Travelling in California

Frosted Cupcakery......

2010-07-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

Cupcakes, need I say anymore! Living in Southern California, we seem to have an abundance of cupcakes bakeries. I have had Sprinkles and Crumbs but the other day I found a "cupcakery" in Long Beach. And needless to say I had to go to Belmont Shore and check it out! It just happened to be July 1st- and on the first day of the month they have mini's of a certain cupcake for free! That sold me!

Frosted Cupcakery has 2 stores. One in Belmont Shore and of course a store in Hollywood. But since I am a southern LA County dweller, I chose not to drive up to Hollywood but to check out my "local" store!

Belmont Shore is a fun little area anyway. And 2nd Street is always bustling on any day!

We found Frosted Cupcakery very easily and I stayed outside with my dog while my son went to "check out the free mini flavor." He brought one out, it was coconut mini. Now I'm not a huge fan of coconut but it was pretty tasty!

When i went in I decided to order 6 cupcakes at $2.95/each! Red Velvet/Cream Cheese, Chocolate/ Chocolate Buttercream, Chocolate/Cookies and Cream Buttercream, Chocolate/Peanut Butter Buttercream and Carrot/Cream Cheese. And of course I had to buy a special "pupcake" for my dog! $.75/each

My dog devoured her pupcake and my son inhaled a cupcake immediately! I waited until later but was very happy with my Chocolate/Peanut butter Buttercream!!

Frosted Cupcakery
http://frostedfrequency.blogspot.com/
4817 E 2nd Street
Long Beach, Ca 90803
562-987-1080

1200 N Highland Av
Los Angeles, Ca 90038
323-467-1080

Naja's Place Redondo Beach Pier, Redondo Beach. CA

2008-02-15T13:25:00.000-08:00

Naja's what can I say about this place but that it's one of my favorite places to go for beer!!! And I love beer. They have a huge quantity of beers on tap-they will actually be adding some at the end of this month when they do a little renovation. The owner told me last night he hopes to have about 80 different beers-80 beers! Yummy!!!

Naja's is an awesome place to just go and hang out! It's a dive bar, so don't expect anything special but great beer!!! Food is available, it's bar food. But since it sits on the Redondo beach Pier there are tons of restaurants around.

They are open 7 days a week-please check their calendar for they are closing at the end of Feb 2008 for some renovation. On the weekends, two different bands play and it can be quite busy. I usually like to go on off days-it's a little quieter...and then in the afternoons. In the summer, they open the windows and you can sit drink a beer, watch the boats and get a beautiful ocean breeze and catch a sunset!!
It's a GREAT place!!! Love it!

http://www.najasplace.com/

Crimsin, San Pedro, California

2008-02-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

Kinda Red in here-ok it's Crimsin! Word of note-they have happy hour everyday from 5-7 which means $2 off each drink. Really nice beer selection on tap

Stella
Shiner Bock
Guinness
Fat Tire

and a few others. the beer price for happy hour is great-you can get a nice beer on tap for $3. That's what i should have done, instead we had a glass of wine, reguler price $8, and a martini, $11. I think the martini price is steep considering this is a bar in San Pedro and not Hollywood. But that's me.

We went for happy hour-quiet crowd early in the evening. it sipposedly becomes the place for the 20-40 somethings later on in the evening. Music playing and of course the crimsin lights. No Food....so eat before you go!!

Best bet-happy hour and order beer!

345 6th St., San Pedro, Ca 90731
310-833-8818

Berri's Playa Cafe - Playa Del Rey, California

2008-02-04T17:29:00.000-08:00

So Playa Del Rey, a small beach community stuck between LAX and Marina Del Rey. I don't often go to Playa, but a few friends have moved there, so i find myself frequenting the beach community a bit more now. This day we decided to meet at Berri's which sits on Pershing Drive at Manchester. I think they are known for their pizza-so we had pizza. Since I don't eat meat I ordered a veggie selection and my friend shoved pepperoni on her half. It wasn't bad-thin crust. But my feeling is it's kinda really hard to screw up pizza.

There were a few people in eating today(it was around 2pm). One gentleman had just flown in from Arizona and was craving their Lobster Pizza-hmm...Lobster Pizza-not for me! But he seemed to love it.

