The new Neiman Marcus slated to officially open this Friday in Canoga Park is expected to be a big one. It's the "centerpiece of the final phase of a $500 million renovation of Westfield Topanga," it will have "couture salons" (something not even the the NM in Beverly Hills has) and more than 100 pieces from the "The Art of John Lennon" will be on display this weekend at the store. "I'm proud of every......

Photo by Julia Brokaw via Robert Francis' MySpace profile Note: Robert Francis plays tonight at The Troubadour.You don't hear Robert Francis' name mentioned around Los Angeles that often, but when you meet a fan of his, they are not just a cheerleading friend of his, they're a true die-hard fan of his musicianship, his words and the hauntingly beautiful art he creates. NPR took notice last Fall and called him a "a young man......

Last month, the singer-songwriter supergroup trio The Living Sisters (MySpace), comprised of The Bird and the Bee (MySpace)'s Inara George (MySpace), Eleni Mandell (MySpace), and Lavender Diamond (MySpace)'s Becky Stark, performed at the 35th Annual Topanga Days Festival (MySpace). George's upcoming shows are on July 16th and 23rd at Tangier in Los Feliz, debuting a new collaboration with Van Dyke Parks (MySpace). And Mandell's upcoming shows are on June 11th and 18th at Tangier.......

LACMA is free today with live music and art workshops. / Photo by pink_fish13 via LAist's flickr pool. There are plenty of non-grilling-related events going on about town, so if you’re not firing up a BBQ today, might want to check a few out. FILM The ArcLight in Sherman Oaks is hosting a “Summer at the Drive In” series – and tonight the summer lovin’ begins with Grease. See pre-Pulp Fiction John Travolta dance......

The end of the trail at Parker Overlook | All Photos by Zach Behrens/LAist For most of the 5.5-mile Pacific Palisades hike at the popular Paseo Miramar trail towards Parker Overlook, you can see the ocean. Located two blocks east of Pacific Coast Highway on Sunset (map found below), the hike is a popular one, often leaving the dense hillside neighborhood at the top of the street strapped for parking, which means hikers must......

Who said emergency preparedness has to be boring? If you live, work or spend a good amount of time in Topanga, this free downloadable document is a must. The team that designed this 17 chapter disaster guide did an extremely beautiful job putting this visually exciting document together. And why did they do it? Here is the introduction from County Supervisor Yev Zaroslovsky: I am honored to present the inaugural edition of the Topanga......