San Luis Obispo: Possible place to visit or move to

by Jamie Rhein on

A friend and I were talking today about what we’re up to. She’s up to traveling to California during the end of April with her boyfriend to look for a place to live one day. They’re starting in San Diego and heading up the coast. They don’t know exactly where they want to live so I threw out San Luis Obispo as a possibility. I’ve never been there, but have heard great things. One of my oldest friends, who does lives there part time, loves the place. He’s always saying I should visit.

My friend who is currently seeking out her future asked me if there are nature related activities in the area. “Oh, I’m sure of it,” I said, then followed with, “I’ll check.” Now, I’ve checked.

San Luis Obispo does indeed have nature type things. It’s the beginning of the Big Sur coastline. The Parks and Recreation department looks extensive. Mountains for hiking are close by. Along with nature, there are history and the arts. The Mission San Luis Obispo de Toroso was founded in 1772. Hearst Castle is also near here. This weekend is the Music for Your Eyes Gala and Art Auction. These are just a few of the things to do that I found. I’d say San Luis Obispo is a fine contender for consideration. Definitely a place to visit. Possibly a place to settle in for awhile.

Any more thoughts of good places to live in California? I’ll let my friend know.

Photo of the Day (3/12/08)

by Jamie Rhein on

I must be in a message kind of mood. Three weeks ago, I picked a photo with a message on the side of a building. This message snapped by Willy Volk also caught my attention. This is a view of the Golden Gate Bridge that I haven’t seen before. I walked across the Golden Gate years ago, but don’t recall the signs. The one thing that would be a handy thing to have included on this sign is a phone number.

The perspective here is interesting as the bridge does beckon one across to the other side. As Willy titled this, “There is hope.”

If you have any words of wisdom shots, send our way. Frankly, any interesting photo about anything might capture our attention. We like all sorts of subjects. Post on Gadling’s Flickr photo pool.

Alcatraz torn down to make way for peace center?

by Catherine Bodry on

If you still haven’t made it to San Francisco’s second-most-popular attraction (the first is cable cars), you might want to start planning that vacation before long. It’s possible that Alcatraz, that formidable white structure hunkered out in San Francisco Bay, might be converted into an international peace center, if voters so choose.

Reuters reports that a proposition (on ballots Tuesday) comes from the director of the California-based Global Peace Foundation, who gives his name as “Da Vid.” Da Vid and his supporters would like to tear the prison down and in its place erect “a medicine wheel, a labyrinth and a conference center for non-violent conflict resolution.”

Although the idea sounds pretty far-fetched, Da Vid and volunteers were able to collect the 10,350 signatures needed to put the proposition on the ballot.
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5-Star hotels: This year’s Mobil Travel Guide List

by Jamie Rhein on

A few weeks back we gave you the TripAdvisor’s list of the dirtiest hotels in the U.S. On the opposite end of the spectrum, The Mobil Travel Guide has recently unveiled its lists of Five-Star and Four-Star hotels. These are the cream of the finest of the fine–the places to drool over.

In all, there are 14 Five-Star hotels in the United States. California has over half of them. There are nine in all in The Golden State. Three are in Beverly Hills, one is in Los Angeles and three are in San Francisco. Another is in Oakhurst and one is in Dana Point.

New York State, with four hotels in Manhattan and one in Saranac Lake, has the next largest number of 5-Stars. The rest are scattered among Colorado (2), District of Columbia (1), Florida (3), Georgia (2), Hawaii (1), Illinois (3), Massachusetts (3), Nevada (1), North Carolina (1), South Carolina (2), Tennessee (1), Texas(1), Utah (1), Vermont (1), Virginia (2), and Wyoming (1).

This is the first time Utah and Wyoming have made the cut. Of course, I was interested to see how Ohio fared. Not one hotel made it on the Five-Star list, but two are Four Star–one in Cincinnati, Cincinnatian Hotel and one in Cleveland, The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland. To see how your state fares in the hotel luxury department, keep reading.

