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

Even in a state enviable for a laid-back culture and countless natural and culinary assets, San Diego is a place apart. The sprawling, sun-drenched city has a paradisaical feel, with a number of attractions (including zoos and beaches) that often rank among the very top in the nation. Indeed, California’s southernmost city offers so much it would be impossible to see it all in one weekend, but we’ve outlined the nuts and

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

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

Sacramento. It’s our state capital, the birthplace (or nearly) of the Gold Rush, a field trip mecca, and that’s about it, right? Wrong. Yes, Sacramento is all of those things, but it’s also a happening metropolis with a great arts scene, fun nightlife, and delicious eats. Here, some of the best activities to do in Sacramento. 1. Explore landmark buildings, old-fashioned photography studios, and sweet shops galore in Old Sacramento, the first historic

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