The Palos Verdes Performing Arts Center is such a great venue if you appreciate a smaller, intimate…read moreconcert experience. With only about 450 seats, there really isn't a bad seat in the house, and they consistently bring in fun and entertaining acts. On Saturday, 05/09, we caught Daybreak, a tribute to Barry Manilow, and it was a blast. The lead singer mentioned several times that he was battling a cold and wasn't thrilled with his vocal register that night, but honestly, I thought he sounded very good. The group is based out of Florida, so having them come through town felt like a real treat. They played all the hits, the frontman even has a resemblance to Barry, and you could tell that when fully healthy, his pipes can absolutely hit every note. Really fun evening, great crowd, and another reminder of why this venue is such a hidden gem in the South Bay.

The Norris Theater has been showing wonderful plays, musicians, tribute bands for decades. I…read morerecently saw the incomparable Sharon Owens perform as Barbra Streisand. She nailed Barbra. Her look, her hands, her voice, her singing. If you have a chance to see Ms Owens, do not hesitate. She is magnificent. I have seen Barbra live 4 times and as I told Sharon Owens, her performance was remarkable

I recently had both my wedding ceremony and reception at the Harlyne J. Norris Pavilion, and it was…read moretruly the perfect venue. The building is gorgeous on its own, and we loved having the outdoor green space for our ceremony while hosting cocktail hour and the reception inside with completely different setups and vibes that all flowed together seamlessly. We had about 150 guests, and the space accommodated everyone beautifully -- never crowded, never tight, and the dance floor stayed full all night without feeling cramped. The Pavilion gives you so much flexibility to customize, but also includes beautiful built‑in elements that make the space feel elevated without needing much. We added a white dance floor, a mirror ball, and a custom gobo, and the process was incredibly easy. Their onsite kitchen and preferred caterer, Colette's, made it simple to serve a fully gluten‑free menu, and we received so many compliments from guests. The rental process was effortless thanks to Dani, their rental coordinator, who absolutely slayed. She paid such close attention to detail, reminded me of everything I needed throughout the planning process, and put together clear diagrams that made setup day a breeze. The staff was kind, organized, and genuinely invested in making our wedding perfect. I would recommend the Pavilion wholeheartedly to any couple looking for a beautiful, customizable, and well‑run venue.

We visited about a dozen venues while looking for the right location for our daughter's bat…read moremitzvah, and the Norris Pavilion immediately stood out as the clear choice. The space offers a lot of flexibility with multiple rooms and layout options. It's very roomy. Our ~135 guests were comfortable throughout dinner, dancing, and mingling. Dani was wonderful from start to finish. She supported us for months during the planning process with professionalism and knowledge, and she went the extra mile to assist during the event. Her help was thoughtful and made a real difference. The Norris Pavilion is a stunning venue, and we would love to celebrate there again in the future.

Great staff and my daughter is enjoying the hip hop class. It was so crowded that they created…read moreanother class for the older kids. It is so enjoyable to see my daughter enjoying herself and having fun learning the different body moves. Thank you!

Great staff. My daughter had a great time. Just a bit busy and overcrowded, but I'm glad the studio…read moreis thriving.

I danced with this studio for about 8 years. While it's a great conservatory for serious students…read morewho love dance, there are several troubling aspects that I don't reflect back on fondly: - No water bottles were allowed inside the studio. This may have been to protect the floors, but water should always be available to young people doing intense exercise. - The studio has no windows and no air conditioning. - The technique students were taught forced turn out rather than working on the given flexibility of the hips. I can tell you from experience that this results in chronic knee, hip, and ankle pain (for some people). - Favoritism and bullying from the instructors wasn't unusual. Can be a nurturing environment for some, but for the students with issues or just going through the normal, lousy parts of being a teenager, this is not a kind place. - This may be true of nearly every studio, but it required an enormous amount of parent contribution. The students who fell behind or struggled were always the ones without a strong family network. The classical training from Uta and Lydia is top notch - some of my classmates have become professionals at SF Ballet, the Joffrey, and NYCB. While I can appreciate the no-nonsense, no-frills aspects of PV ballet, my mother and I look back on the experience and say, "Eh. Wouldn't do it again."

