“Don’t go east beyond the 99” is a phrase I frequently heard as the new kid on the block in Bakersfield.

“Plant-based” is a term loosely thrown around these days and there appears to be no unanimously agreed-upon definition.

Three years ago, I received a magnet from Olivia Garcia.

I wanted to start my own business well before I moved to Bakersfield in 2010.

When you hear the word retired, it tends to evoke images of someone who spends their days fishing, playing golf or taking naps. However, the members of Kern Retired Teachers Association are doing anything but resting on their laurels.

At 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, 1938, Bill Lee’s Bamboo Chopsticks celebrated its grand opening by giving away free sets of bamboo chopsticks.

Let’s be honest: Ice cream is good any time of the year.

The 2018-19 school year is over, making it the perfect time to hand out some end-of-the-year recognition to some of the top local sports performers. For the first time ever, I have selected an athlete of the year for each of six different categories. These are my choices, and mine alone. The…

In this day and age, everyone is a photographer to a varying degree.

Every month, Bike Bakersfield hosts a full-moon ride that starts at Beach Park in downtown Bakersfield and ends at Lengthwise at The Marketplace in southwest Bakersfield. It’s an opportunity to sample the entire menu – after all, you did burn a few calories along the way. The subject this mo…

Two out of the last four rides organized by the Kern Wheelmen Recreational Group have taken riders to and through the Caliente-Twin Oaks area with a stop at the Twin Oaks General Store for a bite to eat. The Twin Oaks General Store – or TOGS as it’s commonly known – is truly special. Located…

Is age really just a number?

The year is 1989.

Lisa Borda grew up in the country, picking vegetables from her maternal grandmother’s garden and learning to cook alongside her mother.

When I think about the purpose of the 20 under 40 People to Watch feature, I am reminded of how I was raised.

When Rob McCarthy started a local company that eventually became known as Lightspeed Systems 35 years ago, he and his wife, Judi, talked often about doing something philanthropically should good fortune come their way.

Absent a “get rich quick” scheme, it takes hard work to amass wealth. Assuming that you didn’t win the lottery, you are probably on the same path as the rest of us. Did you know that your personality traits have a strong influence on your finances and your chances of building wealth? You may…

Bakersfield’s central location puts it within two to four hours of many popular destinations in California and nearby states.

Beck Dobrzanski, a Garces grad and athlete, is making waves as a sponsored professional scooterist. He’s making his name on social media all while helping the local Bakersfield scooter and skate scene get on the radar.

Relive last night’s event at the Petroleum Club of Bakersfield, sponsored by the CSUB Alumni Association, when Bakersfield Life Magazine honored this year’s group of 20 Under 40 People to Watch! Read about these influential young movers and shakers in the July issue, which comes out June 29.

What does it take to be a 20 Under 40 Person to Watch? Let this year’s group tell you! Bakersfield Life Magazine is proud to announce the class of 2019! Read about these young movers and shakers in the July issue, which publishes June 29!

June is the start of summer vacation for many locals and Bakersfield’s central location provides myriad opportunities to beat the heat, take a break from the daily grind and escape. Whether it’s getting lost in nature, engaging in nightlife in cities that never sleep or disconnecting from ou…

Bringing out local media personalities and community leaders is the annual Media Music Jam, which will be held on June 22. For the last six years, this annual event has found a home at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace. The event brings out 30 media personalities and community leaders as they lend …

In early March, I went with some friends to a CicLAvia event in Culver City, which closed streets to cars and opened them up for people of all ages to ride, walk, stroll or run as they explore a variety of shops, restaurants, food trucks and more.

It was a scene out of a high-intensity thriller. We were stowaways in the back of a large SUV headed for the summit of Hawaii’s Mt. Haleakala. The national park, known for its unparalleled view of the sunrise 10,000 feet above sea level, had just denied our vehicle entry.

Summer has arrived and so has the season for new, creative styles for home decor.

Why travel out of town to see great talent perform in high-end venues when Bakersfield already has a homegrown locale with tasty food and award-winning beers all housed at Temblor Brewing Company?

June is here and the school year is over. But before the 2018-19 season came to end, several local high school and college athletes turned in outstanding performances during the spring sports season while in the pro ranks, history continued to be made.

In the oil and gas industry, “The Great Crew Change” is happening.

Kern County, with its own lengthy list of fun getaways, is also the spoke in the California adventure wheel. Fan out a hundred miles or so and several hours’ drive in any direction and you’ve hit the excursion jackpot.

What started off as a reporter job lead to a passion and love for a subject she thought she wasn’t good at.

A “staycation” is more of a modern term that has entered the American vernacular, but as summer approaches and the itch to get out of the house starts, sometimes a staycation is just what one needs.

I’ll be the first to tell you, as much as I genuinely love being in Bakersfield, I love adventuring out of it just as much.

In 1910, Security Trust Bank opened on the corner of 18th Street and Chester Avenue, a showcase of neoclassical architecture, grandiose in scale and highlighted by its dramatic columns.

As the days start to get a bit warmer and the days seem a bit longer, I start to have summer on my mind.

I was on a trip in Las Vegas walking around a casino when I was stopped in my tracks. Before me was this beautiful mosaic and I just stared and marveled at this wonderful artistic work.

Just as geese fly south for the winter, we Bakersfielders go west during the summer.

Many taxpayers who filed their 2018 tax returns are still seeing red. Even if their tax burden was lower than previous years, they discovered that they owed money to the IRS – sometimes painfully large amounts.

Is travel a luxury or a necessity when it comes to your well-being?

As summer approaches and our lifestyles get even more hectic, believe it or not, you can still eat healthy while on the go. As impossible as this may sound, there are ways you can sneak in healthy snacks and foods throughout the day that help improve your health. Fast food has become a stapl…

As summer kicks off, don’t just prepare for the hot weather, be prepared for the messy fun that comes with it.

From 2012 to 2016, California experienced the driest four-year span (2012-2015) and the three warmest years (2014, 2015 and 2016) on record. Water conservation regulations were implemented and lawns turned brown.

The East Bakersfield Beer Festival, aka Brews on the Hill, is popping bottles and tapping kegs for the second year in a row May 18.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Whether you’re walking, driving or taking a Bird around downtown Bakersfield, it’s almost impossible to miss the Padre Hotel. With its name in lights in the heart of downtown, it contains a charisma that is hard to resist.

“Let’s invite all the models back for our grand finale!”