Free things to do in LA

I’ve got some college buddies staying with me for the week. Two are unemployed, one is engaged, and the other is just a cheapskate, and they’ve never been to Los Angeles before. So they want a complete tour of LA…for free. Fortunately, they’ve got me as their guide and I know the ins and outs of the city and how to have packed days without spending a dime.

• Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits – free on the first Tuesday of each month. The Page Museum has the largest collection of Ice Age fossils.
• Getty Museum – parking is $7, but the museum is free…and beautiful.
• Santa Monica Pier – A fun and free place to walk around.
• Venice Boardwalk – Street performers, crazy people, fun for tourists. They leave here thinking everyone is LA is strange.
• California Science Center – Admission is free, parking is about $5 I think.
• Grauman’s Chinese Theater – Tours cost money, but walking around the forecourt is free.
• Hollywood Walk of Fame
• African American Firefighters Museum
• MOCA at the Pacific Design Center – free on Thursdays 5-8pm.
• Los Angeles County Natural History Museum – free the first Tuesday of the month.

California Outlet Malls

I’m not going to lie: I like wearing name brands. I work in an office where what you wear somewhat defines who you are, and pathetic as that sounds, if you don’t play the game, you won’t get the gain. When you’re wearing something nice, you act differently, more professional and more secure—and those things often lead to success. That’s not to say that I go to Rodeo Drive to get my suits; on the contrary, part of being a good dresser means being a good shopper, and I definitely know where to find the deals. And California, I think more than most states, is filled with fantastic outlet malls. Here’s a list, organized from North to South:

• Shasta Factory Outlets – Anderson, California
• St. Helena Premier Outlets – St. Helena, California
• Factory Stores at the Y – South Lake Tahoe, California
• Napa Premium Outlets – Napa, California
• Petaluma Village Premium Outlets – Petaluma, California
• Gilroy Premium Outlets – Gilroy, California
• American Tin Cannery Premium Outlets – Pacific Grove, California
• Mascadero Factory Outlets – Atascadero, California
• Prime Outlets – Pismo Beach, California
• Tanger Outlet Center – Barstow, California
• Barstow Outlets – Barstow, California
• Desert Hills Premium Outlets – Cabazon, California
• Cabazon Outlet Mall – Cabazon, California
• Camarillo Premium Outlets – Camarillo, California
• Citadel Outlet Mall – Commerce, California
• Ontario Mills Outlet Mall – Ontario, California
• Lake Elsinore Outlets Mall – Lake Elsinore, California
• Carlsbad Premium Outlets – Carlsbad, California

Wine spas in the U.S. (mainly California)

Now there’s a concept. I only recently became introduced to the concept of the “wine spa” recently when I treated my girlfriend (who is now an ex-girlfriend, but I promise it was not spa related) to a weekend up in Wine Country that included some spa going. We discovered that it’s quite a trend to include wine and grapes in spa treatments. Apparently it’s a tradition from Bordeaux, France that made its way over to the U.S., and particularly to Northern California. Most of these spas (following) are located in vineyards or are at least nearby. I’ll list the spa and then one or two treatments offered on their spa menu that includes grapes or wine.

• The Spa at the Carneros Inn – Napa, California – Chardonnay Anti-Oxidant Wine Therapy Facial
• Bernardus Lodge & Spa – Carmel Valley, California – Lavender Grape Seed Bath
• Silverado Resort and Spa – Napa, California – Chardonnay Sugar Scrub
• The Raindance Spa at the Lodge of Sonoma – Sonoma, California Grape Seed Antioxidant Facial
• Meadowood Resort – Napa Valley, California – Cabernet Crush Body Polish
• Spa Vigne at the Fess Parker’s Wine Country Inn – Los Olivos, California – Grape Seed Body Butter Massage, Wine Infusion Wrap
• Auberge du Soileil Resort & Spa – Rutherford (Napa Valley), California – Rosehip and Grape Seed Body Masque, Warm Grape Seed Oil Massage
• Mount View Hotel & Spa – Calistoga, California – Rosemary Grape Seed Scrub
• Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa – San Louis Obispo, California – Chardonnay Anti-Aging Wrap, Chardonnay Antioxidant Sugar Scrub
• Waterstone Spa at the Lithia Springs Resort & Gardens – Ashland, Oregon – Champagne and Rose Body Scrub
• Chateau E’lan Winery & Spa Resort – Braselton, Georgia – Chateau Winery Harvest Crush, Antioxidant Winery Bath

A Kid’s Guide to L.A.

