POMPANO BEACH

West Coast Delights Found At Whimsical Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles At Beverly Hills

By Norah Bradford

The legendary Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills is one of the most iconic properties in California.

Located minutes from world-renowned Rodeo Drive and Robertson Boulevard shops, providing the California al fresco lifestyle at its best with views of the Hollywood Hills or Downtown LA from every guest room balcony. The property boasts spacious suites, lush gardens, florals by Jeff Leatham, a floor dedicated to wellness with a Private Fitness suite, WELL office, Spa, and spacious pool deck with the outdoor Cabana restaurant. The property also features meeting rooms ideal for press junkets and a range of other events and celebrations, as well as the Italian Culina Ristorante and The Lounge.

Featuring 185 guest rooms and 100 suites, the 16-story building is a stunning example of luxury hospitality. For decades the landmark property has held the storied halls that have housed royalty to Hollywood celebrities for work stays and vacations.

In 2022, Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills was proudly named the number one hotel in Los Angeles by the 2022 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards. With an impressive score of 97.76, the property took the honors which elevated their already phenomenal status in the travel community.

“We are honored to be recognized by Condé Nast Traveler magazine as the top-rated hotel in Los Angeles, an accomplishment that would not be possible without the support of our loyal guests and the dedication of our outstanding team members. Los Angeles offers endless options for discerning travelers, and we are proud to continue our legacy as a leading hotel,” says David Wilkie, General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.

The legendary Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills features spacious suites, lush gardens, florals by Jeff Leatham, a floor dedicated to wellness with a Private Fitness suite, WELL office, Spa, and spacious pool deck with the outdoor Cabana restaurant. The property also features meeting rooms ideal for press junkets and a range of other events and celebrations, as well as the Italian Culina Ristorante and The Lounge.

One of the highlights on display is the outdoor pool set on a tropically landscaped terrace on the fourth floor, offering elevated city views; 6 poolside cabanas are available for spa treatments or a sheltered respite, with refreshments offered from the adjoining Cabana Restaurant.

Also, be sure to experience the new GEMCLINICAL facial treatments by KNESKO available at the spa. Addressing visible signs of ageing such as fine lines, wrinkles, dryness, puffiness, and uneven skin tone with the added benefit of re-balancing chakra energies throughout the body, each session elevates the individual to a level of bliss. Utilizing products charged with healing reiki energy to invite positive intentions and promote self-love, the new treatments create a state of total relaxation and well-being while showcasing a unique, holistic approach to skincare and self-care.

For more information please visit online.

LARRY CSONKA: HEAD ON MIAMI DOLPHINS FOOTBALL LEGEND LOOKS BACK

By Ira Kaufman (edited by Adam Kluger)

hat was the legacy or impact of the '72 Miami Dolphins team that went undefeated?

The NFL just voted us the top team of the first 100 years of the NFL. It means a lot when you contrast that against the teams of today . The game has changed so much from the time it was initiated over 100 years ago. It's hard to compare what's in the past with what's in the present but the important thing is that it's changing for the better and it's changing for the protection of the players. Back in our day ball control was the big thing and if you got two touchdowns ahead the game was kind of over. Today's game is different. The rules have changed to enhance the passing game and now even if you are 17 points down at the half many teams have come back and won it.

Your preparation for football was working on a farm and hauling feed to a bunch of cows and that was a practice that helped you become a Hall of Famer?

The physical part maybe... my high school principal made me read football books... how a team operates...understanding the game is probably the biggest first step.

Were you were drafted out of Syracuse?

I was drafted by Miami - I certainly didn't have any misgivings about that a young team coming on but two years later when coach Shula came we had that hurdle to go over because he had never had a very large running back before. I was 230 pounds and the first thing he did was move my weight down (laugh) and the second thing we did was get into an argument (laugh) we didn't argue all of the time...I think we found a comfortable position where we tolerated each other (laugh) that we could get our jobs done."

Back then you were the only team in town in the state it must have been cool to be the football team and the only pro team in the entire region Well it was a coming together of a lot of different things if you recall in the sixties there was a lot of civil strife going on racial stress there was a lot of things that led to trouble and it was nice to have a football team that was a gathering point. We had a following but then coach Shula came and we started to win, I've never seen a more significant unifying factor in a community that was really at odds with each other than to have a winning football team right in the heart of one of the worst areas in Miami, and it made a difference.

In the early days, they didn't have parking spaces for the players so you were out there tailgating with the fans?

Absolutely, Ira, you hit it right on the head...you talk about enhancing the relationship between the team and the fans we had ...sometimes we were there a couple of hours before the game and we would sit out there and eat hotdogs. We got a great elbow-rubbing situation with the fans we got to know them by name -- we would even take some of the fans that were out there into the game..."

Your running mate was Jim Kiick (and then Mercury Morris) it must have been fun to have a running back that you got along so well with and you are both carrying the ball constantly.

