Tag archives for California
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After seven hours of slogging through L.A. traffic, coasting through Ventura and Santa Barbara, and rolling through the golden hills of central California, I arrived in San Luis Obispo with a sore bum and ready to stretch my legs. Why did I choose this city as my next stop? Because I’d recently learned it was dubbed the “happiest” in the nation by New York Times best-selling author (and National Geographic grantee) Dan Buettner.
Well…I hope not. But it’s the driving force behind this blog, which all began on a sunny, blue-sky day at the end of April, when I got the call of a lifetime. Would I like to do a month-long road trip around the western U.S. for the Intelligent Travel blog? I blinked a few times until it registered, then tried to rein in the school-girl-excitement that threatened to burst my body at the seams. Yes! Yes. Yes, I would like to do that.
The Radar: Norway’s Northern Lights, Where to Stage a Celebrity Run-In, Airline Apps You Should be Using Now
Posted by Elaura Rifkin on March 21, 2012 
The Radar: Top travel news, stories, trends, and ideas from across the Web. Got Radar? Follow us on Twitter @NatGeoTraveler and tag your favorite travel stories from the Web #ngtradar. Check back on the blog for our roundups.
The Awe-Enlightening Di Rosa Preserve
Posted by James Conaway on March 14, 2012 
The sheep on that hillside off Highway 28, just north of San Francisco Bay, remind me that this place, called Carneros, is named for rams. It was once considered useless for anything but pasture, but today extensive vineyards indicate a different reality — primo chardonnay and pinot noir and, indirectly, art. Those sheep aren’t moving…
The Other Napa Valley Wine Auction
Posted by James Conaway on March 1, 2012 
You’ve heard of the Napa Valley wine auction, that stellar, expensive summer dueling among high-end wines for celebrity. But have you heard of Premiere Napa Valley, a similar vinous stand-off held every winter? Probably not, unless you trade in wine and have clients willing to put down as much as, say, $1,000 for a bottle…
Photos: Where You Went
Posted by Intelligent Travel on November 29, 2011 
Our readers boast impressive travel résumés, which is why every Friday we ask you the same question on Facebook: Where are you traveling this weekend? See photos of where YOU went, and get inspired to plan your next trip. Photos by readers like you. Upload your favorite travel photos with a caption to Your Shot/Travel at ngm.com/yourshot. Tag all…
I Heart My City: Spencer’s San Francisco
Posted by I Heart My City on November 23, 2011 
Hello again to another edition of I Heart My City. This week’s questionnaire is courtesy of travel writer Spencer Spellman of the Traveling Philosopher blog. Spencer has traveled all over the world, but he calls San Francisco, California, home. A mosaic of colorful, distinctive neighborhoods, San Francisco is a city of trend-setting high fashion and…
The Radar: Climbing Volcanoes, ‘Dirtiest Hotel’ Sues TripAdvisor, Beyond Napa Valley
Posted by Giovanna Palatucci on October 24, 2011 
The Radar: Top travel news, stories, trends, and ideas from across the web. Got Radar? Follow us on Twitter @NatGeoTraveler and tag your favorite travel stories from the web #ngtradar. Check back the next day for our daily roundup.
Julia Child’s Santa Barbara
Posted by Intelligent Travel on August 15, 2011 
Happy Birthday Julia Child! The television chef and author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking would have turned 99 today. On this anniversary we’re reminded of an article Child wrote for National Geographic Traveler about Santa Barbara, California where she lived the last few years of her life. Here’s how it originally appeared in…
The Radar: Best of Santa Monica, What to Do When Stranded, Hotel Deals for Baseball Fans
Posted by Giovanna Palatucci on June 2, 2011 
Stay active in Santa Monica this summer: rent a bike, take surf lessons, or explore one of the more than 80 trails in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. [Dabble Mag] The summer travel season has officially begun, which means crowded airports and the occasional flight cancellation. Here are a few tips to deal…
Carmel-by-the-Sea for Kids
Posted by Barbara A. Noe on May 31, 2011 
By Barbara Noe The idyllic seaside village of Carmel, California, with its rose-draped cottages, sophisticated eateries, and posh art galleries and boutiques, has long been a romantic retreat beloved by couples around the world. But what do you do if you have your family in tow? I recently visited this cute little town about two…
The Radar: Europe’s Toughest Rail Stations, U.S. Eases Visa Process, Museum of Making Music
Posted by Giovanna Palatucci on May 16, 2011 
Longest, tallest, busiest, and deepest. These nine rail stations in Europe are some of the toughest to navigate, including the Gare du Nord station in Paris which services around 200 million passengers a year, making it one of the busiest stations in Europe. [SharingTravelExperiences] The U.S. Travel Association recently announced a plan to streamline the…
Sleep Like an Egyptian in California’s Victorian Mansion
