Palos Verdes Peninsula

Rooms that protrude from the main structure seem to float in the air at this three-story house atop the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Entered through a rotunda with a 9-foot-wide skylight dome, the glass, steel and concrete contemporary has expansive views of the Los Angeles Basin and the coastline. The details Location: 3807 Crest Road, Rancho Palos Verdes 90275 Price: $5.5 million Previously sold for: $3 million in 2005 Architect: Joe Addo Year built: 1994 House size: Five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, about 8,500 square feet in a main house, guesthouse and gym Lot size: Half-acre Features: Elevator, rooftop observation deck, wine room, massage room, lap pool, spa About the area: In the first half of the year, 158 single-family homes sold in the 90275 ZIP Code at a median price of $885,000, according to DataQuick.

No one had to tell Braeden Benedict that concussions are an issue in youth football. Twice in the last two seasons, the 15-year-old watched teammates suffer from what coaches call "getting your bell rung. " Even scarier, his friends continued to play, unaware of their injuries until later, when headaches set in. "I'm thinking, 'Well, this is a problem,'" Benedict said. "What can we do?" Bright and articulate, this Palos Verdes Peninsula High freshman barely weighs 100 pounds and looks more like an honors student than a fullback.

New York banker Frank Vanderlip was so captivated by the Palos Verdes Peninsula that he formed a syndicate of millionaires to buy up 16,000 acres of one of the original California ranchos in 1913 -- sight unseen. The idea was to develop exclusive residences at Portuguese Bend with a country club, golf course, tennis courts, polo grounds and other luxurious touches on a coastline he knew was ripe for development. Vanderlip had another, more personal vision too. He felt that a hilltop at Portuguese Bend, which reminded him of the Italian coast, would be the perfect spot to build an estate for his family, one that would be copied from an ancient Roman villa.

Rooms that protrude from the main structure seem to float in the air at this three-story house atop the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Entered through a rotunda with a 9-foot-wide skylight dome, the glass, steel and concrete contemporary has expansive views of the Los Angeles Basin and the coastline. The details Location: 3807 Crest Road, Rancho Palos Verdes 90275 Price: $5.5 million Previously sold for: $3 million in 2005 Architect: Joe Addo Year built: 1994 House size: Five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, about 8,500 square feet in a main house, guesthouse and gym Lot size: Half-acre Features: Elevator, rooftop observation deck, wine room, massage room, lap pool, spa About the area: In the first half of the year, 158 single-family homes sold in the 90275 ZIP Code at a median price of $885,000, according to DataQuick.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula is one of those places that most Angelenos view from the beaches that dot the Santa Monica Bay. But those who venture to the top of this hillside community at the end of the L.A. basin know that there are scenic coastal bluffs, dozens of hikes and many points of interest. Friday Start your trip with a visit to the Point Vicente Interpretive Center (31501 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes, [310] 377-5370).

A rare blue butterfly took flight Saturday morning on a wind-swept bluff of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Then another. And then another. A cluster of conservationists watched in awe. In all, 80 endangered butterflies, each bred in captivity, ventured into the wild for the first time. It was a big step toward saving the Palos Verdes blue butterfly from extinction. The peninsula had been its only home on the planet until 20th century development bulldozed its habitat. "I'm just ecstatic to be here," biologist Jana Johnson told the gathering moments before the cobalt-blue butterflies were set free in a gully of San Pedro's Friendship Park.

The men are wearing neckties. The women are in hats, many of them holding babies. There are 187 people in the black-and-white photograph standing in front of a building, all of them Japanese except for three white people, a man toward the back with a long white beard and two partly obscured women. The photo was taken Nov. 24, 1923. "Commemorative photograph of the dedication ceremony for the farm cooperative hall at the Port of San Pedro, Calif., U.S.A." is the caption, written in Japanese.

In Palos Verdes one has the impression of entering a paradise designed by the Spanish for the anointed of heaven. --Louis Bromfield Vogue magazine, 1930 The little-known and infrequently traveled trails of the Palos Verdes Peninsula offer the hiker a tranquil escape from metropolitan life. During March, the hills are colored an emerald green and sprinkled with wildflowers, and you might spot a migrating California gray whale on the horizon.

Detectives were trying Tuesday to sort out the mysterious death of a prominent Los Angeles attorney, who was found fatally shot in the driveway of his home in an affluent Palos Verdes Peninsula city. Jeffrey Tidus, 53, an attorney with Baute & Tidus, a boutique firm specializing in civil litigation in downtown Los Angeles, was found outside his home in Rolling Hills Estates about 8:30 p.m. Monday. He died Tuesday morning at a hospital. Tidus was a former board member of the State Bar of California with a number of high-profile former clients, including New Century Financial, Isuzu Motors, California Federal Savings and Tokai Bank.

