscriber for take-out dinner.

Subscribe now

Our September RTG Subscriber adventure offers a chance to get to know an LA-based female artist, explore the new David Geffen Galleries, and relax together over lunch while looking at the museum’s iconic Alexander Calder sculptures.

When the museum opens at 11:00 AM, we'll meet on the second floor of the BCAM building to visit Eileen Cowin: Between Panic and Paradise, which opens August 23 and runs through January 3, 2027. Eileen herself will guide us through the show, explaining her work and answering questions for roughly 40 minutes.

After our visit with Eileen, we'll walk from BCAM to the David Geffen Galleries, where photography curator Rebecca Morse will give an overview of the newly opened space and briefly answer questions. We'll spend time exploring on our own, then meet at the on-site Erewhon for lunch (takeout salads and sandwiches, menu here), and finish by sitting together at the reflecting pool.

Subscribe now

More about Eileen Cowin

Eileen Cowin has devoted her life to photography, as both an artist at the leading edge of the art form's development and as professor emeritus of fine art at California State University, Fullerton. She describes her work as sitting between the personal and the political, and this survey show includes pieces that curators at LACMA and other institutions, including the Getty, have collected over many years. Cowin uses video as well as photography to explore the "monotony and mystery of daily life," but does so with arresting images on luscious surfaces. The show is judiciously edited, elegant, and intimate. We'll have an interesting conversation with Cowin about a career spent investigating imagery, representation, the self, and meaning.

Tidbit: One of Eileen’s photographic murals, You Are Heading in the Right Direction, is part of the Metro Art project. You can learn more about it here.

Subscribe now

More about the David Geffen Galleries at LACMA

I have visited the new David Geffen Galleries several times since they opened in April — here is my story about the building and art. Each time I go, I discover something new. Even if you’ve visited already, this adventure offers a chance to deepen your knowledge.

If you have extra energy, there’s also a new textile show opening September 20, featuring work by Reiko Sudō, whose metal curtains are on view in the David Geffen Galleries. Also on view: Fashioning Chinese Women: Empire to Modernity, a show about Chinese fashion, and Pablo Picasso—Portraits in Disguise, a show of Picasso portraits.

Tidbit: If you are looking for a way to stay cool this weekend, consider dropping by LACMA before Christian Marclay’s The Clock closes on Sunday (August 23).

How to Sign Up

Please email me at sarahmbowman@gmail.com and I’ll answer any questions and share payment information.

A $100 fee covers entrance and parking; lunch at Erewhon (optional) will be paid for individually.

We’re limited to 18 people.

Subscribe now

The Maestro: I was lucky to work with John Williams (a tiny bit) while working for Steven Spielberg (way back when), and one indelible memory remains: I drove “the Maestro” to the 20th Century Fox soundstage to hear his brand-new score being played for the first time. He explained gleefully that this is his favorite moment in the course of working on a film, because the professional studio musicians will play it perfectly on the first run-through. Reader, they did, and he was delighted.

DID YOU KNOW that his father played on that same stage as a percussionist, or that a young John Williams played piano on the recording of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story? You’ll learn this and so much more about his life and career in the excellent documentary Music by John Williams on Disney+. Williams, who is 94, will be celebrated at the Hollywood Bowl from September 4-6 in Maestro of the Movies: A Tribute to John Williams.

Happy Birthday, Norma Jean: Marilyn Monroe was born 100 years ago this past June, and visiting two local exhibits in her honor offers the chance to appreciate her impact on Hollywood and popular culture. Marilyn Monroe: A Silent Life runs at the Peter Fetterman Gallery through September 6, with a remarkable array of wonderful black-and-white portraits. And the Academy Museum’s Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon focuses on her rise to stardom as well as her personal life, and is on view through February 2027.

DID YOU KNOW that Marilyn is buried in the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary? Located near Wilshire and Westwood, the small, immaculate cemetery is filled with recognizable names — from Billy Wilder to Natalie Wood to Hugh Hefner (who paid to be buried right next to Marilyn!). The cemetery is gated, so check the hours if you want to pay your respects.

