Vacationing in San Diego is one of those quintessential California experiences.  The weather, the beach, the proximity to Mexico, and all of it seen in countless movies (Top Gun, Almost Famous, Flight of the Intruder) and on television (Gomer Pyle, Simon & Simon, That 80’s Show).
So what is there to do in this second largest city in California?
Here are some ideas, in no particular order:

San Diego Zoo & Wild Animal Park – Animal lovers will love both of these locations.  The zoo is in Balboa Park and the animal park is a short drive away in Escondido.
Balboa Park – Not …read more

Think of wine, and you likely think of the Bay area of San Francisco.  Think a little more, and you probably think of Napa.  But if you stop there, you’d be missing out on a whole lot of great wineries – located on the other side of the bay in Sonoma County.
Wine related travel is a popular part of Sonoma County, with its 13 American Viticultural areas, each with distinctive characteristics.  The Pacific coastline, redwood forests, fertile valleys, and mountains all add to the mix in producing some truly outstanding wines.
Take a day trip from Oakland or San Francisco, …read more

Visitors to San Francisco’s Chinatown next month will have the opportunity to enjoy the 19th Annual Autumn Moon Festival.  Moon Festival celebrations are not yet commonplace in the US, although they’ve been held in Asia for over a thousand years.  The festival is a changing of season event, a time to give thanks for a plentiful summer harvest, and the changing of the moon and the seasons.  Often equated to a sort of “Chinese Thanksgiving,” it’s a way to mark the passing of one season to the next, and to give thanks for the abundance of life.
Of course, just like …read more

Fans of all things Disney will soon have a new museum to check out – The Walt Disney Family Museum, set to open October 1st, 2009 in San Francisco.  The museum will be contained in three historic buildings in the Presidio, a former barracks, a former gymnasium, and a former storage facility.  These buildings will include 10 galleries dedicated to chronicling the life of Walt Disney.
The story of Disney will evolve from the drawings of his youth, to the founding of his first company (Laugh-
O-GramFilms), to the birth of Mickey Mouse, to the opening of Disneyland.  Along the way, you’ll …read more

Deciding where to eat when you’re on vacation can often be an exasperating experience.  After spending hours going back and forth with “I don’t know, where do you want to go?” you may find yourself starving, frustrated, and ending up eating something that you really don’t want.  Yeah, I’ve done that before!
San Francisco, a city full of great food options, wants to make the decision a little easier for you with its website Taste SF.
Organized into useful sections like Inspiring Views (great ideas for special occasions) and brunch, as well as by type of cuisine, price range, and neighborhood, …read more

Some of the wealthiest people, highest priced real estate, and celebrities of all sorts, call Beverly Hills home, making it a rather exclusive and expensive place to live and visit.  But that doesn’t mean there aren’t bargain to be had.
Here are 5 FREE things to do in Beverly Hills this summer:

Outdoor concerts at Beverly Hills Civic Center Plaza as part of the Summer Nights in the Plaza series, starting July 11th.
Take a self-guided walking tour of the various public art sculptures around town.  Give Fido a work out as well by taking him along on your walk.
Wander the Beverly …read more

With its beautiful location on the ocean, and its lovely temperate weather, Santa Barbara is often referred to as the American Riviera.  Located about 90 miles from Los Angeles, the seaside city provides a charming combination of history, the arts, and an enjoyable pace of life.
Here are 20 FREE (or nearly FREE) experiences to be had in this beautiful city along the Pacific:

Visit the Old Mission Santa Barbara and smell the roses in the Mission Rose Garden
Experience local culture on State Street
Enjoy the 360-degree views of downtown from the Santa Barbara County Courthouse (west wing shown in photo) clock …read more

If outdoor recreation and wildlife is your idea of a perfect vacation, San Luis Obispo County provides a California Natural Escape.  With parks and beaches, a national monument, fresh water lakes, and the beautiful Pacific Ocean, this area provides an array of family friendly eco-activities.
Wildlife lovers will get their fill in San Luis Obispo County.  It’s a top birding destination (over 450 species have been noted here), it’s on the winter migration path for spot gray whales, it’s congregating ground and mating spot for elephant seals, and it’s a wintering ground for migrating Monarch Butterflies.  Sandhill cranes call it home, …read more

Spring break is coming up and I’ve been looking for recipes that will feed a crowd, as in visiting family. Today, I found a beautiful strata that feeds 16.  It features roasted red peppers and marinated artichoke hearts.
This recipe is a specialty of the Candlight Inn in Napa, California – just about 4 hours south of me. The Candlelight Inn is located in the heart of the California wine country, on grounds surrounded by beautiful Redwoods and Cypress Trees. They serve a 3-course breakfast each and every morning in a gorgeous romantic atmosphere.
Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Strata

Ingredients:
12 eggs
2 …read more

At the top of Telegraph Hill, in San Francisco’s Pioneer Park, stands one of the prominent buildings of the city’s skyline – Coit Tower.  Along with the Golden Gate Bridge and the Transamerica Pyramid, it is one of the most recognizable sights in the San Francisco.
The art deco tower was built in 1933, with funds donated by Lillie Hitchcock Coit, after whom the tower was named.  Folklore claims that the tower was designed to look like a fire hose nozzle, and was a tribute to the firefighters of the 1906 earthquake fire.  Although this may be more urban legend than …read more