Great Golf, Scenery, and Luxury — at Pelican Hill on the Newport Coast
About an hour’s drive south of downtown LA lies the Newport Coast…
by Gary B. Hudson One visit to the Pelican Hill Resort’s website and I was enticed to check it out. Could those spectacular photos and the two ocean-view golf courses live up to the experience it suggested? I made arrangements for my visit and looked forward to it. My brother Milton, one of my four weekly golf partners, accompanied me for the game. My sister in-law Stacy and our friend Sarita joined us because the beaconing resort proved irresistible. [clearboth]
[clearboth]
Great Golf, Scenery, and Luxury — at Pelican Hill on the Newport Coast
About an hour’s drive south of downtown LA lies the Newport Coast…
by Gary B. Hudson One visit to the Pelican Hill Resort’s website and I was enticed to check it out. Could those spectacular photos and the two ocean-view golf courses live up to the experience it suggested? I made arrangements for my visit and looked forward to it. My brother Milton, one of my four weekly golf partners, accompanied me for the game. My sister in-law Stacy and our friend Sarita joined us because the beaconing resort proved irresistible. [clearboth] [clearboth]
Great Golf, Scenery, and Luxury — at Pelican Hill on the Newport Coast
About an hour’s drive south of downtown LA lies the Newport Coast…
by Gary B. Hudson One visit to the Pelican Hill Resort’s website and I was enticed to check it out. Could those spectacular photos and the two ocean-view golf courses live up to the experience it suggested? I made arrangements for my visit and looked forward to it. My brother Milton, one of my four weekly golf partners, accompanied me for the game. My sister in-law Stacy and our friend Sarita joined us because the beaconing resort proved irresistible. [clearboth] [clearboth]
Great Golf, Scenery, and Luxury — at Pelican Hill on the Newport Coast
About an hour’s drive south of downtown LA lies the Newport Coast…
by Gary B. Hudson One visit to the Pelican Hill Resort’s website and I was enticed to check it out. Could those spectacular photos and the two ocean-view golf courses live up to the experience it suggested? I made arrangements for my visit and looked forward to it. My brother Milton, one of my four weekly golf partners, accompanied me for the game. My sister in-law Stacy and our friend Sarita joined us because the beaconing resort proved irresistible. [clearboth] [clearboth]
Transportation Resource Guide for the greater Los Angeles area by staff It’s no secret that it’s tough to figure out public transportation in the Los Angeles area. Likewise, the roads can be confusing. This is a large area to navigate. We’ve created this page to you get you to resourses that can help. It’s not complete so forgive us. We just wanted to get it up here in case it can help you already.
Roads ~ Trains & Busses ~ Airports & Airlines ~ Car Rentals ~ Car Ownership
Roads
[caption id="attachment_863" align="aligncenter" width="730"]
Note: This map is a screen shot of Google Maps and is here temporily to guide us in covering the roads for you.[/caption]
General Road info
Caltrans home page — http://www.dot.ca.gov http://www.CommuteSmart.info — “CommuteSmart.info—a free service that makes it easy for Southern Californians to share the ride.” Caltrans Road Closings — http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi They call it “Current Highway Conditions.” You enter the route number and they give you a short road closings report on this same page. This covers all of California. Another URL you might try is http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/plannedwork.htm. Again, it’s for all of CA. Rest Areas — http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/maint/ra/Statewide.htmTraffic Reports
- iPhone app
- TV
- http://www.go511.com/traffic/default.aspx
- Caltrans Live Streaming Traffic Cameras — http://video.dot.ca.gov/This covers all of California. However, it requires the RealPlayer plug-in. Clicking the link gives you a download that you then need to double-click. There are easier ways to see the traffic.
Info by Roadway
U.S. Route 101
Also called: the 101 Freeway, the 101, the Hollywood Freeway, or the Ventura Freeway Part of Caltrans Names can be confusing. The 101 is the overall freeway. The Ventura Freeway is a part of this freeway from from Ventura to Pasadena, but except for that section, the names 101 and Ventura Freeway are not interchangable.- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_101_in_California — This article provides a history and description of the 101. Most helpfully, it lists the exit numbers and names as well as its postmile*.