We sat at the bar and our bartender was Samuel-he makes a pretty decent Bloody mary. I like them spicy-but they didn't have celery! Next time I'll bring my own celery stalk! Ha! My friend ordered a margarita.

We had a nice time-it was quiet so we got our choice of the tv station and our bartender was very attentive to our drinking needs!

8415 Pershing Dr (@ Manchester Avenue)
Playa Del Rey, CA 90293
Phone: (310) 823-6658

Walkers Cafe Pt Fermin Park, San Pedro, California

2008-01-27T13:43:00.001-08:00

Stuck right in the corner of Pt Fermin Park in San Pedro, is an established watering hole called Walkers Cafe. It's been there for years. Originally opened by a couple from Oklahoma, it is a wonderful dive bar. And during the summer, a destination with alot of harley riders out for a days cruise! Cheap beer, Coors Light was my beer of choice today-I had just finished running so I was treating myself! They serve food here as well, all the food is made to order-the only time I ate I had the cheeseburger-I could have eaten 3 of them!
But really it's a great place to go meet the locals and have a beer! Especially in the summer. Don't go hoping to watch lots of TV~there is one tv, that gets the local stations, that sits on the bar-but if there is a basketball or football game on it will be playing. A few movies and tv shows have been shot here, the one of note is To Live and Die in LA, I might add one of my favorite movies!! My dog was welcomed~she wanted to come inside but alas that's not allowed...but she was very happy sitting right outside the door. Unfortuantely you are no longer allowed to drink beer outside-I think that's a true bummer! Check it out~it's fun but might want to call ahead of time just to make sure it's open!

Walkers Cafe

700 W Paseo Del Mar
San Pedro, CA 90731

(310) 833-3623

The WGA strike is putting a damper on my Blog

2008-01-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry to all of you who are/were hoping for lots of cities, restaurants, bars whatever-times are tough right now. I'm in the entertainment industry and have been directly impacted by the WGA strike. This has in turn made an impact on my Travelling in California blog~not working makes it hard to travel places etc.

So I promise once the strike is over and I get back to work there will be so many wonderful places I'll talk about. Until that time, please come back and visit and don't forget!!

Thanks!

Main Street, Santa Monica, California

2008-01-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

Main Street Santa Monica....not your typical main Street USA. Here we have cute shops, restaurants, loads of coffee shops and numerous big name apparel shops: Patagonia and American Apparel. It's a great street to stroll down and grab a coffee or tea with your dog~and of course people watch! One of my favorite things to do! Main Street is just north of Venice, It sits in between Lincoln Blvd and the Pacific Ocean and south of the 10 freeway.

A few of my favorite places is Accents Jewlery. Amazing Sterling Silver pieces-handmade-they are amazing. i bought a beautiful ring in there that I absolutely LOVE! Also if you're with your dog you must dash into Tails of Santa Monica the local dog store....they'll give your pup a biscuit!
Like I said coffee coffee coffee-Starbucks, Urth, Peets, Coffee Bean are all on Main Street and then you have your choice of yummy pastry shops. It's a fun place to hang out, eat, shop and then maybe go to the beach after or before-the beach is only a few blocks west!!! And there is ample parking around!

Manhattan Beach, California

2008-01-14T22:05:00.000-08:00

Manhattan Beach~the city of the beautiful people...and a beautiful city. Clean and beachy! Manhattan Beach sits right on the ocean with a beautiful Pier and shops and restaurants galore~ very family friendly and very pet friendly! I swear everyone has a dog here! And most of the restaurants have outdoor seating so your pooch is welcome!

Shade Hotel is one of the newest additions to the downtown area~the local boutique hotel. Not sure what the rooms look like but I've been to the bar-good place to people watch. Of course any bar in Manhattan Beach is a great place to people watch!

The Metlox development is fairly new. The dirt lot sat empty for a long time and then it was finally developed! There are loads of stores and restaurants and a huge underground parking structure all near the Shade Hotel.

The downtown area is concentrated around Manhattan Beach Blvd between Valley and the great Pacific Ocean. You have 4 coffee shops in this small area as well as tons of restaurants/bars. One of the local hangouts, The Shellback, is a must visit~head down Manhattan Beach Blvd toward the water-it's on the south side of the street. Manhattan Beach Brewing Company-BEER is two door up the street and across the street is Sunsets~where you can go for happy hour at sunset and watch the sunset.

