Mark Peikert

Face it, Angeleno: It’s Chinatown. And the menus there are often worth the cross-city trek. If you’re still thinking of cash-only, lazy-Susan feasts, well, there are still plenty of those around. But these days, you’re just as likely to stumble on a great burger, a Filipino feast, a natural-wine bar or a cure-all cocktail lounge. That’s the fun of eating and drinking in this particular neighborhood: Despite its name, Chinatown refuses to stay in one culinary lane. The neighborhood’s three main plazas—Far East, Mandarin and Central—are packed with everything from decades-old institutions to newer spots that have made the area into a destination in its own right. Come hungry, bring cash and be willing to explore. We’ve rounded up the Chinatown restaurants and bars worth a visit, whether you want a bowl of beefy pho, a double-dipped French dip, Nashville hot chicken or a great glass of wine.  RECOMMENDED: See more in our full guide to things to do in Chinatown

Getting seats to the best Broadway shows usually requires quite a bit of advance planning. But what if you haven't planned, and you urgently need to see a show tomorrow or even tonight? Don't panic: There are plenty of options for last-minute tickets, especially if you’re willing to put in some legwork. It partly depends on what you're willing to pay and how much risk you're willing to take—and, of course, on plain old luck. If everything goes your way, you might even luck into cheap Broadway tickets, great seats or a chance to see hit shows that you would never have been able to get into earlier. Here is our insider guide to buying last-minute Broadway tickets. The day before the show: Enter the digital lottery Many Broadway shows—including Aladdin, The Book of Mormon and Hadestown—conduct digital lotteries for cheap tickets on the day before each performance. In most cases, you enter the lottery online, then wait until later the same day to find out by email if you've won; if you do, you'll need to reply to the ticket offer within an hour or you'll lose your chance. A few shows, such as Wicked, do their drawings on the morning of the show itself; others have drawings once a week, notably the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child $40 ticket lottery and the $10 Hamilton lottery, both of which happen on Fridays and cover the week ahead. For a full list of shows that offer lotteries, consult Broadway on a Budget or Playbill's Broadway and Off Broadway listings. The morning of the s

The Hollywood Bowl is getting a serious dose of South Central L.A. For emajendat, visual artist Lauren Halsey will turn the amphitheater into a technicolor fever dream, complete with a custom stage set and a lineup that’s basically a who’s who of adventurous music. Erykah Badu and the Alchemist headline, bringing their soulful R&B and dusty hip-hop production to the Bowl ahead of their forthcoming collaborative album, while Anderson .Paak spins as DJ Pee .Wee, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea joins in, and Charles Gaines Collective teams up with L.A. jazz outfit Black Nile and Devin Daniels. Catch the maximalist spectacle on September 29; talk about it for weeks afterward.

Attention proud nerds: Anime After Dark is about to tip nerd culture into a deliriously playful burlesque fantasia at The Slipper Room. Expect a high-gloss collision of cosplay and cabaret as performers bring JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Spy x Family, Pokémon, Cowboy Bebop, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Ghost in the Shell and Sailor Moon to life with wit, heat, and precision. Featuring Lychee Mynx, Happy Bun Bun, Storm Psycho 6, Mae B. Koi and more. 

Tap your toes and enjoy the music at the 15th Annual Blue Note Jazz Festival, with performances running from June 1 through July 1. The festival pops up at major venues across NYC, including Sony Hall, Blue Note Jazz Club and SummerStage in Central Park. This year's performances include Ledisi, Durand Bernarr, Big Freedia, UMI, Bestin Conrad, Shabaka Hutchins, Kokoroko, Cymande, Take 6, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Jose James, BLK ODYSSY Louie Vega: Elements of Life and more. Here's the full lineup with ticketing info. 