Ventura Freeway or California 134
Part of Caltrans- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_134 — description and exit list
Interstate 5
Also called: the 5, I-5, Golden State Freeway or Golden State, or the Santa Ana Freeway Part of Caltrans The 5 is a main road to Disneyland. Driving south from Los Angeles, you first pass Knotts Berry Farm and then come into the Disneyland traffic, so this can be quite a trafficky drive. Be sure to allow for that. While the 5 officially has Rest Areas, there really aren’t any in the Los Angeles area. There are a couple in the Grapevine area, at Buttonwillow and Tejon Pass, and there is one just north of the San Diego area, at Aliso Creek. You can see the list at http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/maint/ra/.- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_5_(California) — Provides a history and description. Most helpfully, it lists the exit numbers and names as well as its postmile*
Interstate 405
Also called: the San Diego Freeway Part of Caltrans- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_405_(California) — Provides a history and description. Most helpfully, it lists the exit numbers and names as well as its postmile.*
Interstate 10
Also called: The Christopher Columbus Continental Highway (per a sign that was on the 10 around Santa Monica in the 90s and early ’10s) renamed the Rosa Parks Freeway in 2002. Part of Caltrans The 10 begins in Santa Monica, not far from the famous pier and runs clear across the state, into Arizona, and clear across the country to Jacksonville, Florida. It’s not a straight line though, taking many a dip and turn.Interstate 605 or I-605
Really called: the 605 Also called: San Gabriel River Freeway Part of Caltrans710 — Pasadena Freeway or Arroyo Seco Parkway
Also called: the 710 Part of CaltransInterstate 110 and State Route 110
Really called: the 110California State Route 91
Really called: The 91 Freeway or just the 91 Part of Caltrans- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_91 — description, history, express lanes, and exit numbers.
Trains & Busses
Within Los Angeles we have the Metro. To travel to or from other parts of the state or U.S. we have Amtrak (1-800-USA-RAIL) and Amtrak California as well as Greyhound Lines, Inc. (1-800-229-9424) The Metro system in Los Angeles is very frustrating to those of us used to an efficient system. In NYC, you arrive at a bus stop and have a clearly marked strip map that shows the route and where you can grab another bus/train. The maps also tell you the frequency of the busses. In LA, I arrive at bus stops and can’t even find a clue as to whether the bus is running at the time I am there, let alone where it goes and where it stops. The Metro trip planner and the pocket maps are fairly critical to have until you know your route. Happily, when I have taken the bus, I have found the drivers friendly and helpful. Passengers too, unless it’s rush hour and too crowded. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority — Metro.net/around. For now, at least, this is the main page for all info on getting around LA by their public transportaion. Unfortunately, this site moves things around so often that links are rarely reliable. You may need to start anew with Metro.net each time you want to look something up. For now, at least, you can start to plan your trip here: http://socaltransport.org/tm_pub_start.php Within LA, one of the best services is DASH. If you’re lucky enough to live or be staying near a DASH stop, we recommend it.- The City of West Hollywood has CityLine/DayLine, an inexpensive (free or 25¢) bus that runs within the city of West Hollywood and a bit outside. It runs Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you can’t get to their website you can phone (323) 848-6375. [Aug 2010]
- Culver City has a great bus system with 7 lines. You can learn about it at http://www.culvercity.org/Government/Transportation/bus.aspx
- Santa Monica has the Big Blue Bus. You can learna about it at BigBlueBus.com.
Airports & Airlines
[column-group][column]
[/column][column]Airports in the LA area
There are several LA area airports, each with a website or site section to help you:
- LAX — Los Angeles
- Ontario
- Van Nuys
- Palmdale
- Burbank’s Bob Hope airport — (BUR)
- Long Beach airport — (LGB)
- Orange County’s John Wayne airport — (SNA)
- Torrance airport (This is a small craft airport only.)[/column][/column-group]
[clearboth] Getting to and from LAX Airport
Of course, any guide to LA will tell you about the shuttles and cabs you can take to or from LAX (our airport). But what about public transport? Well that’s a good one. Forget asking Traveller’s Aid at the airport; they have no clue. (I’ve tried several times over the years. Last time I tried was October 2003.) And there’s little info and zero links at the LAX website. The train line to LAX actually stops before the airport. It’s Metro Rail Green Line and the stop is Aviation Station. From there you take the free shuttle service to and from LAX. The Green Line LAX Extension is still pending.Busses
For some years now, there have been FlyAway Buses to LAX, which actually take you right to the airport, dropping you off on the Upper/Departures Level of each LAX terminal or pick you up for your trip home from the Lower/Arrivals Level in front of each terminal. There are clearly marked green signs that say: FlyAway, Buses and Long Distance Vans. There are busses from:- Irvine (which is Orange County)
- Downtown LA’s Union Station
- Van Nuys (in the San Fernando Valley)
- Westwood (West Los Angeles, the UCLA area)
Car Rentals
Beverly Hills Rent-A-Car, luxury and exotic vehicles for the unique driving experience in LA.
