Journalist Frances Anderton

I Think I Detest the Beverly Center

Frances Anderton, the longtime host of the weekly public radio show DnA: Design and Architecture on KCRW, currently covers Los Angeles design and architecture for print and radio. She is also writing a book, Common Ground: Multifamily Housing in Los Angeles. Before moderating a Zócalo/Helms Bakery District event, “Will a New Generation of Leaders Shake Up L.A.’s Culture?,” she shared her best radio tip, her favorite pair of socks and her least favorite architectural structure in L.A.

Why the Santa Monica Airport Should Become a Park

The Facility's Closure Provides a Great Opportunity to Give Los Angeles a Giant New Playground

A new 150-plus-acre park on the Westside of Los Angeles might seem like a pipe dream—at approximately $200 a square foot just for the land, that’s almost $1.3 billion. That …

A Pharmacy that Dispenses Homeopathic Remedies Instead of Drugs

Why My Grandparents in Santa Monica Became Pioneers in Alternative Medicine

My grandparents, Norman and Mary Litvak, founded the Santa Monica Homeopathic Pharmacy back in 1944, originally planning on selling the usual items found in drug stores at the time—medicine, alcohol, …

Killing Time with the Fishermen of Santa Monica Pier

Photos of the Anglers Who Hang Out Beneath the Ferris Wheel, Take in the Ocean Breeze, and Wait for a Bite

On the lower deck of the Santa Monica Pier—below the Pacific Park solar-powered Ferris wheel, Inkie’s Pirate Ship ride, and oceanfront West Coaster—there’s a quiet community of fishermen and women.

Many …

Breakfast on the Beach with Dad

The Joys of Early Mornings at Perry’s Café, Before Work

Perry’s at the Beach Café has nine locations throughout Santa Monica and Venice, but I only really like one—and won’t bother going after 10 a.m.

My dad first introduced me …

When Terror Enrolled at Santa Monica College

A Year After a Devastating Shooting, a Professor Tells His Story—and Those of His Campus—as the Community Continues to Heal

Terror arrived at my college a year ago. On June 7, 2013, a man, wielding a .223 caliber assault rifle and a handgun and strapped with 1,300 rounds of ammunition, …