It’s been a while since I’ve put in my two cents on the California scene, and when my sister and her two little kids came for a visit, it inspired me to do a little research. So here’s a list of fun activities for kids in the Los Angeles area. Some are more obvious and some are a bit more obscure. Feel free to add to the list!

• Disneyland – Anaheim
• Six Flags Magic Mountain – Valencia
• Knott’s Berry Farm Theme Park – Buena Park
• Santa Monica Pier
• Museum of Television and Radio – Beverly Hills
• Magicopolis
• Legoland – Carlsbad, California
• Museum of Science & Technology
• Los Angeles County Natural History Museum
• Sea World – San Diego, California
• Knott’s Soak City Water Park – Buena Park (Orange County)
• Pacific Park
• Venice Beach – Los Angeles
• Zimmer Children’s Museum
• Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
• LA Children’s Museum

Summer Fun with your Pup

After I posted about skiing with your dog, I realized that I should’ve written something perhaps a bit more practical. So here’s another quick list of amusement parks, parks, malls, and other attractions in California that are pet-friendly—either they have kennel facilities or let you roam around with your dog. (I’m not much of a kennel guy myself…) This is more summer appropriate, right?

• Disneyland – Anaheim, California
• Legoland – Carlsbad, California
• SeaWorld – San Diego, California
• Six Flags Hurricane Harbor – Valencia, California
• Universal Studios Hollywood – Universal City, California
• Griffith Observatory – Los Angeles, California
• Hollywood Walk of Fame – Hollywood, California
• Travel Town Museum
• Dog Beach – Huntington Beach, California (Huntington Cliffs)
• LA’s Griffith Park – Los Angeles, California
• The Grove – Los Angeles, California
• Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive Shopping District – Beverly Hills, California
• Leo Carrillo State Beach – Malibu, California
• Angeles National Forest – Los Angeles, California
• Whittier Narrows Nature Center – South el Monte, California
• Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area – Thousand Oaks, California

Happy Summer!

The art of sightseeing while on a tight schedule

If you’re anything like my husband, you’ll have a business meeting in Chicago and then have a few hours to kill before boarding your next flight and jet setting to another meeting in San Diego, where you’ll then maybe get to sleep the night and have another few hours before you get right back on that plane and, if you’re lucky, head home. According to Linda Vaughn from the Business Traveler magazine, the average reader of BT takes about 30 round trip flights a year, rarely taking advantage of the little time he or she has in between meetings. Which is why the folks at BT have created the 4-Hour Guides, a great resource that directs busy business travelers to the must-see sites in a manageable between meetings/flights time span. But these plans are also good for all us regular people who want to have some efficient, fun, site seeing while our husbands/wives/parents are at their meetings and we’re bored of sitting around in the hotel waiting for them to get back and take us down to the lobby for dinner.

This month’s 4-Hour Guide is on Boston and since it has not yet been published online (we get the actual paper magazine) I thought I’d share it with you all! This article is by Alison Stein Wellner and I’ve taken her recommendations of the places, but have used my own experiences as explanation.

1. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum – I love Boston and this is one of my favorite places in Boston. This museum is actually Isabella Stewart Gardner’s former residence, complete with her personal art collection. The building is a magnificent Venetian-style home with a garden and courtyard filled with beautiful flowers, art, and music. Works of Titian, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Manet, Degas, Whistler and Sargent are organized not according to era or style, but are placed aesthetically in a manner that Gardner had thought was beautiful to admire. In the summer months the Gardner Café is open. And, if your name is Isabella, you get in for free! Also, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is right near Fenway Park, so you should pop in there while you’re in the area.
2. The Backbay Fens – Beautiful urban parks that connect the Boston Common, to Franklin Park (where you can then take the kids to the Franklin Park Zoo). The park was established in 1879 and offers great respite from city noise.
3. Harvard Square and Harvard Book Store – I lived in Cambridge for a year and loved every second of it. Just walk around and enjoy the cobblestone roads, bookshops, cafes, and street performers. You can take the T here from The Fens, by taking the E train to Park Street and then switching to the red line. You’ll come out right by Harvard University. While you’re in the area, head over to Davis Square (2 more T stops away or a nice 20 minute walk) and get some ice cream at J.P. Licks. (Get the Oreo or the peanut butter yogurt.)
4. Mr. Bartley’s Gourmet Burgers – Wellner recommends this Harvard Square hot spot, and I’d have to agree with her choice. She suggests getting the onion rings, which I’ve never had, and the malted milk shake, which I have had and which is amazing.
5. The Prudential Center Skywalk Observatory – Take the T back to Park Street and then take the Green Line back to Copley Square. Besides for another J.P. Licks in the area, you should stop by the Pru for some great views, and some great food and shopping.