Of course, Los Angeles has the usual national car rental brands, but if you’re looking for the “Beverly Hills” or “LA” driving experience — that fancy car that makes heads turn — that Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, Royce, or such — and keeps an ear-to-ear grin on your face as you (hopefully) fly over an open stretch of road, it’s Beverly Hills Rent-A-Car that you seek. Of course, they have cars such as the Honda Accord, Lexus, and Mercedes as well. We haven’t actually driven their rentals, but we’ve met the principals and have been impressed.Car Ownership
DriverSide.com This free site seems handy. When you regisiter your car, the site creates a tab for you called YourName’s Garage. Based on your milage and how many miles you drive annually, it lists your Service Reminders. It’s nice to know my new car won’t need tires or brakes for years. A tab called Service & Repair tells me when my next service should take place, and what Actions — Inspect/Adjust/Change, I’ll need. (For my new Nissan it says: “Replace engine oil and filter” and “Rotate Tires.”) There’s a tab with sales advice, but my car is too new. The Parts & Accessories tab helps you find product for your car. I typed in “organizer” to find one for my hatch; I wish Nissan provided hooks. It found a Seat Back Table Tray that’s great if you have kids in the back seats, but didn’t find a hatch organizer. Oh well. I like the Diagnose Your Car’s Problem feature: looks like, sounds like… What is most promising about this site are the reviews of others that report it alerted them to recalls.]]>Transportation Resource Guide for the greater Los Angeles area by staff It’s no secret that it’s tough to figure out public transportation in the Los Angeles area. Likewise, the roads can be confusing. This is a large area to navigate. We’ve created this page to you get you to resourses that can help. It’s not complete so forgive us. We just wanted to get it up here in case it can help you already.
Roads ~ Trains & Busses ~ Airports & Airlines ~ Car Rentals ~ Car Ownership
Roads
[caption id="attachment_863" align="aligncenter" width="730"] Note: This map is a screen shot of Google Maps and is here temporily to guide us in covering the roads for you.[/caption]
General Road info
Caltrans home page — http://www.dot.ca.gov http://www.CommuteSmart.info — “CommuteSmart.info—a free service that makes it easy for Southern Californians to share the ride.” Caltrans Road Closings — http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi They call it “Current Highway Conditions.” You enter the route number and they give you a short road closings report on this same page. This covers all of California. Another URL you might try is http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/plannedwork.htm. Again, it’s for all of CA. Rest Areas — http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/maint/ra/Statewide.htmTraffic Reports
- iPhone app
- TV
- http://www.go511.com/traffic/default.aspx
- Caltrans Live Streaming Traffic Cameras — http://video.dot.ca.gov/This covers all of California. However, it requires the RealPlayer plug-in. Clicking the link gives you a download that you then need to double-click. There are easier ways to see the traffic.
Info by Roadway
U.S. Route 101
Also called: the 101 Freeway, the 101, the Hollywood Freeway, or the Ventura Freeway Part of Caltrans Names can be confusing. The 101 is the overall freeway. The Ventura Freeway is a part of this freeway from from Ventura to Pasadena, but except for that section, the names 101 and Ventura Freeway are not interchangable.- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_101_in_California — This article provides a history and description of the 101. Most helpfully, it lists the exit numbers and names as well as its postmile*.
Ventura Freeway or California 134
Part of Caltrans- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_134 — description and exit list
Interstate 5
Also called: the 5, I-5, Golden State Freeway or Golden State, or the Santa Ana Freeway Part of Caltrans The 5 is a main road to Disneyland. Driving south from Los Angeles, you first pass Knotts Berry Farm and then come into the Disneyland traffic, so this can be quite a trafficky drive. Be sure to allow for that. While the 5 officially has Rest Areas, there really aren’t any in the Los Angeles area. There are a couple in the Grapevine area, at Buttonwillow and Tejon Pass, and there is one just north of the San Diego area, at Aliso Creek. You can see the list at http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/maint/ra/.- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_5_(California) — Provides a history and description. Most helpfully, it lists the exit numbers and names as well as its postmile*
Interstate 405
Also called: the San Diego Freeway Part of Caltrans- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_405_(California) — Provides a history and description. Most helpfully, it lists the exit numbers and names as well as its postmile.*
Interstate 10
Also called: The Christopher Columbus Continental Highway (per a sign that was on the 10 around Santa Monica in the 90s and early ’10s) renamed the Rosa Parks Freeway in 2002. Part of Caltrans The 10 begins in Santa Monica, not far from the famous pier and runs clear across the state, into Arizona, and clear across the country to Jacksonville, Florida. It’s not a straight line though, taking many a dip and turn.Interstate 605 or I-605
Really called: the 605 Also called: San Gabriel River Freeway Part of Caltrans710 — Pasadena Freeway or Arroyo Seco Parkway
Also called: the 710 Part of CaltransInterstate 110 and State Route 110
Really called: the 110California State Route 91
Really called: The 91 Freeway or just the 91 Part of Caltrans- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_91 — description, history, express lanes, and exit numbers.
