So much happens in the fall: School kicks off in September, we dress up for Halloween in October, and then celebrate Thanksgiving in November. In between all the layering up in cozy sweaters and downing pumpkin spice lattes, some relaxation time is much needed. So take some time off from all the pumpkin carving and back-to-school madness, and queue up a movie on Netflix that fits the cozy-up, fall theme.

E.T 

Steven Spielberg’s iconic sci-fi film is the ultimate pick for snuggling up on the couch. This heartwarming film centered around two unlikely friends will surely put you in the right mood this leaf-falling season.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 

Brad Pitt is front and center in this one-of-a-kind romantic drama. The acclaimed actor stars as Benjamin Button, a man who mysteriously ages in reverse.

Casper

This might be the year you introduce your kids to Casper the friendly ghost, or just revisit the movie on your own. While a paranormal expert is on the hunt for scary ghosts in a haunted house, his daughter is shocked to find a new friend. 

Julie & Julia 

Following the lives of two real women, Julie Powell and Julia Child, this film shows how their lives become intertwined. At a time when everything is falling apart, Julie seeks comfort in blogging about her experience cooking through Child’s cookbook. Prepare to get inspired, weepy, and hungry while watching this one.

About Time

To us, fall movies on Netflix are best viewed with cozy blankets and a hot cup of cocoa. The best complement to those accoutrements is a romantic movie, like Rachel McAdams’s time-traveling film About Time.

We have officially crossed the September 21st date threshold, and have entered fall. Huge trends during the fall are dressing up in warmer clothes, switching your drink order from iced to hot, and well… anything pumpkin. We have rounded up a list of pumpkin food items you must try if pumpkin is your jam! Happy fall! 

Huckleberry Cafe – Santa Monica 

What to order: Pumpkin Pie

It doesn’t get much more classic than pumpkin pie. There are plenty of spots to get a good slice around town, but we’re partial to the pumpkin pie at Huckleberry, a fantastic spin featuring all the flavors your nostalgic soul craves.

Pizzana – Brentwood

What to order: Pumpkin Budino

The dessert menu at the pizzeria shares pastry chef and co-founder Candace Nelson with another little sweets shop you may know called Sprinkles. This fall treat combines silky pumpkin budino pudding with a dollop of sweet whipped mascarpone and a brittle of candied pumpkin seeds.

Crossroads Kitchen – Beverly Grove

What to order: Kabocha Squash Ravioli with Pepitas

Not all pumpkin dishes have to be sweets. In this dish, toasted pumpkin seeds are used to add an extra layer of texture to a creamy—but vegan—dish of housemade ravioli stuffed with kabocha squash and harissa. The pasta is a limited-edition menu item only available this autumn.

Sweet Rose Creamery – Studio City

What to order: Pumpkin Bon Bons 

Sweet Rose Creamery has multiple seasonal offerings that all start with their spiced pumpkin ice cream, including a Halloween-themed sundae topped with little ghost marshmallows, but we’re picking the bon bons as our treat of choice. Mini scoops of ice cream, dipped in a fall jacket of Guittard dark chocolate, on sticks, because any food is better when you can eat it on a stick.

Creme Caramel L.A. – Sherman Oaks 

What to order: Kabocha Pumpkin Spice Latte

No orange chemical goo in this latte! Créme Caramel L.A. roasts kabocha squash with all the nutmeg, cinnamon, and other spices you crave to create a flavorful syrup, then adds espresso, condensed milk, and salted caramel to complete the delicious drink.

Cinnaholic – Echo Park & Woodland Hills 

What to order: Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls 

What could be more decadent than a pumpkin pie cinnamon roll? Maybe one that comes from a bakery that lets you add your choice of any of 20 frosting flavors (we think maple or chai sound like good matches, but you decide) and 22 ice cream parlor-style toppings from pie crust crumbs to chocolate chips. At least these seasonal sugar bombs are 100 percent vegan because at least that sounds kind of healthy.

U.S. Treasury bond yields – The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 0.70%, up slightly from 0.67% last week. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 1.45%, up slightly from 1.42% last week.

Mortgage rates – The September 17, 2020, Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate average was 2.87%, unchanged from 2.85% last week. The 15-year fixed was 2.37%, unchanged from 2.37% last week. The 5-year ARM was 2.96%, down from 3.11% last week.

