California Tourism Archives - Page 2 of 3

Grand Central Market Los Angeles

Los Angeles Grand Central Market

I discovered the Grand Central Market, while hunting for parking in the Los Angeles Jewelry District. Driving by, I wondered why I had never heard about this hidden gem in downtown LA. It just cried out “Park your car and come on in”! So, after shopping, I did just that. I wandered over to Broadway to check it out.

This is a market that got it right! It has a history dating back to 1917 and has been operating since then… Once again, how did I not know of it’s existence?

It encompasses 30,000 square feet, and is filled with a crazy amount of food choices. I circled three times before deciding what I wanted! It has a little bit of everything… Multiple restaurants, fresh produce, bulk grains, desserts, fresh juice, coffee, and even a liquor selection.

You can find moles, dried beans, rice, and specialty products at Chiles Secos or try Valeria’s for an extensive selection of Latin dry goods. Fresh seasonal produce and vegetable are available at La Casa Verde, Sun’s, or Torres Produce. The restaurant choices are diverse… Kababs, Chinese, Hawaiian BBQ, Oysters, Salvadorean and more! The prices are ridiculous… As in really good!

I had such a hard time choosing! The debate was between Bento Ya Japanese Cuisine, Kabab & More, or Sarita’s Pupuseria. I ended up going with Bento Ya Japanese Cuisine. It was hard to pass up Grilled Teriyaki Chicken for just $5.75! It was a decent amount of food for the price, and tasted good too!

I guess I will have to find a few more reasons to hit downtown LA. How else am I going to be able to try all the other options that I could only gaze at?

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Los Angeles Day Trip to Grand Central Market by Julie Miche travel blogger — Entry to Grand Central Market

Day trip to Los Angeles Grand Central Market by Julie Miche travel blogger — Fish Anyone?

Market in Los Angeles — So Many Choices!

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After Hours: 1st Thursday

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1st Thursday After Hours at The Granada

On the 1st Thursday of each month, participating galleries and art-related venues host art openings, live music, artists’ receptions, lectures, wine tastings, and hands-on activities in downtown Santa Barbara.

I do my best to check out 1st Thursday events every month, since we are lucky enough to have so many venues participate, that support local artists. This past Thursday was the last After Hours event of the season… Why this does not run year round is a mystery to me. The Granda Theatre, the Lobero Theatre, and The New Vic are gracious hosts for the After Hours events. The events feature live entertainment, nibbles, & wine tastings.

In honor of their upcoming New Year’s Eve POPS Concert, the symphony busted out their musical instruments, and let us try them out! It didn’t even matter if you had a clue what you were doing! What fun!

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Playing a cello at The Granada Theatre on 1st Thursday After Hours — How do I play this thing?

After hours trying instruments at the Granada — Trying out the instruments!

After giving the instruments a whirl, I headed upstairs to the Granada’s Big Screen to catch the sneak peak of the Lightwire Theater. They will be performing at the Granada on December 10th. I wish I was going to be in town to catch the show, because it looked fantastic!

Next was the wine tasting, champagne, and music by guitarist Bryan Titus… All were very good!

Bryan Titus at the Granada Theatre — Guitarist Bryan Titus

And, where there is good music you have dancers!

Dancing at the Granada Theatre 1st Thursday — Celebrating at the Granada Theatre

If you happen to be in Santa Barbara on the 1st Thursday of the month, be sure to check the schedule to see which venues are hosting events.

Check the schedule here.

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Breaking Thanksgiving Traditions

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Breaking Thanksgiving Traditions & Creating New Ones

It’s been along time since my entire family has been together to celebrate Thanksgiving. Like many families, we are scattered across the country in many different States. Every year I face the difficult decision of where to spend the holiday, and wonder which Thanksgiving traditions will be included or left out.

The past several years, I have traveled to Las Vegas where a portion of my family resides. Last year began with a car accident one hour into the trip. I was rear ended on the 101 Freeway. Thankfully, the car wasn’t horribly damaged and I was able to continue on. The usual six hour ride, however, had turned into a ten hour nightmare!

Still traumatized by the thought of driving in holiday traffic, I decided to stay in Santa Barbara this year. For the first time in my life, Thanksgiving would be spent at a restaurant!

