Encinitas - The Beach Town That Time Forgot

By Terry Hunefeld

Encinitas is the quintessential Southern California beach town along the Pacific Ocean just north of San Diego. Men's Health magazine called it "Southern California's Last Sleepy Surf Town." You won't find big resort hotels in Encinitas. There are other cute towns and inns along the SoCal coast like the Del Mar Inn and Cardiff Lodge, but Encinitas is special - it's different from other beach towns in San Diego county because it is virtually lost in time - still locked in the 1960s.

Encinitas is home to funky old hotels, the Plant Lady, The Roxy Restaurant (where you can get a glass of rum and an ice cream cone), cute boutiques, romantic bed & breakfasts, a seaside bazaar, eclectic Italian Bistros, Roberto's Taco Shop, romantic Encinitas bed and breakfasts and Swami's Surf Beach - that's why it's been called "San Diego's Surf Town."

Business people and surfers alike line up at Juanita's Taco Shop for lunch. The wide sidewalks along the historic Old Highway U.S. 101 in downtown Encinitas is jam-packed with outdoor restaurants. Tourists and kids can be seen walking around downtown barefoot in swim suits while other are waxing down their surfboards for a session at Moonlight Beach before heading back to their Encinitas Bed & Breakfast or Del Mar Inn near the beach.

Moonlight Beach is one of the finest San Diego beaches and is only a block from downtown Encinitas or an easy walk from the Inn At Moonlight Beach Bed and Breakfast Inn. You will not find a sandier, wider or more perfect beach to try your hand at surfing or body surfing, people-watch, work on reading that novel or simply relax. There is lots of parking, beach-gear rentals, great showers, a super playground and lovely lunch concession with healthy salads as well as burgers.

Ann Dunham is the hostess of the romantic Encinitas B&B (Bed and Breakfast) called the Inn At Moonlight Beach. This lovely boutique inn is far more intimate than a Del Mar B&B or Encinitas hotel. The inn is situated on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Moonlight Beach and is often called the San Diego Beach Bed and Breakfast, said to be more romantic than Del Mar Hotels and more lovely than the Carlsbad Bed and Breakfasts.

The Inn At Moonlight Beach has only 4 rooms, each decorated like an Italian seaside hotel. All the rooms have a refrigerator and free wi-fi. There are boogie boards and beach umbrellas waiting for you to hit the beach and ride the waves. What makes this Encinitas bed & breakfast really special is that Ann bakes her own pastries for you each morning. - 30559

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Del Mar - Wonderland Of Sunshine On The Pacific Ocean

By Terry Hunefeld

Can you imagine a sun-filled vacation getaway to a quiet, scenic town on the endless Pacific Ocean? This paradise has charming hotels and inns, unbelievable restaurants and absolutely gorgeous beaches. If this sounds good to you, know that those elements are all available in the lovely town of Del Mar, California.

Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "by the sea", because it is located near the Pacific Ocean and is one of the most beautiful and romantic resort beach towns in the world. It's here you find world-class restaurants, romantic bed and breakfasts, exotic hiking trails, delightful beaches and a world famous horse racing track

Del Mar has been home to celebrities ever since the 1940's when Bing Crosby, Pat O'Brien and Jimmy Durante helped turn the Del Mar Race Track Thoroughbred Club into one of the most beautiful and prestigious organizations in the entire racing world. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez were regulars at the track in those days, and Burt Bacharach and Angie Dickenson also had residences in Del Mar. Brad Pitt purchased a home here recently - an $18 million dollar beachfront home - so now Brad Pitt sightings are the new sport in town.

Del Mar is a small town, only two square miles. It's located on the Northern San Diego County coast between Torrey Pines State Reserve on the south and Solana Beach on the north. The Population of Del Mar is 4000 to 5000 (depending on who does the counting). Residents live among beautiful canyons and hillsides, other perched on bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, all of them enjoying phenomenal sunsets.

Del Mar is the only location in the world where the Torrey Pine tree grows. The Torrey Pine is the rarest pine tree in the United States. It's highly endangered and protected. There are two populations of native Torrey Pines, one at the Torrey Pines State Reserve and the other in the City of Del Mar.

Each summer Del Mar plays host to the San Diego County Fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The fair originally opened in 1936, the site selected because it was the perfect spot just off the main highways - while still being near the ocean's cooling breezes on hot summer days. Selection of a fair queen - Fairest of the Fair - is still a fail highlight each summer.

