San Francisco is an easy weekend trip. (Myung J. Chun / LAT)
Shops and restaurants line North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Spring, a mere three-hour drive from Los Angeles. (Christine Cotter / LAT)
Avalon, Catalina Island’s main town, hugs the coast. (Bob Chamberlin / LAT)
Loreto, a seaside Baja California town, is short flight from Los Angeles. (Don Bartletti / LAT)
