We drove up the coast, on this FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF SUMMER. We drove up the I-5 to the PCH…read more We drove through Dana Point and into Laguna Beach. FROM THERE, we had to drive to a place for a PICNIC. We hoped on the I-5, and we drove back down the I-5 to the San Juan CAPISTRANO Mission. After driving back and forth, and around the MISSION 2 Times, we found PARKING ON THE THIRD ATTEMPT. We found it in the Church Parking Lot. WE RECOMMEND MORE DISABLED PARKING!!! We walked right in, NO WAIT AT ALL. We started by looking for the Picnic Spot, which is in the back left corner. It is a nice spot with lots of tables and trees. In addition, there are individual handwashing stations there. After lunch, which we picked up at a nearby SUBWAY, we spent about an hour touring the SJC MISSION!!! Its highlight was the display of US FLAGS, my guess would be over 100!!!

If you're in this area definitely worth it to check out this amazing Historical Mission. This was…read moremy second time and I enjoyed it. Lots of couples taking pre-wedding photos. Must be the place. I got a new experienced each time love the vibe.

"One's options in this world are as vast as the horizon, which is technically a circle and thus…read moreinfinitely broad. Yet we must choose each step we take with utmost caution, for the footprints we leave behind are as important as the path we will follow. They're part of the same journey -- our story." ― Lori R. Lopez, Dance Of The Chupacabras What an amazing event this was! OC Meets Napa and Baja, presented by Community Health Center AltaMed, brought primarily Latino-centric restaurants and chefs in Orange County and Latino-owned wineries in Napa and Baja together in a celebration of culture. Proceeds from all the ticket sales went toward supporting the Orange County health services and programs that AltaMed spearheads in underserved communities. When I was Housing Manager for the City of Huntington Beach, I funded Alta Med through the City's CDBG program and am very knowledgable about the great services they provide especially in a country that still has an imperfect and expensive healthcare system. What was cool about this event was actually seeing, meeting and talking to the chefs/winemakers. These are the people who chose their path, who chose their own story. The passion from chefs such as Beto Ygei from 930 Sushi (excellent spicy yellowtail), Carlos Selgado of Taco Maria (wonderful scallop here), Gabbi Patrick (I think they did a scallop dish too), Rogelio Martinez of Casa Oaxaca (so excited was he about his sorbets and ice cream), and winemakers such as Alex, Oscar and Lola Llamas (best wines at event and great people too who invited us to hang out afterwards). This is the type of event that I love to attend and is only second to the San Jose Jazz Festival as favorite yelp events of this kind that I was lucky enough to get tickets from Yelp. Was disappointed in the Baja wines as there was little balance or flavor with those wines, and a lot of rustic smells and astrigent finishes. However given that when traveling the local wines always taste better when you are visiting their area (Cinque Terre was an example of this where the wines are fabulous only when you are outdoors on a patio with a great view eating a sublime pesto dish in Italy), I will visit Baja soon and visit the better wineries on their home turf ;-) Thanks again Yelp for this event! Sidney

I was a lucky winner of VIP tickets ($125 pp) to OC Meets Napa and Baja sponsored by AltaMed. I…read morewas worried about rain but it cleared up right before the event started which led to the vendors scrambling to set up their tents. It was warm and muggy but there was plenty of food and drink for all the guests to enjoy. There were plenty of Napa and Baja wine vendors pouring wine throughout the event along with restaurants from LA, OC, and Baja. Some of my favorite food vendors were Anepalco's Cafe, Taco Maria, Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen, and Deckman's en el Mogor. Wine was definitely plentiful as was the food. There was a wine wheel that you could spin for $20, which went to the Women in Action charity and in turn you won a wine bottle valued anywhere from $40 to $80. I won an $80 bottle of wine. It was pretty awesome. There were tables for all the guests to lounge and mingle at. The event was held at Mission San Juan Capistrano which I had never visited before. We were allowed to walk around the exhibits while the Mission was closed to the public. Pretty cool. Thanks to Yelp OC for the tickets. My +1 and I had a great time.

This is a super fun thing to do during the holidays! It's free, family (and dog) friendly, and…read morejust really pretty. The whole harbor is decorated with holiday lights, sea creatures, some have bubbles. There's holiday music being piped in through the lighted tunnels. We didn't know what to expect so we just drove up, looked at lights, and then came home. Next year, we'll make more of an evening out of it. Plenty of restaurants around! Worth checking it out. :)

First of all, this place was hard to find! The address they used on the site lead is to a Dana…read morePoint campground and it was almost pitch black... We drove back out to the Main Street and followed what appeared to be an increasing amount of Christmas lights to find the actual place. The pictures I've seen of this place had me thinking it was a huge event, but upon attending, it was just Dana Point harbor decked out in aquatic-themed lights. It's definitely a nice 10-minute walk, I just expected more. It's a place with some cool photo ops and worth checking out if you're in the area!

City tearing down all the historic building, adding 600 apts in the downtown up to 5 stories high…read moreand what little parking there is cost. Its lost all of it charm, its only about resturants but no parking. I feel bad for the people in apartments because they have no parking.All they have is a very expensive train. If you want to see SJC go NOW because it will be gone in a year.

Lovely California mission although not up to its old glory that I remember back in my 4th grader…read moredays when we visited the mission for a field trip. It's actually a little sad to see the elements chipping away at history but they are trying to repair parts of it. It's a great place to walk around and take in some California history. The church is still gorgeous and serene

I wanted to share a huge thank you to Pizza Amore Cafe for catering our Teacher Appreciation lunch…read moreat Mission Basilica School! From start to finish, the experience was seamless. They delivered a delicious variety of pizzas, pastas, and salads that were a massive hit with our faculty and staff. You can tell they use high-quality, fresh ingredients--the flavors were authentic and bold. It's always a win when you can support a local San Juan Capistrano business that truly cares about the community. If you're looking for reliable catering or just a fantastic slice of pizza in town, I cannot recommend Pizza Amore Cafe enough. Thank you for helping us treat our hardworking teachers to such a wonderful meal!