I have one son that lives in Santa Barbara and he booked reservations for us at Harry’s Plaza Cafe. With promises of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, we arrived for an early afternoon meal.

We started with a drink in the bar… I ordered a Bloody Mary. Whoa! It was stiff! I actually had to ask for more tomato juice and ice!

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Harry's Plaza Cafe in Santa Barbara at the bar — Bloody Mary at Harry’s Plaza Cafe

The walls of the restaurant are covered with vintage photographs of Santa Barbara. It’s pretty amazing!

Harry's Santa Barbara history — Santa Barbara history is all over the walls!

Time to eat! Traditional dinner was served. The basics were all there… Lot’s missing, but hey I wasn’t at Mom and Dad’s now was I?

Thanksgiving Dinner at Harry's in Santa Barbara — Thanksgiving Dinner at Harry’s

The food and service were great. We even got a piece of pumpkin pie, which we took home!

I can’t say I would never do this again, however if given the choice, I would choose the good old fashioned family dinner at home. There is nothing like a big Thanksgiving dinner surrounded by your entire family.

I am grateful my son and I were able to celebrate together at Harry’s… It may not have been the traditional Thanksgiving as we have known in the past, but this is how new traditions begin right?

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Waterfront Town – Morro Bay, CA

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Charming Waterfront Town – Morro Bay, CA

We arrived in Morro Bay late afternoon. After settling into our hotel, we headed down to the waterfront to check out the town. Morro Bay’s most famous landmark, Morro Rock, welcomes you upon arrival. It sits between the harbor and the beach, and belongs to a series of ancient volcanic plugs called the Nine Sisters. They are situated between the cities of Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo.

traveling in Morro Bay, Morro Rock, California Travel — Morro Rock – One of the Nine Sisters

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After seeing all the boats out on the bay, we decided we needed to be on one! We had heard about a Tiki Boat Booze Cruise and went searching for it.

Tiki boat cruise on Morro Bay, Travel in California — We found it!

If you have a chance to ride on the tiki boat, do it! The price can’t be beat, plus it’s a great way to see the Bay, learn some local history, and of course be entertained. This boat has a bar on board, and the Captain mixes your drinks. I recommend the Leaky Tiki! Yum! Once you have your drink in hand, your tour begins with the Captain playing the theme song from Gilligan’s Island! I’m not kidding… I did say it was entertaining!

Travel in Morro Bay Harbor, California — Touring Morro Bay Harbor

After our cruise we were ready for dinner. The Embarcadero is lined with shops and restaurants, so we asked the captain for a recommendation. We were looking for good food, drinks, and more entertainment. The Captain recommended the Otter Rock Café. It did not disappoint! The food and drinks were great, and the entertainment fantastic! We were lucky enough to catch the Phil Friendly Trio. They are a rockabilly band from Los Angeles that frequently plays in the area. Check them out the next time they’re in Morro Bay… Just make sure you have on your dancing shoes!

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A Seaside Village – Cambria, CA

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Cambria, CA… Here we come!

I picked up my friend and fellow photographer Jenna Dosch in downtown Los Angeles. She had just taken the bus in from Las Vegas, and we were more than ready to be on our way to Cambria, CA! We had a 222 mile road trip ahead of us, and expected to arrive early evening just in time for a nice dinner and some wine. That was the plan anyway… Instead, we ended up severely stuck in LA traffic for hours! Our new ETA was 9:00 pm!

We called our hotel to let them know we were running late, and were told to get something to eat along the way if we weren’t going to make it by 9:00. We should have listened… Cambria is not a late night party town! We arrived just as all the restaurants were shutting down!

We checked into the FogCatcher Inn which is right on the coast, across from Moonstone Beach. It’s a perfect place for a weekend getaway, and the location can’t be beat. The rooms are cozy, and equipped with fireplaces for chillier nights.

Cambria, CA FogCatcher Inn, Travel in California — Beautiful Gardens at FogCatcher Inn

Still determined to find something that was open, we headed into the Village. The downtown area was adorable, but pretty much shut down too. We finally came across the Cambria Pines Lodge, which was not only open, but had live music as well! We went inside to the Fireside Lounge and found a very lively crowd and wine. Finally! Success!

