Bi-weekly podcast
L.A. Hotels, Family Learning Adventure, McCloud
Spot celebrities in posh L.A. hotels, have fun and learn in the Bay Area, and visit a former Northern California logging town with modern charm
Stay at certain upscale hotels in Santa Monica, West Hollywood, or Beverly Hills, and you have a pretty good chance of spotting a few celebrities in the lobby or at the bar. Even if you don’t, the posh amenities and glamorous atmosphere at these Los Angeles County hotels will have you feeling like an A-lister, according to Travel + Leisure Editor-in-Chief Jacqui Gifford. Gifford joins California Now Podcast host Soterios Johnson to wax poetic about this distinctly L.A. phenomenon.
Johnson is next joined by Monet Hambrick, author of the popular blog The Traveling Child. Hambrick recently took her family on a fun and educational tour around the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey, and she shares a few tips on how to make the most of a visit there.
Finally, Johnson chats with travel journalist Ann Marie Brown about a tiny Northern California town that offers much more than meets the eye. McCloud was a logging powerhouse in the 19th century but has since transformed into a charming destination that blends its rich history with some modern twists—including some great hidden gems.
Jacqui Gifford, editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure
Monet Hambrick, author of The Traveling Child blog
Ann Marie Brown, author and travel journalist
As Travel + Leisure’s Jacqui Gifford can tell you, some L.A. hotels exude some serious Hollywood glamour.
The Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire
Fountain Coffee Room at the Beverly Hills Hotel
Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel
The Bay Area offers a treasure trove of family-friendly edutourism options, as blogger Monet Hambrick recently discovered on a trip there with her two small children.
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
California Academy of Sciences
McCloud possesses a distinct charm that keeps Ann Marie Brown coming back again and again.
McCloud Chamber of Commerce
Visit Siskiyou County
McCloud Mercantile Hotel
McCloud Meat Market and Tavern
McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park
Soterios Johnson, formerly the local host of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition on radio station WNYC, moved from New York City to Davis, Calif., in 2016 and exploring his surroundings. By combining his journalistic instincts with his personal curiosity, Johnson will use the California Now platform to develop a deeper understanding of his adopted home.
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