Christopher Rivera

Believe it or not, the great music festival that is Coachella is upon us. It seems like only yesterday when a countless number of Angelenos (amongst others) were clicking away to get their hands on a pre-sale pass. If you are one of the many driving out to Indio from LA for either weekend of the festival and have some time to kill, there are plenty of pit stops worth checking out along the way. Whether you’re looking for that perfect Instagram picture or just want to explore some odd and truly unique landmarks, here are some stops worth making. RECOMMENDED: See our full Coachella 2016 festival guide Palm Springs Windmills Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/Kit Conn This one is a given. You can’t miss the darn things as you make your way into the desert cities. If you want to get up close and personal with the majestic energy machines, take one of the many freeway exits along the 10 and drive through one of the scenic routes—you’ll be able to get a windmill selfie in no time. 10 Freeway at Highway 62 Coachella Valley Preserve Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/Tim Shell This 3,709-acre protected area in the Coachella Valley just east of Palm Springs is Instagram gold. The preserve is a great place to get some hiking action in while discovering some of the desert flora and fauna that remains untouched by the human hand. Most impressive is the Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve, which allows you to get lost amongst endless beautiful palm trees in their natural habita

We are well into the month of November and the great holiday, Thanksgiving, is almost here. With the holidays come not only Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah dinners full of turkey, ham or pies, but also countless friend and company parties with booze and finger foods galore. If you’re like us, chances are that you’re already thinking about the inevitable weight gain, and shopping around for a pair of stretchy pants that say both “feed me” and “I’m classy.” To beat the holiday weight gain here are three new fitness trends to get your sugar plum-like derrière off the couch before that stuffing and gravy catch up to you. 1. Speedplay (Beverly Hills): If you’re worried that your normal gym routine isn’t burning off enough of the holiday calories, Speedplay has you covered. This latest trend works in intervals of running, rowing, weight training and suspension that's guaranteed to make you sweat and beg for a break. The classes are always packed with energy infused beats and their Beverly Hills location offers a spectacular penthouse view of the city skyline for motivation. Not many fitness studios can boast being in a penthouse. 2. Air Los Angeles (West Hollywood): Chances are you’ve seen aerial acrobats in Vegas, a fancy event or even on TV. These athletes perform mind-boggling body twists and turns while suspended a good height above the floor—a feat that isn’t easy to watch for the faint of heart. Now you can give it a go and try your hand at being an amateur aerialist whi

Next week, people across the city will be celebrating the epitome of every fall—Halloween. As the little tikes cavort from door to door asking for candy, many adults will be convening in West Hollywood for its annual Halloween carnival and parade as the neighboring clubs offer late-night parties for us little devils. That being said, here are some do's and don’ts for All Hallows' Eve in WeHo. Whether you are a seasoned pro or newcomer, let this be your guide for getting the most out of the haunted night. DO show some skin and wear something a little sexy. Been working out extra hard at the gym lately? Go ahead and show it off. In the famous words of Regina George, “In girl world, Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything else about it.” This rule applies to both boys on girls on Halloween. DON’T overdo it at the pre-gaming festivities. Thankfully, this year Halloween is on a Saturday, so no having to worry about dragging yourself into work semi-alive the next morning. But just because you get to stay out a little later than other years doesn't mean you want to be the one getting shoved into an Uber at 10pm by your friends because you threw back one too many shots while pre-gaming. DO wear comfortable shoes. If you’re a dude, it’s a given that you will probably opt for sneakers. But ladies, please think twice about heels before stepping out for the night’s Halloween festivities, especially if you’re going to

LA Pride weekend is here, and the event celebrates achievements in the LGBT community while raising awareness of the struggles we've had to endure leading up to present day. However, as most of you know, Pride festivities also give us another chance to celebrate our individuality while attending lavish, alcohol-filled parties and walking the famous Pride parade down Santa Monica Boulevard in WeHo. With that said, here are some serious fashion do's and don'ts for this weekend's festivities. DO wear something with the rainbow flag or in its range of colors. The rainbow color scheme has become an international symbol for LGBT pride, so let yourself don the bright and fabulous colors this weekend. DON’T go nude. I’m all for being comfortable in one’s own skin, but there's a time and place. Sunday’s parade is an all-ages event and many LGBT families come out with their children… let’s not scar the little ones. DO dress appropriately for the weather. In case you haven’t picked up your phone and browsed the weather app, we are in store for a warm weekend in the eighties. Whip out your best summer wear and show off that physique you’ve been working so hard on with some tasteful shorts, tees and tanks. DON’T cake on that makeup. For some, creative costumes might require the amount of makeup that would clear out your local MAC counter. Be cautious. Think about how your face will look four hours later in the day. Do you really want to be that Pride attendee with his face melting off? No

