Newport Beach - Bonus Destination Special

0:00This message is a paid partnership with AppleCard. This is Felix Salmon from Slate Money, and I'm here to tell you about Apple Card. Even as a seasoned traveler, things can still get stressful, which is why I use Apple Card on my international trips. And with 2 % daily cash back on every purchase with Apple Pay, I'm actually earning daily cash as I travel. Instead of coming home feeling like I've drained my bank account, I come back with cash back I can put toward my next trip. Apply in the wallet app on iPhone. Subject to credit approval, Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank, USA, Salt Lake City branch, terms and more at apple.co slash applecardbenefits.

0:45Hey, it's Paige DeSorbo from Giggly Squad. Okay, wait, have you ever had one of those moments where you're like, I should be doing something fun tonight, and then you just don't because you don't have what you need? Because same. But recently I've been trying to be more of a yes person, and honestly, Amazon Prime has been enabling that energy. Like the other night, I randomly decided I was going to host a last minute girls night. No planning, no groceries, nothing. And instead of spiraling, I just ordered everything I needed and got it that day. Snacks, drinks, even like random hosting things I absolutely didn't need, but emotionally I did.

1:18And suddenly it went from maybe next time to yes, tonight. That's what I love. Prime's same day delivery makes it so you can say yes before the moment slips away. because let's be real the only thing worse than a bad plan is a plan you never make happen same day delivery it's on prime available in select areas terms apply so if you're trying to be more spontaneous or just less chaotic go to amazon.com slash prime to find millions of items delivered first.

1:52Hello and welcome to the Travel Diaries podcast and to this destination special. I'm your host Holly Rubenstein and today we are heading to the sun-soaked Southern Californian coast in the US of A, arriving at Newport Beach. If you're listening in the UK and thinking, hang on, where exactly is Newport Beach? It's just south of Los Angeles in Orange County. For a lot of you listening, that name might conjure up iconic shows that were set there, like The O.C. or The Real Housewives of Orange County. It's one of those places that really captures that classic California coastal lifestyle. Long sandy beaches, a beautiful harbour dotted with boats, waterfront restaurants serving the freshest seafood, surf culture, spectacular houses and that sense that life has lived largely outdoors.

2:43It's glamorous yes but also very accessible for all price points and surprisingly varied once you get to know it and that's what this episode is all about. I'm joined today by Gary Sherwin an Orange County local for the past 25 years. Travel expert and CEO of Visit Newport Beach he knows the area inside out. He shares the places experiences and little details that really give you a feel for the destination. Because this isn't just somewhere to come for a quick beach stop. It's a destination in its own right. And one that seems to really offer a lovely mix of things. That classic California coast feeling, but a lot of variety within it from smart hotels and great food.

3:23To beach days, boat days, family friendly experiences, little pockets with their own personalities. And plenty of ways to slow down and enjoy being by the water. So whether you're plotting a wider California trip, looking for a different side of Southern California, or just in the mood for a little armchair travel to somewhere sunny and coastal, this should give you a really good feel for it. So let's buckle up and get started. Here's Gary.

3:52So Gary, welcome to The Travel Diaries. It is so nice to meet you. Welcome to London. Wonderful. Thank you. It's terrific to be here. I'm looking at your beautiful view. It just oozes London for me. It's terrific. I'm so pleased. But today, I mean, we're going to be transported far away from London and all the way to the west coast of the USA. And before we get into your kind of Newport Beach travel diaries themselves, can you tell me a little bit about your personal relationship with Newport Beach and what it means to you? I'm a Southern California boy at heart. I grew up in Los Angeles, and so I have kind of a deep appreciation for the culture of Southern California.

4:34And Newport Beach, to me, seems to be at least the very embodiment of what the Southern California aspirational experience is. That's how I've always seen it. That's how I saw it when I was growing up as a little boy. And now to be able to live and breathe it every day is terrific. And, you know, Newport Beach is about 60 miles south of Los Angeles for people who don't know exactly where it is. And it is, you know, we call it sort of the can of Southern California. And that is kind of the legacy that I feel, you know, I'd like to help preserve because that's really kind of what helps makes us special.

5:15And we are very different. There are a lot of beach cities in Southern California. Ours is quite different in terms of its aspirational quality that also kind of appeals to a lot of different generations too. So growing up in L.A. then, what was your perspective of Newport Beach? How did you view it? Honestly, growing up in the San Fernando Valley, which if any of your listeners know is just kind of north of L.A., there's a lot of movie studios that are there, and it's kind of, you know, I guess middle-class suburbia. But to look down the road at Newport Beach and to see what it was, it was, I don't want to overstate it, but it felt kind of Oz-like.