Adaptation Arguments: What a rollicking good time it has been in popular culture this summer, paying attention to the epic splash made by Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film adaptation of The Odyssey. Emily Wilson's translation of Homer's epic poem hit #2 on the overall bestseller list recently, and if you haven't read (or listened to) it, it's very accessible and will equip you to understand what all the fuss is about. No matter that the success of Nolan's film has been very good for Wilson's visibility, she has ignited a literary spat worthy of the gods themselves. Wilson crashed the London Review of Books website with her scathing review of the film, the online world exploded, and this week Wilson doubled down with a second furious piece in The Atlantic. It's hard not to be impressed with the endurance of Homer's 3,000-year-old poem, a mythological tale that artists and scholars have interpreted and reinterpreted for centuries.

DID YOU KNOW that Romare Bearden imagined a Black Odyssey in a series of 20 collages based on the Homer’s poem in 1977? Learn more about the artist and this work in a short video.

Subscribe now

BITS and BOBS:

My Version of Back to School Shopping: I’m not a professional chef, but I love to explore gourmet supply shops, and the holy grail for this type of adventure locally is Surfas, a family-run shop for over 85 years. You might find things you need, such as specialty salt or a new sheet pan; you might find something that inspires you to make something new (they have wonderful flours for bread and a charming selection of cookie cutters); you might pick up a kitchen staple you forgot you needed. Surfas sells everything from commercial-grade freezers to frozen croissants to hard-to-find imports such as chocolate or butter to their own line of herbs and spices. It’s a great place to stock your gift closet for hostess gifts, and a delicious place for a sandwich and coffee to complete your jaunt. Located at 3225 W Washington Blvd, just off the 10 near Arlington. (310) 559-4770

Staycation Inspo: Summer is not over until it’s over, so keep your wanderlust alive by doing something new between now and Labor Day. Eater LA’s latest “Hottest Restaurants in LA” is a good place to start — as is a perusal of my Archives.

Skywatching: A total solar eclipse will take place on August 12, providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those who trek to a spot in the Path of Totality (Greenland, Iceland, Spain). The rest of us will be treated to a Perseid meteor shower that same night, since there’s a new moon and the dark skies will allow more visibility than normal. Learn more here and be ready to stay up late.

Laugh at your Senior Moments: I follow a fun vocabulary account on IG, and this word cracked me up: lethologica, defined as the maddening inability to recall the word you want. Now, when you are having a senior moment, you just have to remember “lethologica” to describe your frustration!

Subscribe now

Do yourself a favor and find time to drop by LACMA between now and August 23 to see a unique and memorable film installation called The Clock. LACMA describes Christian Marclay’s opus this way: The Clock is a 24-hour single-channel montage constructed from thousands of moments of cinema and television history depicting the passage of time, excerpted and…

Read more

Summer carries two different mindsets, at least for me. The first is all about travel and the excitement of exploration. The second is about relaxation — cultivating a no-agenda approach to each day (and night). Now that we've passed the midpoint of July and the year has started tilting toward fall, it's a bit harder to let myself sink into that second feeling. But September will be here in an instant. Here are some strategies for keeping that summer mentality front of mind.

Read more

Our spring adventure learning about Corita Kent and Eileen Norton was a big success, so I’ve arranged for another private tour of the Corita Art Center on Saturday, August 8. We’ll also visit Hauser & Wirth to see Destiny is a Rose, Eileen Norton’s private, museum-worthy collection of California art, whi…

Read more

I’m loving the energy the World Cup is bringing at this auspicious moment in history — our nation’s 250th birthday — especially after last night’s amazing US victory in Santa Clara. The quotidian details of American life are confou…

Read more

Sister Dreamer, Lauren Halsey's remarkable sculpture park, is an ode to her neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles — a public space filled with monuments she has been dreaming into being for years. An important LA artist with two large commissions at LACMA’s new David Geffen Galleries, Halsey has workshopped this vision at the Studio Museum in Harlem (2015) and The Hammer (2018), and prototyped it as a grand rooftop installation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2023). Halsey describes the work as “an architectural intervention … a place of joy, contemplation, and education.” Her influences range from Egyptian, African, Greek, and Roman forms and deities, but the faces on her sculptures are those of people she knew growing up. Sister Dreamer honors history and everyday people in a beautiful, feminist tribute to heritage and place.

