This summer my family had to move out of our house for five weeks of mold remediation. We stayed in Berkeley for part of it, but it turned out to be cheaper to stay almost anywhere else than to keep paying for a temporary place here. So I started looking for an exciting destination close to home instead, and that's how I'm writing this newsletter to you from British Columbia.
Most travel advice assumes you're starting from the East Coast. Just look at the endless articles about flying to Paris for a weekend. But the travel math is different from here. Consider this a celebration of the trips that are easier for West Coasters.
West Coast best coast #1Mexico City
Go to Mexico City for Frida Kahlo's house, stay for the street art, the murals, and the hundreds of galleries. Add an extraordinary food scene ranging from taco stands to some of the top-rated restaurants in the world, plus walkable neighborhoods and beautiful churches, and you have a destination that belongs on your bucket list.
Nonstop from SFO in about four and a half hours on Aeromexico, United, Delta, or Volaris.
West Coast best coast #2Belize
Belize is English speaking, a former British colony, and packs an unusual amount of range into a small country: the second largest barrier reef in the world for snorkeling and diving, a jungle interior with wild howler monkeys and jaguar preserves, and Maya ruins like Caracol and Xunantunich that get a fraction of the visitors Tikal does. Spend a few days on the coast and a few inland and you've covered reef, rainforest, and ancient cities in one trip, something that would normally take three separate countries to pull off.
Nonstop from SFO in about five and a half hours on United.
West Coast best coast #3Montreal
Old Montreal has the cobblestone streets and stone architecture people fly across an ocean for. Eat your way through rival historic bagel shops, classic smoked meat delis, and one of North America's best Chinatowns. The Museum of Fine Arts and the McCord Stewart Museum both hold serious First Nations, Inuit, and Métis art collections, the McCord's spanning nearly 12,000 years. Add Mount Royal, the hill the city is named for, and you get a proper park and a skyline view without leaving downtown.
Nonstop from SFO in about the same time as flying to New York, on Air Canada or United.
Interested in a West Coast trip? Tell me what you're thinking.
Trip reportFamily British Columbia road trip
As you read this, we're halfway through two weeks in British Columbia. We didn't have a big trip planned this summer, but then our mold eviction happened, my son got interested in learning about Canadian colleges, and I realized Vancouver was less than a two-hour flight from SFO.
British Columbia has been a revelation. We've seen orcas, humpback whales, and bear cubs. Watched France beat Morocco in a restaurant full of committed Moroccan fans. Toured the gorgeous UBC campus and driven across the mountains to the beautiful Okanagan Valley. Now we're on the Sunshine Coast, a lesser-known destination with miles of ocean, artisan shops, and the relaxed pace we needed.
I planned this trip very quickly, knowing my son wanted to tour the two UBC campuses, I wanted to go on a bear safari, and everyone wanted to see whales. Then a client reached out with a dilemma: she couldn't get her older kids to agree on a destination. I told her about our BC plans and she jumped at the same itinerary. I took notes for her as we went, and I hope she enjoys the trip as much as we did.
I never knew you could get Italian-style vineyards on a lake, Swiss-style mountains, astounding wildlife, and fascinating indigenous art this close to home. Consider BC for your next trip when you want everything Europe has to offer without the jet lag.
Hotel pickThe Bloomsbury, London
A hotel I just recommended to a client heading to London. This classic hotel sits in a Georgian building on Great Russell Street, steps from the British Museum. Enjoy cocktails or the famous afternoon tea on the Dalloway Terrace, named for Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. The literary theme runs through the whole hotel: a suite package called The Clarissa Chronicles, a meeting room named for Seamus Heaney. Perfect for book lovers. As a Fora advisor, I can often get you perks like free breakfast or an upgraded room.
"Rebecca helped me plan a college tour for me and my son. She was lovely to work with and did a fantastic job with our complicated scheduling needs."Eliza R., Pacific Northwest