California Dreaming: Tom and Tracy’s California Journal
From The Maitai Vault
What’s great here in the Golden State? There are some stops in California that demand extra time and energy to explore. Others require just a quick stop. That’s what we’re here to do. From magnificent museums to gorgeous settings to events unique to our great state…and even a fork in the road…this section gives you a unique cross section of California, and the places you should spend some time exploring while visiting. My most recent posts are at the top as we keep adding places that we travel, and add additional information to spots we revisit more frequently. Hopefully this will give you some ideas on what to see in our great state.
August 1, 2025
Going Greene (and Greene) The Gamble House – Pasadena, CA Visited: July 2, 2025 Located about a mile north of the famed Wrigley Mansion in Pasadena, California, and just off of Orange Grove Avenue’s former Millionaire’s Row, sits the “crown jewel” of homes designed by famed architect brothers, Charles and […]
July 10, 2025
Return To The Villa The Getty Villa – Pacific Palisades, CA Last Visit: July 2025 When the Palisades Fire broke out in January 2025, there were concerns for many of the area’s historical sights. Sadly, Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House was destroyed, but thankfully two other nearby sites, The Self-Realization […]
June 1, 2025
Hometown Heroes Jackie & Mack Robinson Memorial – Pasadena Last Visited: July 1, 2025 Located across the street from the Pasadena City Hall is the memorial dedicated to two of the city’s famous sons, brothers Jackie and Mack Robinson. The bronze sculptures were dedicated in 1997 and the memorial was […]
February 22, 2025
Go, Garbo, Go! Winter Corgi Nationals at Santa Anita Park – Arcadia, CA February 2025 Ever since we got our new corgi, Garbo, in February 2024, we have been looking for ways to keep her entertained and exercised. We waited impatiently for the Winter Corgi Nationals at historic Santa Anita […]
July 1, 2024
Go-Go Garbo’s Glorious Garden Ramble (Part Deux) South Coast Botanic Garden – Palos Verdes, CA May 2024 -Southern California Garbo enjoyed herself so much at Ventura Botanical Gardens that when she read (she is a very advanced corgi) South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes allowed dogs on the last Sunday […]
June 19, 2024
Seeing How The Other .0001% Live Hearst Castle – San Simeon, CA Visited: May 2024 Tracy and I love exploring castles and palaces when traveling abroad, but it had been more than three decades since we traveled to California’s most famous castle. So, when Kim and Mary asked if we […]
May 10, 2024
Go-Go Garbo’s Glorious Garden Ramble Ventura Botanical Gardens – Ventura, CA Visit: May 2024 When Tracy learned that the Ventura Botanical Gardens allows dogs on Wednesdays and Fridays, we decided this would be the perfect place to take Garbo, our new two-year-old corgi, for her first major adventure. Go west, […]
January 18, 2024
Revisiting An Old Favorite Norton Simon Museum – Pasadena, CA Last Visited: August 2023 & January 2024 It had been some time since Tracy and I had visited one of our favorite local art museums, so when my childhood friend Denny visited us from Canada, we decided to take him […]
December 7, 2023
Morning In The Mercado Mercado González – Costa Mesa, CA Visited: December 2023 Tracy and I have had Mexico City on our brains since our incredible April 2023 trip, so when Tracy read about the opening of a huge, new Mexican marketplace in Costa Mesa, we took immediate notice. When […]
September 20, 2023
Light Of Learning! Los Angeles Central Library – Los Angeles Visited: June & September 2023 Seven years ago I was quite blown away by a visit to the library, the Richard J. Riordan Central Library to be exact. Its interior was gorgeous, the exterior was created by one of the […]
May 9, 2023
Still The Best Museum You’ve Never Heard Of! The Nethercutt Collection – Sylmar Last Visited: March 2023 Who knew that because so many women use a certain cosmetic product line that we would be allowed to visit one of the coolest museums most people don’t even know exists? Located in […]
January 8, 2023
Eye-Catching Chicano Art at “The Cheech!” Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum – Riverside Visited: December 2022 Tracy and I have been fortunate to have visited some great art museums throughout the years, but we have also visited some duds. We did not […]
July 7, 2022
Completing The San Gabriel Valley Garden Trifecta Descanso Gardens – La Cañada Flintridge Last Visited: July 2022 Due to the Covid-19 shutdown of museums, restaurants and virtually everything else, I, like most people in the world, became stir crazy. So when gardens started opening back up, we jumped at the […]
April 14, 2022
“It’s A Beautiful Day For A Ball Game” Dodger Stadium Tour – Los Angeles Visited: April 2022 Although I unwisely became a San Diego Padres fan while in college at San Diego State (please don’t let your children suffer a similar fate), in my younger years I lived and died […]
March 9, 2022
“The Pride Of The Pacific” Fort Point National Historic Site – San Francisco Visited: February 2022 So you say you didn’t know there was a fortress constructed in the mid-19th century to help defend San Francisco against hostile warships? Well, neither did we until our recent getaway to The City […]
February 4, 2022
I Never Met A Park I Didn’t Like! Will Rogers State Historic Park & Ranch – Pacific Palisades (Sadly burned down in 2025 Palisades Fire) Visited: December 2021 It’s hard to believe as a native Angelino, I had never gone to Will Rogers State Park. Truthfully, I had never given […]