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The first naval battle between two Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) has taken place in the Black Sea. The Ukrainian Navy said on Saturday that one of its naval drones sank a Russian vessel.

Published On 12 Sep 202612 Sep 2026

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It’s a day and night to celebrate women in sports.

MaxPreps is hosting an 18-team flag football tournament in San Diego. No. 1 JSerra is competing.

In the evening, Nike has flown in a custom-made outdoor volleyball court so Sherman Oaks Notre Dame can host Harvard-Westlake in a 7 p.m. girls’ volleyball match played on the Notre Dame baseball field. There will be food trucks, music and other surprises.

There’s also the Venice girls volleyball tournament taking place at Venice High and the Woodbridge Classic cross-country meet at the Great Park in Irvine.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

The spot has been hailed by holidaymakers as the best beach on the White Isle, and with warm 23°C temperatures in October and November it’s the perfect spot for an autumn break away from the crowds

Tucked between pine-covered hills, the sheltered cove has a mix of golden sand and pebbles, while its clear waters are ideal for swimming and snorkelling. But it is the dramatic scenery that really sets the European spot apart.

Off the coast sits Cap Bernat, a distinctive rock formation often nicknamed the “Finger of God”. It has become an iconic part of the skyline and provides a spectacular backdrop as the sun sets over the water.

Cala Benirràs is one of the most famous coves in northern Ibiza, but it offers a very different experience from the island’s glamorous beach-club hotspots.

The beach is particularly famous for its bohemian atmosphere and stunning sunsets, with visitors gathering to watch the sun disappear behind the rocky coastline.

Benirràs has also long been associated with drumming at sunset, which has become part of the cove’s identity.

However, visitors should be aware that the traditional large-scale Sunday drumming sessions have been restricted in response to the huge crowds they attract.

Smaller, informal drumming sessions can still take place, but it is best to check the arrangements before travelling if this is a key reason for your visit.

Despite its popularity, Cala Benirràs retains a relatively natural and rustic feel compared with some of Ibiza’s more polished beach destinations. The seabed is rocky in places, adding to its appeal for snorkellers, while the sheltered bay usually offers calm, clear water.

There are also several places to eat and drink around the cove, including Elements Eivissa Beach Club, which sits directly on the beach, alongside more casual dining options nearby.

For visitors looking to experience a quieter, more bohemian side of Ibiza, Cala Benirràs offers a combination of clear waters, pine-covered hills, spectacular sunsets and its famous rock formation that makes it well worth a visit, reports the Express.

Best time to visit

Autumn breaks offer quieter beaches and warm, sunny weather, with package holiday prices often considerably cheaper than during the pricier summer period. Holding out just a few weeks for an October escape could see travellers discovering hidden gems in some of Europe’s most sought-after destinations like Spain or Portugal for a fraction of the cost.

When experts at Wizz Air pinpointed the best under-the-radar coastal destinations in Europe for the shoulder season, Cala Benirrás in the north of the island earned top marks for tranquillity.

The airline previously carried out an analysis of beaches across more than 50 European countries, evaluating crowd levels, average temperatures, and daylight hours throughout September, October, and November.

By calculating beach space per visitor, Wizz Air ranked destinations according to the amount of room available to unwind and bask in the late-season sunshine.

‘Hidden gem’

This Ibizan ‘hidden gem’ has been hailed as the “best beach on Ibiza, especially in October” by Tripadvisor user Debra H. Captivated by their visit to this tranquil corner of the White Isle, the traveller went on to say: “It’s not just a beach for a day trip or the Sunday drumming it’s a place to come early in the morning and get to know. We really liked Elements cafe, nice food sitting and chilling on the sofa as with music. Lovely family friendly and I love the rock there like a giant goddess. Highly recommend. Most favourite beach in Europe.”

Another late-season visitor, Emily S, shared the same enthusiasm, describing it as a “beautiful bohemian feeling beach, perfect place for sunset”.

They added: “We visited Ibiza at the end of October. End of season, so this beach was lovely. Not too busy, with a relaxed, friendly, safe feel. Beautiful sheltered cove with stunning views out to sea, and amazing clear waters with lots of fish.”

Ibiza boasts average temperatures of around a balmy 23°C (73°F) throughout October and November, making it ideal for those looking to soak up the last of the summer sunshine.

Cala Benirrás is just a 10-minute bus ride from the nearest town of Port De San Miguel, which is home to hotels, villas and a broad range of amenities.

Often compared to Hawaii and dubbed the ‘new Canaries’, a paradise island with azure waters and unspoilt beaches has been named as one of Europe’s most beautiful places to visit

A tropical island retreat with crystal-clear azure waters and pristine beaches has been crowned as Europe’s most breathtaking destination to visit this year. Conveniently, its stunning scenes are just a four-hour flight away.

Nestled in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, to the west of mainland Portugal, lies the spectacular archipelago of nine islands known as the Azores. Long compared to Hawaii, they’re frequently referred to as the new Canary Islands, thanks to their unspoilt beaches, shimmering crater lakes and cascading waterfalls, set against dramatic green cliffs and lush forests that remain wonderfully untouched.

With nine volcanic islands comprising the Azores, there’s a wealth of discoveries to be made, with each island boasting its own jaw-dropping coastline and diverse landscape that is sure to leave you speechless. So much so that Lonely Planet has named the Azores as one of the ‘most beautiful places to visit in Europe’ and the best for a ‘remote island escape’.

The publication noted that the Azores have been “long overlooked” and are like “stepping stones to another world”, with their collection of subtropical gardens, forests, and “brilliantly blue caldera lakes” that draw in nature lovers. For those keen to visit, Lonely Planet recommended spending time “floating in the dazzlingly turquoise thermal waters of Caldeira Velha on São Miguel island, hiking through botanical gardens brimming with azaleas, camellias and hydrangeas on Flores, gasping out loud as sperm whales and humpbacks emerge from the deep blue on Faial, or climbing up to Mt Pico’s cloud-shredding, 2351m cone for sensational views across the archipelago.”

For those wanting to experience these breathtaking landscapes firsthand, direct flights are available from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to the Azores’ main gateway, Ponta Delgada Airport (PDL), with a journey time of just over four hours. Prices start from £118 per person, according to Skyscanner, with limited availability, but it’s well worth securing a trip to savour this slice of paradise, reports the Express.

What’s more, set against the Azores’ spectacular scenery and dramatic coastlines, visitors can also take advantage of remarkably affordable prices. A pint will typically cost around €1.50 (£1.28), while a meal at a local restaurant comes in at between €10 to €15 (£8.57 and £12.85) per person, or €30 (£25.70) at a popular establishment.

One of the most coveted destinations to visit is São Miguel Island, also known as the ‘Green Island’. It’s the largest island in the archipelago and is famed for its striking twin-crater lake, Sete Cidades, which boasts contrasting blue and green-tinted waters. Recognised as one of Portugal’s seven natural wonders, it’s undeniably breathtaking with its magical surroundings.

Elsewhere, São Miguel Island offers a wealth of dramatic volcanic beaches with black sand and crystal-clear waters, ideal for soaking up the September sunshine. These include Praia de Santa Bárbara, a well-known surfing hotspot, and Praia dos Mosteiro, complete with heated rock pools for a dip away from the ocean waves.

Yet the offshore islet at Vila Franca do Campo is arguably the most stunning stretch of coastline of them all, with its curved sunken volcanic crater forming an extraordinary natural swimming pool. What’s more, dotted throughout the Azores are secluded coves, beaches and volcanic thermal springs just waiting to be uncovered, meaning you’ll never be stuck for options on where to spend your island escape.

Direct flights from the UK to the Azores depart from London Heathrow via British Airways, typically operating during the summer months.

You can fly from many other UK airports, such as London Gatwick and Manchester, with one stop via major carriers including TAP Air Portugal, which connects through Lisbon or Porto, or SATA Azores Airlines, which connects via mainland Portugal or North America connections.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

Days before California voters receive their mail-in ballots, gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, and Steve Hilton, a Republican, will debate in a nationally televised face-off.

On Sept. 30 at CNN’s Burbank studio, the two candidates hoping to succeed termed-out Gov. Gavin Newson are expected to spar over sharply divergent visions for the future of the state. California’s next leader is expected to face pressing fiscal issues, as well as continued battle with the Trump administration.

Given California’s deep Democratic tilt, there was a question whether the two men would debate.

On Aug. 19, Becerra promised multiple debates with Hilton ahead of the general election.

“We will have debates, and between now and Nov. 3, we will continue to go out there and meet with folks to make sure they have an opportunity to see the candidates,” Becerra told reporters after greeting business owners, community leaders and voters in a walking tour of Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles. “Voters need to have good information. We’ll make sure they have it, and there will be debates.”

The following day, Hilton said he was skeptical of Becerra’s promise.

“I don’t believe him unless he commits to an actual debate. Invitations are on the table for dates and places,” Hilton said. “Why can’t he just accept them? I think he’s lying. I don’t think he wants to do debates because he doesn’t want to debate his record.”

September’s hour-long debate, taking place shortly before county elections officials begin mailing ballots to all the state’s registered voters, will be moderated by the cable network’s anchors Dana Bash and Jake Tapper.

It is the most attention a California gubernatorial contest has drawn since 2010, when “Today” show host Matt Lauer and NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd moderated nationally televised clashes.