5:59You know, you had the beautiful yachts and the magnificent people driving the fabulous cars and many of them were convertibles and, you know, they'd be going down Coast Highway with packages in the back seat and their hair flowing in the wind. That was sort of what it embodied at the time. And it also had this great glamorous Hollywood quality to it because it's where John Wayne lived, and he had this big converted minesweeper that he drove around in the harbor, and you had these yachts that cost more than the house you lived in. I mean, it was just an extraordinary experience to be able to see it.

6:38And then to be able to join the community and to be a part of it was an amazing experience, too, because it was like, how could this kid from San Fernando Valley come into this amazing community to be a part of it? And yet it is also remarkably down to earth. And that's the thing that I think sometimes people get confused. They think it's a glamorous, rich community. But it's very much of a small town. and there's a lot of people who take a kind of a small town kind of attitude towards it and protect it as such. Because I guess my generation, a lot of people will feel that they they have an impression of the area from the OC.

7:20Oh yes. Yeah so so were you were you working and living in the area when that was on TV? I was. I had just joined the organization when the show was kind of at its apex. And what was interesting is prior to my arrival, they did handprints, sort of like they had at the Chinese theater in Hollywood. And they had these cement blocks and somehow they ended up in our office. So I tilted them up and put them on the window. And our office at the time was very hard to reach. It was not a place that you'd walk by. You had to really look for it but we we put these blocks up against the windows and i would be in our board room where many of them were and there would be flash bulbs because people would seek us out in our obscure office to lay down on the ground to take a picture of misha barton's handprint i i didn't understand it but um wow it really was such a phenomenon wasn't it oh it was remarkable i mean it you know and did it do amazing things for tourism in the area completely because i think the thing you know, again, from a Southern California perspective, there's, if you're, you know, here from Great Britain, you're looking at Southern California and you think it's LA and then San Diego, right?

8:36And, and yet there's this whole area in between the OC, which was kind of seen as the orange curtain or this suburban capital that was kind of, you know, coming into its own because there was primarily strawberry fields and a lot of agriculture. And And then it started developing back in the 60s and the 70s. But it kind of had gotten, you know, it was forgotten until the show brought it to life. And then, you know, of course, the OC, the big thing is the OC show was not shot in the OC. It was actually shot in LA. But they had these wonderful cutaway shots that it was like, you know, that were shot in Newport Beach.

9:15And then you kind of did the name place identification and people began to kind of appreciate it. And then, of course, phase two was the Real Housewives franchise, right? Yes. And the Real Housewives of the OC, we birthed that to everyone in Great Britain. I apologize. I think you're going to have your own show coming up. I think they're shooting it right now, the Real Housewives of London. Oh, really? It's really happening. That's so funny. I'm really kind of embarrassed. The OC is like the kind of flagship, like one of the most popular ones, isn't it? The Real Housewives. It is. The Real Housewives of Orange County, which is still in production.

9:50and I've met many of them and they're delightful people. And, you know, of course, with most of these reality shows, the drama is always amped up. But they do actually do shoot around Newport Beach and many of the hotels and restaurants will gladly work with them. But again, it goes back to those cutaway shots and this aspirational lifestyle that these women are living. And you may not even like the characters, but man, do you love the way they live. And the houses that they're in and the places they go to eat and the food that they're eating and they're drinking a lot of fine French champagne.

10:26That's the kind of life that they want to see, which transfers into, again, the aspirational lifestyle of people being able to say, wow, you know, that person's nuts, but I want to live their life. Yeah. Or at least I want to go there for a week. Absolutely. If you're based in London, we'll have a taste of it. So let's bring to life then your Newport Beach travel diaries. Let's get a flavor of some of these places that my listeners can visit. So we start with always the first place that you fell in love with in the area. What would that be? What captured your heart first? Well, you can't talk about Newport Beach without talking about the harbor.

