What could 1.3 million dollars buy in the mid-1920s? After an earthquake rumbled through Santa Barbara in 1925 and leveled the county courthouse, a grandiose new one rose up in its place (tight-fisted voters had earlier denied funding for a grander municipal building).
Wine and waves at the Deep Sea Tasting Room in Santa Barbara, CA
We needed to make up some ground. We were in California, the country’s top wine-producing state, for two months before sampling even a single locally-produced vintage. That changed in Santa Barbara, on the Central Coast, where some of the regions winemakers have made tasting their merchandise as easy as taking a stroll through town.
A girl in Los Angeles plays in front of The Wall Along Wilshire; the longest section of the Berlin Wall outside of Germany.
It is a powerful endorsement when a politically liberal and proudly lesbian friend recommends a visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. We knew right away that we’d find more there than mere political legacy polishing. And while there is no shortage of that at the Reagan Library, its collection also contains enough impressive artifacts of universal appeal to make it a compelling stop for political agnostics and Reagan critics too. It goes without saying that ardent fans of the late president will find lots to like in the Library, but history buffs may find some gems hidden within its halls as well.
Set on a hilltop above California’s Simi Valley, the Library’s sweeping views alone warrant a trip up Presidential Drive. Inside, the 243,000 square foot complex is a modern historical museum that leads visitors through Reagan’s life with a blend of placards, personal items and interactive exhibits. Some are trivial (green screen technology allows you to act out a scene from Knute Rockne alongside Ronald Reagan). Several are experientially awesome (entering a life-sized Oval Office replica and walking through Reagan’s actual Airforce One). Some are weighty (a short film chronicles the several-decade rise of communism near a barbed-wire clad replica of the Berlin Wall). While others are deeply fascinating.
Even the briefest tour around Los Angeles would reveal this striking fact: The City of Angels is abloom in a unique and unrivaled collection of public murals. From the rich diversity of its sprawling ethnic neighborhoods, the city’s walls, bridges and even freeway abutments have been transformed into street posters for Los Angeles’ cultural history and identity, showcasing an estimated 1,500 murals – more than any other urban center.”
– L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs
Everywhere Once 