Get Out of Town!
August, 2010 - Issue #70 
“Daddy, pool!” exclaimed 2-year-old Amber as she stood on the balcony of our sixth-floor room and peered through the railing at the expansive body of water below. She could have been talking about the impressive panorama of the Pacific Ocean and the bluffs of Rancho Palos Verdes that spread out to the south. But no, she meant the swimming pool.
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Get Out of Town!
July, 2010 - Issue #69
From the 101 freeway, Santa Maria certainly resembles our own hometown of Santa Clarita. Tile roofs, big-box shopping centers and neatly-manicured neighborhoods.
But get off the freeway and start exploring northern Santa Barbara County like we did on a recent weekend and you’ll find a unique Central Coast destination with a vibrant wine country, hidden foodie gems and a glimpse of California’s past.
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Get Out of Town!
May, 2010 - Issue #67
I wouldn’t call myself a camping expert. But having spent a summer driving 10,000 miles and visiting 30 states while living in a VW van, I consider myself an experienced camper.
So in honor of Memorial Day, which is the unofficial start of summer and the camping season, I’m sharing some of my favorite spots to pitch a tent - or park a van - in California.
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Get Out of Town!
April, 2010 - Issue #66
Aquarium of the Pacific has an abundance of ocean life on display in its tanks and petting pools. Sea snakes, sea horses, anemones, urchins, abalone, eels, seals and more. But what really grabs the attention of a 5-year-old boy? Sharks.
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Get Out of Town!
January, 2010 - Issue #63
Remember those days when you were a kid and you could float in the pool with nothing to do but let the sun sprinkle freckles on your back? And then someone would cannonball in and set off an endless round of trips off the diving board?
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Get Out of Town!
December, 2009 - Issue #62
I think I was in first grade the first time I visited Knott’s Berry Farm. My dad took me as a reward for my grades in school. We rode the Log Ride, ate sugary snacks and toted around large stuffed animals my dad won on the midway.
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Get Out of Town!
November, 2009 - Issue #61
Morro Bay is a different kind of California beach town. Unlike some of its more pretentious coastal cousins, it’s a down-to-earth, come-as-you-are kind of place with an eclectic waterfront and a lot of fog. It also boasts a horizon-dominating 576-foot high domed rock my 3 year old referred to as “that mountain thing.”
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Get Out of Town!
August, 2009 - Issue #58
“Daddy, do watermelons grow on trees?” Questions like these are inevitable from a 6-year-old. And it was a good one. Watermelon is considered a fruit, and Laurel knows from the citrus trees in our backyard that fruit grows on trees.
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Get Out of Town!
May, 2009 - Issue #55
Sometimes you just need to hide out. Find a place where you can hole up for a few days and not change any diapers, pick squished bananas out of a high chair, or utter the phrases, “Stop hitting your sister,” and “I don’t know where you left your shoes.”
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Get Out of Town!
April, 2009 - Issue #54
If you have your own shower, a king-size bed and a hot stone massage, can you really call it camping?
That’s debatable. At El Capitan Canyon they call it “glamping,” aka glamour camping.
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Get Out of Town!
March, 2009 - Issue #53
My brother-in-law Javier had been talking for years about putting together a weekend mountain biking trip to the Central Coast to ride his favorite trail.
But like a lot of “guys-trip” ideas us 30-something husbands and fathers discuss, it got lost in the shuffle of our more mundane weekend duties. That is until my other brother-in-law, Tim, got his report date for Marine Corps Basic Training.
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Get Out of Town!
February, 2009 - Issue #52
As far as timing goes, scheduling Valentine’s Day in February was a brilliant move. I don’t know who makes these decisions, but I’m sure it’s a woman.
She undoubtedly scanned the calendar for a time when men would be free from obvious distractions. February certainly is the obvious choice. The Super Bowl is a distant memory. March Madness is still weeks away. What a perfect time for a girlie holiday!
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Get Out of Town!
January, 2009 - Issue #51
If your mother, or mother-in-law, is anything like my mom, then she expected you to have your Christmas list compiled and submitted weeks ago.
And if you are a son, or son-in-law, like me, you have more urgent priorities during the holiday season - like making your college football bowl picks for the office pool.
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Get Out of Town!
November, 2008 - Issue #49
Given that our nation is at war and in the high season of spin from another presidential campaign, it seemed fitting to visit the Norton Simon Museum and see their current featured exhibit.
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Get Out of Town!