It really is a beautiful city~clean and safe! And a must visit if you are coming to southern california!

Abbot Kinney, Venice Beach, California

2008-01-14T21:53:00.000-08:00

Abbot Kinney is the hip area of venice-cool antique stores, eateries, bars and an eclectic mix of peeps! I've hung out here quite a bit. I had a birhtday party at Lily's~a french restaurant, gone to Primotivo for great wine and tapas had a pizza at Abbots Habit and best of all sat and people watched! There is a wide selection of things to do and see. If you want to shop for antiques-this is the street! Some of them aren't cheap though!

Want a GREAT Mojito??? Go to Hals! Their Mojitos are to die for! Well I think so! And I'm a very picky Mojito drinker! And I've heard the new wine bar to frequent is The Otheroom~originally started in new york~the Venice location is their only West Coast establishment.

Abbot Kinney is very dog friendly! Loads of pooches all over the place~and they have their very own dog store, The Modern Dog.

A fun place~very laid back area. Go walk around, shop, eat and drink! You'll have fun!

Abbot Kinney is off Venice Blvd east of the Pacific Ocean

Mucho Ultima Mexican restaurant Manhattan Beach, California

2007-12-26T17:03:00.001-08:00

Mucho Ultima has been open in Manhattan Beach for about a month now-it is the hip place to meet, get a handmade margarita and eat some food in Manhattan Beach. It occupies the site that used to house the restaurant Michi. I ordered the Pamarita margarita for $10. It's made with Herradura tequila and Pomegranate liquer-I quite enjoyed it-a bit sweet but very drinkable and good enough for me to order 2! The problem was that I went there wanting a drink and a small plate of food ie a taco, enchilada etc but you cant get that unless you're a kid! I had to order a plate that came with a choice of 3 items: taco, enchilada, burrito or a chili relleno and 2 sides. I really didn't want all that. And honestly for $19-the 3 items you pick are pretty small! But the creamed corn side was yummy!

I would say this is a good place to go for drinks, to meet and watch people-if you're not too hungry eat before you go and then you can order an appetizer or just eat chips!!! It's not your corner mexican restaurant-it's a bit more upscale! But they have a great selection of tequilas and a great atmosphere so I had fun and will definitely go back!

http://www.muchomb.com/

Morry's of Naples and The Backroom- Naples, California

2007-12-21T23:16:00.000-08:00

Morry's of Naples has been opened since 1938 serving the Long Beach, Belmont Shore and Naples communities-with wine, beer, booze and gourmet foods-and now The Backroom open until 10pm tuesdays thru saturdays. I just got back from The Backroom-they had their holiday indulgence special- a wine flight of three wines plus three handmade truffles-each truffle paired with a wine all for $24.00. Lets just say I'd go there for the truffles alone! They are wonderful! But to be able to drink great wines, listen to music-tonight was an eclectic jazz group, and eat some wonderful appetizers and then end on the wonderful note of a truffle or two....yeah-lovely night! It was really a very enjoyable night. It's a very laid back place-it's hidden in the back of the wine/beer/booze store Morry's of Naples-hence the Backroom name....unless you know it's there you'd never find it!

It's just has a very friendly, down home feel-and everyone knows their wines!!!

Belmont Shore

2007-12-20T17:27:00.001-08:00

Christmas Time in Belmont Shore. What a wonderful place-technically it's part of Long Beach but it definitely has it's own identity! The main drag of Belmont Shore is 2nd Street..filled with an eclectic mixture of shops,restaurants and of course every kind of coffee shop you can imagine. And yes-a very dog friendly area...most of the restaurants have outdoor seating. It was a little chilly today-due to yet another rainy storm-but still alot of people were taking advantage of the friendly neighborhood and were out walking the street, shopping or eating. That's Roadie the dog all dressed up in his christmas finest.

A must when stumbling upon Belmont Shore is to go into Buffalo Exchange-a used clothing store. You'd be surprised what finds you can get here! I love this store.

Food wise, if you want it they have it: american grill, pizza, sandwiches, greek, burgers, sushi, Lebanese, beer, french bakeries. You really don't have to leave Belmont Shore to get a taste of the world.