11:08It's one of the largest small craft harbors in America, but it's also very accessible for people as well. So, you know, it is sort of, we could call it the crown jewel. But what I really like to recommend to people is to get out into the harbor. And the way most people do it are through these, what they call Duffy boats. Now, they're all electric boats. Sometimes we call them Teslas on the water. But they're, you know, anybody can drive it. You don't need a license. Oh, how fun. You frankly don't even need to be trained. And sometimes that's interesting. But you can get into these boats. You could get some wine, some charcuterie, and literally drive these boats all around the harbor, and no matter where you'd like to go, just make sure when you go under the bridges, the tide isn't too high so you don't get trapped.

11:56But other than that, you can see all the homes of the celebrities and the captains of industry. And then if you want, you can, what they call dock and dine. There are a number of restaurants, like there's a famous one in town called the Cannery, where you can literally pull up your Duffy boat. They'll tie it up for you. You can go up, enjoy a lovely lunch or dinner, and then come back to your boat and then go sail around the harper, maybe sometimes at sunset, and go back home. Oh, my God. That sounds so much fun. It is. And what a unique experience. You know, to be able to just do that and not, you know, have to have a license or anything like that, to have that flexibility.

12:32It does, yes. And to drive up to a restaurant and hop out, dock and dime. What an amazing thing. It's fun. So is that the first thing that you did that really made you fall in love with the area then? it's so immersive and you know and if you do it at the right time of day I took a group of uh of colleagues out and we were and they were from all over the United States and Canada and we put them in some duffies and the as the sun begins to set and you have this wonderful orange glow and it's kind of the cocktail hour and people can enjoy uh you know some light refreshments and then they're kind of getting into the whole mood of you know the lifestyle of how people are living and you're glimpsing in the homes and you're seeing the yachts and then pulling up and then having your dinner it's just it's it's a wonderful amazing experience and i don't know too many places that can offer no no that's what i was thinking how magical it sounds almost like only maybe in the mediterranean might you be able to do something similar how gorgeous and so if you had to pick some all-time favorites um obviously you know the area so well where would be let's do a few let's to your all-time favorite spot let's see your all-time favorite restaurant your all-time favorite hotel like the ones if you had to recommend to somebody to go to so where is your favorite place oh boy you're asking me to pick between my children yeah i mean that's that's always that's always a tough place called gulf stream it's in one of our neighborhoods called corona del mar what's great about it is uh we have a lot of um sports agents that happen to be in Newport Beach.

14:06So very often you'll see sports agents with, you know, famous football, baseball stars doing their deals at Gulfstream. Their seafood is spectacular. In fact, they've spoiled me in terms of their cedar plank salmon. It is always so fresh. And now they've taught me if I'm eating salmon, I say, oh, that's frozen. Nope, that's fresh. I can tell the difference very clearly now because of Gulfstream. So I love Gulfstream for lunch. And it's sometimes a tough reservation. But it's always fun. And you get to just watch what's going on around the table. And they have strategic mirrors around the room, too, because you always like to see who's in the room.

14:46So it's one to book ahead. Yes. Yeah. Definitely. Definitely book ahead. In terms of restaurants, we have over 400 of them. And mind you, Newport Beach is a relatively small city in the sense it's about 87 ,000 in terms of its population. So to have 400 restaurants, that's a lot. But I would say that if I wanted to go maybe someplace along the water, I go to Louie's by the Bay. Incredible meat, seafood, but you're also literally on the bay, so you can enjoy those bayfront views as well. That's a terrific place. Another place I love is the A restaurant. It used to be the Arches restaurant because it was near Archway on a road on Coast Highway.

15:31But it is, best way to describe it is Sinatra-like. You know, dark red leather booths, superb food in a very traditional setting. That's, you know, I love being able to go into these dark little, you know, places and have a martini with a nice steak or an outstanding hamburger. It's terrific. 21 Oceanfront is literally on the sand. I guess the decor is Victorian. I'll be polite here. Victorian bordello kind of design. But you have these spectacular views of the water center on the sand. And it's very upscale, French continental. Again, heavy emphasis on seafood. You know, in Newport Beach, healthy eating, clean eating, you know, seafood, of course, is very important.

16:28We have an area near our pier called the Dory Man's Fleet. And there are these old fishermen that go out on these boats and they bring back their catches. And they're on the beach right next to the pier. And the restaurants come and they pick their fresh fish for the day and prepare it for you. And so if you're really into great seafood, Newport Peach does it very well. So what would be the local specialties of what's kind of the local catch? I would say it's nothing necessarily elaborate. Again, clean, simple, well-prepared, nicely seasoned. You can do the shrimp. We're a big lobster city as well.

