California Things to see and do Travel Articles

Riviera Village – Redondo Beach, California, USA

Riviera Village Redondo Beach, California You won’t find a GAP among the unique stores and restaurants of Riviera Village Riviera Village encourages visitors to “think outside the mall.” That’s its appeal. The village offers six blocks of unique shops and restaurants that offer items you haven’t seen a thousand times in the big daddy corporate [...]

San Francisco – December 2002 – San Francisco, California, USA

San Francisco – December 2002 The tree’s lit, Macy’s has its windows done up, and the Powell Street Cable Car just came back online after a three-week maintenance shutdown in November. No better time than Christmas to make the pilgrimage to Union Square, rendered all the more lovely by its recent multi-million dollar renovation. Top [...]

San Francisco October 2002 – San Francisco, California, USA

San Francisco – October 2002 October brings out the best in San Francisco: Niners Sundays, public art, homage to Cable Cars, Blue Angels soaring across crisp, fog-free skies. It opens with fine weather and goes out with a bang: San Francisco’s top holiday, Halloween: Artists citywide throw open their doors during San Francisco Open Studios. [...]

San Francisco – September 2002 – San Francisco, California, USA

San Francisco – September 2002 Welcome September, San Francisco’s best weather month, with its full plate of Indian Summer indulgences: Legend-in-making and four-time defending Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong leads a field of top international cyclists in the San Francisco Grand Prix, a 109-mile power loop around the city. Starting from the Embarcadero, racers [...]

Yosemite National Park – Spring 2001

Spring has arrived several weeks early this year in Yosemite. The waterfalls are already at their peak, so don’t wait until May or June – get to the park ASAP. The regular vacation crowds won’t arrive until mid-May, so during the next six weeks you have a great opportunity to enjoy the magnificent waterfalls, sheer [...]

Santa Monica vs. the Valley

While I can tell you that Santa Monica has its down side, you’re still, in good tourist fashion likely to go there. (The good news is that it has more to offer now than it has in years past.) But allow me, dear reader, to educate you on the benefits of “other side of the [...]

Palm Springs, California

Getting Here We are easily reached by air, via Palm Springs International Airport. This award-winning facility is just one mile from the heart of downtown, and has regular service from Alaska Airlines, American, American Eagle, Northwest, United, United Express, America West Express, American Eagle, Skywest, and US Airways Express. Your airline reservationist or travel agent [...]

Ski Los Angeles!

Who hasn’t heard of Los Angeles’ sunny weather? We do have that all summer long, but January through April, the snow sifted on the mountains from winter storms is visible from the city. True, the snow isn’t falling in the city itself, but local news crews have captured on tape frozen flurries falling on the [...]

Santa Barbara Pictures

Mission Santa Barbara. A secluded beach accessed by wooden staircase from the Mesa. Spanish style courthouse. Entrance to the downtown El Paseo shopping mall. A bloom brightens the day. The Paradise Cafe. Owner Tina Takaya outside Brigitte’s on State St. An elegant Spanish tile. The corner of State & Haley is a hub of Old [...]

Quake City

With many thousands sadly perishing in major earthquakes in places like India and Central America, it is no surprise to me that foreigners and Americans from other states want to know about the potential seismic dangers in the famous earthquake-prone state of California. Los Angeles is, of course, the city that captured the award for [...]