L.A. Times - Travel

Weekend Escapes: Wine, root beer and rolling hills in Temecula

By Ryan Ritchie, Special to the Los Angeles Times — Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

South Coast Winery Resort & Spa is 39 acres of bliss. Old Town Root Beer Co. offers exotic sodas.

Intro: Let wine snobs snicker when they hear you spent a weekend at a vineyard in Temecula. I took a friend for an overnight stay at the South Coast Winery Resort & Spa (34843 Rancho California Road; [951] 587-9463, http://www. wineresort.com ), a 39-acre slice of nirvana where relaxation is inescapable. Twenty-four hours wasn't nearly enough time to enjoy the premises.

Michael Wigge is the ultimate budget traveler

By Beth J. Harpaz, Special to the Los Angeles Times — Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

The travel journalist covered the globe without spending a penny. A series about his project, 'How to Travel the World for Free,' is airing on some PBS channels.

Michael Wigge left Berlin without a penny and traveled 25,000 miles to Antarctica, hitchhiking, bartering and working his way by ship, plane, car and foot, from Europe to Canada and the U.S. and then through Latin America.

Amusement parks: Taking U.S. roller coasters for a spin

By Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times staff writer — Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

A family hops on more than 70 roller coasters in a trip across America's Coaster Belt that features stops at theme parks in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

SANDUSKY, Ohio — As an amusement parks blogger, I have visited most of the big theme parks in Southern California and central Florida, but my roller-coaster résumé was a little thin when it came to the parks in between. So last summer my wife, Nancy, our 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, and I climbed aboard more than 70 coasters in 10 days at theme parks in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

A taste of India's street food

By Peter Mandel, Special to the Los Angeles Times — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

A visitor and his guide in Delhi ignore the tourist's taboo against street food to snack on dosa, uttapam and KFC's Zing Kong Box. It's all quite delectable.

DELHI, INDIA — Delhi, India, is closed today.

Seattle's secret is out: Lake Chelan, Washington

By Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

If you live in Seattle or Spokane, Lake Chelan is your summer go-to spot. Best of all, few Californians know of it. But that's about to change.

CHELAN, Wash. — Just say the words "summer at the lake" in certain company, and you'll get a wistful smile, possibly followed by stories about fishing contests, belly-flops, mosquito bites, campfire songs, sexual awakening, lingering regret, family feuds, winterizing expenses and the prospect that the mortgage interest tax deductions for second homes might someday be disallowed.

Weekend Escape: The small-town charms of Arroyo Grande

By Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

The Central Coast town features Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream Lab, Gather Wine Bar, Santa Manuela Schoolhouse and a swinging bridge.

The sleepy Central Coast town of Arroyo Grande, population 17,000, is the ideal place to shut out the mayhem of city life for a few days. There's not much to do except relax, drink wine, read your book and take sunset strolls.

75th birthday celebration for the Golden Gate Bridge

By Jay Jones, Special to the Los Angeles Times — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:58:00 PDT

For starters, the famous orange-painted span finally has a visitors center. Then there's a gala in San Francisco next weekend with exhibits, films and more.

As its 75th birthday fast approaches, the Golden Gate Bridge is getting a little birthday present. Even though about 40 million vehicles cross it each year and visitors come in droves daily to admire and photograph it, the spectacular span has never had a visitor center. That is, until this month.

Portland, Ore., is a smaller, cleaner, wetter alternative to L.A.

By Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times — Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Pacific Pie Co., Oblation print shop and the Pearl District are part of the town's charms. Hotel Modera has original art and an upscale restaurant, Nel Centro.

The Portland Hop. I know, it sounds like a dance craze in 1937. But really, it's what you do when Southern California gets you down and you need to drink small-batch beer, eat Northwestern locavore meals and see bike commuters in the rain. My wife, daughter and I hit Portland, Ore., for a few days last August. Here's the report.

Old California and good grub in San Juan Capistrano

By Chris Erskine, Los Angeles Times — Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

The Orange County town boasts a famous mission and the returning swallows (sometimes). It also has great restaurants, a heritage museum and more.

What an appealing slice-of-life California town, an easy day trip by car or train. Come for the history, stay for the food. This restaurant-intensive ranch town is the oldest community in Orange County. If San Juan Capistrano — or SJC — had a dating profile it would say: "Self-deprecating, authentic, still likes a good time."

MachineGunsVegas, Guns & Ammo Garage: Pull the trigger on a trip

By Jay Jones, Special to the Los Angeles Times — Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT

Las Vegas indoor gun ranges MachineGunsVegas and Guns & Ammo Garage are fun but can be pricey. Consider a cheap but pleasant stay at the Plaza.

Two new Las Vegas venues invite guests to — quite literally — have a blast. Letting loose with high-powered firearms may not be everyone's idea of a good time, but my visits to two indoor gun ranges suggested just how popular they are with tourists.