A First Timer’s Guide to Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica Pier with a Ferris wheel and backdrop of the beach and city

Santa Monica is the No. 1 place to go for anyone with a rosy, rom-com-like vision of a Los Angeles vacation. It’s a sunny, lively, visitor-friendly beach city that feels familiar even if it’s your first visit. Santa Monica is genuinely walkable and bikeable (a rarity in Southern California). It’s more urban than Malibu, more […]

A First Timer’s Travel Guide to Hollywood

View over Los Angeles from behind the Hollywood Sign at sunset

An ultimate guide to all the best things to see and do in Hollywood, California Hollywood is the most famous neighborhood in Los Angeles and one of the top tourist destinations in the world. The name alone evokes visions of movie-making magic, Golden Age glamor, and stars. Stars everywhere. Stars in everyone’s eyes! Stars on […]

Travel Guide: Morro Bay for Families

By J.C. Thomas Morro Bay, a serene little fishing port on the Central Coast of California, is almost exactly half way between Los Angeles and San Francisco (200 miles and 230 miles respectively), and the perfect weekend getaway distance from most of the state. Picturing Morro Bay after a visit brings to mind two distinct […]