Jessica Koslow

It is April 24 — Arbor Day — and Anne Wallentine is leading a tour of the Santa Monica History Museum’s current exhibition, “Roots and Branches: A Tree’s View of Santa Monica,” which explores how nature and humanity have coexisted — and often clashed — over centuries.

“I think it’s interesting when people come here, and they realize some of these streets all have the same trees planted on them,” Wallentine relayed. “I had the same questions: Why are there all these figs on just this one avenue? Why is this street planted with palms? These questions all relate to trying to understand why the city looks like it does today.”

Wallentine is filled with a renewed sense of purpose these days. The former curator at the museum was recently named executive director. . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

John Arnold’s fingerprints are all across the San Gabriel Valley, most notably on the blueprints of the more than 1,000 housing units that his architecture/landscape firm, KFA, has designed.

KFA’s greater-Pasadena projects include Mayfield Senior School and the redesign of the Historic Register-listed Evanston Inn into 10 residential units. Arnold is currently leading the residential expansion of the Downtown Women’s Center, adding 97 units of supportive housing to Skid Row.

Arnold liked the Evanston Inn project so much that he recently moved into the court’s penthouse. . . .

Read the entire article at Pasadena Weekly.

There is lots to do in Marina del Rey, but as of April 2, a new kind of entertainment has opened its doors at the Villa Marina Marketplace: Escapology, the world’s largest live escape game franchise.

Escapology has 115 locations around the world, and according to CEO Burton Heiss, “That makes it really special that we’re finally in Marina Del Rey.” 

“It is such a vibrant community that, in some ways, maybe because of the big marina and ocean, it is lacking for entertainment options,” he explained. “Everyone wants to stay close to home, so we’re excited to bring our brand of entertainment here.” . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

A coastal city near San Diego, Carlsbad has become synonymous with LEGOLAND California Resort. The family theme park has been entertaining families since 1999 across 128 acres. Over the years, the park has expanded, adding new attractions—its newest is the just-launched, as of this March, LEGO Galaxy, which joins the Water Park and SEA LIFE Aquarium San Diego.  

What to Do

The opening of LEGO Galaxy is a milestone that marks one of the most ambitious expansions in the park’s history. The immersive new land features the indoor family rollercoaster Galacticoaster. Visitors can design their own spacecraft at Customization Bays by digitally selecting the nose, tail, wings and a special feature—such as a disco ball or balloons—resulting in more than 625 unique spacecraft combinations. Space Cadets can see themselves “riding” in the vehicle that they designed. The experience begins with interactive pre-shows and a briefing from Biff Dipper, the Park’s first robotic minifigure, before launching into twists and turns up to 40 mph, with LEGO Space sets, cinematic storytelling, and onboard sound and lighting. . . .

Read the entire article at Playa Vista Magazine.