Saturday, July 30, 2011

CALIFORNIA - SOUTHERN

(does not include city of Los Angeles, Orange County, Santa Barbara, San Diego or Palm Springs)

KERN COUNTY
Bakersfield
Bars & Nightclubs
Trout’s Nightclub, Inc. – 805 North Chester Avenue; 661-399-6700; facebook.com/Trouts-Nightclub-Inc-170423633022931; in November 1931, opened doors; eventually became America’s leading institution for building & preserving iconic music genre known as “Bakersfield Sound”; free live music, karaoke, dancing & scheduled activities; living museum with digital archives of 100Ks pictures, video hours & priceless historical memorabilia; open 7 days week, having only ever closed 4 days in over 79 years.
Sights & Sites
Ablin House – 4260 Country Club Drive; esotericsurvey.blogspot.com/2014/01/frank-lloyd-wright-albin-house.html; private residence with no public tours; only Wright structure in California that you cannot even glimpse of from street; gate is only thing you will be able to see from there; might catch glimpse if you play golf on adjacent golf course.

Cantil
Sights & Sites
Red Rock Canyon State Park – 37749 Abbott Drive; 661-946-6092; parks.ca.gov/?page_id=631; scenic desert cliffs, buttes and spectacular rock formations.



LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Acton
Sights & Sites
Shambala Preserve – 6867 Soledad Canyon Road; 661-268-8809; shambala.org; Tippie Hedren’s zoo.

Long Beach
Bakeries, Coffee, Ice Cream, Juice & Tea
Berlin – 420 East 4th Street (East Village Arts District); 562-435-0600; berlincoffeehouse.com; coffee, hot chocolate, and/or tea.
Coffee Cup Cafe – 3734 East 4th Street (East Village Arts District); 562-433-3292; coffeecupcafe-lb.com; breakfast and lunch.
Shortnin Bread – 401 East 3rd Street (East Village Arts District); 562-257-0016; shortninbreadbakery.com; bakery.
Bars & Nightclubs
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing – 210 East 3rd Street; 562-436-4020; beachwoodbbq.com; brewpub.
Congregation Ale House – 201 East Broadway; 562-432-2337; congregationalehouse.com; stained glass, gimmicky, but good craft beers.
Retro Row, 4th Street Vine – 2142 East 4th Street (East Village Arts District); 562-343-5463; 4thstreetvine.com; live music on weekends.
Seabird Jazz Lounge – 730 East Broadway (at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles); 562-437-8355; seabirdjazzlounge.com; bar in soul food restaurant; fireplace in evening; Saturday nights, live music.
Sir Winston’s – 1126 Queens Highway (at Queen Mary Hotel); 562-499-1657; queenmary.com; ship’s dining room.
Wine Down Lounge – 210 East Ocean Boulevard (at Breakers Hotel); 562-983-2703; winedownlb.com; in former grand hotel; also serves tapas.
Hotels
Dockside Boat & Bed – Dock 5, Rainbow Harbor; 562-436-3111 or 800-436-2574; boatandbed.com; 6 converted, luxury yachts that serve as B&B; try to bunk on 54' Stephens motor yacht.
Hotel Maya – 700 Queensway Drive; 562-435-7676 or 800-445-8667; hotelmayalongbeach.com; like stylish Miami resort; excellent restaurant.
Hotel Queen Mary – 1126 Queens Highway; 562-499-1657 or 877-342-0738; queenmary.com; historic hotel in converted passenger liner.
Restaurants
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing – 210 East 3rd Street; 562-436-4020; beachwoodbbq.com; brewpub.
Delius Restaurant – 2951 Cherry Avenue (Signal Hill); 562-426-0694; deliusrestaurant.com; 4 miles from downtown Long Beach; worth special trip; 7-course prix fixe menu changes monthly; ordering sustainable salmon entree gets you free admission to Aquarium of Pacific.
Kafe Neo – 2800 East 4th Street (East Village Arts District); 562-987-1210; kafeneolb.com; Greek; especially for brunch.
Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles – 730 East Broadway; 562-437-8355; roscoeschickenandwaffles.com; soul food restaurant.
Siem Reap Asian Cuisine – 1810 East Anaheim Street (Cambodia Town); 562-591-7414; siemreapasiancuisine.com; Cambodian food in cavernous space; bar.
Steamed – 801 East 3rd Street (East Village Arts District); 562-437-1122; steamedrestaurant.com; exceptionally well-prepared, organic and steamed Cal-Mex food (burritos and quesadillas) in converted bungalow.
Services
Cali Bike Tours – 5318 East 2nd Street, #585; 562-334-2453; calibiketours.com; bike tours.
Long Beach Hydro Bikes – 110 North Marina Drive; 562-546-2493; lbhydrobikes.com; water bike tours in Alamitos Bay; can fit 2 people and dog.
Shopping
Bow-Tiki Boutique – 322 Elm Avenue (East Village Arts District); 808-280-8563; jjrowe.com; vintage travel gear.
Fingerprints – 420 East 4th Street (East Village Arts District); 562-433-4996; fingerprintsmusic.com; among LA area’s last great record stores; check website for coming appearances.
inretrospect – 2122 East 4th Street (East Village Arts District); 562-433-6600; inretrospect.co; 2nd-hand clothing.
Jj Rowe – 316 Elm Avenue (East Village Arts District); 562-353-7693; jjrowe.com; men’s wear (for “man and his cool kids”).
Port – 402 St. Louis Avenue (East Village Arts District); 562-434-7678; portlbc.com; 2nd-hand clothing, nautically-themed.
Sights & Sites
Aquarium of Pacific – 100 Aquarium Way; 562-590-3100; aquariumofpacific.org.
Ferris Wheel – 95 South Pine Avenue (at Pike at Rainbow Harbor); 562-432-8325; thepikeatlongbeach.com.
Frank House – 82 Rivo Altao Canal; also known as “Case Study House #25”; 2-story house designed by Killingsworth, Brady, and Smith & Assoc. in 1962; sits on canal in Long Beach; reflecting pool with stepping stones leads to huge front door and inside to 18' high courtyard.
Hotel Queen Mary – 1126 Queens Highway; 562-499-1657; queenmary.com; historic hotel in converted passenger liner; also serves as theme park; across water from ferris wheel.
Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum – 695 Alamitos Avenue; 562-216-4170; pieam.org.
Retro Row – East 4th Street (East Village Arts District); high-end antique shops and 2nd-hand clothing stores.

