Los Angeles grew up as a driving city, and I’m as guilty as anybody of using my car for recreation and convenience more than necessity. Yet, I enjoy savoring a city’s sights and smells and personality on foot when I’m traveling — and lately I’m enamored of just parking my wheels where the mood strikes me and exploring L.A. from the sidewalk. Some of my favorite strips are obvious, some more of an acquired taste.

1 – Wilshire Boulevard.
OK, this may be too obvious. But America’s most quintessentially Automobile Age boulevard is appreciated in a whole new way while out and walking. I especially like the mile or so from Lafayette Park to Western. You stroll past dozens of storefronts that have seen decades of L.A. history, plus you can peer through the windows of the sublime former Bullock’s Wilshire department store.

2 – West Third Street.
Los Angeles feels like a walking city along the strip between Farmers Market and Beverly Center. A dozen places offer an inviting spot to grab coffee or a leisurely lunch, though the recently shuttered The Cook’s Library is definitely missed.

3 – Sunset Junction.
Sunset Strip has excitement and the curve through Pacific Palisades can feel homey, but there’s only one section of Sunset Boulevard that feels like an authentic urban community.

4 – Mission Street.
You can even take the Gold Line to this charming corner of South Pasadena and discover cafes, antiques and an outpost of a family store from the French Basque country.

5 – Abbot Kinney.
Sure, this is Venice’s most gentrified avenue, but there are still plenty of studios and surprises to encounter. The culinary options just keep getting better.

I love to cook. I cook everyday. I spend endless hours thinking about meals and one of my favorite pastimes is pouring through my cookbooks and modifying recipes. I’ve taken classes, apprenticed at 72 Market St in Venice in its heyday and volunteer my services to friends.

As a child, my mom made 3 square meals a day so it’s hard for me to open a box and put the contents in a microwave. I’ve never even owned one. I’m more inclined to have a simple cheese sandwich over frozen food. That’s just not how I was raised. While I am not a fancy cook, there is great beauty in simple hearty fare.

It’s easy to get stressed out when guests are about to land on my doorstep so I try to prepare meals I’ve made before. My mom told me long ago to never experiment with a new dish on guests. I learned that the hard way when I made a quiche — the crust was so hard and dense my guest actually picked it up and started banging it on the table.

Here are five recipes that are simple and inviting. I’ve chosen them because they are tasty and the books that they come from are some of my favorites. The recipes are easy to follow and with a little creativity they can become your own.

Roast Chicken with Lemon and Garlic from In Julia’s Kitchen with Master Chefs (Alfred A Knopf)
This dish is simple comfort food. When paired with roasted or mashed potatoes and a salad, it’s hard to beat. I like to substitute oranges for the lemons on this one because they add a subtle sweetness that caramelizes the bird.

Salad Nicoise from Julia Child’s The Way To Cook (Alfred A Knopf)
Julia Child is my hero! She argued that canned tuna is the way to go and fresh just wouldn’t be a "nicoise." The Way To Cook is a great book that is filled with wonderful recipes and includes funny and helpful tips. It’s also a great housewarming gift and perfect for newlyweds.

Spanish Omelette from Picasso: Bon Vivant (Rizzoli NY)
To make great art, Picasso needed sustanance. This is a simple traditional dish that is light and served at room temperature. It’s a favorite for lunch or brunch and makes a tasty snack.

Summer Salsa Forte From Viana LaPlace & Evan Kleiman’s Pasta Fresca (Morrow)
This is a delicious and easy pasta salad that can be made an hour before guests arrive, but is best when made the day before. It’s also a great vegetarian dish that can be served as an entree or side plate. I bought this book years ago before meeting our Good Food host, her love of Italian cuisine is evident here.

Genoa Cake from Monet’s Table: The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet (Simon and Schuster)
I’m not a baker — baking is chemistry and I’m an intuitive cook. The Genoa Cake is a slightly sweetened dense cake that is perfect for tea or a nice finishing touch at the end of a meal. I like to cut it lengthwise and add dulce de leche as a filling and cover it in powdered sugar to make it my own.

Sure, I could have chosen a profound subject for my Top 5 list – one that might allow me to wax philosophic on music, race or early changes in migration patterns of the snowy egret as an indication of global warming. But alas, I have been guided to crest a higher summit – a list of those who liberate their follicles in honor of the upside-down crown.