The first of six majors to be played over the course of the 2020-21 season, the 2020 U.S. Open is officially underway, teeing off for the first time in more than a century. The USGA’s signature event has a new television home as the U.S. Open returns to NBC’s airwaves. As for the second golf major to be held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it should be an incredible four days at Winged Foot as the best golfers in the world take on a fun yet difficult course looking for major glory (and the $12Mil Prize). Check out the Schedule below! 

Round 1 — Thursday, September 17

Early TV coverage: 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Golf Channel

Daytime TV coverage: 2-5 p.m. on NBC

TV simulcast live stream: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on fuboTV 
Late coverage: 5-7 p.m. on Peacock

Additional coverage via live streaming on USOpen.com
Featured Groups (early) — 7:55 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Featured Holes — 8:10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.

Featured Groups (late) — 1:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Round 2 — Friday, September 18

Early coverage: 7:30-9:30 a.m. on Peacock

Daytime TV coverage: 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Golf Channel

Late TV coverage: 4-7 p.m. on NBC

TV simulcast live stream: 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on fuboTV

Additional coverage via live streaming on USOpen.com
Featured Groups (early) — 7:55 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Featured Holes — 8:10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.

Featured Groups (late) — 1:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Round 3 — Saturday, September 19

Early coverage: 9-11 a.m. on Peacock
TV coverage: 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on NBC

TV simulcast live stream: 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on fuboTV

Additional coverage via live streaming on USOpen.com
Featured Groups (early) — 8 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Featured Holes — 8:10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.

Featured Groups (late) — 1:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Round 4 — Sunday, September 20

Early coverage: 8-10 a.m. on Peacock

Daytime TV coverage: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Golf Channel

Late TV coverage: 12-6 p.m. on NBC

TV simulcast live stream: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on fuboTV

Additional coverage via live streaming on USOpen.com

Featured Groups (early) — 7:55 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Featured Holes — 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Featured Groups (late) — 1:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

If you do not already live in Pacific Palisades, then it is unlikely that you have been over to the Palisades Village more than a handful of times… or even once. The Palisades Village is the youngest sister to The Grove and The Americana. If you are thinking about spending the day here, look no further as this guide is for you! 

FARMERS MARKET 

Every Sunday, the Palisades Village hosts a farmers market. Discover your new Sunday staple with fresh produce and local vendors, followed by exclusive offers from your favorite brands! 

EATING

Come hungry, and leave happy! From The Draycott to Blue Ribbon Sushi, Palisades Village has you covered on any type of food you are craving. If you do not feel like sitting down at a restaurant, you can take anything to go. Another great option is grabbing food from the infamous Erewhon Hot Bar (they serve for you), and laying out a blanket and enjoying it on their grass lawn. 

SHOPPING 

Walk off your meal with some shopping at some of the best stores. Palisades Village is your one-stop destination for the most sought-after (and hard-to-find) brands in clothing, jewelry, beauty, and more. From national stores like ALC, Lululemon, Buck Mason, and Zimmerman to smaller markets like The Little Market (Founded by Pacific Palisades local, Lauren Conrad and Hannah Skvarla). Shop to your hearts content after a delicious meal! 

DESSERTS

In the mood for a sweet treat after shopping? If you want to go straight into a McConnell’s Ice Cream Cone, you can definitely do that. If you are gluten free, dairy free, and vegan? This village has you covered. There is a Sweet Laurel Bakery at the Village with specializes in these healthy desserts. It is their flagship store, so be sure to stock up on these guilt free treats! 

For most of us Southern California natives, we know that when September rolls around, it means school is starting, daily life routines adjust, and that the environment is at most risk for fires. With the fires throughout the west coast messing with our air quality, local officials have advised us to stay indoors as much as possible. You should be aware that some of the smoke from outdoors can enter your home and make it unhealthy to breathe indoor air, too. Check out our tips below on how to maintain healthy air quality inside your home.

Keep Windows, Doors and Vents Closed

Outdoor air, including fine particles from wildfire smoke, can enter your home in a few ways: through open windows and doors, which is known as natural ventilation, through mechanical ventilation devices such as bathroom or kitchen fans that vent to the outdoors, or heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems with a fresh air intake, and through small openings, joints, cracks, and around closed windows and doors through a process called infiltration.