17:16Well, those are both like novelties to us here in the UK, though, to get like a lobster, you know, on the West Coast. That's like a daily a daily thing here. You know, it's like the absolute pinnacle on a menu. So like to have a really good big lobster. I think that's something to say. What are the lobster potentially? Lobster. We do lobster rolls very well. Many of our restaurants compete as to who has the best lobster roll. Oh, really? We do. We've done contests. Who has the best lobster roll? We like our caviar. There's a lot of caviar that gets consumed. And by the way, we're the number one U.S.

17:53destination for Vaux Clicquot. So, you know, people love their Vaux Clicquot. This sounds pretty irresistible, doesn't it? And so you have that with your lobster. Today's episode is brought to you by Airbnb. You know that lovely feeling when you arrive somewhere new and it just feels easy? like you've landed somewhere that gives you a genuine window into local life? That's something I hear about again and again from friends that stay in Airbnbs. People love being in real homes, in real communities, experiencing a destination in a more personal way. It's those small, authentic touches that often end up being the most memorable part of a trip.

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19:06Thank you to Airbnb.

19:12this message is a paid partnership with apple card this is felix salmon from slate money and i'm here to tell you about apple card even as a seasoned traveler things can still get stressful which is why i use apple card on my international trips and with two percent daily cash back on every purchase with apple pay i'm actually earning daily cash as i travel instead of coming home I'm feeling like I've drained my bank account. I come back with cash back I can put toward my next trip. Apply in the wallet app on iPhone. Subject to credit approval, Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank, USA, Salt Lake City branch, terms and more at apple.co slash applecardbenefits.

19:57Hey, it's Paige DeSorbo from Giggly Squad. Okay, wait, have you ever had one of those moments where you're like, I should be doing something fun tonight and then you just don't because you don't have what you need? because same. But recently I've been trying to be more of a yes person and honestly Amazon Prime has been enabling that energy. Like the other night I randomly decided I was going to host a last minute girls night. No planning, no groceries, nothing. And instead of spiraling I just ordered everything I needed and got it that day. Snacks, drinks, even like random hosting things I absolutely didn't need but emotionally I did.

20:31And suddenly it went from maybe next time to yes tonight. That's what I love. Prime's same-day delivery makes it so you can say yes before the moment slips away. Because let's be real, the only thing worse than a bad plan is a plan you never make happen. Same-day delivery, it's on Prime. Available in select areas, terms apply. So if you're trying to be more spontaneous or just less chaotic, go to Amazon.com slash Prime to find millions of items delivered fast.

20:59And how about hotels? You know, one of my favorite hotels is the Balboa Bay Resort, which is, again, on the water. It was started out as a private club, a private club that had John Wayne and a number of other celebrities as the founding members of it. And now it is a very popular private hotel that gives you some wonderful water views. We have a brand new Pendry, Newport Beach. Pendry is not necessarily a brand, I think, known quite yet in the UK, but it is an offshoot of the Montage family. which is now becoming much more of a global brand that only opened up a couple of years ago we also have a wonderful resort called vea vea it's one of our flagship resorts and it literally is right next to the newport beach country club so you at first have a view this expansive view of the golf course and just behind it the water and then our you know our super premium luxury resort is the resort of pelican hill that's our five-star resort which is currently turning into the saint regis it's a grand mediterranean villa uh it has two sets of rooms these villas that um really you could consider homes they're anywhere from two to four bedrooms full kitchen butler service heated patios ocean views uh and then they have bungalows which are fairly large sized rooms, almost 800 square feet.

22:26And then Curtis Stone, who's a noted chef, will be opening up a restaurant at the property probably sometime in 2027. That's very exciting. I love Curtis Stone. Watch him on MasterChef Australia. Oh, and he's such a nice guy. He is so down to earth, so wonderful. We can't wait. He's done some pop-ups for us and everyone loved it. And he was walking around doing caviar bumps on people's hands. Oh, my goodness. Walking around just putting the caviar in your hand and engaging with you. He's a terrific guy. And what about your kind of favorite spot, your happy place? One of the places I think it's heart and soul is an area called Crystal Cove.

23:07Now, Crystal Cove used to be an actual residential neighborhood. There are cottages that were built back in the 20s and 30s where people live full time. And then probably about 20 years ago, the state of California said, we're going to eliminate the residential component. We're going to buy them. And then a conservancy went and renovated all the cottages. So you were literally staying on the sand. But what makes it unique is that because they're owned and operated by the state of California, they have rate limits. So you can be on the sand, staying in Newport Beach for less than$200 a night in one of these wonderful old historic cottages.

