OK OK, I know that one of the biggest reasons we are media people at USC is because we're in Los Angeles. It's ok to admit that one day we all plan to be rich, powerful, famous or whatever your plans are in your respective field, that's why there's a Trojan network in the first place.
But personally, this semester's been rough. Between 2 massive papers, tons of group presentations, working for the man (USC actually) and trying futily to chisel a social life into the crevasses of my schedule, I'm just about to spontaneously explode and take out my immediate surroundings as well.
Some people will have the good fortune of being able to return to their respective homes, miles from the outward-spanning local landscape, but some of us (including me) will be trapped like rats in this maze of madness with no immediate plans. Sure, you can travel to the standard Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego or Rosarito (if you can leave the country legally) locations, but most of the time all you really want is a relaxing day trip away from the LA central core. I figured that I'd try and be generous (as well as refresh my own memory by asking my brothers) what would be good for a 1-2 day trip if you need to flee from your ordinary vacation day of sleeping until 1pm and watching cartoons all day (although, that's sounding pretty good right about now)
Orange County. And please, don't watch "The OC" and expect to get a glimpse of the lives people really live in Orange County.
Instead, visit Huntington Beach (or Surf City, as determined by the Beach Boys) or the nearby Seal Beach. Both are havens for quieter beach communities with lots of X-mas cheer, but sometimes it's just nice to hang out by the ocean and hear the sounds of the waves.
Laguna Beach (you know, that emo MTV show's location), is pretty damn gorgeous any time of year actually. One of the few beach communities in all of Orange County where there's plenty of outdoor walking space with interesting beach-art galleries all over the place and small bistros lining the local streets (which all have an amazing view of the ocean).
Dana Point or Chino Hills both have amazing and completely different state parks. Dana Point's is a huge rocky and beautiful beach where you can always spend some time BBQing or just being introspective. Chino Hills is more for the active type, as this national park is jam-packed full of endangered plants with (of course) your RDA of forest creatures for those interested in hiking.
Or if going south makes you feel like you're falling down, you can always head up to
Ventura County.
If you ever feel the strong need to hike, Los Padres National Forest is just huge and amazingly scenic. There's not a lot of snow, but there are a ton of trails, and for those of us who like to feel like cement is no substitute for dirt, you'll get your fill here. Also, if you enjoy golfing, there are ton of courses throughout the entire county in over 19,000 acres of unincorporated land. It's seriously a great way to relax, or to get frustrated and ruin your rented clubs. Either way, it's better than doing nothing all day.
but if you still believe that the world's flat and are too afraid to head west,
San Bernardino's Mountains are made for you.
I'm going to completely skip the things you can do in towns of San Bernardino, because the greatness of this place comes from the outdoors activities. This is especially important if you miss snow, because summer's might hit 130 degrees out there, but winters fall well below 30 degrees Fahrenheit. For those of us who are too burnt out to take hints, this means pl
aces like Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead are made for skiing, snowboard, tubing, ice-skating and all those other wintry things you see on the front of Hallmark cards this time of the year.
If you're looking for something REALLY different, hit up the abandoned town of Calico. Yes Virginia, this is a ghost town from the ye olde days of the California Gold Rush, 1949 and all that madness. Whether or not there's gold in the hills, there are definitely no people and that makes this place just that much more interesting, see for yourself.
But if you're like me and plan to head north, here are a couple of suggestions for road trips:
Yosemite National Park - Half Dome, trails, mountain climbing and biking, plenty of space to stretch.
Mammoth Mountain - Snow. Need I say more? Ok, there are also 7 huge lakes, cheap rates, and amazing ski tours through the mountains. Even if you're like me and suck at skiing.
Death Valley
The lowest point on land in the world, Death Valley really lives up to it's name (not the "death" part, but the "valley" part, no need to get scared). This time of year would be a better to drive through because you're definitely not going to get your car through there in the summer. Trust me, I've tried.
And if you head up the 14 freeway, be sure to stop somewhere halfway to Mammoth at this beef jerky place. Trust me, it's the only place in the middle of nowhere, but you'll never have better jerky in your life. I've traveled a lot and I swear, I need to go back about once a year just for the jerky.
Anyway, happy upcoming holidays and take the rest of this year in stride, you'll do just fine.
- Tony Chavira
Can anyone recommend some good doctors in the LA area – and specifically doctors who participate in the USC BlueCross BlueShield Medical Plan?
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