Essential things to do, see and eat right now in California, Oregon, Washington, the Baja Peninsula and British Columbia. Ready to explore?
A brilliant, enduring moment can happen to anyone, any time, anywhere. But if you’re giving me a choice, I’d rather go looking for that moment at dawn on the salt flats of Death Valley.Or on a southern Baja beach with sunset coming.
Ahead you’ll find fresh information on plenty of destinations you’ve long meant to visit or revisit — the half-hidden glories of Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Valley, the stalls and buskers of Seattle’s Pike Place Market, the rugged slopes of Catalina Island’s back country. And because the West keeps changing, I’m hoping this list will alert you to many places and adventures you’ve never considered before.
No such luck. The bay ends 28 miles later, about 50 miles north of Loreto. Before you move on, your inner desert rat and beach bum need a pause by those cactus-covered slopes and turquoise waters. About 20 pangas have permits to take people out. In late January and early February, there can be 100 people per day watching whales. A typical tour would include 10 people on a 23-foot boat for about two hours at $58 each. Tour operators includeaway from the whales, Mexico takes a more relaxed approach. Sometimes whales approach boats and allow people to touch them. Sometimes the whales never get that close.
Be sure to leave the site as you found it — and consider that cave paintings are scattered throughout the peninsula. The same harsh setting that discourages many visitors has acted to save these markings from long ago.The Baja rock art I’d love to see some day is the series of murals farther south, near the town of San Ignacio, in theThose murals, which include human figures 8 feet tall, are said to be at least 7,000 years old , attributed to the Cochimí people.
which may take your entire day. . If you’ve already done that, well, it’s lucky for you that the zoo is less than 10% ofThe park’s museums and other institutions cover art , natural history, anthropology, flight and all the imagined worlds that come with Comic-Con . Thetheater complex includes three stages. The big lily pond between the promenade and the Botanical Building may be the most wholesome over-the-counter tranquilizer in town.
From 4 to 10 p.m. each Friday, the restaurant suspends its one-hour parking limit so that these gearheads can show off their rides and check out the competition. Inside, you can get the Original Big Boy combo or all sorts of merch, 7 a.m. to midnight daily. But if you show up on a Friday at 9 p.m., as I did recently, you may face an hourlong wait, despite seating for 166. Alas, Bob’s carhop service is no more.
Alpacas are native to South America. The Lonson family, owners of the farm, acquired their first ones about 20 years ago. Since the animals have mellow dispositions and only bottom teeth, they’re not much of a bite threat. Under guide Karen Putnam’s direction, a dozen of us took turns petting and nuzzling the animals, then feeding them carrots — in some cases, mouth to mouth.
When state and local officials expanded Interstate 5 through San Diego and built the Coronado Bridge in the 1960s, they split the blue-collar neighborhood of Barrio Logan. Then in 1970, when the California Highway Patrol started building an office where a park was expected, the neighbors rose up,and at last got a 7-acre park set aside. Soon after came the murals, followed by restaurants, galleries and the barrio’s designation as a.
There’s often a line. Some weeks, without warning, pistachio orange cannoli materializes. Sometimes the kitchen runs out of ingredients and closes early. But the restaurant is usually open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.is that chef and co-owner Scott Clark used to work in Michelin-star-winning kitchens but chucked that after becoming, yes, a dad. He and his partner, Alexis Liu, opened Dad’s in 2017. The menu is short and affordable — nothing pricier than the $14.
Since January 2023, Highway 1 in Big Sur has been closed by mudslides and repairs in multiple places. Caltrans just announced it will reopen May 16. Before you head north, check Highway 1’s status on the CaltransThe restaurant serves breakfast daily, dinner Friday through Tuesday. If you have breakfast in the dining room, Mr. Deetjen’s favorite classical music will be playing, and the old man will be looking down at you from a portrait on the wall.
Bring water shoes. And book it a week or two ahead . Rangers have imposed a requirement from May 15 to Sept. 15 that hikers reserve permits forWith a limit of about 250 reservations per day, rangers aim to ease backups and reduce damage to the narrow, muddy road to the trailhead. The day-use fee is $12 cash at the entrance. No dogs.The second half of the loop hike is a less interesting route through Sitka spruce forest. When done, you might want to reverse your route and do the wet bit again.
