Culinary Weekend Getaways

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

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

Oxnard is a “little bit country, little bit rock-and-roll” kind of place. It sits halfway between bigger (and better known) cities, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, and although it’s Ventura County’s largest city, it maintains a cozy, small-town feel. Here, home-style salsa and strawberry festivals peacefully coexist with the famous Hollywood Beach (a past getaway spot for the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Clark Gable). Whether you choose to kayak

With family ties to Midwestern farming culture, I occasionally feel like something is missing from my metropolitan life in the East Bay. “Where are the endless rows of corn, larger-than-life skies and barn dancing parties?” I ask myself at the end of another evening at a crowded, expensive bar. One day, after spending an hour Googling the nearest line-dancing venues in the Bay Area, I decided that it was high

On a recent car-free weekend in wine country, we discovered the lesser known pleasures of Napa Valley, from a classic 1960s-style diner to educational adventures in aging caves to a 13th century-inspired castle on a vineyard. Settle in to Old Napa I set up base camp at the Wine Country Inn (1152 Lodi Lane), a quintessentially quaint establishment located just off of the St. Helena Highway. The first bed and breakfast

A familiar road sign stands guard at the start of the Santa Monica Pier, signifying that this beach playground is the final spot to “Get your kicks on Route 66.” But the town known for being the terminus of the famous American roadway also happens to be incredibly easy to navigate without a car. Plus, it’s hard to beat a place with more than 300 sunny days a year. Here,

Since 1905, La Playa Carmel has been standing watch over the rugged Pacific coast, both a “hidden gem” and a landmark mainstay of artsy Carmel-by-the-Sea. And in August of 2012, Carmel’s “Grand Dame” entered a whole new era when it re-opened after a multi-million dollar makeover, as notable for what it left the same as for what it changed. To be sure, La Playa Carmel received myriad lavish upgrades, from

On a recent weekend getaway, we biked around an oft-overlooked town at the base of Sierra Azules, drank wine in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and relaxed among the redwoods at a clothing optional resort. Here is our guide to the best things to do in Los Gatos, some 60 miles south of San Francisco. What to Do 1. Wine tasting is one of the region’s biggest draws. There are more than