Have fun in Boston!
P.S. For more on Boston, check out this post that I wrote a few months ago.

I hope you didn’t believe me…

I received a frantic call from my little sister (who reads my blog religiously) who was so confused about my last post on San Diego Zoo’s Future. So just to clear my record here, The Onion is a SATIRE WEBSITE where about half the articles are satires of current events, and half are just plain JOKES. So the San Diego Zoo is NOT merging with any prisons, not now and (probably) not ever.

Dr. Beach recommends…

I’m SO frustrated! We were just in the Tampa area and were choosing between a few beaches in the area and DIDN’T go to Caladesi Island State Park Beach. And NOW, only now, do I read that Dr. Beach rates Caladesi Island SP as the TOP beach in America!

Caladesi Island is a barrier island north of Clearwater (which is not far from Tampa Bay) with white sands, crystal clear, steel-blue Gulf waters, and forests filled with birds and wildlife.

Stephen P. Leatherman (a.k.a. Dr. Beach) makes a list of the nation’s best beaches every year, and I ALWAYS look at, but for some reason it escaped my mind this year.

The other beaches in the top ten for 2008 are:

• Hanalei Bay Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
• Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota, Florida (which is also not SO far from Tampa…grrrrr.)
• Coopers Beach, (Southampton, New York)
• Coronado Beach, San Diego, California
• Main Beach, East Hampton, New York
• Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
• Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina
• Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Florida
• Beachwalker County Park Beach, Kiawali Island, South Carolina

So no big deal…just next time I need to check the list before heading out to the beach!

San Diego Zoo’s future?

The Vacationer presents : Is this the future of San Diego Zoo ?

The Onion states that due to lack of funds, the San Diego Zoo and the Ironwood Prison will be joining forces to create a single-campus that brings together local inmates and wildlife to live together under one roof. The new name? San Diego Maximum Security Zoological & Convict Reserve.

You should read the article, but just for a taste:
“This is, without a doubt, the only facility of its kind,” said warden Jeff Thurston, noting the zoo-prison’s authentic natural environments and thick bullet-proof glass. “At any given time, visitors may be able to spot as many as three parole violators and up to five adult black bears in the same holding cell. During scheduled feedings, that number may be even higher.”

The article also states that a similar merge was done with Orlando’s SeaWorld and the Ryan E. Puttnam Mental Asylum.

---

Related Travel Guide Topics:

• Zoos and Aquariums in San Diego and Los Angeles, California
• Fun facts about San Diego and Southern California coast
• Family Vacation Ideas for San Diego, California
• Luxury Vacations for San Diego, Southern California coast
• Romantic Vacation Getaways in San Diego, Laguna Beach, Los Angeles
• Shopping in San Diego, Laguna Beach, Malibu, Los Angeles – California

Down and dirty in the California Beach Scene

Someone just posted about about going to Mission Beach in San Diego, which is, I grant you a pretty good beach, especially for families. But it is such a shame to even mention San Diego and not mention some of their other amazing beaches. Seriously—what about all us young hot dudes who want to get some action? We’re not as likely to stick to the run-of-the-mill family beaches now, are we? I’m the type of guy who pops over to the beach for a lunch hour or an early morning jog or an after hours romp in the sack. Beaches aren’t just for afternoon picnickers…. San Diego’s beaches aren’t exactly in my backyard (like Hermosa Beach in LA which I really do go to almost every day), but as you know (or as you will know if you keep reading what I write) I’m a California boy and I know all there is to know. So here are some more of my top beaches.

I’ve already mentioned (in a previous post) about Black’s Beach which is also in the area, but there’s also Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, and Coronado Beach which MUST NOT BE MISSED! Especially Coronado Beach, kinda urban, kinda trippy. I guess this post wasn’t really about getting down and dirty. Though if I had a penny for every time I used these beaches as my gentlemen’s lair…