I've been going down to Belmont Shore for years- and a place I always seem to go back to is Murphy's Pub which sits above the Belmont Shore Athletic Club. They have an outside patio which looks down onto the street-during the summer months it can get a little rowdy up there!

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 2am snack??? try The Shorehouse Cafe-it's open 24hours and pretty darn busy on the weekends!

My dog loved Whiskers-yes you guessed it a dog boutique. That's when we ran into Roadie he started barking when he saw us in the store-I think it's because he was having a silly hat and outfit put on him!

Come on down to Belmont Shore-a very quaint neighborhood with lots of pizazz! It epitomizes the small southern California beach community!

Vivoli Cafe and Trattoria on Sunset in Hollywood

2007-12-14T11:43:00.000-08:00

Last nite a group of us had dinner at Vivoli Cafe and Trattoria on Sunset. It was a blind restaurant choice-we were going to see a movie at the DGA and it was one block from the theater. We made a reservation for 6 via http://www.opentable.com for 5pm. It sits on the corner of Sunset and Laurel right across from the Laugh Factory and there is valet parking in the lot where the restaurant sits. I was first to arrive and was immediately seated at our table-they put us in the middle of the restaurant. They had a decent wine list-I drank a Paso Robles merlot for about $9 a glass and the others followed suit-others ordered a Pinot, a Cab, a Chianti..roughly $7-$9 a glass.

Since I'm a pescatarian I ordered the spinach filled ravioli. I ate it all. I thought it was quite tasty. They also had a lobster ravioli which I had thought about ordering. The pasta dishes were roughly priced around $12-$16 a plate and then the items From the Butcher were about $23-$28 per plate.

It's a very small place, quite intimate, and the service was very nice. We were treated wonderfully and had a great time! It's a very warm atmosphere-and all the servers are very friendly! It's a nice place to meet friends! We had 6 people who had appetizers, dinner and drinks and our bill was $220.

Check it out. We had a nice time-and considering I picked it because of its proximity to the DGA a great find! All the girls had a great time!!!

http://www.vivolicafe.com/home.html

Vivoli Café and Trattoria
7994 Sunset Blvd. (two blocks west of Fairfax)
West Hollywood, CA 90046
Phone: 323-656-5050
E-mail: donato@vivolicafe.com

Sunset in Malibu

2007-12-06T11:52:00.000-08:00

Sunset in Malibu on December 5th on the eve of a big storm scheduled to hit southern california.

Los Angeles: The Edison Bar Downtown

2007-11-30T09:12:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles has so much to offer. My new thing is discovering the downtown spots! Because there are so many and downtown LA is really trying to pull in the in young crowd! A must see and visit is The Edison at 108 West 2nd Street-right across from the Cal Trans building and the LA Times building. This bar sits in the Higgins building-the bar is downstairs-and what an amazing space it is! Two bars, ornate beautiful light bulbs-edison-are all over the place! We went on Thursday nite-specifically because on Thursday nites from 5-7 they serve a 35 cent Martini. We arrived right at 5-it was fairly empty and asked the bartender about the martini-he said it didn't taste too good...so we didn't order it since it was also happy hour ( about 40%-60% off for Happy Hour) and we were able to get other drinks at a cheap price. But as we sat there more and more people starting arriving-and yes alot of them were there for the 35 cent martini but onlyThursday nites from 5-7.

It's a huge place! and it got very busy! Alot of the downtown work crowd early but I'm sure the later it gets the clientèle changes! And it's an easy place to get to using public transportation. If you like the using the train take the Red Line toward Union Station, exit Civic Center and go towards 1st Street exit. You're just a couple of blocks from The Edison
http://www.edisondowntown.com/main.htm

Tres Hermanas Winery Santa Maria, California

2007-11-28T11:30:00.000-08:00

If you venture up to the Santa Barbara Wine Country, you must stop, taste and take in the wonderful generosity of the owners and this young small beautiful vineyard! Tres Hermanas is a family owned and operated winery! The owners, Marvin and Paulette Teixeira, are wonderful people! You don't find them any better than this! They exude warmth and compassion and it shows in their wines and their winery! I met Marvin on my last trip to the area, what an amazing down to earth gentleman! Kind and compassionate as is his wife, Paulette! They have a beautiful winery-you can RV here if you are wine club members. Marvin is hoping to start showing movies in the summer....making it a superb wine destination! You'll be able to stay, taste delicious wines and enjoy yourself in one place! Hopefully camping sites will be coming soon! For I will be the first to camp here!

