by Anna Nordberg, Sunset's special projects editor

Kicking off our best of the web this week is a Wall Street Journal look at Joshua Tree, CA. In typical Journal style, it takes a funky, off the wall destination and breaks the logistics down with fine reporting on where to eat, stay—and what you can skip.

And also, from the same paper, we learn that Berkeley's at it again with some hubbub about whether the local Thai temple can continue to serve it's popular Sunday brunch to locals, with the temple's neighbors lining up on one side and the monks and their defenders on the other. The debate seems to come down to neighbors being fed up with noise and litter, while the monks argue that volunteering at the brunch is how Berkeley Buddhists "earn their merit."

The New York Time ran a sad yet riveting  profile on up and coming neighborhoods like Eagle Rock in Los Angeles that have fizzled in the face of the recession. In many urban enclaves, it seems the wave of design stores and cappuccino bars that are supposed to follow the bohemian bourgeoisie is no longer inevitable.

But let's end with some good news. As has been reported in many places, cruises seem to be the best deals to be had right now—and gaining ground as a travel trend. Budget Travel blogs about the phenomenon.

Maybe this is time to shrug off your fears about shrimp cocktail and revolving dance floors and book a cruise getaway.

By Amy Wolf, Sunset travel editor

When it's spitting dampness and the sky is white-gray, winter's not quite over, and Hawaii is a few thousand dollars out of my reach, I start thinking about spending the weekend someplace really, really green, where I can hike up and down hills and dales but still be within sight of the ocean.

Yes, that would be Point Reyes National Seashore. Here's my recipe for the coziest, most scenic and delicious weekend imaginable—all just 2 hours from San Francisco.

Drive out along Highway 1, pick up picnic fixings at Tomales Bay Foods, that barnlike emporium of local goodness. I liked the looks of this citrus-quinoa salad. Or go for something more portable, like a Red Hawk triple cream cheese and a loaf of crusty Acme bread. And yes, a bottle of red.

Or maybe head to Marin Sun Farms, where you can gaze at cuts of beef, poultry, lamb, and goat pure and pretty enough to make a vegetarian think twice—and pick up a bag of beef jerky, dried on-site, to bring along too.

Then head to the Pt. Reyes National Seashore Visitors Center, possibly the most tasteful, expansive park visitors center in the West, to get tips on where to hike. (If I were feeling more flush I'd like to make the park service an offer and build my second home in that barn.)

Layer up for rain and set out on the trail with your gourmet grub. You might have to squint when you walk through electric-green forests like the one above—it's that green. But you also get ocean vistas like this. And you might, as we did, find an elk antler. Ah, wilderness!

If you're staying in town, head home to your digs (we love the Old Point Reyes Schoolhouse, shown below) and shower up. If you're not, use the visitors center restroom for a cold, makeshift freshening up. (No one will care.) Then head to Osteria Stellina, the newest restaurant in town. This place is the bomb. All local, simple, and Alice Waters-esque. I thought I'd died and gone to heave to find not one but three leafy-green dishes on the menu, including beans and greens. Plus, they make their own sparkling water and keep your carafe of it filled all evening long. Gotta love that.

What's your favorite place to go on a rainy late-winter weekend? Please share...

By Peter Fish, Sunset Editor-at-Large

Like thunderheads building above Mauna Loa, ominous news is gathering on the Tiki Bar front. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the fabled Tonga Room in the Fairmont Hotel may vanish when the Nob Hill hostelry changes from all-hotel to part-condo.
No!
We need to do what Peter Pan asks audiences to do for dying Tinkerbelle. Clap your hands! People of the world, if you believe in the Tiki Gods, clap your hands! And order a Missionary’s Downfall now!
Even better, it's time to show our support by visiting one of Sunset’s Top Three tiki bars.

1. The Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar, Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco. This fabled SF nightspot dates from 1945, just about the time GIs were heading back from the South Pacific. For decades it’s been the destination of choice for expense account dinners and for 21-year-olds celebrating arrival into adulthood  by downing a mai tai or four. This is the most elaborate and elegant of tiki bars, with a dance floor said to be built from the remnants of an early 1900s schooner, and impressively lashing artificial rainstorms. The 5-7 P.M. Happy Hour is a good deal. Go here, order up a Singapore Sling, and tell them the Tiki Gods will be very unhappy if this joint is closed.

2. The Tiki Ti, Los Angeles. This is the anti-Tonga Room: a little cramped, a little dark, and located on a slightly seedy stretch of Sunset Boulevard. But boy do the drinks deliver: they’re potent, made with fresh fruit juices, and deeply delicious. One sip brings back happy memories of Gilligan’s Island. Two sips convince you you’re ready to compete in Survivor: Tiki Ti Edition.

3. The Mai Tai Bar, The Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Let other Tiki Bars make do with artificial surf, artificial palms, artificial volcano views. Set on the white sands of Waikiki, with views towards Diamond Head, the Royal Hawaiian’s Mai Tai Bar is the real deal all the way. What’s strange is that you may find yourself thinking: with all this gorgeous scenery, do I even need a tropical drink? But it turns out you do.

