October 2011

Cover Story
O.C.’s Hottest Shops INSIDERS ONLY!
We shopped the county north to south to find boutiques with the welcoming vibe, great inventory, creative merchandising, and helpful employees that set them apart from the rest. Senior Editor Chris Christensen found 48 that she enthusiastically recommends, including A’Maree’s in Newport Beach. You can read about that boutique here. For the full feature, order your October issue here!
by Chris Christensen

Features  
Alone in the Abyss INSIDERS ONLY!
A sneak peek at our definitive profile of Newport Beach submariner Chris Welsh, who in the coming months plans to make a history-making, 7-mile solo dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest spot on Earth. But that’s just the beginning. Find out more about The Five Dives Expedition here. To get the full feature, subscribe or order a digital copy of our October issue here!
By Paul Loop

Me, Only Better
Join our out-of-shape, ill-mannered, and un-self-actualized correspondent as he runs—OK, shambles—through O.C.’s hyperactive self-improvement gantlet.
By Andy Meisler

On the Verge?
“Like Crazy,” a film co-written by Corona del Mar resident and Chapman University alum Ben York Jones, killed at Sundance last year. On the eve of its national release, find out why his is a film career that almost wasn’t.
By Scott Martelle

Zoom! 
“Evening for Autism”
Society Editor Gloria Zigner’s monthly recap of the county’s charity events, including the autism fundraiser at the home of real estate entrepreneur Barry Saywitz, which helped raise more than $170,000.

Guide
Stalking Local Ghosts INSIDERS ONLY!
Believe in them or not, searching for ghosts in the county’s far corners makes a fine October outing. 
>> Online Only Browse past Guides

Tastemakers
Meet La Habra custom jeans maker Mychael Darwin in our Tastemakers profile, and enter here to win a free pair of his custom jeans, and more, valued at $1,000.

Coast Lines
Our Neighborhoods page visits the area in and around Santa Ana’s Artists Village. The O.C. Answer Man explains how the home of Mickey Mouse because a haven for felines. In Books, we review “The Fear Within” by Irvine author and Orange Coast contributor Scott Martelle. In Trade Secrets, find out what unusual proffered perk that Honda Center events director Quinn Mackin politely turned down. Perfect Getaway takes you to Dallas for the 125th anniversary of the Texas state fair, among other attractions. Also, we deconstruct John Wayne’s former yacht, meet O.C. ex-pat and actress Sarah Lancaster, and visit three unusual local book clubs on the Fun Page. Plus, in On the Market, we find four homes that will raise your heart rate.

O.C. Style
Plaid isn’t just for lumberjacks and Catholic schoolgirls anymore. We show you how designers are thinking outside the “box” in their fall interpretations.

Departments

Drive The peculiar attraction of buying a car in the most low-tech way imaginable

Rituals On the firing line at the county’s annual gathering of long-distance pumpkin flingers

My Orange County How Halloween and trick-or-treating have changed during a half-century in Orange County

Columns
Land’s End High-Density Eden

Editor’s Letter The Land of Reinvention

Artist Spotlight “Laguna Palms” by Orange artist Jim Wodark, whose work is showing at Chemers Gallery in Tustin.
>> Online Only An exclusive gallery of other Wodark works, as well as our comprehensive events listings that will guide you to the month’s best in local arts and entertainment.

Happy 25th Anniversary!
The Segerstrom Center for the Arts is celebrating its 25th anniversary Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 with concerts and other public events, some of which are free. Watch a video produced exclusively for Orange Coast about those events, then start making plans!

Dining
Main Course Chapter One: The Modern Local in Santa Ana

Nibbles & Bits News and notes from the local foodie scene, including fab new uses for pretzel rolls

Rediscovery A new chef invigorates the fare at A Restaurant, Newport Beach’s landmark hangout

>> Online Only Our authoritative, expanded, and searchable dining listings  

To purchase a digital copy of this issue click here.