Lifestyle

LACMA Sam Doyle: The Mind’s Eye

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Sam Doyle was born in 1906 on Saint Helena Island, South Carolina, the center of the region’s Gullah community, where African influences thrived. He began making paintings on cast-off sheet metal and wood panels in 1944; most were portraits of people and events important to his community. He displayed the paintings to the public in the yard of his clapboard house.

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SLS Nike Skateboarding World Tour

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Founded by pro skateboarder Rob Dyrdek in 2010, Street League Skateboarding (SLS) was created to foster growth, popularity, and acceptance of street skateboarding worldwide. Since then, SLS has evolved to become a platform that serves to excite the skateboarding community, educate both the avid and casual fans, and empower communities through its very own SLS foundation. In support of SLS’ mission, Nike SB joined forces with SLS in 2013 to create the SLS Nike SB World Tour.

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The LinQ Las Vegas

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Las Vegas is not only the place where slot machines beckon, the dream of hitting it big gnaws at you and actually encourages you to keep taking your chances; it is not simply a city where inhibitions are free to roam, secrets are kept, clubs are in plenty, partying is inevitable, and curiosities are granted. Nope, Las Vegas is actually becoming a whole lot more than that. In fact, Las Vegas is becoming a cultural mecca for art, food, mixology, music (beyond the Vegas Shows), design, and believe it or not, outdoor socializing that doesn’t include a swim-up “pool bar”. Welcome to the LinQ

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Austin Heats Up in the LiveFire Challenge

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Last year was the 1st year ATOD Magazine™ attended the LiveFire! Challenge and we were honored to be invited back. This year, our Editor sent in our brilliant Austin #Photojournalist, Kevin Curtis to give readers a visual taste of everything that gets cooked up at the illustrious Salt Lick BBQ (an Austin MUST). We are thrilled to tempt you with the culinary spectrum showcased at this year’s LiveFire! Challenge.

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La Cosecha Paso Robles

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On site is La Cosecha Owner, Carole MacDonal – wife to Executive Chef + Restaurateur Santos MacDonal (acclaimed for his culinary mastery at many of Los Angeles’ finest restaurants). Carole is, much like her yellow tunic suggests, bright and full of sunshine. Her demeanor is calm and friendly and it’s clear she’s no stranger to media (a Hollywood Producer of some of the biggest shows on television). She explains that there are a few must-try items…

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James & Arthur Waugh: ORION IN THE TRADEWINDS

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Arthur Waugh is a poet and documentarian whose works were found in literary journals in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. He is also my father. On May 18th 1988, on the cusp of having his first book of poetry published, this book, Orion in the Tradewinds, he suffered two massive cerebral hemorrhages leaving him with extensive brain damage, short term memory loss, terrible aphasia, and an inability to do the thing he loved most — write poetry.

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My Fare Story + Eat Your Words No. 5

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Being in this unspoiled landscape taught me so much about food and culture. This was the first time I understood what fresh fish meant as the local tribe speared it daily and to our pleasure, it was prepared for us. I tasted REAL molé … not chalky or grainy but rich and exciting and spicy and it nestled itself in my mouth in a way that lingered like good sex. I tasted wines and rums and tequilas and libations I had never had.

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QUICK TIPS For A Spontaneous Journey Up The Central Coast

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At the beginning of this summer, I decided to do something rather spontaneous. I figured of all of the many topics I’ve covered, the food I’ve enjoyed, and the cities I’ve been to – everything I’ve written about or gone to has been fairly planned out. I figured it was time to be totally off-the-cuff, get in the car and just drive up the California Coast – during one of the busiest holiday weeks of the year no less: the 4th of July. I wanted to see what was possible if and when any one of my readers decided to take a last minute trip during a nationally busy time. And so, the journey began.

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A Fall Day Trip Full of Fashion and Fright in Long Beach

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October in Southern California could most easily be described as “Indian Summer”—the hot, dry Santa Ana winds rustling the yellowing leaves during the day, and the cool dampness of ocean fog rolling in off the coast at night. Despite the fact that pumpkins are beginning to replace pool floaties and boogie boards on front porches, many people are still looking for one last mini-vacation hoorah before the slew of holiday preparation begins. With that in mind, here is where I introduce one of my favorite cities, and a potential day trip plan to maximize the sunshine and spookiness this month has to offer: Long Beach.

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Fancy A Drink? Get Your DIRTY LAUNDRY!