That is perhaps unsurprising given how sharply the California electorate has swung left, with no Republican winning a statewide contest since 2006. Two did that year.

While there will not be a studio audience, the debate will air on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español, CNN.com and related TV and mobile apps for subscribers.

Times staff writer Nicole Nixon contributed to this report.

Inside the Universalist Unitarian Church of Riverside, a line of masked people filed into the red-lighted chapel, one by one, to take part in the rite of confession.

The private booth was framed in flowers, and rather than a priest listening inside, it was a microphone recording their confessions, to be played at an upcoming art exhibition. The brick triangle-roofed church that held the booth has stood since opening in 1892; that night, it was the site of a masquerade, or as Riverside artist Perry Picasshoe called it, the “Masqueerade.”

Picasshoe, whose real name is Neveah Marquez, hosted the event, which had an entirely LGBTQ+ guest list and one requirement: Bring a mask, whatever that looks like to you.

Marquez, a 26-year-old transgender woman robed entirely in red, stood at the pews and danced to the experimental electronic DJ sets and drag performances as guests entered in masks that ranged from papier-mâché deer antlers to collaged photos of eyes and lips.

The event came as a celebration ahead of the Riverside native’s first solo exhibition, “SagradX,” which will open Saturday at Riverside Art Museum and remain through Jan. 31.

The recorded confessions, layered over one another until they become an unintelligible cacophony, represent just one piece of the 25 paintings, photographs and interactive displays in the exhibition. The show explores the meaning of “sacred” as Marquez documents her most private places and experiences, and asks viewers to consider what they hold sacred.

The exhibition, she says, began with heartbreak.

“The first time I started thinking about sacredness … was when my ex-partner brought somebody into our bed,” said Marquez.

“I was crying, distraught, and drove over to these hills over Lake Mathews [in Riverside] and I realized: The bedroom was sacred to me. That’s why it hurt so much. And I started thinking, if it wasn’t sacred to them, how do we decide what is sacred to each of us?”

The very headboard of that bed sits in the exhibition; on it, Marquez painted fairy-tale creatures representing the lovers gallivanting across the woods.

While Marquez’s experience with betrayal sparked the idea, the exhibition explores sanctity in many different scenarios: In one, the artist plays with the concept of the digital safe space by inviting guests to look through her phone as she is tied on a handmade iron-wrought cross. Inside the exhibition space, she uses a small painter’s brush to slowly paint the white walls red over the course of the show.

In curating the exhibition, Marquez began to look inward, painting and photographing herself in ways she never had before: through the lens of femininity. She lived the previous 26 years of her life as a man, growing up religious to the point that she once considered becoming a priest. The paintings serve as portals into a part of her that she long held inside.

“I describe it like having blurry vision your whole life and not realizing how clearly you can see, until you put glasses on,” Marquez said. “That’s how painting myself as a woman felt.”

Though she initially identified with her male birth name, the more she painted herself in Venus-like, feminine poses and with longer hair, her understanding of her identity shifted. Illuminated by her signature scarlet red clothing and tastefully shrouded in sheets, the soft expression on her face was inspired by Raphael’s “La Fornarina.”

“I wasn’t thinking much of it in the moment, but as I kept painting these portraits, I was thinking a lot about myself and thinking about gender and my identity,” Marquez said. “Through my art process, I realized: ‘Maybe I would be a pretty woman.’ That’s what scared me the most from transitioning, was not feeling like I would be beautiful enough.”

In “SagradX,” Marquez’s body is documented vulnerably; easing into her own identity becoming a painfully honest artistic process, which the audience is now invited to watch.

“I feel like I don’t paint very often because when I do, it’s just so emotionally intense. Like when Olivia Rodrigo wrote that she’s scared of her guitar because she couldn’t lie to it, that’s how I feel about painting,” Marquez said. “I can’t lie to my painting.”

Aside from her self-portraits, Marquez includes photographs of her ice blocks project, in which she placed 25-pound blocks where immigration enforcement raids took place in the Inland Empire last year. These were once safe places that she says have been “desecrated with fear.”

Marquez’s personal journal, which documented her inner joys and struggles over the last year, is also open on a table in the exhibition for guests to read through, draw over, or tear. For Marquez, “SagradX” was the catalyst to “let everything out.”

“If the show is about vulnerability, I need to practice that for myself as well. Otherwise, you would see in the work that there’s a blockage, you can sense when artists aren’t fully honest,” Marquez said. “I want people to question, ‘What is sacred to you?’ If I give you access to something sacred to me, what will you do with that?”

This spot, just a short stroll from the Long Beach Museum of Art Downtown, doesn’t bother trying to graft cafe culture onto the cat-visiting experience, choosing instead to double-down on a whimsical cat motif that includes kitty murals and paw prints splashed across interior and exterior walls. (If you need a caffeine fix, there is a Starbucks a few blocks away.) The central element inside the space is a wooden tree-like structure where you’ll find many of the 50-plus cats provided by rescue partner Long Beach Felines lounging or climbing, while others roam about, pouncing on toys, wiggling through fabric tunnels or prancing on a cat exercise wheel the size of a truck tire.

Up to 25 people can kick it with the kitties at any one time, and the 50-minute sessions can be booked online. Other offerings include: Cats & Mats yoga (offered one Friday evening a month), Crochet With Cats (one Sunday afternoon a month) and cat-accompanied sound baths. (An employee I chatted with said the crochet class, with its preponderance of dangling yarn, is particularly popular with the cats.)

Price: $19.99 for 50-minute sessions, which start at the top of the hour

Hours: Monday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (reservations end 1 hour before closing)

Pro tip: A shorter and less expensive option — $10 for 20 minutes — is available on a walk-in basis only at the top of the hour, depending on capacity.

Sept. 6, 2026 8:33 AM PT

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Sunday renewed its appeal to the Supreme Court after a federal judge blocked new restrictions on mail ballots ahead of the midterms.

The filing came after U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani extended an order against the U.S. Postal Service enforcing President Trump’s executive order for the November elections.

The legal wrangling comes even as states start sending out mail ballots, leaving the administration little time to make big changes in mail ballot rules.

“Ballots have already begun to be mailed in North Carolina, and more States will begin the mailing process as the injunction remains in place — including Alabama on September 9 and at least five States the week of September 13,” Solicitor Gen. John Sauer said in the filing.

“Once those ballot envelopes enter the mailstream, there is no retrieving them. And while the injunction allows the Postal Service and the States to continue taking steps to ensure that their envelopes satisfy the Rule’s requirements … each day the injunction is in place risks sowing confusion and chaos because the injunction makes those preparatory steps voluntary, rather than mandatory.”

The appeal marks the third time the administration has asked the high court to intervene. The high court has allowed the plan to move forward but not ruled on whether it is legal.

The battle could have major ramifications for this year’s elections, when control of Congress is at stake. Nearly one-third of voters in the U.S. cast mail ballots. Mail ballots are sent to every California voter.

Democratic states and voting rights groups say the changes are unconstitutional and amount to voter suppression. Election officials contend that there isn’t enough time to revise their systems to comply with the new Postal Service directives.

The Trump administration has framed the restrictions as commonsense changes that are within its power to regulate the mail.

“Simply put, the best way to address respondents’ fears about inability to comply with the Rule is to grant an immediate administrative stay of the order, followed by a full stay pending further review,” Sauer said. “That will remove the improper cloud of uncertainty that the district court has cast over the Rule, making clear to all involved that compliance with the Rule is not optional and must start without further delay.”

Trump has long sought to limit mail voting, even though he himself often uses that method to cast his own ballot. He has falsely blamed mail balloting for his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden, spreading baseless claims of fraud. But so far, he has been unable to change the long-standing voting procedure.

Whitehurst and Fields write for the Associated Press.

I wasn’t born in Los Angeles, but it’s the city that raised me. I moved here fresh out of college with a doe-eyed dream of stepping into the kind of art scene I’d read about in history books. Instead, it quickly became clear that I wasn’t going to be able to just waltz in with my Southern charm and big smile; there would need to be some sort of hack into the art world — a place rife with unspoken roles and gatekeeping — if I wanted to get anywhere as a non-nepo artist.

After years of blister-inducing heels-on-the-ground gallery hopping and late-night schmoozing, I found myself falling in love with this city and slowly realizing that the best parts of L.A. were rarely found in mainstream spaces. There’s an inventiveness here that comes from the sprawl of the city — artists like myself who are constantly improvising, building their own ecosystems because nothing is handed to them. I fell in love with how “never-ending” the artist’s practice can feel in Los Angeles, how a studio visit can veer into an hours-long conversation about life. It made the city feel less like a scene to fit into and more like a living, breathing network you have to contribute to before receiving anything back.

In 2014, Alex Benzer and I decided to put our hard-earned knowledge to work by creating Curate LA: a community-driven platform designed to pull back the curtain on the Los Angeles art world by mapping under-the-radar exhibitions and adventurous artist-run spaces, and connecting our audiences directly with artists, curators, galleries and collectors through candid interviews, weekly guides and real-time event recommendations. Because despite appearances, an art scene isn’t held up by pristine white walls; it’s built by the artists sharing a cig and an idea outside on the sidewalk, the gallerists stocking the free booze and championing new voices, and the person you meet sitting at the front desk who tells you about the cute spot around the corner with affordable bites.