There’s just one road in — Hetch Hetchy Road, open sunrise to sunset, often closed in winter. There’s no campground, no swimming, no concessions. But you’ll find a handful of hiking trails, including the 5-mile round-trip to Wapama Falls. Fortunately, many keep going. Within about two miles of the valley, you can explore Barker Dam and Cap Rock, where road manager Phil Kaufman bid ato the late singer-songwriter Gram Parsons in 1973. About nine miles farther along Park Boulevard you’ll find Jumbo Rocks and Skull Rock Trail, prime spots for family hike and spooky selfies.Bonus tip:
When the water is calm enough, you can paddle into one of the caves. This is part of a typical La Jolla kayak tour, which takes 90 minutes to two hours. I did mine with, but there are several rental shops within a few blocks on Avenida de la Playa. The grassy expanses of Ellen Browning Scripps Park practically demand that you lay out a picnic. And then there’s the, which looks like a basic souvenir shop.
This route takes you through Heisler Park, which has grass, bathrooms, a dozen picnic tables and a gazebo with such a compelling view that it’s often crammed full of tourists at sunset.and Las Brisas restaurant . You’re also steps from the start of high-toned Forest Avenue, which has been a one-block pedestrian promenade since the first year of the pandemic.
Which means that an enterprising beachcomber can gather up sticks and bits, lean them together and create just about anything. Even if the effort doesn’t launch your career in architecture, you’ll have a renewed relationship with the beach. Since January 2023, Highway 1 has been closed by mudslides and repairs in multiple places. Caltrans just announced it will reopen May 16 for through traffic. Before you head north, check Highway 1’s status on theFor a breakfast overlooking that prime Nepenthe view, head for Nepenthe’s on-site offshoot, Cafe Kevah, open 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily, weather permitting.
The cafe, a family business along Highway 65 in Strathmore between Lindsay and Porterville, is surrounded by miles of orange orchards. Some of that fruit goes to the packing house across the street, then into the cafe’s desserts. A 6-ounce serving of ice cream delivers the creamy texture of a vintage 50-50 bar with a sharp tang of freshness.orchards). The cafe makes turkey, ham, pastrami and roasted eggplant sandwiches, along with a popular one combining tri-tip and roasted garlic.
The Shell, which opened in 2021, has a layout that’s flatter and simpler than the Hollywood Bowl’s. It stands on a 3.7-acre finger of land that reaches from downtown’s convention center into San Diego Bay. A few blocks to the north stands Petco Park, home to the Padres.of classical and pop shows, including “movies in concert” with the symphony playing the score. You can sometimes eavesdrop on orchestra rehearsals on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Now comes another new work, “Dimensions,” a work of “light, sound, movement and shadow” by an L.A.-based sculptural duo known asThere’s no better place to be at dusk in these hills than Sensorio, surrounded by stately oaks cast into silhouette. Most people stay 60 to 90 minutes, but there’s aAdult admission starts at $45 for the Munro works, $30 for “Dimensions,” $65 for both. Through the end of May, Sensorio is open from 7 to 10:30 p.m.
Though Will Geer is best known for playing the grandfather in “The Waltons” in the 1970s, his career in acting, folk music and labor activism spanned four decades. Geer was blacklisted during the McCarthyism of the 1950s, which is when he and his wife, Herta Ware, moved from Santa Monica to the Topanga property, planted extensive gardens and invited other blacklisted artists to come entertain one another. Woody Guthrie briefly lived in a shack there.
Cannon Beach’s expansive sandy shore, at 4 miles long and half a mile wide, means that the bonfire scene rarely feels crowded, but a twilight walk likely will find fires concentrated at the iconic landmark of Haystack Rock. For a quieter experience, head to Arcadia Beach, with sea-stack views of Lion Rock that are just as stunning.
In summer visitors can hike portions of the rim or drive around it. You can hike down the steep 1.1-mile trail to water’s edge atL.A. may have introduced taco trucks to the world, but Portland perfected these movable feasts into a whole new architectural category.are communal groupings of food carts that feature elements that many food trucks in L.A. don’t have — ambiance and amenities encouraging you to stick around.
If a $200 to $600 stay isn’t doable, experience the views, stories and culinary delights of the property at the interpretive center between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. .a few times a year, including Valentine’s Day and Easter, the lighthouse offers a seven-course brunch to non-overnight guests.Some of the shiniest treasures you can find among the Pacific coast’s sand, shells and driftwood are the old blue and green glass floats used by Japanese fishing boats for much of the 20th century.
Make your way to the top of the falls for a revelatory view of the Columbia River. It’s worth the effort — you’ll clock in 2.4 miles on the steep, round-trip journey. The inspiration I get from browsing the shelves at Powell’s leaves me both exhausted and exhilarated. For a respite I hit the light-drenchedLegend says that touching the stone Book Pillar, which lists eight iconic books at the store’s entrance, will give you good luck in finding your next book. But at a place like Powell’s, I doubt you’ll need it.But nothing beats the thrill of a Hellgate Jetboat Excursions trip, and anyone, regardless of age or ability, can join in the fun.
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