Trains & Busses
Within Los Angeles we have the Metro. To travel to or from other parts of the state or U.S. we have Amtrak (1-800-USA-RAIL) and Amtrak California as well as Greyhound Lines, Inc. (1-800-229-9424) The Metro system in Los Angeles is very frustrating to those of us used to an efficient system. In NYC, you arrive at a bus stop and have a clearly marked strip map that shows the route and where you can grab another bus/train. The maps also tell you the frequency of the busses. In LA, I arrive at bus stops and can’t even find a clue as to whether the bus is running at the time I am there, let alone where it goes and where it stops. The Metro trip planner and the pocket maps are fairly critical to have until you know your route. Happily, when I have taken the bus, I have found the drivers friendly and helpful. Passengers too, unless it’s rush hour and too crowded. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority — Metro.net/around. For now, at least, this is the main page for all info on getting around LA by their public transportaion. Unfortunately, this site moves things around so often that links are rarely reliable. You may need to start anew with Metro.net each time you want to look something up. For now, at least, you can start to plan your trip here: http://socaltransport.org/tm_pub_start.php Within LA, one of the best services is DASH. If you’re lucky enough to live or be staying near a DASH stop, we recommend it.- The City of West Hollywood has CityLine/DayLine, an inexpensive (free or 25¢) bus that runs within the city of West Hollywood and a bit outside. It runs Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you can’t get to their website you can phone (323) 848-6375. [Aug 2010]
- Culver City has a great bus system with 7 lines. You can learn about it at http://www.culvercity.org/Government/Transportation/bus.aspx
- Santa Monica has the Big Blue Bus. You can learna about it at BigBlueBus.com.
Airports & Airlines
[column-group][column][/column][column]Airports in the LA area
There are several LA area airports, each with a website or site section to help you:
- LAX — Los Angeles
- Ontario
- Van Nuys
- Palmdale
- Burbank’s Bob Hope airport — (BUR)
- Long Beach airport — (LGB)
- Orange County’s John Wayne airport — (SNA)
- Torrance airport (This is a small craft airport only.)[/column][/column-group]
[clearboth] Getting to and from LAX Airport
Of course, any guide to LA will tell you about the shuttles and cabs you can take to or from LAX (our airport). But what about public transport? Well that’s a good one. Forget asking Traveller’s Aid at the airport; they have no clue. (I’ve tried several times over the years. Last time I tried was October 2003.) And there’s little info and zero links at the LAX website. The train line to LAX actually stops before the airport. It’s Metro Rail Green Line and the stop is Aviation Station. From there you take the free shuttle service to and from LAX. The Green Line LAX Extension is still pending.Busses
For some years now, there have been FlyAway Buses to LAX, which actually take you right to the airport, dropping you off on the Upper/Departures Level of each LAX terminal or pick you up for your trip home from the Lower/Arrivals Level in front of each terminal. There are clearly marked green signs that say: FlyAway, Buses and Long Distance Vans. There are busses from:- Irvine (which is Orange County)
- Downtown LA’s Union Station
- Van Nuys (in the San Fernando Valley)
- Westwood (West Los Angeles, the UCLA area)
Car Rentals
Beverly Hills Rent-A-Car, luxury and exotic vehicles for the unique driving experience in LA.
Of course, Los Angeles has the usual national car rental brands, but if you’re looking for the “Beverly Hills” or “LA” driving experience — that fancy car that makes heads turn — that Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, Royce, or such — and keeps an ear-to-ear grin on your face as you (hopefully) fly over an open stretch of road, it’s Beverly Hills Rent-A-Car that you seek. Of course, they have cars such as the Honda Accord, Lexus, and Mercedes as well. We haven’t actually driven their rentals, but we’ve met the principals and have been impressed.Car Ownership
DriverSide.com This free site seems handy. When you regisiter your car, the site creates a tab for you called YourName’s Garage. Based on your milage and how many miles you drive annually, it lists your Service Reminders. It’s nice to know my new car won’t need tires or brakes for years. A tab called Service & Repair tells me when my next service should take place, and what Actions — Inspect/Adjust/Change, I’ll need. (For my new Nissan it says: “Replace engine oil and filter” and “Rotate Tires.”) There’s a tab with sales advice, but my car is too new. The Parts & Accessories tab helps you find product for your car. I typed in “organizer” to find one for my hatch; I wish Nissan provided hooks. It found a Seat Back Table Tray that’s great if you have kids in the back seats, but didn’t find a hatch organizer. Oh well. I like the Diagnose Your Car’s Problem feature: looks like, sounds like… What is most promising about this site are the reviews of others that report it alerted them to recalls.]]> 
Fabulous Burgers
and more great food
On Fairfax, by Melrose in Los Angeles
by Deborah Shadovitz If you love a great burger you’ll love discovering The Golden State. They serve perhaps one of the best burgers in California, the Golden State. There’s more than just a top quality burger on their menu, though. And you’ll notice that everything they serve is real food, sourced from healthful, sustainable, caring companies.
[column-group][column]Over a year ago, a friend and I took a good walk over to The Golden State: a small, friendly, unassuming restaurant that was highly recommended by her restaurant-savvy 2mn]
Before you head over to The Golden State and step up to the counter, you can check out their menu online or download the pdf. Or, you can pick up one of the laminated menus at the counter. Your order-taker is happy to answer questions for you or perhaps customize your order.
