Things To Do

1) Tangerine Martinis at Tangerine (Treasure Island)
2) 1950s and 1960s Boulder Highway Googie motels
3) Vargas!!! see him wherever and whenever you see he's playing.
4) The Neon Sign Museum at Fremont Street and the Neon Museum Boneyard
5) 1955 National Register Moulin Rouge sign is still standing
6) The blues band that plays near the railroad cottages on First Friday nights.
7) 24 hour Bootleggers!
8) Jerry Tiffe at Capazolli's at 2am on Saturday night!
9) Tiki Lee's booth at the Red Rooster Antique Mall
10) The Infamous Giant Aku Aku Moai from the old Stardust Hotel of the 1950s now sits in the middle of a duck pond in Sunset Park.

1) Go for a drive to see the leaves turn.
2) Find a nice fall leaf and press it in a book.
3) Visit a pumpkin patch.
4) Carve several small winter squash instead of a pumpkin this year.
5) Read a poem about autumn. Here's one I like by Bliss Carmen:
"There is something in October that sets gypsy blood astir.
"We must rise and follow her.
"When every hill of flame.
"She calls and calls each vagabond by name."
6) Write your own poem to autumn.
7) Learn to knit a scarf.
8) Or go and buy yourself a new scarf and cap for the coming winter.
9) Buy halloween cards for your friends.
10) Take deep breaths and take in the magic of Autumn!

For me, a great coffee table book requires little or no reading. Its pictures are engaging and tell a story or make me smile.
Click on the book title to learn more about it from amazon.com
1. The Book of Tiki by Sven Kirsten
2. California Crazy and Beyond: Roadside Vernacular Architecture by Jim Heimann
3. Googie: Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture by Alan Hess
4. Mid-Century Modern : Furniture of the 1950s By Cara Greenberg
5. Pad: The Guide to Ultra-Living by Matt Maranian
6. Palm Springs Weekend: The Architecture and Design of a Midcentury Oasis by by Alan Hess and Andrew Danish
7. Southern California in the '50s: Sun, Fun and Fantasy by Charles Pheonix
8. Obscene Interiors: Hardcore Amateur Decor by Justin Jorgensen,
9. Exotiquarium: Album Art from the Space Age by Jennifer McKnight-Trontz,
10. Retro Housewife: A Salute to the Suburban Superwoman by Kristin Tillotson

Nothing makes a kitchen cozier than having a unique collection to show off. Here are some great alternative things to start collecting for your kitchen.

1. Lunchbox Thermoses (We all know that retro lunchboxes have gotten really expensive these days – so limit yourself to the beat-up but cute orphan thermos you can still find in Thrift Stores)
2. Coffee Mugs from interesting retro restaurants like Sambos!
3. Salt and Pepper Shakers (Pick a particular subject matter)
4. Colorful Corning Ware Bowls (The classic old standard!)
5. Decorative Napkins (Showcase them in small picture frames)
6. Trivets (Especially the plastic ones with butterflies or shells embedded)
7. Funnels (From metal to plastic - in all shapes and sizes)
8. Eggbeaters
9. Oddball Juice Glasses (Especially the old Jam Jar types - look for Flintstones and Josie and the Pussycats!)
10. Juicers (Mix it up with old school milk glass and jadite with newer tacky plastic ones)

For me – every Sintra album is an essential. Well except for maybe the Duets series… Buy when starting a Frank Sinatra record collection, I recommend buying the original recordings as opposed to newer compilations.

1. Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim This 1967 album features Jobim sharing vocals with Sinatra on "The Girl from Ipanema" and "How Insensitive." This is a desert island disk!
   
2. Come Fly With Me The first of Sinatra's albums with arranger Billy May – a must have for any road trip.
   
3. September of My Years The well seasoned Frank won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1965
   
4. Songs for Swingin' Lovers! This record from 1955 shows Frank as a swaggering, sophisticated swinging singer. And "I've Got You Under My Skin" is perhaps Frank Sinatra greatest song.
   
5. In the Wee Small Hours In 1954 it was the first 12" album Frank Sinatra recorded. This and Only the Lonely are considered the conceptual masterpieces.
   
6. Only the Lonely Perhaps Frank's very finest hour. And who can resist the sad-clown velvet painting on the cover (a Grammy-winner for album design in 1959!) Sinatra called these 'suicide songs.'
   
7. Nice 'n' Easy This one from 1960 album featuring new arrangements by Nelson Riddle confirmed that Frank was the master of any song style.
   
8. Strangers in the Night This 1966 album was supposedly not one of Frank's favorites, but it's an ultimate 60s album with Summer Wind, Downtown and On a Clear Day.
   
9. Sinatra at the Sands Close your eyes and re-live the Vegas of 1966 where Sinatra and his Rat Pack buddies partied. This live album is rounded out with conductor-arranger Quincy Jones and Count Basie and his Orchestra.
   
10. Sinatra-Basie The first and best of three albums that Frank Sinatra recorded with swing legend Count Basie.

Not a part of the top ten, but a necessary CD to own is the combined disc with Songs for Young Lovers and Swing Easy. Okay – if I make it an even Top Twelve list , I'd add Sinatra and Strings from 1961, because no one sings "Night and Day" like Frankie.

You can see a pretty cool list of recommended recordings at the Lotta Living website.

Okay, so this is really a top twelve list!

1. Jamaican Ska
   
2. Tall Paul
   
3. Pajama Party
   
4. Pineapple Princess
   
5. California Sun
   
6. Every Night is Date Night in Hawaii
   
7. Muscle Beach Party
   
8. Luau Cha Cha Cha
   
9. Oh Dio Mio
   
10. Blame it on the Bossa Nova
    
11. Jo Jo the Dog Faced Boy
    
12. Monkey's Uncle
    

Learn more about Annette here at Swinging Chicks of the Sixties site.