Sara Fay

Oddly enough, one of the very best things about living in L.A. is how quickly you can embark on a road trip (or even a day trip) and get out of L.A. for a much-needed respite. And when it comes to the top places to go camping near Los Angeles, locals are in luck. From spending a night on sandy beach to stargazing in some of the best national parks in the U.S., there are a ton of great options that are within driving distance—and will make you totally forget about the city. RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in Los Angeles This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click here.

As a wise man once said, ‘She’s a runner, she’s a track star.’ But are you? If the answer is a resounding yes, you’re in luck: we’ve found the very best running songs to keep you going mile after mile in the gym or on the hiking trail. These tracks are ideal for running, whether it’s for cardio or simply fleeing your responsibilities. Regardless of what’s driving you to pound the pavement, a propulsive playlist is a must. From thumping hip-hop beats to high-energy guitar jams (and even a little tough love from Britney), we got it all. So lace up your shoes, crank up the volume, and let these tunes be the soundtrack to your next run. Written by Sara Fay, Kate Wertheimer, Andy Kryza, Andrew Frisciano, Brent DiCrescenzo and Sophie Harris. Listen to these songs on Amazon Music RECOMMENDED: 📻 The best '80s songs🎧 The best disney songs💸 The best songs about money❤️‍🔥 The best R&B love songs📼 The best ’90s songs

If you're after an idyllic SoCal vacation destination, look no further than Santa Catalina Island. With its vibrant wildlife, charming coastal towns, and amazing beaches, it's no wonder the Island is highly sought after. And a trip away to the island has to include a stay in one of the best hotels, ranging from stunning beachside luxury to hilltop charm. Located just 22 miles off the California coast, Catalina is easily accessible by ferry or helicopter. Most opt to take the Catalina Express ferry round-trip (out of Long Beach, San Pedro, or Dana Point), which takes about an hour and offers up to 30 departures daily to Avalon and Two Harbors. Since there's a fair amount of schlepping involved with traveling to (and around) Catalina, you'd be well-advised to pack light and bring some snacks.  Once in Catalina, you can choose between being nestled in the hills or overlooking the sand along one of the best beaches in California. Here, we've outlined the Catalina hotels that best encompass this little island's vibrancy and warmth. February 2024 update: We've added a new incredible hotel to this list: the Edgewater. Enjoy! RECOMMENDED: The best things to do on Catalina IslandRECOMMENDED: The best bars and restaurants on Catalina IslandRECOMMENDED: Everything you need to know about the Catalina Island ferry Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in every hotel featured, we've based our list on top reviews, hosts and amenities to find you the best stays. This article includes a

Looking for the best Catalina restaurant or bar? From oceanside dive bars to fresh, affordable seafood, the town has lots to offer. Yes, a lot of Avalon’s eateries look like tourist traps, but some offer up solid fare with a fun, laid-back ambiance whether you’re looking for fine wine or waffles. There’s a surprising amount of diversity on the island, as well. You can get a vegan, gluten-free lunch down one street and sushi down another—that is, if fried fish or gooey pizza seem a little too heavy. Between bar-hopping and mealtimes, there's plenty to do on this small island, which is accessible by ferry or helicopter. But if you happen to be there while it's raining, you won't have many options besides holing up in bars and restaurants filled with island tchotchkes and waiting it out with some carbs. You'll pay a premium at most restaurants here since it costs more to transport food to the island, but after a few boozy drinks, you won't mind as much.  Whether you want brunch, picnic fare for the beach or a romantic dinner overlooking the ocean, read on to see our top picks for where to eat and drink on Catalina Island.

Here's a grown-up fact: Getting a job, paying bills and doing adult duties don't make s'mores taste any less good. Archery, sailing and arts & crafts don't get any less fun, and capture the flag can be just as thrilling—if not more—when there's beer and real, raw, grown-up pride attached to that flag. Still not convinced? It's a good thing that summer camps for adults have grown in popularity over the last few years, mostly in response to our hyper-connected lives. These five summer camps in California will let you step away from your iPhone and pick up a tennis racket, canoe paddle or marshmallow instead. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do in California

Don't let anyone tell you Los Angeles is a cultural wasteland, and definitely don't let them get away with it. It's simply not true. Whether you're a fan of the performing arts, a subscriber or a single-ticket buyer, there's always a performance worth seeing in this city. Here are the best operas, dance performances, shows, concerts and more happening soon in LA.

With temperatures climbing into the 90s, it was a hot and a trying day for the 25,000 runners who participated in this year's LA Marathon. Still, there were some faces, signs and costumes the stood out in the field of runners. Here's who caught our eye over the 26.2-mile course. RECOMMENDED: More LA Marathon coverage Our favorite signs at the LA Marathon:   // (function () { var Collection = Livefyre.require("streamhub-sdk/collection"); var WallView = Livefyre.require("streamhub-wall"); var opts = { "network": "timeout.fyre.co", "siteId": "348914", "articleId": "custom-1426528905892", }; var wallView = window.view = new WallView({ initial: 10, showMore: 10, el: document.getElementById("wall") }); var collection = new Collection(opts); collection.pipe(wallView); }()) //

The LA Marathon is a 26.2-mile scenic course with plenty of landmarks for photo opps and meeting up with your runner. Even if you're just out to watch 25,000 athletes run through your city, some places are better than others to watch the race. Here's our list of Instagram-worthy locations for watching the LA Marathon (and here's the course map for reference and also detailed street closure information), Also, before you go, make sure you read our essential tips for spotting your runner during the race. RECOMMENDED: LA Marathon guide

The LA Marathon is a big event in this city, and not just because it's a 26.2-mile race full of pro and amateur runners alike. The course is long and difficult to navigate due to road closures—oh, and about 25,000 people run it every year. If you think you can just show up to a random patch of sidewalk on Santa Monica Boulevard and spot your cousin who may or may not be wearing a blue shirt (light blue? bright blue?? long sleeve? tank top?!) you'll probably end up disappointed. Fear not, though. Here are some lessons about finding runners in the LA Marathon that we've learned the hard way. (While you're at it, here are the 10 best places to watch the LA Marathon). RECOMMENDED: LA Marathon guide

Ever since the scaffolding came off The Broad Museum late last year, we have to admit—we've been very curious to see the inside of LA's newest museum. Over the weekend, we got our chance, along with the most curious, quick-clicking early-bird art enthusiasts in the city. The museum's expansive third-floor gallery opened for two art installations: a Los Angeles soundscape by BJ Nilsen and an after-dark light activation from Yann Novak. The event, "Sky-lit: Volume, Light, and Sound at the Broad" was announced Feb. 5 and about 24 hours later, tickets went on sale for timed entries. No surprise, tickets were snapped up shortly thereafter. Our curiousity only grew. When we arrived at the museum around 3pm Saturday, we found out what people do in museums when there's no art to be seen (spoiler alert: so many selfies). During the daylight hours, people milled around the vast, light-filled space, phones in hand. Nilsen's soundscape drifted out from speakers, but it was mostly lost in the din of delighted guests except for a couple highly familiar sounds: a helicopter's chop, the "doors closing" chime of the Metro. Some guests methodically visited every speaker in the huge space; most of the other guests studiously documented the scenes—Walt Disney Concert Hall through the museum's porous skylights, the olive tree grove below, the slew of selfies. (Did we mention people were taking lots of selfies?) Once the sun set, Novak's light installation filled the solid, skylight-free wall of t

As thorough as our editors are, nobody knows the city’s restaurants, coffee shops, bars, stores and music venues like Time Out Los Angeles readers. And don’t try denying it—we’ve seen your Instagram feeds.With this in mind, back in October we launched the Love Los Angeles Awards to find out more about the local businesses that make your city amazing. After an intense voting period, it’s our great pleasure to reveal the independent restaurants, coffee shops, bars, stores and music venues you guys love above all others. There were a few close calls and a few freakin’ landslides), all of which just leaves us to say congratulations to all of this year’s winners and runners-up, and a hearty thanks to everyone who voted. Now get out there and show your winners some love.