(And while we're on the topic, here's Sunset's favorite mai tai recipe)

by MacKenzie Geidt, Sunset assistant travel editor

We all love Angel Island for the gorgeous hiking, biking, camping, and secluded beaches with stunning bay views.  What's not to love?  But as of last week, now you can go to Angel Island AND get a history lesson to boot.  After a 3-year, multi-million dollar renovation, the long-awaited Angel Island Immigration Station museum is finally open, and it's a must-see.

Did you know that Angel Island was considered the "Ellis Island of the West"?  1 million immigrants were processed between 1910 and 1940 (Chinese, Russians, Indians, Koreans, Japanese, and others from up to 80 nations).  They even held Japanese and German POWs on the island during WWII.  Now you can visit the Immigration Station museum and learn the island's fascinating history, see recreations of the dormitories, and even see poetry that detainees carved on the walls while they were held.

Here's a shot of it THEN: (these are Japanese "picture brides" arriving for processing—they were selected  by matchmakers from photographs for grooms that had already arrived in the U.S)

Photo courtesy of Angel Island State Park

Here's a shot of it NOW: (the rain didn't keep people away from checking out the grand re-opening on February 15th)

Photo courtesy of California State Parks

So plan your trip!  Guided tours will be available beginning in March.  Call 415-435-5537 for more information.  Or visit the Angel Island State Park website for visitor information.  And check out this article for more Sunset tips for enjoying the island.

By Amy Wolf, Sunset travel editor

So, Levi beat Lance. While I am a huge Lance fan, I can't say I'm sad. Because Levi Leipheimer, who lives in Santa Rosa, California, is our own local boy.

CHARLIE NEUMAN / Union-Tribune

Maybe it was the California scenery that drove him up all those mountains so effortlessly. On one of the final climbs, up Palomar Mountain in San Diego, thousands of fans came out to cheer. Some say it was the biggest crowd gathered on American soil in 25 years (Inauguration notwithstanding). And why not? The Amgen Tour has become our own Tour de France.

I'll bet a bunch of those fans headed into Temecula for some local wine afterward. Vive la Californie!

By Anna Nordberg, Sunset special projects editor

On Sunset Traveler we'll have a new Friday column going forward—Best of the Web. Basically, we troll cyberspace for the best travel writing to help you as you plan your weekends and vacations—or pieces that just make us feel inspired about the west.

Feel good about where you live: David Brooks of The New York Times writes about how, recession or no recession, Americans still want to go west. In fact, seven of the top 10 cities Americans most want to live in are out here (Denver nabs the number one spot).

Also, the Times' Timothy Egan offers a poetic take on why Wallace Stegner’s writing still resonates today, (as well as a funny look at why Western writers often have a rocky relationship with east-coast critics).

Hit the road: In honor of Oregon's 150th birthday, Terry Richard of The Oregonian blogs about the 150 best places to visit in the state. With an encyclopedic knowledge that has given this travel editor a bit of an inferiority complex, Richards does Oregon's A to Z of travel, hitting every single county in the state.

Heart your city: In honor of their March city issue, National Geographic Traveler has rolled out a list of “I heart my city” reports from readers. Venice, CA, Seattle, and Portland are just a few of the western hubs covered by everyday people; the dispatches are entertaining and peppered with local knowledge. 

Your bottom line: House-swapping is becoming the hot new travel trend, given that you can live like a local for free. The Wall Street Journal reports on how house swaps work, plus the pros and pitfalls of doing it.

We'd love to hear your picks for best travel blogs and writing, so write and let us know! Happy weekend.

By Jennie Nunn, Sunset Associate Home Editor

The founding curator of Bellagio’s Gallery of Fine Art shares her top “only in Vegas” moments and why she’s passionate about what she does.

Expert: Libby Lumpkin, art historian

Field of study: Lumpkin served as the director of the Museum Studies Program at California State University, Long Beach, and is the former director of Las Vegas Art Museum

Favorite “only in Vegas” moments: 1. Wayne Newton at the Stardust—I caught his show there, where he began the evening by kissing every woman in the room, even if he had to crawl over tabletops. It’s too bad the Stardust is gone now. 2. A valet sunning Latoya Jackson’s blond python on his shoulders on the grounds of her high-rise condo building. 3. Charles Schwab on the patio of the Picasso restaurant when the Bellagio fountains (which he had not heard about) began dancing to “Big Spender.” His jaw dropped, and he broke into spontaneous applause. 4. At singer and philanthropist Phyllis McGuire’s Thanksgiving party at Prime Steakhouse ($$$$; 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S.; 702/693-7223) in the Bellagio, my mother was seated next to Tony Curtis. He drew her a picture on a napkin—it was perhaps the best day of her life.

Best places to eat, near and off the Strip: Piero's Italian Cuisine ($$$; 355 Convention Center Dr.; 702/369-2305) is the upscale old-Vegas hangout. The Rat Packers were regulars there. Vintner Grill ($$; 10100 W. Charleston Blvd., Ste. 150; 702/214-5590) is a new locals’ favorite (mostly young professionals), but it is several miles off the Strip, on the west side. The fried calamari appetizer is the best in town.