The next morning we headed down to Moonstone Beach. We were in Cambria to photograph California Coastal Clean-Up Day along CA’s Highway 1 Discovery Route, and wanted to get some photos before the volunteers starting showing up.

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Moonstone Beach, Cambria, CA Coast — Morning on Moonstone Beach

Cambria, CA, Travel in California, Moonstone Beach — Moonstone Beach Morning

Travel in California, Cambri Coastline — Cambria, CA Coastline

Moonstone Beach is such a lovely, serene beach. The coastline is absolutely gorgeous with all the cliffs and pine trees. Make sure to look for the shiny Moonstones while strolling on the beach. They are the very reason why the beach is called Moonstone.

If you like fishing and solitude, you will find it here. The uncrowded beach is a fisherman’s dream. I only counted three all morning.

Ocean Fishing on Moonstone Beach in California — Fishing on Moonstone Beach

If surfing’s your thing, you’ll appreciate this area too! The waves were good and there weren’t any crowds to speak of!

surfing Moonstone Beach — Checking out the waves

Surf Moonstone Beach, travel in California, Weekend Getaway — Found his wave!

If you’ve ever been out on a surfboard in the ocean, you know what a zen-like experience it is while you wait for the next wave. There’s nothing quite like it, and something I think everyone should try at least once in their lifetime.

Zen and surfing, Travel California, Cambria — Surfer Zen!

Coastal Clean-Up Time!
Coastal Clean-Up Day is held annually, and is one of the state’s largest volunteer events. The Volunteers will be collecting over 700,000 pounds of trash! That’s right… 700,000 pounds of trash! So, think about that the next time you are visiting your favorite beach or enjoying yourself while vacationing. You would be surprised to see what people leave behind!

I appreciate all the volunteers that came out for this event! They are an amazing bunch of people who really care about our beautiful coastline. If you would like to participate in
eco-tourism while vacationing along CA’s Highway 1 Discovery Route check out some Stewardship Travel opportunities. You can make a difference to the environment while you explore some wonderful nature preserves.

Cleaning up the coast of California, Eco Tourism, Cambria — The Volunteers have arrived!

Cleaning up the coast of Cambria, CA, Volunteer for Coastal Clean-Up Day, Eco Tourism — Volunteer for Coastal Clean-Up Day

Trash on the beach, Coastal Clean-Up Day, Eco Tourism in Cambria, CA — The trash left behind!

children participate in eco tourism in Cambria, CA — Young Travel Stewards on top of the world!

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Last Piece of I Madonnari Festival

By Julie Miche 2 Comments

I Madonnari… One last Piece

When I Madonnari Festival is over, I usually like to take one last walk up to the Mission to see all the finished artwork. I was surprised to find one artist still working, and one piece that was left unfinished.

I Madonnari Festival, Santa Barbara CA, The Mission, Chalk Art, Travel — “What Happened?”

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I Madonnari Festival – Day 2

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Day 2 – I Madonnari Festival

I had to go back to the I Madonnari Festival for day 2 and check on the progress of the art. I usually make a couple trips up to The Mission during the festival. The artists are incredibly talented and the pieces they create are amazing.

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Street Painting Festival, Santa Barbara CA, Travel, Day Trip, Art, I Madonnari — “Taking Form”

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I Madonnari Festival

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Day One – I Madonnari Street Painting Festival

I just got back from the I Madonnari Festival. Wow, there are some amazing artists participating! If you are ever traveling in Santa Barbara during the festival, it is worth checking out! It’s held annually at the Santa Barbara Mission. Hundreds of artists create large scale chalk images.

I Madonnari Street Painting Festival, Santa Barbara CA, travel, Day Trip, Mission — “Street Painters”

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Buddhist Monks

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Sera Mahayana Monks

Today I walked with the Buddhist monks from the Sera Mahayana Buddhist Monastery to return the sand to the sea.

Buddhist Monks, Santa Barbara, California, Travel, Vacation — “Walking To The Sea”

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Creating A Sand Mandala

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Buddhist Monks Create A Sand Mandala

I finally was able to see a sand mandala created! I have always wanted to, but the timing was never right. Today, monks from the Sera Mahayana Buddhist Monastery in South India finished the mandala. It has been dedicated to Chenrezig. The monks are on a World Peace Tour, and included the Santa Barbara Museum of Art as one of their stops.

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