"Thank you so much for putting out this great resource! I just saw the hot air balloon festival and am over the moon happy about it!
Thanks & have a GREAT weekend:-)" - Ann
"Eye Spy LA is the greatest events calendar for LA. Period. Not only do we always list our Spirited Woman events in it and have pulled great results - but it is my own weekly "whats-going-on" bible, and I personally don't make a plan before checking the listings." - Nancy Mills Founder, Spirited Woman
"I so look forward to this [newsletter] every Friday. Thank you" - Icetea3
"Thank you for writing wonderful editions of Eye Spy LA. Every Fri. I look forward to open my e-mail. It comes so handy to know about places or events that my family and I can attend on the weekends. Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and safe holiday season!!!!" - Patricia Arias
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Sunday Drives, Weekend Getaways
& Other Outings in Southern California
Here are some places we've been that might give you some ideas for
things to do when you have a day or two off or have visitors from out of town.
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 MULHOLLAND SCENIC PARKWAY A scenic drive along Mulholland Drive was one of the things I recommended to do on Valentine's Day last year. Cupid must have shot Mother Nature with a love arrow, because it turned out to be a beautiful day in an otherwise dreary weekend. This is always a romantic and scenic drive on a clear day. We started at the Stone Canyon Overlook east of the 405 and continued to the eastern most Hollywood Bowl Overlook just west of the 101. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy maintains the overlooks a
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 RIDE THE METRO BLUE LINE TO LONG BEACH Driving to Long Beach on the southwestern edge of L.A. County is not always all that pleasant unless you live close by. Now you can go Metro (the Blue line) and get there hassle free. Once there you'll find a newly revitalized Long Beach beckons and the means to get to the many attractions there readily available. The sunny seaside climate, the Aquarium of the Pacific, Shoreline Village and other attractions such as the Queen Mary recommend a visit. The Metro Blue Line connects Los Angeles to L
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 PERSHING SQUARE GUIDE - HISTORIC DOWNTOWN L.A. A GREAT PLACE TO WALK AROUND AND EXPLORE. Visit Grand Central Market, The Bradbury Building, historic movie palaces along Broadway, the Jewelry District, Gallery Row and the Old Bank District, the Biltmore Hotel, Central Library and the Bunker Hill Steps. Pershing Square borders the old and the new downtown. It is just a block or so down the hill from Bunker Hill and on the edge of Historic Downtown in the opposite direction. Pershing Square has seasonal programs including summer concerts and w
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 PLACES TO GO Explore Union Station, El Pueblo & Olvera Street, Figueroa, South Park and more. Downtown L.A. is an endlessly fasinating place to explore and it is easy to get to and get around thanks to improvements in public transportation over the last several years. You can get there via Metro Rail (Red, Blue, Gold and Purple all go there) and then get around on DASH (Note: DASH runs different routes week days and weekends) for 25 cents per ride. Even driving and parking there isn't too bad on a Sunday or
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 A MAGIC CARPET GIVES INNER TUBING SNOWY SLOPE SLIDERS A LIFT THIS WINTER Two Big Bear inner tube parks offer all the fun of sliding down a slope without the work of trudging back up the hill. Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain provides downhill sleding and Big Bear Snow Play, has a Magic Carpet uphill lift for inner tubing. The "magic carpet" is a large moving conveyor belt, similar to an airport terminal people-mover. Both parks have ski-resort quality snowmaking systems and are groomed nightly, just as ski resorts do. They are now open and expect to have snow through
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 PLACES TO GO WHEN YOU CAN'T DECIDE WHAT TO DO Where is your favorite place to walk around and people watch? We asked Eye Spy LA visitors to vote for their favorites and here are the results.. Venice Beach and Santa Monica tied for top votes at 30% each. Pasadena was a distant 3rd at 13%, followed by Hollywood at 11%, Downtown at 9% and 3rd & Fairfax (The Grove/Farmers Market) with 6%. These are all great places to go when you aren't sure what you want to do. Each of these destinations offer multiple options for recreation, dining and enter
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 QUAIL BOTANICAL GARDENS IN ENCINITAS A dear friend was visiting us and we decided to take a road trip, but we didn't want to drive as far as San Diego and we wanted to see something different. So we headed to the Quail Botanical Gardens in Encintas which is about 20 miles north of San Diego. The mission of the gardens is to inspire people of all ages to connect with plants and nature. They list 24 different gardens: Mediterranean, New World and Old World Desert, Bamboo, Subtropical Fruit, Mexican, Herb, Walled, African, Lawn, Trop
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 RIDING THE RAILS TO SANTA BARBARA Santa Barbara, the sunny scenic seaside town, has lots to see and do and has been a Sunday drive favorite since I was a kid. This time I decided to take the train. I've always wanted to take a ride on a train along the coast, but for some reason I've just never gotten around to it until recently. Amtrak has daily train service from the L.A. area to Santa Barbara on the Pacific Surfliner. This train makes quite a few stops and you can board the train at any of them and pay your fare to the condu
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 TWO DAYS IN OLD TOWN TEMECULA The Temecula Valley, located in southern Riverside County, has a climate similar to the Napa Valley in northern California and is now well known for it's vineyards and hot air ballooning. Old Town Temecula, with its western flavor and historic buildings, is a shopping mecca for antiques and collectibles. Mary Sue Owen and her husband Barry, who've recently moved to the Inland Empire, spent a couple of days there recently sampling eateries, local brewed root beer and shopping for teapots. Old To
