No Back Home

San Diego is the ultimate family playground with so many things to do all over the city. From visiting the famous San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park to relaxing on any of the amazing beaches, you will not be at a loss for things to do in San Diego. The city itself is quite easy […]

If there is one thing that everyone in our family can agree on,  it’s our love for hot pools of water! It can be a jacuzzi or a natural hot spring, just as long as it’s hot. On our recent trip to Mammoth we decided to take some time to hop around to the different […]

One of the main attractions for our family visit to Universal Studios Hollywood was of course The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Having just finished book number 5, my 7 year old was hankering to visit our neighborhood theme park. While the Wizarding World of Harry Potter isn’t a huge section of Universal Studios Hollywood, […]

It’s almost that time of year again! The day little boys (and girls) look forward to all year long – trash truck open house! My son equates spring and summer with several things and the opening day to summer in his mind is the LA Sanitation Department’s open house (and the Fire Service Recognition Day!).  This […]

It has taken us 5 years of living in Los Angeles, but we finally made it to Universal Studios Hollywood. Wow! I wish we went sooner, but I am also sort of glad we waited. My son is just now 48 inches which meant he could go on every ride at the park. Visiting Universal […]

One of our favorite summer trips, with the best hike ever was to Zion National Park. This is one of Utah’s most visited parks and for good reason – it is an amazingly immersive experience whether you stay inside the park or not. On our last visit, we waited a little late in the game […]

One of the reasons we renew our annual passes at Disneyland every year is because of the many yearly holiday celebrations. We love Mickey’s Halloween party, the fantastic Christmas decorations and holiday themed rides and of course, Easter. There aren’t fancy decorations or unique parades, rather, following in modern tradition, there is an Easter egg […]

Since we first moved to LA I have had a list of things to do and places to visit. San Juan Capistrano has been on that list now for years. A few weeks ago we finally had the opportunity to head down to see what it’s all about. Read on to see what we thought […]

For years I have had it on my massive LA bucket list to take the train down to check out Mission San Juan Capistrano. However not being a California native I am not too up on California history so I wasn’t sure exactly why I needed to visit this jewel of missions so it continued […]

Truth time. Finding accommodation is often quite daunting for me. Because of this, it tends to be my least favorite part of travel planning. There are so many options these days between chain hotels, adorable boutique hotels, private home rentals from sites like AirBnB, Homeaway, GlampingHub, etc. And then you have to decide which neighborhood […]

Last week we headed up to the mountains for a day of skiing and snow play. I was so excited to finally don some winter wear and check out Mountain High (Mt High), Los Angeles’s closest ski resort. Unlike our last visit to Mt High, this trip was a total success. We left bright and […]

One of the biggest attractions for visitors to Alaska is to see wildlife in their natural habitat. This can be achieved almost everywhere in Alaska from seeing a bald eagle fly overhead in Anchorage to hiking with moose at Flattop Mountain. However, it is the bear that is perhaps the ultimate symbol of Alaskan wildlife. Seeing […]

When you tell most people you are going to Alaska they assume you are going on a cruise. For years I also thought that was the only way to see America’s last frontier. However, when I had the opportunity to chat with the PR for Anchorage, I learned that in fact a wonderful way to […]

Growing up in the 80s and 90s, Joshua Tree for me symbolized music, not a National Park.  But because of the music, the park has always held a certain allure. Once I discovered how close it was to LA, it moved to the top of my local travel list. But, even then, it took me almost a year of […]

We set out on a foggy overcast day for the mountain town of Skyforest, just outside of Lake Arrowhead and about 30 miles from Big Bear Lake, in search of winter fun at Santa’s Village. As we weaved through light traffic on the 210 freeway, the entire mountain range of the San Bernardino National Forest […]

The holiday season is upon us which means an overload of things to do in Los Angeles. Even though we don’t get the snowy cold weather, this city knows how to celebrate for the holidays! Parades, neighborhood Christmas light extravaganzas, Santa photo ops and of course classically southern California winter fun – sand sledding! If […]

As much as we love to venture off to distant lands, we also love exploring here at home in Southern California. One place I had yet to visit was the small mountain town Idyllwild, popular with hippies and hikers alike. Idyllwild is nestled in the San Jacinto mountains about 2 hours from Los Angeles. Tall […]

I’m all about the deals this week. I got my Southwest Companion pass yesterday and just now I read about a new initiative set forth by Hotwire to make 5 star hotels in Las Vegas accessible and affordable for the many. What‽ The ‘Million Dollar Sale’ launched by Hotwire this week reduces the price of Las Vegas […]

A visit to Alaska is a dream trip for many people. Even though we have all been exposed to Alaska from various TV shows, books and stories, there really is so much more to know about America’s last frontier that you don’t often see on TV.  After our recent visit, I put together a list of […]

Every year the number of traditions that my son institutes seems to grow exponentially. It’s tough to keep up with all the things he wants to do each year to signify and celebrate the coming Halloween holiday. For him it’s not just the one day of trick or treating, rather it’s the build up that is […]