Five-Star Hotels:
California – Beverly Hills:
Raffles L’Ermitage Beverly Hills
The Beverly Hills Hotel
The Peninsula Beverly Hills
California – Dana Point:
St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach
California – Los Angeles:
Hotel Bel-Air
California – Oakhurst:
Chateau du Sureau
California – San Francisco:
Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco
St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco
The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco
Colorado – Aspen:
The Little Nell
Colorado – Colorado Springs:
The Broadmoor
Connecticut – Washington:
Mayflower Inn & Spa
District of Columbia – Washington:
Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.
Florida – Manalapan:
The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach
Florida – Naples:
The Ritz-Carlton, Naples
Florida – Palm Beach:
Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach
Georgia – Atlanta:
Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta
Georgia – St. Simons Island:
The Lodge at Sea Island Golf Club
Hawaii – Wailea:
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
Illinois – Chicago:
Four Seasons Hotel Chicago
The Peninsula Chicago
The Ritz-Carlton, A Four Seasons Hotel
Massachusetts – Boston:
Boston Harbor Hotel
Four Seasons Hotel Boston
Massachusetts – Lenox:
Blantyre
Nevada – Las Vegas:
The Tower Suites at Wynn Las Vegas
New York – New York:
Four Seasons Hotel New York
Mandarin Oriental, New York
The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park
The St. Regis
New York – Saranac Lake:
The Point
North Carolina – Pittsboro:
The Fearrington House Country Inn
South Carolina – Kiawah Island:
The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island
South Carolina – Summerville:
Woodlands Resort & Inn
Tennessee – Nashville:
The Hermitage Hotel
Texas – Dallas:
The Mansion on Turtle Creek
Utah – Park City:
Stein Eriksen Lodge
Vermont – Barnard:
Twin Farms
Virginia – Richmond:
The Jefferson Hotel
Virginia – Washington:
The Inn at Little Washington
Wyoming – Jackson:
Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole
Four Star Hotels
Arizona – Carefree:
The Boulders Resort and Golden Door Spa
Arizona – Phoenix:
The Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix
Arizona – Scottsdale:
Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North
The Phoenician
British Columbia – Malahat:
The Aerie Resort
British Columbia – Salt Spring Island:
Hastings House
British Columbia – Tofino:
Wickaninnish Inn
British Columbia – Vancouver:
Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver
The Sutton Place Hotel – Vancouver
British Columbia – Whistler:
Four Seasons Resort Whistler
California – Avalon (Catalina Island):
The Inn on Mt Ada
California – Beverly Hills:
Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel
Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills
The Beverly Hilton
California – Big Sur:
Post Ranch Inn
California – Calistoga:
Calistoga Ranch
California – Carlsbad:
Four Seasons Resort Aviara, North San Diego
California – Carmel Valley:
Bernardus Lodge
California – Dana Point:
The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel
California – Half Moon Bay:
The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay
California – La Jolla:
Lodge At Torrey Pines
California – Laguna Beach:
Montage Resort & Spa
California – Newport Beach:
The Island Hotel, Newport Beach
California – Palo Alto:
Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley at East Palo Alto
California – Pebble Beach:
Casa Palmero At Pebble Beach
Inn At Spanish Bay
Lodge At Pebble Beach
California – Rancho Santa Fe:
Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa
California – San Diego:
US Grant Hotel
California – San Francisco:
Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco
California – San Martin:
The Lodge At CordeValle
California – Santa Barbara:
Bacara Resort & Spa
Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara
San Ysidro Ranch
California – St. Helena:
Meadowood Napa Valley
California – Westlake Village:
Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, CA
Colorado – Aspen:
The St. Regis Aspen
Colorado – Avon:
The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch
Colorado – Denver:
The Brown Palace Hotel
District of Columbia – Washington:
Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC
The Hay-Adams
The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown
The Ritz-Carlton, Washington DC
Florida – Amelia Island:
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
Florida – Aventura:
The Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club
Florida – Fort Lauderdale:
St. Regis Resort, Fort Lauderdale
Florida – Key Biscayne:
The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne
Florida – Miami:
Four Seasons Hotel Miami
Mandarin Oriental, Miami
The Ritz-Carlton, Coconut Grove
Florida – Miami Beach:
Loews Miami Beach Hotel South Beach
The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach
The Setai
Florida – Naples:
The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples
Florida – Orlando:
The Peabody Orlando
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes
Florida – Palm Beach:
The Breakers, Palm Beach
Florida – Sarasota:
The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota
Florida – Sunny Isles Beach:
Trump International Sonesta Beach Resort
Georgia – Atlanta:
InterContinental Buckhead
The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead
Georgia – Greensboro:
The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation
Georgia – Sea Island:
The Cloister
Hawaii – Kailua-Kona and the Kona Coast:
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka’upulehu
Hawaii – Lana’i City:
Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay
Hawaii – Lanai (Island):
Four Seasons Resort The Lodge At Koele
Hawaii – Maui (Island):
The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua
Hawaii – Oahu (Island):
Halekulani
Kahala Hotel and Resort
Louisiana – New Orleans:
Windsor Court Hotel
Maine – Kennebunkport:
The White Barn Inn
Massachusetts – Boston:
Taj Boston
The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common
XV Beacon
Massachusetts – Edgartown:
Charlotte Inn
Massachusetts – Nantucket:
The Wauwinet
Michigan – Birmingham:
The Townsend Hotel
Missouri – Clayton:
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis
Nevada – Henderson:
The Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas
Nevada – Las Vegas:
Bellagio
Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas
The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino
Wynn Las Vegas
New Brunswick – St. Andrews:
Kingsbrae Arms
New Mexico – Santa Fe:
Inn Of The Anasazi
New York – New York:
The Carlyle
The Lowell
The New York Palace
The Peninsula New York
The Pierre New York, a TAJ Hotel
The Ritz-Carlton New York Battery Park
Trump International Hotel & Tower
New York – Skaneateles:
Mirbeau Inn & Spa
North Carolina – Asheville:
Inn on Biltmore Estate
Richmond Hill Inn
North Carolina – Cary:
The Umstead Hotel and Spa
North Carolina – Charlotte:
The Ballantyne Resort and Spa
North Carolina – Pinehurst:
The Carolina Hotel
Ohio – Cincinnati:
Cincinnatian Hotel
Ohio – Cleveland:
The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland
Ontario – Toronto:
Four Seasons Hotel Toronto
Park Hyatt Toronto
Pennsylvania – Farmington:
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa
Pennsylvania – Hershey:
The Hotel Hershey
Pennsylvania – Philadelphia:
Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia
Quebec – Montreal:
Hotel Le St. James
South Carolina – Bluffton:
The Inn at Palmetto Bluff
South Carolina – Charleston:
Charleston Place
Tennessee – Memphis:
Peabody Memphis
Tennessee – Walland:
Blackberry Farm
Texas – Austin:
Four Seasons Hotel Austin
Texas – Houston:
Four Seasons Hotel Houston
Hotel Granduca
St. Regis Hotel, Houston
Texas – Irving:
Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas
Texas – San Antonio:
The Watermark Hotel & Spa
Utah – Salt Lake City:
The Grand America Hotel
Virginia – Arlington:
The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City
Virginia – McLean:
The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner
Virginia – Williamsburg:
Williamsburg Inn
Washington – Seattle:
The Fairmont Olympic Hotel
West Virginia – White Sulphur Springs:
The Greenbrier
Wisconsin – Kohler:
The American Club
Wisconsin – Rice Lake:
Canoe Bay
Wyoming – Jackson Hole:
Amangani

In the Old Mission, single speeds are in

by Grant Martin on

One interesting product of the hipster culture that’s grown in San Francisco is the abundance of single speed bicycles. It’s become a trend in the last few years and I’ve even got a good friend in Ann Arbor who converts old junkers to single speeds in his free time. In addition to being lighter and simpler, the bicycles are easier to handle and will age better – something that comes in handy in older models. The formula works pretty well in the Midwest, where we have only a few gentle hills and scarcely a reason to shift gears.

I wonder how well it works out West though. With so many hills rolling through the Bay Area is it really feasible to run a single speed through the city streets? Do people have to buckle down, jump off their bicycles and walk up the hills? From an engineer’s perspective that doesn’t strike me as very efficient.

Perhaps me and my vintage ten speed are old fashioned, or perhaps my bandy legs are too scrawny to pump up all of those San Francisco hills. In a way though, I kind of enjoy the subculture of single speed riders floating through the streets. It gives the Old Mission a unique flavor that is unreproducible in any other corner of the world.

So if you’re in the Bay Area any time soon, take some time to swing by the Old Mission for some tacos and single speed education. In addition to myriad activities in the district, the hipster nation and people watching is an afternoon in and of itself. You can take the BART to the 16th or 24th street Mission stops just north of the airport.