23:49And there's a wonderful restaurant also on the sand called The Beachcomber. So you can enjoy, you know, terrific meals there. Also, what makes it unique is that going back to when the cottages were originally created, at 5 o 'clock every day, Bugles comes out. They do the little taps, and the martini flag goes up. It's a black flag with a martini glass on it. Everyone comes out of their cottages, has a martini, toasts the flag, and your evening begins. Oh, my gosh. And so that is part of our culture. People know how to live in Newport Beach. Well, if you're going to live, you only do it once, maybe, right?

24:29So you want to do it well. But yeah, the martini flag is kind of fun. But what I really enjoy about it is, yes, that's kind of a nice, bougie tradition. However, it's the cottages that are very family-friendly so that people can be able to access them with their families and do it in a very affordable way and a very unique product. And you're right next to Coast Highway. You're in a beautiful location. It's protected in this wonderful cove-like environment. So it's something that you can't find any other place in California. That's so lovely because obviously a lot of the things that we've talked about have felt very, as you say, aspirational and luxurious.

25:11But the fact that they are accessible in their price point means that it's a destination that everybody can enjoy. Yes, absolutely. You know, we don't want to be exclusionary. We want Newport Beach to be able to be accessible by many people at all price points. And you can do that. There are a number of properties. I've described some of our upper tier ones. We have Hyatt's. We have the Renaissance product. We have a lot of accessible ways to be able to enjoy the destination. Again, we also want families to come. We have one area called Balboa Island that is about frozen bananas, saltwater taffy, family-friendly stores and such.

25:54There's a lovely museum that talks about the history of Newport Beach. And then, of course, there's our ferry, which has been going on now for over 100 years. That takes you from Balboa Island to the peninsula where we have the Balboa Fun Zone. Very family friendly with a Ferris wheel. Not quite like the London Eye, but it's very charming. Several cutaway scenes actually for the OC have been filmed on that Ferris wheel. And candy and stores and pinballs, shops and all kinds of stuff. So it is, you know, very, you know, you know, we open ourselves up to a lot of different demographics. It does sound really family friendly.

26:33I mean, just being able to go out on the water and be by the beach is, you know, what so many families just hope for in a sunny holiday, don't they? And it's very sunny, sunny there, isn't it? Yeah, it is. We usually have most of our days are pretty sunny. I left it and we're getting a little rain right now. But most of the time, at this time of year, we're probably in the mid to upper 70 degrees. Again, I don't know how it converts to Celsius. So like mid-20s. Yes. Gorgeous. That's a perfect holiday weather, in my opinion. So if somebody was coming for a weekend, how would you kind of tell them what they should do for one weekend in Newport Beach?

27:11When I come to Newport Beach, if I was a vacationer, I would come and check into the hotel, kind of stretch out a little bit, maybe have a delightful cocktail, maybe go down to the water. We have an area called Inspiration Point. It's, again, one of our neighborhoods, Corona Del Mar. Beautiful area, Inspiration Point for a very good reason. It is very inspiring because you see a lovely view of the coastline. I would do that. I'd go back, maybe have a martini. there's a terrific steak restaurant in town called Mastro's superb service I might enjoy that on a Friday night sleep in a little bit on Saturday find a way to get out onto the harbor in terms of some sort of activity then go spend a little time maybe on the beach take a little nap and then go back and decide if what kind of a restaurant I want depends if I want to go bougie or I want to go casual because we have a lot of great places that serve terrific food in very casual settings.

28:10And then the next morning, have a brunch and hopefully maybe do it with views of the water and definitely fit a spa treatment in. You want to go home relaxed. Yeah, well, that sounds ideal. Perfect. So I know that there are all these different neighborhoods in Newport Beach. And I just wondered if you might be able to tell me a little bit about them and kind of how their personalities differ. And they do. And I think for a fairly small little place, I call it our little coastal hamlet. Actually, when people ask me about it, I call it our little bubble of unreality because it is a very unique place.

28:49Even if you're from Los Angeles and you drive to Newport, you know that you're not where you came from. And our neighborhoods are all very distinct and very accessible to people. So I mentioned the area of Corona Del Mar, where the, you know, down where Crystal Cove is. But there's also a wonderful, lovely shopping district, restaurant area along Coast Highway. Great for strolling. Casual, sophisticated, but not stuffy. I call it, you know, casual coastal chic. That's kind of what that neighborhood is like. Then you could go over to the peninsula near where, you know, we talked about the fun zone being.

