LA Woman: Life In the Fast Lane

They don't call me Suzi Speed Racer Marques for nothing.

I am obsessed with fast cars & not just because they look pretty. I don't prefer the passenger seat. I like being behind the wheel & love wide open spaces to push cars to their max.

While I've done time trials, I had never been in a race with other drivers on the track with me at the same time.... until now.

Go karting in The Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix. When it comes to racing, it's all in the family.

Simple Butternut Squash Soup

Visited farmers' market in Santa Monica with former Fox11 news producer Sandra Messick. She lived just like Under the Tuscan Sun for a few years and now she's back from Italy to share her wisdom.
She has a genuine love for food & is excited to share it. She came up with this recipe on the spot when I told her I love butternut squash soup. Just as delicious and impressive as the best soup in any fab LA restaurant!


Butternut Squash Soup
by Sandra Messick
http://www.nourishingtable.com/

1 butternut squash
2 tbs butter
1 tsp sage
good dash salt and pepper
1/2 large onion, diced
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 can vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash longways down the middle (mine was 3lbs). Spray a cookie sheet with pam, place the squash face down. Cook for 40 minutes.

In the last ten minutes, prepare the rest of the ingredients in a large pot. Melt the butter, then saute your garlic and onions until they are opaque. Add sage & salt and pepper.

When the squash is done, discard the seeds, then scoop it out while it's hot & place it into the pot. Add vegetable broth.
Once all of the ingredients are incorporated, put it all in a blender, blend and then serve!

I had crusty french bread on the side. It was insanely delicious and perfect for fall!

Rich Runyon Canyon

Runyon Canyon has a haunting past and a rich & glamorous history. American Indians once hunted here. In 1919, Carmen Runyon bought the land and sold it to famed Irish tenor John McCormack, who built a mansion called San Patrizio. Friends like Will Rogers & John Barrymore came to visit. It looks very different now.

Don't be put off by the warning of rattlers in the midst.

As you walk in, there's a charming refreshment bar where everything is a buck & it's ice cold. My favorite part? It's on the honor system.

The payoff. The panoramic view can't be captured with one shot, so I created an homage to David Hockney. Click on it for a better view!

On the walk up, you pass by remnants of the grandeur that once existed here. Pieces of San Patrizio. A tennis court.

Steps to nowhere.

Huntington Hartford bought the property in 1942 - the heir to the A&P grocery fortune. He commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to create a futuristic country club on the property & tried unsuccessfully to gift the land to the city of LA in 1964.

As Lloyd Wright recalled in 1977, "Here was this very wealthy man and he wanted to give something very stunning to Hollywood. The Chambers of Commerce, the hotel owners and the various businesses were jealous of the park, and with the help of the City officials, the City refused to give us permits. Hunt was so angry that he wanted to get out immediately and sold the property at a low price to Berman, who then destroyed the mansion and let the place run down."

Now, there's a little dog park on the property.

Inspiration Point still stands.

Once you get there, look back & there's one more (excruciating) level.

Once you walk up, there's an incredible view looking down over LA.

And to your left, the Hollywood sign.

90's Prom Party!

A link to more pics below!

Relived my glory days by recreating prom at mi casa. I rented a helium tank, blew up a ton of black & gold balloons, hung up a bunch of gold stars, invited a friend's rocking band, Petree to play and made everyone drink out of red cups just like high school.

Since this was the 90's, it meant huge hair, flashy dresses and wrist corsages. A little vintage 90210 & Color Me Badd and it felt so good.

Click here for the prom party album!

Joshua Petker: In Living Color

My 2nd vlog! My favorite LA artist and now dear friend Joshua Petker gives a preview of his upcoming show and a tour of his new at-home studio! He's self taught and influenced by everything from classical impressionists to old school graffiti artists.



His next show will be Spring, 2010 at Corey Helford Gallery.

If you would like to purchase a limited-edition print: http://posterchildprints.com/sugarwater
Follow him on twitter! http://www.twitter.com/joshuapetker

A Little History, A Little Halloween

This installation is from 2002, Olaf Breuning's Skeletons in the Garden of Villa Medici.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays & puts me in the mood for the rest of the season. I'm already fighting the urge to play Christmas CDs.

Napoleon Bonaparte once lived at Villa Medici, which would eventually become a haven for artists. Speaking of Napoleon, he made an appearance at my prom party not too long ago.

Here he (Donny Miller) is posing with his wife and Napoleon Bonaparrot.
More snapshots soon~

My $3,000 Shoes

When I first saw Madonna in these Louis Vuitton ads, her shoes screamed at me!

BUY ME!

The shoe below promised to give me satisfaction in exchange for $3,000.

So I gave up. This was March. In September, I was drawn into Steve Madden when I spied a sale wheel.

Spin the wheel, get between 10-90% off.

I spied a pair of shoes priced around $100 that kinda resembled the shoes above, spun the wheel & scored 20% off.

I sauntered out with a guilt-free pair of kicks that to wear to work & yes, they are already banged up.

The incredibly talented (and yes folks, he is that nice in person!) Nick Verreos. We did a fashion segment for GDLA the other day & I stole this pic from his beautiful website.