Trip Price and Inclusions : $2499 per person/double occupancy

A division of Beyond Boundaries Travel, Spirited Women in History Tours develops convivial and highly interactive trips about what long ago female achievers said and did-all of it presented in the unquenchable spirit of the gals themselves! These tours are unique, exclusive and authentic, letting participants experience travel in an entirely original way.

Independent arrivals at the elegant Le Meridien Hotel at Beverly Hills. Relax in le Meridien's luxurious surroundings or take a stroll on Rodeo Drive or the nearby beaches of Santa Monica, Venice or Marina Del Rey.

Our journey begins with a welcome reception and keynote dinner at Le Meridien Hotel. Dr. Kevin Starr, the State Librarian of California and author of nine books, six of which are part of his Americans and the California Dream series, speaks to us about the historical influences of women in Los Angles, be it film, literature, politics, or ethnic influences. He sets the tone for the intelligent, philosophical, clever and fun conversations to take place during the program. By leveraging the history of our communities, Dr. Starr believes that we can use literature, film, music, architecture, and food to celebrate this history with others.

After a leisurely breakfast, we head to where it all began - El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles. Although nothing remains of the original pueblo built by the 44 settlers who founded Los Angeles in 1781, there remain 27 historic buildings in El Pueblo de Los Angeles. Our art historian, Rina Scott, and our architecture historian, Rochelle Mills, will take us on a walking tour of El Pueblo focusing on the contributions of women artists and entrepreneurs who shaped early Los Angeles history.

Rina is a professor of art history at UCLA and is a frequent lecturer and guide on art in Los Angeles. Rochelle is the former editor of L.A. Architect and UPDATES. She lectures and writes about architecture, art and cultural tourism and is a contributor to numerous publications on these subjects.

A short walk away we encounter another culture rich in history and traditions. The first Chinese were recorded to have arrived in Los Angeles in 1852 although these were primarily men. On October 22, 1859, the Los Angeles Star announced the arrival of the first Chinese woman in Los Angeles. She arrived to a violent and unsettled town. Partly due to U.S. Immigration policies and to Chinese cultural values, it would be many years before Chinese women were in numbers large enough to influence their communities.

Our introduction to this culture begins with best selling author and award-winning businesswoman, Angi Ma Wong, who leads us in a Feng Shui workshop. The art of Feng Shui has been used for centuries to guide life decisions, home and business life including the architectural design of some Chinese communities in California. Angi has been featured on OPRAH and other national news media.

We enjoy a short walk to Chinatown via art galleries before a sumptuous Dim Sum Banquet at the Empress Pavilion. Dim Sum, which literally means "touching your heart" was invented by a Qing Dynasty Imperial chef to please the Empress Dowager. Dim Sum is inextricably linked to the Chinese tradition of "yum cha" or drinking tea. Travelers along the famous Silk Road needed a place to rest, so teahouses began springing up along the roadside and with them the tradition of dim sum was born. It is fitting then as we travel through time to take our rest as it pleases the Empress Dowager.

A good walk is a fine idea after Dim Sum and we take ours with Angi on a walking and shopping tour of Chinatown. Angi knows all the best places to buy silk and other excellent Chinese products!

No program in El Pueblo would be complete without a visit to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The first American cathedral to be built in decades, it was designed to link the secular with the spiritual. In design, art and furnishings, the Cathedral is rich in cultural diversity combining the talents of a huge number of artists, many of which were women. Lead by our art historian, Rina, and our architecture historian, Rochelle, we see this remarkable building through their eyes.

What better way to relax after such an inspiring visit than to take in refreshing cocktails at Las Golondrinas, the first commercial restaurant in El Pueblo de Los Angeles established by a woman entrepreneur. Our journey into the early days of Los Angeles ends appropriately with dinner at an area restaurant where we enjoy an authentic menu from El Pueblo's early days.

Return to Hotel.

After a hearty breakfast we depart promptly from Le Meridien to explore women in art and film today.

Beginning at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the largest museum complex in Los Angeles, we explore 20th century female artists working in textiles, Indian and Southeast Asian art, contemporary art, Pre-Columbian art and American art. The museum is comprised of five buildings situated around a central courtyard.

Visits to private art collections complete the balance of our morning.

After a light lunch, we explore the exciting world of film and Hollywood through the eyes of early female pioneers in this exciting industry. In cooperation with the UCLA Film Archive Department, we will enjoy a private viewing at the James Bridges Theater and discussion of Ida Lupino or Dorothy Arzner films (depending on availability) - hosted by a director/editor from today.

Ida Lupino was an American director and actress working from 1932 to 1978 and is characterized as a social realist because she tackled daring topics which were usually overlooked in Hollywood at the time. Her characters were typically from the working class. Her films explore the themes of feminine sexuality, independence and dependence with her female characters as likely to be villains as they are to be heroines.

