head west

Travel tips: Your guide to bona-fide cool breezes and a chill SoCal escape

Wolfgang Puck's WP24
Sunset Photo of Shore Hotel
Photo by Ryan Gobuty
Shore Hotel
Photo by Ryan Gobuty
Shore Hotel pool
Photo by Skott Snider
Shore Hotel suite
Photo by Skott Snider

Springtime in Austin has arrived and swept in like a cool breeze, well kind of. We all know April temperatures in Austin aren’t always filled with perfect temps, so we booked a trip to Southern California to get some rest, relaxation and bona fide cool currents.

During our getaway, we divided our time between tony Beverly Hills and the laid back beach town of Santa Monica. Not only is LA a direct flight away on many airline carriers, there is also a little bit of Austin in LA, including local jewelry boutique, Kendra Scott, a second outpost of our own La Condesa coming soon and a relaxed, Austin-like vibe in the beach areas.

We landed at the Long Beach Airport on a direct JetBlue flight. They are renovating this once retro airport to include a new concourse, improved seating, concessions and include solar technology. We still had the experience of landing old school-style on the tarmac and walked outdoors to the terminal — the only other airport where I've experienced this kind of arrival was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Hopefully, Long Beach will retain this feature; it gives a feel of yesteryear, when flying was somewhat glamorous.

We arranged our accommodations at the posh SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills and the newly built Shore Hotel in Santa Monica. Once settled we traded in our shorts for scarves. I never truly understood the L.A. look of tee shirts and scarves until this trip. The sun is so warm, but the shade and evenings are welcomingly chilly, those extra layers come in handy.

SLS was designed by Phillippe Starck and has a whimsical, almost Alice in Wonderland, feel. The common areas are furnished with welcoming seating areas each more interesting than the next.

The front outdoor area has plush couches and rugs giving it a living room feel. The hallways are dimly lit and each elevator landing has a pool table. We didn’t see anyone playing, but if you are so inclined the front desk provides balls and sticks. Modernized rooms are made to feel large and sexy with smoke mirrors at every turn. A built-in wall cabinet conceals a closet and fully stocked minibar (dangerous). Gray slate and stainless steel dress the bath with a large rain shower and more smoke mirrors.

The star of the show here is The Bazaar by José Andrés, the hotel’s main restaurant. They describe it as an indoor piazza; I describe it as simply fabulous. Interesting seating areas wind through a shop area to the right, a main bar and lounge area in the center (where they cleverly invite you to begin your dining experience while you wait for your table).

To the left is the main dining room with an open kitchen, cozy banquettes and intimate tables situated close enough together for you to drool over your neighbor’s dishes, but not too close to overhear conversations. The atmosphere is definitely lively and attracts the L.A. A-listers. The menu consists of traditional and innovative tapas and small plates meant to be shared. Our friends (and frequent diners) tipped us off to the Brussels spouts salad, the olives and the jamon. We also enjoyed a bottle of Reserve Rioja that had characteristics of an earthy Cabernet Franc, perfect for food pairing.

We awoke the next day to a healthy jog and spotted Austin’s own, Kendra Scott jewelry boutique, located right off the ritzy Rodeo Drive at the corner of famed Santa Monica Boulevard. This is Kendra's second retail boutique, and she recently opened a third in Dallas. She is taking L.A. by storm and celebrities including Hilary Duff, Luke Wilson and Mike Judge attended the opening of this Austin original boutique.

We finished our work out in the expansive gym before heading up to the pool to enjoy more of Andrés’ cuisine and some poolside lounging (and working). Later that night we made our way into the revived downtown area known as L.A. Live, home to the Staples Center were the Lakers were playing a game that night.

We made ourselves comfortable at Wolfgang Puck’s WP24 lounge on the 24th floor of the Ritz-Carlton with sweeping downtown views. We snacked on his upscale bar snacks, sushi and creative cocktails while we watched the final moments of the nail-biting game. After the game, ecstatic fans poured into the restaurant for celebratory eats and drinks.

The next day we headed to the seashore and checked into the newly LEED Gold certified Shore Hotel just steps from the famed Santa Monica Pier. Here, it’s all about keeping it eco-friendly and their motto is “trading in carbon footprints for footprints in the sand.”

What they lack in little luxuries such as turndown service, mini bars, etc., they more than make up for in luxurious Zero Percent Collection bath amenities by the Gilchrist & Soames line, plush robes and towels and a bed dressed in high thread-count sheets. Shore Hotel also boasts a heated swimming pool and adjacent hot tub spa. They have partnered with the Sea●thos Foundation, a non-profit which exists to promote education and awareness of the human impact on the world’s oceans.

A stay here is definitely one you can feel good about and we have it on the list for a return visit for the opening of Blue Plate Taco, a sister location to Santa Monica’s wildly popular Blue Plate Oysterette and Blue Plate on Montana. It will serve fresh, healthy and authentic cuisine of coastal Mexico with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.

While in the beach city, we forwent a rental car and instead rented bikes to make our way around the city’s 8.3 square miles. We locked our bikes (not that you have to, the area is extremely safe) and strolled the shops on Montana Avenue (think upscale South Congress), avoiding the crowds along Third Street Promenade.

Our meals consisted of a stop at Whole Foods Market (there are three within a few block radius) to enjoy a picnic overlooking the ocean on our patio, brunch at the Ivy at the Shore (sister location to the star-filled original on Robertson Avenue in LA), and a stop at an authentic British Pub, the Ye Olde King’s Head, for some Bangers and Mash. We learned there is a somewhat large British presence in Santa Monica and spotted a few pubs and markets.

With bellies full and scarves snuggly wrapped around our necks we wrapped up a chill, cool and laid back escape to Southern California.

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Red Light

San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio has pulled off something that the rest of Texas has yet to do, but it didn't come without some contentious conversations. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

animals downtown civic issues