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With an entrance that begs a sense of nostalgia with a simple black gate, stairs leading underground, a large iron-cast door with a rectangular peep hole, call box, and the word “SEX” cut out of old copper metal with marquee bulbs screwed into its shape (some lit, some not … its all in the details) upon entry, you know this is not like any place you’ve ever been. You can feel this flood of heat rush over you as if your body understands that tonight, you get to revel in some much needed anonymity.

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A Known Associate – AKA

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This week I’m getting spontaneous with a female of the species and verbally riffing with the lovely, talented and hard working Dawn Garcia. She is the visionary behind A TASTE OF DAWN Magazine and all-around champion of creative spirits in the world of food, film, music, entertainment, arts and fashion. Dawn’s purpose is to inspire the world to savor every moment. So let’s do just that and enjoy her responses to the randomness that is ‘Free Associate Fridays’.

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The OC Fair: A Summertime Treat

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So, as many of you know, I am a full-grown man. I chop wood, wear flannel, play a contact sport, drink beer, do dumb things with my friends, and eat an excessive amount of meat. I like to pride myself on my carnivore-like nature. Walking through the welcome gates at the OC fair, I experienced the beginning stages of a meat stroke. Then proceeding further through the smoke and smells of my paradise, I came to behold Juicy’s World Famous BBQ … They had an eighteen wheeler truck BBQ station, with over 300 turkey legs in sight, a brisket bigger than my torso, giant western sausages that could overflow an Olympic sized pool, and onions and peppers for days.

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Letter From the Editor – Issue No. 4

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That said, this issue is just about the articles we’ve written this past couple of months that took place in and around Los Angeles. It will continue to grow and there will never be a shortage of things to write about in this city. So to the city that holds my heart, thank you for always embracing me even when you spit me out – because hey, that’s just part of being in this city – AND in this industry – thank you for showing me the world in one central location. Thank you for welcoming every ethnicity, every economic range, every color, every shape, every size, every smile, every story, every bite, every culture, every artist, every musician, every struggling actor, every wanting filmmaker, every theatre enthusiast, every remarkable human being.

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The Rainmaker: Who Cares if its Not Feminism—Its True

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With such an excellent cast, it’s easy to nitpick. The only off note comes from Robert Standley’s Starbuck. Starbuck is supposed to be a charming con man, but on Standley, the snake oil is a little too thick. Still in later love scenes, he embodies the hope and confidence of a true “confidence man”—one that is able to inspire the confidence of others.

The tale is a familiar one—resting on the idea that nobody can love you until you love yourself. But of course this internal struggle to believe in ones own beauty comes much easier when surrounded by people who already believe in it for you.

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Smiling Through the Apocalypse

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Smiling Through the Apocalypse, if you haven’t already Googled it yourself already, is a documentary that focuses on Esquire magazine during the sixties. Specifically, during the sixties under the helm of editor Harold T.P. Hayes. The story goes something like this: during one of the most turbulent decades unseen since the Civil War era, editor and provocateur Howard Hayes is remembered as having stepped up to take the falling star that was Esquire, and put it back in the sky. The film’s summary goes on to describe a man who not only led a team behind some of the most varied polemical writing styles and iconoclastic subtleties, but did so under the caveat that each and every day could easily lead to (and oftentimes did) disaster riddle in controversy.

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No Room For the Ordinary

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As the band fades out, the man in the bowler derby starts to climb a ladder to where the tightrope begins. He stops to sweep out his arm over the audience, clutching a bouquet of flowers, and begins his trek across the tightrope above faces draped in cherry lipstick and blue eye shadow, everyone frantically trying to capture the moment with their camera phones, and me scribbling details in an orange notebook. The crowd and I reward the tightrope walker with a much deserved crackle of applause and it is after this moment that the co-owner of the bar, Mark Houston, arrives, blazing through the crowd in a grey suit and whirlwind of smiles, hugs, and handshakes from the many friends who have come to support him. And although I have never met him before, Mark sets aside time to speak with me, giving me a tour of the location and tells me of his vision for No Vacancy, explaining how he wants the bar to rise above the cheesiness of Hollywood Boulevard as well as restore a treasured landmark and era of Los Angeles history.

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Magic and Mixed Drinks

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After a long week of event planning and coordinating, Dawn and I decided we needed a fun “ladies night out” as a reward for our hard work. Two of our favorite magic men, Chris Korn and Ben Seidman, were scheduled to perform at The Magic Castle, and since Dawn and I had only seen their magic briefly in the studio during their ATOD Radio appearances, and on the Travel Channel’s “Magic Outlaws”, we decided this would be the perfect opportunity to pay them a visit.

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