Pizza is amazing. The smell of Italian. The owner is so nice. The boy works there with the gold…read morehair is so pleasant and. Kind. I and my husband enjoy the meal there. I recommend it to everyone. Service and ambiance is wonderful. Hi there and have a romantic night of day.

San Clemente is a surf town but little did I know that there's something for Doctor Who fans in Old…read moreTown San Clemente. While picking up Americanized Chinese food, we noticed the easily recognizable blue TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space), a name for this time-traveling spaceship that looks like a phone booth. While my friend was geeking out, I took some photos of it (of course), and this guy who was sitting nearby started chatting us up with all kinds of facts and history about the tardis and the TV show that was originally a radio show. He was friendly and while he keeps referring to the owner in the third person, we suspect that he owns this TV prop from the series. Like a statue at a park, these kinds of things can be very meaningful or completely meaningless depending on the person. We've run into the same guy on two occasions sitting at the exact same spot and he seemed to remember us - at least he mentioned that we looked familiar. This sitting docent sure adds to the experience, especially for those who have never watched the show or think that it's a blue telephone booth Parking is free and relatively easy if not at peak mealtimes due to the couple of restaurants in this plaza.

Love this spot! Amazing food, relaxing indoor/outdoor vibe, fantastic service and the live music…read morewas great for a Sunday evening out with the family. Our table tried the bread basket, calamari, pizza (pineapple and pear/burrata), braised short ribs and the standout for me was the gamberoni! If you enjoy shrimp/ seafood in general, this is a dish to try. The pasta was thick, chewy and filling. The sauce was rich, earthy and flavorful. The shrimp (4 huge ones) were juicy and perfectly cooked. Our server recommended the dish and said they tasted like lobster - he was not wrong! I enjoyed my mocktail (like a pina colada), and the kids had blueberry & passion fruit lemonade. Finished off with lemon sorbet. Delightfully sweet and refreshing!

Birthdays are the best at Limoncello!…read more Every dish was so delicious the grilled octopus as an appetizer is a must. The perfectly prepared brand, Zeno, as well as the beet salad with fresh strawberries... And of course, the lemon cello dessert was divine.... We absolutely loved celebrating and enjoying the beautiful patio and the music. The owners are so gracious.... And the service is five star all the way around very dog friendly so many cute doggies. Parking is ample. You must try this beautiful Amalfi coast restaurant

First class customer service. I had an issue with my water…read morebill (which thanks to these people was resolved), the way it was handled by customer service Ann and supervisor Bennett was simply masterful. I am so glad the city of San Juan Capistrano has the highest of standards for its people. Thank you guys, keep it up.

Thousand Steps Beach is gorgeous and the cave makes it totally worth all of the steps down to it…read more There are only about 219 steps (not a thousand). The steps are no joke though. They are pretty steep and concrete. I wouldn't recommend them for little kids. Make sure you go at low tide. They close the cave area when the tide comes in. The cave is on the far left side of the beach. You have to go over rocks to get there. It can be slippery. There were lifeguards on duty. It's so fun to explore inside the cave. We parked on PCH. There is no parking lot. I definitely recommend going in the morning. It's hard to find parking if you try to go in the afternoon/evening on a weekend/holiday. There is a crosswalk and stoplight at 9th Ave. to cross PCH and then the entrance is right there. There is a bathroom, but it is the typical beach bathroom--not very clean. There's a volleyball net on the left side of the beach. There are no restaurants/cafes. Bring whatever you want with you.

1000 Steps Beach in Laguna Beach (off PCH and 9th) is absolutely worth the visit! First off, don't…read morelet the name intimidate you, the stairs are not literally 1000 steps one way or even round trip... unless you decide to go up and down a few times, then yeah, you'll definitely hit that number!! We went on a Monday and it was pretty busy lots of college-aged people, maybe even some high schoolers, but the beach itself still felt pretty secluded, and there were hardly any kids around maybe like a handful of them. It was overcast when we went, which actually made it perfect, not too hot and super comfortable. Parking is street parking only, just make sure to read the signs carefully. Once you head down, you'll find restrooms and showers right at the bottom of the stairs, which is super convenient. The restroom is clean earlier in the day (before noon), but like most beach spots, it gets a bit wet as the day goes on. There's plenty of space to set up and relax. One thing to watch out for--seagulls! They will go after your food, so definitely cover it with towels if you're hopping in the water. The stairs themselves are pretty narrow, and people usually stick to one side going down and the other going up, so just be mindful and take your time, they tend to also get wet as the day goes on so it's a little slippery.

The Historic Los Rios District is so charming and quaint. Lots of small shops to visit. From…read morecandles, artists, tea shop, and a Veteran owned coffee shop! Lots of restaurants to eat at and plenty of sweet Knick knacks to purchase. They also have the Mission San Juan Capistrano in the area. If you're window shopping and walking the town, it's an amazing new. This is a great place to take friends & family who are visiting Southern California. It's a short drive from San Diego. It's a really great day trip. And if you can take the train down to avoid all the crazy traffic

I've never gotten off the train at SJC, but today I did. I was always curious about the old section…read moreof town. Los Rios is right across the tracks from the train station. Once across the tracks you've stepped back in time. Los Rios is the oldest community in CA. This neighborhood is beautiful. There are shops and restaurants. I really enjoyed the coffee house. At the end of the street you will find a tea house where you can dress up for high tea. You can relax here and almost forget about the outside world. If you come by train make sure to be on the right side of the tracks or you will miss the train. There's no way across.