spotcoolstuff      travel

LA’s first power plant is one of its latest hot spots. When The Edison Bar moved into a 1910 building near Harlem Place Alley in downtown L.A. it left much of the infrastructure there intact, including the original boiler, power turbines and much of the piping. Around that industrial facade went mood lighting, low-slung bar, atmospheric dance floor and lots of plush nook for eating, socializing and romancing. The result is beyond cool. Come prepared to stand in line and dress to impress — bouncers won’t let you in wearing hats, sneakers or athletic wear.

LEARN MORE

Continue →

You like camping but your partner does not. California’s Treebones Resort offers the perfect romantic getaway for you both. Accommodations at the Treebones are in yurts, large circular tents originally the domain of Central Asian nomads and made of sheepskin. A stay at the Treebones, though, would make even the most properous Central Asian nomad envious. The yurts there include large comfortable beds of the sort you’d expect to find at a three-star hotel, sinks with running water and private porches with stunning views of the Pacific. And these yurts do not smell of sheepskin. They also don’t have en-suite restrooms — you have to go up to the main building when nature calls — adding to the “camping” aspect of your stay. Our only complains are with the included buffet breakfast (mostly of waffles and cheap muffins) and the “Treebones” name (there might be no place more gorgeous with an uglier moniker). Prices vary greatly with the season and day of the week. Book early and ask for the especially scenic and secluded yurt #16.

LEARN MORE

Continue →

At most museums exhibits are behind glass cases and velvet ropes and DO NOT TOUCH signs. Not so at the Exploratorium, San Francisco’s interactive playhouse dedicated to the science of psychology and perception. Here every exhibit is an activity: Refract light, create illusions, defy gravity, distort sound and mess with your mind. Even the preponderance of children isn’t enough to make it uncool for grown-ups (although you’ll cut down on number of tykes running around by visiting during a school day). Don’t let the Exploratorium’s classical exterior fool you — this is as unstuffy and well, fun, as a museum can get.

LEARN MORE

Continue →