A stop is a must! Please call, visit or just stop by but you wont regret it!
Here is all the information:

9660 Foxen Canyon Road
Santa Maria
Between Zaca Mesa and Foxen Wineries
Tel: 805 937-8451
Fax: 805-937-8471

For Information: email info@treshermanaswinery.com

For Winemaker:
luke@treshermanaswinery.com

For Events Coordinator:
teresa@treshermanaswinery.com

The tasting room just opened in July of 2007 so it might not be on maps of the wine region! But you can find it on Foxen Canyon Road between Foxen Wineries and Zaca Mesa!

http://www.treshermanaswinery.com/

El Capitan Canyon/Ocean Mesa and El Capitan State Beach

2007-11-20T08:16:00.000-08:00

Ocean Mesa http://www.oceanmesa.com/....an RV and tent camping area which is part of El Capitan Canyon resort, http://www.elcapitancanyon.com/. This was unlike any camping I had ever done! First of all it's fairly new so not many campers were there-alot of RV's. The camp sites, in my opinion, are way to close together. Campsite #2 was the only one that had a tree. Now mind you it is brand new so the trees they've planted will grow, but tent sites were practically right on top of each other. So when it does get busy you'll be right next to another tent.....not my idea of fun tenting but it was ok for what I was doing.

Price: well here's where it gets "different" the prices for one night in a tent, $45...yes WOW! and you don't get any hook ups for that-well I lie you do get wi-fi...but is it worth the $45 price tag a night. The RV sites are $85 nite..now there is a store, nice clean bathrooms, a pool with a hot tub, wi-fi, nice showers-that are free-no quarters needed. Also...you can get a massage! Make sure you give them 3 hours notice but massages and tent camping-can't say I've ever run across that before!

This area is off the 101 just north of Santa Barbara, exit 117. One of the cool things I did do was run down to El Capitan State Beach, which is just west of the camping area. This is a wonderful place to camp..cheaper but obviously doesn't have the pool, hot tub, wi-fi etc.

From El Capitan State Beach camping area I ran north-they have a wonderful bike path that I never knew about. It takes you to Refugio State beach, yet another nice camping area. It's 2.5 miles from the sign just north of El Capitan to the sign at Refugio. I think I ran about 6.5 miles that morning. So if you want a little exercise and access to beautiful beaches in between El Capitan and Refugio take this path! My dog loved it as well. In November it wasn't very bust at all-and the beaches you come to were empty!

Some great tent sites in El Capitan State beach are sites number: 31, 32, 33, 107 and 108 and the best sites: the hike and bike but you can only reserve these if you are biking or hiking into the park. But what amazing sites! They are furthest away from the majority of the campsites, they sit right at the far north end, overlooking the ocean! They were beautiful-but no driving allowed! And no you cant have someone drop off equipment there! To reserve a site try this website: http://www.reserveamerica.com/

San Pedro

2007-11-14T17:47:00.000-08:00

SanPedro http://www.sanpedro.com/, my hometown for now and home to the Los Angeles Port-one of the largest if not the largest (with Long Beach) in the world. In my opinion a little hidden gem at the end of the 110!

San Pedro has an amazing sense of community! Generation after generation have lived here, raised kids here, worked here making it a town with a very "small town feel." The downtown area itself is going thru a bit of revitalization similar to what Long Beach did with the Pine Av area. Many new condo's are sprouting up downtown, with rooftop penthouses with amazing views of the harbor lights! New Restaurants and upscale bars are opening because of the push to revitalize the downtown area.

The newest establishment is called Crimsin and is in the home of what all the locals now as Tommy's Yacht Club on 6th Street. I haven't yet made it to the newest bar but hopefully will soon!

The Copper Room at 589 9th street is one of the "new" establishments-actually it took over an existing bar but has brought an upscale feel to the downtown area. They have a great burger-if you like burgers!

