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On this special live episode of Unpacked, Aislyn Greene talks with acclaimed L.A.-based architect Barbara Bestor about the buildings, neighborhoods, and landscapes that define California.

While not as large as other ancient Mayan cities in the region, Tulum draws in visitors for its stunning setting of centuries-old temples perched on a cliff by the Caribbean Sea. You’ll pass a large market with souvenirs, a casual Mexican restaurant, and even a Starbucks before reaching the entrance, where a train can take you to the site if you’re not up for the 10-minute walk. It’s advisable to hire a guide to fully understand each structure’s significance and the history behind the ruins; informative signage is all but nonexistent. Don’t forget to bring your swimsuit, as the site encompasses a white-sand beach with soothing waves and beautiful rock formations that’s reached by a long wooden staircase.

Thursday, March 26, 2026 / 6 p.m.–8 p.m.
At the HALL Arts Hotel

Thursday, March 26, 2026 / 6 p.m.–8 p.m.
At the HALL Arts Hotel

Hop aboard the ferry at Pier 41 in San Francisco, or from the town of Tiburon, and spend a day on the largest and most beautiful island in the bay—Angel Island State Park. You can bring your own bike, or rent one when you arrive, and ride the paved perimeter trail around the 760-acre island. There are open-air tram tours, too, with guides recalling the island’s rich history, as well as guided hikes. Of course, you are free to roam the trails on your own, one of the best of which is the hike up to the top of 788-foot Mount Livermore, where 360-degree views take in the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge. Whatever your plan, know you’ll be immersing yourself in local history in a place that has been a fishing and hunting site for Coast Miwok Indians, a haven for Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala, and a U.S. Army post starting with the Civil War. From 1910 to 1940, hundreds of thousands of immigrants were processed here, and during World War II, Japanese and German POWs were held on the island. Several buildings and other relics remain as a reminder of the island’s varied history, including the United States Immigration Station museum (open March–October).

On this episode of “View From AFAR,” Caroline Beteta, President and CEO of Visit California, talks about how sustainable tourism is in California’s DNA.

On this episode of “View From Afar,” Barbara Muckermann—the new CEO of Kempinski Hotels—shares how the historic hospitality brand is poised for a reinvention.

See highlights from both Northern and Southern California.

On this special live episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene talks with San Francisco native and landscape architect Roderick Wyllie about what it means to design spaces that feel unmistakably, undeniably Californian.

On this episode of Unpacked: Live, host Aislyn Greene talks with artist and naturalist Obi Kaufmann, who has spent decades mapping California’s landscapes—and why he believes the state’s infinite beauty is only just beginning to reveal itself.

In 1986, self-described Connecticut Yankee Will Jackson bought an 850-acre cattle ranch with beachfront property and a tiny inn, a few miles north of Fort Bragg. In September 2015, after six years of securing permits and four years of construction, he and his heirs opened The Inn at Newport Ranch, still a working ranch (cattle, quarry, timber) but now surrounded by over 2,000 acres of coastal headlands and rolling hills. The Inn comprises four rooms and four suites (plus the owner’s four-bedroom vacation home), each uniquely configured and appointed. The use of woods, stone, concrete, steel, glass, and plaster, and the attention to detail (it will take more than a weekend stay to discover all the architectural and design treasures) are as spectacular as the panoramic views of the north coast bluffs, beaches, and Pacific Ocean sunsets. We stayed in the Grove Suite, so named because many of the building’s two-dozen 25-foot-tall redwoods (bark still on) come up through the floor as soaring columns in the living/dining areas. The main inn has a water-tower rooftop hot tub, and each suite has its own. Innkeepers Creighton and Cindi Smith have impeccable and down-home hospitality chops. There’s a breakfast spread every morning, wine and appetizers in the evening, and dinner upon request. With a modest footprint, the Inn is Mendocino County’s new great leap forward in accommodations.

November 19, 2025 | 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.