From the moment we set foot in Palexpo to the time we left, our expectations were overachieved with an onslaught of news and product releases from auto companies, bike manufacturers, tire suppliers and of course dance schools.

International investors are buying some of the priciest homes in America as the general housing market slumps and the weak dollar makes U.S. property more of a bargain. Among those wealthy investors are a slew of Russian individuals who are putting down large sums of money on U.S. homes.

The entire San Francisco 49ers team, including with their owner, Dr. John York, President/CEO Jed York, head coach Jim Harbaugh, and general manager Trent Baalke joined top Silicon Valley CEOs to don aprons on Tuesday, August 9 for their role as celebrity waiters for nearly 1,000 guests at the fifth annual Pasta Bowl at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

When you think of fashion icons you may not immediately go to Steve Jobs for inspiration. But something about the jeans and black turtleneck look sparked an interesting comment by acclaimed couturier Ralph Rucci.

Gooding & Company’s annual Pebble Beach Auctions regularly consigns autos with impressive histories, but this year the auction house will up the ante with several vehicles boasting celebrity connections.

Saks Fifth Avenue and The League to Save Lake Tahoe present the annual luncheon and fashion show featuring the Oscar de la Renta Resort 2012 Collection at in Lake Tahoe on Saturday August 6th.

A rare event is occurring on the 2,000-acre exclusive ranch owned by Clint Eastwood near Carmel, California. A home site will be placed on the auction block with a suggested starting bid of $1.75 million.

Sosta, the Lincoln Road eatery known for its authentic thin crusted pizzas and farm fresh salads, has recently expanded its menu to include a variety of dinner salads, crudo and Italian specialties certain to tantalize even the most discriminating palate.

A recent Huffington Post story by Dr Michael Yaremchuk, Chief of Craniofacial Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, addressed the growing trend of medical tourism—aka, traveling across international borders for medical procedures.

Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s ascension to greatness as a formidable culinary figure in the United States, and now globally, is an admirable story indeed. The latest culmination of his success is coming this Thursday, August 18 to Vail, CO with the opening of his 29th restaurant, an installment of his celebrated Matsuhisa restaurants.

Masterful couturier Naeem Khan is launching yet another limited collection for interactive multichannel retailer HSN. This round, Khan has collaborated with exquisite French faux fur maker Tissavel Tiger (manufactured by Tiger J LLC) on a high-quality line called “Timeless by Naeem Khan.” The pieces will go on sale in November on HSN.

A series of auctions in two of California’s most exclusive communities have brokers worrying about a possible decrease in property value. 2,000 acres of Clint Eastwood’s ranch near Carmel California, a small city in Monterey country, will soon be going to auction.

On August 7th, Joy Venturini Bianchi hosted the Third Anniversary Helpers House of Couture in San Francisco. The fashionable event celebrated the life of Brenda Joyce Stowers and her International Collection of American, Asian and European Designers Bill Blass, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix Missoni, Issey Miyake, Prada, YSL Dries van Noten, Junya Watanabe and Yohji Yamamoto.

Imagine sitting down at a restaurant and subsequently having the power go out. Now imagine that you feel the AC come back on, you hear the waiters bustling around and you can smell your food being served to you, but you still can't see anything. Wednesday, August 24, seasoned restaurateur and owner of City Hall-The Restaurant Steve Haas will pair up with Ability Explosion to offer just that--a night of dark dining.

I’ve been in my home for a number of years, should I make some changes? Where do I begin? Should I renovate, or just redecorate? These are questions that I often hear from clients. Figuring out where to start and how much to do often depends on the value of your home.

One of the biggest news items for watch fans last year was about something small: the Corum Golden Bridge turned 30. Introduced in 1980, the Corum Golden Bridge was then and is now a design that plays against conventional expectations of a watch.

Marc Jacobs, the creative director at Louis Vuitton and founder of his own eponymous luxury label, is reportedly being considered to take on the position as head designer for Christian Dior. The coveted spot at the iconic design house opened up after Dior’s former head designer, John Galliano, was stricken by scandal and fired after being charged with racially abusing people in a Paris café.

Waterbar restaurant in San Francisco will celebrate the sustainable oyster on August 27 with a bayside party at their 3rd annual OysterFest to raise funds for the Surfrider Foundation.