Each month we share five unmissable things to see and do in the Golden State. You heard it here first.
Words by DAVID NASH and ELIZABETH VARNELL
JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS
This Reinvented ’50s-Era Hotel in the Desert is Anything But a Mirage
Desolate is not a word we’d use to describe the sprawling desert oasis that is JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS HOTEL. Located an hour east of San Diego in the Sonoran Desert town of Jacumba Hot Springs, a warm weather retreat in the 1930s for Hollywood stars like Clark Gable and Marlene Dietrich, the former ’50s roadside hotel has been reborn in high-desert style thanks to a trio of friends who acquired the property (which included 80 percent of the town). Entrepreneur Jeff Osborne and interior designers Melissa Strukel and Corbin Winters joined forces to transform not only the hotel, but also the whole community. For its part, the two-suite 18-room getaway was designed with artisan-made furnishings and fixtures and outfitted with vintage pieces sourced from other desert destinations like Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, and Mexico. Despite the hotel’s proximity to city life, it seems like a world away thanks to the two large mineral spring soaking pools, a restaurant, and an exotic desert hideaway bar with a “pirate swanky” feel. The property also has two nearby off-site casitas with private hot spring tubs and several homes to accommodate larger groups. Nightly rates start around $225. 44500 Old Hwy. 80, Jacumba Hot Springs; jacumba.com. D.N.
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BAKERSFIELD
An Exhibition Dedicated to the Queer Experience by the Community’s Most Innovative Artists
LEFT: Jun Yang. RIGHT: Carl Hopgood.
Showcasing the work of California’s top LGBTQIA+ artists, the BAKERSFIELD MUSEUM OF ART (BMoA) debuts Resonantly Me: A Queer Artist’s Invitational as a celebration of the boundless creativity and unique perspectives of those who have been part of the queer experience. Through diverse mediums, works by museum-placed and emerging artists including Joey Terrill, Donald Bradfield, David Ligare, Michelle Jane Lee, Rebecca Farr, and Carl Hopgood offer an unparalleled glimpse into a rich and often troubled arena of the human experience. “It should not be easier to access a gun than a book about racial or LGBTQ+ equity,” says Hopgood, whose assemblage of wooden school desks and neon imagery, Control, speaks to hypocrisy and attacks on children within the queer community. Only an hour north of Los Angeles, BMoA has championed the visual arts within its diverse community for more than 60 years through exhibitions and educational opportunities for residents of Kern County and visitors alike. May 30 through Sept 7. 1930 R St., Bakersfield; bmoa.org. D.N.
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MELROSE HILL
A Major L.A. Expansion Marks This Global Gallery’s 30th Anniversary
DAVID ZWIRNER GALLERY is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary with a new flagship in Los Angeles’s Melrose Hill neighborhood. The space incorporates its pre-existing galleries on the block with a three-story outpost that has more than 15,000 square feet for exhibitions. Designed by Selldorf Architects, the gallery includes an outdoor terrace with northern views of the Hollywood sign, a concrete staircase leading from the first to the second floor that pays homage to Zwirner’s New York gallery, and a crisp white facade that marries the newly built portion to the adjacent spaces. Built in the 1930s, the two smaller galleries were also renovated by Selldorf last year and feature generous skylights that flood them with natural light. With the expansion complete, its inaugural exhibition, David Zwirner: 30 Years, will feature works by artists who’ve had a home with the gallery since its inception, such as Luc Tuymans and Stan Douglas, as well as Michael Armitage, Emma McIntyre, and Elizabeth Peyton. 606, 612, and 616 North Western Ave., L.A.; davidzwirner.com. D.N.
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SAN FRANCISCO
This Green Parrot–Inspired Restaurant Comes with a Michelin Pedigree
San Francisco’s Marina District just got a little more flavorful with the opening of TIYA, the first collaboration from brother chefs Sujan and Pujan Sarkar, which celebrates the vibrancy of Indian cuisine and seasonality of California produce in an elegantly appointed venue. The interior design — with its lush green hues, velvet booths, mosaic floors, colorful wallpaper, and artworks by Saurav Das — reflects Chef Sujan’s equally vibrant vision for an ambiance partly inspired by the symbolic green parrot native to eastern India. The menu is separated into two offerings: a four-course tasting menu ($90) and an a la carte menu served in the main dining room, as well as small plates served in the bar. Dishes include Goat Ghee Roast Tacos inspired by the Chettinadu region of India; Hamachi Bhel, a play on traditional street food; and Tiger Shrimp Xec Xec, a Goan masala flavored with sour plums. An inventive cocktail menu includes unique concoctions inspired by the city’s most notable landmarks, as well as a selection of Indian spice-infused gins and tonics. Having already earned a Michelin Star for his Chicago restaurant, Indienne, Chef Sujan is poised to hang another star in the Bay Area’s culinary universe. 3213 Scott St., San Francisco; tiyasf.com. D.N.
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WEST HOLLYWOOD
Scandinavian Style Lands on Melrose Avenue
Stockholm-based TOTEME, founded by Elin Kling and Karl Lindman, is bringing its clean-lined foundational staples to Melrose in a new 2,600-square-foot boutique taking inspiration from its L.A. surroundings. Created by Swedish design studio Halleroed — known for devising spare, minimalist interiors for the line’s global boutiques as well as those of Acne and Byredo — the space houses looks that incorporate the faded florals and pastel checks of the brand’s Pre-Fall 2024 collection. Low-impact fabrics — including linen, organic cotton, and recycled polyester sourced from plastic waste — and a palette of clean neutrals inform designs that are meant for laid-back summers split between the city and the coast. Jersey maxi dresses, crisp cottons, and worn-in denim join cotton-canvas T-Lock bags, Wedge Heel pumps, a travel capsule of swimwear, cover-ups, and towels, plus modern pearl jewelry. 8910 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; toteme.com. E.V.
May 2024
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