Some of the other great places to eat that I have enjoyed:

Babouch Moroccan restaurant...now this is a fun place! Plan on spending a decent ampount of time here! I had a birthday party here-I would highlt recommend it! SO much fun! It's located at 810 S. Gaffey St

Papadakis Taverna...the greek restaurant in LA-it's worth the drive-301 W. 6th Street

Baja Fish Market has the BEST BAJA FISH TACOS i've had! They are great! And a wonderful bean and cheese burrito for you non-meateaters! Check it out at 611 S. Gaffey Street

Sorrento's is the best pizza in town! Dine-in or take-out....yummy. 2428 S Western Av

Rex's Cafe is my favorite breakfast place! Try the stuffed french toast! 2136 S. Pacific Av. But there are many breakfast places that are good and always busy: Pacific Diner, Lighthouse Deli and Cafe, Omlette and Waffle Shop.

For burgers and sandwiches you must try Utro's at the Wharf and The Busy Bee. Paired with an ice cold beer.... Utro's is down by Ports o'Call and The Busy Bee is at 2413 S. Walker Av

As for places to stay..well try the Doubletree Hotel around 22nd Street Marina and also The Crowne Plaza downtown.

Pedro, pronounced "pee-dro" is a great little city. Beloved by the locals! The developing waterfront is a wonderful addition to the downtown area. I go down there quite a bit to run and watch the numerous cargo ships arrive and drop off their containers.

There are numerous beaches, Cabrillo Beach is the closest and has the easiest access. There are others that face Catalina Island, but they are a steep climb down which makes them very quiet!

Remember-you can catch The Catalina Express and numerous cruise ships from San Pedro...take the Red Car before you leave or when you get back. It will take you as far as the 22nd Street Marina area and has a stop for the downtown area. It's fun but only runs when the cruise ships are in.

Have a beer for me when you visit San Pedro:
San Pedro Brewing Company
The Whale and Ale
Niko's Pizza

And if you are ever in the area the first thursday of the month, check out first thursday's downtown website: http://www.1stthursday.com/index.htm

Enjoy Pedro

Hermosa Beach

2007-11-12T07:59:00.001-08:00

Hermosa Beach-one of the southbay beach cities. I lived here for about 10 years so I know it fairly well. Not that things haven't changed a bit, for they have, but all in all it's remained a beautiful beach town. The "main area" is Pier Av. With it's numerous restaurants/bars/shops etc this is where the main action happens. There are many great places to eat here-a must at sunset is to go upstairs to the outdoor terrace of Hennesseys and watch sunset. It sits right on the corner of The Strand and Pier Av. It's typical bar grub but the view from the terrace is beautiful! But it's a popular place. If you have your pooch with you, there are many seats outside and your dog can basically be sitting with you-outside of course. Another few places on Pier Av that are worth a stop are Cantina Real, mexican food and another pooch friendly establishment, The Hermosa Beach Fish Market-yummy fish tacos...but I have found better fish tacos somewhere else-your dog can also join you here! Wander east down Pier Av and you'll find numerous bars, The Lighthouse is very well known and they still have alot of live music most days! Mediteraneo is a tapas restaurant-not open on weekdays for lunch (well at least it wasn't when I went) they have a nice beer selection and some delicious tapas plates.

Sports your thing?? Well Sharks Cove is the sports bar-mind you most of the restaurants/bars in Hermosa have numeous tv's! Sharks Cove-it's a Pittsburgh Steelers bar, loads of pool tables, they've revamped their menus numerous times, FFF's otherwise known as Fat Face Fenners-this upstairs bar is a Boston hangout-so you Yankee fans go there having been warned! This is it's 2nd location-it moved to Pier Av about 6 or 7 years ago after spending many years on Hermosa Av. Sharkeez-which was one of my favorite places to watch sports burned down about 2 years ago-and there is still an empty space. They have a location in Manhattan Beach.