The Sierra Club has organized this inaugural Earth Day concert, dubbed Sierra Sessions. Hosted by KCRW DJ Novena Carmel, the night will feature performances by eco-conscious songwriters and storytellers, including Hurray for the Riff Raff, Irene Diaz, Dr. Lyla June, Rising Appalachia, Rozzi and more. Each artist will perform a few songs in the intimacy of Village Studios and share reflections on nature and life on Earth. If you can’t make it in person, the concert will be streamed on YouTube on Earth Day, when the various chapters of the Sierra Club will also host watch parties. If you can make it to the show, stick around afterward for an after-party.

Erstwhile podcast host and comic about town Marc Maron has been branching out into live music lately. He’ll bring both the laughs and the melodies with his Marc Maron Band for one night only this April 13 at Lodge Room. Joining him on the bill will be special guest comedians Blair Socci and Lara Beitz. 

Whether you’re excited about or terrified by artificial intelligence, it seems to be here to stay. Creatives can learn how to work with AI at RenderCon—which offers a deep dive into the future of media, art and technology as it relates to AI. Hosted by the Render Network, the conference hosts artists—including L.A.-based Refik Anadol, the mind behind soon-to-open Dataland—developers and industry leaders for two days of talks, panels and hands-on workshops focused on real-world AI production workflows. Expect practical insights, demos of cutting-edge new tools and networking opportunities.

The Met Gala? In this economy? The Debt Gala provides an inclusive alternative to the Met's annual satorial spectacle—all to raise money for Americans in medical debt.  The annual Debt Gala comes to Williamsburg's Music Hall on Sunday, May 3, with the theme "Body of Werrrk." The tongue-in-cheek event swaps formality for fun, reshaping the traditional gala experience into an open celebration for all. The theme is meant to encourage guests to design fashionable riffs on the human form.  In addition to throwing a great party, the event also centers economic justice and the struggle to afford rising costs of care. In its first two years, the Debt Gala has helped eliminate over $4 million in medical debt for struggling families. This year, proceeds from the Debt Gala will support Undue Medical Debt and Point of Pride. The red carpet begins at 4pm, followed by a 6pm show and an 8pm dance party. 

Celebrate sustainability in action at the Earth Day 2026 Festival, a free gathering from noon to 6pm in Union Square. Expect a full afternoon of climate-focused, family-friendly programming, including interactive workshops, live performances, "climate art" and activities. Dozens of environmental nonprofits and green businesses will be on hand, alongside sustainable food vendors, to make it easy (and fun) to learn how to live a little greener. 

On April 18, 19, and 25 at the Broadway Comedy Club, veteran magicians Jim Vines and Carl Mercurio perform a comedic set of tricks and illusions that is especially tailored to delight young audiences—though the rest of the family is likely to enjoy it, too. And at just $25 a ticket, this is a surprisingly affordable Times Square outing for a larger group.

Timed to the United States’ 250th anniversary, the American Folk Art Museum's Folk Nation: Crafting Patriotism in the United States exhibition explores how vernacular art has shaped national identity. Using the museum’s collection, the show delves into the meanings of “folk,” “nation” and “patriotism” at the 2 Lincoln Square gallery. It offers a thought-provoking look at who is represented in American stories and how those stories change. The show runs April 10–September 13, then reopens October 8 and runs through February 28, 2027.

The inaugural Downtown NYC JazzFest brings five nights of live music to Lower Manhattan from April 22–26, taking over The Django, Roxy Bar and Club Room at Soho Grand. Expect a mix of rising talent and marquee acts, including Shayna Steele, Mark G. Meadows and Brian Newman, all celebrating downtown’s long-standing jazz legacy, where tradition meets experimentation in some of the city’s most atmospheric spaces. Tickets vary in price based on venue, from free Saturday and Sunday afternoon sets at Roxy Bar to $40 performances at The Django.

Experience art and music at Voices of Memory, an intimate evening at the Tenri Cultural Institute on April 25. At 7:30pm, the program begins with a gallery viewing of paintings by Lizi Budagashvili, followed by a live performance from musicians Sendi Vartanovi, Taisiya Losmakova and Aleksandr Bolotin performing Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Debussy and more. The evening ends with more time to linger amidst the art. Seating is limited to 70 guests, so reserve tickets in advance.