Can't believe this place is still here…read more.. I used to take ballet lessons here, like... 15 years ago?!?! It has been so long. Uta is a super strict teacher but she taught me all the basics of ballet. I wasn't prima ballerina material but some of the girls who went here went on to become professionals; that is how dedicated the pupils of this place are, and I applaud that.

My son has been taking lessons here almost since they opened. The teachers are professional…read moremusicians with their own bands, and they are so patient with the kids. Students can perform a few times a year. Most performances are at Norris Theatre and once a year is in the parking lot between Bristol Farms and CVS. Every child (and teen and adult!) is welcome, whether they're focused on one instrument or just wanting exposure to playing music. Love that the Doll family opened this studio on the hill.

Great musically talented instructors and awesome and friendly staff all the way from front office,…read moreand teachers. You can tell that the instructors care about music and each student. Haley at the front office is friendly and professional. Alec, Marcus are amazing guitar instructors who ensures that each kid has amazing time in music.

KNOW that this Miss Taiwan World Pageant is NOT the same thing as the Miss Taiwanese American…read morePageant. If you're trying to figure out which pageant to go with, go with the Miss Taiwanese American Pageant one. This pageant is among the MOST disorganized pageants anyone could ever sign up for. The event started late, & many of the guests who attended had to leave because the event was running late. (There were no food booths anywhere nearby!) Anyhow, I made the mistake of signing up for this pageant when I didn't fully understand the drama that happened between Taiwan Center Foundation of Greater Los Angeles (aka Taiwan Center in Rosemead) and Jack Liu, the Chairman/CEO of the Miss Taiwan Foundation/Miss Taiwan World Foundation (which runs the Miss Taiwan World Pageant, Miss Teen Taiwan World Pagent, Miss Pre-Teen Taiwan World Pageant, Miss Jr Taiwan World Pageant, & Mr. Jr Taiwan World Pageant.) I was even warned to not join that pageant when I first signed up. A weird thing about this pageant was that Jack said that individuals could automatically get a princess title if they said they were from another state or country. So if you said you were born or lived in Argentina or Pennsylvania, you'd get the title of "Miss Taiwan Argentina" or "Miss Taiwan Pennsylvania." However when I asked if I could get the title of "Miss Taiwan Arkansas" since I was born in Arkansas, they unfortunately turned me down. Very strange. The day after the pageant, he asks that everyone meets at the San Gabriel Mission to take photos. There were many volunteer photographers; however, I was never given a copy of the photos taken of me. Unfortunately, my filtered reviews here on Yelp were deleted... So if you'd like, you can contact me directly to understand the controversies around this pageant over the last several years.

Jack Liu is a very sensible and funny man. The pageant itself is a fun opportunity for people who…read morearen't very competitive. The pageant is not as competitive as other pageants out there but nevertheless, there is still an intro, q and a, and introducing a place in Taiwan.

I've bought two instruments from Palos Verdes Music House (a ukulele bass and a baritone ukulele)…read moreand have been very pleased with both. Jon the owner is friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. Living in Long Beach there are other music stores clcoser to me but it is well worth the drive to shop here. I might even start coming here for lessons soon. I would highly recommend this store to my musician friends especially over the big corporate stores. You gotta help the mom and pop stores out and this is a good one.

Purchased a locking (tsa compliant) hard travel case for my Kanile'a tenor (also purchased here)…read more Could I have bought it online? Yes. Could I have bought it at a larger store? Of course. But they can't compete with the personalized customer service you get at PV Music Store.