Whilst trimming off the obvious picks like ZZ Top or Matisyahu, and pruning away Joe Cocker and all sporters of the porkchop, I have shaved it down to five of music’s most notable chinstraps – from the bearish muzzle to the pharaoh-like obelisk. Because this was a tough one to shear down, I have decided to focus on those who have wholly represented the fuzz throughout the majority of their career. Being that I’m the self-appointed arbiter on this matter, I hereby denounce all accusations of favoritism!

SAM BEAM (Iron and Wine)
Sam sports the quintessential caucasian beard. Woodsy and rustic. Rugged like a logger yet introspective like a 19th century poet.

PHAROAH SANDERS
Legendary Jazz Saxophonist Ferrel "Pharaoh" Sanders has donned the mustache-less beard for most of his career, emitting an essence of spirituality, afro-centricity and resolution. Through the years it has grown bright white and long, adding to the air of wisdom his life and music embody.

KYP MALONE (TV On The Radio)
Kyp epitomizes the facial fervor us brethren of the beard strive for. Sure, some long for length, but most for girth. Kyp’s bushy grin and scholarly glasses give the impression of Dr. Cornel West, as a chia pet.

JERRY GARCIA (Grateful Dead)
It’s feasible to say that no other musicians will ever recreate the long strange trip that Jerry guided three generations of beards through. Sure, there were years of clean cut Jerry, then porkchop-sideburned Jerry, but most know him for the Saint Nicholas, grandpa beard that seemed to halo his warm smile like a furry, white glow.

RICHIE HAVENS
Like Pharaoh Sanders, Richie has the long, wise beard, nuanced with a natural un-manicured look that says "I don’t, nor have I ever, needed to shave for some square job". Mr. Havens’ kind yet serious face, give his beard an intense quality, much like a furrowed brow, on his chin.

*honorable mention: RAY LaMONTAGNE
Albeit a younger personality in the annals of music, he deserves a shot at the title for the fact that, much like myself, Ray has a peanut head. Long-faced folks like ourselves will often fully embrace the scruff in order to round out our appearance, and ensure that we look older than 15.

*more honorable mentions: Bluesman DAN AUERBACH (Black Keys), Brasilian composer HERMETO PASCOAL and MOONDOG; the blind composer, musician, cosmologist, inventor and "Viking of 6th Avenue".

Believe it or not, we DJs really need our exercise. Like most working folk, our gigs don’t provide us with many opportunities to move around all that much. Instead, we fall into bad habits, like hunching over the mixers, contemplating our next selection, all the while screwing up our posture and building up pressure in the neck and upper back. So, in order to keep in shape, we have to work out. And each of us has a different routine. Myself, I’m a tennis guy.

Southern California is well-suited for the tennis fan, with our year-long accommodating weather. It’s a social vs. solitary activity, and, depending on your mood, can inspire serious trash-talk or silent, steely-eyed stares. And thankfully there are plenty of courts (and players) around town. Here are my Top 5 Favorite Places to Play Tennis in Southern California:

5) Best Local Free Courts – Stoner Park
Don’t let the name fool you – you’ll need all your senses to keep the ball in play at this local park and rec center. Being a Westsider, it’s nice to have some nice, free tennis courts within a couple of miles of both work and home. The only drawback is that is can get a little busy in the afternoon and early evening. Other similar options include Mar Vista Park and Veteran’s Park in Culver City.

4) Best Resort Courts – Palm Springs Tennis Club
Getting out of town is always a good thing, and it’s all the better if you can squeeze in a little tennis while you’re there. For me, Palm Springs is an optimal destination for such trips. Although this particular hotel is private, there are plenty of other nice places in Indio and Indian Wells that also serve nicely for the Coachella Festival weekend, where you can play a set of tennis in the morning, take a dip in the pool in the early afternoon, then rock out for the rest of the day.

3) Best Collegiate Courts – Los Angeles Tennis Center at UCLA
I’m a little biased, being an UCLA alum, but these are some nice courts! In addition to being the home courts for UCLA’s tennis teams, it is also the host venue for events like the LA Tennis Open, where I hope caught an exhibition match between Marat Safin and Pete Sampras earlier this summer. It’s always a thrill to be playing on courts where such legends have trod, but you’ll have to bring your own cheering section.

2) Best Local Pay Courts – La Cienega Tennis Center in Beverly Hills
Los Angeles has a number of great public venues that take reservations, which makes for an easy-in, easy-out kind of experience. Of course this also means paying a fee, which usually ranges from $6 to $8 an hour. But if you roll like me, with a weekly doubles match with three hot ladies, it works out just fine. The City of LA has a reservation card you have to get in order to reserve courts at such nice locations as Cheviot Hills or Griffith Park. But my favorite such destination is this Beverly Hills location, where you might even spot such luminaries as members of the band Keane, Regis Philban or KCRW’s very own Raul Campos smacking aces right by me.