Libby shares with us some unique Vegas finds on and off the strip. Photo courtesy of Jen Siska

More great food: For a local spot that concierges never recommend, there’s Harrie’s Bagelmania ($; 855 E. Twain Ave.; 702/369-3322), also known as Mort’s. The pastrami Reuben may be the best in the country. For Chinese after a late show, there’s Harbor Palace Seafood Restaurant ($; 4275 Spring Mountain Rd.; 702/253-1688). It’s open until 5 a.m., and the shrimp dishes and salmon dim sum are terrific, but the food is even better during the lunch hour.

Secondhand shopping and local galleries: When I arrived here in the early 1990s, I was hoping to discover funky treasures in secondhand stores, but I was disappointed to find that most of the furniture was faux Asian black lacquer. Now, Vegas has some cool design stores, including Unica Home (closed Sun; 3901 W. Russell Rd.; 702/616-9280), and art galleries like Naomi Arin Contemporary Art (closed Sun; 900 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; 702/880-3878), which shows important emerging and international artists.

Her love of art history: The history of art is actually the history of public reactions to artworks. When you study how and when great collections came into being, and the various ways in which artworks have been displayed, you gain a true sense of how malleable the “meanings” of art objects can be. The great works keep on giving; each culture and each generation breathes new life into them.

Pan roasted wild salmon at the Vintner Grill. Photo courtesy of Helga Watkins

By Rachel Levin, Sunset senior editor

Why: 10 feet of fresh snow

Where to stay : Don’t mess around—with these ideal conditions, stay slopeside if you can swing it. At Squaw Valley, The Resort at Squaw Creek has rooms available this weekend starting at $359. Okay, not cheap, but not bad for guaranteed fresh tracks; views of the morning sun hitting the mountains; a ski concierge so you don’t have to lug your gear; and the second best nachos in the Sierra, at Sandy’s Pub. (The best you ask? At the River Ranch, just down the road at the entrance to Alpine Meadows.)

Where to ski: Anywhere. Seriously, the conditions are that good.

Want a visual?

Live from the top of Alpine Meadows!

Need another incentive?? You can hit Burger Me ($;10418 Donner Pass Rd.,Truckee; (530) 587-8852), Truckee’s brand new burger joint at the edge of Old Town, where locals are already lining up for grass-fed beef topped with all sorts of tantalizing stuff like melted pepperjack and roasted mushrooms. Housemade fries and local beers to boot.

By Amy Wolf, Sunset travel editor

After a wet and miserable start, the Amgen Tour of California is finally charging ahead into dryland, just in time for Stage 4 in the Sierra, where the world's best climbers duke it out for the esteemed title of King of the Mountains. (Who will it be? Lance? Levi?)

You can watch a real-time video stream on the Amgen site, or better yet bust out your own bike and head for the hills. No need to take on a real Sierra mountain—it might still be a tad cold and snowy for that. Even a good hilly city ride will do. Here are Sunset's three favorite urban bike rides where you can play King of the Mountain for a day.

Sunset 3: Places to play king of the mountains

The Marin Headlands loop, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in southern Marin

Start at: A Bicycle Odyssey, in Sausalito, for bike rentals and directions

Good to know: The descent from the top of the road down to the backside of the Headlands is extremely steep, so prepare to go slowly

The payoff: A totally different perspective of the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay, seen from on high.

Berkeley's Grizzly Peak ride, East Bay

Start at: Missing Link bike shop, in Berkeley, for bike rentals and directions

Good to know: The Grizzly Peak Century, on the first Sunday in May, is a great century ride for beginners, in part because the snacks along the way are so good (think homemade vegan banana bread and the like)

The payoff: Spectacular views, and a great excuse to indulge in pizza from The Cheeseboard after the ride

Kings Mountain Road, on the Peninsula

Start at: Intersection of Canada Road and Highway 92, a hugely popular starting point for Peninsula cyclists

Good to know: Canada Road is closed to traffic on Sundays, so if you want to make it family bike day skip the hills and bring the kids

The payoff: Insanely secluded and gorgeous redwood forest, dizzying views of Silicon Valley and Stanford University, and the chance to climb the exact same roads Lance climbed just a few days ago

by MacKenzie Geidt, Sunset assistant travel editor

You may have read Sunset senior editor Lisa Trottier's posting from two weeks ago on the amazing $29 lift ticket at Homewood resort in Tahoe.  We had some technical difficulties with the link to the best spots to stop on your drive to Tahoe on I-80, but we've worked it out, and here it is, in all its glory: A better drive to Tahoe.  7 great stops along I-80 to make the drive to Tahoe as much fun as the skiing, from chocolate, to wine, to burgers, to doggie-hotels...compiled by Sunset editors Lisa Trottier and Rachel Levin, who've done all the work to make your drive a little more pleasant. 

If you know of other fun stops along I-80, please share!