Funky Town indeed exists in Santa Barbara. Sandwiched between polished State Street and the sparkling Pacific, the formerly industrial Funk Zone now offers up plenty of options for a weekend infused with art, ambling and adult-style fun. In this neck of the woods, folks stroll leisurely, cruise along on two wheels, or kick back in a pedicab and let someone else do the cruising. Any way you choose to travel,

Long Beach is a city of half a million residents located on the southern fringe of Los Angeles County. It’s a busy port with a laid-back vibe that is pure California coast. Long Beach welcomes visitors whose preferred mode of exploration is cycling like few others. This two-wheeled utopia’s hidden charms, urban flair and beach town friendliness are best explored from the perch of a bicycle. Pedal-Friendly Initiatives With 345

Despite the name, there are many good-for-you experiences to be had in Carlsbad. United Airlines offers nonstop flights from San Francisco that can get you to San Diego International Airport—about 30 minutes from Carlsbad—in about an hour and a half. Here are some suggestions to help you have a healthy and happy vacation that’s good for you, the community and the environment. 1. Stay at West Inn & Suites (especially

The Bay Area has no shortage of beaches, but not all beaches are created equal. For that reason, we’ve scoped out six beaches that are cooler than everyone else’s beach. These are the sandy spots that will have your friends saying, “You went where?” while you grin mysteriously, knowing all the while you were within easy disctance of the city. For each sandy spot, we’ve sussed out the good (“The

Here are the best green Bay Area destinations oM has discovered this year. A Wine Time: East Bay Winery Bike Tours | Oakland California’s newest wine sensation is closer than you think. And you can reach it by BART. And bike. Enjoy a day away exploring the urbanite oenophile’s dream in Oakland and Berkeley. American Pie: Pie Ranch| Pescadero A working farm with a pie-in-the-sky mission of spreading food knowledge to the community,

Main Street, U.S.A. is alive and well. And there is a well-preserved example of it in Petaluma, California. Quaint, charming, and at the same time modern, Petaluma has a little bit of everything—whether you’re after a relaxing stroll down memory lane or a wild outdoor adventure. Here, what to do in Petaluma

About 15 years ago, I got a job in Sausalito. Within days, I was eating my lunch on the bay-front rocks while the egrets and pelicans dined on theirs 40 feet away in the San Francisco Bay. I weaved my way through tourists and window shoppers, all of us giddy with the Northern California sun in January. I met the locals in bars and restaurants on Bridgeway. We talked crystal

You don’t come to this part of the South Bay to go shopping and bar hopping, though there is plenty of that. Instead of strolling through the quintessentially cute college town of Palo Alto (you can do that later) when you get off the Caltrain, head a few paces away from the tracks up Palm Drive toward some of the less explored spots of Stanford. Here are four things to

One of our favorite quick escapes from San Francisco is to the quaint seaside town of Sausalito, with its fountain-filled parks, charming souvenir stores, open cafes and magnificent Bay views. Sausalito is delightfully small and at the same time engaging enough to keep one occupied the whole day. Here, eight tips for things to do in Sausalito. 1. Geek out over the new and used tomes at Habitat Books (803 Bridgeway Boulevard, habitatbooks.com). 2. Grab a

Gwen Lafage has one of those mesmerizing transatlantic accents, the kind (like Audrey Hepburn‘s) that’s hard to place—but man does it sound great. But Lafage is actually from somewhere rather specific. She spent most of her life in France until, overcome by wanderlust, she and her husband set out on an around-the-world adventure. They finally settled in San Francisco, where Lafage decided to open a photography gallery in the Mission. Opened

It’s nice when you get an outdoor table at a restaurant on a beautiful day; everything seems to taste better. Imagine having a deliciously fresh, locally sourced meal served to you on a vineyard, a beach, a mountain, or in the middle of a meadow and there’s nothing for miles but trees and sky, and maybe a wind turbine. This kind of dreamy dining setting is available through Outstanding in

It’s hard to believe that vivacious Robert Luke is nearly 85 years old. Even harder to believe, though, is that this delightful octogenarian is also Robert “Cold Blue” Luke, who did time at one of the world’s most notorious prisons. Fifty-one years after his release from Alcatraz, Luke is author of the recently published autobiography, Entombed in Alcatraz, subject of the film Rock Secret: Surviving Alcatraz, and frequent lecturer at the Rock