October, 2008 - Issue #48
Maybe I’m getting old. I’ve forgotten how much helmets make you sweat. How hard your body works to keep a small motorized vehicle from spinning out of control. How acceleration leads to exhilaration.
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Get Out of Town
September, 2008 - Issue #47
My kids learned a very important physics lesson on the shore of Barrett Lake near Mammoth: bigger rocks make bigger splashes.
Skipping stones is a favorite lakeside activity, but a shortage of the round flat rocks needed for skipping forced the kids to improvise. They soon discovered the satisfying kerplonks, splashes and ripples that come from simply throwing rocks in the lake. And when they figured out I could throw rocks higher than they could - and achieve bigger splashes - they scoured the shore for the largest stones they could bring me.
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Get Out Of Town!
August, 2008 - Issue #46
It was gold that first brought people to the mountains east of San Diego, and led to the founding of the town of Julian. Today they come for shopping, dining, relaxation and apples. The annual apple harvest draws thousands of visitors on fall weekends.
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Get Out of Town!
June, 2008 - Issue #44
I may have a big problem on my hands in 11 years. My oldest daughter, 5-year-old Laurel, likes to go fast, but she can’t necessarily steer. I learned this at Legoland California in Carlsbad, and it has frightening implications for her teenage years.
One of our first rides of the day was on Coastersaurus, a small dino-themed roller coaster that served to whet Laurel’s thrill appetite. She wanted to ride The Dragon as many times as she could, and we took three consecutive trips on the quick coaster that features tight, banking turns. From there it was onto the Aquazone Wave Racers, a spinning ride that goes, you guessed it, fast. Those were followed by the Lego Technic Coaster, another hand-raising, hair-blowing experience.
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Get Out of Town!
February, 2008 - Issue #40
“Because it is there.” That was mountaineer George Mallory’s answer when asked why he wanted to climb Mt. Everest.
The same reason can be applied to Mt. Whitney, half the height of Everest, yet still the tallest mountain in the continental United States. But an even better answer is, “Because you can.”
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Navigating SCV’s Roads
December, 2007 - Issue #38
Ask any driver in the Santa Clarita Valley what they consider the worse road in town is and you are bound to hear a variety of names: Soledad and Sierra Highway, Bouquet Canyon intersection, Valencia Boulevard and Magic Mountain Parkway or any road currently under construction.
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Get Out of Town!
December, 2007 - Issue #38
Food superlatives are admittedly a subjective topic. Everybody has an opinion about where to find the best fill-in-the-blank. Whether it’s sushi, steak, pizza or donuts, we all make our cases about who does what best.
Sometimes the food speaks for itself, and when it’s been saying the same thing for more than 60 years, we ought to listen. Such is the case with The Apple Pan, a legendary Los Angeles lunch counter with devoted followers who, like me, will argue the eatery serves the best burgers anywhere.
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Get Out of Town!
November, 2007 - Issue #37
Next time you’re staring at that tropical screensaver on your monitor, and counting the days until your next visit to the islands, don’t get depressed.
Yes, that next vacation may be far off in the future, but a little taste of aloha is closer than you think. It’s just over the hill in Malibu at Duke’s Restaurant and Barefoot Bar.
The eatery is inspired by legendary Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku, who was appointed Hawaii’s “Official Ambassador of Aloha” in 1960 after the islands achieved statehood. Duke’s is part of the family of T S Restaurants, the same company that operates two other Duke’s in Honolulu and Lihue, along with Kimo’s, a landmark in Maui’s Lahaina.
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Get Out of Town! - A Successful Maiden Voyage to Huntington Lake
August, 2007 - Issue #34
The trip looked like a disaster in the making. We left late on Friday afternoon. We were headed for a campground we’d never visited. The drive took longer than expected. It was the maiden voyage with our new tent trailer. My wife’s sense of foreboding grew with the elevation as we drove toward Huntington Lake outside Fresno on a windy mountain road. It was midnight when we finally pulled into the Rancheria Campground and started searching for a site.
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Get Out of Town! - Log on for Lunch at uWink
July, 2007 - Issue #33
Who gets the tip if your waiter is a computer? For diners at uWink in Woodland Hills, it’s a compelling question. The restaurant has replaced apron-wearing servers with file servers. Every uWink table is equipped with a touch screen computer that serves as both digital menu and ordering system. Also loaded with games, puzzles and quizzes, the tabletop terminals serve as an entertainment center, creating an interactive dining experience.
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