1) Best Backyard Courts – ???
Being LA, there are plenty of high-rollers who have palatial estates with private courts on their properties. There’s nothing better than playing with a celebrity or industry big-wig, then having Jeeves bring you some freshly-squeezed lemonade to help you cool down on the veranda. I’m not at liberty to reveal all my usual hangouts, but should any of you celebrity-types be looking for an occasional tennis partner with a wicked slice, feel free to email me.

Back when I was in third grade, my aunt from England taught me the proper way to make and drink tea (pre-heating the pot and truly boiling the water are a must for the former; I prefer milk and a skosh of sugar for the latter). I’ve been a fan of the brew pretty much ever since. There’s nothing like it for curling up on the sofa on a chilly night or lingering over on a lazy Saturday afternoon. But I’m also a fan of tea, the meal–particularly when somebody else has done all the work and I can just sit back and enjoy. So forthwith, my five favorite places for taking tea in L.A.

1. The Tudor House–Santa Monica. My folks discovered this place when I was in high school, and I’m still going there all these years later. There’s the friendly staff, complete with the requisite U.K. accents; the flaky savory pies (spinach & cheese, lamb with mint, and the Cornish pasty are some of my favorites); and the diet-busting sweets (my husband can’t get enough of the Empire biscuits; I tend more towards Bakewell tarts and–on truly special occasions–a creme slice). Plus they’re KCRW Fringe Benefit providers!

2. The Huntington Library–San Marino. Some purists quibble because this is a serve-yourself operation. But it also means you can keep going back until you get your fill of a wide assortment of finger sandwiches and bite-sized pastries (plus the healthy salads and fresh fruit, of course!!). In the meantime, a cheerful server keeps you supplied with a bottomless pot of fresh tea and unending scones–some of the best this side of London. And afterwards, you can always walk off a few of the calories in the gorgeous gardens–or curl up under a tree for a quick nap.

3. Susina–midWilshire. With its chandeliers and banquettes, Susina’s makes you feel like you’ve been transported to a tearoom in Paris. They don’t offer afternoon tea per se–it’s more a case of building your own. But between a wide assortment of quiches, sandwiches, and croissants (both savory and sweet), plus a mind-blowing array of scones, cakes, pastries, and other goodies, it’s hard to go wrong.

4. The Raymond–Pasadena. When it comes to location, location, location, The Raymond scores big on two fronts. If the weather for some reason happens to be less than perfect, you can nibble away on a cucumber-watercress sandwich and pastries in the restaurant itself–a cozy Craftsman-style bungalow. And if it’s one of those stunning, only-in-L.A. kind of days, opt for a table in the garden. Talk about living the good life!

5. Chado Tea Room–downtown L.A., Third Street, and Pasadena. With literally dozens and dozens of teas to choose from (black, green, white, herbal, rooibos, you name it), you could spend all afternoon just deciding what to drink. And to go with that selection, there are even ore choices to be made–from finger sandwiches and cakes to scones and fresh soups. Plus, they take your KCRW Fringe Benefits card!

The great American songbook has never had it so good.  Given the Internet as virtual marketplace, there’s a flood of new, self-produced singers who no longer need to sign with a label in order to distribute their wares to a dwindling number of record stores.  Not that the five singers listed below are unknowns, by any means,  but perhaps less well known, in my opinion, than they should be.

GRETA MATASSA – Queen of the Pacific Northwest, husky voiced, Seattle-based Matassa (a Dakota Staton fan), has made a number of CD’s, none better than her latest, “I Wanna Be Loved”  (Resonance Records). 

ROBERTA GAMBARINI – The proverbial white Ella in the room — perfect diction, great range, scats and swings like crazy.  Her most recent CD, a duet recording with legendary pianist Hank Jones, goes back a couple years, but she guests on four cuts with the just released Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band (Half Note Records). 

GRACE KELLY –  That’s right, you heard me.  What’s more, she’s just released her fourth CD as a leader, “Mood Changes”  (Pazz)…and she’s 16 years old! (For some reason, I’m reminded of the opening lines of Billie Holiday’s ghostwritten autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues, something along the lines of: “Mom and Dad were 16 when they got married.  I was three.”)   

