Subject: Travel Destinations

• Club Fed

  December 21, 2000

• St. Joseph's Day Swallows Train Tour

  March 19, 2009

• TCA Sued Not Once, Not Twice, but THRICE!

  Today, Attorney General Bill Lockyer sued the Transportation Corridor Agencies. Read the complaint HERE. Lockyer is none too keen on their plan to build a toll road through San Onofre State Beach, impacting surfing resources, the San Mateo Campground, Native American sites, and engandered species. And he isn't the only one. A "coalition of environmental and surfing organizations," a.k.a. NRDC, California State Parks Foundation, Endangered Habitats League, Laguna Greenbelt, Sage Aubudon Society

  March 23, 2006

• Dana Point: Not As Disgusting As It Used To Be

  Santa Monica's Heal the Bay has issued its 16th annual Beach Report Card, documenting the water quality at Southern California's beaches-- though "quality" may not be exactly the right word, since the report card lists SoCal's top ten beaches in terms of water pollution. This year, Los Angeles County is the clear winner in the bacterial sweepstakes, capturing a whopping 8 of the 10 places on the list. But coming in at lucky number 7, ensuring OC gets its share of the shame, is Doheny State Beach

  May 25, 2006

• Disturbia

  A man using crutches but holding a gun still failed at carjacking. A motorist threw hot coffee on a bicyclist. Before he lost his wig and shoes, a man tried to steal a Nintendo game from a Laguna Beach hotel room. A man sitting in a restaurant issued death threats. A burglar stole only syringes from a business. Someone threw a brick through a window and struck a man in the head. A store employee choked a customer. A man used a flashlight to provoke a neighbor's dog into a frenzy. Three men broke

  May 7, 2007

• OC Beaches 92.3% Fresh

  Heal the Bay's annual summer report card for California beaches is in and 96 of the 104 monitored spots throughout the county earned "A's". The non-profit environmental group surveyed data from local health agencies from Memorial Day through Labor Day and averaged the results to come up with a grade for summer 2007. The West End at Baby Beach in Dana Point, Huntington State Beach at Magnolia Street, and North Beach at Doheny racked up solid "D's" while Poche Beach in San Clemente got the only

  September 27, 2007

• Check Out My Package

  It's pretty well-known that I'll go almost anywhere I'm invited if there's free food and booze, but some invites make more sense than others. Movie premieres, I understand. Art gallery openings, sure. But a meeting held by a package tour company to pitch their getaways to local travel agents? I mean, I don't make near enough money to afford African safaris or whatnot, especially since some of them cost as much as my rent for the entire year. And I'm fairly sure that most of you who pick our free

  January 9, 2008

• How did Loretta Sanchez spend her Sunday?

  While the rest of Orange County hit the beach today or watched the San Diego Chargers upset the Colts (Yes!), Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez showed one reason why she keeps winning elections and annoying the local Republican Party. A clipboard-toting Sanchez--and three accompanying aides--registered new voters in her district that's gerrymandered through Santa Ana, Anaheim and Garden Grove. Wearing black pants and a red and white striped rugby shirt not befitting the 80 degree SoCal heat, our co

  January 13, 2008

• Gustavo KPFK Show, Part III--Preview and Review

  Part I at 4 p.m.: Downtown Los Angeles walking tour of lynch spots! Interview with the man behind this ultimate tourist trap, Scripps College Professor Ken Gonzales-Day.Part II at 4:20 p.m.: Southern California ethnic news aggregator LA Beez.Part II at 4:40 p.m.: Your calls regarding your favorite Southern California news sources--blogs, radio shows, newspapers, random guys walking down the street. Full list on this blog tomorrow!

  December 30, 2008

• OC Music Fest--Still Don't Know What It Is, But It Won't Happen Too Soon

  Back in October, the inestimable Rich Kane blogged What the hell is the OC Music Festival?, wondering about the proposed OC Music Festival scheduled for May 2009 that we had heard about but knew precious few details about--minor things like where it was to be held, for instance.Well, we still know very little, but we do know that the May 2009 date isn't happening (makes sense, since, y'know, there's still no information about the festival out there). According to the offical Web site, it's now s

  January 28, 2009

• Imagine Amusement Parks Before Knott's and Disneyland

  Carousel News & Trader--A Sun Valley-based trade mag for the mighty carousel industry--previews a book about Orange County amusement parks that pre-date Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. Early Amusement Parks of Orange County trades on author and former Disney/Knott's ride operator Richard Harris' lifelong fascination with theme parks and attractions and contains photographs culled from museums, private collections and the Orange County Archives. Harris does devote plenty of ink to Disney

  April 13, 2009

• Tangata Easter Brunch

  Bowers Museum

  April 9, 2009

• Historic District Walk

  January 8, 2009

• Thats the Ticket

  December 4, 2008

• Clownzilla

  December 4, 2008

• Oy, Mate

  October 30, 2008

• Ecologically Friendly

  October 16, 2008

• Tobin's Spirit Guide

  September 6, 2007

• Room Service

  Questions about the Montage Resort killings in Laguna
  

  April 26, 2007

• Letters

  'Give us all a breakthe Mexican wetback has become the majority.'

