Located half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the beach town of Pismo Beach works both as a weekend get away from LA, or as a convenient mid-way stop en route. Besides long stretches of beaches, Pismo boasts the most extensive coastal dunes in California that are accessible with the convenience of a pier and beach boardwalk.
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In many ways, Carmel is a bit goofy – and therein lies its unique charm. To begin with, there are no street addresses: to locate a building you give the closest cross streets, directions, references (‘5th house on the E side of Torres street’), or description (‘the one with the blue trim and driftwood fence’).
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Only about an hour’s drive from Santa Monica, Oxnard is a handy getaway for the weekend, or even for the day. If you skip the rush hour, your getaway begins with scenic drive along the PCH. Once there, the beachfront resort of Embassy Suites by the Channel Islands Harbor is a destination on its own.
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The scenic stretch of California’s Highway 1 Discovery Route midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles offers breathtaking beauty, outdoor adventure, two world class wine regions, and scenic country roads connecting small artisan towns and seaside villages.
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The charming little town of Ojai was built by the Ohio magnate and art patron Edward Drummond Libbey who raised money from his wealthy friends to build its cohesive Italian town center complete with an arcade and a belltower. Today, Ojai preserves its classy charm by being franchise-free.
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Sushi Roku opened its first location as a sushi lounge in Hollywood in 1997 and has since expanded to Santa Monica, Pasadena, and beyond California to Scottsdale, Arizona, and Las Vegas. As the Santa Monica restaurant turns 16 in November, we thought it a good time to re-visit. We chatted with Tom Cardenas, IDG, the parent company’s VP of Operations and Chef Hiroshi Shima, Corporate Executive Chef of Sushi Roku and Katana.
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Sonoma Wine Garden, with its large outdoor patio and breathtaking ocean and sunset views, Sonoma Wine Garden, has been a hit with customers since its opening in August 2010, and its large wine selection, and special wine events have kept customers engaged, returning for more.
The sleepy little fishing village of Loreto on Mexico’s Baja coast, is only a two-hour flight from Los Angeles, but what a world apart! On the clear blue waters of the Sea of Cortez against the backdrop of five islands on the horizon, full of unique flora and fauna, and dubbed by explorer Jacques Cousteau dubbed as the “Aquarium of the World”, it is a United Nations protected Marine Park offering a wealth of nature activities.
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