Being a new dad to a crying baby can be tough. But Erik Evens and his wife, Robin Lee, found a way to cope when their daughter was born six years ago.

“It was really hard for us to get alone time,” Evens, 55, said. “In desperation, we decided that we would gift each other ‘Voyages of Solitude.’”

His wife went on a four-day spa retreat in Palm Springs.

Evens, an avid sailor, quickly opted to set sail for Catalina Island on his 25-foot Yankee Dolphin boat named after his wife.

“I had four days of blissful serenity,” said Evens, of Evens Architects in Marina del Rey, who spent his time kayaking, reading and enjoying the scenery.

The solo voyages have become a recurring trip for the couple.

“We certainly enjoy vacationing as a family, but sometimes you need a little alone time and it’s become something that’s kind of nice for us.”

Underserved Overseas

Michael Banner has spent most of his career – and his free time – working on behalf of underserved communities. As chief executive of non-profit community development bank Los Angeles LDC, he provides capital for real estate projects in low-income urban neighborhoods that show potential for revitalization. And as a longtime member of the Urban Land Institute, he has traveled the country – from Chicago to Philadelphia to West Palm Beach, Fla. – serving on advisory panels to help cities and developers solve real estate problems in areas with poverty and blight.

Banner, 60, was recently given the opportunity to use his expertise overseas. Funded by the World Bank, last week he hopped a flight with a team of real estate and land-use experts to South Africa. There, he will spend three days in Buffalo City on the Eastern Cape advising officials on local development issues. In January, he will return to South Africa to do the same for five days in Durban.

“My sense is if they’re asking me to come, there are some issues of regeneration, poverty and how to connect communities together that need to be solved,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to me to see what the similarities are in international issues versus domestic issues.”

Staff reporters Subrina Hudson and Bethany Firnhaber contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].