Posted by Intelligent Travel on May 12, 2011 
By: Paul Rogers Though nestled next to Highway 101 in the heart of California’s wine country, Los Alamos (pop. 1,374) can feel oddly isolated. Its main drag, Bell Street, is an unlikely mélange of tourist traps (trendy antique stores, art galleries and eateries) and truck stops (18-wheelers overnight at its south end), punctuated by a…
The Radar: New Napa Valley Welcome, Hotel Food Carts, Taxi Cab Guide
Posted by Giovanna Palatucci on April 11, 2011 
Napa Valley debuted its downtown Welcome Center this month. The new 2,400-square-foot high-tech center is aiming to go “print-on-demand.” The center is equipped with television screens and iPads to display information and those wanting to take brochures on the road will soon be able to scan QR codes to “bump” information right onto their mobile device. Download the Visit Napa Valley app, GPS-enabled to help visitors navigate to wineries, restaurants, hotels, and spas. [The Napa Valley]
Life Before Watson: The Computer History Museum
Posted by Intelligent Travel on February 18, 2011 Friend of IT Alison Brick checks out the Computer History Museum‘s new signature exhibition that explores life before IBM’s Watson conquered Jeopardy! I’ve always been confused when people say they want to visit Silicon Valley. Stopping by Google for a tour might be the dream, but driving around big buildings and being turned away by…
Posted by National Geographic Traveler columnist Christopher Elliott recently visited northern California with his family. This is his final report. Read the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth. California’s wine country may be the last place you’d expect to find wild animals roaming the hillsides, from giraffes to zebras. But after exploring the Northern part of the Golden…
National Geographic Traveler columnist Christopher Elliott recently visited northern California with his family. This is the fifth of six reports. Read the first, second, third, and fourth posts. “Look at the castles!” my four-year-old daughter exclaimed, pressing her nose against the car window. “Yes, Napa has lots of castles,” I agreed. There’s no shortage of temples…
A Photo Gallery of Your Own in San Francisco
Posted by Janelle Nanos on January 27, 2011 On my recent visit to San Francisco, I visited the gorgeous new contemporary photography museum at Pier 24. Described on its website as “a place to view and think about photography,” the museum is contemplative and quiet by design, allowing 20 visitors in at a time by appointment only. This, coupled with the fact that…
National Geographic Traveler columnist Christopher Elliott recently visited northern California with his family. This is the fourth of six reports. Read the first and second and third posts. Northstar-at-Tahoe isn’t the first ski resort we’ve visited as a family. Just last week, we checked out the slopes in nearby Heavenly. And last year, we…
National Geographic Traveler columnist Christopher Elliott recently visited northern California with his family. This is the third of six reports. Read the first and second posts. If you want to get to know your kids, take them skiing. But if you want to bond with them, go snow tubing. Skiing may be one of the…
National Geographic Traveler columnist Christopher Elliott recently visited northern California with his family. This is the second of six reports. Read his first post here. It’s a strange time to be in Sacramento. A day before we arrived, Jerry Brown was sworn in as the Golden State’s 39th governor. The marbled hallways of the Hyatt…
National Geographic Traveler columnist Christopher Elliott recently visited northern California with his family. This is the first of six reports. Oakland is the kind of city that’s always looking up. If the drive along Lincoln Avenue over the Highway 13 Bridge–where you can see the ornate Ascension Greek Orthodox Cathedral and the magnificent Mormon Temple,…
Bouncing Around San Francisco
Posted by Intelligent Travel on December 15, 2010 Kristin Luna jumped at the chance to try out San Francisco’s new trampoline park. I grew up in the South on a large plot of land with both a playground and a trampoline decorating my yard. Even with no real training, I could tumble and flip, bounce and twirl as if I were an aspiring…
January is Restaurant Month in California
Posted by Giovanna Palatucci on November 29, 2010 Mark your calendars: California is dedicating a month to its vibrant culinary landscape. January marks the first statewide Restaurant Month, with over 20 destinations from Napa Valley to San Diego offering discounts, chef talks, and other promotions. California Travel & Tourism Commission’s (CTTC) website divides the state by region with links to county and city…
Dead Poets Remembrance Day
Posted by Caitlin Etherton on October 5, 2010 This Thursday, October 7th, poetry-lovers across the country will gather for the first annual Dead Poets Remembrance Day, a unique opportunity to meet at the graves of American poets and read their verse aloud. Walter Skold, founder of the Dead Poets Society of America, developed the idea for the holiday after taking a 15,000 mile…
