Opening its doors in 1927, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California has been the site of many movie premieres and three Academy Awards ceremonies. Hundreds of celebrity handprints, footprints and autographs are cemented in the concrete of its forecourt. Even a famous landmark such as Grauman’s, however, cannot escape sponsorship,…
Leaving Santa Monica, my husband and l followed the Pacific Coast Highway south to Beverly Hills. I have always enjoyed pop culture and was excited to see some of the sights in person. The Beverly Hilton The venue of the annual Golden Globes Awards ceremony, The Beverly Hilton has been…
As my husband and I arrived in Santa Monica on our drive south on the Pacific Coast Highway, we were two days away from flying back home after a tremendous week in California. As had been our practice the entire trip, once we had an idea of which town we…
I had driven through Malibu, California over a decade ago. It looked just like I had seen on TV, with the base of a mountain on one side of the road, right at the edge, while across the two-lane Pacific Coast Highway were homes, also very close to the road….
While my husband and I drove to Morro Bay from Big Sur, I did a little research, learning that Morro Rock is a 576-foot tall volcanic plug that was formed about 23 million years ago from a long-extinct volcano. It is part of a chain of nine volcanic peaks known…
While there may be no greater “sure thing” image to capture when along the coast than a lighthouse, no two of their stories are the same. Pigeon Point Lighthouse Pescadero, California Perched on a cliff 50 miles south of San Francisco, the 115-foot Pigeon Point Lighthouse is one of the…
Traveling south on the Pacific Coast Highway to Los Angeles, I knew that there was a road closure coming up due to landslides and other weather-related issues. As we got closer to this area, my husband began to see signs warning that the road would soon be coming to an…
The stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway between the California towns of Carmel and Big Sur is one of the most stunning parts of our beautiful America. The coast here is what we all think of when we picture Monterey, when in fact this area is south of that city….
Monterey Having visited Monterey, California quite a few times beginning 30 years ago, I have always thought of it as an elevated tourist town, its major claims to fame, in my mind, being its costal location, its famous aquarium and the legend that was created in the pages of a…
During our trip to California my husband and I decided to spend a night in Pacific Grove. Googling for lodging I found that the charming Lighthouse Lodge & Cottages had availability. Painted blue with a large lighthouse outside the office, it seemed to be waiting just for us. When you…