San Fernando Valley (includes Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Granada Hills, Mission Hills, Northridge, Reseda, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Van Nuys & West Hills)
Bars & Nightclubs

Stovepiper Lounge – 19563 Parthenia Street (Northridge); 818-886-2526; stovepiper.com; timeworn cocktail lounge with cool, dark interior of off-Strip casino.
Restaurants
Art’s Delicatessen & Restaurant – 12224 Ventura Boulevard (Studio City); 818-762-1221; artsdeli.com; Hollywood exec breakfast and lunch hangout; considered “power breakfast” place.
Asanebo – 11941 Ventura Boulevard (Studio City); 818-760-3348; sushi; try honey-breaded oysters.
Bistro Garden – 12950 Ventura Bouleard (Studio City); 818-501-0202; bistrogarden.com; among LA-area’s prettiest dining rooms; retro; continental food.
Bokado – 12345 Ventura Boulevard (Studio City); 818-752-9222; sharp Spanish café and market; can sit on sidewalk; tapas.
Brent’s – 19565 Parthenia Street (Northridge); 818-886-5679; brentsdeli.com; 35 year-old restaurant with cheesy, faux-stained-glass façade; great, traditional, Jewish deli.
Carillo’s Mexican Deli – 19744 Sherman Way (Canoga Park); 818-887-6118.
Go’s Mart – 22330 Sherman Way, #C12 (Canoga Park); 818-704-1459; “sushi Shangri-la”; 8-seat counter.
Harvest Bar – 15030 Ventura Boulevard (Sherman Oaks); 818-889-1765; theharvestbar.com; this is strictly healthfood; bowls with 6 varieties of grains, etc., no dairy & no refined sugar; really just for lunch or snack.
It’s All Good House of Kabob – 6800 Reseda Boulevard (Reseda); 818-757-7702; Persian food.
Munch Box – 21532 Devonshire Street (Chatsworth); 818-998-9240; hickory burger; yellow, hutch-like building from 1950s.
Paty’s Restaurant – 10001 Riverside Drive (Toluca Lake); 818-761-0041; patysrestaurant.com; since 1960, serving Monte Cristo sandwiches; diner.
Shopping
Encino Farmers Market – 17400 Victory Boulevard (Van Nuys); onegeneration.org/encino-farmers-market-M3716; Sundays, 8-1.
Sights & Sites
Adams Residence – 7400 Tampa Avenue (Reseda, at Valerio Street); laokay.com/adamsresidence.htm or prairiestyles.com/wright_comm.htm; 1939 Lloyd Wright home (i.e., by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son); wee, pitched roof cottage.
Case Study House #1 – 10152 Toluca Lake Avenue (Toluca Lake); JR Davidson (with Greta Davidson) designed this house in 1948 (his 2nd, see Case Study House #1); intended for hypothetical family with 2 working parents and designed to require minimum maintenance.
Joseph Eichler Tract Houses – Balboa Highlands; balboahighlands.com/history.shtml; modernist, working class, mid-20th Century homes in pristine condition.
San Fernando Rey de España Mission – 15151 San Fernando Mission Boulevard (Mission Hills); 818-361-0186; missiontour.org/sanfernando; impeccably preserved Spanish colonial era mission; museum; profoundly serene experience.
Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space – Victory Boulevard (West Hills, at Gilmore Street); lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=28; nearly 3K acre expanse of native oak savanna, which extends into Simi Valley.

