california travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

The dam was constructed between 1953 and 1957 and is known as The Glory Hole. Monticello Dam is located west of Sacramento, California. The Hole is used when a dam is at full capacity and water needs to be drained from the reservoir.

The solid concrete-arch structure stands 93 m tall and 312 m long – it’s the largest in the world of this type of spillway, contains 249,000 m³ of concrete. This type of spillway is basically a giant cement funnel. It consumes 362,000 gallons of water per second.
The funnel’s largest diameter is 72 feet and narrows to about 28 feet. It is designed to handle a maximum of 14,400 feet ³ of water every second, which occurs when the lake level rises to 15.5 feet above the level of the funnel. For more photos click here http://fogonazos.blogspot.com/2007/02/largest-drain-hole-ever.html

Clos Pegase is  majestic temple that’s somehow both awe-inspiring and welcoming. The buildings were designed around this huge tree which is also magnificent. Clos Pegase is located at 1060 Dunaweal Lane, Calistoga, California. Just north of St. Helena off of Hwy-29 or the Silverado Trail.

The Clos Pegase label proudly features Pegasus painted circa 1890 by the French artist Redon. Timeless works honor Bacchus, god of wine.

This picturesque winery features a majestic, neo-Mediterranean temple dedicated to wine and a cave theater with stunning sculptures. The wine is fantastic and the owners have a great story.

The tasting room is well-furnished as well with the centerpiece being the wine.

Another unusual thing  is that they allow anyone to picnic at the site, including bringing your own brown bag lunch.
 

Located on the picturesque Sierra Nevada Mountains, America’s largest alpine lake, Lake Tahoe, boasts of over 300 days of warm sunshine, 396 inches of annual snowfall, 18 world-class ski and snowboarding resorts, incredible golf courses, fantastic hotels, casinos. The lake is 22 miles long, 12 miles wide and has 72 miles of shoreline. The deepest point at 1,645 feet makes it the third deepest lake in North America and the tenth deepest in the world. The Lake and mountains are brimming with activity and the casinos are full of 24-hour action, entertainment and nightlife!!

In Lake Tahoe Area you’ll find hotels and vacation rentals for everyone’s tastes and budget with hundreds of lodging options – full service luxury hotels, inns, cabins and luxury vacation rentals. The region mixes gambling and nightlife with world-class resorts overlooking the lake, plus swimming, boating, bicycling, and hiking come summer. There is also plenty to do with incredible beaches, hiking & biking trails, camping, fishing and boating options and restaurants!

The mountains are a very popular skiing destination during winter, with 14 ski centers that start to open in late October and some continue until May. With perfect snow falling from late November to early April, Lake Tahoe skiing and snowboarding is consistently rated the best!

In summer, the clear water bustles with jet skis, kayaks and scenic boat tours, and the Sierra Nevada trails fill with hikers. When the rest country is experiencing sweltering summer heat, the weather in Tahoe is perfect. There are many miles of uncrowded, soft sandy beaches and a great selection of beautifully manicured golf courses. With more than 100 miles of trails, North-star-at-Tahoe, a popular ski resort, ranks as the largest mountain-bike park in Northern California.

With all this and more (http://www.visitinglaketahoe.com/), it’s no wonder people from all over the world make Lake Tahoe one of the most popular year-round vacation destinations in the world!

Hey divas, Surf Diva is your real hot spot to get out of the town. Located in 2160 Avenida de la Playa La Jolla in sunny California this place definitely will captured you! Overnight camps in San Diego,Costa Rica and Australia with weekend clinics and private lessons are some of its features.

Dionne Mochon, 32, a prosecutor in San Diego, began taking surf lessons last year. “Surfing has opened so many doors to meet people, network and just enjoy being a woman interacting with other professionals on a social level,” she wrote in a recent e-mail message. www.surfdiva.com

The Screening Room is located 54 ft of street frontage on Camden Drive Beverly Hills, California. The room is not only for a high performance, it also consist 80 seat space for viewing films, a large pre function lobby area, a kitchen/bar and a major facade to the street. The idea is the private space to become more public.