After Black Friday shoppers have their fun, it's time to put your money toward something more interesting than another discounted air fryer. Museum Store Sunday returns on November 29, bringing special deals, gifts with purchase and shopping events to museum across Los Angeles and beyond. Now in its 10th year, the annual shopping event will feature more than 2,360 participating museum stores across all 50 states, 25 countries and five continents. Organized by the Museum Store Association, the initiative encourages shoppers to seek out distinctive, museum-inspired gifts while supporting the institutions, artists and local makers behind them. RECOMMENDED: The Broad’s next free exhibition confronts mass media and memory Courtesy of The Broad. © Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R). Rendering by Plomp.The Broad The offerings go beyond the usual holiday markdowns. Participating stores will host meet-the-maker events, book signings, trunk shows and workshops, alongside special offers and gifts with purchase. Individual discounts and promotions vary by location, so it's worth checking ahead before making a shopping itinerary. To mark the 10th anniversary, organizers have introduced their first-ever Holiday Gift Guide, a shoppable digital collection featuring 168 products from more than 80 museum stores. The guide organizes its finds into 14 categories, including art lovers, nature and garden enthusiasts, cooking aficionados and design fans. Since its launch in 2017, Museum Store Sunda

We might be facing down another heat advisory in mid-October, but that doesn't mean we can't get excited for the holidays. This year, Los Angeles is getting a taste of a European Christmas in the most SoCal of settings: the Santa Monica Pier. RECOMMENDED: The 20 best places to visit in L.A.: Where to go when you arrive The Swiss Winter Village is coming to the west side starting November 18, transforming the beach into an alpine-inspired holiday market complete with festive food, artisan shopping and an ice rink. Created by Swiss Xmas Village in collaboration with Fever, the experience promises a mix of traditional Swiss holiday charm and waterfront scenery. Expect hundreds of vendors selling gifts and handcrafted goods from European makers and local artisans, alongside seasonal food and drinks. Photograph: Courtesy Swiss Winter VillageSwiss Winter Village Photograph: Courtesy Swiss Winter VillageSwiss Winter Village Actually, food is a major part of the festivities, with traditional alpine fare, Swiss specialties and cozy raclette chalets where visitors can warm up with melted cheese and live entertainment. The vendor lineup rotates weekly, so you'll find something new with each visit, whether you're hunting for holiday gifts or looking for an excuse to eat your weight in cheese. Beyond the shopping and snacking, the Swiss Winter Village will offer plenty of seasonal activities for families and festive Angelenos. Guests can go ice skating, meet Santa Claus or participate

Elijah Craig’s seventh annual Old Fashioned Week runs now through October 18, and this year it has a spirited new feature: the Old Fashioned Tavern Trail, a 70-stop nationwide collection of historic taverns and contemporary gathering places. Basically, great places to get your booze on.  The trail spotlights bars that keep the classic bourbon cocktail alive, from colonial-era taverns to neighborhood hangouts. The idea is to encourage drinkers to rediscover third spaces, those places where you can chat with strangers and not check your phone every 30 seconds.  RECOMMENDED: These seven U.S. bars were just named the best in the nation The Tavern Trail is an extension of Old Fashioned Week, which launched in 2020 as a way for Elijah Craig to support hospitality workers in need. More than 12,000 bars and other establishments participate in the annual celebration, offering their own interpretations of the Old Fashioned. During this year’s event, $1 from every Old Fashioned sold at participating establishments will go to the Southern Smoke Foundation, which provides emergency assistance and free mental health services to hospitality workers. Elijah Craig says it has pledged more than $600,000 to Southern Smoke and other hospitality organizations through its charitable efforts in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The trail also taps into a broader appetite for analog experiences, offering an excuse to explore a historic watering hole or discover a neighborhood bar you

Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, which means instead of just one spooky calendar date, you can extend the festive fun for a whole spine-chilling weekend. That actually seems to be the trend right now, as Airbnb says in its latest Halloween travel report that searches for Halloween weekend stays are up nearly 15-percent year over year, while searches from Gen Z travelers have jumped almost 45-percent. Halloween-themed travel wishlists are up nearly 60-percent, too, so apparently everyone is ready to spend the weekend pretending they live in a horror movie. RECOMMENDED: The 13 most haunted Airbnbs in the U.S.A. To feed that particular obsession this year, Airbnb has rounded up 31 stays, from witchy retreats and gothic estates to cabins in the woods and allegedly haunted houses. Here are our seven favorite Halloween-ready rentals.  These are the 7 best Airbnbs for Halloween weekend 2026 Photograph: Courtesy AirbnbBuffalo Bill's House on Airbnb 1. Buffalo Bill's House Silence of the Lambs fans can book a stay at the 1910 Queen Anne Victorian that served as serial killer Buffalo Bill's house in the 1991 five-time Academy Award-winning film. The Perryopolis, Pennsylvania property comes staged with an interactive basement; lotion and basket not included. 2. Horror-themed cabin in Big Bear Lake For those who prefer their scares a little more slasher, California's Big Bear Lake offers a horror-themed cabin, complete with a replica movie bathroom, an axe in the door, ghostly

Bad reviews are easy. We can all quickly identify what doesn’t work or tastes bad. Rave reviews are a little harder because they have to convey what worked without slipping into hyperbole (ideally). But reviews of great but unremarkable destinations are nearly impossible. How do you make “It was fine!” into compelling reading? RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Los Angeles In other words, I’m vamping before reviewing new restaurant BOBO Thai in Silver Lake because it was good! It was! The portions are large and well-seasoned, and at least one dish is destination-worthy. But nothing about serving really good Thai food is overtly compelling or revolutionary. Photograph: Mark Peikert for Time OutNo. 11, the Comfort Zone rice bowl at BOBO Thai Then again, in an L.A. food scene driven by obsessive foodies who salivate over an impossible-to-get reservation more than the meal, maybe really good is a lost art. After all, BOBO offers no less than a dozen takes on pad Thai, from the vegetarian Garden Party to a five-pepper blaze Hot Stuff. For pad thai lovers, BOBO offers almost two weeks of consistent dinners without repetition. Photograph: Mark Peikert for Time OutGreen curry eggplant fries at BOBO THai My dining companion and I started by sharing the papaya salad at a “one pepper” spice level to get a baseline sense of the heat on tap. It gave the papaya a nice tingle but nothing that would make one break out into a sweat. We also tried the BOBO shrimp toast (an absolute bang

The Hollywood Roosevelt has always been the ne plus ultra of Los Angeles for me. Long before I lived in L.A., I spent enough time on work trips at the poolside bar that, for a brief, glorious spell, they recognized me as a regular. In my daydreams of moving to the West Coast, I happily assumed that I’d spend a lot of time at my favorite local haunt. A few years into my L.A. life, I can report: I was right! RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Los Angeles  Photograph: Time Out LACocktails at Gable That said, though I’m often to be found at the Tropicana outside or in the plush lobby, I had yet to make it to any of the restaurants that have lived and died on the ground floor. In retrospect, I was clearly waiting for Gable. This isn’t just a Hollywood steakhouse; it’s something weirder, more interesting, and definitely more potent than what one might expect. To start: This is one of the most exciting cocktail programs in L.A. A tahini-washed manhattan or a cocktail that playfully riffs on pad thai without coming across as a blended Thai meal for those unable to chew: These drinks are genuine shockers in the best way, the kind that get passed around from diner to diner because, “You have to try this!” Some are more successful than others. The Mr. Fahrenheit (Oaxacan gin, mezcal, fermented cantaloupe, bell pepper, and saffron) is a savory sensation, while the Shoots & Ladders (mezcal, Oaxacan rum, charred corn, chilis, and tea) is sweeter than expected. Some may find that a plus

