Oatman, Arizona, feels unapologetically kitschy with staged Wild West shoot-outs and souvenir shops lining dusty boardwalks, making it a memorable tourist destination.
Flamingo Estate just restocked their iconic, worth-every-penny strawberry fruit snacks. Made from Harry's Berries' truly perfect organic strawberries, the result is insanely addictive, sweet, tart and spicy with a delectable chew.
When people come in and realize I'm involved, they're always surprised to see me. It's a bit like being at Disneyland and running into Goofy. I sometimes feel like the mayor of Larchmont. Rosenthal enjoys the personal connection with diners at his recently opened establishment, finding satisfaction in the surprise and delight customers experience when discovering his involvement in the neighborhood venue.
They thought he would be too busy and too famous to consider building in Bakersfield. They were wrong. Wright responded to their inquiry and after much correspondence and a few meetings, agreed to the commission, one of his last. He designed the house in 1958 and died the next year at age 91.
With more than eight miles of coastline and consistently strong breaks, it's long been a magnet for surfers from around the world. However, the city's appeal goes beyond the water-it also has a walkable downtown, a charming namesake pier, and plentiful waterfront bars and restaurants.
Walking through the main hall is like being at a grocery store on steroids. Big brands are out in force with elaborate displays, from Organic Valley's farmhouse-style installation featuring a photo moment with popular cartoon character Bluey to La Croix's tropical-themed display to promote its newest flavor debuting at Expo (that would be Pineapple Coconut, for bubbly water fans).
In its scope, scale and ambition, Panorama City outstripped Greater L.A.'s prewar attempts at creating master-planned neighborhoods. It was the brainchild of Henry Kaiser, a shipbuilder keen to put his formidable industrial might, which had manufactured the famous Liberty cargo ships that transported U.S. goods around the world during World War II, to equally lucrative peacetime uses.
Where multi-story apartment buildings are now being constructed once stood the Butcher family orchard. The farm had been in the family since 1881, when Rolla and Emma Butcher bought 160 acres of land. After Rolla's early death, Emma ran the farm by herself, planting fruit trees while raising her young children.
Boyle Heights was at the core of Jewish life in Los Angeles during the late 1800s and early 1900s, and the Fairfax District could claim that title until the 1980s. But the spiritual heartland of the Jewish community is now in Pico-Robertson.
In a widely cited (and likely apocryphal) exchange the bewildered conductor cried, 'But there's nothing here!' Alighting the stopped train, one of the Standard Oil men is said to have replied: 'No, but there will be.' Nothing is precisely what they were looking for. They needed a blank space along the coast on which to build a refinery to complement the company's existing facility nearly 400 miles to the north in Richmond.
Global travel booking website Skyscanner has named its top five destinations for solo travel this winter, and a Northern California favorite the Sonoma Coast made the list. The Sonoma Coast invites a different kind of stillness, the guide notes, praising the rugged shoreline as an antidote to crowded itineraries and overplanned escapes. The roundup also includes Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas, Tangier Island in Virginia, Olympic National Park in Washington and Red River Gorge in Kentucky.
Jesse Hall can't remember a time he wasn't inseparable from the sea. Born and raised in Sonoma County, Hall spent his youth surfing the Marin coast and sailing San Francisco Bay. By his early 20s, he was shaping surfboards in San Diego, where he rode the mellow waves of Pacific Beach. Winemaking is similar to surfing in that you're living moment by moment, said Hall, founder of Seawolf Wines in Mendocino County's Yorkville Highlands.
On the first Fish Friday of 2026, restaurants of all sizes are spotlighting fish and seafood on their menus with some new items and a few deals. Lent, a time when many Christians abstain from meat, began on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18. It lasts 40 days, ending on Thursday, April 2. Easter Sunday will be on April 5. Here is what some restaurant chains have announced on their websites, in social media or in news releases.
A sandwich doesn't have to have meat to be hearty and delicious. Although there are some disappointing meat-free options out there - mediocre bread topped with bland, ultra-processed "meat" or limp cheese - Los Angeles is filled with many vegetarian and vegan sandwiches that showcase just how great the category can be. These sandwiches really highlight the joy of great produce, something the city has incredible year-round access to.
Jesse Hall can't remember a time he wasn't inseparable from the sea. Born and raised in Sonoma County, Hall spent his youth surfing the Marin coast and sailing San Francisco Bay. By his early 20s, he was shaping surfboards in San Diego, where he rode the mellow waves of Pacific Beach. "Winemaking is similar to surfing in that you're living moment by moment," said Hall, founder of Seawolf Wines in Mendocino County's Yorkville Highlands.
I may be a bit biased, but I consider the California coastline to be the most scenic and diverse route in the U.S. As a native to the state, I've taken more than 20 road trips over the years, traversing desert terrain, budding vineyards, and cliff-hugging highways that tower above the Pacific Ocean. And though I love the colossal redwood forests in northern California and the gleaming coastline that cradles the state's southern end, there's one road trip I always return to for its access to some of the state's best wineries, restaurants, and charismatic hotels.
East Bay hardcore outfit Manos De Fierro is part of a new wave of bands pushing the Bay Area scene back toward something raw, physical and community-driven. Pulling from hardcore, metal and beatdown influences, their sound is confrontational without feeling performative, rooted in real experience rather than image. The band has built a reputation through local shows that thrive on intensity and shared energy, where the line between band and crowd all but disappears.
Situated on the southern border of Orange County and easily accessible to travelers by Amtrak train or car, San Clemente has all the charm of a close-knit community and all the liveliness of a surfer's paradise. Plus, it's one of the most beautiful towns in the area, with the rolling San Joaquin Hills on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.
I've visited California wine country several times over the past couple of years, including many trips to the iconic Napa Valley. And although I definitely recommend a trip to Napa, there's another nearby wine region that I find myself returning to even more often: Sonoma. More than just the city of Sonoma, the entire county feels like its own world. With rolling vineyards, rugged beaches, and redwood forests, it offers so much more than wine alone. Here's why this region stole my heart.
Only eight miles long by three miles wide, the small wine region established its AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1982, just one year after Napa Valley. It's only one-tenth the size of its famous neighbor, yet the diversity in tasting rooms is impressive. You can travel from a blue Victorian house to gorgeous gardens, a vintage gas station-turned-tasting room, and even an award-winning modern architectural masterpiece all within minutes.
For travelers looking to get to know the many-varied charms of the Golden State, discovering it through the best beaches in California is never a bad idea. The state's coastline spans a vast 3,427 miles after all. Among its 420 public beautiful beaches are plentiful opportunities to swim, lay out, look at tide pools, surf to your heart's content, or watch the sunset.
Grocery stores that offer the best produce know it's crucial to nail a few key factors. First, produce needs to be fresh - that feeling when you get home and open a packet of cucumbers only to find that they're soggy and covered in slime is not a good one. Second, fruits and vegetables need to be priced right. While shoppers can expect to pay a premium of about 50 percent more for organically grown vegetables, anything more than that starts to feel unreasonable.
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