Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 70

Things to Do: UCLA Thrift Shop, Westwood, California

UCLA Thrift Shop  1601 Sawtelle Blvd./Massachusetts Ave., 310-479-4133.  Daily 10-5.  Operated as a charity for the UCLA Medical Center, this small thrift store stocks designer clothing, large pieces of furniture, and bargain books.  An annex (across the street at 11271 Massachusetts Ave., (310) 478-1793) contains a nice selection of children’s clothing and toys plus household linens and accessories. 



Things to do in nearby Santa Monica



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Things to Do: Olde Town Antiques, Oakland, Oregon

A scenic back-country loop leads past cows munching contentedly on the bounty of the area’s lush, green rolling hills, and on into the low-key, old-time town of Oakland featuring a small museum and brick buildings dating to the 1890s.  You’ll cross a one-lane concrete bridge on this freeway loop. 


Olde Town Antiques  110 SE Locust St., (541) 459-1479.  M-Sat 11-4, Sun 12-4.  Five dealers operate within an atmospheric former tavern featuring three brick walls, a very high ceiling, and the original black bar.



image courtesy of Historic Oakland Oregon




 

Good Eats: Casa Nostra, Pacific Palisades, California

Casa Nostra  1515 Palisades Dr., off Sunset, (310) 454-8889.  L-D daily; $$.  Reservations advised.  Tucked away in a canyon in the Santa Monica mountains, this Italian spot provides a spectacular view of the hills from its parking lot and a satisfactory view from the front of its extensive sheltered patio.  The large and open indoor dining room is pleasant, too.  The menu features many usual items, including pizza, but it is worthwhile to note that the ravioli, pappardelle, and gnocchi are housemade and delish.  My dining partner and I s

plit a colorful bruschetta plate piled high with colorful diced tomatoes, a satisfying chopped vegetable salad, and a perfect order of pumpkin-stuffed ravioli in a sage butter sauce.  We left stuffed, and happy, too. 







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images c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to See: Palisades Park and Camera Obscura, Santa Monica, California

Palisades Park  Runs from Colorado Ave. to San Vicente Blvd., north of the pier.  This long, narrow, cliff-top park features expanses of grass, sheltering shade trees, and ocean views.  It is a popular jogging-biking-skating-walking path.   

          Camera Obscura  Accessed through the Senior Center in Palisades Park, 1450 Ocean Ave., (310) 458-2239.  M-F 9-3, Sat 11-4.  Free.  The camera obscura is thought to date back to at least ancient Greece and maybe before.  It is believed that Renaissance painters, perhaps even Leonardo Da Vinci, might have used it to project live images onto their canvases.  In Victorian times, the cameras were a popular seaside attraction in both the U.S. and Europe.  To see the one here, situated within an 1889 only one other camera obscura in the U.S. that is open to the public--in San Francisco by the Cliff House .



building that is adjacent to the Santa Monica senior center, you need only deposit your driver's license at the office in trade for a key to the very dark room the camera resides in at the top of some stairs.  There you will turn a wheel in the center of the small room to steer the lens and mirror located in the turret above, which will then project an image from outside onto a large white disk.  We saw the traffic on Ocean Avenue, some strollers in Palisades Park, and got a glimpse of the ocean.  Built in 1898 and given to the city in 1907, this camera was installed here in 1955.  I was able to find



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Good Eats: Huckleberry Café, Santa Monica, California

Huckleberry Café  1014 Wilshire Blvd., (310) 451-2311.  M-F 8-8, Sat-Sun 8-5; $$.  No reservations.  A good spot for casual dining, light meals, and people watching, this bakery-cafe is well known for its delicious breads and pastries--muffins, Valrhona chocolate-stuffed croissants, cinnamon rolls, cakes, pies.  Breakfast offerings include green eggs and ham, maple bacon biscuits, and duck hash; unfortunately it is only served until 11 a.m.  But lunchtime sandwiches can bring a smile to your face, too.  My favorite is the marinated red pepper-burrata mozzarella-prosciutto with basil dressing on a baguette, but next time I plan to try the housemade brisket on ciabatta.  A large selection of salads are available as sides (I loved the roasted baby carrots with



avocado, cumin seeds, and lemon juice).  From among the dazzling array of desserts, I chose well--an exquisite salted-caramel square.  Counter service is fast and friendly but requires that you get in line and crane your neck to study the blackboard menus above (unfortunately there are no printed versions).  Take-out service is busy, and from behind that counter you can see the workings of the partially visible kitchen.