The menu isn’t fancy looking, but the dishes it suggests are certainly appealing. They all look great — but frankly, I can’t tell you about them from first-hand experience because I go there for the burger. [clearboth]
One of the best burgers ever
I honestly have to say Golden State’s hamburgers are one of the best burgers I have ever had. This luscious burger starts with beef from none other than Harris Ranch Beef, butchered by The Huntington Meats of the original Farmer’s Market. Golden State’s co-owner, Jason, explains that the meat is the beginning but the butchering is an important part of creating a great meat. As The Huntington Meat company is nearby, it’s easy for Jason to have fresh meat delivered every day. They actually have a second, afternoon delivery on busy days, which is at least 3 days a week. It’s topped with a flavorful but not overpowering Fiscalini Farmsteads white cheddar that’s actually cooked onto the burger, not just plopped on top as the burger is placed on the bun. Next, it’s adorned with glazed applewood smoked bacon. Open the bun and have a look. It’s beautiful bacon, just perfect looking. Completing it is arugula, their own aioli, and ketchup. It’s all served on a thick egg bun that somewhat reminds me of a great Challah. $10 gets you this perfect burger and one high-quality, tasty side — fresh French Fries, Golden State Potato Salad, or Jalapeno Cabbage Slaw. An extra dollar gets you the incredibly popular Sweet Potato Wedges that you see at the top of the page or Persian Cucumber Salad. As the two photos illustrate, my choice has always been fries.
Hot dogs, sandwiches, salads and other burgers
The rest of the regular menu offers turkey or veggie burgers, chicken; a BLTA sandwich (that’s their fantastic Glazed Applewood Smoked Bacon with lettuce, tomato — plus avacado and aioli); tuna sandwich or melt; a variety of hot dogs from Let’s be Frank (LetsBeFrankDogs.com); and salads. How she resisted the burger on our last visit, I don’t know, but the friend I dined with had one of the three salads — theGolden State Salad. She loved it. “It’s not your traditional lettuce salad. The pairing of the arugula with sweet potatoes, roasted red peppers, etc. provided a great combination of flavors.”
Details and location
The Golden State 426 North Fairfax Ave Los Angeles CA 90036 The Golden State is located on the east side of Fairfax, north of Beverly, south of Melrose — specifically between Oakwood and Rosewood. (Pretty much across from Cantor’s.) It’s also very close to the Banana Bungalow Hostel, making it very easy for those lucky backpackers to come enjoy a great burger or beer.Hours
Tuesday – Sunday: Noon-10pm Closed on Monday TheGoldenStateCafe.com [/column][column]Dinner
At dinnertime — 5pm — the menu expands adding the daily special to the menu. As I’ve only been a daytime customer, I haven’t had the opportunity to try these yet, but I long to each time I read this menu. Here’s the Daily Specials menu I shot on Friday, July 1, 2011.
[clearboth]
Great locally brewed beer and local wine as well
Beer and Burger pairings, anyone?
If you’re a beer drinker, I expect you’ll love having a beer with your burger or entree — or coming in just for the beer.
(Or perhaps you’re a beer float person?)
[clearboth]
The Golden State has 12 beer taps and rotate their selection of microbrewery-supplied craft beers. They offer 40 different beer brands and over 150-200 beers. Most of the beers are brewed locally, but there are a few exceptional craft brews from out of state that they also bring in for us.
[clearboth]
One of the beers offered more regularly is by Craftsman Brewing Company of Pasadena. Craftsman’s award-winning hand-crafted beers are created under the watchful eyes of founder and owner Mark Jilg.
[clearboth]
Here’s a beer tip: If you love a particular beer there, make a note of it because the selection changes so rapidly that next time you return, the staff won’t be able to tell you the name of that fantastic beer you had last Tuesday at 2.
[clearboth]
California wine as well
There’s also always one red wine and one white wine on hand for the wine drinker. The selection changes just like the beer, but all from California. (The beer tip above might apply to the wine too, so if you love a wine, make a note.)Unique gelato flavors
If you love Gelato you might give the unique flavors of Scoops Gelato by Tai Kim® a try. So far, I’ve had (and enjoyed) the chocolate-banana and a maple-something. I’ll just have to try the rest to report back to you.[/column][/column-group] [column-group][column] [hr]About Harris Ranch
If you’ve made the drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco, you likely know Harris Ranch. It’s the large cattle ranch that you smell first, then glimpse, midway between our two cities. It’s immediately off the 5, in a tiny town called Coalinga, which was once a railroad fueling stop called Coaling Station A.) Family owned and operated by the Harris family for all of its 40+ years, Harris Ranch cattle are sourced, fed and humanely processed to create beef that is “as pure and great tasting as nature intended.” Harris Ranch has a strict standard and testing process to ensure it does not contain antibiotic or pesticide residues. It is also minimally processed and contains no preservatives or artificial ingredients. If you haven’t stopped at Harris Ranch en route between Los Angeles and San Francisco, I highly recommend you do. You’re likely to make it a regular rest stop. [/column][column] [hr]About Fiscalini Farmstead Cheddar
Fiscalini Farmstead makes old-fashioned raw-milk cheeses. As their website explains, “Our aged cheeses are made by hand from the finest milk in California – produced from our very own contented cows, and aged in our special aging rooms, then watched over by our master cheesemaker Mariano Gonzalez. Mariano’s passion is to make clothbound cheddar in the rich tradition of the United Kingdom.” Based in Modesto, California, the Fiscalini farm is:- Animal welfare certified
- Environmentally certified
- Powered by renewable energy produced on-site
#LAAL
]]>LA Galaxy Soccer! LA Galaxy vs NY Redbulls at The Home Depot Center – Carson, CA 5/7/11 Photos and Captions by Rudy Sanchez In the second home match of the 2011 Soccer season, the LA Galaxy Soccer team met the NY Redbulls. The game featured Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez, Landon Donovan and David Beckham — four of soccer’s greats. Goals by Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy) and Thierry Henry (Redbulls). The challenge ended in a 1-1 tie.