  March 1, 2007

• An Inconvenient Slope

  Big Bears ski resorts are covered in snow despite a chronic lack of natural snowfall. So where are the crowds? Dont blame global warmingblame the media

  February 15, 2007

• Good Bones

  Careful restoration and decoration revived designer David-Michael Madigans historic Federal-style home

  August 18, 2005

• Eight Days

  February 3, 2005

• Out Foxed?

  October 28, 2004

• Burning Bush

  April 15, 2004

• Surely, This Is Grace

  September 4, 2003

• Diary of a Mad County

  August 29, 2002

• Summer Eats (Drinks)

  July 25, 2002

• To Do Tonight - 4/21

  Chapman Dialogue Debate with John Yoo, 11 a.m.Okay, so this isn't technically going on tonight. It's actually going on right now. But if you're not too busy this morning, we suggest heading over to give this debate a listen. Yoo is currently a visiting professor at Chapman Law, and during his time working with the Bush administration as legal council he authored the infamous "Torture Memos" defending water-boarding and other "enhanced interrogation techinques." This one could get heated, folks!

  April 21, 2009

• Earthquakes in Southern California

  May 28, 2009

• Villa Rockledge: Historic Treasure or Overhyped Dump--You Decide! [UPDATED WITH ASKING PRICE]

  Villa Rockledge, a six villa compound with a main house and private beach in Laguna Beach, is up for sale. The asking price is undisclosed $26,500,000 (see here), but it's been renting for $15,000 a week. That must mean they want at least $200,000 for it--even in this depressed market! Described as a "Historic California treasure by the creators of the fabled Mission Inn," "a mecca for Hollywood's Golden Age" and an entrant on the National Register of Historic Places (Jeez, make up your mind: wh

  June 17, 2009

• We've Got a Price on Villa Rockledge

  Turns out we were waaaay off in our guestimate as to the asking price for Villa Rockledge in Laguna Beach. Like, $26,250,000 waaaay off. Here's the price according to Unique Homes: The World of Luxury Real Estate:$26,500,000Laguna Beach, CARockledge By The Sea. Boasing 190 feet of oceanfront with secluded beach access. Enjoy panaromic coastal views, Catalina sunsets and crashing waves. Privacy, security and seclusion are offered in this desired location. David SchaarPrudential California Realty9

  June 18, 2009

• Morning Tidepool Exploration

  June 25, 2009

• Bummer Summer for San Onofre's Nude Sunbathers

  Photo by Tim MelidoNaturist attorney Allen Baylis loses latest round in court but vows to press on. As last summer was winding down, the Naturist Action Committee scored a legal victory in their fight to retain the right for nude sunbathers to go au natural on San Onofre State Beach's traditionally clothing-optional Trail 6 strand.As this summer heats up, the committee and local nudists are reeling from a legal defeat that could force them to cover up on the same 1,000-foot stretch of sand.Cindy

  June 29, 2009

• More Choosing "Staycations" (and Hating It)

  Chairman of the bored.With wages stagnant, travel costs soaring and the economy as shitty as it is, many are chosing to spend their summer vacations at home. Fortunately, Orange County is a tourist destination so blending in with the black-socks-and-sandals crowd is no problem. However, despite "staycations" being so prevalent it now appears in dictionaries, Americans overwhelmingly report that these self-imposed travel bans "suck."At least, that's what LastMinuteTravel has found in a poll

  July 20, 2009

• Feds Deem Bolsa Chica Sacred Site Historic After Development Rings It

  Not too many sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places have new home sale kiosks, banners and trailers full of an ancient American Indian remains, but whoever said Bolsa Chica is like anyplace else? The Orange County Register's Cindy Carcamo reports that federal officials have determined the "cogged stone" site at Bolsa Chica is eligible for listing with the National Register of Historic Places, which would normally protect the area from developm

  August 7, 2009

• Coming Sooner or Later: When Will the City Fix the Bixby Park Bandshell?

  On February 19, 2005, after a heavy rainstorm, a massive tree fell on the historic, art deco-era bandshell in Long Beach's Bixby Park, the pride of the city's Alamitos Beach neighborhood since 1927, and more recently, a home to the homeless and weekly pottery classes. The tree crushed the building, and crushed it has remained ever since. The city promptly chopped the tree up for firewood and placed a lovely chain link fence around the demolished building. Taking a cue from the folks at the Pik

  July 6, 2007

• 77 Drummers Drumming on 07/07/07

  Japanese psychedelic samurais Boredoms have arranged an amazing spectacle for what some amateur numerologists think will the luckiest day of the century, July 7, 2007. The concert happens at 5 p.m. in the Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York, and is free, but you need to RSVP; it's probably a moot point now anyway. Led by Boredoms' front man eYe and Hisham Baroocha (ex-Black Dice, Soft Circle, Pixeltan), 77 drummers, arrayed in spiral formation like a boa, will play a score titled 77BOADRUM. The perf

  July 6, 2007

• Chapman 5K Walk/Run

  October 8, 2009

• [BEST OF OC] El DJ (the DJ): DJ Danny Love

  October 8, 2009