SoCal

Southern California vacation planning guides and itineraries. Best beaches in Orange County and Los Angeles, best things to do, and photos by Tom Bricker.

Inside Los Angeles’ Bradbury Building

The Bradbury Building is an architectural landmark in Downtown Los Angeles and is also an ‘icon’ of Hollywood places, featuring heavily in Blade Runner. Since we just finished watching Blade Runner 2049, I figured it’d be a good time to finally post about this historic place in California. First, a bit of background. The Bradbury Building dates […]

Nikon D850 Review

This Nikon D850 review features travel and landscape photos I’ve taken with the new DSLR, its pros & cons, how it performs as compared to the Nikon D810 and D750, and other assorted thoughts about why I think the Nikon D850 is the best all-around DSLR for travel photography. For starters, a brief overview for […]

Great Food We’ve Eaten in Los Angeles – Part 2

Given the popularity of our “Great Food We’ve Eaten in Los Angeles – Part 1” post, a sequel was a foregone conclusion. What can we say…we’ve learned something from spending so much time in Hollywood? In this post, share more of the great L.A. restaurants at which we’ve recently dined, with food photos, and recommendations […]

Laguna Beach Engagement Photography

I see a lot of engagement photographers in Laguna Beach, California. It’s an incredibly popular spot for brides and grooms to sit for pre-wedding portraits, and it’s easy to see why. Free public access, beautiful ocean backdrops, and plentiful sunshine. Pretty much the exact same reason landscape photographers like me flock to Laguna. When my […]

Sheraton Universal Hollywood Hotel Review

Sheraton Universal is an on-site hotel at Universal Studios Hollywood, within walking distance of the park and CityWalk, and a short drive from Los Angeles. In this hotel review, I’ll share photos from the refurbished rooms, and overhauled common areas of the Sheraton Universal Hotel. Truth be told, I never planned on writing this review. […]

O.J. Simpson Museum Review

Chinatown’s Coagula Curatorial Gallery in Los Angeles has a new pop-up O.J. Simpson Museum, which features a plethora of pop culture memorabilia about the ‘Trial of the Century’ and all things O.J. Simpson. In this post, I’ll offer some thoughts from our visit to the O.J. Museum. Like many children of the 90s, the O.J. […]

Gamble House Tour Review

The Gamble House in Pasadena, California is an exemplar of Arts and Crafts architecture. A variety of docent-led tours are offered throughout the week, and the relatively low price (as compared to other architectural tours around Los Angeles) coupled with the intriguing style and history of the home make this a popular option for visitors […]

Great Food We’ve Eaten in Los Angeles – Part 1

We love to eat, and we love Los Angeles. In this post, we combine those two loves, and share some of the great L.A. restaurants at which we’ve recently dined, with food photos, and recommendations in terms of things we enjoyed. Since I’m guessing most of our readers don’t live in Los Angeles and aren’t […]

Free Concert Rehearsals at Hollywood Bowl

During summer, you can attend free rehearsals of Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. No ticket is required and you can come or go at your leisure. In this post, we’ll offer our thoughts on this free concert (more “sorta concert”) and whether this Southern California experience is worth your time. Open rehearsals occur on […]

1-Day Hollywood Itinerary

Hollywood, California is the epicenter of America’s entertainment industry, and has a ton of attractions that revolve around movies, television, and music. In this 1-day touring plan for Hollywood, we’ll share what you should do while visiting via an efficient step-by-step tour of Hollywood that won’t waste your time. For starters, determine whether it’s worth […]