Sierra Madre (includes La Canada Flintridge & Mount Wilson)
Sights & Sites
Mount Wilson Observatory – Red Box-Mount Wilson Road (La Canada Flintridge); 626-440-9016; mtwilson.edu.
Mount Wilson Trail – 189 East Mira Monte Avenue (Sierra Madre); alltrails.com/trail/us/california/mount-wilson-trail-to-manzanita-ridge; 12.6 mile lightly trafficked out & back trai; only recommended for very experienced adventurers; waterfall.



RIVERSIDE COUNTY
Corona
Services
Glen Ivy Hot Springs & Spa – 25000 Glen Ivy Road; 951-277-3529; glenivy.com.

Rancho Mirage
Restaurants
Villa Abbate – 69-820 Highway 111; 760-321-6835; villaabbate.net; Italian with excellent veal parmigiana and homemade pasta; elegant; best tiramisu in America.
Sights & Sites
Sunnylands – 37977 Bobe Hope Drive; 760-328-2829; sunnylands.org; former Annenberg estate.



SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
San Bernardino
Services
Action Zipline Tours – 41647 Big Bear Boulevard (Big Bear Lake); 909-866-0390; actionziplinetours.com; guided tree-climbing tours.
Sights & Sites
Big Bear Lake Park & Reservoir – 38925 North Shore Drive (Fawnskin); 909-866-2917; bbmwd.com/Lake_Info.html; visit just for pine scent.
San Bernardino National Forest – 602 South Tippecanoe Avenue; 909-382-2600; fs.usda.gov/sbnf; wild lands designated National Forest more than 100 years ago; outdoor year-around recreation destination; spans 679K acres in Riverside & San Bernardino counties.



SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Borrego Springs
Sights & Sites
Liar Peg Leg Smith Monument – Henderson Canyon Road (8 miles east on Highway 22, couple miles past airport, as Pegleg Road curves east, fork left onto Henderson Canyon Road, and monument is few 100 yards on right); official monument to liar; Gold Rush era con artist named Thomas Long Smith, or “Peg Leg Smith”; Peg Leg Smith was “mountain man, prospector, and spinner of tall tales,” who lived from 1801-1866; “monument” is large rock pile and stone historical marker; wooden sign advises: “Let those who seek Peg Leg’s gold add 10 rocks to this pile”; local man, Harry Oliver, brought Peg Leg back to life when he formed Peg Leg Club in 1916; rock pile created in late 1940s by “Desert Steve,” who developed appreciation for Great Deceiver; annual Liars Contest held at site every April Fool’s Day.

Rancho Santa Fe
Hotels
Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa – 5921 Valencia Circle; 852-756-1123 or 800-548-3664; ranchovalencia.com; recently renovated, Mediterranean-style resort; 49 guest suites and villas.

Santa Ysabel
Sights & Sites
Himalaya Tourmaline Mine – 26439 Highway 76; 775-225-4245 (call to make sure open); highdesertgemsandminerals.com/html/himalaya_mine_dig.html; located at Lake Henshaw in beautiful Mesa Grande; gem & crystal dig open to public; dig & screen through ore from world famous Himalaya Mine; minerals that can be found include pink & green tourmaline, black tourmaline, quartz crystals, spessertine garnet, lepidolite, clevelandite & variety of others.



SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY
Cayucos
Hotels
Cass House Inn – 222 North Ocean Avenue; 805-995-3669; casshouseinn.com.
Restaurants
Hoppe’s Garden Bistro – 78 North Ocean Avenue; 805-995-1006; hoppesbistro.com; fine dining; Craftsman-style bungalow with ocean views and excellent wine list.
Rudell’s Smokehouse – 101 D Street; 805-995-5028; smokerjim.com; known for smoked salmon tacos; very casual, oceanfront spot.
Services
Good Clean Fun – 136 Ocean Front Lane; 805-995-1993; goodcleanfunusa.com; kayak tours and surf lessons.
Shopping
Brown Butter Cookie Company – 98 North Ocean Avenue; 805-995-2076; brownbuttercookies.com; sea-salt-topped, shortbread-like cookie with cult-like following.



VENTURA COUNTY
Oxnard
Sights & Sites
Mullin Automotive Museum – 1421 Emerson Avenue; 805-385-5400; mullinautomotivemuseum.com; large collection Bugattis.

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