If there's one thing that San Diego is known for, it's TACOS so you know a San Diego Taco Fest is going to be dropping some great food. What goes best with tacos (besides beer)? Tequila and Margaritas! So we're excited to see this festival crank up the heat and kick off summer right with tacos from 25 of our favorite local joints as well as margaritas featuring Corralejo Tequila.

Love bar crawls? Love espresso martinis? Well then you're in luck. Mr Black, is celebrating the Espresso Martini with a curated list of their favorite locations in San Diego and other cities across the country. Here in San Diego their featured locations include: Hive, J and Tony’s, Raised by Wolves, Born & Raised, Craft and Commerce, 52 Remedies, Kingfisher, George’s at the Cove, Swan Bar, Frankie’s Oceanside

Wings used to be one of those things that came free with a happy hour special at your local pub. Today though they are a premium treat that in some cases is just as expensive as a steak or good piece fish. Unfortunately not all wings are equal and so it can be very complicated to separate the premium wing companies that are worth spending your money on, from the ones that think you just don't know any better. Lucky for me - and millions of others in San Diego! - Dirty Birds is a great example of a company producing a fantastic product that I personally can't wait to enjoy again on my own dime.

If you love hanging out and drinking premium spirits and craft cocktails... maybe even discovering a new favorite brand that isn't quite fully out on the market yet, then this is the festival for you. The San Diego Spirits Festival is now in it's 13th year and has moved from downtown San Diego to La Jolla this year, running Sept 24 and 25.

Valentine's Day is obviously an annual excuse to focus on love and romance, the reality is that any time of year is a great excuse for a romantic getaway. Here's our picks for some of the most romantic destinations to take your wife this year!

When you think of "wine cruises", typically you think of riverboats floating through European destinations like those along the Rhine, Rhone, and Garonne (Bordeaux) or maybe even Portugal's Doro river. However, one of the absolute best ways to experience North America's best wine regions is on a Coastal California cruise.  What we liked about sailing on Holland America Line's Koningsdam was that it created an immersive experience - on the ship, as well as in port as well.

We often look at the fabled Route 66 and celebrate road-side attractions that have sadly slid into the past but the I-15 freeway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas is still growing with new roadside attractions. While the most famous ones are Alien Jerky in Baker and of course Calico Ghost Town, in recent years the tiny town of Yermo has opened a huge travel station featuring a giant ice cream Sunday... and Liberty Sculpture park memorializing and championing the human desire for freedom. 

One of the hottest food trends right now is birria - no it isn't new but it is newly popular outside of the Mexican community and innovative food pioneers have taken it to new levels, far far beyond the classic birria taco. In fact, on this food tour of three San Diego birria restaurants, we tried it in tacos, pizza, ramen!

Island Packers is one of the most respected coastal cruise operators in Southern California. They have been offering education, recreation, and research cruises exploring California's Channel Islands since 1968. In fact, they are the official boat concessionaire for the Channel Islands National Park. This includes year round transportation to the "local islands" of Santa Cruz and Anacapa for backpackers, hikers, campers, and day trippers too. The also offer seasonal transportation to Santa Rosa Island and San Miguel Island too. Our trip was less about visiting the islands though and more about experiencing the rich marine habitat that surrounds them.

When most people think of visiting Santa Barbara, the image of a resort on the beach or something downtown within walking distance to the "Urban Wine Trail" comes to mind. We did things a bit different though and spent some time getting back to nature and relaxing in style at the El Capitan Canyon located about 20 minutes west of Santa Barbara and directly across the highway from el Capitan State Beach Park.

When you are planning your bachelor party, the first question always seems to be "Where should we go?" If you want a fun night out with friends and don't want to break the bank, then this list of 10 cities is for you. From Las Vegas to New York City, these top destinations will make your trip unforgettable!

One of the biggest highlights of the winter season in San Diego is the Holiday Bowl. While it is small potatoes compared to bigger events like the Fiesta Bowl or Rose Bowl, it's a pretty cool event withe parades and marching band demonstrations as well as other festivities. When the stadium where the Chargers used to play was demolished there were questions as to if the Holiday Bowl would stay here in San Diego or move on to another city. Luckily, we now know the answer!

Santa Maria is the last of the Central Coast wine regions for us to explore and after spending a few days here, I'm ready to head back... and I want to bring some guys with me! Santa Maria is situated at the north west end of Santa Barbara County and roughly half way between Santa Ynez Valley and San Luis Obispo. On the surface, it lacks the glamour of Santa Barbara and the prestige of Paso Robles and that's why we'd passed over it so many times before, just simply driving past. However, this might just be one of the most exciting destinations when it comes to planning a guys weekend getaway anywhere on the Central Coast.

I'm guessing most of you guys love beer, I do too! Luckily, I've been blessed with numerous opportunities to visit some of the best beer cities in the country and in fact I live in San Diego - which is at the top of most lists of places for beer lovers to visit. However, these beercations are more than just hopping in the car and drinking. To make the most of your time and money it's important to plan ahead. This is your opportunity to try new things, expand your boundaries, and bond with your buddies around an awesome shared experience.

There are only a handful of restaurants that are more iconic as The Hitching Post and it's cousin The Hitching Post 2 (immortalized in the movie Sideways). These are icons of the "real California", a land between the big cities filled with ranches and cowboys where we roll the clock back a few decades and the only thing that matters is big hunks of beef and great wine. Leave your fancy clothes at home because unlike pretty much every other legendary steakhouse, The Hitching Post is laid back and casual. It's a place you go when all that matters is having a huge meal with friends.

Santa Barbara's Urban Wine Trail is something that I'm honestly pretty amazed at but I didn't quite understand the diversity available here until our most recent trip. I had looked at the wineries located in their legendary, "Funk Zone" and thought that was pretty much it. However, Santa Barbara's Urban Wine Trail includes seven different areas including four downtown and in three other neighboring coastal communities.

Yosemite and the surround areas in the Sierra Foothills area of California is probably one of the most in-demand areas this summer. That's true for us as well since we're now planning a potential visit this summer. However, while it makes for a family vacation destination, it's also a fantastic area to visit for a guys trip too. We loved talking with Tony from Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism so much earlier this year that we asked him to follow-up with some advice specifically for guys planning a weekend getaway.

When planning a romantic getaway to Santa Ynez Valley wine country, several options come to mind from corporate-brand hotels to bed and breakfasts but Hotel Ynez offers something in the middle. At first glance it appears to be a renovated 1950s style drive-in motel but the new owners have taken it sever steps further than that to create an unexpectedly enjoyable oasis of relaxation at an affordable price.

Don't worry... I still love my big burley trucks, but EVs fascinate me. They are, without a doubt, the future of personal transportation. However, the future is here already. While it can be challenging today while charging infrastructure catches up, even in a less than ideal environment, a weekend getaway in an EV is possible. To illustrate this, Nissan sent me a Leaf S Plus and we drove up to Oceanside, CA.

Ventura California is one of those iconic Southern California "surf towns" that you probably have heard of from classic rock songs like, "Ventura Highway" or seen in countless TV shows and movies. It's essentially the bridge between the laid back country living embodied by Central Coast California and everything you think you know about Los Angeles. Personally, I've driven through here several times on my way to somewhere else but never stopped. Last week I broke that cycle and now I'm wondering why I didn't visit earlier.