The aluminum panel facade and the smooth white ceiling and wall surfaces allows passersby to peek in through, and around these surfaces to catch fragments of the floor and ceiling surfaces inside. This sense is analogous to cinema watching or even stargazing.

Inside, the ceiling surface splits into 3 major bands that each has its own programmatic performance and sectional profile. The exterior wall of the screening room is wrapped with wallpaper designed by 2X4. The interior of the screening room is a deeply saturated red world consisting of different materials and textures of paint, carpet, and fabric.

The California Snow Season’s most exciting event, SNOWFEST! A ten-day celebration at the beginning of March is jam-packed with exciting events and activities, all centered around one of the world’s most spectacular mountain resort areas.
Enjoy a weekend of family-fun festivities – chili contests, ice carving contest, Alaskan Malamute dog-pulling contests, bed races on ice, barrel racing, a parade, pancake breakfast, children activities, and that’s just during the day! And the Ten Eyck Plaza is a must for those with little children, with mini golf tracks, fire jugglers and covered barns.

The Carnival now plays host to two parades. The Gala Parade, held on the next-to-last day of Carnival, sees the entire community engaged in an animated march through town, regaled in comical costumes, riding upon dozens of colorful floats, accompanied by legions of bands in a jubilant throwing-off of winter’s chill. The next day, Saranac Lake’s children get their chance to strut their stuff, when they march down Main Street in the colorful and enchanting Kiddie Parade. The Winter Festival features an exciting Concert Series with a diverse selection of musical performances by BeatleMania, Northeast Navy Show Band, Matthew Quinn, and Tish Adams.

For the Winter Festival, dozens of artists exhibit their work in two neighbourhood landmarks, the Northwest Tower (nicknamed “The Coyote”) and the Flat Iron Arts Building. Film screenings and dramatic events at the Northwest Tower and Wing Groove Theater on North Ave round out the programme. In Lodge Street you can witness the creation of the very first Winter Festival mural by artists from the Upstate Artists Guild, and the Ten Eyck Plaza is a must for those with little children, with mini golf tracks, fire jugglers and covered barns. During the Winter Festival of Lights enjoy spectacular fireworks as they explode high over the mighty falls. Enjoy them from the comfort of your hotel’s dining room, stay in for a romantic, room service dinner or visit one of the many restaurants found near.

It has become customary for people who put premium in traveling to different places in the world to at least schedule some time to have the family stop over at Disneyland in Anaheim California. This world-renowned amusement and theme park has become one of the necessary trips for kids to at least experience what this much ballyhooed place has to offer. Disneyland is topical an amusement Park, made by the animator Walt Disney and discovered, of 17 juli,1955 in Anaheim, California, USA. The park was built in one year at a cost of $17m. The opening ceremonies were televised, with Art Linkletter, Bob Cumming, and Ronald Reagan, acting as emcees.
Disney theme parks have since opened in Orlando, Tokyo, Paris and one is due to open soon in Hong Kong. The park consists of various areas with separate themes; an early 20th century Midwest town, jungle adventures, the western frontier, fantasy, and the future. These areas are from lush green trees, that makes the garden all alive and the beautiful reception ceremony that is arranged exclusively for you by the staff in the resorts, you will be enchanted with the whole mega affair.
California tourist attractions are numerous and diverse. Whether you enjoy cities, mountains, forests or oceans, the State of California offers more variety than any other state in the U.S. Hikers and mountain bikers will love the mountains of California. Many classic attractions that had been neglected far too long were restored, notably Space Mountain, Show white and Enchanted Tiki Room. The Sun W.(center) is a Ferris wheel with a twist: as you can see, the cages can slide in and out of the wheel. On the right is the Orange Stinger, a cheesy swing ride popular at county fairs. This looks like the loading area for the Grizzy River Run.
The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, a kids play area. The big hollowed out log reminds me of the one at Magic Mountain Sleeping Beauty Castle is the Fairy tale structure at the center of Disneyland Park and Hong Kong Disneyland Park. It is based on Germany’s Neuschwanstein castle. According to Magic Mountain, it’s both an exciting ride and an educational opportunity to learn more about the legendary Yeti or Abominable Snowmen.