The weekend is upon you, and you’re sick of what LA is offering. You need a temporary escape. How about a last minute road trip with a pit stop at some of the most popular outlet malls in Southern California on your way there? If your pocket can't afford the lavish tastes worthy of a Real Housewives cast member, I’ve offered a way for you to combine the adventure of a road trip with the chance to update your wardrobe as well. 1. Ontario Mills. If you’re craving the glitz and glam of the Las Vegas strip, make sure to stop at Ontario Mills just off the 15. Aside from the usual mall culprits like Aldo, Foot Locker and H&M, you’ve got some pretty outstanding outlet options that offer stylish pieces for cheap—Guess, J. Crew Factory and Lacoste, just to name a few. 2. Desert Hills Premium Outlets. If the Vegas nightlife seems a bit overwhelming for this weekend and you find yourself heading someplace more relaxing like Palm Springs, you can’t finish your journey without cruising off the 10 freeway and into the Desert Hills Premium Outlets. Any major designer you can think of has an outlet at this desert locale. Burberry, Fendi, Prada, Saint Laurent, Versace... the list goes on and on. 3. Camarillo Premium Outlets. If neither of these sounds appealing and a beach getaway like Santa Barbara or Summerland seems more opt for your Saturday and Sunday, the Camarillo Premium Outlets are a must-stop before you catch the surf. Camarillo has a ton of modestly priced options includes Banana R

One thing I love about music festival season as much as the next fashion aficionado is the opportunity to play around with wardrobe options. Some people opt for a clean and subtle palette, while others go for the standard basic bitch starter pack of anything fringe, neon, crocheted and cropped—topping everything with a signature flower crown of course. Then there are those people who decide to become truly experimental with their wardrobe and end up looking like they got dressed in the dark. Whether you're attending Governors Ball or Lollapalooza  or FYF later this summer, I give you some examples of what NOT to wear. 1. Tie-dye and butterfly wings. I’m not necessarily against tie-dye, but I think the pattern is more acceptable in moderation. Also, can we please talk about the wings? I won’t lie—I partially wanted to try them on and play with them, but I think I would have appreciated those wings for a more appropriate event like Carnivale or LA Pride… maybe even the upcoming EDC Las Vegas? But still how the hell are those at all convenient for a music festival? Two words: Personal space. I feel really bad to the unsuspecting festival-goer who probably got hit in the face once this dude decided to spread his wings and fly. I will, however, give him props on the gold sneakers—a metallic accessory is always on point.   2. The person who dresses like food. “He delivers.” Well, sadly this pizza man did not deliver in the outfit below. I don’t know a single person in the world wh

When you’ve decided to make Melrose Avenue your shopping destination for an afternoon, you have to ask yourself if you’re looking for some thrifty one-of-a-kind pieces or if you’d rather splurge on some trendy leading designer threads. If you go for the first option definitely stick to the blocks east of Fairfax. There you will find vintage shops such as Wasteland and also those “one off” boutiques that carry the reject merchandise from Forever 21 and men’s clothing emblazoned with oversized crosses and douchebag worthy catchphrases—both brought to you by Affliction Clothing. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve frequented that side of Melrose several times during my time at USC but that was when practically every weekend included some sort of themed party on the social calendar.  If your credit cards yearn for a bit of irresponsible spending, then west of Fairfax is where you shall take your plastic pocket-sized friends. Many leading designers have decided to make Melrose Avenue, west of Fairfax, the location for their LA residencies which include designs by Diesel, Isabel Marant and my personal favorite, Marc Jacobs. Mr. Marc loves this area so much he has four boutiques all within the same block radius. Aside from freestanding brick and mortar designer locales, you also have some neat boutiques that offer truly fresh, contemporary styles. Make sure you hit up Fred Segal, Ron Herman and TenOverSix. And for the visitors and tourists, swing by Kitson or DASH and pretend to shop in hopes

When it rains in Los Angeles, I’m one of the few who takes joy in the cooler temperatures. Not only because we get a break from our standard sunny atmosphere but also because colder temperatures make for some great sartorial moments: layers upon layers of fashionable clothing and accessories! I recently made the journey to New York City for fashion week and experiencing an East Coast winter in the dead of February has changed my perception of the word "cold." As I said before I’ve been a long fan of layers for LA winters but my Angeleno layers did not prepare me for the arctic tundra that I was about to endure. I arrived at JFK on a Thursday evening in some joggers, a sweatshirt, sneakers and a beanie. I would of course have to walk outside to hail a cab to my destination, but the brat inside me thought my outfit provided enough warmth while still maintaining a cool fashion factor. YEAH RIGHT! I took one step outside and ran back in to open my suitcase on the floor of the terminal to pull out a pea coat, scarf, gloves and an extra pair of socks. Once I had my winter armor in place I went back outside and thankfully the taxi queue wasn’t long, so it was only a minute before I was basking in the cab's heater. When I got to my friend’s apartment in Brooklyn, the dreamy thought of a winter wonderland quickly vanished when my eyes met a dark, blackish slush piled up on the sidewalk and street corner of every block for miles. Thankfully, two days later I was outside in the middle o