Massachusetts has no shortage of elite universities (as those who attend one of them love to remind everyone), but according to a new ranking, the best college in America isn't located in the Bay State. It's actually in Jersey.  RECOMMENDED: This NYC university was just named among the country’s top 10 colleges by TIME Yes, New Jersey's own Princeton University has claimed the top spot in WalletHub’s 2027 Best Colleges and Universities rankings, beating out fellow academic heavy-hitters like MIT, Yale and Harvard in a nationwide showdown of higher education released just weeks before the November 1 early-decision application deadline. WalletHub compared nearly 740 colleges and universities across the country using 30 measures in seven categories, including student selectivity, cost and financing, and career outcomes. Factors included student-faculty ratios, graduation rates and salaries after graduation, offering a broad look at both the academic experience and the potential payoff of a degree. Princeton took first place overall, while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed at No. 2. Yale University rounded out the top three, followed by California Institute of Technology and Harvard University at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. So Massachusetts still has plenty to brag about, just not the country's top-ranked school. Photograph: Courtesy Yale UniversityYale University The Midwest also made a strong showing: Northwestern University in Illinois ranked sixth, while t

Chicago weather has decided to speed through all four seasons this week alone. After Monday's record-breaking heat, the city is bracing for a sharp turn toward chilly fall weather, with overnight temperatures potentially dipping into the 30s by Friday. So don't pack away any of your clothes just yet. RECOMMENDED: North America’s No. 1 bar is coming to Chicago for a Four Seasons residency starting next week On Monday, October 12, temperatures at O'Hare International Airport reached 87 degrees, breaking 2008's previous record of 85 degrees. Other reports put the city's high at a whopping 88 degrees. Either way, October 12, 2026, is officially one of the warmest on record.  That unseasonable heat is thanks to a surge of air moving north from the south, pushing temperatures well above what's typical for this time of year. In other words, if you were hoping to squeeze in one last patio drink or a lakefront stroll without wearing three layers, this is your moment. But your moment will be brief, because the National Weather Service is forecasting showers and possible thunderstorms Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, followed by a cold front. By Wednesday night, the weather will feel considerably more autumnal, with temperatures falling into the 50s. More showers are possible Thursday, when daytime temperatures are expected to reach the low 70s before dropping again overnight.  By Friday night, temperatures could dip into the upper 30s, making this a good time to dig out your warme

The mascot of Salem, Massachusetts might be a witch, but when it comes to America’s spookiest cities, another destination is raising the dead. New Orleans has officially claimed the top spot in a new ranking of the country’s most haunted-feeling destinations, proving that the Big Easy has plenty of skeletons spilling out of its closet and into your peripheral vision. RECOMMENDED: These are the best haunted hotels in America, including Lizzie Borden’s bloody digs A study by vacation rental platform Bearadise compared 71 U.S. cities across six spooky metrics: ghost-related Google searches, reported haunted locations, ghost tours, Halloween attractions, cemeteries and metaphysical shops. The results suggest that some cities have considerably more supernatural street cred than others. The Big Easy came out on top, with 686 ghost-related searches per 10,000 residents, the highest rate of any city in the ranking. The Louisiana destination also boasts 4.17 ghost and haunted tours and 3.19 reported haunted locations per 10,000 residents.  Charleston, South Carolina, took second place, recording 676 ghost-related searches per 10,000 residents. It also had the highest cemetery density among all 71 cities, with 2.11 cemeteries per 10,000 residents. No. 3 is Savannah, Georgia, which had the most ghost and haunted tours in the study: 4.86 per 10,000 residents.  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, landed in fourth place, with 544 ghost-related searches per 10,000 residents, while Richmond, Virginia,

