Balboa Bay Club

The Balboa Bay Club was evacuated Tuesday after a toxic odor arose when a worker mixed cleaning solutions to unclog a kitchen drain, officials said. About 40 workers were evacuated about 8 a.m. when the smell wafted into the kitchen, banquet room and meeting areas. Seven people were taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach for evaluations, officials said. Fire officials neutralized the chemicals and declared the area safe about 11 a.m.

One perk to loving a jet-set executive who lives in another state: traveling. I spend a lot of weekends in hotels between Orange County and Oregon. But as the calendar inched toward Valentine's Day, my beau, Ron, said he'd meet me far more than halfway. In mid-January, he and I stayed in my hometown at the recently renovated and expanded Balboa Bay Club & Resort, a polished playground with romantic views and a storied past. Escaping close to home is a smart luxury.

Sen. John Edwards bounded on stage Saturday afternoon at the venerable Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach planted his feet firmly and told an audience of about 400 that he had arrived at a special place, one he had been describing for more than a year. "Many of you who heard me during the presidential primaries; heard me talk about one America where people struggled to get by, struggled to pay their bills, can't save any money," said Edwards, the presumed Democratic vice presidential candidate.

This is what makes a hotel owner nervous. Beverly Ray has been shepherding construction of an upscale 132-room hotel next to Newport Beach's Balboa Bay Club for more than a decade. Tonight up to 3,000 club members will tour the hotel, and the rooms will be filled by the paying public, including one high-roller who has reserved the $3,500-per-night Presidential Suite.

Members of the exclusive Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach expressed shock and disappointment Thursday as news spread that one of their own had been indicted as an accused player in an international drug smuggling ring.

Middle age goes down a bit hard in Newport Beach, where 50 is well past face-lift time. So says the image. And image is what the city's Balboa Bay Club has cultivated for half a century. The big yacht parked dockside. The big stogie puffed poolside. Collagen marvels perched barside, scouting for Mr. Rich. Such was the version offered by author Joseph Wambaugh, who immortalized and sensationalized the club in his 1990 novel "The Golden Orange."

The Newport Beach Recital Series will present a three-concert Neptune Festival starting Aug. 9 at the Balboa Bay Club. The opening program will feature music by Beethoven played by Los Angeles Philharmonic principal clarinetist Michele Zukovsky, Pacific Symphony principal cellist Timothy Landauer and pianist Leonid Levitsky, who is also the series' artistic director. On Aug. 12, Landauer, Levitsky and Martin Chalifour, the L.A.

Middle age goes down a bit hard in Newport Beach, where 50 is well past face-lift time. So says the image. And image is what the city's Balboa Bay Club has cultivated for half a century. The big yacht parked dockside. The big stogie puffed poolside. Collagen marvels perched barside, scouting for Mr. Rich. Such was the version offered by author Joseph Wambaugh, who immortalized and sensationalized the club in his 1990 novel "The Golden Orange."