California Travel Guide

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How to Go on Retreat at the First Zen Monastery Outside Asia

March 1, 2013 at 3:59 PM | by | Comments (0)

Is it time to start planning your own moment of Zen? The San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) is welcoming meditation seekers, yoga lovers, and artisan foodies for this year's guest seasons, running from April 26 to September 9, 2013, at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center.

Located inland from Big Sur, and only accessible by 4-wheel drive vehicles via a 14-mile dirt road, Tassajara is the first Zen training monastery outside of Asia. It has established itself as the place to go for self-discovery, healing and an escape from the stresses of everyday life. It is also an eco-efficient paradise with all of its energy coming from solar panels and local hot springs.

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Do Good and Bid on Tickets to See 'Conan' in LA

November 21, 2012 at 11:44 AM | by | Comments (0)

Conan O'Brien is doing good this season by donating his time, and 4 tickets to his show, to a charity auction. The top bidder will receive four VIP tickets to a see a live taping of Conan at Warner Bros. Studios, and a meet and greet with Conan after the show.

But, before you starting bidding, keep in mind the tickets must be redeemed within one year, can not be transferred, and do not include transportation to Los Angeles, where Conan is taped.

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Oh, Go Bike Down a Mountain (in California)

August 30, 2012 at 12:23 PM | by | Comments (0)

You're in California! Get out of your hotel! We yell this doubly loud at anyone staying just off the Pacific Coast Highway and triply so if you're near Santa Barbara, as we recently had a chance to go bike down a mountain in the area and, boy, was it awesome. Over one afternoon with Santa Barbara Adventure Company, we got a suntan, caught the breeze, and glided for nearly 20 miles while hardly breaking a sweat.

The biking itself begins after being driven up (bikes and all) to the the top on one of the higher peaks of the Santa Ynez Mountains. During the drive up the mountain, the guides point out scenic spots as well as evidence from a major fire that devastated the area a few years ago. We noted that many trees were still charred and black, while new plant growth flourished around it. Once we reached the peak, we got our bikes ready and set off down the mountain.

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Seth Rogen Isn't an Airline Pilot, But He Plays One in His New Movie

November 8, 2011 at 2:57 PM | by | Comments (0)

Seth Rogen might not have a pilot's license, but in his new movie he plays someone who does. The funnyman is currently filming For A Good Time Call, about two girls who start a phone sex line and their various callers, in Los Angeles.

The movie was written by his wife Lauren Miller, who also appears in Good Time. Together, the couple decided to make Seth's character an airline pilot because they thought pilots were the type of people who call sex hotlines:

We were figuring what kind of people would actually call phone sex lines and we thought airplane pilots probably do. They’re on the road a lot.

Lauren and Seth might think the concept is funny, but we doubt many pilots out there will feel the same.

For A Good Time Call is expected to land in theaters next year.

[Photo: AceShowBiz]

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Tyler MacNiven and His Mom Will Be Waiting For You at the Competitours Finish Line

June 8, 2009 at 4:22 PM | by | Comments (0)

This week, we were lucky enough to catch up with Tyler MacNiven, one half of the Amazing Race 9 winning "hippie" duo. He'll be competing with his mom on the upcoming Competitours experience this summer. If you want a shot at dethroning this AR champ, here's your chance - but you are going to have to bring it!

He's still very much the same guy we came to know and love on the Race: smart, affable and quirky. Since winning his season of Amazing Race with teammate B.J. Averell, he's pursued filmmaking and continued to travel the world, including visits to Iran, Mongolia and Paris, just to name a few. In Iran, he attempted to run the entire 1,000 mile length of the country, but was busted and kicked-out after only 100 miles. You can check out his take on the experience here.

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Chasing 'Lost' Season 5: The Incident

May 14, 2009 at 1:01 AM | by | Comment (1)

Just where in the world is LOST? Each episode, we're looking at the real and fictional locations of LOST from a travel perspective, and plotting them on our Google map. Be sure to check out all the map points, updated weekly!

This week, it's the big season finale. We have a few spoilers, so don't read any further if you are playing catch-up with your Tivo. Will the Island blow-up? Will Juliet and Sawyer sail off into the sunset in that tin can submarine? Will they ever stop creating more questions? Doubtful. The finale spends a lot of time introducing us to the legendary Jacob -- who looks like any other random guy on the island. The thing is, he keeps showing up in everyone's lives at different points. Everybody has met Jacob at some point in their journey. With all that travel, we sure hope he's banking all those frequent flier miles.

