I love vacations so much that I’ve made the effort to take one every month the past year. But why spend tons of money traveling to far-off destinations when we San Diegans have so much …
November 17, 2015
Weekend Getaways
Weekend Carlsbad
See (and surf) SoCal's sand dunes
I typically love the sea, sun and sand. Interestingly though, not all the sands I’m drawn to lie in coastal regions. In fact, most of the sand on Earth is stacked in massive piles in …
October 16, 2015
Overnighter in the Laguna Mountains
There is no need for hiking trips to be epic. The Laguna Mountains, less than 50 minutes from mid-city San Diego, are a lovely alpine retreat and world away from the city. Even quick trips …
September 4, 2015
The real Hollywood
Written on an open Word document on my computer in a $30 Budget Inn motel room in Glendale, CA. The walls are lavender, and the money saved from not spending the night in Hollywood is …
August 15, 2015
The Baja bucket list
If someone handed you a travel itinerary that included crossing a dangerous Mexican border town to jump in the ocean with 30-foot-long beasts and wander a graveyard at night, what would you do? I mean, …
July 23, 2015
Altadena: a rustic Los Angeles
Author Zane Grey said, "In Altadena I have found those qualities that make life worth living." Walking down Mariposa Street, “Millionaire’s Row,” where Grey’s home still stands – past the oversized craftsman-style bungalows and through …
June 29, 2015
Tranquil Cambria, California
With a backdrop of Monterey pines drooped in a misty veil, interrupted now and again by the sun, you can see why the sleepy artist village of Cambria has drawn Californians for decades to its …
June 19, 2015
30 miles south in Baja: Popotla & Rosarito
Up for a short drive to a different country? Rosarito Beach is just 20 scenic minutes from the U.S.-Mexico border – but it’s more Mexico than it is Tijuana, and adventures are waiting. The greatly …
June 7, 2015
Escape the Go: Fiesta Island
We didn’t have anything like this in Chicago. We didn’t have a jutting piece of terrain you could drive out on, pull your car off the road wherever you felt like it, and set up …
May 10, 2015
Baja zen: Guadalupe Canyon's oasis
It's midafternoon, and the hot sun beats down on a remote desert road laying before me. I'm deep in the Mexican desert, thinking of shinrin-yoku. Shinrin-yoku is the Japanese practice of "forest bathing" to enhance …
May 8, 2015
Wining & dining through Santa Ynez Valley
You want to go wine tasting. You’re craving somewhere one notch up from Temecula, but closer than Napa. Enter Santa Barbara wine country: a quick four-hour drive along scenic Southern California coastline to the Santa …
May 5, 2015
Backpacking in the Santa Rosa Wilderness
My boots grate loudly over the gravel as I shuffle onto my crinkly tarp. After manhandling spare clothing into a fussy Sea to Summit stuff sack, I rustle into my Kelty down sleeping bag. With …
Cheap fun in artsy L.A.
Zip, chug, or plod your way up the 405 for a long weekend clustered around LACMA, the Los Angeles Museum of Art. Friday Sneak out of work early on a Friday, or take the day …
April 30, 2015
Daytrip to the Salton Sea
Crunching fish bones. Foul-smelling water. Skin-scorching sun. It may not sound like an enticing adventure, but in fact one of the most interesting and unexpected getaways to be found in Southern California is a day …
April 27, 2015
Art meets nature in Idyllwild
Just two hours north of San Diego, nature and art commingle: Idyllwild is a quick mountain getaway for those of us in low-lying Southern California cities, but also a haven for artisans who want to …
April 25, 2015