Residents of the Palos Verdes Peninsula are notoriously protective of their views, as Donald Trump recently learned when he planted a 10-foot hedge of ficus trees at his Trump National Golf Club. And rightfully so: The posh enclave -- which consists of Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills Estates and the gated Rolling Hills -- boasts some of the last unspoiled coastline in the state, making it a paradise for hikers, bikers and horseback riders.

New York banker Frank Vanderlip was so captivated by the Palos Verdes Peninsula that he formed a syndicate of millionaires to buy up 16,000 acres of one of the original California ranchos in 1913 -- sight unseen. The idea was to develop exclusive residences at Portuguese Bend with a country club, golf course, tennis courts, polo grounds and other luxurious touches on a coastline he knew was ripe for development. Vanderlip had another, more personal vision too. He felt that a hilltop at Portuguese Bend, which reminded him of the Italian coast, would be the perfect spot to build an estate for his family, one that would be copied from an ancient Roman villa.

After second-seeded Oxnard Santa Clara blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead and trailed by one with just over two minutes remaining, Cynthia Hernandez made three of four free throws to help the Saints defeat top-seeded Playa del Rey St. Bernard, 52-49, in the girls' Southern Section Division 5AA championship at Santa Ana Mater Dei. "She was unbelievable," Santa Clara Coach Ruben Marin said of Hernandez. "She wanted to put the team on her back and carry us. " Hernandez finished with a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds for Santa Clara (25-6)

A rare blue butterfly took flight Saturday morning on a wind-swept bluff of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Then another. And then another. A cluster of conservationists watched in awe. In all, 80 endangered butterflies, each bred in captivity, ventured into the wild for the first time. It was a big step toward saving the Palos Verdes blue butterfly from extinction. The peninsula had been its only home on the planet until 20th century development bulldozed its habitat. "I'm just ecstatic to be here," biologist Jana Johnson told the gathering moments before the cobalt-blue butterflies were set free in a gully of San Pedro's Friendship Park.

This contemporary condominium on the Venice boardwalk offers up-close ocean views through floor-to-ceiling glass walls and a rooftop deck that overlooks the beach. The newly constructed condo, situated between a hotel and a gift shop, is one of the few single-family residences among the boardwalk's retail establishments. The building's two units can be bought separately or together. "I love the mix of this beach community," says Frank Murphy, a Venice developer who lived in the building when it was a juice bar with apartments above.

The men are wearing neckties. The women are in hats, many of them holding babies. There are 187 people in the black-and-white photograph standing in front of a building, all of them Japanese except for three white people, a man toward the back with a long white beard and two partly obscured women. The photo was taken Nov. 24, 1923. "Commemorative photograph of the dedication ceremony for the farm cooperative hall at the Port of San Pedro, Calif., U.S.A." is the caption, written in Japanese.

Authorities declared the death of a prominent L.A. attorney shot in the head outside his Rolling Hills Estates home a homicide and said they were now scrutinizing his casework for potential clues. Detectives have already interviewed Jeffrey Tidus' family and business partners at Baute & Tidus, a downtown Los Angeles law firm specializing in civil litigation, to help them identify any cases or incidents that could have spurred conflict. Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Dave Dolson said that the motive for the Monday evening shooting remained unclear and that his investigators had not ruled out anything from a targeted killing to an unplanned confrontation.

Six Palos Verdes Peninsula homes will be featured on a home tour presented from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today by the Long Beach/South Bay chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at the first home on the tour, 27406 Rainbow Ridge Road.

Detectives were trying Tuesday to sort out the mysterious death of a prominent Los Angeles attorney, who was found fatally shot in the driveway of his home in an affluent Palos Verdes Peninsula city. Jeffrey Tidus, 53, an attorney with Baute & Tidus, a boutique firm specializing in civil litigation in downtown Los Angeles, was found outside his home in Rolling Hills Estates about 8:30 p.m. Monday. He died Tuesday morning at a hospital. Tidus was a former board member of the State Bar of California with a number of high-profile former clients, including New Century Financial, Isuzu Motors, California Federal Savings and Tokai Bank.

Not long after he moved to California, John Monks bought three acres of land on the Palos Verdes Peninsula on which he planned to build a home with enough land to indulge his joy of gardening, where his kids could grow up, and he and his wife could retire. The land in Portuguese Bend had a 180-degree view of the ocean, and on a clear day, Catalina seemed so close it felt like you could walk there. "It was probably my father's favorite place to be," said Monks' son Dennen. "My father desperately wanted to live there."