For me, an ideal L.A. weekend is a little bit of all of that: a great studio visit that turns into an unexpected conversation, stumbling onto an unconventional exhibition of an artist I’ve never heard of, eating something delicious with friends who I ran into at a show opening, and ending the night at a bar where half of the room just spilled out from the gallery down the street. What I’ve made for you is my personal, slightly circuitous, weekend guide to Los Angeles’ sprawling creative landscape. These are my snapshots of the places and people that I return to, the ones that have fed me, surprised me, taught me something or made a long day of circling the block to find parking impossible to forget.

FRIDAY: Downtown → MacArthur Park → Koreatown

1. My first stop is visiting Greg Ito at his DTLA studio. I love the way his work draws me into a layered dreamscape and rearranges my sense of time and space. Greg is also a great storyteller. Pulling from archival family photos and childhood memories as a fourth-generation Angeleno in West L.A., his work weaves together a certain kind of nostalgia that always makes for a heartfelt studio visit. DM @gregitooo for availability and address.

   

   Eduardo Medrano at John Doe Gallery.

2. From there, I head over to John Doe Gallery, which is run by two artists, Eduardo Medrano Jr. and Alfonso Gonzalez Jr. They show some of the best up-and-coming artists in Los Angeles, and their openings are always a good time. It’s the kind of place where I’m just as likely to run into someone I know as I am to discover someone I don’t, which in my opinion is exactly what a good art space should do. 107 E. 11th St., Los Angeles. DM @johndoegallery for open hours.

   

   Vita Kari in front of “My Girlfriend Named Herself After a Water Bottle,” 2024, at their DTLA studio. Kari wears Barrio Drive.

3. You might recognize Vita Kari as “The craziest thing about being creative” personality from IG, but what you might not know is that they completed their MFA with a thesis on “Virality as Form,” wherein lies the proof in the pudding, a.k.a. their art. Vita uses textiles, performance and video to speak about internet culture, along with stunning visuals that incorporate their family’s Middle Eastern diaspora and history. DM @vitakari for availability and address.

   

   Samala Meza in her DTLA studio with works in progress.

4. I make my way over to Samala Meza, who creates soft, sexy paintings that look like she literally breathed a secret into them. Her studio is situated at Princess Castle, an artist-run studio space, so you can pop over to some other great artists while you’re there. DM @samalameza for availability and address.

   

   Devin Troy Strother on the roof of his studio overlooking DTLA.

5. Devin Troy Strother is an L.A.-born and -based artist and co-founder of Coloured Publishing, a printing press making books, zines, T-shirts and other editioned works, all by artists of color. Nestled among the produce district, there’s never a dull moment in Devin’s studio. Often working all hours of the night, there’s usually a cast of characters coming in and out, similar to the subjects you’ll see throughout his paintings. DM @devintroy for availability and address.

   

   Commonwealth and Council Team (L to R clockwise): Isabel Einaudi, Audrey Bui, Brenda Reyes-Chavez, Oliver Sweet and Young Chung.

6. What began as an artist-run exhibition space in Young Chung’s apartment 15 years ago has grown to be one of L.A.’s most championed emerging artist safe havens, Commonwealth and Council. I’ll always make time for this space if I’m in the neighborhood. 3006 W. 7th St., Suite 220, Los Angeles, door code: 01220 (please note that this space is not wheelchair–accessible). Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., @commonwealthandcouncil

   

   Holcomb in front of the Prince. Styled by Jocelyn Corona, wearing AYANEGUI, TANAMACHI and Vacr.

7. To round out the day, I recommend decompressing at the Prince in K-Town, a place where you can spot celebrities and L.A. artists under one roof. Many galleries have had their after-parties here, where you can catch up on the night’s gossip in a dimly lit booth over a kimchi pancake. 3198 1/2 W 7th St., Los Angeles. Call before your visit to confirm hours and dining details (this space is also not wheelchair–accessible). princektown.com

SATURDAY: Beverly Hills → Hollywood → Eastside

8. I start the day by visiting one of my favorite people in the L.A. art scene, Jerson Hondall. Jerson worked for Curate LA back in the day, but now you can find him working as an artist liaison at Gagosian Gallery and serving on the board of LACE. He is a literal art encyclopedia, which you can see through his Instagram series #dosisdiariadearte, and he is one of the loveliest people you will find, so don’t be afraid to approach him if you see him out and about. DM @jersonhondall for availability.

   

   Jonny Negron in his Los Feliz studio featuring works in progress “virtue signal” and “tellurian lube.”

9. Next, I head east to Los Feliz to visit Jonny Negron at his home studio. His paintings make you feel like you’re sitting across the bar from some of the coolest people in the room. You might recognize his work, which was commissioned for Rosalía’s single “Dolerme.” There’s something about seeing his works in the exact place where they were made that makes the paintings feel even more alive. DM @jonnynegron777 for availability and address.

   

   LAST Projects exterior in Lincoln Heights with co-founder Ilona Berger and pup.

10. I then make my way to Lincoln Heights and visit LAST Projects, an alternative space and gem. This gallery has given many artists in L.A. their first shows in their early careers (myself included). It’s one of those places where I know I’m going to see something that makes me pause, even if I have no idea what I’m walking into beforehand. 206 S. Ave. 20, Los Angeles. Open Thursday, 1 to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 1 to 6 p.m. @last_projects

    

11. Next I visit Drex, owned and curated by Vivian Hicks, a vintage homeware store tucked into Cypress Park. With a knowledge of designers that is truly unmatched, Vivian scours the internet and estate sales to hand-select some of the most desired American Modern, Italian and French design collectibles ranging from the early 20th century to the early 2000s. DM @drex.drex.drex for an appointment and address.

    

    Huevos a la Mexicana breakfast burrito at Lupita’s Restaurant in Cypress Park.

12. I skipped breakfast, so Vivian recommends I go around the corner to Lupita’s Restaurant, and they do not disappoint with their huevos a la Mexicana breakfast burrito. Simple but effective. 2634 Idell St., Los Angeles. Open daily 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

    

    Ever Velasquez outside of Charlie James Gallery on Chunk King Road, Chinatown.

13. Satiated, I hop over to Chinatown to visit curator Ever Velasquez at Charlie James Gallery. While her name might not be on the door, Ever is the star of the show, putting together show after show of L.A.’s hottest rising artists. 969 Chung King Road, Los Angeles. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. @charliejamesgallery @ever.a.k.a.thegirlabouttown

    

    Human Resources exterior in Chinatown.

14. A few blocks away, there is Human Resources. An L.A. staple, HRLA has been around for 16 years now and continues to showcase some of the most experimental works coming out of the city. This space is truly a breeding ground for pure creativity and expression. Make sure to check the calendar on their website to see what’s happening. 410 Cottage Home St., Los Angeles. @humanresourcesla

    

    Drinks at El Prado in Echo Park.

15. Finally, I end the day at El Prado, a local artist watering hole. Nick Fisher, the owner, used to bartend his personal bar called FISHTANK at gallery openings and come up with the craziest drink concoctions and home-brewed beers on theme with whatever exhibition was opening that evening. With names like the Loudspeaker cocktail and a Blood and Fire Smoked Lager, they were sure to get you litty. You can still sample his creations at the bar, albeit they might not be as experimental as they once were. 1805 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. Open Monday to Friday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday to Sunday, 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. @ficknish, @elpradobar

SUNDAY: South L.A. → Mid-City → Pico

16. I start Sunday with Aleza Zheng at the artist-run Tlaloc Studios. Much like her artwork, she is quite the whimsical, spontaneous person. The first time we met, I was deep in the trenches of L.A. Art Week, starving at my probably fifth art event of the day. I was ready to call it quits when Aleza popped out of her car, dressed to the nines, with multiple bags of In-N-Out. She’s been feeding me ever since. DM @alezazheng for availability and address.

    

    Dominique Clayton at Harun Coffee in Leimert Park.

17. From there I spend some time with Dominique Clayton in the heart of Leimert Park, where she was born and raised. Dominique is an L.A. native, curator and woman about town. She’s currently organizing Mom’s Night Out at Harun Coffee, a bimonthly meetup of mothers looking to connect with other creatives and artist moms. I love the way Dominique thinks about community — not as some abstract art world buzzword, but something you have to actually cultivate IRL. DM @lookatdominique to connect.

    

    Jamal Hasef in front of his mural “Sky is the Limit,” 2026 on 11th & Vernon in Leimert Park.

18. I make my way to see Jamal Hasef, who uses paint to move between the personal and the political, digging into the complex and sublime afterlives of the African diaspora in his canvases and portraits. You can check out his mural on the corner of 11th and Vernon or visit him at his studio in nearby Baldwin Hills. @_hasef_ DM for availability and address.

    

    Holcomb in front of Watts Towers in Watts, wearing Desigual and styled by Jocelyn Corona.