Read more

I’ve just returned from several sweltering weeks back east: celebrating my niece’s wedding, marking the unexpected death this past winter of my husband’s college roommate at a memorial, and joining the fiftieth reunion of his college class. I’ve been thinking about the importance of celebrating those whom we cherish. Dancing with my nieces and nephews at a family wedding was joyous, and gathering with friends who have watched each other’s lives progress over fifty years was equally meaningful. This is a more personal post than usual but, of course, I found plenty of art along the way, and reflected, as all of us undoubtedly did, on the joy that David Hockney brought to the world.

Read more

June is my favorite month — even though a "big birthday" is coming up in a few weeks — and right now I'm back east celebrating a family wedding and a college reunion. There is nothing better than dancing with your adult nieces and nephews! A few general itineraries for exploring new exhibits around town are below. If you're also off on…

Read more

I grew up back east, where Memorial Day truly kicks off summer. If you live by the shore, you put the boat in the water, shake the cobwebs from the beach chairs and grill, and pull your shorts and sandals from the back of the closet. Getting into the summer mood in Southern California takes a bit of creativity, especially when the calendar marks a seasonal shift that doesn’t track with the (perfect) weather we’re already having.

It's a tough problem, but I have a solution. I headed to one of our coastline's quintessential beach towns — just 90 minutes north — to remind myself of how California earned its Endless Summer reputation.

Carpinteria is a genuine, (as yet) unspoiled beach town that flies under the radar, even for Angelenos next door. So what were the chances that on the very day I was visiting, the New York Times published a piece about Carpinteria, calling it "a perfect beach getaway from Los Angeles?” I added that reporter's recommendations to the excellent suggestions I had gathered from friends who live in the area and set off for a great day.

"Carp" still carries the soul of a Beach Boys destination — surf shops and hamburger stands, a gorgeous wide beach, and natural beauty all around. But a new generation's vision of living in a coastal village is percolating to the surface, and what I found was a fascinating blend of old and new .

Happy Memorial Day weekend to all, and a special welcome to those of you who are new here.

Read more

Memorial Day is practically here, and summer planning is underway. Whether you're heading out of town or not, there are three excellent art exhibits worth visiting here in the city - one at The Getty Center, one at Hauser & Wirth, and one at MOCA. Grab a friend, make a lunch reservation, and enjoy!

Read more

I recently spent a Sunday afternoon wandering through Los Feliz with a friend, climbing century-old staircases, peering up at a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, and peeking into open houses on the way. By the time we sat down to dinner, we’d covered all the details of our busy lives and barely looked at our phones. It was, I realized, the perfect afternoon — and the perfect Mother’s Day gift idea.

My friend is an avid fan of the Stair Walks around town and was excited to show me her favorite — one that winds from the lower entrance of Griffith Park up around the spectacular Ennis House, and to a trail that leads up to the Observatory with access to a little-known upper entrance to the Park. (The loop can also extend up to the Observatory if you have time.) It’s a relaxing two-to-three hour outing, ideal for wandering and enjoying the company of your companion.

Grab a good friend and bring some water along — it’s an ideal way to spend an afternoon, on Mother’s Day or anytime, especially since after our walk we rolled into a terrific dinner at a new spot in Melrose Hill.

Read more

Happy May Day! There's nothing better than jacaranda season, an LA phenomenon that feels special to East Coasters. Like cooking with persimmons in December or needing a sweater in late June, certain elements of life in LA are still exotic to me - even after forty years. While I grow ever more nostalgic for New England, I'm all in on California. And spea…

Read more

LACMA’s CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director Michael Govan encourages visitors to “trust your own curiosity and instincts” as you explore the museum’s new David Geffen Galleries, now open to the public. Art and cultural objects from around the globe and across time are presented in a nonlinear arrangement; the works are meant to speak to one another, and visitors are encouraged to wander, make unexpected discoveries, and draw their own connections. It’s a refreshing curatorial philosophy, and the architecture itself — monumental in scale and open to the city’s landscape — amplifies the novelty of the concept. In the three hours I spent exploring the galleries, I lost track of time, put my phone away except to take photos, and was completely present.

