Stay at certain upscale hotels in Santa Monica, West Hollywood, or Beverly Hills, and you have a pretty good chance of spotting a few celebrities in the lobby or at the bar. Even if you don’t, the posh amenities and glamorous atmosphere at these Los Angeles County hotels will have you feeling like an A-lister, according to Travel + Leisure Editor-in-Chief Jacqui Gifford. Gifford joins California Now Podcast host Soterios Johnson to wax poetic about this distinctly L.A. phenomenon.
Johnson is next joined by Monet Hambrick, author of the popular blog The Traveling Child. Hambrick recently took her family on a fun and educational tour around the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey, and she shares a few tips on how to make the most of a visit there.
Finally, Johnson chats with travel journalist Ann Marie Brown about a tiny Northern California town that offers much more than meets the eye. McCloud was a logging powerhouse in the 19th century but has since transformed into a charming destination that blends its rich history with some modern twists—including some great hidden gems.
Guests
Jacqui Gifford, editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure
Monet Hambrick, author of The Traveling Child blog
Ann Marie Brown, author and travel journalist
Resources
As Travel + Leisure’s Jacqui Gifford can tell you, some L.A. hotels exude some serious Hollywood glamour.
The Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire
The Beverly Hills Hotel
The Beverly Hilton
Love Beverly Hills
Visit West Hollywood
Visit Santa Monica
Shutters on the Beach
Viceroy L'Ermitage
Palihouse
Fountain Coffee Room at the Beverly Hills Hotel
Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel
Hotel Bel-Air
Sunset Tower Hotel
The Tower Bar
The Bay Area offers a treasure trove of family-friendly edutourism options, as blogger Monet Hambrick recently discovered on a trip there with her two small children.
Visit San Jose
The Tech Interactive
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
Santana Row
Ozumo
See Monterey
Fisherman's Wharf Monterey
Monterey Bay Aquarium
San Francisco Travel
Pier 39
Aquarium of the Bay
California Academy of Sciences
Hotel Zephyr
McCloud possesses a distinct charm that keeps Ann Marie Brown coming back again and again.
McCloud Chamber of Commerce
Visit Siskiyou County
Visit Mt. Shasta
U.S. Route 89
McCloud Mercantile Hotel
McCloud Falls
McCloud Hotel
Sage Restaurant
The White Mountain Cafe
McCloud Meat Market and Tavern
Siskiyou Brew Works
Floyd's Frosty
Dunsmuir
Lassen Volcanic National Park
McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park
About the Host
Soterios Johnson, formerly the local host of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition on radio station WNYC, moved from New York City to Davis, Calif., in 2016 and exploring his surroundings. By combining his journalistic instincts with his personal curiosity, Johnson will use the California Now platform to develop a deeper understanding of his adopted home.
