Regular readers will be aware that it is ‘open enrollment’ season, which means we have a brief window to sign up or change our health insurance plans. This year I am feeling rather pleased with myself as I haven’t left it until the last minute for once! I heeded our advice and went over my options with Christine at Beach Financial Group, which I highly recommend you do too if you still struggle with remembering the difference between your co-pays and deductibles, which are known as your ‘excess’ in the UK. BFG don’t charge for the consultations and it won’t inflate your premiums either. I was delighted to learn that my plan has actually decreased by $100 per month! The deadline to sign up is December 15th so you still have a couple of weeks, but don’t forget Thanksgiving is coming up and most businesses close for a day or two for the holiday.
I decided to celebrate my ‘windfall’ with lunch and a wander in the shopping district of Beverly Hills. They already have their Christmas decorations up along the iconic Rodeo Drive and have a diverse range of festive performances and entertainment lined up for the next few weeks – from strolling carolers, to acrobatics and dance at popular crosswalks on Rodeo, and the Paley Center is hosting free screenings of holiday classics from their archives along with hot cocoa! To my surprise it is all provided by the City of Beverly Hills for free, including rides on the “Jolly Trolly” with Mrs Claus and even visits with Santa are complimentary! Harrods should take a leaf out of their book, I hear that you are only allowed to visit their Santa in residence if you have spent £2000 or more in their store! For that price surely you could go and stay with him in Lapland!
My personal favorite attraction was The Scenario Studio: “A Photomusement Experience” at the bottom of Rodeo Drive. It’s an array of interactive photo sets designed by the photographer John Ganun. We got to dress up in winter coats dusted with fake snow, for a traditional Christmassy shot, but I think the definite winner was the camouflage set, which is right by the door as you walk in. They provide all of the costumes and props and have staff on hand to take photos for you on your cameras. It is really silly but tons of fun. Best of all, it is again all FREE!. Visit www.thescenariostudio.com for more details . And LoveBeverlyHills.com for their winter calendar, it’s well worth a trip and I do think it actually made me think that it is actually starting to feel a bit like Christmas… I think next on my list is the Winter Market at Yamashiro and then Craig and I are considering organizing an ice skating night down at Pershing Square, so we will keep you posted in case you want to join us.
Before I go I must give a special mention and big thank you to fellow Brit Christine Peake. She organized a fantastic gathering earlier this week at Crustacean in Beverly Hills (again!) to honor one of our founding members Kerstin Alm, who many of you know as ‘Mamarazzi’ . Kerstin is moving off to an ‘old people’s place’, (her words not mine) in San Pedro, so she won’t be too far away, but we saw it as a good opportunity to show her how much we all love and care for her. Massive thank you to everyone who came along and made such a lovely fuss of her.
Lastly, we have a competition for you! The LA Phil have given us a pair of tickets to give away to A Tribute to Oliver Knussen at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on December 10th. Email us at at info@britsin.la to put your name in the hat. Winner will be selected at random and notified via email on December 4th. Make sure to include your name on your photo ID!
That’s also the email address to use if you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please do get in touch as we always enjoy hearing from you.
Happy Thanksgiving to all…
Eileen
