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Photo by Andrew Zuckerman
Bird’s-Eye View
You can’t get this up-close and personal with the birds at the San Diego Zoo. Unless, that is, you’re New York–based photographer Andrew Zuckerman, who turned his lens on nearly 75 avian species for his new book, Bird (Chronicle Books, $60), including residents of our zoo and Wild Animal Park. The sequel to Creature, Zuckerman’s wildly popular book of animal photography, Bird portrays the winged creatures in astonishing detail. Iridescent feathers pop off the page, and you can almost feel the razor-sharp edges of a beak and the scaly bumps on reptilian claws. And talk about a bird’s-eye view: You can gaze deep into the pupil, photographed in piercing clarity.
Bird can be purchased online at chroniclebooks.com.
—Julia Beeson Polloreno
Fins And Tonic
Lauren Otonicar’s recent business venture gives new meaning to the words “board room.” The inspiration for Tonic, her line of earth-friendly hair-care products for surfers, was born in the waves off La Jolla, where Otonicar used to surf as an undergrad at UCSD.
Otonicar’s search for high-end hair products to combat the harmful effects of sun, salt and wind was a definitive dead end. So she decided to make her own. One year later, after a lot of back-and-forth with chemists, she launched Tonic. It contains no animal products, “environmental unfriendliness” or toxic ingredients.
Marketing the product presented its challenges. “Surfing is very [hard] core, so sometimes it’s hard to bring in the element of ‘Oh, don’t forget about your hair,’” says Otonicar. “And the stock photography was just terrible.” So she wrote to iconic surf photographer Aaron Chang, who has a gallery in Solana Beach. She was thrilled when he agreed to lend his artistic eye to the project.
As Tonic has grown (it’s shipping to the East Coast and soon to Hawaii), Chang has been a multifaceted mentor. In addition to directing the brand’s visual marketing, “He throws in the occasional spiritual guidance,” Otonicar says.
Tonic is available in surf shops, salons and at tonicshop.com.
—Adam Elder
5 Questions for...Robert G. Allen
The Encinitas resident, financial adviser and New York Times bestselling author of Nothing Down, Creating Wealth, Multiple Streams of Income and The One Minute Millionaire (co-authored by Mark Victor Hansen, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series) has been busy with a national tour to promote his latest release, Cash in a Flash (again co-authored by Hansen), which “shows you how to generate permanent and recurring multiple streams of income using the skills, talents and resources you already possess—all in 90 days or less.” Sound too good to be true? Allen’s critics think so. You be the judge...
What’s the secret to earning fast money in slow times?
To pick the low-hanging fruit in your life, to find those things you already know how to do and learn how to monetize them. There are three “trees” that have low-hanging fruit: real estate, marketing someone else’s PSI—product/service/information—and creating something, a business you launch on your own.
What’s the most common pitfall or obstacle to people in realizing financial wealth?
Fear, anxiety and worry stop people from applying themselves to what they need to do. 1. Get your mind right: Have a clear vision of what you’re trying to accomplish. 2. Follow your heart: Find something that you intuitively want to do. 3. Bring together a team of like-minded people who will encourage you. The team is the most important part of the entire process.
Who have been some of your mentors?
Every business I’ve launched has been based on my going to someone who’s been really successful at it and having them mentor me. When I wrote Nothing Down, which explains how to buy real estate with little or nothing down, I found a gal—Dian Thomas—who’d written a book [Roughing It Easy] and had it published. She brought me to a big booksellers’ convention. I took it to the president of Simon & Schuster ... and the rest is history. It’s always been about mentorship.
What’s been the greatest challenge to you, and how did you meet it?
When I was promoting Nothing Down, we ran an ad that said, “Drop me in a city, take my wallet, leave me $100 for food and living expenses, and I’ll buy a piece of property.” The Los Angeles Times called and said it was hogwash. They challenged me to buy real estate with nothing down. With a reporter by my side, in 57 hours I bought six properties and gave the reporter back $20. If you take the word “challenge” and knock off both letters on each end, you’ll find my name.
How is Cash in a Flash different from your previous books?
This book talks about the ingredients you need to get your mind set, your heart set, so that when you really know what you want, you can go get it. We call it impassioned conviction. This book’s much more psychological than technique-oriented. —J.B.P
The Insider
STAR POWER: Order off the menu? Pshaw. Not if you’re Raquel Welch. The actress (and former Miss La Jolla) was getting her hair done at a La Jolla Shores salon when her stylist began raving about the stuffed French toast served across the street at Barbarella and called in to place an order. Even though it was 4 p.m. and the restaurant’s brunch service had long since finished, Welch got her French toast—delivered—as requested. Also recently spotted at Barbarella: actor Val Kilmer, who came in for pizzas and late-night cocktails with a large group of pals.