19. If you haven’t heard of or visited the fairy-tale world of Simon Rodia’s Watts Towers, you’re in for a treat. Next door to the famous landmark is the Watts Towers Arts Center, a historical site of political activism and assemblage art, most notably by L.A. legendary artist Noah Purifoy, who once ran the gallery. I love bringing people here because it reminds me of why I’m so enamored with the city: It’s weird, completely handmade and unlike anything else. 1727 E. 107th St., Los Angeles. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but you can check out the towers from the street any day of the week. wattstowers.org

    

    Books purchased from Reparations Club in Mid City (L to R): “Assata: An Autobiography,” “Love Poems’ by Nikki Giovanni, “Directed by Desire: The Collection of Poems” by June Jordan and “Communion: The Female Search for Love” by bell hooks.

20. By now I’m ready for some retail therapy, so I head to Reparations Club in Mid-City, my absolute favorite bookstore in Los Angeles. I could buy the entire store if my wallet and storage would allow, but on this particular trip my haul was “Assata: An Autobiography” by Assata Shakur, “Love Poems” by Nikki Giovanni, “Communion: The Female Search for Love” by bell hooks and “Directed by Desire: The Collected Poems of June Jordan.” Considering the state of literacy we are facing in this AI-driven world, I’d say we all could benefit from frequent visits here. 3054 S. Victoria Ave., Los Angeles. Open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. @reparations.club

    

21. And finally, I end the weekend with pure sustenance. My last stop is Merkato, an Ethiopian cafe where the walls are filled with eclectic knickknacks and the plates are eat-with-your-hands style, packed with flavorful goodness; it’s the kind of meal that makes you want to linger. If you have the time, don’t skip out on the traditional Ethiopian coffee. 1036 1/2 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. Open daily 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Shelley Holcomb is an artist, curator, writer and cultural leader, whose work spans painting, installation, storytelling, advocacy and making art more accessible.

KATE Beckinsale has revealed her PTSD diagnosis and admitted she’s in a ‘lonely place’ in a heartbreaking Instagram video.

The actress said that there’s loads of information around military PTSD but not Civilian PTSD and that people find that harder to understand.

Kate, 53, explained that people who “have seen or experienced levels of horror, terror or violence” see it every time they blink or any time they close their eyes for a second.

She said: “Those people aren’t recognised as heroes.”

She went on to explain that although people with PTSD go about their everyday lives that “they don’t sleep for more than an hour because when they do, it’s full of nightmares.”

She said: “Anything, smells, sounds, thoughts, feelings. Can trigger them into a place that is actually like hell.”

She shared that since battling PTSD is “invisible,” people should be “kinder and gentler” to others.

She continued: “It really is true that if you haven’t walked a mile in someone’s shoes — however fancy you think the shoes are — you have absolutely no idea what they might be carrying, masking, dealing with day and night.

“And if in doubt, especially to a little child. And I am someone who had a little child who was treated extremely cruelly by grown adults, who forgave themselves immediately.

“So if in doubt be kind. Always be kind.”

The star ended her video by explaining that PTSD victims “are the loneliest people because they are alone with a level of horror that’s incompatible with life.

“Yet a lot of the time these people continue to try and put one foot in front of the other.”

Fans flocked to comment and one wrote: “Thank you for sharing this, I appreciate you being so open n giving some insight, I don’t know if it helps but I hope you know it’s appreciated.”

Kate replied: “I’m really glad that makes me happy. I just hope at least one person can feel seen and appreciated and understood. It can be such a lonely place.”

Another added: “Sending love and hugs.”

A third wrote: “The truest words I’ve heard all f***ing year! Hope you’re ok xx.”

While a fourth said: “You’re right… there’s not enough awareness of complex PTSD at all!”

Kate lost her beloved mum Judy Loe, 73, in 2025 after a battle with cancer.

Kate first revealed her mother’s cancer diagnosis last year, shortly after the death of her famous stepfather Roy Battersby, who tragically passed away following a massive stroke.

The Serendipity star also lost her father Richard Beckinsale at the age of five after he suffered a huge heart attack.

When the Angels won their lone World Series, this was the headline in the Los Angeles Times: “Fantasyland!”

Can we run that headline again?

For your new owner, Angels fans, you get a proven winner and real estate developer — more on that in a second — whose very name drips with baseball history.

You know him as Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Rams. His full name is Enos Stanley Kroenke, so named in honor of two St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famers: Enos Slaughter and Stan Musial.

As he assembled his sports empire, baseball was the one sport that eluded him. He has the Rams, the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche and Arsenal. He badly wanted the Dodgers, a runner-up in the bidding when Mark Walter bought them in 2012.

Now he is acquiring the Angels — at a $4-billion valuation, a record for a baseball team — and getting the closest thing to a blank slate that any owner can get without buying an expansion team.

The general manager? He’s an interim, and his contract expires this year.

The manager? His contract expires this year too.

The roster? The only players currently under contract for next year are outfielder Mike Trout — the Angels’ answer to Musial — and pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.

The stadium? The lease expires in six years.

The Angels’ playoff drought? The longest in the majors, going on 12 seasons. Go, Super Bowl champ, go!

For Kroenke, the first order of business might well be a comprehensive search for what would be the Angels’ answer to Les Snead and Sean McVay, the GM and head coach duo that led Kroenke’s Rams to a Super Bowl championship. The players might not be the next order of business. The deal is not expected to be approved until early 2027, according to a sale announcement, and who knows whether owners still will be locking out players by then?

But Kroenke appears to be the perfect guy to resolve the longest-running and most critical order of business in Anaheim: resolving the Angels’ future there.

For 60 years, the Angels have played in a stadium surrounded by 130 acres of parking lots. For 60 years, fans have driven into the parking lots, watched the game, and driven home. For 60 years, the city has lost untold millions in tax revenue by failing to build anything atop those parking lots.

Kroenke just does it. He is doing it around SoFi Stadium, which he built. He is doing it around the Rams’ training facility in Woodland Hills, which he built. He plans to do it around the sports arena he is building in San Diego.

Now Kroenke could lobby for a new ballpark in Inglewood, in place of the Forum, and call it synergy. James Butts, the mayor of Inglewood, has said he would frown upon a ballpark there.

But here’s betting Kroenke won’t ask. The sale announcement highlighted Kroenke’s “presence in one of the largest sports and entertainment markets in the United States” and said the purchase of the Angels “extends this footprint south into a market of more than three million residents with its own distinct civic identity, corporate base and tourism economy.”

Kroenke wants what all sports owners want these days: money coming out of a stadium site 365 days a year, not just on game days. That means shops, restaurants, homes, hotels, offices, parks, music venues, and food halls. And good luck to Kroenke or any other developer trying to find a vacant 130 acres in any urban area in Southern California, much less one adjacent to a train station and within three freeways.

This is already happening across the 57 Freeway from Angel Stadium, where Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli are putting up what they call the OC Vibe. Kroenke’s history indicates he would do something just as fun, and likely grander given that he’ll have more land, and suddenly Anaheim could be the coolest place to be in Orange County (*unless Olivia Rodrigo is putting on another Daisy Chain Fields festival in Irvine).

And, if Kroenke is willing to rename the team the Anaheim Angels, the city and its local assemblyman just pushed through a new law that could provide him with a significant financial incentive for development, which in turn could reduce his cost to build the new ballpark the Angels so desperately need.

The city owns the stadium and parking lots, so they were not part of the team sale. City officials have not met with Kroenke.

“Fans and residents welcome the start of a new chapter for baseball in Anaheim,” Mayor Ashleigh Aitken said. “I am encouraged by Stan Kroenke’s track record with the Rams and his commitment to investing in and uplifting neighborhoods.

“I look forward to working with the team’s incoming ownership to advance our city’s priorities around housing, open space and youth sports at the right time.”

For decades, Anaheim has loftily labeled the land around the neighborhood around the “Platinum Triangle.” Now the city might well have struck gold.

The local assemblyman that introduced that law, Avelino Valencia, could hardly have been any happier Tuesday.

“This is a big day for Anaheim,” Valencia texted me. “For 60 years, our community has filled Angel Stadium, raised a World Series banner as the Anaheim Angels, and shown up through every season.

“Few cities can offer a new owner a foundation like that. New ownership means new possibilities, and Anaheim is ready for them.

“I congratulate Stan Kroenke and Kroenke Sports and Entertainment on their agreement to purchase the Angels, and I welcome them home. Let’s build a partnership rooted in pride of place, a team that reflects the city it calls home, and the return of the Anaheim Angels.

“Anaheim is ready to work together, and Anaheim is ready to win.”

In a statement, Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) called it “a great day for Angels fans and Anaheim.”

As the stalemate between the city and Angels owner Arte Moreno grew more entrenched, the condition of Angel Stadium deteriorated. So did Moreno’s investment in the team.

Three years ago, the city commissioned an assessment of what it would take to keep Angel Stadium up and running for decades to come. We’re still waiting.

Those words, in a nutshell, exemplified the relationship between the team and the city in recent years. When the news broke Tuesday, a city official reached out to me to ask if it were true. And, after years of city officials sniping that the Angels had for a decade clipped the “of Anaheim” from their “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim” name, the Angels emailed a statement confirming the sale with this headline: “Kroenke Sports & Entertainment to Acquire the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.”

After a season of “Sell The Team” chants, Moreno did. And, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Valencia’s bill into law last week, the title of the law actually sounded more appropriate Tuesday: “The Home Run for Anaheim Act.”

Daniel Dubois will defend his WBO heavyweight world title against former champion Fabio Wardley in a highly anticipated rematch on 17 October at London’s O2 Arena.