I'm Irish. My first legal drink was a pint of Guinness at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. I should be all about St. Patrick's Day, but on March 17, I stay as far away from LA's Irish pubs as possible. There's just something about drinking Guinness because you happen to be at a bar on a certain date that I really can't get behind. Don't even get me started on green beer. This isn't supposed to be a negative Norah (see what I did there?) post about Americanized holidays, because I love drinking holidays just about as much as anyone else—or at least, with a lukewarm "meh, I guess I'll go out if my friends are making plans." I just found out a good way to improve them by sort-of lifehacking them. Then I became the one making plans. Here's how it works. On St. Patrick's Day, I go out for Mexican food, Mexican beer and margaritas. On Cinco de Mayo—you guessed it—I'm at an Irish pub downing pints of Guinness with a plate of fish and chips or boxtys. It's not a particularly revolutionary idea, and I'm certainly not the only one observing this tradition, but the bar is never too crowded and the food is always delicious. So if you want to toast St. Patrick and a snake-free Ireland but you can't handle another bro in a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" tank top, one who's drunkenly elbowing you with his drinking arm (Bud Light, of course) as you try to sip your toasty Guinness at the pub, maybe it's time to try tequila. Whatever you're celebrating today, slainte! And salud! RECOMMENDED: Our guide

Oscar Wilde once said, "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life." Drake once said, "Please don't speak to me like I'm that Drake from four years ago / I'm at a higher place.” As we are all aware at this point, Drake's new video for "Hotline Bling" went live last night and he more or less broke the Internet with his dad dance moves. But as LACMA points out on Instagram, there might be more to this video than a dance lesson—there might be a little hat tip.     Well, Drake visited our James Turrell exhibition in 2014... and now #HotlineBling #drake #jamesturrell #hiphopimitatingart #regrams via @champagnepapi A photo posted by Los Angeles County Museum of Art (@lacma) on Oct 20, 2015 at 4:47pm PDT     Looks like maybe @champagnepapi was really into LACMA's recent James Turrell Retrospective. He did visit, after all, and he looks very pensive. Rolling Stone went with him to see "Perceptual Cell," and the story includes this memorable gem: "I fuck with Turrell," Drake says. "He was a big influence on the visuals for my last tour." And then writer Jonah Weiner: "Drake is interested in art, but he scoffs at how trendy art shout-outs have become in rap. 'It's like Hov can't drop bars these days without at least four art references!' he says. 'I would love to collect at some point, but I think the whole rap/art world thing is getting kind of corny.'" If you want to go get some Drakespiration yourself, you can go see James Turrell's "Breathing Light" at LACMA once it reo

Update at 11:40am: The United Center issued a statement saying that the Kanye West show was announced "in error," and that "there are currently no plans for a Kanye West show in Chicago." Well, in other big Kanye West news...  Kanye is coming home again on November 9 to perform his album 808s & Heartbreak all the way through. It's happening at the United Center—tickets were on sale earlier this morning but the listing has since been taken offline. He played the same show last week in Los Angeles's Hollywood Bowl, and brought out Kid Cudi, Young Jeezy and other guests who are featured on 808s & Heartbreak. We're not sure about his presidential bid in 2020, but after some of his other sets this year, we can tell you this is not one to miss.  

A successful crowdfunding campaign wasn't enough to keep the kitchen lit at Alma, chef Ari Taymor's acclaimed Downtown LA restaurant. The restaurant will close Oct. 24, Grubstreet reports in an interview with Taymor and business partner Ashleigh Parsons. Alma won many of the restaurant industry’s most coveted awards, including Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurant in 2013 and Best New Chef 2014 in Food & Wine. Alma was lauded as a risk-taking restaurant, both in its food, respect for creative culture and lack—unsought—of outside support from investors. The restaurant wasn't without big changes along the way. Originally launched with an à la carte menu, Taymor switched to a prixe-fixe menu ($65 for five courses, $110 for a longer menu) in December 2013 before finally offering both. Then, earlier this summer, Taymor and Parsons were sued by a former adviser. They launched a $40,000 Indiegogo campaign to cover some legal costs and keep the restaurant doors open. In their Indiegogo pitch, Parsons acknowledged $40,000 was "far below the figure needed to pay legal fees through trial...if we are unable to cover the costs of legal expenses, we are at risk of closing the business this summer." Since the lawsuit, the restaurant has been operating with half the staff, according to Grubstreet. The money poured in—$4,000 in the first 6 hours—and the $40,000 mark was reached with a month remaining in the campaign. A total of 364 backers contributed $48,240. Many of the incentives for backers i

