Jessica Koslow

Professor Oliver Wang now knows more about Japanese American car culture in Los Angeles than he ever thought he would. He learned about racing mechanic Takeo “Chickie” Hirashima; Jimmie Yamane, the first international go-kart champion; and Larry Shinoda, the designer of the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. He researched fish trucks from the 1950s, vehicles that carried fresh fish and hard-to-find Japanese foods six days a week to the postwar suburbs.

He also studied a caravan of 200 vehicles in the spring of 1942 that drove from the Rose Bowl to the temporary detention centers that had been created to house Japanese Americans during WWII. Once they arrived, the government impounded the cars and gave the owners nominal payment.

“These people not only had the indignity of driving themselves to be incarcerated, but they were losing the very vehicles that took them there to begin with,” said Wang. . . .

Read the entire article at Pasadena Weekly.

Oceanside, affectionately referred to as O’side, is the cutest beach town that ever was. Halfway between L.A. and San Diego, visitors can surf world-class waves, walk along one of the longest wooden piers on the West Coast (at 1,942 feet), and snack on a hand pie at High Pie, which is located inside the very house where Kelly McGillis and Tom Cruise fell for each other in the 1986 film “Top Gun.” The Victorian-style house is filled with movie memorabilia, and just outside, people can pose for pictures with a replica of the motorcycle that Cruise’s character, Maverick, rode down North Pacific Street in the film.

Oceanside is a surf town spotted with historic landmarks and two new beautiful hotels on North Pacific Street: The Seabird Ocean Resort & Spa and Mission Pacific Beach Resort. But according to long-time residents and local lore, O’side was not always so coveted. Maybe it was because of its proximity to Camp Pendleton, a military base located in North San Diego County, or that its neighbors, such as Carlsbad to the south and Dana Point to the north, stole the spotlight.

Flash forward to 2025, and O’side is the playground of some of the best surf pros; home to the Supergirl Pro Jam event, the world’s largest women’s surf competition; and a popular vacation destination and coastal road trip stopover along the Pacific Coast Highway. . . .

Read the entire article at Arroyo Monthly.

Fans of the Peanuts cartoon, rejoice! There is a place where statues of Charlie Brown and his friends stand on the streets, Charles M. Schulz, the creator, has a museum, and Snoopy operates an ice-skating rink. Located in Sonoma County, just over an hour’s drive from San Francisco, Santa Rosa is small and charming enough to melt away city stress, yet big and busy enough to offer hours of family fun and adventure. . . .

Read the entire article at Lovin’ Life Tucson.

Pronounced aa-vuh-luh Beach, this charming town of a population of about 1,365 is located in San Luis Obispo (SLO to locals) and is best known for its mineral hot springs and fun outdoor activities, like hiking, biking and stand-up paddle boarding. The few hours’ drive north from L.A. on the 101 is dotted with expansive vistas and coastal cities such as Malibu, Ventura and Santa Barbara. Some call it the Land of Ahhs, which is what tourists say when they spot a whale or sea otter, sip a fine glass of wine at sunset, and kick off their shoes at a cliffside cottage with panoramic ocean views. It is just a hop, skip and a jump to this heavenly corner of the Central Coast, where it is warmer and sunnier than other beaches for three reasons: It faces south, the 600-foot elevation of Point San Luis shields it from winds, and the surrounding mountains also push out the fog and create what is known as the “Avila bubble effect.” . . .

Read the entire article at Lovin’ Life Tucson.