TIJUANA recently broke the Guinness Record for the biggest Caesar Salad that weighed a total of 3,287 kilograms. The event was organized by the Tijuana Restaurant Chamber. During 23 minutes and 49 seconds, over 300 volunteers mixed the ingredients to establish the record previously held by New York ( 2001). Stuart Claxton, certifiyng judge for World Guinness Records, gave Tijuanás Mayor Kurt Honold Morales the record certificate. The salad bowl was 60 meters long and 1 meter wide!!! Juan Saldana of Tijuana CVB always has these great stories to share about why Californians should eat in Tijuana. He doesn’t have to twist our arms.
Ugly teeth sold for Halloween costumes have 100 times the allowable levels of lead in the paint. High lead levels in some Halloween baskets, Frankenstein cup and white skull bucket are of less concern than the teeth because lead enters the system fastest when ingested. The items were produced in China.
Halloween was a lot of work for me…and it isn’t over yet. There were more event submissions to our beachcalifornia.com calendar this year than ever, part of a growing trend in the fascination of the this celebration some consider Hollywood cosmetics and special fx, some think of as party time with commercial opportunities for making money, and others see as the thinning of a veil between the spirit world and ourselves. On the commercial side, if you don’t have a Halloween costume yet, you better get moving. They say that during election years the most popular political candidate mask sold is a pretty good indicator of who will win and become president. Well, we’re not there yet. While radio shows and the Travel Channel have supplied an overdose of wicken and ghost shows this past week, we watched and did learn something. The day of the dead celebrated after Halloween supposedly commemorates those who have passed (died) and those who have been born in the past year. Dia de los muertos is part of the culture of Mexico and has become part of California celebrations, as well. While wikipedia got it wrong we believe, stating that it is mostly celebrated in the US by immigrants, they need only look to the event calendars, gift shops and California culture to see it is now mainstream. The art center in Ventura holds a day-long celebration as do other municipalities and nonprofit mainstream entitities throughout the state. In a shop the other day I saw much art of this genre, but nothing of the quality seen in Centro Cultural Tijuana (link is video). If you plan to attend the monster bash at West Hollywood, we actually found a hotel room or two remaining. The price has nearly doubled on some accommodations such as rooms at the Valadon which is close to the Weho event, or if you don’t mind walking over half a mile further, book a room at Hyatt West Hollywood where we just saw a room for $220/night. With half a million people attending, you may want to park early and do plan on walking a lot.
Bings and I were on a search for Pedro’s Tacos (in biz since 1986). She’d heard about it in Oxnard and was told to check it out if ever visiting OC. Well, she was. Down for a California Tourism and Trade Commission budget meeting, she was listening to how the CTTC planned to spend $50 million to promote California. More celebrity commercials, beefing up the marketing to specific demographics of travelers who love wine & food, and many enhancements that have the Floridian tourism organizations now stating publicly that California is giving them some competition that’s impacting their tourism numbers.
We had some time to explore and even though the firestorm continued to blaze throughout Southern California pretty much in every region, we hit several spots and had a good time. While we stopped by Huntington Beach, Bings decided Newport Beach was still her favorite, then San Clemente beaches. Why? Because Newport and San Clemente had retained some of the history while Huntington Beach looked more like a tear-down, rebuild stucco city, Bing told me. Being local, I merely listened and took note. We did the usual stuff such as stop by the Stuft Surfer on 15th Street in Newport Beach’s peninsula, head for the Wedge to watch mostly skim boarders on this day, ride on the Balboa Island Ferry, then go south to San Clemente, stopping at the date shack along the way for some killer shakes topped with whipped cream and a cherry, each. In San Clemente….more to follow….
Our hearts go out to Lilly Lawrence, owner of the Castle Kashan in Malibu, and to the church goers at the Presbyterian Church in Malibu near Pepperdine University. Wind-driven brush fires have burned well over 1,000 acres, threatening homes and businesses in Malibu Colony Shopping Center.
Castle Kashan was a local landmark visible from Pacific Coast Highway. The philanthropist and heiress of the mansion collected priceless antiques and memorabilia, and has been known for her support of causes helping women and special groups in need. She has opened her home countless times to a variety of causes.
The Malibu Presbyterian Church was destroyed in 65 miles per hour winds that drove the fire. Malibu has a long history of fires and is especially subject to danger each time the Santa Ana winds (devil winds) blow.
Years ago, Sean Penn and Ali McGraw were among celebrities who lost homes in another Malibu fire. And not long ago actress Suzanne Somers lost her Malibu beach home to fire that rushed from the mountains to the beach, burning structures in its path.