Whether it will be sleeping house, ride, jungle water cruise, dragon - Legoland or further lot of draws that Disneyland will propose of you to your children as well… It is important that it is certain that all will stay happy and happy. Disneyland is open seven days a week, every day of the year, holidays included. Hours vary by day of the week and season. Park hours are subject to change without notice. Hours can be confirmed at the official Disneyland.

Venice is a district in west Los Angeles, California, USA. Venice is made in 1905 from tobacco – millionaire Abot Kinney, as a sea resort of a west 22,4 kilometer from Los Angeles. Venice Beach has a 3 mile beach, but tourists go there to shop and stare. During the summer there’s street entertainment everywhere, including musicians, singers, jugglers, acrobats, mimes, comics, magicians, and fortune tellers. Venice Beach, California is a desired destination for travelers from all over the world. It is unlike any place on Earth, well known for its artists, street performers and funky atmosphere. It is a virtual carnival running year round with free admission.
The Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Department declined to renew the Kinney Pier lease in 1946. The city widened the beaches and removed the piers. Venice plunged into decay; ocean front and historic buildings were demolished. During this time, the Beatles generation found a home in Venice, and flower children of the 60’s flocked to the beach during their “summer of love”. Venice Beach Mediterraneo S.L. is one of the leading quality construction companies on the Costa Blanca. Surrounded by beautiful villages and towns such as Moraira, Denia, Orba, Calpe, Altea, etc Venice Beach Mediterraneo has office at Javea. Each villa has to be exclusive and different because each plot is exclusive and different. Every client deserves personal attention.
Venice Beach Backpackers for fun times and relaxing accommodation. Venice Beach Backpackers is a beautiful, travelers – lodge which is situated on a long, white, sandy, beach, in a small fishing village on the southern shores of Lake Malawi. If you are a photographer make sure you bring 10-15 dollars in change to get photos of all the special people and acts since most of them charge a small fee to have the photos taken.

About a week ago i had a conversation with a friend of mine who just settled in Pasadena, California, and without no sense we started to talk about food. He started to explain me how many good places for cheap food there are in Pasadena, so now i decided to make a list with best 5 cheap restaurants there.

I will start with Tonny’s Restaurant, which is one very good place for mexican food. It works 24 hour a day and they have a lot of interesting Mexican and breakfast dishes. You can get oxtail or catfish and eggs, seafood tostadas, shrimp omelettes, and of course the standard Mexican fare along with pancakes, french toast, sausage, bacon, horchata, etc.
Go to the Tonny’s Restaurant with Google Maps.
Second best in my list is Connal’s Burgers which offers traditional burgers and shakes. They have interesting menus including Grinder Submarine Sandwich, Connal’s Famous Original Hamburgers, Salads and French Dips.
Go to the Connal’s Burgers with Google Maps.
Third is ranked Lebanese Kitchen and it gets high accolades for several reasons. They serve Lot’s of food and it is very very tasty and inexpensive. The shish kebab were packed with flavor. The baba ganoush was smoky and yummy. I loved the stuffed grape leaves, while my friend claimed the falafel was the best she’d ever had.
Go to the Lebanese Kitchen with Google Maps.
The Forth place is for Wolfe Burger. This place doesn’t have the best burgers in town or anything, but they’re still decent enough to splurge on every now and then you’re in the mood to spend a lot more than usual on a burger, fries and coke. Some pluses of this place is the personal, people who works there are so friendly and make really tasty Veggie burgers and Buritos.
Go to Wolfe Burger with Google Maps.
The fifth place takes Sinbala, a great little Chinese eatery which serves the BEST Chinese sausages hands down. Of course the sausage is what everyone goes for, but the rest of the menu is great also. Large drink menu and the Taiwanese ice is one of the best you can order there for low cost.
Go to Sinbala with Google Maps.
I hope these places will come in handy if you need some fast, cheap and delicious food in Pasadena, California