Now, in all truthiness, Ms. Kelly is a singer secondarily.  Her primary voice is the alto saxophone (she plays tenor and flute as well), but she sings extremely well.  It’s just that, as a remarkably mature saxophone soloist, she doesn’t necessarily sound 16; as a singer, it’s somewhat unavoidable (and a bit jarring at times when singing the world weary lyrics of, say, a Cole Porter or Lorenz Hart).  But what a refreshing talent. 

FRANK D’RONE – Talk about under the radar.  After signing with Mercury in the late ’50’s (with Nat King Cole penning the liner notes to his debut LP) and appearances on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Frank D’Rone faded from the scene.  I’m happy to say, however that, as I write this, he is planning a rare West Coast appearance, having been based in Chicago these many years.  A singer’s singer as well as a superb guitarist. 

LORRAINE FEATHER – Maybe you do know her.  A fine singer and gifted witticist (witty lyricist) who never ceases to amaze and amuse, Ms. Feather stands alongside Bob Dorough and Dave Frishberg as commentators for the age in which we live.

I’ve been an insomniac for decades. I could go to sleep, but I’d find myself wide awake at 3AM unable to rest.  Then 15 years ago, a friend suggested that I do something relevant with the time I was awake. I began make art – drawing, painting and collage. Then I studied other artists. Here are some of my favorite painters:

1. Lucien Freud - (Born in Germany, but emigrated to London before WW2).  Freud’s paintings are magnificently subtle.  He masters the poetry of using perspective, color and style to communicate the complicated nature of humanity in his subjects.  Even his plants have feelings.  Only the grandson of the great Sigmund Freud could have such insight.

2. Alice Neel – (American) This WPA artist painted extraordinary simple portraits, You are continually refreshed by the candor in the expression. Sometimes she knew her subject well, other times not. I spent one summer in NYC visiting Alice Neels’ paintings every week at the Whitney.  They became great friends.

3. Richard Diebenkorn - (American) All of his paintings share an architectural grid-like quality to them.  Yet despite the contrived limitations, the paintings exude a deep and profound soulfulness. “Woman In Profile” communicates so much in a single piece.

4. Edward Hopper – (American) Clearly Richard Diebenkorn was deeply influenced by Edward Hopper, who shared a similar love for dark figurative soulfulness and gridlike design.  One of my favorites of his is the famous “NY Movie”. Just look at his deep yellow, red and orange color palette.

5. William Kentridge - (South Africa) William Kentridge embraces the political side in all humanity, choosing to see the spectrum as a whole    Many of his paintings illustrate the massive imbalance between the businessman and yield of his efforts.  Don’t think of him just as a painter either – his animated films are brilliant, his sculptures are wonderful – - – I’ve yet to see anything that he doesn’t do well.

The artists in this list are not just pleasant to sleep to, they’re more specifically recommended to act as dreamscapes. This music remains with you as you dream and works as a soundtrack to your dreaming life away from this waking life. If you’re having trouble sleeping, best to find the sound of flowing water, rainforests or Enya. However, if you want music that is equally beautiful, gorgeous, intense and a bit challenging – where you’ll become so enthralled that you’ll actually carry the music into your dreams — this is your list.

5. Hope Sandoval: Sandoval’s music has an ethereal quality to it. It seems otherworldly and, in my opinion, her artistry didn’t fully come to bear until her post-Mazzy Star release 2001’s Bavarian Fruit Bread. That entire record is the place I’d start before adding choice cuts from the Mazzy Star repertoire or from her new album Through The Devil Softly.

4. The Dirty Three: This one is very much for adventurous types. The Dirty Three are an Australian trio who perform all instrumental music. At times their music flirts with noise, punk rock rhythms and dissonance, but it often can also be heartbreakingly beautiful. I’d start with Ocean Songs from 1998. From start to finish is not only their best record, but also, for the purposes of this list, their most serene. From there move on to their 2000 album Whatever You Love, You Are, before picking the best tracks from 1996’s Horse Stories, 2003’s She Has No Strings Apollo, and their final release 2005’s Cinder.

3. Alpha: What Alpha does superbly that no other trip-hop group does as consistently is craft subtle, languid tracks that, when you give yourself over to them, completely envelope you within a deceptively rich wall of sound (see "Sometime Later" & it’s companion "Somewhere Not Here" for examples of what I’m talking about). Throughout their first three records, 1997’s Come From Heaven, 2001’s The Impossible Thrill and 2003’s Stargazing, they perfected a sound that seems tailor made to carry with you into your dreams.