Dorothy Arzner worked in American film from 1922 to 1943 as a director, editor and script writer. Her films often depict women seeking independence through career or escaping from accepted female positions in the "hierarchy". The films offer typical Hollywood "happy" or "tragic" endings but it is Arzner's insistence on presenting the story from the female point of view which gives the films an exciting and unsettling quality.

Another visual treat awaits us at the private collection viewing at sunset when we see the James Turrell skypiece in a private venue. This superb collection includes works by Ed and Nancy Kienholz, Robert Rauschenberg, John Chamberlain, Mark di Suvero, Elizabeth Murray, Kiki Smith and Jean Michel Basquiat.

Enjoy a festive dinner at Michael's Restaurant, Michael McCarty's landmark California establishment. With a discussion of food as art by Michael, enjoy his distinctive cuisine on the private terrace that overlooks the garden. As art collectors, Michael and his wife Kim, who is also a painter, have commissioned many artists to create works displayed in their restaurant. Kim gives us a special art tour tonight.

Return to hotel.

After a leisurely breakfast we head to Pasadena and explore women architects and those who commissioned cutting edge buildings.

Our first stop is the Blacker House designed in 1907 by Greene & Greene for Nellie Blacker. In the Blacker House, Greene & Greene developed and brought forward the full thrust of their new and highly refined timber style to create what became the largest and most elaborate of their wooden masterworks.

After this visit, Elaine Adams, Executive Director of the California Art Club gives us a personal view into the CAC artist members. The California Art Club embraces a variety of artistic expressions from classical drawing to impressionistic techniques and is recognized as one of the oldest, largest and most active professional art organizations in the U.S. Artist members are juried into the organization and must be California residents. Of particular interest is en plein air painting - painting "in the open air". This "painting from life" is a pursuit unlike any other painting technique. It challenges the artist to concentrate every sensory nerve on the information in front of them. Painting en plein air would forever change how we see the world.

Time for a relaxing lunch.

Afternoon tour of the Fenyes Mansion and discussion of Eva Fenyes and her infamous Pasadena Art Salons. The Mansion was a gathering place for the cultural elite of Pasadena when Eva organized her California version of the "salon", providing the hospitality of her home to a large group of artists, writers and prominent Pasadena residents. The salon provides the perfect lead-in for our next event.

Mysteries, Molls and LA : Women have done it all! In a courtroom setting, mystery writer Kris Neri will engage us in a lively talk on why Los Angeles is a great setting for a mystery and how women's roles have evolved over time from molls and/or victims to butt-kicking detectives. Kris will then lead us in a game of Mystery Password and other fun! Kris Neri writes the Agatha, Anthony and Macavity Award-nominated Tracy Eaton mysteries, which feature the sassy, irreverent daughter of eccentric Hollywood stars, who brings an unconventional approach to fighting crime. She teaches crime writing for the prestigious Writers' Program of the UCLA Extension School.

Free evening for dinner and exploring in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica or where your fancy takes you!

Prompt departure after breakfast for Tustin where we will spend a fun morning/early afternoon with Zov Karamardian.

Zov Karamardian is the energetic and delightful chef/proprietor of Zov's Bistro. Not only has Zov won the coveted James Beard Foundation Angel Award in 2002, she was also profiled in Women's Day Magazine as an extraordinary woman who is making huge changes in her community. Best-selling author Dean Koontz writes "my wife Gerdy and I have dined at Zov's Bistro almost 2,000 times. Just 2,000 because Zov's serves dinner only Wednesday through Saturday..... If aliens ever abduct me, I will refuse to go - unless Zov's caters the mothership." Hidden away in a strip mall in Tustin, CA, the Armenian-Meets-Middle-Eastern-Meets-California restaurant has a fanatically loyal clientele who probably couldn't say what they love most about the place - owner/chef Zov Karamardian herself, or her "big, original and addicting...exotic flavors," as Orange Coast termed them. Koontz loves Zov's so much that he places the main characters at Zov's in a scene from his thriller Hideaway.

If this isn't enough reason to spend the day with Zov, we have organized a special treat for the group to participate in a Culinary Arts Class at Zov's Bistro. Then enjoy the fruits of our labor with great food, great wine and great company!

Afternoon free.

Get ready for an elegant dinner party (circa 1932) at the penthouse apartment of social butterfly and speakeasy owner Rosamunde Borde. The trendy Shangri-La Hotel in Santa Monica, which provides the scene for our evening's entertainment, is a historical landmark. It was designed and constructed in the Art Deco style of the late 1930's providing the perfect backdrop for Rosamunde Borde's "dinner party".

As we bask in the gorgeous ocean view from our private balcony, this fabulous week is wrapped up with stories of women we have celebrated and a few new ones as well. Several famous and "infamous" characters from the "Halcyon Days of Hollywood" will be in attendance at this soiree. Guests will be entertained by these characters and privy to their scandalous stories and secrets. There will be plenty of music, mystery, mayhem and a murder or two!

Independent departures. Guests may also choose to stay a few more days in the lovely California sunshine!