Southern California is home to a thriving cocktail culture. And coffee, and beer, and wine, and juice, I suppose, too, but let’s focus on the mixology for now. I want to highlight a location in four local counties where you are guaranteed to experience the state of the bartender’s art. And I’m going to recommend a particular cocktail at each. Let’s begin in Orange County, … Continue reading So Cal is Cocktail Country
Let’s face it, we cover Santa Barbara quite a bit in this space. And with good cause. Like Palm Springs to the east and San Diego to the south, it’s a welcoming destination within about 90 minutes, which is about how long it takes to clear one’s head of the daily grind. Best of all you can just hop on a train. On my latest … Continue reading A Santa Barbara Overnighter… or Two
The pandemic spurred an even greater love for far-flung destinations away from city life. These areas breathe air/life back into your soul and quite frankly, they may not have been on your radar until the pandemic. The great California Road Trip is having a bit of a renaissance and the Golden State features hundreds of unique escapes. We went on the road and off the … Continue reading Relive California’s past with 5 reimagined hotels
This article was first published in Malibu Coast Lifestyle print and Conejo Valley Lifestyle print (June 2021). After more than two years apart due to the pandemic, I found myself reuniting with my East Coast mother in Santa Barbara. Known as the American Riviera, Santa Barbara boasts temperatures in the 70s year-round and has about 80 cloudy days a year. Even though we arrived during … Continue reading Explore Santa Barbara, the American Riviera
The recent heat wave in the usually mild month of April portends sweltering weather come late summer. It got me thinking about a contingency plan should the mercury reach the triple digits. An evacuation drill was in order. The safety bunker would need to be someplace reachable within a couple of hours’ drive lest we risk some kind of vehicular breakdown under the scorching sun, … Continue reading Find Your Summertime Oasis
If your idea of Santa Barbara is limited to downtown, it’s time to expand your horizons. In fact, Santa Barbara is so much more — it’s wine country, it’s sandy beaches, it’s exciting new restaurants and cafes, and of course, it’s charming hotels designed for a weekend getaway. And if you want to stay in town or just south, in upscale Montecito, you’re going to … Continue reading Pro Tip: Santa Barbara on a Budget
What a night to celebrate Julia Child on her birthday at the Montecito Club in Santa Barbara! She would have been 107. The Santa Barbara mayor Cathy Murillo proclaimed August 15, 2019, Julia Child Day, in honor of her birthday and a place she loved so much and spent her final years. The proclamation announced on August 15 recognizes celebrations across the nation in honor … Continue reading Julia Child Day proclaimed August 15 in Santa Barbara at the Montecito Club
Founded in the 1880s as a temperance colony, Lompoc was originally conceived as a booze-free utopia. (Note: this is not to be confused with a free-booze utopia, which, I’m sorry to say, is not a real thing). William Hollister, a wealthy rancher who was once considered the state’s largest producer of wool was interested in cheap labor and clean sobriety. Today, wages are still low … Continue reading Escape LA: Lompoc, a Santa Barbara city
Koolaburra is one of my favorite shoe lines and I was thrilled to learn they were at Sundance this year. I love to see companies succeed and this is one I have been following for awhile. I first discovered them at a fun LA event a few years ago when I fell in love with their wedge sneakers. I wear my tan Preston sneaker wedges … Continue reading Koolaburra Shows Off their Boots at Sundance
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