It was me and Jim initially and then when Shula first came Jim was in the lead back position and I was doing a little more blocking but then Shula saw the potential. He brought in an offensive line coach with him Monte Clark and he loved to use the power running game so it became a mixture with the three backs but that only worked if the three backs, myself, Jim Kiick, and Mercury Morris got along. Fortunately, all three of us enjoyed each other's company and there was never any animosity between us. I think Jim and Merc were competitive as far as wanting to get in the game more but that's a healthy situation. They were close friends. We all wanted to win and whatever it took in terms of sacrifice we were all willing to do that.

Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Paul Warfield was also on the team

When Paul first got there in 1970 - on one play I did not like the defensive back on the other side of the ball from Buffalo and I was power running up through the middle and at the vanguard of that avalanche of humanity I turned and hit that defensive back at the last second and knocked him silly with all that momentum and when I come back to the huddle Paul you went 12-2 in '73 and you won the Superbowl and you were 32-2 in two years and you've even said that the 73 team was better than the '72 team because you just dominated everybody.

Warfield looked at me and said "thanks, Doc" and then he had that guy on a one on one coverage the next play and because his eyes were still crossed from the earlier impact that's when I discovered how much I could contribute to the passing game by running into the defensive backs downfield (laugh).

Coach Shula sometimes had four practices a day and didn't give you water breaks in the hot Miami sun- how did you survive that?

I don't know (laugh) it was either get in great shape or die (laugh) we had a couple of guys fall down from getting over-heated. I don't think you could execute that today I don't think the union would let that happen but that was then and now is now as it turns out it was a great thing and made a difference in all of those games in the fourth quarter in 85-degree heat which happened several times in '71 or '72. That 49ers game, they just weren't used to that heat they had put up a great fight but in the fourth quarter, we just handled them because the physical demand was too much. Anytime it was 85 degrees we knew we had an edge.

You lost to the Cowboys in the Super Bowl in '71 but before that '72 season you had a feeling that this is going to be our year- the extra practice after losing the SuperBowl you said Shula made you keep watching the film of the game so you had a feeling that '72 could have been a special year.

We knew that Shula was going to be more intent than ever because right after the Superbowl in '71 he threw everybody out of the locker room except the coaches and players and he said, "I want every one of you to think about how you feel right now and we are going to draw from this and we are going to go one game at a time with the idea of playing every game as though it was the Superbowl." He never said we would have an undefeated season what he did predict was that we were going to take every game seriously and he lived up to his word. When he said that Jim Kiick looked at me because we had already been through foura-days in 85-degree heat with no water...so, when Shula said that, Jim Kiick winked at me and said, "buckle up" (laugh) and his prediction was true. We never had a passing thought of winning every game because no one had ever done that but what we were going to do was to prepare for every game as though it was the Superbowl. That showed Shula's intent because we did and he made us because he had his foot in our butt all the time. No detail was too small to be overlooked. He would bring it up and dwell on it until you just did it right just to get him to shut up and that's the way it was.

Hall of Fame QB Bob Griese got injured and was out the majority of the regular season in '72 and you still were able to win after losing your star quarterback.

His leg was broken. it was against Dan Diego in about the fourth game. the defender went airborne and landed on Bob's leg just as he was throwing the pass and broke his leg down below his knee, he was gone for six or seven weeks and we had a fellow named Earl Morrall step forward and to have a quality player like Earl there that was a great addition to our team that year. A really smart move by Shula in preseason. Earl was just one of those detail-oriented guys he had played for Shula for many years before and he knew what the whole setup was and he just came in clapped his hands and we took it one play at a time and that's the way it went.

In the Superbowl, you were up 14-0 totally dominating the game and then your kicker tried to do something crazy and that made the game a little closer.

It was a low kick and it bounced back into the arms of our kicker Garo Yepremian, and for years Shula always hollered at him "always fall on the ball don't try to do anything with it", because we had a great defense and Garo, at the moment, tried to throw it. He was left-handed and tried to throw it with his right hand and it was intercepted and run back- instead of a 17-0 score during a 17-0 season, which was destiny, we had just breathed life into the Redskins and it was 14-7 with several minutes left in the game so it was a very tough situation and a guy named Jake Scott a weak side safety intercepted a ball late in the fourth quarter just by his fingertips and that made the difference in that game.

You went on every single tv show after the Superbowl. That must have been so fun.

It was fun I think Jim Kiick and I got an unfair amount of publicity with the "Butch & Sundance" thing so we capitalized on it twice as much as some of the other players.

I think the '73 team in terms of just ball domination during the game didn't have as many close games let's put it that way. Most of the time it was pretty much a given that we were going to win.

Do you still have a close brotherhood with your old teammates?

We look forward to getting together every year and the Dolphins have us back and watch practice the night before and then come back and watch the game the next day. It is a lot of fun and the stories get wilder and wilder. I feel good about the book and it's very true to what happened but when you get together with the fellows there's always a difference of opinion of who did what and when who picked up a blitz or something. (laugh)

To listen to the entire interview please visit @iraonsports