Fires are a common occurrence in Southern California, as are the Santa Ana wind conditions that often flame a spark from a car, downed power line or other igniting force. As far as 50 miles away residents can smell the smoke and see ashes and dust that leave residue on houses and cars.
While summer hotel bookings in Laguna Beach often remained in the 75 to 99 percent occupancy range, October and November week days in Laguna Beach are looking great for those seeking a getaway to some affordable hotels along the California coast. One I’ve been reading about and checking out throughout the summer months, and even now, is La Casa del Camino. The sun is out, the heat is on and it’s time to celebrate California’s real summer that tourists really don’t know about it. I listened to weather report and was a bit disappointed again. More heat is on the way. 
At least as I sit here tonight, a coolness offers that fresh fall feeling that we so eagerly seek on autumn evenings. Having just returned from the Eastern Sierras and Ebbetts Pass where the road will be closed due to snow, museums boarded up for the winter season and folks dig out their heavier jackets, I was definitely in the mood for some snow myself. I did manage to throw a snowball up around the pass area beyond Bear Valley ski resort, but today, I made a tribute page to a snowfall I recall in South Lake Tahoe’s Heavenly Ski Resort not long ago. Talk about beautiful!
We’ve nearly made it through Halloween, are heading into Thanksgiving, then Christmas celebrating. Nutcracker ballets, holiday parties, dining opportunities, wine samplings and countless events all bombard us Californians in December.
Hotels on California’s Central Coast aren’t popping up quite as rapidly as the new homes and restaurants, but there are some new properties on the beach that make weekend family getaways even more compelling. It was almost shocking when I recently visited Avila Beach and saw at the base of the pier the new Avila Lighthouse Suites. I took a tour of the rooms and found them nice. Overlooking the beach, there’s a beautiful swimming pool, restaurants, swings and beach playgrounds for the kids and the several piers to explore. The modern, nautical decor in the hotel suites has that fresh, new smell like a new car. I’d like to stay there sometime in the future. At the time of this writing, the hotel is one of the Martin Hotel properties, sharing similar features with the sister property that sits on the cliffs in Pismo Beach. When visiting the sleepy little Avila Beach, you can golf, fish, dine, stroll, watch the seals and sea lions, play volleyball, let the kids swing on the beach playgrounds, or go around the bend to the nude beach (unofficial). Avila Beach is part of San Luis Obispo and as such, offers great shopping and entertainment.
As I drove by my favorite hotel (resort), Dolphin Bay in Pismo Beach’s Shell Beach region, I sighed a sorrowful sigh for not being able to stop and stay a night or two. My parents live on the Central Coast of California and it makes so much more sense to stay with them than book hotel suites. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think about the lovely suite I once enjoyed, and spent time trying to figure out how to work the huge flat screen television with satellite service. Just around the bend from Dolphin Bay is Avila Beach. This is a town that’s been rebuilt from the ground up practically, and features new hotels. There are signs up at the beach to beware of sharks. This is where a woman who went out to swim with the seals and sea lions was killed by a shark, so the warnings must go up to alert people. Truth be known, sharks inhabit the waters throughout California.
Grandparents are always looking for ways to entertain their kids’ kids in California. On a recent trip I discovered that it’s a driving force for vacations. When visiting the Calaveras County Big Trees State Park recently, I heard one woman I took a park ranger led tour with say, “This is a great place to take my grandchildren when they get a little older.” Not only was the retired nurse and health care provider from the Bay Area a tree hugger, she also loved kids and was looking forward to the day her grandchildren would be old enough to sweep away from L.A., and into the mountains and forests California is so famous for. On a previous hike through Big Trees, named for the giant Sequoias, redwoods and cedars, I saw children gleefully romp in the 10-foot tall cutout at the base of a tree, or stand on top of the Discovery Tree stump, staring in awe at its size. If you’re looking for kids vacations in California, this forest and the state’s many wooded parks, including county, state and national parks, are beyond compare.