TEA PARTY: We’re sure an experienced performer like Pete Yorn doesn’t get pre-show jitters anymore, but if the singer/songwriter was just a bit nervous prior to his recent gig at the House of Blues, it didn’t show. Possibly because he got “in the zone” with a visit to Little Italy’s Numero Water Boutique. The newly opened spot promises a “soothing environment” to go with its array of fancy waters
, hot and iced green teas, mineral footbaths and reflexology massages.
THE HONEYMOON PHASE: Actress Jaime Pressly, of the now-canceled sitcom My Name Is Earl, celebrated her 32nd birthday with 50 of her closest friends and her new fiancé, Simran Singh, at the Hard Rock Hotel’s rooftop Float bar. The party included a champagne toast and a red velvet cake adorned with her likeness. Spies say Pressly and Singh were quite the lovebirds, cuddling and kissing all night and again the following day as they lounged poolside in a private cabaña.
CIRCLE TAKES THE SQUARE: He may have become famous for quipping it up on Hollywood Squares, but funnyman Bruce Vilanch is serious about food; the corpulent comedian found his way to trendy Cucina Urbana in Bankers Hill during a recent swing through town. Priscilla Presley also dropped in for a nosh the same week.
BACK-TO-BACK Bubba: Two visits one after another? To what do we owe the honor, Bill Clinton? First the ex-prez appeared at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront to speak for the National Business Travel Association, offering “a presidential perspective” on global politics and e
conomics. A few weeks later, Clinton’s white-haired dome popped up again at the beach near the Hotel del Coronado. No, he wasn’t frolicking in the surf with a bevy of bikinied beauties. Clinton attended a private function to show support for President Obama’s healthcare reform plan.
CELEBRITY TWITTER ROUNDUP Here’s what the stars are tweeting about lately: Reality starlet Kim Kardashian had breakfast with her grandma in San Diego before spending the day with Deepak Chopra; Ludacris went to the zoo; Jewel misses surfing; Marlee Matlin attended a Chargers game; Joel Madden of the band Good Charlotte said the “hella nice” Keating Hotel feels “like being inside of a Ferrari.”
—Rachel Zenn Sachs
Mister Manners
Cotillion may sound like a highbrow activity reserved for East Coast prep school kids, but Mr. Benjamin’s San Diego Junior Cotillion has been teaching social graces to San Diego youth for the past 55 years. The class was created in 1954 by Don Benjamin, who’s been called a cross between Emily Post and Fred Astaire.
Cotillion, which is widely understood as a formal ball, is less about dance and more of a way for sixth graders to learn practical social skills. Some 50,000 students have passed through the family business, which is now run by Don’s son, Peter.
Classes meet twice a month at various locations throughout San Diego County from September through April; the cost is about $200 per child. Boys and girls—referred to as gentlemen and ladies—wear semiformal attire, learn basic ballroom dance skills, learn how to ask one another to dance and then how to keep the conversation flowing once they get on the dance floor. Peter Benjamin also covers a variety of etiquette lessons, including the importance of proper introductions, eye contact, thank-you cards, phone conversation skills, table manners and how to be a proper guest, host or hostess.
Benjamin says the lessons last a lifetime. “So many of the things we discuss are used and experienced in people’s daily lives,” he says.
Case in point: “Going from San Diego to an Ivy League college, I was exposed to classmates from fancy prep schools,” says Jim Sperber, an alumnus of Mr. Benjamin’s class from some 40 years ago. “Never once was I unsure of myself on how to act among cultured people, thanks to the training I received from Mr. Benjamin.” More information: mrbenjamins.com or 619-222-3769.
—Rachel Hurn
Fashion-Speak
It’s the women’s must-have fall fashion trend you’ve probably never heard of: the “jegging.” A cross between jeans and leggings, this wardrobe staple is a best-seller at Cardiff’s Azzaria Denim Lounge, a major destination for denim.
Established by celebrity stylist Tammy Neihart and her partner, Az-Zahir Hakim, a pro football player (St. Louis Rams) and Solana Beach resident, the shop stocks more than 20 brands—including hard-to-find lines—and 60 styles for guys and girls. Prices range from $319 for the True Religion “Billy Super T” to $128 for AG jeggings.
Neihart, who also owns the neighboring Azzaria Boutique stocked with the latest women’s fashions, trains each stylist in the fine art of the perfect fit. Stylist Caressa Reading says it’s the full-service aspect that further sets the denim bar apart from other retailers. “We look at each person’s unique body type and sense of style and help guide them to the pair that will look the best and be the most comfortable,” she says.
And finally, guys won’t balk at the invitation to go shopping: There’s a keg built into the denim bar. Brilliant.
shopazzaria.com; 760-753-7572.
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