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Chasing 'Lost' Season 5: The Variable

April 30, 2009 at 1:06 AM | by | Comments (0)

Just where in the world is LOST? Each episode, we're looking at the real and fictional locations of LOST from a travel perspective, and plotting them on our Google map. Be sure to check out all the map points, updated weekly!

This week, LOST drops a couple of big bombs, like how Eloise Hawking is Daniel Faraday's mother, and that Charles Widmore is his dad. We can't think of a worse parental combination. So, if it's true, this would mean that Penny Widmore is Faraday's half sister. The episode is titled The Variable, which is a reference to the human beings on the island. The equations remain true, it's the variables that change the outcome.

There are a couple of flashbacks that take us back to Oxford after Faraday has graduated. He and Eloise grab lunch at a local Indian restaurant near campus. If you're in the neighborhood and in the mood for some great Indian food, we found this handy list over at In Oxford Magazine.

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Chasing 'Lost' Season 5: Some Like It Hoth

April 16, 2009 at 1:06 AM | by | Comment (1)

Just where in the world is LOST? Each episode, we're looking at the real and fictional locations of LOST from a travel perspective, and plotting them on our Google map. Be sure to check out all the map points, updated weekly!

This week, the focus is all on Miles and his backstory. After a few clips showing him as a boy and then rebellious young adult, we come to find that Dr. Marvin Candle is his father. Although Miles never knew his father in his first life, he has the unique opportunity to get to know him on the island.

Miles also has a gift for seeing dead people -- and by that, we mean he's a ghost whisperer. On an errand for Horace, he and Hurley deliver the body of a Dharma person who had an unfortunate incident with electromagnetism. A metal filling in a tooth came loose and exited his body through the head. Not a nice way to go. It got us wondering what resources there are for emergency dental work abroad. Since medical tourism is all the rage, you might want to check out what Healthbase has to say about dental tourism.

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Chasing 'Lost' Season 5: Dead is Dead

April 9, 2009 at 1:06 AM | by | Comment (1)

Just where in the world is LOST? Each episode, we're looking at the real and fictional locations of LOST from a travel perspective, and plotting them on our Google map. Be sure to check out all the map points, updated weekly!

This week, it's all about Ben. Since last week's near-death experience, things just keep getting weirder. We catch a glimpse of life in the Hostiles encampment, which reminds us of rustic camping in the jungle, roughly halfway between M.A.S.H. and Gilligan's Island. Still, if roughing it in the jungle sounds cool, you might want to check out Taman Negara National Park in Malaysia, or Qoyllur Tours, which features ecotourism programs in Peru.

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Chasing 'Lost' Season 5: Whatever Happened, Happened

April 2, 2009 at 1:06 AM | by | Comments (0)

Just where in the world is LOST? Each episode, we're looking at the real and fictional locations of LOST from a travel perspective, and plotting them on our Google map. Be sure to check out all the map points, updated weekly!

This week, the drama surrounds little Ben and what happens to him after he's shot. It involves Sawyer, a pouty trek through the jungle, and a handoff to Richard Alpert. Also, we see flashes of Kate leaving Aaron with his grandmother before returning to the island. If all of this makes you want more, you might consider heading to Hawaii and checking out a few of the LOST set tours.

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Chasing 'Lost' Season 5: LaFleur

March 5, 2009 at 1:01 AM | by | Comments (0)

Just where in the world is LOST? Each episode, we're looking at the real and fictional locations of LOST from a travel perspective, and plotting them on our Google map. Be sure to check out all the map points, updated weekly!

MYSTERIOUS ISLAND STATUES
If you are looking for an extremely remote vacation destination, we'd recommend one of the loneliest places on earth: Easter Island. It's pretty isolated, with the closest chunk of land, the Pitcairn Islands, almost 1,200 miles to the west. Besides the famous giant statues, visitors may enjoy surfing, hiking and scuba diving. You may not run into Sawyer and the rest of the gang, but you'll feel like you are lost on your own island.

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Chasing 'Lost' Season 5: The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham

February 26, 2009 at 1:01 AM | by | Comments (0)

Just where in the world is LOST? Each episode, we're looking at the real and fictional locations of LOST from a travel perspective, and plotting them on our Google map. Be sure to check out all the map points, updated weekly!

AIR DISASTERS
Given the spate of recent commercial airline incidents, it's no wonder that the Ajira Airways 316 downing on the island seems untimely. With US Airways 1549 managing an intact ditching in the Hudson, and the Turkish Airways crash just short of the runway at Schiphol in Amsterdam, this plot line seems almost too close for comfort.

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