Breakfast places are so numeous here I cant tell you all of them: for cheap eats try Scotty's on the Strand. They are just south of Pier Av and have loads of windows so you can watch all the runners, bikers, rollerbladers etc pass on The Strand-great people watching place! It can be very busy on the weekends. La Playita is one of my favorites. I used to go here every weekend for breakfast. they have a small courtyard out back-mexican/caribbean breakfast-yummy. It's just north of Pier Av right beside Noble Park-you can see it from the Strand. Also for healthy breakfast try Good Stuff on The Strand. And then there is Martha's 22nd Street Grill-go have breakfast and a glass of champagne, it's always a pretty busy place so go early or plan on waiting! Also try the Cap'n Crunch French toast at Hennesseys-one of my favorites! And The Beach Hut on Hermosa Av near Pier Av has wonderful Hawaiian food-we used to call it the best hangover place in Hermosa!

Staying in Hermosa is a little harder-not many places especially down by the beach. The posh Beach House sits right on The Strand and is lovely if not a little pricey and just a few blocks south is The Sea Sprite Motel also on The Strand. These places book up fast and far in advance especially for summer and holidays!

If it's just a cup of coffee or a nice tea you want head to Java Man which sits on the corner of Pier Av and Manhattan Av. They have delicious drinks and food and wireless internet! I used to go there and study! There is also a Starbucks and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on Hermosa Av.

The nightlife has really developed in Hermosa-new bars and established bars are all over the place and during the summer they pull in young people from all over the southbay and elsewhere in LA. Long lines sometimes greet a bar goer....The three oldest bar establishments are The Lighthouse, The Mermaid and The Poopdeck. Please be careful walking around drunk-the cops love to throw non-locals in the very nice Hermosa jail!

You know Hermosa has so much to offer everyone! The beach, restaurants, bars, eclectic shops you name it they have it! I personally love it during the winter months! It's quiet and cooler but that's me! The holidays are always busy in Hermosa-the city puts on huge outdoor events for 4th July and New Years and on Memorial Day and Labor Day Hermosa Av is closed down for the crafts fairs! I loved living here! It's a great place! Loads to do...The Strand is great for running and biking and the greenbelt between Ardmore and Valley is a city trail runners delight and one of my dogs favorite places to run and sniff! It's a great city worth visiting! bring your hat, sunglasses and have fun!

Palm Springs

2007-11-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

Palm Springs-the desert Oasis for the rich and not so rich! First of all let me tell you my two favorite places to stay: La Quinta Golf, Spa and Tennis resort in La Quinta, California (it's just down the road from palm Springs don't fret!) http://www.laquintaresort.com/
and the San Guiliano Hotel in Palm Springs http://www.palmsprings.com/san_giuliano/index.html -both of these places I might add are pet friendly! I took my dog to both and they were wonderful and she had a great time! There are numerous pet friendly places in Palm Springs including The Westin Mission Hills Resort and Spa http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1008 where I've also stayed. like everyplace in the Palm Springs area-there is golf, tennis and spas! Hope you like golf or tennis and a dry heat because you'll get it here!

Now in the summer it's HOT! It can get up to 110 degrees-I went in the summer and thought I must be losing my mind! I was able to take my dog for a run early in the morning and then it was pool time or bar time! All the restaurants have outdoor seating usually with the fine misters and of course AC inside!

It's lovely in the winter! Well nicer temp wise than the summer but also a little more crowded. I've been a couple of times: both in the summer and at Thanksgiving. thanksgiving was wonderful. i had a great dinner at a restaurant called Copley's of Palm Canyon http://www.copleyspalmsprings.com/ .They have a nice wine list and martinis and for thanksgiving a delicious menu. I actually called them the day before Thanksgiving and was able to get a reservation at a very nice table outside!

The Aerial Tramway is a pretty cool thing.... http://www.pstramway.com/ unfortunately when I went it was very busy and I didn't want to stand in line. i recommend going early! Yet again, it's at a higher elevation and can get quite cool!

And yes they have gambling in Palm Springs-so if you like to play cards, play the machines, whatever there is something for you at the numerous casinos in the Palm Springs area. Wheel of Fortune is my favorite but I've never won in Palm Springs! Morongo is a different story! I've won there! http://www.morongocasinoresort.com/

And it's right next door to the Desert Hills Premium Outlet Stores http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=6 which always seems to be packed!

