Viewing by month: November 2008
Where to dine surfside in Malibu.
To those outside Southern California, Malibu is a fabled fantasyland of Ferraris and surfers, not to mention celebrity central. But in the flesh, it can be a little underwhelming. Granted, the 29 miles of California coastline are spectacular, and the beaches are terrific. But glamorous, it's not. And there are surprisingly few places to have a meal overlooking the surf.
The Pier, which was built in 1905, has the requisite L.A. resume. It had bit parts in Gidget, Beach Blanket Bingo, and the Rockford files. But nearly a century of pounding took its toll, and in 1995, the pier was closed for safety reasons.
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French cafes -- R.I.P.
The daily news is horrific. Our retirement funds are tanking. And a broken ankle that should have been fully healed by now is taking its own, sweet time. But we've tried to remain optimistic.Oh sure, we've had one too many glasses of wine here or there, but we've gotten up each day, promised ourselves that we'd appreciate our blessings, and gotten on with it. Until today. Today, we're officially depressed, thanks to an article in the New York Times.
According to the Times, in 1960, there were 200,000 cafes in France. Now, there are fewer than 41,500, with an average of two closing every day. Ouch.
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Cruise deals to good to pass up.
Back when the economy was kind of predictable, cruise lines would look at the load factors of their departures and discount fares on sailings that weren't selling according to plan.If a voyage was really underbooked, they'd start lowering the price to fill up the ship. Big cruise ships are like movie theaters - they make their money on concessions. Because an empty cabin represents a lost opportunity to sell shore excursions, drinks, and poker chips, the cruise lines do what it takes to fill their berths.
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