Purchase or use an Air Purifier

Use a portable air cleaner or high efficient filter in your air ducts to remove fine particles from the air. If you use the portable air cleaner, run it as often as possible with the highest fan speed. If you have an HVAC system, run the system’s fan as often as possible to remove particles while the air quality is poor.

Purchase or use a Humidifier

Purchase a humidifier to keep the air quality at a healthy moisture level since air purifiers are notorious for drying out the air.

Avoid Activities That Create Fine Particles Indoors

Avoid using gas, propane or wood-burning stoves and furnaces, spraying aerosol products, frying food, burning candles or incense. The fine particles cause your air purifiers to work harder and your lungs to work harder. It is important to keep your home a safe space.

Clean up Ash

When the smoke clears, you may need to clean up ash or other debris left by the fires. Children, older adults, or people with heart and lung diseases should refrain from clean up work. It may irritate your eyes, nose, and skin that could cause coughing and other health effects. When cleaning, wear gloves, long-sleeved shirts and pants, shoes, socks, goggles, and an N95 respirator to protect your lungs. Make sure to clean the ask with a DAMP towel instead of a dry vacuum as that can spread the ash.

Stocks declined for the second straight week – Although all stock market indexes were down, tech stocks were hit especially hard. The tech-heavy NASDAQ fell 4.1% for the week. It’s now dropped over 10% from its all-time high less than two weeks ago. To be fair, it’s still up 21% year to date. This week’s drop was a combination of several issues: Some investors felt the market’s incredible rise over the last 90 days had caused stock prices to become overinflated and took profits. There were also fears of a setback in a leading vaccine trial when one participant developed an unexplained illness. Perhaps the largest factor of the past two week’s declines was the realization that a stimulus package once thought of as a done deal may not happen until after the election. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 27,665.64, down 1.7% from 28,133.31 last week. It’s down 3.1% year-to-date. The S&P 500 closed the week at 3,340.97, down 2.5% from 3,426.96 last week. It’s up 3.4% year-to-date. The NASDAQ closed the week at 10,853.55, down 4.1%, from 11,313.14 last week. It’s up 21% year-to-date.

U.S. Treasury bond yields – The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 0.67%, down from 0.72% last week. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 1.42%, down from 1.46% last week.

Mortgage rates – The September 10, 2020, Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate average was 2.86%, down from 2.93% last week. The 15-year fixed was 2.37%, down from 2.42% last week. The 5-year ARM was 3.11%, up from 2.93% last week.

Housing sales data for August should be released next week. That data will be on next week’s update.

As Angelenos, we are lucky to be so close to the infamous wineries in Napa Valley. However, did you know that you can taste great wine locally in LA as well? From Zinfandel to Pinot Noir and everything in between spend some time wine tasting in your own backyard!

Malibu Wine Safari’s

Location: Malibu, CA

What makes Malibu Wine Safari’s so special is all in the name. Enjoy your glass of choice while touring through their vineyards and encounter safari animals along the way. Make reservations well ahead of time as they sold out constantly pre-covid. With more restrictions, their reservations are filling up even more!

REV Winery

Location: Covina, CA

One of the first to take on the trend of urban wineries is the Covina located REV Winery. REV takes the wine-making process another step further by producing wine that is non-sulfited, vegan and gluten free from organic grapes. Each bottle has a unique history and original artwork.

Firestone Vineyard

Location: Los Olivos, CA

Located in beautiful Santa Barbara, Firestone is more than your average state winery, holding concert events and even offering a cellar club membership and property rental for private events. This along with an amazing history of quality and fantastic wine makes Firestone the day-trip perfect choice.

San Antonio Winery

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Situated in DTLA, San Antonio Winery offers three tastings as a perfect intro to new flavors or forgotten favorites in their urban setting. They also have a restaurant with a menu designed around their wine selection. along with public and private events.

Ojai Vineyard Tasting Room

Location: Ojai, CA

Located in downtown Ojai, this winery is one of only four in the town but well worth the visit. Enjoy their Five Wine Flight as their wine expert guides you through the notes of your Syrah or chardonnay. A welcoming staff and reasonably priced wine makes this an ideal stop for wine enthusiasts.