Londoner Dubois, 28, dethroned Wardley with an 11th-round stoppage in a thrilling all-British showdown in Manchester in May to become a two-time world champion.

It was announced during Saturday’s undercard of Moses Itauma’s IBF world title fight with Filip Hrgovic, with Dubois and Wardley facing off in the ring.

The first meeting lived up to its billing, with two of the division’s biggest punchers producing a dramatic fight that showcased the power of both men.

Wardley dropped Dubois twice early in the contest, but a bloodied Wardley absorbed heavy punishment before the referee stopped the bout.

It was the first defeat of the 31-year-old’s professional career in his 22nd bout.

The Ipswich fighter’s rise through the sport has been remarkable. Having only taken up boxing at the age of 19, he progressed through the unlicensed white-collar scene before reaching the top of the heavyweight division.

Dubois, meanwhile, has experienced the full spectrum of boxing’s highs and lows.

The 26-fight veteran has suffered three defeats during his career but rebuilt himself to claim world honours twice, with his victory over Wardley marking the latest chapter in his comeback story.

The winner of the rematch could be in line for a blockbuster fight next summer against fellow Briton Itauma, provided the heavyweight prospect secures a world title of his own.

The winner of the contest between Itauma and Hrgovic will be required to face mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez.

Should Itauma – who is aiming to become the second-youngest heavyweight world champion in history after Mike Tyson – come through both fights, promoter Frank Warren has suggested a potential Wembley Stadium clash with the winner of Dubois-Wardley II next summer.

The heavyweight division remains fragmented following Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to vacate his titles. Russian Murat Gassiev currently holds the WBA belt, while Germany’s Agit Kabayel is the WBC champion.

Hig (Jacob Elordi) may be the most perfect guy alive, not that he’s got much competition. In Ridley Scott’s simple-minded sociological study “The Dog Stars,” an influenza epidemic wiped out the majority of our squabblesome species sometime during the last decade. The LCD screens outside the Denver Nuggets basketball arena continue to flicker, although weeds and wolves have overrun the fast-food joints in a bit of postapocalyptic product placement.

A former mechanic and construction worker, Hig lives 25 miles north of the city on what appears to be a combination high school football field/rural airport. Periodically, the soft-spoken and generous man flies his Cessna into town to scavenge soda pop for a dozen or so cherubic Mennonite children on a nearby homestead. Those wholesome visits seem to cheer him up a little, what with the kids’ minder (Benedict Wong) striding around in a straw hat and overalls like something out of Norman Rockwell, and the youngsters thanking Hig with crayoned portraits of his doting German shepard, Jasper. Still, he’s bummed out about his dead wife (Sai Bennett), who, like most dead movie wives, appears in flashbacks as beatific, mute and adoring.

The script by Mark L. Smith (“The Revenant”) wants us to fret that Hig may succumb to suicide but whiffs that idea by trying to get it across in a scene where Hig shuts off the Cessna’s engine mid-flight with Jasper happily riding shotgun. Even if we were willing to accept that Hig might deliberately crash his plane, we can’t buy for a second that he’d hurt his sweet pup. Nevertheless, the film’s dystopian beats are so familiar, you’ve probably guessed by now that you shouldn’t get too attached to the dog.

Hig has bunkered down with a grouchy companion, Bangley (Josh Brolin), who thrives in this harsh world. To Bangley, the four essentials of life are “power, food, water and weapons.” Their armory is formidable; their cash supply, a source of comic relief. At night, Hig and Bangley play poker with stacks of $5,000 bills that they throw around as casually as nickels. Patrolling their two-man compound, Bangley insists on killing all outsiders before they might cause any trouble. Adding insult to headshot, he calls his casualties “cockroaches.”

Soon, Hig will meet a freckled widow named Cima (Margaret Qualley) and her suspicious father, Pops (Guy Pearce). The young pair make eyes at each other. Yet these survivors are so hard-wired to be fearful of their neighbors that Hig and Cima’s rusty, tentative flirtation takes place under the gaze of her daddy’s gun, a heck of a chaperone. The most they get up to is heavy spooning.

This is an uncomplicated yarn about a man prying open his heart and nudging other hard nuts to do the same. There’s little tension or drive, just shaggy scenes about paranoia, trust and hope. The characters seem to endure only to get to their next traumatic memory reveal.

At once plain-spoken and vague, the story lacks a firm grip on facts like the distance between places and how long this mess has been going on. It snatches at our attention with no more finesse than a losing fighter fumbling for a weapon. Hig’s Cessna works fine until it’s narratively convenient that it doesn’t. Then when needed, it works again. Meanwhile, Brolin’s Bangley oscillates in personality from miserable bastard to laugh factory.

At 88, Scott remains the cinema’s uneasy philosopher, continually fretting about the technological and societal tools we’ve developed to destroy ourselves. He’s made one genuinely optimistic film, 2015’s “The Martian,” which also happens to be his biggest box office success. Other than that, he’s never seemed confident that the future will turn out all right, although he’s kept on working out his worries onscreen, forever hunting for flakes of hope in the rubble. (If you take Scott’s IMDb as gospel, he’s got seven upcoming features in various stages of preproduction, more than George Lucas has ever made.)

“The Dog Stars” is based on Peter Heller’s 2012 novel of the same name, which, in those naive, pre-COVID times, was received as a rosier take on Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.” Scott’s version of“The Dog Stars” borrows its title, premise and a handful of proper names. Otherwise, it’s loud where the book was quiet and subtle where the book got sweaty. A barrage of newly concocted action sequences in the second half makes the pacing so off-balance that the film feels like a heron trying to fly with one blinged-out wing.

I’m only half-complaining — those giddy, bloody scenes are the best parts of the movie. But we in the audience could have used some of that pizzazz at the beginning, too, before we spent nearly an hour settling into the idea that we’ve seen all of this before.

The attackers to come are a bizarre grab bag of baddies. One gang wears football pads as armor and comes galloping in on horses, whooping like the Apaches in a John Ford movie. Another horde, the Reapers, runs around shirtless to show off their thick black tattoos. The Reapers look awesome through cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt’s night-vision binoculars that make their skin glow an alien shade of green. Neither group comes across like human beings. The film handles them more like zombies or rabid raccoons, and since these extras are the only characters of color, I won’t fault anyone who finds their treatment morally queasy.

Late in the film, we also meet a third group headed by Allison Janney doing a cap-tip to Nurse Ratched as the soundtrack cues the mind-numbing waltz from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Otherwise, Harry Gregson-Williams’ meddlesome score tells us everything that’s about to happen 30 seconds before it does. Besides Janney and Qualley’s plucky Cima (what in the made-up name is that?), few grown women seem to be left alive for reasons probably better left unsaid. (A goon in the book wears a necklace made of dried labia. Scott sagely omits that detail.)

Elordi nearly shoulders the running time but plays his Hig a bit too humbly. I’ve rarely seen Elordi wearing his lanky, handsome screen presence comfortably; something about the actor usually seems to be apologizing for his own existence. His recessive Hig needs more charisma so we can care about him as a character, not just an idealized hero. But you like him anyway. How can you not when Hig is giving his dog a good scratch?

Having lived through a seismic pandemic himself, it makes sense that Scott would be drawn to the original novel’s blend of patience and poetry. Yet, it’s odd how little of it he’s kept. To hold my own interest, I imagined myself as a hunter-explorer trying to figure out why Scott had bothered to adapt it at all, and turned up a line where Brolin’s Bangley looks back on his old life and admits that he couldn’t understand what he had until it was gone. A lovely moment, although I don’t believe it’s in the book either.

That’s the theme of this rote exercise. But I preferred a minor beat a few minutes later when a character puts down their gun and picks up a guitar. Bad as this world feels, there’s still pleasure in making art. Which is why Scott keeps at it, too — and while I don’t think much of this one, I’m awful glad he does.

Beneath its suburban bustle, there’s a layer of small-town, IYKYK pride in Torrance, a sprawling South Bay city that spans from the 405 Freeway to the Pacific Ocean.

For some who grew up in the area, it swells during a rewatch of the iconic coming-of-age TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “90210,” both of which use Torrance High School as a backdrop for their fictional campuses — Sunnydale High and West Beverly High, respectively.

For others, it comes up when there’s talk about Del Amo mall, which once reigned as the largest indoor shopping center in the United States before the Mall of America took the title. (The mall was the place to be for teens and tweens, who spent their days after school playing pinball at Aladdin’s Castle arcade, filling blue-striped cellophane bags of assorted candy at Sweet Factory or perusing gag gifts at Aahs.)

And still for a set of longtime residents, it arises when one points to the airport named after Torrance-bred legend Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner turned World War II bomber pilot who endured brutal treatment from the Japanese navy — and became the subject of Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling biography “Unbroken” and the subsequent movie adaptation directed by Angelina Jolie.

Torrance has long since grown from the utopia that industrialist Jared Sidney Torrance envisioned in 1910. His idea was to build a “workingman’s paradise,” a model industrial town halfway between Los Angeles and the San Pedro Harbor. To design the community, Torrance’s team brought on the Olmsted brothers, whose father designed Central Park in New York City.