Calaveras County, Calif.–As you veer from the California beaches and head east to partake of the mountain highs, you’ll discover that the mountain and forest folks reclaim their homes and lands after summer ends. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief just before the first major snowfall attracts a new crop of tourists–the skiers. Beach people actually get a bigger break in the winter than mountain dwellers as Californians and international travelers head to the mountains for snow and winter sports activities. I just took in California’s gold, the Gold Country of Calaveras County where I saw drifts from the first snowfall and heard that another storm is on its way, possibly bringing snow. Bear Valley Ski Resort closed its swimming pool a week ago, cattle in the region are being moved to lower grounds, residents have covered their windows with plastic, museums are closing for the winter, and everyone is ready for the snow to arrive. For the mountain folks, it’s an exciting time, not for the new crop of tourists who will invade, but for the pristine beauty to behold. It’s when their forests and hills transform to a blanketed, white wonderland sparkling with wonderment. I left before the storm arrived, but would have liked to stay. One of the biggest treats was seeing the aspen trees turn brilliant yellow and gold in Sierra mountains, and visiting the Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Awesome!
Californians love Halloween, the holiday that celebrates the dead, haunted and life’s illusions. While most celebrations involve costumes and candy, Halloween has grown to include massive street celebrations, dogs on parade and countless events that let the imagination run wild. While a cottage industry has developed around ghost hauntings and sightings, special events entertain guests with thrills only Hollywood can produce. Universal Studios has taken a successful Knotts Berry Farm haunt attraction concept and worked it into some of the scariest movie themes and scenes (and they do a darned good job of scaring you!). Disneyland apparently got in on the act, though we suspect they cater to a general audience as they recognized their market share slipping during this holiday season. If you’re visiting California and want to get a flavor for the insanity that can exist when spirits are set free, two events stand out. West Hollywood’s Carnaval is the largest street fair in the US celebrating Halloween. Known as “boys town”, expect to see plenty of non-heterosexual activity and dress. With close to 500,000 people attending, what you’ll notice the most are the crowds. Live bands and all sorts of themed entertainment celebrates Halloween uniquely. But not to be outdone, The Cow Palace in San Francisco sets the stage for some very naughty entertainment. Sumptuous girls wear slightly more than the paint airbrushed on their bodies to look like clothes, and men dressed as women can confuse. It’s all part of the fun for those who like a bit of insanity in the form of an Exotic Erotic Ball (exoticeroticball.com)
On the kiddie side of celebrating you’ll find family fairs, corn mazes, bouncy houses, train rides, pumpkin picking, carousels, candy, petting zoos and family-friendly street fairs and trick or treating sponsored by downtown business improvement districts galore. What are you waiting for? You better get your costume lined up and start having fun. And as for Sara Winchester, she made her fortune from her husband’s Winchester rifle business and always felt that she had to appease the spirits for the ill-gotten wealth that was both a joy and curse. Take a tour of her house to see if she taps you on the shoulder. More Halloween madness.
From Northern to Southern California, everybody wants to Chicken Dance. We visited several Oktoberfest celebrations and found this year’s crop of events to be as lively, well attended and fun as in past years. And in some locations, the new crop of bar-maids are prettier than ever! What is Oktoberfest and why should you go?
When you enter Oktoberfest, you’ll usually get a whiff of sauerkraut right off that bat. If that grosses you out, don’t go. Oktoberfest is about kraut, sausages, beer and funky music, kind of like polka! Now when the weekends come and the drinks begin to flow, the atmosphere at California Oktoberfests ranges from New Orleans Mardi Gras with beads and flashing, to a local showdown for serious athletes who saw logs or carry beer steins (up to 20 at a time!). Many of the community Oktoberfests are daytime fundraisers put on by Kiwanis, Rotary, Soroptimists, and the like. But when you find a German village or group, the innovation and “bar” is raised in the efforts to have a good time.
One of the oldest Oktoberfest events is Alpine Village in Torrance, California. The outdoor patio setting is perfect. The chicken dance is played at every Oktoberfest we’ve ever attended. The purist German bands don’t like to play it much.
German bands come in several styles. They either like to play authentic music that’s completely foreign to most Californians, or they like to slip in lots of rock & roll if they are younger and cater to the wild Friday and Saturday night audience. In Huntington Beach that crowd ranges from old-time rockers to die-hard anythings and new-gen modified moshers. When bridled to serve up the popular stuff, Chicken Dance is part of the play list more than once per night. What you’ll often discover about the month-long Oktoberfest events is the best prices come on Sunday afternoons, or Wednesday nights. You can usually get in free during those times. You just won’t experience the same level of excitement and crowds that you’ll find on a weekend Friday or Saturday night. Those are the two most expensive and most popular nights to attend Oktoberfest in California destinations. And if you think those nights aren’t worth it, just ask one of my friends who was sworn single for 15 years but became swept away by a boy from St. Joseph, Mo one jam-packed Oktoberfest weekend when a bunch of girls went out to socialize with each other.