Sleep where the legends slept in grand old California hotels

"Oh sleep! It is a gentle thing, beloved from pole to pole," British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner....

Sierra Summit, now called China Peak, expands ski facilities

Sierra Summit resort in California has reclaimed its old...

Exploring Mitchell Caverns in Providence Mountains State Recreation Area

Reporting from the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, Calif.

West Hollywood hotel: Charlie Chaplin Tramp stayed here

Entering the Charlie Chaplin cottage, I stooped to avoid hitting my head. At 5 feet 8, I'm about 3 inches taller than Chaplin. (It's said...

Keeping the Old West alive in Santa Ynez Valley

Santa Barbara County's Santa Ynez Valley is known for its fine wines and upscale horse farms, but some of the Old West remains, including...

A 6-year-old's first visit to Disneyland hits some attractions, misses others

Don't miss the Toontown roller coaster, somebody said. Don't bother with Toontown, somebody else said. Don't risk the Matterhorn with a...

Cheap eats in San Francisco

San Francisco has a way of grabbing hold of its visitors and taking them for an incredible ride, whether they're dangling off the side of...

A weekend just for murder mystery buffs

Did Ms. Scarlet silence Mrs. Peacock with a knife to the throat? Or did Col. Mustard throttle Professor Plum with a silver-plated...

Brick-and-mortar treasures in Tinseltown

Like an old movie set, original Hollywood was dismantled ages ago, leaving what appears to be scant trace of its hallowed roots: The...

Oceanside getaway: Surf, seafood and the blare of train whistles

When I lived in the heart of Los Angeles, I liked to zip out to Malibu to escape the hustle and bustle. "Zip out," of course, is a...

Pac-10 football visitor's guide: Football isn't the only game in town

Fall is in the air, and that means Pac-10 football. The powder blue- and tarnished cardinal-clad lads soon will embark to stadia across...

Port Chicago, site of a World War II home front tragedy, is a classroom today

The bombs erupted along Pier No. 1, thousands of them, about 30 miles northeast of San Francisco. And 66 years later, you can still spot a...

National monuments? Maybe they will be

It's tough to visit California's Bodie Hills. Although many travelers turn off U.S. Highway 395 in the Eastern Sierra to see the well-...

Favorite public golf courses in California

Forget the Scots. Golf was invented in America. There's a petroglyph at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico showing Kokopelli, a mystical Anasazi...

Beyond the beach: Try Maui's tropic scape or Point Reyes' dunes

When it comes to long walks on warm, sandy beaches, Southern Californians are spoiled by our many choices. But how about strolling miles...

Oil runs deep in L.A. history

As those doomed fiberglass mammoths in the bubbling ooze at La Brea Tar Pits attest, oil in Los Angeles is an old story. But how much of...

Gilroy: A fascinating history with more than a hint of garlic

Lori Guerriero was on her knees cooing at and cajoling 14-month-old Alexis Garcia, the son of a friend, to smile at her while she tried to...

Healdsburg: For foodies, a new northern star

In the not-too-distant past, the best dinner spot in Healdsburg was a red-sauce Italian joint next to the highway, and the only option for...

Summer camps aren't just kids' stuff

In my youth, nothing spelled summer more than my box of stationery, stashed in a trunk next to my insect repellent, shorts, towels and...

Highway 1 with kids: 10 fabulous pit stops between Los Angeles and San Francisco

I often lament having left Los Angeles, my hometown, to live in San Francisco, especially now that I have a son. After Kai was born, we...