Free WiFi in Los Angeles

by Neil Woodburn on

Although internet cafes are quite popular in Europe, there really aren’t too many of them in the United States. Unfortunately, this doesn’t make things very easy for travelers wanting to jump online while visiting the USA.

If you happen to be in Los Angeles, however, there is a very convenient way to get online: visit one of the city’s public libraries.

The Los Angeles Public Library system offers free WiFi connection to anyone who walks in through their front door. And with 72 locations throughout Los Angeles, there’s a good chance there’s one near your hotel. Click here to find it.

Photo of the Day (7/28/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on


Hope your Saturday afternoon looks a lot like this one and if it shouldn’t you have Patrick Powers to thank for sharing another awesome shot of the San Clemente, California sun. Does this not scream summer? Oh, and nice creative touch by simply playing with the lens cover and HDR.

Sneaker Waves: Beach Safety

by Jamie Rhein on

When I was researching information for my tidepooling post, I came across a term I hadn’t heard before and it’s an important one to know–Sneaker waves.

Sneaker waves are the waves that appear in the ocean when you least expect them. According to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Web site, this type of wave often has a “deadly force” and sand mixed in with the water. Once sand laden water covers you, the sand adds weight to your clothes and can bog you down, thus making it hard to escape the wave’s force. Here’s a more detailed description. Of note, in the United States, Oregon, Washington and Northern California, sneaker waves occur daily. In the rest of the United States, they are not as common.

For this reason, never turn your back on the ocean. Also recommended, avoid hanging around large logs and debris and stay off of jetties, particularly when there is a storm coming in or during the peak of changing tides. Read more about coast hazards here.

Sustainable Farming Wine Tours (In California, of course!)

by Neil Woodburn on

Here’s a nice little responsible twist to the wine tasting industry.

Oenophiles interested in protecting the environment while polluting their own can now tour wineries that practice sustainable agriculture.

Sustainable Vine Wine Tours, based in Santa Barbara, California whisks guests throughout the Santa Ynez Valley visiting responsible wineries and socially conscious viticulturalists. There’s plenty of product sampling, of course, and opportunity to try out some very fine wines that aren’t produced at the expense of the planet.

This, of course, now makes getting drunk a socially responsible activity. Cheers!

World’s Sexiest Beaches 2007

by Justin Glow on

Each year, our friends over at Concierge.com put out a list of the world’s sexiest beaches, featuring the best places to “flirt with millionaires, lick the salt off a margarita glass, siesta in a hammock, and gaze at blood-orange sunsets night after night.”

If these don’t make you wish you were somewhere else, you’ve either got your toes in the sand right now, or you’re dead to the world. Here is 2007’s sexiest beaches:

  • Caprera Island, Sardinia, Italy — “La dolce vita meets Euro bling.”
  • Salvador da Bahia, Brazil — “Slow, happy, and inexpensive.”
  • Cousine Island, Seychelles — “Me Tarzan, you Jane!”
  • Playa de los Lances, Tarifa, Spain — “Surf hard, play hard. Flirt even harder.”
  • Pink Sand Beach, Harbour Island, Bahamas — “Colonial swagger with high society tennis games at dusk.”
  • Kuta Beach, Bali — “Beachcombing boho chic.”
  • South Beach, Miami, Florida — “Nightlife hub, arts mecca, de facto capital of Latin America, Miami is all sexy, all the time.”
  • Pigeon Point Beach, Antigua — “British aristos meet Hollywood movers-and-shakers for a love-in, colonial style.”
  • Bodrum, Turkey — “European? Asian? Yes”
  • Santa Maria Beach, Ilha do Sal, Cape Verde — “The calm before the storm.”
  • Laguna Beach, California — “California lovin'”
  • Ihuru Island, Maldives — “Just say no to shoes.”
  • Playa Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — “City kids get physical in a tropical playground.”
  • Paradise Beach, Mykonos — “You’re only young once. If you’re not, keep drinking-you’ll feel young soon enough.”
  • Grande Plage, Biarritz, France — “Beach bums meet fashion plates.”
  • Kaanapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii — “The vibe: Chilled-out aloha spirit.”
  • Cabo San Lucas, Mexico — “It was this big-honest!”
  • The Similan Islands, Thailand — “Wash my hair tonight? Why bother?”
  • Motu Tane, French Polynesia — “Fashionistas air kisses and catwalks on the beach.”

For detailed information on each of these beaches, including the best places to stay, visit Concierge.com.