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Want more info about the LA Galaxy Soccer team?
The official site of the LA Galaxy. The season schedule and scores. Rudy Sanchez’ own photography website. 
The Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach
On the Pacific Ocean, a part of Los Angeles apart from Los Angeles
If you’re looking for a beach or ocean getaway, consider a night at the Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach.
To stay so close to water is a treat, even when we in Los Angeles can pretty readily drive to the Pacific.
Editors Note: This was written in 2010, prior to the recent refurbishing. We have not been back since then, so some of this experience has changed but only for the better, we believe.
[column-group][column]
Although I live just about an hour away, my cousin and I decided to stay overnight in Redondo, making it a true vacation for me as well as her when she came for a visit.
Staying overnight at the Crowne Plaza was, indeed, a good idea. Staying over turned this day-trip-distance visit to Redondo Beach into a proper vacation. Once we parked my car in the hotel’s self-parking, we didn’t take it out again until we left Redondo Beach.
Redondo Beach is, of course, a larger area than just the harbor, but the harbor and its immediate area was all we sought for this two or three day getaway. Staying at the hotel was like staying in a bungalow in a beach colony; we just padded across the street to explore whatever we wanted or do whatever we wanted. Then it was a quick walk back to the hotel, and equally quick to head out again. No cars, no parking hassles, no major planning.
There aren’t many So Cal coastal towns where you can do this. Several are greatly built up. Redondo Beach had the right feel. We easily recommend this trip and idea to others.
So we arrived at the Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach…
Our first sight was that of impressive native-to-California greenery. We were happy to see that water is respected here. (We later learned there is a lot of sustainability practice in place and being put in place here.)
We were greeted out front by a smiling Bellhop and then… stepping into the marble lobby, we noticed this huge high 1,500 gallon salt water fish tank amid varied, inviting seating areas — and we knew we were in for a great hotel experience.
In fact, we loved sitting in the lobby so much that during our stay, as soon as one of us was ready for our next outting, she’d go down and sit by the fish tank to wait for the other to finish getting ready.
This is a perfect lobby in which to meet business associates, should you be in Redondo Beach for meetings.
It’s also easy to have local friends meet you here and sit a while. (In case you’re wondering, we had to work a bit to take these photos because there was almost always a cluster of people seated.)
The Front Desk staff were nice to us at check-in, and were always helpful, not just for our hotel stay but for area advice to help with out little getaway, as well.
The Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach is 5 story, 346 rooms hotel. There is also an impressive meeting space. With several fast elevators though, we never found ourselves waiting long to get up to our room or back down.
Types of Rooms at the Redondo Beach Crowne Plaza Hotel
We stayed in a Double Bedded Room — a room with two double beds, pictured here. We liked the good-sized desk to work at. (We were reviewing photos on our MacBook Pro. No in this photo is an actual lighted closet by the door.
The highlight of our room was our balcony, right behind those sheer curtains. French doors open up to a balcony on which we could actually sit and take in our Redondo Beach King Harbor and Pacific Ocean view. There were comfortable chairs just waiting for us out there. These two photos are just slivers of the view from our room.
Each room in the front has a view similar to ours. Additionally, rooms on each side feature views of the Pacific Ocean. Rooms in the back of the hotel have Palm tree studded views up the hill and into Redondo Beach.
Other room options here are:
- King Guest Rooms
- Executive Suites
- One bedroom Parlor Suites
- Two bedroom Parlor Suites
- One Presidential Suite
[/column][column]
Rooftop: Pool, Hot Tub, Tennis — View!
It was unseasonably cool when came to Redondo Beach for our little getaway and we had so much to do at the harbor, so we didn’t get to take advantage of the rooftop pool, hot tub, or tennis courts. Others did though, even though it was somewhat windy up there due to our odd weather. After all, this is Southern California and no matter how cool we think it is, it’s almost always swim weather. Besides, the pool is heated — and this is a pool with an exceptional view! To the south you can see the Palos Verdes Peninsula. To the north you can see the beach cities coastline blend into the sky. Looking out into the Pacific ocean, most days you can see Catalina Island out in the ocean. That’s the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the distance. (The hotel’s shot was better than ours so we’re using theirs. The others are ours.)
