Features

A couple walks in the Santa Barbara Harbor on Oct. 4, 2024. Photo by Owen Meza-Vandermeer. Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains less than two hours from Los Angeles, Santa Barbara is a city that blends its rich history, pleasant weather and natural beauty into its laid back community....

Ray Perez (left) and Armando Cantu (right), members of Southern California branch of Operation Restoring Veteran Hope, fist bump on the I-10 on their way to Mormon Lake, Ariz., on Sept. 20, 2024. Photo by Emil Rizkalla. In early October, about a dozen members of the Bunker motorcycle club, lead by Ray Perez,...

Visitors take photos at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park on Oct. 19, 2024. Photo by Owen Meza-Vandermeer. Driving through the rugged Panamint Mountains, visitors to Death Valley National Park wind down the narrow, twisting road of Highway 190. After about an hour of navigating the mountainous terrain, the valley floor finally...

Graveline Tours owner Adam Levine at Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles, Calif. on Oct. 2 2024. Photo by Veronica Rosas. Adam Levine is like a kid in a candy shop as he walks through Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles. He pulls out his phone to document the 142-year-old, gothic stone chapel with crawling...

Pilot Dave Rogers stands by a Cirrus Aircraft SR20 at Santa Monica Airport in Santa Monica, Calif., on Oct. 20, 2024. Photo by Myraneli Fabian. On a warm cloudy summer Sunday afternoon at Santa Monica Airport, the pilot carried a duffle bag with his belongings, including his pilot certificate, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)...

Travel writer Christopher Reynolds takes a photo of Griffith Park from his balcony in Los Angeles, Calif., on Oct. 22, 2024. Photo by Myraneli Fabian. As the son of a journalist, Christopher Reynolds became interested in storytelling when two of  his friends took him to the paste-up room for Fresno State’s student newspaper...

Jesus Hernandez overlooks his immense collection of band memorabilia in Chatsworth, Calif., on Oct. 23, 2024. He had been waiting all week for this. It was 3 a.m., pitch black outside, and the crickets hummed in the stillness. He whispered to himself, “Alright... tickets, sunblock, chair, baby wipes, deodorant.”

Visitors mingle in the courtyard of the Banana Bungalow in West Hollywood, Calif., on Oct. 17, 2024. Photo by Owen Mez-Vandermeer. It’s a sunny afternoon on Hollywood Boulevard, not far from the eastern end of the Walk of Fame, and Trey Triplett is conversing with a new friend from Greece on the patio...

Laura Le creates content for her travel Instagram in the Little Tokyo area of Los Angeles on Oct. 25, 2024. Photo by Benjamin Hanson. Stepping into the confined walls of the aircraft and out of the comfort of her hometown of Santa Barbara, adrenaline coursed through 20-year-old Laura Le’s veins. She was nervous...