It now stretches across 21 square miles, which include the 1.5 miles of coastline shared by Torrance and Redondo Beach, lovingly referred to as RAT Beach (short for “Right after Torrance”). Torrance has a thriving Japanese American community, a presence that endures with the many Japanese shops, markets and restaurants around town and in nearby Gardena. It’s the birthplace of the American Youth Soccer Organization, a nonprofit famously started out of a garage in 1964 with only nine teams. The city even has its own designated nature preserve — Madrona Marsh — that sits right in the middle of a cluster of homes, condominiums and Del Amo.

Yet what many locals appreciate most about Torrance is how it’s held onto its small-town tradition of simply getting together with your neighbors.

Every December, residents in the city’s 6th District get together for a holiday stroll around the neighborhood, putting up rows of lighted arches for families to walk through. In the spring, thousands cheer on battle tanks that rumble down the streets during the annual Armed Forces Day Parade. When the cherry blossom trees in Columbia Park flourish with soft pastel pink petals, the community comes together for the annual Torrance Cherry Blossom Cultural Festival.

It’s the simple comforts that make Torrance worth a visit — and why locals light up whenever anyone talks about the place they call home.

SAN DIEGO — José E. Feliciano, the new controlling owner of the San Diego Padres, lives in Los Angeles. You know, that place at the end of the Padres’ incessant “Beat L.A.” chants.

No worries, Padres fans. Feliciano is — make that was — a longtime New York Yankees fan.

“The good thing is,” he told me after an introductory news conference Monday, “rooting against the Dodgers comes naturally to me.”

It was only 18 months ago that Padres fans wondered whether the good times might come to an end, with the widow of beloved owner Peter Seidler suing his brothers for control of the team. For their part, the brothers said they had “no plans to sell the Padres.”

That sounds a lot like what Dodgers president Stan Kasten said Friday, amid a federal investigation into alleged financial improprieties among insurance companies controlled by Dodgers owner Mark Walter.

“The Dodgers are not being sold,” Kasten said. “They’re not going to be sold.”

What is true today might not be true tomorrow. What is true today, as potential bidders for the Dodgers lurk and coalesce amid L.A.’s turn at uncertainty, is that the Padres have an energetic and effervescent couple as their new principal owners.

Feliciano, a founder of Clearlake Capital in Santa Monica, took the mound at Petco Park on Monday afternoon, working out of a stretch and looking toward an invisible runner at second base before delivering a pitch. In spring training, he said, he stepped into the batting cage to try to hit simulated pitches from Padres All-Star closer Mason Miller.

His wife Kwanza Jones, an artist and entrepreneur, led her husband into the news conference amid the sounds of a song she co-wrote, she said, inspired in part by a catch made by Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr.

“My only musical talent is my name,” Feliciano said. “I humbly ask you to please add my middle initial so I never get confused with the singer.”

As the couple looks for a home in San Diego, Jones appealed to fans to share what they love about their neighborhoods. Later, the couple took selfies along the first-base line.

Their enthusiasm bubbled forth as the news conference proceeded, as their sense of whether the Padres might finally win a World Series got more and more optimistic.

Feliciano, three minutes into the news conference: “We cannot promise we are going to win.”

Jones, two minutes later, riffing off her lyrics, her voice rising: “We gonna win! We gonna win! We gonna win — win it all!” And then a pause, to lower her voice: “We hope it’s sooner rather than later.”

Feliciano, two minutes later: “We need to win a World Series. It’s that simple. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Jones, one minute later: “Multiples.”

Feliciano, one minute later: “The impossible becomes possible when somebody does it. So let’s do it.”

This is not Feliciano’s first foray into professional sports. Clearlake Capital is the majority owner of Chelsea, the storied soccer club.

“I’m missing the first game of the Premier League right now,” Feliciano said.

He said he could not comment on reports Walter is looking to sell his stake in Chelsea. Two weeks ago, Walter announced an agreement to sell controlling interest in the Lakers at a $12.5-billion valuation, the cash from which could help repay loans under scrutiny. The Dodgers could command a similar valuation, industry sources not authorized to discuss the issue publicly told The Times, should Walter decide to sell.

As part of a search for cash, Puck reported last week, Walter had talked with Charter Communications about whether the company would be interested in paying a lump sum now to get out of its SportsNet LA contract — a money-losing deal for Charter, but the primary source of the Dodgers’ financial advantage over the other 29 teams in the major leagues.

The talks “went nowhere,” Puck reported. Kasten declined to address the matter, as did a Charter spokesman.

In 2011, with the Dodgers headed toward bankruptcy, former owner Frank McCourt found what he believed would be his financial lifeline in a television rights deal with Fox Sports.

In a withering letter to McCourt, then-commissioner Bud Selig rejected the deal, criticizing McCourt for proposing a financial structure that would have foreclosed the Dodgers from pursuing more lucrative options “because of your desperate need for immediate cash.”

That precedent could inform how Rob Manfred, the current commissioner, would evaluate any proposed restructuring of the Dodgers’ television deal. Under the owners’ current collective bargaining proposal, to which Walter agreed, the Dodgers’ annual television riches — more than $500 million per year by the end of the deal in 2038 — would be fully contributed toward revenue sharing among all 30 teams.

I asked Feliciano whether the Dodgers’ uncertainty might make this a particularly opportune time to buy the Padres.

“You’ve got to look at these things on a generational, multi-decade basis, honestly,” he told me. “It’s like trying to time a great investment in the market. You can’t.

“What I can tell you is that this is the good time — the best time — for us. I think it also coincides with Peter’s legacy: The team is in a great place, the city is in a great place.”

The Dodgers’ revenue advantage remains significant, not just because of their SportsNet LA deal but because they fill the largest stadium in the majors almost every night and employ Shohei Ohtani.

In San Diego, however, where ticket sales represent the largest source of team revenue, the Padres sell more tickets than any major league team besides the Dodgers. Petco Park already is a year-round concert venue and event center, and the Padres could rekindle plans to develop a large parking lot near the ballpark.

And, if owners emerge from collective bargaining with a salary cap or other restraint on the Dodgers’ spending, that would be a win for San Diego.

On the field, the Padres entered play Monday with 21 victories in their past 28 games. The Padres acquired Robbie Ray and Casey Mize at the trade deadline to bolster a patchwork rotation, and they retained Miller and Adrian Morejon rather than break up a mighty bullpen. Tatis leads the National League with 12 home runs since the All-Star break; outfielder Jackson Merrill has 11.

“As we have seen the last few weeks, we are very competitive. I feel we are one of those teams — us and the Phillies, probably — that nobody wants to play,” Feliciano said.

“We want to keep it that way.”

The Phillies entered play Monday on a nine-game winning streak, in position for one of the National League wild cards. The Padres also are in position for an NL wild card, keeping alive the possibility that the Dodgers and Padres could meet in the NL Championship Series.

If that happens, it won’t matter how many games the Dodgers finished ahead of the Padres during the regular season.

“We’d just need to win four,” Feliciano said.

Beat L.A., indeed.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly moving back across the pond, six years after their dramatic exit from the Royal family stunned Americans and Britons and exposed scandal in Buckingham Palace.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will return to British soil along with their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, for an extended period starting this month, People reported last week. While the pair’s decision may be unsurprising to some, Prince Harry and Meghan made clear in 2020 that their personal Brexit was because of several factors, ranging from severe scrutiny by the British media to alleged racism and bullying from the royal family.

Meghan, during the couple’s memorable tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, spoke plainly of her experience among the royals: “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. And that was very clear and real and frightening.”

King Charles III is aware of the plans for his son and Meghan‘s U.K. return and “welcomes the opportunity to see more of the Sussex family in a private and personal capacity,” People reported. The spouses are also said to retain their property in the affluent Santa Barbara enclave of Montecito, and vacation home in Portugal while also making a “private, non-royal” home in Britain. This retrospective tracks the early years of the highly scrutinized pair’s relationship, the fallout from their royal exit, their media ventures and more.

When Harry met Meghan

“Personally, I love a great love story.”

That’s what Meghan Markle, formerly of “Suits” fame, told Vanity Fair in October 2017. By then, more than a year of media speculation and rumors surrounded the L.A.-raised actor and activist’s romance with Britain’s Prince Harry, younger brother to Prince William and the second son of Charles and the late Princess Diana, who was killed at age 36 in 1997 after the car she was in crashed while fleeing paparazzi in Paris.

Meghan and Prince Harry kindled a romance in 2016 at that year’s edition of his veteran-centered Invictus Games, held in Orlando. Markle quickly found herself in the beloved “bad boy” Royal’s orbit — including the tireless swarm of tabloids and paparazzi who have captured almost his every move from childhood. The pair was already subject to media frenzy early in their relationship, prompting Harry via Buckingham Palace to plead with reporters to respect his then-girlfriend’s privacy and to condemn the “outright sexism and racism” in online comments. Markle had also remarked early on that she was disheartened that so much coverage of her romance focused on her ethnicity.

News of their engagement in 2017 further raised eyebrows among the public and even more so with established British tabloids, including the Daily Mail, which had once described the pair’s relationship as a “VERY unlikely romance.” In the context of the longstanding (and almost exclusively white) British monarchy, Meghan was an outsider: American, mixed-race (she is half white and half Black), an outspoken public figure and a divorcée (she was previously married to film producer Trevor Engelson).