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 RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY IN SIMI VALLEY I took a trip to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library with friends and we made it our business to arrive just at opening time. We spent an entire morning wandering around the grounds. I can't make up my mind as to which was more impressive, the actual piece of the Berlin Wall which was presented to Ronald Reagan on April 12, 1990, or Air Force One. The 100 acre site was a memorable experience. We viewed the young Ronald Reagan, an actor and a two term governor of California. We were able to t
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 ROUTE 66 - SAN BERNARDINO TO BARSTOW Route 66 isn't just in Arizona, there is plenty of the road and relics left in and near Los Angeles to explore. This outing I wanted to follow the Cajon Pass from San Bernardino to Victorville and then continue on to Barstow. All three towns have Route 66 Museums. I'd already visited the one in San Bernardino and wanted to stop into and see what the other two had to offer, but mostly I just wanted to see what relics there were to find along the road. Rt. 66 between San Berdo and Victorville isn
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 LOS ALAMOS Heading up to the Central Coast on 101 there are any number of interesting side roads and little towns worth a look. I saw a sign to Los Alamos not too far past Buelton. It said something about antiques and wine tasting and I decided to check it out. The town is located in Santa Barbara wine country and is surrounded by vineyards and other agriculture. There you will find the Union Hotel (1880), a Victorian mansion, antique shops and a mid century retro motel with a little wine tasting bar out
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 LA PURISIMA MISSION STATE HISTORIC PARK California's Central Coast is a great getaway destination from L.A., it's a short drive (about 3 or so hours) and there is plenty to do and see both there and on the way. I particularly like the very classic beach town of Pismo Beach, and try to go visit a couple of times a year. Each time I go, I discover something new. This time a sign to La Purisima Mission beckoned, so I took the turn-off to Lompoc north of Santa Barbara. All 21 of the Spanish missions in California were located along El Ca
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 THE MISSION INN & MUSEUM - WEEKEND GETAWAY TO RIVERSIDE The Mission Inn is an historic landmark hotel that takes up an entire city block in the heart of charming downtown Riverside, and is within walking distance of other historic sites, antique shops, specialty boutiques and cultural events. The property started as a small boarding house in 1876, but by the turn of the century as Riverside was starting to attract visitors interested in citrus and the climate, it was expanded to a full size hotel. It has been added onto several times during its hey
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 ROUTE 66 - FONTANA Route 66 is quickly becoming quite a trendy tourist destination. Bono's Italian Deli, located on Route 66 in Fontana, was established in 1936. It is now for lease. Here is that golden state opportunity you've been waiting for to enter the tourism industry and the sign says they'll train you too. You wouldn't know it, probably can't even quite imagine (as you drive through this area today) that this road was once lined with beautiful citrus groves. That was the almost mirage like sight that gr
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 ROUTE 66 - RIALTO & THE WIGWAM MOTEL Continuing my Route 66 journey on Foothill Blvd. from San Berdo, I entered Rialto, home of the famous Wigwam Motel that has provided hospitality to weary travelers since 1949. This is the seventh, and the last to be built, in the nostalgic Wigwam chain. Two others still survive, number six in Holbrook Arizona and number 2 located in Cave City, Kentucky. The Wigwam is almost exactly halfway between Barstow and Santa Monica (77-78 miles). Each teepee is a neat and nifty motel room complete with o
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 ROUTE 66 - SAN BERNARDINO Ever since the Route 66 Arizona weekend getaway and the Sunday excursion to the original Route 66 terminus at Broadway & 7th downtown, I've been wanting to get out and trace the route through Southern California. Last Sunday there was a break in the weather and also my curiosity was peaked by a new calendar listing for a McDonalds History Tour April 22nd. The site of the original McDonalds is located along Route 66 in San Bernardino. So I drove directly out to San Berdo to pick up a little burg
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 WEEKEND GETAWAY - ROUTE 66 ROAD TRIP When ya gotta drive, ya gotta drive, but open road is hard to find. Driving in L.A. is only fun on Sundays or holidays, and the drive on most roads leaving town is like playing dodgeball with a bunch of semis. However, there is a road that's an uncrowded time warp back to the 50's -- historic Route 66. Also known as "The Mother Road," and "Main Street, America", it was the main road for people traveling west from Chicago and the midwest from 1926 to 1970, when it was replaced by the Interstat
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 SUNDAY DRIVE IN L.A. I love cars, I love to drive, I grew up worshiping at the alter of L.A. car culture. But there is a thin line between love and hate - the 101 Freeway (or the 405, 10, 110 yada yada - or pick a street, any street). Now days driving in L.A ranks on my fun-ometer right up there with shopping for large appliances. Only do it when you have to. Never do it just for fun. Ah but there are some exceptions - Sunday mornings and holiday weekends. So one Sunday I took a chance and took a spin around down
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