Hollywood Burbank Airport has a new terminal, but let's get one thing clear: Passengers will still board and disembark on the runway, letting us all feel like starlets picking our way down the metal ramps. After not quite a hundred years of serving travelers, the airport did away with its historic passenger terminal and officially opened its $1.3 billion new digs today, October 13, replacing what was essentially a long hallway that offered overpriced bottles of water at discrete intervals since the original facilities opened in 1930. RECOMMENDED: An entire LAX terminal is going away for the next 3 years   The new terminal, dubbed Elevate BUR, spans 355,000 square feet, which is roughly double the space of the existing complex. It still has 14 gates, but now they're in a modern building with expanded TSA screening, more charging ports and kiosks (and seats!), and an indoor baggage-claim hall. In other words, you might get to actually sit down and carge your phone rather than lean against a pillar or trip over someone sitting on the floor. Photograph: Courtesy the City of BurbankRendering of new Hollywood Burbank Airport terminal The most important update for the new terminal might be where you get out of the car. The main terminal access has moved from Thornton Avenue to Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way, with a new seven-level parking structure and a new lot for rideshare pickups. Rental-car customers will still need to take a shuttle to the rental-car facility across Hollywo

Love coffee and have a couple hundred bucks lying around? (Really? No credit card bill that needs attention? No broken appliance that could use a refresh? Just extra money?!) In that case, let us introduce you to Brooklyn coffee shop SEY—named one of the Best Coffee Shops in America by Food & Wine—which is about to test that upper limit with a coffee that works out to more than $200 per cup. RECOMMENDED: NYC was just named the second best city in the U.S. for coffee lovers: see who beat it Starting October 17, the Bushwick-based roaster will release just seven kilograms of a rare Panamanian Gesha coffee from Finca Sophia, which SEY purchased at auction for a staggering $44,275. That's $6,325 per kilogram and, depending on how it's brewed, more than $200 worth of coffee in a single cup. The coffee is the number-one lot from Finca Sophia's 2026 private auction and its highest-elevation lot, grown as high as 2,200 meters in Panama's cloud forests. Gesha is already one of the world's most prized coffee varieties, known for its intense floral aromas, acidity and sweetness. At Finca Sophia, the high elevation and cooler temperatures slow the ripening of the coffee cherries, allowing for what producers and coffee obsessives describe as greater complexity. Or, as SEY describes this particular washed Gesha: notes of bergamot, mandarin and rose petal, along with a deeper dark-fruit character.  Photograph: Tobias PolkSey Coffee The Brooklyn roaster is introducing the coffee as part of

New York hotel royalty is making a South Florida move, bringing a Manhattan sensibility to West Palm Beach. The team behind Hotel Chelsea, The Bowery Hotel and The Mercer will open The Nora Hotel, a new 201-room luxury property, on October 19. Located at 1135 N. Railroad Ave., The Nora is the first major project outside NYC from hotelier Sean MacPherson and BD Hotels. The property is part of the emerging Nora District, putting guests within walking distance of shops, restaurants, bars, galleries and fitness studios. RECOMMENDED: The 15 best hotels in Miami for 2026, from ultra-luxe resorts to stylish boutique stays And while the hotel's pedigree is very New York, the design aims for something more Floridian. New York-based GACHOT, the studio behind Detroit's Shinola Hotel and other high-design hospitality projects, drew inspiration from Palm Beach's Spanish Colonial Revival and early 20th-century Mediterranean architecture for a combination of bright exteriors and moodier interiors, plus plenty of pecky cypress, custom furniture and antiques. In other words: Palm Beach, but probably with better martinis. Photograph: Courtesy The Nora HotelThe Nora Hotel in West Palm Beach Those martinis can be found at Jack's Bar, which channels the retro, mid-century glamour of John F. Kennedy and Camelot. Downstairs, the New York-born French brasserie Pastis will serve its familiar Parisian-inspired menu in a new West Palm Beach setting. James Beard Award-winning restaurateur Stephen Star