Life Style & Travel

UNITED STATES—The Palmer House got all gussied up with the help of a threat from the city. Then came the big day of the inspection. I was busy that day showing rooms and spreading flyers around USC. I stopped by the office we shared with the boiler company on La Brea. Cheryl and I had a chuckle, “It’s Jim’s...

UNITED STATES—It is probably no coincidence that certain berries and small fruits are so colorful through winter while colorful flowers are relatively scarce. Like flowers, they want to get others to do something for them. Flowers use color, aroma, flavor and sometimes even texture to attract and reward pollinators. Colorful berries and fruits do the same to attract birds...

UNITED STATES—If your hair feels and looks fried and brittle, it’s probably suffering from heat damage. Another sign of heat damage is if your hair is naturally curly or wavy, but when you wash it, it doesn’t return to its natural curl or wave pattern. For example, recently I started straightening my hair a bit often and after a...

UNITED STATES—New Year’s Resolutions. Everybody’s got ’em. Nobody executes ’em. We tell ourselves we’re going to start eating healthy, we’re going to finish whatever project we’ve put on the back burner, we’re going to try to be a better person in the vaguest sense possible. Then, about a month and a half later, we’re hurrying through the McDonald’s drive...

UNITED STATES—The revamping of the Palmer House, a fleabag of over 100 rooms, didn’t just occur out of the blue. Nothing ever did in Wylie’s world. The city was tightening the thumbscrews on landlords. There had been cases of landlords in Pico Union and Westlake, slumlords chained to their own apartments in punishment for renting substandard apartments. That said,...

UNITED STATES—Winter is officially here; and although it can be full of fun with the holidays, it can also come with some cons when it comes to hair and skin. Cold weather can be very drying to the skin and hair for many people. Although this isn’t exactly a dangerous issue, it can be irritating and embarrassing. So, here...

UNITED STATES—Stormy winter weather always reminds some of us that our trees need some attention. Wind can break limbs. If the weather gets really nasty, trees can be destabilized by strong wind, particularly if the soil is moistened by rain. However, the truth is that arboriculture, which is the horticulture of trees, is important throughout the year. We just...

UNITED STATES—The Wylie Empire included a hotel in a prime location on Skid Row—the elegantly named Palmer House on Wall St. (conveniently around the corner from the police station). A lot of work was going on in spring of 1991. It was being painted and refurbished after one manager had been replaced. His replacement, a sweet fellow who favored...

UNITED STATES—Without specialized pruning while they are bare and dormant in winter, many deciduous fruit trees would be overburdened by their own fruit next summer. The production of excess fruit can waste resources. The weight can disfigure and break limbs. The trees certainly do not want to get so overworked; but they have been unnaturally bred to produce bigger,...

UNITED STATES—The New Year is right around the corner and you're probably going to want to look your best in 2017. So, I'm going to share with you three tips that may be useful in your weight loss journey. Tip #1: Workout First Thing In The Morning There are a lot of mixed feelings in the fitness community about doing...