Capitola is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, on the coast of Monterey Bay. The population is at 10,000. The original settlement now known as Capitola grew out of what was then called Soquel Landing. Soquel Landing got its name from a wharf located at the mouth of Soquel Creek. This wharf, which dates back to the 1850s, served as an outlet for the produce and lumber grown in the interior. In 1865, Captain John Pope Davenport, a whaleman at Monterey, moved his operations to be near the wharf. Unable to capture any whales, he moved his operations the following year to Point Año Nuevo. read more…
The California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, California, that is among the largest museums of natural history in the world, housing over 26 million specimens. The Academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research, with exhibits and education becoming significant endeavors of the museum during the 20th century. It is California’s oldest museum. Completely rebuilt in 2008, the building covers 400,000 square feet (37,000 square metres) and is among the newest natural history museums in the United States. The primary building in Golden Gate Park reopened on September 27, 2008. read more…
The twin brigantinesIrving Johnson and Exy Johnson are the flagships of the Los Angeles Maritime Institute‘s (LAMI) TopSail Youth Program, a non-profit organization that helps at-risk youth learn discipline and teamwork through sailing. They join LAMI’s topsailschooners the Swift of Ipswich and the Bill of Rights. The boats are named for sail training pioneers Irving and Electa “Exy” Johnson. The brigantines are based on original plans designed in the 1930s by Henry Gruber but never built. Noted yacht designerW.I.B. Crealock was brought in to adapt the plans to meet modern Coast Guard regulations and to fit LAMI’s own stringent specifications based on their years of trial and experience. Master shipbuilder Allan Rawl was retained to oversee the project. read more…
Balboa Island is a community located in Newport Beach in California, accessible to the public via bridge, ferry and several public docks. The community is surrounded by a paved concrete boardwalk open to pedestrian traffic, designated as a public walking trail by the city. Balboa Island’s Marine Avenue is home to local small businesses including restaurants, bakeries and local crafts. The island also has its own fire station and post office. The Balboa Island community consists of three modified or artificial islands in Newport Harbor: Balboa Island, the largest; the smaller Little Balboa Island to the east of Balboa Island, joined by a two-lane bridge; and the smallest Collins Isle to the northwest of Balboa Island, joined by a one-lane bridge. The Balboa Island community is joined to the mainland by a short two-lane bridge on the northeast of Balboa Island, and a privately operated fleet of three, three-car ferryboats (Balboa Island Ferry) which provide access across the harbor to the Balboa Peninsula which lies to the south. read more…
Mammoth Lakes is a town in Mono County in California (Sierra Nevada), the county’s only incorporated community. It is located 9 miles (14 km) northwest of Mount Morrison, at an elevation of 7,880 feet (2,400 m). The population is at about 8,000. Mammoth Lakes lies on the edge of the Long Valley Caldera. The area around the town is geologically active, with hot springs and rhyolite domes that are less than 1000 years old. Visitors can take State Route 203 from the town of Mammoth Lakes to the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, over Minaret Summit, then down to Devils Postpile National Monument, with access to the Ansel Adams Wilderness. In 2004, the Mammoth Ski Museum opened in town. The museum featured many vintage artifacts, photographs, and posters. A movie documenting the life of the founder of the ski resort (Dave McCoy) and those of early famous skiers in the area is shown. In 2010, photographs taken by Dave McCoy were featured in an exhibit at the museum. read more…
Bell is an incorporated city in Los Angeles County near the center of the former San Antonio Township. Its population is at 36,000. Bell is located on the west bank of the Los Angeles River and is a suburb of the city of Los Angeles. At 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), Bell is the thirteenth smallest city in the United States with a population of at least 25,000. The city’s Chamber of Commerce is located at the historic James George Bell House, which serves as a meeting place and in addition, a museum showcasing artifacts from the city’s founding family and period furniture. The house is open to the general public with free admission. read more…
Brentwood is a neighborhood in the Westside of Los Angeles. It is the home of seven private and two public schools. Brentwood is also home to many celebrities such as actors and actresses. As a member of a group of nearby neighborhoods that are affluent, it is known as one of the “Three Bs”, along with Beverly Hills and Bel Air. read more…
The Beverly Wilshire Beverly Hills (A Four Seasons Hotel), commonly known as the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, is a historic luxury hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Located at 9500 Wilshire Boulevard on the east side of South Rodeo Drive, it was completed in 1928. It has been used as a shooting location for films and television series. Guests have included US presidents and celebrities. In 1990, he Beverly Wilshire was the primary setting for the movie Pretty Woman, though most interior scenes were actually shot at the defunct Ambassador Hotel nearby. Decades later, it also became a common filming location for HBO’s Entourage television series, with cast and crew filming there at least three times per season when it was produced from 2004 until 2011. read more…
The San Francisco Bay Area (referred to locally as the Bay Area) is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun estuaries in California. Although the exact boundaries of the region vary depending on the source, the Bay Area is generally accepted to include the nine counties that border the aforementioned estuaries: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. Other sources may exclude parts of or even entire counties, or include neighboring counties such as San Benito, San Joaquin, and Santa Cruz. Among locals, the nine-county Bay Area can be divided into five sub-regions: the East Bay, North Bay, South Bay, Peninsula, and the city of San Francisco. Although geographically located on the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, the city of San Francisco is not considered part of the “Peninsula” subregion, but as a separate entity. San Jose is the largest city in the Bay Area, while San Francisco is clearly the culturally dominant one. read more…
