Brad A. Johnson
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Brad A. Johnson

Food & Travel

Brad A Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
    • Food Photography
    • Travel Photography
    • Restaurant Photography
    • Hotel & Resort Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact

California Hotels

34 posts

Review: AutoCamp Joshua Tree

  • May 22, 2022
  • Brad A. Johnson
AutoCamp redefined the American campground several years ago with its Airstream "hotel" campsites. Opened in 2021, AutoCamp’s third location was this roadside trailer park five miles from the West Entrance of California’s Joshua Tree National Park, 40 miles northeast of Palm Springs. 
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Quick Look: Pendry, San Diego

  • May 14, 2022
  • Brad A. Johnson
Pendry is the less-expensive, next-gen offshoot of ultra-luxe Montage Hotels & Resorts, and this location in San Diego's Gaslamp District is where the brand debuted in 2017.
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Motel Review: White Water, Cambria CA

  • February 6, 2022
  • Brad A. Johnson
The central coast village of Cambria is a popular overnight pitstop on California’s fabled Highway 1. The priciest (thus presumably the nicest) place to stay here is White Water, which debuted anew in October 2020 following a major renovation that included the annexation of a neighboring property. 
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Motel Review: Cuyama Buckhorn, New Cuyama, CA

  • December 27, 2021
  • Brad A. Johnson
The 21-room Cuyama Buckhorn is a mid-century motel redux in the boondocks of California’s high desert, midway between San Luis Obispo and Maricopa. Nobody travels to this remote hideout by accident. You really must make an effort to get here.
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Quick Look: Hotel Cerro & Brasserie SLO, San Luis Obispo

  • December 26, 2021
  • Brad A. Johnson
Although its debut was inauspiciously timed (coinciding with the beginning of the pandemic), the 65-room Hotel Cerro and its beautiful Brasserie SLO have breathed new life into downtown San Luis Obispo on California's Central Coast.
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Closer Look: Stonehouse Restaurant at San Ysidro Ranch, Montecito

  • December 18, 2021
  • Brad A. Johnson
I don’t believe there’s a better restaurant in Santa Barbara than Stonehouse at San Ysidro Ranch. The food is truly outstanding. The service, impeccable. The wine list, world-class. And the…
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Hotel Review: San Ysidro Ranch, Montecito

  • December 17, 2021
  • Brad A. Johnson
San Ysidro Ranch is a world unto itself. It’s that unique place on the outskirts of Santa Barbara where Southern California merges with the European countryside. It’s where John and Jaqueline Kennedy honeymooned...
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Hotel Review: Fairmont Grand Del Mar, San Diego

  • December 3, 2021
  • Brad A. Johnson
This was my first time back to the Grand Del Mar in north San Diego County since the resort rebranded as the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in 2015.
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Hotel Review: Mission Pacific, Oceanside California

  • November 20, 2021
  • Brad A. Johnson
The six-story, 161-room Mission Pacific Hotel overlooking the beach in downtown Oceanside is part of the largest oceanfront development in San Diego County in more than 50 years. 
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Quick Review: Valle, Oceanside CA

  • November 19, 2021
  • Brad A. Johnson
Inspired by Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe where the chef first made a name for himself, Roberto Alcocer’s cuisine at the new Valle in Oceanside is intensely farm-to-table. It is uniquely Mexican, distinctly Californian and not always what it appears to be.
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#JoshuaTree #Camping #Airstream #vacation #roughingit 79 2
Camping. #JoshuaTree #vacation #roughingit #sunset #airstream 64 1
Vacation mode. #tamarindmargarita #palmsprings @elpatiopalmsprings 43 2
Playing around in the photo studio with my new favorite discovery. Do you know about these fudges and caramels from @johnkellychocolates? Seriously I've never found anything else quite like this, and I can't stop eating them. ⁠ 62 1
Crab tostada at @tacomaria. Definitely one of the best things I've eaten this year. ⁠ 196 4
OC has no shortage of Persian cuisine, but it's all the same. Sorry, no offense, but it's true. Until now. @eatbezanberim is different. And excellent. Good luck getting a table. Bonus: @semitropicwines won't let you go thirsty. Full story online now at @ocregister ⁠ 140 8
Brad A. Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
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  • Contact
Writer. Photographer. Traveler. Restaurant Critic.

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