It was Bing Crosby who took a leading role to ensure that the now-world-famous Del Mar Race Track became reality. Del Mar Race Track opened in 1937 with newspapers dubbing the track "Bing's Baby." The next year Bing recorded a song that would eventually open each day of the racing season since those early days - Where The Turf Meets the Surf. - 30559

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Leucadia - A Beachside Community Lost In Time

By Carlos Hunnefeld

Leucadia is a funky beachside community within the little South California beach town of Encinitas. Once a hippie heaven, remnants of the 1960's are still in evidence throughout this north San Diego community. Here you will find wooden cigar store Indians, tie-dye T-shirts, weird lawn art, cool love beads and surfboard mailboxes.

Settled by English spiritualists in 1870, Leucadia was named after a Greek island. Its streets are named after mythological figures. Not too many years ago Leucadia was primarily agricultural; today, many of the wholesale flower-growing businesses are gone, replaced by homes.

Leucadia is home to Italian restaurants, funky shops, yoga studios, palm readers and cool art galleries. Local hangouts include Pannikin Coffee & Tea, a former 1880s train station much favored by the arts crowd; world-famous Lou's Records housing an enormous collection of new and used CDs and records; and Karina's Taco Shop, home of the best Shrimp Burritos on earth.

Most of Leucadia's residents will tell you that the best thing that ever happened to Leucadia is that nothing ever happened to it; it's beaches are locked in time with the 1960s - true neighborhood surf breaks where many locals have been surfing for decades. Very much off the beaten path, there are three popular spots - Grandview, Beacon's and Stone Steps - that are hidden gems, tucked away at the bottom of steep staircases.

If you want a great work out, try "running the stairs" with the locals at Stone Steps Beach. 99 stairs take you from the bluffs to the beach. All along your workout you have incredible views of the Pacific Ocean while you exercise.

You can learn to surf by taking a class at Beacon's Beach from world-famous Kahuna Bob, a Leucadian celebrity. Dolphins and whales are regularly seen, especially from the "high-bluff" beach entrances at Stone Steps and Beacon's. If you're lucky, you'll see the famous "green flash" as the sun takes its final dip into the vast Pacific Ocean.

Moonlight Beach is a Leucadian treasure - often called "the beach with everything" because it has lifeguard stations all year long, a big new playground for children, multiple spacious parking lots, fire-rings, restrooms with clean showers, beach rentals and a wide sandy beach. - 30559

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Selecting A San Diego Carpet Cleaning Service

By Joanne Anderson

In most San Diego households carpet cleaning is a must at least twice a year. Households where there are pets and children often require cleaning more often. There are some steps that can be taken to make sure that the service that one chooses is going to provide the kind of service that is required and make a long term relationship beneficial.

Working with a carpet cleaning service over a long period of time allows an individual the assurance that the team that is providing the service to their household knows the needs of the household. These companies usually bring the products and equipment that is needed for the home because they know ahead of time what will be needed and they are already prepared for heavy traffic areas that may go unmentioned the first time a company is contacted.

In many cases technicians may know of areas that will need extra attention even though the homeowner is unaware of it. This is because of the special training they receive and the fact that they are aware of the unknown high traffic areas of a home such as in front of a bathroom.

The cost of carpet cleaning can vary greatly depending on the type of service that one request. Prior to comparing prices it is important to make a list of all of the requirements for carpet cleaning and request prices from each company based on this list. In this way a quote will not exclude an item that may have been included by another company.

In homes that have high traffic it is very important that the company have the ability to remove stains and provide stain resistant treatments to the carpet. These treatments will relieve the pressure one often experiences when someone is standing on their carpet with a liquid that can severely stain a carpet if spilled.

There are certain locations where flooding occurs almost yearly. By employing a carpet cleaning service that has the equipment to remove water from a carpet as well as clean it one can save the time of trying to find a company that removes water exclusively. In many cases the cleaning service also provides products which will inhibit mold or mildew growth when they clean carpets in areas that are prone to flooding.

If a carpet has been cleaned using a home carpet cleaner there may be a lot of residue and soap in the carpet after cleaning. While this will not show, the carpet will become dirtier faster and may start to feel sticky. When contacting a carpet cleaning service they need this information so that they can bring the proper equipment and products to remove this residue prior to cleaning.

Knowing that there will be a friendly and helpful voice at the end of the phone each time you call a carpet cleaning company makes an individual much more likely to secure the company for long term service. When the representative of the cleaning company can assist when an unknown spill must be cleaned up it develops a trust with the company and is reassuring for the customer who will continue to utilize their services. - 30559

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