For more info: http://www.palmsprings.com/index.html

San Francisco

2007-11-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

San Francisco-one of my all time favorite cities. And quite do-able on a budget! I've been to the city many times for both work and play! And each time I've stayed in a different hotel of the Personality Hotel chain: http://www.personalityhotels.com/
The three I've stayed in are Hotel Diva, Hotel Union Square and The Maxwell Hotel. All three have their unique qualities. And all of the personality hotels accept pets! A big bonus for me! I was lucky to get upgraded to the penthouse at the Maxwell Hotel-what an amazing view of downtown San Fran! The Hotel Diva is ever so posh and sits in between a starbucks and a wonderful Mexican restaurant called Colibri Mexican Bistro: http://www.colibrimexicanbistro.com/.
First of all wow what a tequila selection they have!! Unbelievable! You must take a picture of the tequila wall-I did and sent it to everyone I knew so they'd get jealous! And there are theatres right across the street .The Maxwell Hotel is just down the street from Hotel Diva very near another wonderful place to eat and listen to music Biscuit and Blues: http://www.biscuitsandblues.com.

While in the area of Union Square you must head to the tenderloin area which just borders The Union Square area.There you'll find a restaurant called Farmerbrown-delicious soul food and a fried chicken that rivals a good southern recipe! worth a try! http://www.farmerbrownsf.com/location.html
It sits in the lobby of yet another Personality Hotels hotel, Hotel Metropolis.

You must see the sites of San Fran:

Chinatown-you can always find cheap eats here! And if you're looking for little nick nacks to take home with you this is the place! Tons of stores to browse!

Nob Hill-visit the Fairmont Hotel while on Knob Hill, have a cocktail in their bar and if you want head downstairs to the Tonga Room for dinner. http://www.fairmont.com/sanfrancisco/.

Coit Tower, Ghiradelli Square, http://www.ghirardellisq.com/ghirardellisq/ -it's touristy but fun and you can always have a caricature of yourself drawn!

Alcatraz is a must see at least once! It's a quick ferry ride over. We toured without the "tape tour. " It was cold and windy so take an extra jacket even if you go in the summer!! http://www.nps.gov/alca

And of course you must visit The Golden Gate Bridge,Fort Point and the Marin Headlands : http://www.nps.gov/goga/
http://www.nps.gov/fopo/
You can walk across the Golden Gate Bridge if you'd like-I've never done that. I've always driven across the bridge and exited at the first exit after the bridge. Follow the signs to the Marin Headlands-don't take the left back onto the bridge but head up the hill to the right. You will find yourself at a viewing area of the Golden Gate Bridge-it's the area where most of the postcards of the bridge and the city of San Francisco are taken! It's a stunning view-especially if you luck out and get a clear day!

If you can a quick jaunt into Berkley could be a fun. You don't have to get in a car at all-BART takes you over there. It's a beautiful college town-and the campus itself-stunning! And very hilly so put your walking shoes on!

Check out citysearch for a more detailed journey thru the nightlife, bars and restaurants of San Fran.....and enjoy the city! http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/

Big Sur

2007-11-11T17:29:00.000-08:00

Travelling up Route 1 north of Cambria and south of Carmel you stumble upon the majestic Big Sur area! http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/index.html You must love the outdoors to come here! And dogs are welcome too! The last time I was here I camped at the private campground Ventana Campgrounds http://ventanawildernesscampground.com/ . It was nestled amongst redwoods. It was amazing!

A must while you are in Big Sur is to head to Nepenthe restaurant, which is on the ocean side of Hwy 1. Sit outside on their terrace, order a bottle of wine and watch an amazing sunset! They have a wonderful wine list and great ambience! Everyone is very happy to be there!

A fun place to grab a beer is at the Maiden Publick House which is next door to the Big Sur River Inn in The Village Center Shops check out their website: http://www.themaidenpub.com/

There is one beach that is dog friendly-it's Pfeiffer Beach at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park-as a matter of fact they love dogs there! My dog had a wonderful time even though the wind was blowing up tons of sand!

Since I was camping I didn't go out to eat much but the one place I did go was Cielo at Ventana Inn. It was right next to our campground. They have a wonderful bar, nice wine selection and delicious food. It's also a beautiful inn with a spa, check out the website: http://www.ventanainn.com/

All in all I had a wonderful time in Big Sur. One word of warning if you camp be mindful of ticks! Remember you are in a wooded area! Especially if you go in the summer which is when I was last there!