The good: This is a super cool concept claw arcade where you…read morecan win small and cute prizes like stuffed animals, bracelets and balls without needing to converse with a worker. My daughter won a princess bracelet and loves it (we ended up having to spend $8 to get it). I liked how bright and well lit the space was and liked that there wasn't overstimulating loud party music like there is at other claw arcades. The space is open, inviting and new. The bad: The machine was confusing to operate to get coins. I slid my credit card a few times and it didn't work but eventually used ApplePay. You have to click the yellow "continue" button at the bottom which I missed at first because it's small. Every game required two coins and the two big machine required 3 which is $2 and $3. This is more expensive than other claw machine arcades I've been to. It was also more difficult to win the small toys compared to the other claw arcade I've been to (I've been to 3 others at this point). The interesting: There's no attendant or workers inside. Just cameras. This is a chain Japanese business with other locations all over the state.

The claws are rigged to drop the prize. No shaking or anything to cause it to suddenly open and let…read morethe prize go. Sad because my little one was so upset after grabbing so many times and it dropping it each time. We have been to several clawcades and this is the first time we had this happen. Spoke to the person working telling him something was wrong since the claws popped open each time and he shrugged saying "well you aren't guaranteed to win". Save your money and little kid heartache.

This was the first time we dined at this establishment and I will it WILL NOT be the last time…read more The Palos Verdes Wine Club is a hidden gem that only locals know about for now. The restaurant/wine club is very quaint and has lots of character. We were greeted by the host who immediately seated us in the club room. There is lots of seating indoors and outdoors. Our servers, Brandon and Sienna, were excellent. They were very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu and wine list. We started off with a couple of glasses of white wine, which were recommended by Sienna, and the Mezze Board, which was an excellent pairing of harissa hummus and honey lavender whipped feta, served with pita. This was so good, we actually ordered another one to take home. For our main course I ordered the ribeye steak and my wife ordered the tiger prawns. Both were incredible. Each dish was perfectly cooked, and the ingredients were fresh and tasty. We finished with a slice of basque cheesecake which was amazing. I was able to meet Chef Esquibel and let him know that we totally enjoyed our dining experience and would soon become regulars. A must try in my opinion.

Enjoyed this wine spot tucked near the Pennisula mall. I stopped by for a tasting with friends and…read morethe waiter was knowledgeable and helpful. They had a wide variety of wines and options. Will stop by again for dinner.

I discovered ZenesisX last year when we came for a KPop Demon Hunters event with my girls and son…read more We had such a great time that we came back for another themed event, and it quickly became a favorite for our family! There's a great mix of virtual reality and console games, my husband loves the racing games, and I love watching the kids burn off energy on the light-up dance floor. When my son's birthday came around, he immediately asked to have his party at Zenesis. I had heard their birthday parties were easy on the parents, and now I understand why! The kids are completely entertained while the parents can actually sit, relax, talk, or use the free Wi-Fi. You would think a group of excited kids in an arcade would be running around everywhere, but surprisingly, they weren't! Once they found a console gaming chair or put on a VR headset, they were locked in. The most running around happened on the dance floor when the confetti went flying into the air! Co-founder Sophie was there during our party and made everything so easy and stress-free. She kept the energy fun for the kids and helped with setup and cleanup, so we could actually enjoy the party. What surprised me most was that it was the first time at Zenesis for all of my son's friends, even though many of them live right here in Torrance. By the end, several of the kids were already begging their parents to bring them back! I could also see this being a fun place for adults to get together for VR and racing games or even for a work/team-bonding event. The space and light-up dance floor would be great for a private event too, I wonder if that is offered. If you have a gamer kid, Zenesis is definitely worth checking out. It's great for a regular visit, birthday party, or one of their themed events. Even my 5-year-old loves coming with her older siblings and already has her own favorite game.

I can't say enough wonderful things about our experience at Zenesisx. I celebrated my twin boys'…read more7th birthday here with a few friends and we had an amazing time. Sophie took great care of us not only leading up to the event, but during our event as well. We had food catered from Dilly D (they deliver too!) and all the staff made us feel welcome. The staff were attentive to our entire group, never rushed us out, and they offered to clean up for us by the end. As far as the venue itself, there are sooo many games/stations and VR sets to choose from. The entire staff was also great with the kids, so naturally no kid wants to leave this place LOL. Thank you Sophie and team for giving my boys a wonderful birthday experience and taking the heavy lifting off this mama. We'll be back again soon!