The Golden State’s famous big cities and off the beaten track gems
I found Dillon Beach Resort while hunting for somewhere cool on the Northern California coast, and booked Osprey Cottage at half price. The private beach is worth the drive. Here’s what $400 a night actually gets you, including the parts nobody mentions.
Los Angeles has more than 1,200 hotels, so I’ve narrowed it to five I’d book again. A 1970s time capsule in North Hollywood, a rooftop in West Hollywood with a bowling alley in the basement, and the downtown lobby you’ve seen in a dozen movies.
A local’s guide to the best cafés in Silicon Valley. Cozy spots, great pastries, remote-work friendly tables, and real atmosphere. Updated for 2025.
Headed to Fresno? Discover things to do in Fresno, California, from mural hunting and comfy Hilton stays to underground gardens and surprisingly charming downtown streets.
Is Arnold, California worth the drive? From giant sequoias and quiet trails to local restaurants and cozy lodges, here’s my honest take after multiple visits.
Where to stay in Capitola, from a train depot turned inn to the Venetian houses on the sand. Firsthand picks from someone who keeps going back.
I grew up spending summers in Capitola, so this is what to do there according to someone with decades of field research: the beach, the 86 stairs up Depot Hill, the rebuilt wharf, the shops with no chains in sight, and the bakery you are required to visit.
The best restaurants in Capitola, personally tested by a local. From Gayle’s bear claws to Shadowbrook’s cable car entrance … here’s where to eat.
What to do and see, where to eat in charming and beautiful Pacific Grove California!
San Francisco had been on my “maybe not” list for a few years, thanks to a steady diet of alarming headlines. So I did what any reasonable person would do: I ignored my own caution and went anyway. What I found was a city that’s still gorgeous, still delicious, and still very much worth visiting solo — if you go in with the right expectations and a hotel with a parking garage.