Prince Harry and Meghan married in May 2018 and were named Duke and Duchess of Sussex. At the time, Prince Harry was sixth in line to the British throne. During the wedding ceremony, the Rev. Michael Bruce Curry heralded the pair’s union with calls for justice and equality — amid the country’s early steps into leaving the European Union — and made references to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

“When love is the way, there’s plenty of room for all of God’s children,” Curry said during the ceremony. “When love is the way, we actually treat each other — well, like we are actually family.”

Between the newlyweds and the British royals, family ties proved only so strong.

Buckingham Palace faces a new era of controversy

Marrying into British royalty did not shield Meghan from criticism, speculation and attacks by the press — it appeared to have the opposite effect. Sound familiar?

British tabloids and several media personalities continued taking aim at Meghan, portraying her as a rude “trailer trash” personality amid a rumored riff with Princess Kate and using racist imagery to mock the arrival of her firstborn son, Archie, in 2019. The public ridicule remained ceaseless, but alleged tension was also brewing behind palace walls.

Less than a year after their first heir’s arrival, the Duke and Duchess announced in a shocking personal statement in 2020 that they would step down as senior members of the royal family and would work to become financially independent. They also announced at the time that they would split their time between the U.K. and North America. A year later, the spouses announced they would not return to royal duties. Shortly after, they memorably shed light on their decision in a bombshell CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey, unleashing a disturbing look into their life as members of the royal family.

Meghan claimed that while pregnant with Archie, she and her husband were informed their son would not have the title of prince or princess, which she said deviated from longtime protocol, and would not be entitled to security. The actor also implied that during discussions about her son’s title, there were “also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”

“They were concerned that if he were too brown, that that would be a problem?” Winfrey asked.

“If that’s the assumption you’re making,” Meghan replied, “I think that’s a pretty safe one.” She did not identify the person who made the remarks: “I think that would be very damaging to them.”

Winfrey later clarified that Harry said neither his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II or his grandfather Prince Philip “were a part of those conversations.”

Meghan also spoke about her struggles with her mental health while part of the royal family. She revealed that she was suicidal while pregnant with Archie, citing isolation and helplessness amid ceaseless attacks by the press.

“I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought,” she said, adding that she went to the palace’s corporate institution for help. “I was told that I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution.” At the time of the interview, Harry and Meghan revealed they were expecting a baby girl. Lilibet was born June 2021.

“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement responding to the spouses’ interview. “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”

Royal fallout

In addition to Harry and Meghan’s self-demotion, Buckingham Palace faced tragedy and additional criticism in the following years. Prince Philip died in April 2021 and long-reigning Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022 at age 96. Prince Harry and Meghan both attended the queen’s funeral, but under close watch by the British media.

Charles ascended to the throne after Queen Elizabeth’s death, marginally moving up Harry and his children with Meghan — the children later received their royal titles of prince and princess. — in the line of succession to the British throne.

When 2023 arrived, so did a fresh batch of revelations about the Windsors. Prince Harry published his memoir, “Spare,” providing readers an unflinching look at his family but an even more unforgiving description of the paparazzi. In the book he recalled needing to ask his grandmother’s permission to propose to Meghan, wrote that older brother Prince William had “been pretty discouraging about my even dating Meg” and accused queen consort Camilla of making shady deals with the press.

Months after the memoir’s publication, Prince Harry and Meghan were asked to vacate their British home of Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Reportedly, King Charles began the eviction process the day after his son published the memoir.

As Meghan and Harry moved to separate themselves from the royal family and from life in the U.K., they settled down in California in the affluent neighborhood of Montecito and into new business ventures. Among their earliest post-palace endeavors was the creation of multimedia company Archewell Productions, which in September 2020 inked a multiyear deal with Netflix to produce series, docuseries, documentaries and other programming.

For Netflix, the spouses have put forward numerous projects, including documentary series and reality shows “Harry & Meghan,” “Heart of Invictus” and cooking show “With Love, Meghan.” The pair opted last year to maintain its relationship with the streaming giant, signing another multiyear, first-look deal.

Additionally the ex-royals’ Archewell Audio inked a multiyear deal with Spotify to produce podcasts and shows for the platform in a deal that was reportedly worth $20 million. Archewell Audio released a 30-minute holiday special in 2020 and one audio series — “Archetypes” — hosted by Meghan in August 2022. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s podcasting endeavor at Spotify ended in 2023.

Unsurprisingly, Prince Harry and Meghan, who have also busied themselves with various philanthropic causes, faced backlash for their Spotify departure. Meghan was also accused of faking some “Archetypes” interviews.

In addition to big-swing media ventures, Meghan launched a lifestyle and food business that had undergone multiple name changes. She initially launched her brand under the moniker American Riviera Orchard, specializing in artisan jams she notably gifted to celebs, including Kris Jenner, Chrissy Teigen and Mindy Kaling. She later rebranded the line to As Ever, following a minor roadblock with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

“I was figuring it out in real time,” she told People of the naming debacle in 2025. She also said she now sees herself “as an entrepreneur and a female founder.”

According to recent reporting, Meghan can add “actor” back into that description. She is reportedly in talks to join the third season of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series “The Gentleman.” That would be her first acting gig since the end of “Suits” and marrying into the royal family.

We have hardly begun walking before I spot the side alley, curving away from the main road in a patchwork of sunlit yellow walls, shuttered windows and shadowy archways. “What’s up there?” Elena, my guide to the city, pulls a wry smile. “That is Carmine. As a kid, I was warned not to go there.”

I turn up the alley. There’s a lot of graffiti. Next to an anarchy symbol, someone has sprayed “morte al decoro” – death to decorum. I’m intrigued. We go further, finding a labyrinth of colourful streets filled with bars and restaurants, a few just opening up for the day.

Like the bohemian quarter at its heart, Brescia is an Italian city that is easily missed: it’s near the Dolomites and Lake Garda, but not close enough to be a base for them. Tourists tend to speed past on their way to Milan or Verona. Fiercely proud of her city, Elena is on a mission to convince me it is worth a stop. “You’ll see. We’ve got everything you’d want from Italy, all in one place.”

Her confidence is matched by Andrea, the manager of i Dù dela Contrada, a Carmine bar that we step into for a coffee. Quirky bric-a-brac is dotted around, the bar itself plastered with passport photos, donated by its many fans. “Twenty years ago, this was an area for prostitutes and thieves,” Andrea tells me. “Now it’s safer but still vibrant, and growing.”

I tell him Elena’s mission and he nods. “She’s right, ask anyone.”

“OK. Who shall I ask next?”

“Piera at Ostería dei Mercanti. She’s a real character.”

And so begins a magical day in the city where we wander, one person leading to the next, each encounter enriched by Elena’s deep knowledge of her home town.

We find Piera sitting among a gaggle of friends, the table covered in coffee cups and one or two glasses of Brescia’s favourite aperitivo, pirlo. “The drinks here are special,” she tells me. “We’ve got the Franciacorta wine region on our doorstep. I came 17 years ago and knew instantly I would stay.”

She sends us to meet her friend Maria. That means passing through the medieval square of the city, Piazza della Loggia, which is dominated by the Torre dell’Orologio, a magnificent clock that features two lifesize automatons, “the lunatics of time”, who have been bashing out the hours on a large bell since 1581. We can’t find Maria, but bump into her amiable friend Antimio, whose Lestro restaurant is both a homage to the 1970s and a laboratory where he experiments tirelessly, perfecting the pizza.

Next thing, I’m in his kitchen getting a swift lesson in the mix of special flours, the best kneading methods, how to prep the cheeses … “I like to mix smoked scamorza and mozzarella, but my favourite is bagòss, a local speciality.” Within 20 minutes, I’m sitting outside, listening to the lunatics hammer out the hour and eating the best pizza of my life – for breakfast.

Thus fortified, Antimio sends us around the corner to visit Roberto at Brescia’s sumptuous Teatro Grande. The theatre was founded in the 1660s and is considered one of Italy’s finest. The palatial cafe with its murals is a popular spot for merenda, the traditional afternoon cake stop, but the tour adds wonderful details, such as the way horses were steered on stage and how Puccini, chastened by the rejection of his new opera, Madama Butterfly, at Milan’s La Scala, brought it here in 1904 and won acclaim.

Roberto’s tip is the church of San Cristo, but first we divert through Piazza Vittoria which Mussolini, at the peak of his power in 1932, had remodelled on fascist principles, kicking out residents to erect monuments to youth, energy and strength; in other words thuggish neo-classical blocks round a massive male nude statue. A decade later, Mussolini was back, this time as a German puppet, governing the republic of Salò, a rump state that included Brescia. In recent years, the piazza has been renovated, but the male nude remains warehoused, and the large capital letter “M” on one building does not refer to the fallen dictator.

I’m beginning to understand why Elena believes Brescia is a microcosm of Italian history and culture. She now takes me back to the medieval Piazza della Loggia to point out something I had missed, a small pillar marking the spot where a bomb exploded in 1974, killing eight people. The political forces of the Mussolini era reached a terrible climax in the 1970s and 80s, the anni di piombi, “years of lead”, when fascist groups and the leftwing Red Brigades traded lethal bombings, kidnappings and assassinations. The extent of the carnage is revealed in hundreds of pavement plaques that lead up to Brescia’s medieval castle above the city, each plaque representing a victim.