There's been much anticipation and fanfare about the Broad, from the museum's veiled exterior to its extensive contemporary art collection. We've been blown away by one aspect in particular: its app.  Stay with us on this one—we know that most institutions have an app and not all of them are that convenient, especially since they're pretty useless anywhere in the world besides the institution itself. But the Broad's app is not only a helpful resource when you're at the museum, it's also a way to sneak a peek at the collection before you go to the museum for the first time. Here are the five best things you can do with the Broad's app—and also the five reasons why you should download it now. 1. It has really, really good self-guided tours. The best thing about the app is how thoroughly entertaining and well done the self-guided tours of the museum are. A mix of audio, video, text and photos, the tours cover four topics: "Architecture Tour," narrated by Elizabeth Diller of Diller Scofidio+Renfro, the firm that designed the building; "Inside The Broad Collection,” which features history, highlights, background and photos for many of the works; “Looking with LeVar,” an audio and video tour for children narrated by LeVar Burton; and ”Artists on Artists"—more on that one below. All of the tours are ripe with information and you don’t have to commit to one topic for the whole tour. There’s an a la carte format to each of the tours—you can easily switch between short 1-2 minute segme

Most people have a story about a particularly talkative Uber driver, but if you order an extra lucky UberBLACK car tonight, you might get a ride from one particular, talkative driver. Jay Leno, former host of "The Tonight Show" and well-known car aficionado (he is definitely not an UberX-er), will surprise some Uber riders Tuesday between 5-10pm. If you want Leno to personally chauffeur you tonight, you will have to request a ride from an UberBLACK car and get very, very lucky. Leno will be wearing a disguise (read: not a denim shirt), so you won't know right away whether you've scored or not. Uber says he will reveal himself halfway through the ride, and your trip will be free. Today, between 5pm-10pm, your UberBLACK driver could be @JayLeno. He'll be in disguise so learn more here: http://t.co/aIDdH98Uf5 #uber — Uber Los Angeles (@Uber_LA) September 15, 2015 Uber hasn't said whether Leno will be driving one of his own cars, which are the stars of his new CNBC show "Jay Leno's Garage." The show follows Leno as he meets other car lovers and history buffs, and gets deeper into automotive culture. It will premiere October 7. And if you want to make absolutely sure you see Leno in real life, you can see him during his residency at Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach on Sunday nights. Other celebrity Uber drivers that have come before Leno include Diplo and real-life Uber driver Joe Jonas.  

Starbucks' famous fall drink is back behind the bar as of Tuesday, signaling the beginning of fall—for the rest of the country, at least. The PSL is indeed on the menu at LA Starbucks locations today, perfectly timed for some unbelievably hot weather. In the past, we've made fun of ordering an iced pumpkin spice latte as a silly way that Angelenos pretend it's fall, but because Starbucks has made some big changes to the drink this year (i.e. using real pumpkin), we decided to order a flight. "Hot or iced?" The barista was way ahead of us when we asked for a pumpkin spice latte.  "One of each, please, and a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino." We had to order all three formats of Pumpkin Spice Latte to properly research this post. The verdict? The Frappucino is predictably sweet—a "gateway" drink, one of our editors said. The iced PSL is the most coffee-forward of the three, and the hot latte, the OG #PSL, actually made me wish for a wool sweater and temperatures in the mid-50s. Or maybe it was because I took a sip in the middle of sweaty, steamy Downtown, with temperatures in the mid-90s.

