Like so many other generations of secular Jews, I've been a fan of The New Yorker for as long as I can remember. Happy 100th bday btw! And my favorite writer from all of my decades of reading the magazine is Susan Orlean . She has a line in her new memoir Joy Ride that I think explains why I connect with her storytelling style: " Writers fall into two categories: There are those who have something they want to say to the world, and there are those who believe the world has s

When it comes to public parks built by abusive drunks who shot their wives in the face , Griffith Park is at the very top of my list. By all accounts and AI summaries I've seen, the absurdly named Griffith J. Griffith was a terrible man...but he left Los Angeles with probably my top three favorite things in the city: Griffith Park, The Greek Theater, and the Griffith Observatory. I was first introduced to the Observatory as a young movie obsessive. It was a truly iconic locat

dramatic skies over the '92 theater This weekend I went back to Middletown, Connecticut to visit my cousin for family weekend at Wesleyan, and was treated to a most idyllic taste of autumn. I've always loved fall in the northeast (my favorite season, no contest) but having lived in LA for two decades now, it's become a rare treat. Another rare treat was being able to spend the day with my two cousins Franny and Finn and we had a great time walking around campus and sharing fu