It’s wonderful.

Read more

UCLA’s LUSKIN SUMMIT and QUALITY OF LIFE INDEX

Over the past two years, I’ve attended the Luskin Summit, a morning conference built around UCLA’s annual Quality of Life Index — a survey measuring how Angelenos feel about their lives and their city. Academics, civic leaders, and engaged Angelenos gather to unpack the findings and debate what they mean for the city's future. Last year’s summit focused on recovery from the fires; this year’s theme was “Building Power Through Local Solutions.”

The 2026 headline: Los Angeles residents have recorded their lowest quality-of-life score since the survey launched 11 years ago. Top concerns include ICE enforcement, fire recovery, and housing affordability, with sharp declines in sentiment around traffic, transportation, and education. The counterweight to these discouraging numbers is that Angelenos remain broadly optimistic — 85% say their life in LA is good, suggesting that residents deeply value the city’s recreation opportunities and diversity and hold a resilient view of the future.

Two sobering top-line takeaways: with the June primary just weeks away, the finding that 40% of voters remain undecided in the Mayor's race signals a wide-open contest. And in a city of 7.7 million, if 31% are worried about deportations, that represents nearly 2.4 million Angelenos. Finally, it’s worth acknowledging the remarkable generosity of Meyer and Renee Luskin, whose more than $200 million in philanthropic giving has supported the Luskin School of Public Affairs, the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center, the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, and UCLA’s History department.

Read more

If you’re lucky, your flight path into National Airport will take you right over the Potomac River and dip low over the Lincoln Memorial, offering a sweeping view of the Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool up to the domed Capitol Building. These monuments still take my breath away because of their symbolic representation of our nation’s values. A walk around the Washington Mall reminds visitors that the government belongs to all of us, something I always felt tangibly on the trips I took with my kids during middle and high school. Anyone can visit the monuments, the National Archives (where the Constitution and Bill of Rights are on display), the Capitol and all the art and culture displayed at the Smithsonian Museum and the National Gallery. And everyone should. There are many inspiring treasures to behold.

We are celebrating the semiquincentennial during a time of historic division and profound unrest. The poets and pundits warn us that we are at a treacherous crossroads. So, it’s more important than ever to remember that this land belongs to you and me. The people have the power, as Bruce Springsteen fervently reminded sold-out crowds at Kia Stadium this week.

Read more

I have been blissed-out by my new grandchild for the past six weeks, but have scouted some terrific ideas for April. As it turns out, many of my recommendations come from our small but mighty community of subscribers.

First up, there’s a new bookstore in town, the project of Alex Duggan and Sarah Loughman (pictured below — Sarah is the daughter of one o…

Read more

What can lift a tired mood better than a simple bunch of tulips? If flowers on the table are a pleasure, spending a day exploring one of the world-class gardens in Los Angeles is undeniably restorative. Grab a friend, read on to find out what is blooming around the city, and forget about the world for a while.

Read more

Sometimes, like the old Calgon commercial, we want to be “taken away,” and that’s how it has felt in the news cycle for the past few weeks. As an antidote, a friend and I cruised up the coastline this past Sunday, arriving in Malibu before the crowds. We were in search of an alternate view, a refreshing change of pace. The weather is remarkable right now, and while CA is not experiencing a “super bloom” this year, there is plenty of color to be found. We had debated going to Malibu Creek Park, which is experiencing a poppy bloom right now, but opted for the ocean instead.

What a great decision - we wound around the cliffs at Point Dume and were rewarded with plenty of bright yellow daisy-like flowers called Coreopsis. We enjoyed a vast blue field of sky and ocean, gazed down at chunky sea lions on the rocks, and even saw a whale surface off the cliffs. A quick lunch lightened our moods even further. Spring in Malibu offers a great way to see the flowers in bloom, and the Farmers’ Market at Cross Creek is a perfect add-on (Sunday only).

Read more