Sip and sail in Long Beach
Wine tasting makes for a great weekend escape. But wine tasting on a gondola is even better.
Last month, Times travel writer Christopher Reynolds included Long Beach’s
21 local destinations where Southern Californians can get a taste of Europe. Gondola Getaway, which offers rides around Naples Island, says it has “the largest and most unique fleet of Venetian craft in the World, outside, of course, Venezia itself.” This is fitting, given Long Beach’s status as a “friendship city” of Venice, Italy.
While cruising around Naples Island, visitors to Gondola Getaway can book a tasting experience to sample wines from
Advertisement Euro-kitsch is all over Southern California if you know where to look
Do you miss plane trips across the pond? Southern California travelers don’t need to go far to find Europe-influenced destinations as long as they don’t mind the kitsch.
Times travel writer Christopher Reynolds recently outlined 21 nearby destinations where Californians can get their continental fix. Care to cozy up in an English pub? Grab a seat at Ye Olde King’s Head in Santa Monica. Longing for a trip to Venice, Italy? Take a gondola ride in Long Beach. Craving castles? Southern California has those too if you don’t mind paying to see Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland or Hogwarts’ façade at Universal Studios Hollywood
When will your favorite California attractions reopen?
Wondering when your beloved Golden State destinations will reopen? Times assistant travel editor Mary Forgione and travel writer Christopher Reynolds have teamed up to tell readers when more than 50 of the state’s top visitor destinations
Hoping to stop by
Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace on your next trip to Joshua Tree National Park? It’s open, but live music is limited, Forgione and Reynolds report. Meanwhile, you’ll soon be all clear to visit the
Monterey Bay Aquarium, which opens to the public May 15.
What’s still closed? Hearst Castle, Coit Tower and Exploratorium in San Francisco and Big Basin Redwoods State Park, which is closed because of damage from the CZU Lightning Complex fires.
✨ No wildflowers this year? Catch a different sort of flower field in Paso Robles
The “Field of Light” in Paso Robles is back this time with a sister exhibition called “
Light Towers,” recently captured by Times photographer Francine Orr.
I was dazzled when I first visited the “
Field of Light” in 2019, a lifetime ago. The 58,800-plus lights, gently oscillating from green to purple to orange and back again, felt like a hidden treasure and I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Dhaval Patel, another Angeleno visiting the exhibition, told me that his friend asked him not to tell anyone about the “Field of Light” for fear of word getting out.
Design and illustrations by Jade Cuevas
Good morning, fellow travelers. I have welcome news for anyone dreaming about a trip up the California coast this summer: Caltrans last week announced that
Highway 1 will see lots of traffic in coming months as COVID-19 cases decline and vaccinations increase. In anticipation of larger crowds flocking to the Central Coast, I spent a recent weekend cruising the area south of Big Sur. I revisited favorite destinations, such as Santa Barbara’s Handlebar Coffee Roasters, and discovered some new stops, avoiding crowds with ease.
In this edition of Escapes, you’ll find Central Coast adventures to take before summer. As always, mask up and keep a distance from other travelers.