Updated, Sept. 1 8am: A second show on Saturday night has been added. Well, in other big Kanye West news...  Kanye will be back in LA at the end of September to perform his album 808s & Heartbreak all the way through. It's happening at the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 25 and 26—tickets go on sale this Friday at 10am through Ticketmaster. If you've got an American Express card, you can nab tickets starting at 10am today during the pre-sale. We're not sure about his presidential bid in 2020, but after his set at FYF, we can tell you this is not one to miss.  

Never mind that the Kings have two recent Stanley Cup wins and the Dodgers are in first place in the NL West right now—today we're talking about on-field fashion. Uni Watch, a blog and ESPN column by the same name, scored and ranked the best dressed sports cities in the country, and LA didn't fare all that well. We're in 11th place behind the oh-so fashionable teams of Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, and five other cities. You can see the full ranking and individual scores here. Here are the individual scores that put us in 11th place. Dodgers: 9 Angels: 7.5 Lakers: 8 Clippers: 2—Uni Watch has NOT been a fan since the new uniforms were revealed and they detail their disdain, element by element, here. Fans aren't crazy about them either. Kings: 3.5 Ducks: 6.5 We got 1 point in the "Intangibles" category for Dodger Stadium. Most cities that have nice stadiums got an extra point or two for "visual experience," and domed football stadiums got an automatic two-point deduction. Good thing we don't have one of those. That gave LA/Anaheim a final score of 6.25. Without Anaheim's scores factored in, we would have been at 5.8—still in 11th place and just ahead of Miami, which has 5.5 points. But, if any of the teams had earned just one more point, we would have broken into the top 10, ahead of St. Louis. By the way, here are the rules for the ranking. How do you think LA's uniforms measure up? Don't you think Steve Ballmer's dance moves are worth at least two more

In case you missed it—or missed out on the coming-of-age experience that is sleepaway camp—adult summer camp is a thing now. But if you prefer a day camp version over a weekend of digital detox and networking, head out to Descanso Gardens tonight for Lakeside Lounge. There will be arts & crafts, lawn games (you can even challenge a Time Out Los Angeles editor to a game of cornhole), music from The Flashdance (on vinyl, because camp is low-tech) and food. Tacos, mulitas, elotes, chips and guac from Patina are on the menu, plus beer from Golden Road and boozy slushies. Admission is $9 and you can see the full menu here. The event is from 5-8pm and if you can't make it tonight, it will return next Wednesday, Aug. 19.

Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil are packing up a van and starting a virtual road trip through LA next month. "VAN Beethoven," a van equipped with Oculus virtual reality system (get it? Like Ludwig VAN Beethoven? *clap clap clap*), will travel around Los Angeles, and you'll be able to experience Beethoven's Fifth Symphony in a pretty unique way. Put on the headset (like conductor Gustavo Dudamel is doing below) and you'll get to experience the first five minutes of the well known piece as if you were in Walt Disney Concert Hall, but in a 360-degree immersive experience. The van even has the same carpeting as the hall. That's commitment.       Here's the van's schedule—catch it starting Sept. 11-Oct. 18 mostly parked at Disney Hall, Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur Park, Museum Row, and a few other upcoming city events like CicLAvia, the LA County Fair and more. If you want to see the symphony performed in real life, you're in luck—the LA Phil with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela is performing all nine of Beethoven's symphonies twice this October. Single ticket sales for "Immortal Beethoven" begin tomorrow at 10am.

Summer is in full swing, and it's usually around this point in the season where we ask ourselves: have we been going to enough free outdoor concerts? We're betting you could definitely add another night of free live music under the stars to your calendar, so that's why we're throwing a special party with Grand Performances on Friday, August 14. Join about 100 other awesome Time Out Los Angeles readers at the concert in a special VIP section. We'll kick back to a classical remix concert, enjoy free beer from Golden Road Brewing, cocktails from Artisan House and bites from WOOD Handcrafted Pizza, and celebrate an LA summertime tradition. Want to come? Just RSVP right here—it's completely free.  We'll see you there!