I have always loved the scene in the film Dirty Dancing where Baby bursts into the staff dance party at Kellermen’s carrying a watermelon. She gets a glimpse of how the professionals who teach dance by day let loose at night.

Walking into The Floor, a multi-genre improv dance night that happens every third Monday at King King in Hollywood, is an uncannily similar experience. Creators Carolina Cerisola and Sascha Escandon, both professional dancers who met in the salsa scene, started The Floor as a place where their musician and dancers friends could get loose outside of the structured demands of professional gigs.

Et voilà: a dazzling display of movement across the stylistic map, where salsa dancers meet breakdancers meet swing dancers meet tango dancers meet capoeira practitioners and more, all to the tune of a live improv band and DJ. It’s the coolest thing I’ve been to in a long time. And you don’t even have to carry a watermelon! Read more in my article in the Los Angeles Times.

I’m among the restaurant reviewers who contributed to the new Clean Plates Los Angeles: A Guide To the Healthiest, Tastiest, and Most Sustainable Restaurants for Vegetarians and Carnivores. The guide gives you the lowdown on how and where to eat healthfully and eco-consciously in Los Angeles without sacrificing flavor or gourmet craftsmanship. It hops from casual lunch places like the Coral Tree Café to special-occasion experiences like Josie. Researching and writing the reviews was a deliciously fulfilling experience! Now available for purchase on Amazon and at select local stores, the guide is the perfect size to slip into your glove compartment. Trust me, at all the restaurants included, you’ll want to clean your plate!

It’s the high life at sea level…The Purple Passport has launched its eBook guide The Purple Passport to Palm Beach! I’m one of the writers/editors for this comprehensive guide to the South Florida playground’s choicest hotels, restaurants, nightlife, spas, shops, and activities.

It points locals and travelers to distinctive experiences, which include checking into a lavish, grand dame resort inspired by Rome’s Villa Medici with a pamper-you-silly beach club; capping off a spa day in a relaxation garden complete with hanging chairs over a reflecting pool; shopping for everything from couture gowns to flirty resort wear amid lush, flower-lined vias; scoping original Pollock and Picasso canvases under a Chihuly glass ceiling; dining on delicious Milanese fare while taking in the buzzing crowd on the hottest see-and-be-seen restaurant terrace; and dancing the night away at Palm Beach’s best party spot. Helpful maps and city-orienting information about transportation, seasonal highlights, and local culture are also included.

The eBook is available for purchase at the Amazon Kindle Store and can be downloaded to your mobile device of choice (Kindle or Kindle app for iPhone/Android) for easy, on-the-go use…so you don’t lose a single second working on your tan!