Carlsbad Bound

McCormick Ranch Lifestyle, Summer 2015

In North San Diego County, Carlsbad Village offers many of the attractions of San Diego, a half hour or so south, and some unique additions. Originally surfer based, much like its neighbors, Oceanside and Laguna Beach, the young-beat but low-keyed Carlsbad Village has become a wonderfully walkable community of locally owned businesses, vintage furniture and custom board stores, bike shops and other welcoming boutiques. The Village has 30-plus restaurants, cafes, wine stores and microbreweries, a variety of weekly and seasonal events and regular entertainment. Accommodations are outstanding, too, such as the Cape Rey Carlsbad, a Hilton Resort, just south of town, and the Beach Terrace Inn, that’s snug up to the beach.

View the whole story
(389.3 KB PDF document opens in new tab)

The Artistry of the Allison

Western Art & Architecture, May/June 2015

The 85-room/suite Allison Inn, less than an hour drive from Portland, celebrates the area’s topography, textures, wine terroir, history and art on 35 beautifully landscaped acres in the famed Willamette Valley. Today, where the four-level inn serves as a gateway to Oregon’s famed wine country, ice-age Missoula Floods once laid down rich volcanic topsoil from what is now Montana and Washington, forming ancient Lake Allison to depths reaching 400 feet. Nurtured over millennia, this fertile lake bed has produced one of the world’s premier vinicultural areas, renowned, in particular, for earthy, deeply textured Pinot Noirs, available at many of its 200-plus vineyards. The inn is also a gallery: Inside and out of the Allison, 500 pieces of original artwork showcase the work of 100 Oregonian artists.

View the whole story
(1 MB PDF document opens in new tab)

Funston House

Western Art & Architecture, October/November 2014

A recent awardee by the Historic Hotels of America, The Inn at the Presidio is a stroll away from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Built in 1908, the 22-room boutique hotel was originally purposed as the unmarried officers’ quarters until the extensive renovation began in 2008 by The Presidio Trust. The Inn opened to great response three years later. Recently added at the Inn is the Funston House, a separate residence which sleeps up to eight people in three bedrooms and one master suite. It honors Brig. General Frederick Funston (Sept. 11, 1865-Feb. 19, 1917), former Presidio of San Francisco commander. Dating to 1889, when the building was an Army officer’s residence or “quarters,” Funston House has been beautifully renovated to combine contemporary style and comfort while maintaining the integrity of the Greek Revival style.

View the whole story
(622.7 KB PDF document opens in new tab)

Del Mar: It’s Off to the Races!

Arizona Foothills, September 2014

Welcoming those who love horse racing at the historic Del Mar Race Track are the California seaside town’s fine hotels, such as the L’Auberge Del Mar and Hotel Indigo Del Mar, and upscale restaurants and shops. Opened in 1937, the track was a partnership of Bing Crosby, Pat O’Brien, Gary Cooper, Joe E. Brown, Oliver Hardy and businessman Charles S. Howard. A year later, one of the great match races took place, Aug. 12, 1938, when the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club hosted a $25,000 winner-take-all match race between Howard’s immortal Seabiscuit and the Binglin Stable’s colt, Ligaroti, with Seabiscuit taking honors. History, luxury, great food and shopping until you drop down in peace on the beach: Del Mar is a gallop or a trot away. Saddle up, head on over!

View the whole story
(1.3 MB PDF document opens in new tab)

Hotel Del Coronado

Highline Autos, August 2014

One local paper enthused, in 1888, of the new Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego: “The story of Aladdin and his wonderful palace, built in a single night, comes closer to being realized into actual fact upon this Coronado beach than possibly any other place on earth known to man.” A magic lamp for so long and to so many, the 679-room Hotel Del — the second largest wooden structure in the United States and a Queen-Anne-style Victorian masterpiece — has welcomed L. Frank Baum, Wizard of Oz author, Charles Lindbergh, Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Mae West, Clark Gable, Judy Garland and Bogie and Bacall, among others. And, in 1958, Billy Wilder chose the Del to film what some consider the greatest comedy movie ever: Some Like it Hot with Tony Curtis, Jack Lemon and Marilyn Monroe. Memories are made at the Del for sure, but so many are here waiting when you arrive.

View the whole story
(2.4 MB PDF document opens in new tab)