Vacations Blog

Girl’s Getaway and Camping don’t usually go together in the same sentence, except when you are talking about my girlfriends and Costanoa, the something-for-everyone camp experience located half way between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. Last month, I dragged my two intrepid girlfriends, Kim and Marie, with me for a weekend away from the boys and kids. Wow, what a great girl’s getaway!

We arrived on Friday afternoon to find our Pine Village Tent Bungalow all ready for us. A bit of a tight squeeze for three friends, it nevertheless offered us the opportunity to channel our inner 12-year old and pretend we were on a sleepover! That, and conveniently located comfort stations, allowed us to relax while still communing with nature.

As much as I enjoy lugging out my Dutch oven to cook dinner when we family camp at Big Basin, I was thrilled to visit the Cascade Bar & Grill for our meals. Wonderful local cuisine and wines ensured the three of us were well fed. After dinner, while my friends went back to our bungalow, I stayed at the lodge to meet up with a group of other travelers for a little Naked Eye Stargazing.

Saturday morning, we had our choice of many activities, including horseback riding, surfing lessons and yoga – in the end, we decided to join a hike to Franklin Point with a local tour guide. On the way, my friend Kim ooh’d and aah’d over the coastal flora and we took in the gorgeous views of the Northern California coast. We had to hurry back, as we had reservations for massages at the spa – well worth it, as the masseuses erased all of the week’s tension.

On Sunday, after check out, we headed out to Harley Farms Goat and Dairy Ranch for a “behind-the-scenes” tour of the operation, plus a special cheese tasting at the end. I also insisted we stop at the Pie Ranch Farm Stand to pick up pie, claiming this was much easier than actually picking our own berries at Swanton Berry Farms!

Driving back home over the hill, I reveled in the time spent with my good friends and the chance to get away from my everyday life in such a beautiful retreat. Already looking forward to our next girl’s getaway. Paris, anyone?

Photo courtesy of Henryk Kotoviski 

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

I’m a big fan of Rachael Ray’s “$40 Dollars A Day,” where the ubiquitous Food Network star goes to different places around the world and shows you how you can enjoy three meals a day for forty bucks or less. Although, sometimes I feel bad for Rachael because there’ll she be in a beautiful place like Rome and she’s having a crust of bread and an olive for dinner because she’s already spent $39.50 on breakfast and lunch.

But I have to admit in these increasingly troubling economic times, I’ve been thinking of ways to cut costs when it comes to dining and entertainment. So I’ve come up with some things in L.A. that my family of four can enjoy for $20 or less. Unfortunately, the budgets are tight on some of these and I may have to bring along my own bread crust.

Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel. Honestly, ferris wheels scare me to death, but I may have to buck up and try this one out. It’s the new solar-powered Pacific Wheel that’s part of Pacific Park, the amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier. Admission to the park is free, but tickets for the ferris wheel are $5 apiece. That would eat up our entire $20, but we’d be rewarded with some spectacular views of the California coastline. Unfortunately I wouldn’t have enough money left over to buy a barf bag.

The Getty Center. I know, I’ve mentioned this place like a gazillion times, but it still stands out as one of the best deals in town. For only $8 for parking, we have access to all the exhibits and the awesome Getty Gardens. Best of all, the $12 we have left over will buy each of us a snack. Or, if I’m feeling cranky, a couple of cappuccinos for me and a few sugar packets that my husband and two kids can split between them.

Friday Night Jazz at the L.A. County Museum of Art (LACMA). Our kids aren’t big jazz fans, but they still love this. It takes place on Fridays from 6-8pm during April through November in the main courtyard of the museum. It’s absolutely free, which means if we pack some juice and snacks for the kids my husband and I can spend our $20 on a couple of nice cool martinis while we listen to first-rate jazz. All the galleries are free after 5pm, so as soon as the kids started requesting the sax player to play some White Stripes we’d be able to whisk them out of there for a stroll through the galleries.

The Beach. This needs no explanation, really. We’ll pack sunscreen, some snacks, our iPods and a couple of books. The kids will play all day long, and my husband and I will fantasize about buying a beach house when we win the lottery. If you can find parking for free you can spend the entire $20 on incredibly tasty junk food at the snack bar. Sunshine, ocean breezes and deep-fried food – what more could you ask for?

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). Like many museums around town, MOCA has a night where admission is free and theirs is Thursday, from 5-8pm. For $20 the four of us could easily share two of their generous sandwiches and have some sparkling sodas at Joachim Splichal’s Patinette Café. Then we could browse the gallery until closing. Unfortunately the visit would still be a complete letdown to my 12-year-old, since we wouldn’t have any money leftover to spend in the gift shop.

With gas prices as high as they are now, I realize that a measly $20 wouldn’t even cover the gas to get to some of these venues, but even Rachael Ray cheats a bit. You think she’s getting to that restaurant in Greece on a public bus? Personally, I think she goes back to her hotel after being a ‘$40 A Day’ tightwad and orders up three hundred dollars worth of room service.

Photo: Pacific Park Santa Monica