29:33That's definitely more beachy. That's the surfer community. It's, you know, surfer beer shops and taco places and things like that where you would find, you know, a typical Southern California surf community. Blackie's Beach, there's a bar there called Blackie's Bar, which is one of the best dive bars in the city. All the public safety people like to gravitate to there. You buy a souvenir T-shirt and go to Blackie's Beach because the servers used to congregate and that was their meeting point going back into the 1950s. So you can certainly do that as well. And then we have our central area is the Fashion Island, Newport Center area.

30:15That's where kind of our premier luxury shopping happened to be. we just opened up the first Ralph's Coffee with the Ralph Lauren brand that just opened up a couple weeks ago but Fashion Island is where if you really want upscale shopping that's kind of where you go as well so there's probably about five or six different neighborhoods and they all have their own mood their own character and that's what I love about the city there are so many places that are monolos you know that you go there and it's one thing and only one thing and if you're not into that thing you're not going to have a good time we have an ability to be able to appeal to a lot of different interests even though we're a relatively small community and i think that's almost our superpower yeah and how about the outdoors in terms of uh kind of coastal walks or hikes people who want to get that fresh fresh air where where do you like to to recommend well we have a lot of outdoor hiking because Crystal Cove is a state park.

31:18It's not just the beach. It extends all the way up on the hillside. So there are people who like to go there and not go towards the water, go the opposite direction and hike through the canyons. Buckgully is another very popular hiking destination as well. So a lot of people like to spend that time there. But we also have an area called the Back Bay, which is behind the harbor. And that's where a lot of people like to go kayaking. And you see a lot of wonderful wildlife. And again, because it's an eschewary and the waters are very calm, that's also another great place to take kids as well. Good for birds, bird watching?

31:58Oh, very much. We are a big bird watching destination. Absolutely. In the Back Bay area, particularly. It's a great place to walk. Can you ever see any dolphins or whales? We do. In fact, we have a lot of whale watching. Whale watching is very popular. We have whale watching cruises that leave out of the harbor. And during whale watching season, you'll see dolphins, whales, and other sea life. Not just right off our coast. How exciting. What kind of time of year is that? Usually around February, March are the most popular times. oh and that's a great time to be in the warmth down there as well how lovely what a great thing to do have you have you see have you done it yourself i i have and you never know you know you get out there and you just cross your fingers and hope that you're going to see something yeah but there's been some wonderful videos lately of you know you know pods kind of going through the you know going along the coastline and you just you see it it's just amazing plus even in the harbor you'll see whales sea lions they come and hang out there sometimes too many of them you do get to see some sea life we are we're very you know california is very much connected to the water right it's not of course two separate things we we we're kind of defined by our beach culture even if you're not on the beach everything from our dress our demeanor um that's how we get that california laid back thing i think it's because we're connected with the water and we're kind of one with it and everyone kind of feels that way so you're making me want to move to newport beach let alone go on holiday there that's it's it's we welcome you it's how life should i feel like it's how life should be if you if it can be you know like you say connected to the nature outdoors with vitamin d is soaking into your skin good fresh food like it's that kind of quality of life is excellent.

33:55Absolutely. Yeah. People do want to care for themselves inside and out. They want to make sure they're able to enjoy things. And I think that's just built into our culture of the California way of being. And because we do have access to so many fresh things, not only fresh seafood, fresh fruits, vegetables, and we could cook seasonally, but we you know our seasons last almost all year long so yeah you know it makes it nice brilliant brilliant well i should mention that all the destinations mentioned by gary are included in the episode show notes today so make sure you have a look there and they're also on the travel diaries website as well so many tips and recommendations so we're on to the final question then gary of your travel diaries in newport beach and that is is there anywhere left that you haven't been or somewhere that you're desperate to go back to what's at the top of your Newport Beach bucket list?

34:51Boy, well, in 20 years, I've done a lot. I think one of the things that also makes us special, and frankly, the reason we're here in London, is we have a very famous film festival. And like Cannes, our film festival is quite glamorous with a lot of A-list celebrities, and a lot of visitors time their visits around. It's usually in the fall in October. The weather is spectacular. In fact, it's one of my favorite times a year. It's usually a little less busy, but the film festival brings a lot of people in. They have over 300 screenings. And for the last nine years, we've done the Newport Beach Honors Program, which recognizes great talent here in the UK, because we've always, you know, recognized UK and Irish talent at our film festival.