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After this sombre digression, we cool off in Chiesa di San Cristo, a 16th-century church known as “the Sistine Chapel of Brescia” for the luminous murals that cover every available space. A few doors down the lane is Osteria del Savio, a famous spot for local cuisine where we tuck into casoncelli, a ravioli made with sage and butter, then malfatti, a local mountain gnocchi, while owner Michaela explains why there is a Roman column in the middle of her restaurant. “It actually goes down another 5 metres and my neighbours have the capital off it – they use it as a coffee table.”

Finding history hidden under columns is a Bresciano tradition. Back in the 1820s, archaeologists decided to dig under the top of a Roman column in a city garden that was being used as a picnic table. What they discovered was a vast temple complex and a bronze statue, the Winged Victory, that has been dated back to the first century BC.

A short walk down the lane brings us to that spot, now a partly subterranean archaeological site. Other Roman artefacts are in the nearby Santa Giulia Museum, a warren of ancient buildings that could easily occupy a day, but we whip through because it is time to go and taste some wine.

If Brescia keeps below the mass tourism radar, its wine district, the Franciacorta, is also a well-kept secret. Planted on volcanic soils south of Lake Iseo, these vineyards produce sparkling wine so good that the locals drink most of it.

I stay by the lake shore in Sulzano, a 30-minute drive from Brescia, then next day catch the ferry across to Monte Isola, an island in the lake. Ringed by mountains and a popular day trip for the Bresciani, the island still keeps its home-spun friendliness. At the fishing net shop, Paulo demonstrates the knots to make a net using a double-ended needle that “is the same tool they found in Pompeii”. Further on, in the small net factory, owner Daniella points to a photo of her grandmother mending nets, then tells me that most Serie A football nets are now made here. In the shop round the corner, they give me a taste of their local salami – they are very proud of that. But the climax, for me, is when I wander, unannounced, into the Arquette boatyard.

This is the kind of place where royalty and billionaires buy handmade wooden boats, but Andrea and his dad have no time for airs and graces. They are craftsmen, proudly showing me works in progress. “Our ancestors were gondola-makers in Venice,” says Andrea. “In 1640, they came here and liked Brescia and its surrounding area so much, they stayed.” It was a decision, I admit to Elena, that I can heartily endorse.

The trip was provided by Visit Brescia. Doubles at Hotel Lenel in Brescia from €183, and at Hotel Rivalago in Sulzano from €209. Kevin Rushby travelled to Brescia by train, via Milan. A 7-day Interrail pass is £331 for adults

After leading Leeds to safety, Farke had threatened to quit, saying he is “not the right choice” to lead the club if they fail to match his ambition in the summer.

The club hierarchy listened and backed the German in the transfer market in the summer, investing about £80m on new arrivals.

Three of them started for Leeds in their season opener and encouragingly for Farke offered early signs of promise.

Goalkeeper James Trafford justified the £45m – a record for a British goalkeeper – Leeds paid to Manchester City for his services with some decisive stops.

Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic not only put in a solid shift in defence but also proved he is a weapon from set-pieces as he tested Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels with a towering header at the other end.

Harry Wilson, who signed for free after 10 goals and seven assists for Fulham last season, almost marked his debut with a goal before he was denied by the offside flag.

“From the very first minute they walked into the building, they have shown their quality,” Ampadu said.

“They have shown why they have been brought in to try and help us get to the next level. They’ve shown that hunger and drive to take Leeds to a better place so that has been very good.”

Farke also echoed his captain’s sentiments, saying: “I am very happy because they have big boots to fill.

“Trafford is a good player but he hasn’t played that many Premier League games, Tarik too. So they both shined and showed why we agreed to sign them, but the whole group was excellent today.

“Wilson too was excellent. The vibe and mood is good around the place,” said Farke, who is now the third-longest-serving manager in the league after Arsenal‘s Mikel Arteta and Aston Villa‘s Unai Emery.

With new arrivals making an immediate impact and old faces such as Stach continuing to deliver the goods, Leeds have every reason to believe this season could be their best yet under Farke.

The area frequently pops up in rankings of the best places to live, but its beaches have a dirty secret, with an average bacteria score that’s over twice as high as the national average

A district that includes one of the UK’s best places to live, and home to an iconic seaside town, has been named as the local authority with the ‘dirtiest’ sea water in England in a recent ranking.

The study carried out by online tour operator Exoticca.com looked at the Environment Agency’s publicly available bathing water statistics for all designated coastal swimming spots across England. The Environment Agency has an online tool where anyone can check the quality of beach and bathing water.

Water quality scores are based on two types of bacteria – Escherichia coli (E. coli) and intestinal enterococci – which can be an indicator of faecal contamination on beaches. Using this data, the study was able to rank local authorities across the country, and a surprising spot had the highest mean bacteria score.

The local authority with the highest mean bacteria score was Folkestone and Hythe, with a mean bacteria score of 3.273. Across all beaches in the study, the mean was 1.033, meaning bacteria levels on its beaches appeared to be three times higher than average.

Included in the study was Littlestone, which had a score of 8.213, making it the third dirtiest beach in England, while Dymchurch had a score of 4.173 and came in tenth, meaning both these beaches were rated poor by the Environment Agency.

However, the area did have two beaches where the waters were ranked as excellent; Hythe and Seabrook scored 0.627 and 0.504 respectively.

A Folkestone & Hythe District Council spokesperson said: “We continue to champion the district as an extraordinary place to visit – whether that be our stunning coastline, breathtaking countryside or world-class creative and cultural scene.

“This council believes there should be out-of-season testing (between October and April) to try to establish the reasoning behind the deterioration of bathing water classifications. We continue to make this case to the Environment Agency and Southern Water.”

Folkestone beach itself ranked at number 20 in the list of individual beaches with potentially contaminated sea water in England. That comes as a surprise, given the seaside town has seen a surge in popularity in recent years. In 2024, it was included in the Times’ 2024 Best Places to Live guide, ranking as the regional winner of the best place to live in the South East of England.

Despite its appearance on the list, Dymchurch was once named best beach in the south east in The Sunday Times best beaches guide back in 2022. In the same year, it was one of the Kent beaches to receive the Seaside Award from Keep Britain Tidy, which according to the BBC “is presented to the best beaches in England and is used to celebrate the quality and diversity of resorts”.

A spokesperson for Exoticca.com said: “It’s important to remember that a local authority’s overall average doesn’t always tell the whole story for a specific beach. Coastal water quality can change a surprising amount in just a few miles.”

They added: “In Folkestone and Hythe, the local authority with the dirtiest water on average. Here, Seabrook’s water is classed as excellent with a score of 0.504 and Littlestone, which is just nine miles away, has the third dirtiest water in the entire country with a score of 8.213. A local authority average gives a great idea of a region’s water cleanliness, but it’s always best to look at the specific numbers for the exact beach you plan to visit.”

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SPENDING the afternoon at a shopping centre is pretty much my seven-year-old son’s worst nightmare when it comes to activities.

Unless, of course, that shopping centre used to be a massive nuclear power station, which now houses some of the country’s most expensive flats and sits on the River Thames.

Battersea Power Station is a masterclass in how to turn an empty site into a prime tourist destination after its multi-billion pound regeneration.

The site reopened in 2022 and by 2024 it was named one of the world’s best places to visit by National Geographic.

As a local – I live 25 minutes drive away – it is now one of my favourite places to bring my child.

Despite its large number of luxury shops such as Calvin Klein and Chanel and high-end restaurants, it also has masses of free and cheap activities for kids in the school holidays, seasonal family events and one-of-a-kind attractions.

This summer, Horrible Histories has launched its first live museum show at The Pharaohs’ Gold exhibition in the immersive NEON venue.

It features more than 180 priceless, 3,000-year-old artifacts from Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, including the coffin of Ramses The Great.

What truly brought it to life was the Horrible Histories show, where an actor portraying Pharaoh Ramses took us through the exhibition, telling us fascinating stories.

It’s not the cheapest, at £37.50 for adults and £17.50 for children, but it doubles up as a theatre experience and never have I seen my son so engaged at a museum.

Equally engaging is Electric Summer, a retro-style fairground on the riverside garden in front of the power station, from now until the end of August.

There were free games like splat the rat and giant chess, along with paid-for activities like dodgems and petanque.

Our favourite by far was the roller rink, which hosts everything from silent discos to kids’ specials for the £12 tickets.

During our session, my son and the other kids got a whole hour’s skating lesson from the wonderful staff.

As we were visiting in the summer holidays, we were also able to take advantage of the kids-eat-free offers at various restaurants.

This meant my mum and I were able to have a slap-up meal at Gordon Ramsey’s Bread Street Kitchen & Bar for just £22 each for a two-course set menu, while my son got “the best burger ever” and a banging sticky toffee pudding, for free.

Of course, if you can’t make it during the summer holidays, there is still plenty going on for kids.

The Chimney Lift is a recent Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award winner that takes you 109 metres up to the top of one of the towers for 360-degree views of the capital.

Then there’s the Lego store with free play areas, and the world’s first standalone Transformers store.

A five-minute walk away is Battersea Park, with a huge outdoor playground, Go Ape and Battersea Park Children’s Zoo.

You could spend three whole days in a 500m radius and not get bored.

Not bad for a venue that just 16 years ago was voted “Britain’s second worst eyesore”.