California

Some places barely change while the rest of the city keeps racing forward, and this little counter joint…

By Evan Cook · Sep 8

Some coastal spots serve up a plate of fresh seafood. This one throws in a resident spirit and…

By Evan Cook · Sep 8

California has plenty of long, sweaty hikes that make you earn the view. But some of the best…

By Evan Cook · Sep 8

Some places have been feeding hungry folks for so long that the food itself feels like a piece…

By Evan Cook · Sep 7

Some places refuse to change, and that stubbornness is exactly what makes them worth the trip. Tucked along…

By Evan Cook · Sep 7

A good cinnamon roll is one of those simple pleasures that can turn an ordinary morning into a…

By Evan Cook · Sep 7

San Diego might be famous for tacos and beaches, but the ramen scene here quietly rivals some of…

By Evan Cook · Sep 7

On a cool Northern California afternoon, few things sound better than a hot bowl of chowder served inside…

By Evan Cook · Sep 7

A good patty melt is simple: a beef patty, melted cheese, grilled onions, and rye bread cooked flat…

By Evan Cook · Sep 7

California has plenty of trendy spots that come and go, but some restaurants have kept people coming back…

By Evan Cook · Sep 6

Cioppino is that big, brothy seafood stew California is famous for, packed with crab, shrimp, mussels, fish, and…

By Evan Cook · Sep 6

California grows more fruit than almost anywhere else in the country, and the best way to taste that…

By Evan Cook · Sep 6

California road trips are famous for beaches, mountains, and endless highways, but some of the best stops are…

By Evan Cook · Sep 6

California has more than a thousand miles of coastline, and some of the best views come with a…

By Evan Cook · Sep 6

Deep in a quiet canyon, past winding roads and open sky, sits a weathered wooden roadhouse that has…

By Evan Cook · Sep 6

California gets famous for its beaches and big-city food scenes, but some of the best meals happen in…

By Evan Cook · Sep 5

A short walk from the roller coasters and long lines of Southern California’s most famous theme park sits…

By Evan Cook · Sep 5

Some meals are good enough to keep you close to home, and some pull people onto the freeway…

By Evan Cook · Sep 5

Some places in Los Angeles chase the newest trend every season, but a few stubbornly refuse to change,…

By Evan Cook · Sep 5

There is a corner of small-town California where the walls hold mounted game heads, warm golden light spills…

By Evan Cook · Sep 5

California has a reputation for sky-high home prices, but the whole state is not out of reach. If…

By Evan Cook · Sep 5

There is a special kind of hunger that hits after a winding drive up into the California mountains.…

By Evan Cook · Sep 4

Some of California’s oldest living giants stand quietly just minutes from the coast, and reaching them does not…

By Evan Cook · Sep 4

Some waterfalls make you earn every glimpse with muddy switchbacks and burning calves. Not this one. In Northern…

By Evan Cook · Sep 4

California has plenty of ice cream shops, but only a handful start with milk from cows raised right…

By Evan Cook · Sep 4

High in the foothills where oaks, pines, and cedars crowd the hillsides, there is a lake community that…

By Evan Cook · Sep 4

California gets a reputation for being fast, crowded, and expensive, but plenty of its coastal towns run on…

By Evan Cook · Sep 4

Long California drives can start to blur together after a few hours, and that is exactly when a…

By Evan Cook · Sep 3

Some taco spots earn a quiet loyalty that regulars would rather keep to themselves. There is a counter-serve…

By Evan Cook · Sep 3

Over a hundred years of Hollywood history sit behind one unassuming door on a famous boulevard, and most…

By Evan Cook · Sep 3

California grows more fruits and vegetables than any other state, so it makes sense that some of its…

By Evan Cook · Sep 3

Some people plan entire road trips around a paper bag of warm tamales. In one corner of East…

By Evan Cook · Sep 3

Some restaurants earn national honors and still keep their tables plain and their menu simple. This one has…

By Evan Cook · Sep 3

Some of the tastiest fried chicken in Los Angeles sits behind a plain little storefront that most drivers…

By Evan Cook · Sep 2

California gets a reputation for being expensive and crowded, but the state is full of small towns where…

By Evan Cook · Sep 2

Tri-tip is a California original, a cut of beef that Central Coast cooks helped make famous over open…

By Evan Cook · Sep 2

Tucked in a mountain town on the road to Yosemite sits a counter-serve barbecue outpost that regulars will…

By Evan Cook · Sep 2

Some places let you roll a bowling ball down lanes that have been in motion since the 1920s.…

By Evan Cook · Sep 2

Somewhere in the middle of the California desert, along the busy stretch of highway that carries road trippers…

By Evan Cook · Sep 2