The deck furniture is new in 2011 and is a brought in from Spain adding a bit of a European feel to the area.
The pool deck, heated pool and hot tub are open until 10 p.m.
Sauna
After being busy being tourists and having fun with harbor activities all day, we were happy to relax in the hotel’s sauna at night. We found the woman’s sauna indoors, on the 2nd floor, in the hall that leads to the pool. (There’s also a men’s sauna right nearby.) It’s open to all hotel guests at no extra charge and is open until 10 p.m. There are showers and towels in the sauna room as well; we didn’t have to bring towels down from our room. The traditional 2-level dry sauna can fit 6 people comfortably but we had it to ourselves.Extra Services
Body Etc — European Spa & Salon
Every good high-end hotel seems to have a spa these days. The Crowne Plaza is host to Body Etc — European Spa & Salon, located on the 2nd floor. We didn’t have the opportunity to experience the spa so we’ll just let you know it’s there. You can learn about its services at BodyEtcSpa.com.Le Room — a full-service salon
Le Room, a full-service hair, nails, make-up salon for both men and women is located on the hotel’s lobby level. It offers a 10% discount to hotel guests on most services.Gold’s Gym
All Crowne Plaza guests have access to Gold’s Gym 24 hours a day, every day of the week. This wise arrangement provides hotel guest with more gym tools than a hotel gym typically maintains. Gold’s Gym is not in the Crowne Plaza building, but it’s pretty much connected, in the building right next door. You can see the gym’s building in the hotel photo at the top of this page. (The gym shares the hotel’s self-parking lot.)About the Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach
300 North Harbor Drive Redondo Beach, CA 90277 South-East corner of North Harbor Drive and Beryl Street. (Just 7 miles from LAX, Los Angeles International Airport) 310-318-8888 To learn more about the hotel or make reservations you can visit these websites, or of course call the number above:- CPsplash.com (the best place to learn about the hotel)
- CrownePlaza.com/RedondoBeach (the corporate website)
Parking
Unfortunately, parking isn’t free for hotel guests. Self-parking is $23/day, about the same as parking in the lots in the area. Valet parking is $4 more per day. (These are September 2013 prices.) View Larger MapEvent/Meeting Space
There are 8 sales and meeting professionals on site to help you with your meeting needs. The meeting room stats:- 15 Meeting Rooms
- A total of 24,000 square feet indoors and including the Harbor Terrace to the right of the pool facing the ocean.
- The largest indoor room (The Coral Ballroom) accommodates 800 theatre style or 550 for a banquet, 500 with a dance floor. It is 94′ x 80′ with a 13′ ceiling height. It is 7500 square feet of exhibit space that will fit 40 8’x10′ booths.
- he smallest room is 13′ x 29′ with a 11.5′ ceiling.
To read about some of the Redondo Beach activities turn to this page.
For Redondo Beach harbor area restaurants turn to this page.
[/column][/column-group]]]> The Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach
On the Pacific Ocean, a part of Los Angeles apart from Los Angeles
If you’re looking for a beach or ocean getaway, consider a night at the Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach.
To stay so close to water is a treat, even when we in Los Angeles can pretty readily drive to the Pacific.
Editors Note: This was written in 2010, prior to the recent refurbishing. We have not been back since then, so some of this experience has changed but only for the better, we believe.
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Although I live just about an hour away, my cousin and I decided to stay overnight in Redondo, making it a true vacation for me as well as her when she came for a visit.
Staying overnight at the Crowne Plaza was, indeed, a good idea. Staying over turned this day-trip-distance visit to Redondo Beach into a proper vacation. Once we parked my car in the hotel’s self-parking, we didn’t take it out again until we left Redondo Beach.
Redondo Beach is, of course, a larger area than just the harbor, but the harbor and its immediate area was all we sought for this two or three day getaway. Staying at the hotel was like staying in a bungalow in a beach colony; we just padded across the street to explore whatever we wanted or do whatever we wanted. Then it was a quick walk back to the hotel, and equally quick to head out again. No cars, no parking hassles, no major planning.
There aren’t many So Cal coastal towns where you can do this. Several are greatly built up. Redondo Beach had the right feel. We easily recommend this trip and idea to others.
So we arrived at the Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach…
Our first sight was that of impressive native-to-California greenery. We were happy to see that water is respected here. (We later learned there is a lot of sustainability practice in place and being put in place here.)
We were greeted out front by a smiling Bellhop and then… stepping into the marble lobby, we noticed this huge high 1,500 gallon salt water fish tank amid varied, inviting seating areas — and we knew we were in for a great hotel experience.
In fact, we loved sitting in the lobby so much that during our stay, as soon as one of us was ready for our next outting, she’d go down and sit by the fish tank to wait for the other to finish getting ready.
This is a perfect lobby in which to meet business associates, should you be in Redondo Beach for meetings.