2. Nick Drake: Along with Hope Sandoval, this seems like a no-brainer. Before his untimely passing, Nick Drake left us with three near perfect albums, Five Leaves Left (1969), Bryter Layter (1970) & Pink Moon (1972). As a soundtrack for your dreams they are all truly sublime — especially the song "River Man," from his first record, with it’s simple yet complex acoustic guitar lines and strings. I’ve often just put this one track on repeat for my entire night. Such an exceptional talent and a sound unmatched for its beauty before or since.

1. Mark Hollis/Talk Talk: Mark Hollis heads this list for a fairly simple reason. More than any other, his music has been the soundtrack to my dreams over the last 10 or 12 years. It’s difficult to explain the music he created in the late 80s/early 90s with Talk Talk and as a solo artist, for one brilliant album in 1998. There are elements of rock, jazz, classical, and something that still hasn’t been coined that flows in-between all those spaces. I’d begin with 1988’s Spirit of Eden (perhaps minus "Desire"), and recommend the Mark Hollis solo record before delving into 1991’s Laughing Stock, even though that album is one that I literally slept to every night for a solid two years in the 1990s.
I’ve listened to these albums thousands of times and even still I continue to hear something new ever single time I listen to them. I hope they act as your guide through soaring, exhilarating, enchanting dreams as they have for me.

Before I joined the ranks of infamous pancake turners at KCRW, I was stacking major units as an illustration major at Otis College of Art & Design, shooting for big fame in the world of arts and entertainment. My whole life was spent developing my artistic acumen; it’s in my blood. I still fantasize on occasion about exchanging the headphones for the paintbrush. The following is a list of what I would be doing had 89.9 not blown my mind…

GT’s top 5 illustration gigs:

1. Kim Joon!
This Korean artist is known for his sensual, colorful, intricate explorations of the human body as canvas.

2. International mural painter.
An avid fan of graffiti art and murals as historical documentation, I once dreamed of following in the footsteps of Judy Baca, Mode 2, etc.

3. Creative Director for Dogtown Skates.
Back in the day I rode Dogtown boards so it was only fitting to imagine carrying on the cold blooded West Coast street style as lead illustrator and creative director.

4. Concept Designer for film & animation production.
One of our instructors at Otis took us on a field trip to Dreamworks Studios during the design phase for Prince of Egypt. Seeing the production process was so powerful, it became my career focus.

5. Elementary school art teacher.
My high school and early college years were spent working with kids. There is nothing quite like the rewards that come with guiding and inspiring the youth.

Every Angeleno keeps a list of secret pleasures, the "locals-only" joys we try not to share with tourists. Since KCRW listeners are like family, I’m offering five of my favorite places to sneak off and relax.

Drinks at the Casa Del Mar
This great 1926 hotel, with its high, wood-paneled lobby and elegant, slightly stuffy bar, overlooks the modern Santa Monica Beach with big picture windows. The whole thing exists in a deep, if expensive L.A. time warp. I order vodka martinis and read Raymond Chandler here.

Picnic at Pirate’s Cove
You drive to Zuma Beach, but you take Westward Beach Road all the way to the iconic rocky bluff at its end. There you park and hike up along the trail. Never forget that this the very spot where Charleton Heston saw the Statue of Liberty, half-buried in the sand at the end of Planet of the Apes in 1968. But keep going till you get to Pirates Cove, a hidden curve of sand beneath high cliffs. Arrive at low tide and tease anemones.

Chess With Old Men in Parks
When I lose perspective on Life, the Universe, and Everything (which happens pretty often), I go sit in Plummer Park along Fountain in West Hollywood and watch the many old Russian men play chess. It changes my whole outlook on the velocity of L.A. and I swear, my soul grows calm. If you prefer old Russian men playing backgammon, try La Cienega Park, at Gregory Way. Will they let you play? Only one way to find out.

Getting Lost in the Camellia Forest
Where can your small children safely get lost in a forest and have, like, Alice-in-Wonderland adventures? The answer is the Camellia forest at Descanso Gardens out in La Cañada. It’s acres of giant flowering bushes and twisty passageways. When my kids were little I’d turn them loose, telling them to "get lost." They became giddy with joy, but I knew there was actually a fence around the whole property and they could find their way back just by heading downhill.

The Ropes Hike
But what about adults? Where can we have dangerous forest adventures? If you head up Sunset from the beach, turn left on Palisades Drive, left again on Verde De La Montura, park at the dead end, and take the trail to the right, you may, if you get lucky, locate a long, deep, sacred slot canyon of waterfalls and leftover climbing ropes (hint, turn left at the dry creek instead of crossing). A true locals-only playground. Only for the very fit.