Category Archives: Travel

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One Battle After Another ‘best movie of the year’

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I saw the race scene in Bullitt (1968) with Steve McQueen and now I’ve seen the race in One Battle After Another (2025) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn and must admit that I loved them both!

One Battle After Another is a comedic political action thriller with a race through some hills in California that really had me jumping.  I have a feeling that this might become a love it or leave it kind of film. It surely will become a cult classic. 

Currently at 96% in Rotten Tomatoes, you need to see both movies in a large screen theater to appreciate those race scenes (VistaVision if you can). From the director Paul Thomas Anderson, the film also stars Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, and Benicio Del Toro. 

Filmed all around California, things start at an immigration detention center on the U.S.- Mexico border.  Many “family” scenes were near Cal Poly in Humbolt County and nearby Eureka, CA…  Some were filmed in Stockton, Tracy and Sacramento.  The race scenes were near the Texas Dip in Borrego Springs, CA with most desert action in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in southern California.

See more at https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/leonardo-dicaprio-movie-northern-california-21066073.php

https://variety.com/2025/film/features/one-battle-after-another-car-chase-location-breakdown-1236529697/

https://www.travelandleisureasia.com/hk/destinations/north-america/exploring-the-stunning-shooting-locations-of-one-battle-after-another/

https://travelnoire.com/where-was-one-battle-after-another-filmed

Watch in VistaVision

Vista Theater (Los Angeles, CA)
Regal Union Square 17 (New York, NY)
Coolidge Corner Theater (Boston, MA)
Odeon Leicester Square (London, England)

Watch in 70mm IMax

Cinemark Dallas IMAX (Dallas, TX)
AutoNation IMAX (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Indiana State Museum (Indianapolis, IN)
Regal Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21 (Irvine, CA)
BFI IMAX (London, England)
AMC Lincoln Square 13 (New York, NY)
AMC Metreon 16 (San Francisco, CA)
Harkins Arizona Mills 18 (Tempe, AZ)
AMC Universal Citywalk 19 (Universal City, CA)
Cineplex Vaughan IMAX (Woodbridge, Ontario)

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a quick trip to Los Angeles

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We recently did a mini vacation to Los Angeles to see the Getty Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits.  We wanted to stay someplace convenient to both and found a couple of eating places that I want to commit to memory and share with you all too.

Plaza La Reina                                                                                                                                                         10850 Lindbrook Drive                                                                                                                                              Los Angeles, CA 90024                                                                                                                                            310-986-6888

It is centrally located in Los Angeles, steps from Hammer Museum and within a 5-minute walk of University of California, Los Angeles. This is a 4.5-star hotel, expensive but worth it. But no breakfast! Starbucks is a block away!

Directly across the street is probably the best Chinese restaurant I have ever eaten in.  You should give this place a try even if you don’t stay at Plaza La Reina.

First Szechuan Wok Chinese Restaurant                                                                                                            10855 Lindbrook Drive                                  						         Westwood, CA 90024										       310-208-7785

Another great home cooking style restaurant is about 3 blocks away.  They have turkey meatloaf and mashed potatoes!!

Fresh Corn Grill    									                    1266 Westwood Blvd.
Westwood CA 90024
Tel. 310-470-0414

The Plaza La Reina is about 3 miles from the Getty Museum and about 7 miles from the La BreaTar Pits Museum.  I recommend both, but you should a lot a full day for Getty and half day for the Tar Pits.

For a real delight in eating, a great French inspired café is called République. It has a casual bakery, café, and bar in the front with a more formal dining area located in the rear.  We had pastries and coffee before we went to the Tar Pits which are only ¾ mile away.  We parked in the Tar Pits Museum lot ($18/day) and then walked to/from Republique.

République, located in Miracle Mile, is owned by Chefs Walter and Margarita Manzke. Centered in the heart of Los Angeles, the historic building in which it resides was originally erected in 1929 by Charlie Chaplin, and later transformed into the iconic La Brea Bakery and Campanile Restaurant.

Republique                                                                                                                                                                  624 S. La Brea Ave.                                                                                                                                                     Los Angeles, CA 90036

CHEF MARGARITA WINS 2023 JAMES BEARD AWARD!
MICHELIN Plate 2022
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World citizens understand Celsius

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When USA citizens travel, they need to become acquainted with Celsius. All the world except the USA use Celsius (C) as their temperature scale.

To me, it is comfortable outdoors between 23 – 33 Celsius. Above 35 means carry water. Below 19 Celsius probably means jackets required.

”The creative adult is the child that has survived.” – Ursula K. Le Guin

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4th S. Cafe & Bakery in Orland, CA

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Once in a while, you come across a really good restaurant. When you do, it is important to let others know about it – share the wealth, as they say. Well, I ate at a really good “cafe” yesterday and have to give praise.

The 4th S. Cafe & Bakery in Orland, CA is a great place to eat breakfast or lunch. The food is good, there is lots of it. It is wholesome and healthy faire. Breakfast is served all day. The jelly was served in glass cups!

Orland is located on Interstate 5 about 90 miles north of Sacramento. A crow would fly due west from Chico! The address is 824 4th Street, Orland, CA 95963. From I-5 take the Newville Rd/Hwy. 32 exit. Head east about 1/2 mile and turn right on 4th Street. They are two blocks down on the right hand side, across from the Orland Post Office.

If you are driving on I-5 in central California in the morning hours and feel hungry, do take the time to find this great cafe. When we were there, a group of County Sheriff deputies were too. You know they know where the good eats are to be found!

I rate it 5/5 stars and I recommend the Veggie Lover’s Omelet!  

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States that Discriminate

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I love my state — California. We have an Assembly Bill AB 1887 that prohibits state sponsored travel to 8 states that have passed laws discriminating against various classes of people. I think more states should follow suit, to put pressure on these backward, mean state governments.

This list is here to help me remember to not vacation in these states and to minimize travel time if we must travel through them on the way to somewhere else.

• Alabama
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas

Some day, hopefully, these states will change their laws and support all people.

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Fastest Route With Multiple Stops

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Read this interesting article from Huffington Post – 27 Mar 2015

If you thought planning a road trip in the U.S. was hard, try planning one for Europe.

Randy Olson, the brilliant Ph.D. candidate who recently planned the best way to road trip across America, just calculated the most epic European road trip ever. Add it to the bucket list pronto.

My son sent me the above link, not only because it shows off a really neat driving route through Europe, but because it gives links showing where the reader can also plan your own driving vacation in both the USA and Europe.

This post is here because I tried the web site mentioned in the article called Route XL and found it to be very good. I gave it a couple of routes I have previously studied and planned and it did indeed find the shortest route. What makes it even nicer is that you can link together multiple stops and it will connect them in the most efficient manner!

At least read the Huffington Post article, the European route is fun to see. Route XL can be discovered by clicking here too.

As a side note, I have added RouteXL to the set of links that I maintain here on the Potpourri page in the section called Special/Unusual.  Those links are there, remember, so I don’t forget them!

I will leave it to your own curiosity to go to Randy Olson’s (the scientist who thought this up) web page and see some of the other amazing stuff he has done.  He has a really interesting route through the United States that looks really fun. If you are curious, go here: Randy Olson.