It’s also easy to have local friends meet you here and sit a while. (In case you’re wondering, we had to work a bit to take these photos because there was almost always a cluster of people seated.)
The Front Desk staff were nice to us at check-in, and were always helpful, not just for our hotel stay but for area advice to help with out little getaway, as well.
The Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach is 5 story, 346 rooms hotel. There is also an impressive meeting space. With several fast elevators though, we never found ourselves waiting long to get up to our room or back down.
Types of Rooms at the Redondo Beach Crowne Plaza Hotel
We stayed in a Double Bedded Room — a room with two double beds, pictured here. We liked the good-sized desk to work at. (We were reviewing photos on our MacBook Pro. No in this photo is an actual lighted closet by the door.
The highlight of our room was our balcony, right behind those sheer curtains. French doors open up to a balcony on which we could actually sit and take in our Redondo Beach King Harbor and Pacific Ocean view. There were comfortable chairs just waiting for us out there. These two photos are just slivers of the view from our room.
Each room in the front has a view similar to ours. Additionally, rooms on each side feature views of the Pacific Ocean. Rooms in the back of the hotel have Palm tree studded views up the hill and into Redondo Beach.
Other room options here are:
- King Guest Rooms
- Executive Suites
- One bedroom Parlor Suites
- Two bedroom Parlor Suites
- One Presidential Suite
[/column][column]
Rooftop: Pool, Hot Tub, Tennis — View!
It was unseasonably cool when came to Redondo Beach for our little getaway and we had so much to do at the harbor, so we didn’t get to take advantage of the rooftop pool, hot tub, or tennis courts. Others did though, even though it was somewhat windy up there due to our odd weather. After all, this is Southern California and no matter how cool we think it is, it’s almost always swim weather. Besides, the pool is heated — and this is a pool with an exceptional view! To the south you can see the Palos Verdes Peninsula. To the north you can see the beach cities coastline blend into the sky. Looking out into the Pacific ocean, most days you can see Catalina Island out in the ocean. That’s the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the distance. (The hotel’s shot was better than ours so we’re using theirs. The others are ours.)
The deck furniture is new in 2011 and is a brought in from Spain adding a bit of a European feel to the area.
The pool deck, heated pool and hot tub are open until 10 p.m.
Sauna
After being busy being tourists and having fun with harbor activities all day, we were happy to relax in the hotel’s sauna at night. We found the woman’s sauna indoors, on the 2nd floor, in the hall that leads to the pool. (There’s also a men’s sauna right nearby.) It’s open to all hotel guests at no extra charge and is open until 10 p.m. There are showers and towels in the sauna room as well; we didn’t have to bring towels down from our room. The traditional 2-level dry sauna can fit 6 people comfortably but we had it to ourselves.Extra Services
Body Etc — European Spa & Salon
Every good high-end hotel seems to have a spa these days. The Crowne Plaza is host to Body Etc — European Spa & Salon, located on the 2nd floor. We didn’t have the opportunity to experience the spa so we’ll just let you know it’s there. You can learn about its services at BodyEtcSpa.com.Le Room — a full-service salon
Le Room, a full-service hair, nails, make-up salon for both men and women is located on the hotel’s lobby level. It offers a 10% discount to hotel guests on most services.Gold’s Gym
All Crowne Plaza guests have access to Gold’s Gym 24 hours a day, every day of the week. This wise arrangement provides hotel guest with more gym tools than a hotel gym typically maintains. Gold’s Gym is not in the Crowne Plaza building, but it’s pretty much connected, in the building right next door. You can see the gym’s building in the hotel photo at the top of this page. (The gym shares the hotel’s self-parking lot.)About the Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach
300 North Harbor Drive Redondo Beach, CA 90277 South-East corner of North Harbor Drive and Beryl Street. (Just 7 miles from LAX, Los Angeles International Airport) 310-318-8888 To learn more about the hotel or make reservations you can visit these websites, or of course call the number above:- CPsplash.com (the best place to learn about the hotel)
- CrownePlaza.com/RedondoBeach (the corporate website)
Parking
Unfortunately, parking isn’t free for hotel guests. Self-parking is $23/day, about the same as parking in the lots in the area. Valet parking is $4 more per day. (These are September 2013 prices.) View Larger MapEvent/Meeting Space
There are 8 sales and meeting professionals on site to help you with your meeting needs. The meeting room stats:- 15 Meeting Rooms
- A total of 24,000 square feet indoors and including the Harbor Terrace to the right of the pool facing the ocean.
- The largest indoor room (The Coral Ballroom) accommodates 800 theatre style or 550 for a banquet, 500 with a dance floor. It is 94′ x 80′ with a 13′ ceiling height. It is 7500 square feet of exhibit space that will fit 40 8’x10′ booths.
- he smallest room is 13′ x 29′ with a 11.5′ ceiling.
To read about some of the Redondo Beach activities turn to this page.
For Redondo Beach harbor area restaurants turn to this page.
[/column][/column-group]]]>