What’s the best time to book a flight? Search the internet for guidance on buying an airplane ticket and you’ll get all sorts of advice. Buy early on a Tuesday. Buy two months before your planned travel dates. Buy during a full moon on days ending in “y.” Okay, I made that last one up. […]
California
Wildlife of Coastal California: The Elephant Seals at Piedras Blancas
Just a few miles north of Hearst Castle along the Pacific Coast Highway--if you're driving with the windows open--you may catch a bit of a strong, "organic" scent on the wind. I'm not talking about the salty, seaweed-y aroma of the ocean. The smell I'm describing is worse. Much worse. What you're probably experiencing is the awful stench of the elephant seal rookery at … [Read more...] about Wildlife of Coastal California: The Elephant Seals at Piedras Blancas
Mesmerized by Morro Bay, California
Sitting on an angular boulder white with splattered bird droppings, I sent a sweeping gaze northward along the coast, blue sky blending almost seamlessly into wheat-colored hills before melting into the turquoise waters of the Pacific. A flock of gulls squawked and shrieked overhead, their shrill calls nearly drowned out by the roar of waves carrying surfers toward the shore. I … [Read more...] about Mesmerized by Morro Bay, California
A Quick ‘n’ Dirty Guide to the Sausalito Art Festival
The Sausalito Art Festival is one of the largest and most renowned art festivals in the country, celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2012. Held every Labor Day weekend in Sausalito just north of San Francisco, the festival celebrates the artistic history and legacy of Sausalito. … [Read more...] about A Quick ‘n’ Dirty Guide to the Sausalito Art Festival
Channeling My Inner Explorer on Santa Cruz Island
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Grand Canyon. Yosemite. Yellowstone. Rocky Mountain. Olympic. Zion. Grand Teton. Acadia. These are only a few of the crown jewels of the United States’ National Park Service. They are among the most well-known, well-loved, and well-visited of the parks, their names alone conjuring visions of vast unspoiled natural beauty and their splendor … [Read more...] about Channeling My Inner Explorer on Santa Cruz Island
Capturing the Colors of San Francisco
I heard about a photoblogging contest in which travel bloggers are asked to produce a post sharing photos from their travels that highlight or represent five colors (blue, green, yellow, white, and red). … [Read more...] about Capturing the Colors of San Francisco
Livin’ La Vida Local at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market
It’s a sunny Sunday morning in Los Angeles and I can’t help smiling. I’m strolling along Ivar Avenue in Hollywood, browsing the stalls of the Hollywood Farmers' Market. The canopy-covered farmstands are overflowing with color: robust pepper reds, golden Valencia oranges, deep green bunches of kale, and potent eggplant purple. There are many other colors too among the market’s … [Read more...] about Livin’ La Vida Local at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market
The Getty Center: Los Angeles’ Utopian Oasis
Almost the whole time I'm at L.A.'s Getty Center, a single thought keeps looping through my brain: This place is perfect. That is all. … [Read more...] about The Getty Center: Los Angeles’ Utopian Oasis