35:41And our film festival attracts some amazing people last year you know we had everyone from scarlett johansson um you know we've had nicholas cage we have a lot of celebrities that come and and what's nice about is they're very accessible they sign autographs it's very approachable film festival as well so and it's really you know having you know worked for the last 20 years and entertainment myself and it really is a very prestigious festival as well and has is very highly regarded it is it has it's you You know, what's remarkable is the Newport Beach Film Festival is the largest festival that exists now in Southern California in the L.A.

36:21area. Palm Springs has a wonderful film festival. But believe it or not, there is not a film festival of any consequence in Los Angeles and Hollywood. Newport Beach is the film festival for that, which I find, you know, remarkable. And I also have a great deal of pride in that. But their opening night party is lavish and amazing. Cirque du Soleil dancers, food booths, the whole bit. It is the party of the year. And a lot of people plan their holiday just so they can go to the opening night screening, go to that party. Because everyone loves it. And we talked about VU. There's a lot of empty VU bottles after that party.

37:00Oh, well, Gary, thank you so much for your time. I think everybody would be hard pressed to not want to plan a trip to Newport Beach and experience everything that you've mentioned. Thank you for bringing it to life so beautifully. What a special place and a real treat to learn more about it. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you. It's been an honor to be with you. I hope you can come and visit us sometime. Bring your family. Oh, I would love to. We've got plenty of families we talked about. Brilliant. Thank you. Thank you.

37:34Oh, well, I hope that gave you a real flavour of Newport Beach, not just as this glossy Southern California icon, but as a place with so many layers to it. I mean, what really stood out to me is how much variety there seems to be in one relatively small area. You've got the harbour lifestyle, the beaches, the hikes, the ferry, the cottages at Crystal Cove. If you've never really considered Newport Beach before, hopefully this episode has helped put it on your radar and made it feel a little bit more tangible. And if you already know it, maybe it's given you a few new ideas for your next trip. You can head to visitnewportbeach.com to find out more.

38:09As always, thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed today's episode, do share it with someone who's planning a California trip and don't forget to follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. Come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I'm at hollyreubenstein for all your wanderlust needs. In the meantime, wishing you all safe travels. I'll be back on Tuesday. Thanks, everyone.

38:41this message is a paid partnership with apple card this is felix salmon from slate money and i'm here to tell you about apple card even as a seasoned traveler things can still get stressful which is why I use Apple Card on my international trips. And with 2 % daily cash back on every purchase with Apple Pay, I'm actually earning daily cash as I travel. Instead of coming home feeling like I've drained my bank account, I come back with cash back I can put toward my next trip. Apply in the Wallet app on iPhone. Subject to credit approval, Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank, USA, Salt Lake City branch, terms and more at apple.co slash applecardbenefits.

39:27Hey, it's Paige DeSorbo from Giggly Squad. Okay, wait, have you ever had one of those moments where you're like, I should be doing something fun tonight, and then you just don't because you don't have what you need? Because same. But recently I've been trying to be more of a yes person, and honestly Amazon Prime has been enabling that energy. Like the other night I randomly decided I was going to host a last minute girls night, no planning, no groceries, nothing. And instead of spiraling, I just ordered everything I needed and got it that day. Snacks, drinks, even like random hosting things I absolutely didn't need, but emotionally I did.

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41:44Hey, it's Paige DeSorbo from Giggly Squad. Okay, wait, have you ever had one of those moments where you're like, I should be doing something fun tonight, and then you just don't because you don't have what you need? Because same. But recently I've been trying to be more of a yes person, and honestly, Amazon Prime has been enabling that energy. Like the other night I randomly decided I was going to host a last-minute girls' night, no planning, no groceries, nothing. And instead of spiraling, I just ordered everything I needed and got it that day. snacks drinks even like random hosting things i absolutely didn't need but emotionally i did and suddenly it went from maybe next time to yes tonight that's what i love prime same day delivery makes it so you can say yes before the moment slips away because let's be real the only thing worse than a bad plan is a plan you never make happen same day delivery it's on prime available in select areas terms apply so if you're trying to be more spontaneous or just less chaotic go to Amazon.com slash prime to find millions of items delivered fast.