Sandstone Retreat was a clothing-optional refuge in Topanga Canyon that began in the late 1960s and survived efforts by the county to shut it down. John Williamson opened the retreat with his wife, ...

The latest cartoon from Steve Greenberg. Check out the LA Sketchbook archive.

Freelance videojournalist Abraham Riesman was sent in 2012 to do a story for Punch on Paul Mazursky's morning gathering of old Hollywood hands (and a few younger ones) at Farmers Market. The table ...

John Dominis photo of publicity-averse actor Steve McQueen and wife Neile Adams soaking in a sulphur bath at Big Sur in 1963. Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image. In the exalted circle of Life magazine ...

When Daryl Gates ran the LAPD from 1978 to 1992 he also ran a worldwide political spying operation. And he lavished time on it, sometimes several hours each day, including all the dossiers and reports ...

LA Observed is a website devoted to independent reporting, informed commentary and selective linkage on Los Angeles news, media, politics, business, books and other topics. The site went live in May ...

During the opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympic Games, on July 28, 1984, a dramatic moment came when 84 grand pianos appeared in the peristyle of the Coliseum and began to play "Rhapsody in ...

Jeffrey Ressner began his journalism career as a messenger at the LA Weekly, and from 1993-2007 was a Time correspondent in Los Angeles. He was also a writer for Rolling Stone, US Weekly, the ...

Now this is Hollywood, and a place where some people will do anything to promote anything. So it could be just that: a promo for something yet to be revealed. But it seems that on Page A7 of Monday's ...

Filthy McNasty owned two well-remembered music clubs in the Los Angeles area. His Filthy McNasty's on Sunset Strip occupied the spot where the Viper Room is now. After leaving the Strip, McNasty ran ...

Prominent LA architect Thom Mayne razed the longtime Cheviot Hills home and work space of Ray Bradbury to build his own home. Mayne promised the neighborhood and fans a “very, very modest” house that ...

Wednesday was the last day of work for many of the close to 80 newsroom staffers who are leaving the Los Angeles Times, with farewell gatherings and toasts in several departments. "Hysterical," is how ...