Magellan’s travel supply store is next door.  Stop in for a browse of suitcases, clothing, and accessories galore.







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image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Great Sleeps/Good Eats/Annual Events: Wolf Creek Inn, Wolf Creek, Oregon

Wolf Creek Inn  100 Front St., (541) 866-2474.  9 rooms.  B-L-D daily.  The  oldest continuous-use hotel in the state of Oregon, this inn was built in 1883 as a "first-class traveler's hotel" for people journeying on the 16-day stagecoach route from San Francisco to Portland.  An orchard north of the dining room holds  mature apple and pear trees planted in 1885.  President Rutherford B. Hayes, Clark Gable, and Carole Lombard have all slept here, and Jack London wrote in a room on the second floor.  An annual Oktoberfest is held in late September to early October. 



More things to do along Oregon's Highway 5.




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image courtesy of inn

Sights to See: Grave Creek Covered Bridge, Sunny Valley, Oregon

It is claimed that the sun always shines in this beautiful valley. 



Grave Creek Covered Bridge  14 mi. N of Grants Pass, (at exit 71). This is one of the few covered bridges in Southern Oregon and is the only one that can be viewed from Highway 5 anywhere along the route.  Though it is closed to cars, you can walk across.  It was here, with puffy white cottonwood floating lazily in the air around me, that I chatted with several fellow Californians who shared a road-war story regarding some Oregonians they crossed paths with who disliked Californians.  Unfortunately, pockets of this prejudice still exist, but fortunately, they are becoming more rare.



More things to do along Oregon's Highway 5.




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image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Great Sleeps/Good Eats/Annual Events: McMenamins Hotel Oregon, McMinnville, Oregon

McMenamins Hotel Oregon  310 NE Evans St., 503.472.8427.  42 rooms.  Some shared baths.  Dating from 1905, this 4-story main street hotel is in the center of this small town’s action.  Beds are covered in chenille, and antique armoires serve as closets. 

          Dining options include the cozy McMenamins Pub on first floor, with two pool tables; the subterranean bistro-style Cellar Bar; and the open-air Rooftop Bar with a breathtaking 360-degree view of the region.

          A UFO Festival is held here annually in May.  Admission to most events is free.  Some of the most famous UFO images ever taken were captured here, in this usually tranquil town.  In 1950, farmers Evelyn and Paul Trent’s photos created a frenzy, and the national news media started referring to McMinnville as "Saucerville."



More things to do around McMinnville.




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image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: Enchanted Forest, Turner, Oregon

Enchanted Forest  8462 Enchanted Way SE, 7 mi. S of Salem, (503) 371-4242.  Hours vary.  $10.50, 62+ & 3-12 $9.50; ride ticket 95c/each.  Built from the ground up by one family, this land of fantasy features gingerbread architecture and a forest filled with nursery rhyme and fairy tale settings.  A sheltered dirt trail leads through the forest setting to Alice's Wonderland, where visitors enter through a rabbit hole and exit through a maze; on to the Crooked House, where it is difficult to stand upright; and then on to the Old Lady's Shoe for a fast ride on a long, bumpy slide.  For a small additional charge, visitors may tour a haunted house and ride on bobsleds.  During the summer, live performances of fairy tales occur regularly in an outdoor theater located at the end of a fragrant wood-chip path. 



More things to do along Oregon's Highway 5.




More things to do in Oregon.   





Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.  



image courtesy of attraction

Great Sleeps: Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Grand Velas Riviera Maya  U.S. 877-418-2963, Mexico 01-800-831-1165.  491 suites.  All-inclusive.  8 restaurants; 24-hour room service and minibars are included.  Located on a property encompassing 80 acres of protected mangroves, jungle, and cenotes (natural freshwater wells), this impressive resort features a long white sand beach.  With three separate and self-contained hotel areas, accommodation options are diverse—choose an exotic garden suite, an ocean-view suite, or an oceanfront suite with private plunge pool.    The main cafeteria restaurant offers a large variety of delicious options, including chilaquiles for breakfast.  The don’t-miss special restaurant is
●Frida  Named for Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, this sleek spot offers Mexican fine-dining in a contemporary setting. The menu is upscale and fussy—perhaps a grilled flank fillet with roasted cactus leaves and a chipotle chili pepper stuffed with cheese, or duck tacos with anise and mole poblano.  Frida also offers a margarita menu, and a roving mixologist visits every table with a top-shelf tequila trolley. 



More things to do in the Riviera Maya.



More things to do in Mexico.



Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.  



images c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers