Spring break prices hit record high – these affordable destinations are trending

• February 22, 2025

By Ashley Wali, Food Drink Life

Spring break 2025 is set to be the most expensive on record, with trip budgets up an average of 26%, according to Yahoo Finance. The beach still tops the list for most spring breakers, but sky-high prices push smart travelers to skip the sand and choose lesser-known destinations that won’t break the bank.

Over 32 million visitors will descend on Florida this spring, and yet a recent HomeToGo analysis finds eight of the top 10 trending states are landlocked. If you’re among the many Americans seeking an alternative spring break, these nine destinations bring the wow factor without the high price.

Embrace the chill

Not every spring break adventure has to involve warm weather. Coolcations are a 2025 travel trend, according to the luxury travel network Virtuoso. Budget travelers wanting to get outside can bundle up to enjoy the tail end of winter at lower prices, while most travelers have moved on to warm weather locations. Late September through April is off-season in Alaska, which is why Travel + Leisure calls it the best time to visit for lower prices.

Catch peak Northern Lights in Alaska

The current solar maximum we are experiencing means that 2025 will be a peak year for the Northern Lights. Trek up north to Fairbanks, where Bella Bucchiotti of xoxoBella says, “The locals make you feel so welcome. Watching the Northern Lights dance across the sky is surreal, and there’s nothing like soaking in Chena Hot Springs while surrounded by snow.”

Hit the slopes with low spring prices

Skiing is still good in some places, even into April and beyond. If you want to hit the slopes instead of slathering on sunscreen, look to Arapahoe Basin, Colorado; Mammoth Lakes, California or Whistler, British Columbia, as these destinations offer reliable late spring snow. Amanda Luhn of Simply Awesome Trips shares this tip: “You avoid the frigid temperatures of January and February and often get cheaper spring prices.”

Immerse yourself in culture

Cultural tourism is expected to grow at a 14% CAGR from 2024 to 2031, reaching $11.8 billion by 2031. Spring breakers looking for more than relaxation can find experiences designed to connect them deeply with the culture they are visiting. Yahoo Finance predicted that 2025 would be the most expensive spring break season yet, but it doesn’t have to be if you go to these cities.

Take a city break in Mexico City

When most travelers flock to the beach, cities empty out, making for fewer crowds and easier visits to places like Mexico City. A quick getaway for U.S. travelers, Mexico City packs a punch as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Prices remain affordable for a major city due to abundant accommodation options and an undeserved reputation for being unsafe.

Explore the best restaurants in Mexico City on a self-guided food tour while you soak in the ancient city’s history, charm and culture. Walk off all that amazing food with a visit to the National Museum of Anthropology and take a stroll through Chapultepec Park. Head out of town to the floating gardens of Xochimilco to see how Aztecs grew and transported food, and view the area in a new way with a hot air balloon ride over Chichén Itzá at sunrise.

Cheer on your favorite team at spring training

Nothing screams culture like America’s favorite pastime. Baseball fans have a lot of choices for spring break, cheering on their favorite team.

All 30 Major League Baseball Teams travel to the warmer climates of Arizona or Florida for spring training, where diehard fans can take in a game for much cheaper than during the regular season. For those saving money by staying closer to home, stadiums around the country celebrate the opening day of the regular season in late March or early April.

Tour ancient ruins in Central America

Don’t count out ancient ruins just because you are priced out of Chichén Itzá in Mexico. Copán in Honduras and Tikal in Guatemala are just as stunning but draw fewer crowds and provide a more affordable alternative to popular ruins locations, with prices in Honduras coming in at one-third those of Mexico. Spring temperatures are also perfect for exploring these ancient cities without the oppressive humidity you will find in summer.

Small crowds also mean better photos. Book a photographer in one of these beautiful locations and finish those family photos early this year. Your holiday cards will thank you.

Escape to the outdoors

Budget travelers don’t have to avoid animal encounters, natural wonders or outdoor adventures just to save money. This year, travelers can use destination swaps and all-inclusive options as well as support recovering economies as they plan a spring break to remember.

Sail away on a Caribbean cruise

Leave the land behind and sail away on a Caribbean cruise without worrying about expenses adding up. Kristin King, writer at Dizzy Busy and Hungry, says she chose a Bahamas cruise over a beach vacation because, “Instead of paying separately for hotels, meals and entertainment, the cruise bundled everything into one price, making it easier to stick to a budget. Plus, with included dining, onboard activities and multiple destinations to explore, we got to see beautiful places, relax and have fun without breaking the bank!”

Snorkel with whale sharks in La Paz, Mexico

La Paz, north of Los Cabos, is a detour destination near a typical tourist hotspot that is less crowded and more affordable. According to an Expedia report, 63% of travelers plan to visit a detour destination on their next trip. Luckily for La Paz, it is not only a budget-friendly alternative to Los Cabos but also one of the best spots in the world to encounter whale sharks in the winter and spring months.

Kayak the bioluminescent bays of Puerto Rico

Demand remains depressed in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the travel disruptions of 2020 and 2021. Savvy visitors can help the island recover while benefiting from continued low prices.

While there, don a life jacket after dark and slip into Mosquito Bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico, the brightest of only five bioluminescent bays in the world. Millions of microscopic organisms call this water home and light up a fluorescent blue when agitated. Trail your fingers through the water and see a blue streak glow behind you, or float along and make the most unique snow angel you’ll ever see.

Attend a cherry blossom festival

The Tidal Basin explodes with color in late March as hundreds of cherry trees near the Jefferson Memorial blossom in unison. It’s a spectacular sight, but also an expensive one. Skip Washington, D.C. for more budget-friendly festivals nationwide, with notable events in Macon, Georgia; Portland, Oregon; Seattle; Dallas; Nashville; Boston and more.

Get out there for less

Sky-high prices mean it’s time to rethink spring break. If you want a unique vacation without the high price tag, skip the beach and head to one of these unique destinations. Whether you are staying close to home or venturing out, there is an outdoor adventure, cultural excursion or cold-weather option for you.

Ashley Wali is a travel writer and photographer. She is the founder of Wanderlux, a luxury travel blog that provides insider tips, practical guides and stress-free family trip inspiration.

​ Orange County Register 

‘The Monkey’ review: Stephen King’s killer toy becomes ‘Longlegs’ creator Osgood Perkins’ plaything

• February 22, 2025

Filmmakers tinker with the question of tone from project to project, many not as much as they should. But writer-director Osgood Perkins has no problem with tonal adjustment.

His recent and most popular feature, last year’s “Longlegs,” worked in a sustained register of steady, clammy, creepily effective dread. Perkins makes a hard left into merrily grotesque slapstick with his new film, his fifth, “The Monkey.” The knob has been turned to a distinctly different tonal setting: Merry death, dismemberment and nicely timed sight gags, rolling along, with a dash of sincere parent/child bonding.

Essentially a series of sketch-comedy illustrations of how many ways you can kill off your cast members, “The Monkey” comes from Stephen King’s 1980 short story. The psychic link between King and Perkins is childhood trauma, passed from generation to generation. As kids, identical twins Hal and Bill (both played by Christian Convery) are raised by their mother (Tatiana Maslany). Their vagabond wastrel of a father (Adam Scott, in a prologue cameo), long out of the picture, has left behind some trinkets and mementos, including one bad-intentioned toy monkey, not a cymbal-crasher as in King’s story but a drummer with a vengeance.

Each time the monkey’s mechanical key is turned, someone — anyone, seemingly at random, besides the key-turner — dies in spectacularly awful fashion. The younger of the twins, bullied persistently by his three-hours-older brother, has enough sadness and human difficulty in his life without all the adults in the boys’ orbit expiring, violently. First, it’s the boys’ babysitter (beheaded at a Japanese steakhouse), then mom (explosive aneurysm while frosting a cake), then the boys’ aunt and uncle, the latter played, amusingly and briefly, by director Perkins.

A generation after the boys drop the killer mechanical percussionist down a well, it’s 2024, the monkey’s back, and Theo James takes over the roles of grown-up and now-estranged Hal and Bill. Throughout “The Monkey,” director Perkins carries over certain visual strategies from his earlier work: the slow, ’70s-style zooms and, more sparingly, dissolves; the “gotcha!” surprise element of his most judicious shock cuts, played mostly for laughs here.

Is the mixture of frolic and earnestness wholly successful? No, but calling “The Monkey” tonally uncertain is inaccurate, I think. It’s confident in its mood swings. James and young Colin O’Brien, very effective as Hal’s son, Petey, strive for realistic emotional stakes with just the right hint of irony, as beleagured father and guarded son try to make sense of their fragile relationship amid a parade of random eviscerations, electrocutions and face-meltings.

Some of the killings in this spree are a drag: unpleasant, without the funny part, one involving Sarah Levy of “Schitt’s Creek” and a for-sale sign. Even so, and even with structural echoes of the “Final Destination” movies, “The Monkey” suggests little of that franchise’s rote determinism. Perkins gives us the randomness of extraordinarily bad fortune and, for a lucky few, the value of a hardy survival instinct.

In various interviews, the filmmaker has told his own story again and again. By age 27, he had lost his father (actor Anthony Perkins) to AIDS, after a closeted bisexual life, and his mother (actress and photographer Berry Berenson) on Sept. 11, 2001. He has been working through all that ever since. While I hope Perkins doesn’t lean into jokey sadism as a dominant creative impulse — we have too many jokey sadists with movie deals as is — “The Monkey” asserts his stealth versatility as well as his confident technique. Perkins rarely lingers on the worst of what we see; his editors, Graham Fortin and Greg Ng, have genuine comic timing.

This may be the least faithful Stephen King adaptation on record, but fidelity to the source material only gets a filmmaker so far.

“The Monkey” — 3 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for strong bloody violent content, gore, language throughout and some sexual references)

Running time: 1:38

How to watch: Premieres in theaters Feb. 20

Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic. 

​ Orange County Register 

Fermented foods: The winter blues cure hiding in your fridge

• February 22, 2025

By Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju, Food Drink Life

Fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, miso and even yogurt are having a big moment, and it’s not just because they’re trendy. A 2024 medical study found that fermented foods boost your mood, allowing these tangy, flavor-packed staples to offer a burst of brightness and depth to even the simplest winter meals.

Tangy, bold and rich, fermented food staples don’t just add flavor – they bring a welcome spark to even the simplest winter meals. Not only will they enliven your daily meals, but there’s evidence to suggest that they can also pull you out of that mid-winter slump.

The social media fermentation revolution

Move over casseroles – fermented foods are the latest stars on social media. Home pages are overflowing with tutorials on everything, from making your own kombucha to crafting the perfect kimchi fried rice. Why the sudden obsession? Fermented foods are not only versatile but also provide that punch of bold, complex flavor that feels like a much-needed wake-up call during the colder months.

“Eating fermented foods is a powerful tool for nurturing your mental health by changing your microbiome,” notes Dr. Susan Albers for the 2024 Cleveland Clinic research. “It releases beneficial bacteria into our gut that makes a good environment for creating neurotransmitters that help to boost our mood.”

Take miso soup, for example. One creator’s miso ramen hack recently garnered millions of views, thanks to its simplicity and satisfying umami kick. Another viral star is kimchi mac and cheese – a genius way to combine spicy, tangy kimchi with melted cheese for the ultimate comfort food mashup.

For busy millennials and Gen Zers, fermented foods fit right into the narrative of convenience and creativity. A little scoop of sauerkraut or a dollop of miso paste can transform a dish with almost no effort, making it the ideal addition to weeknight dinners.

The comeback of bold, time-honored flavors

In an age where convenience often trumps tradition, fermented foods offer a rare blend of both. They’re rooted in centuries-old techniques yet perfectly suited for modern, fast-paced kitchens. As people crave deeper connections to their food – whether through DIY fermentation projects or rediscovering cultural staples – these tangy, umami-packed ingredients provide a satisfying link between the past and present. The growing interest in fermentation isn’t just about bold flavors; it’s about reviving traditions, celebrating global cuisines and making everyday meals feel a little more intentional.

Bringing bold flavors to the winter table

Winter meals often lean toward hearty and heavy. While there’s comfort in a rich stew or creamy pasta, fermented foods add a vibrant contrast that cuts through the richness and makes dishes more dynamic. Think of them as your secret weapon for keeping winter meals interesting.

Kimchi, with its spicy tang, can be tossed into a quick fried rice, served alongside scrambled eggs or added to a steaming bowl of ramen. Sauerkraut isn’t just for hot dogs – try it in a grain bowl, layered on a sandwich or even stirred into mashed potatoes for a surprising twist. And miso? It’s a flavor bomb waiting to be whisked into soups, marinades or salad dressings.

A global staple with endless possibilities

Fermented foods have been around for centuries, with different cultures putting their own spin on the process. Koreans perfected the art of kimchi, Germans brought us sauerkraut and the Japanese elevated miso into an art form. While these dishes may come from different corners of the globe, they all share a common theme: practicality.

Fermentation was historically a method of preserving food through long winters, but today it’s all about enhancing flavor. This global tradition means there’s no shortage of options to explore. From tangy Indian pickles eaten with fresh homemade naan to refreshing Mexican tepache, fermented foods offer endless ways to spice up your winter meals.

Easy ways to add fermented foods to your diet

The beauty of fermented foods is how easily they can be incorporated into your routine. They don’t require fancy recipes or hours in the kitchen. Stir a spoonful of plain yogurt into your morning oats or top it with granola and fruit for a bright, satisfying start to the day. Layer sauerkraut onto your favorite sandwich or wrap for a tangy crunch that wakes up your taste buds. Pair kimchi with crackers and cheese for a quick and flavorful afternoon snack, or keep jars of pickled onions or fermented hot sauce on hand to instantly elevate any meal.

More than just a trend

While fermented foods may seem trendy, they’ve been quietly sitting in our fridges and pantries all along, waiting for their moment to shine. They’re not just an easy way to brighten up your meals but also an opportunity to embrace tradition and experiment with flavors you might not have tried before.

So, next time the winter blues strike, skip the heavy casseroles and comfort yourself with something a little lighter but just as satisfying. Whether it’s a spoonful of kimchi, a miso-rich soup or a tangy yogurt parfait, fermented foods bring a spark to winter meals that’s impossible to ignore. Because when the days are cold and gray, every little burst of flavor counts.

Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju is a food and travel writer and a global food systems expert based in Seattle. She has lived in or traveled extensively to over 60 countries, and shares stories and recipes inspired by those travels on Urban Farmie.

​ Orange County Register 

Protect your packages: Tips to prevent ‘porch pirates’

• February 22, 2025

By Jasmin Jose, Stacker

Package theft, often referred to as “porch piracy,” remains a significant concern in the United States. The rise of e-commerce has led to a substantial increase in residential deliveries, resulting in troubling rates of stolen packages, LA Post reports.

There were over 120 million reported package theft incidents in 2023. However, the real number is likely higher due to underreporting, as victims forgo filing reports due to the slim chances of recovery or arrest.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service , or USPIS, reports mail and package theft is a persistent issue. Between 2018 and 2023, postal inspectors arrested nearly 9,000 suspects related to mail and package theft crimes. Additionally, USPS handles billions of mail items annually, making theft a notable concern, especially in densely populated areas like Los Angeles and New York City.

The best protection against porch piracy is vigilance, creative preventive measures, and collective action within their communities.

As people across the U.S. continue to embrace online shopping, package theft remains a persistent threat, calling for heightened community awareness, and preventive action. Policymakers and law enforcement are urged to develop targeted strategies to curb this rising crime, while consumers must adapt by safeguarding their deliveries more effectively.

To protect yourself from future package theft, consider investing in secure delivery solutions. Options include using a lockable parcel box, requesting delivery to an alternative secure location’—like a workplace or a nearby Amazon Hub locker—or requiring a signature for delivery. Home security systems, such as doorbell cameras, can also act as both deterrents and evidence collectors. Regularly monitoring delivery updates and promptly retrieving packages can further minimize the risk. Additionally, utilizing services like USPS Hold for Pickup or arranging delivery times when you’re home can reduce the chances of theft.

If you discover that a package has been stolen, the first step is to check your surroundings thoroughly to confirm it wasn’t delivered to a hidden or alternative location. Then, contact the delivery company immediately to report the theft and provide tracking information. Many companies—like Amazon, FedEx, and USPS—offer policies or programs that may refund or replace stolen packages if theft is verified. Additionally, it’s recommended to file a police report for documentation purposes—while it may not lead to immediate recovery, it helps local law enforcement track patterns of theft. If the package was insured, contact the insurer to initiate a claim.

To avoid packages being stolen, it’s recommended to install security cameras, require delivery signatures, use parcel lockers, or arrange alternative delivery locations, which can reduce the likelihood of theft. Community watch initiatives and shared neighborhood surveillance also help in monitoring suspicious activity.

Certain cities face disproportionate risk. The top 10 worst cities for package thefts are San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, L.A., Fresno, Milwaukee, Portland, Sacramento, New Orleans, and Hartford. Many people rely on surveillance cameras, yet arrests remain rare. For example, despite dozens of video-captured thefts, L.A. Police Department data reveals there were only 25 arrests in 2023 related to package theft. However, efforts like deploying “bait packages” equipped with GPS trackers have shown promise in catching repeat offenders but remain limited in scope.

Deliveries from major carriers like Amazon, USPS, and FedEx are frequently targeted due to their ubiquity. The rise of e-commerce, with a projected 17.9% increase in online orders in 2024, exacerbates this problem.

The problem tends to be worse during holidays—like Christmas and Valentine’s Day – when the volume of online shopping surges. An estimated 210 million packages are stolen annually across the U.S., costing consumers over $19.5 billion.

This story was produced by the LA Post and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

​ Orange County Register 

Amid Eaton fire’s toll, older Altadenans struggle with decision to rebuild

• February 22, 2025

Writer and historian Michele Zack, 73, is the first to admit: “This is not our dream for our golden years.”

But six weeks after the Eaton Fire, she and her husband Mark are taping up structures in their burned 100-year-old home, one way to indicate to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers what not to level in its debris cleanup.

“We’re choosing not to say we’re too old to rebuild,” Zack said. “We have other options, but none of them as much meaning as staying here, trying to help Altadena rebuild and seeing what happens next.”

Older Altadenans — or residents “of a certain vintage,” as one puts it — are facing a choice dictated by numbers: first, their age, and then, the economics of their life post-Eaton fire.

And even as most say their love for their Altadena community can’t factor into the reality of their choices, the town’s “live free or die” spirit dictates respecting each other’s course. What those paths are cut straight for some and are uncertain for others.

On Feb. 11, Altadenans discussed the issue of age and starting over on the Facebook page “What’s Up in Altadena.” Commenting on the first lot in Altadena that sold after the fire ($100,000 above its asking price) Darcy Duran, 66, said she couldn’t imagine going home in five-plus years, an estimate on how long rebuilding would take.

“I’ll probably sell, too,” she wrote. “But I’d like a fair offer from someone who wants a home built.”

Others chimed in agreement: “I’m almost 67 and struggling with the same decision,” and “I hear you. 69 here and tired.”

There are approximately 6,064 people aged 65 or older in Altadena, making up around 21% of the total population of 42,846, according to data from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau.

Pastors Robert and Micheline McFarland, founders of LIFT International Church in Altadena, lost their home of 32 years in the Eaton Fire. Their church is safe, sharing the campus of Westminster Presbyterian Church on Lake Avenue and Woodbury.

In that time, Micheline McFarland, 69, has loved raising two daughters, and pastoring a community where “everybody had love.” She used to own a salon on Lake and Mariposa, frequented the now-lost Fox’s Restaurant in town as well as the jewel that was Altadena Hardware.

“We just had a new Thai place open we hadn’t tried yet,” she said.

Since the fire, the couple have been busy going the hard way with their congregation, leaving little time to dwell on their losses. McFarland said their car almost caught fire in their desperation to save Ziggy, their four-year-old white poodle, and their cat Sophie, both of whom were lost to the fire.

“Yes, we plan to rebuild,” Robert McFarland said, adding the message, “Altadena is not for sale.”

Most people he’s spoken with want to rebuild.

“But the reality is there are those who are under-insured who will definitely need financial assistance or grant money if they are going to rebuild. Amid rent gouging, land speculators and insurance woes, the cost of rebuilding may exceed working people’s means.”

A lot of the “older elders” he’s spoken with who are over 80 years old are torn whether or not they will live to even see a rebuild of Altadena.

What’s at stake is Altadena losing that strong representation of Black and Brown people and it will no longer be the community it’s historically known to be, McFarland said.

In the town’s Black community, he said, the elders have represented generational wealth and family legacy.

“And that’s in jeopardy,” McFarland said.

His wife said during the immediate aftermath of the fire, she was paralyzed, thinking none of it was real.

“Now I’m angry,” Micheline McFarland said. “How did this happen? It’s like a death and we’re in mourning. It’s the death of a community.”

McFarland said while the Black community’s treasure of elders remain an inspiration, she understands if they see time as a limitation.

“One of our ladies had just built an ADU on her property for her daughter,” she said. “All that is gone now and she told me, ‘I don’t know if I can do this again.’”

Valerie Elachi, 76, and her husband Charles, 77, lived in what she laughingly called Altadena’s Bermuda Triangle. Their Crescent Drive home sat at one point, with another stretching seven miles to Caltech one way and seven miles to JPL in another.

Elachi remains spirited and gracious as she walks around the ruins of her two-story, pueblo-style home, built in 1923 for Mildred Smith, literary secretary and mistress to the writer Zane Grey from 1916 to 1930.

“First I was shocked, then I was super sad. Now I’m just royally pissed off. Can I say that? It didn’t need to happen,” she said. “It’s like a death, but a hit-by-a-bus kind of death. It’s like a war happened in Altadena.”

The Elachis’ Hunt and Grey home is one of several historic homes lost in the area, and the owners of those neighboring homes are planning on rebuilding.

“We’re going to try,” she says carefully. Scuttled plans for a renovation can be reused.

Age is an issue, true, but “with enough perseverance and enough energy, I suppose one could still preserve the neighborhood.”

There’s no question which side of the question René Amy, 64, stands. After all, the longtime Altadena community activist had a giant banner reading, “Altadena Strong: We Will Rebuild!” a week after the fire, emphasis on the “will.”

Amy, who lost his home on Calaveras Street, said he’s seen Altadena struggle with many issues, from public education to gentrification to a brouhaha about the height of hedges. Even as he celebrated the reopening of the neighborhood’s Grocery Outlet this week, he said the path ahead will be long and slow.

“It’s not all going to be easy,” Amy said. “But let me be very clear. Altadena will rise from the ashes because of our incredible sense of community. So many of the things we love about Altadena goes back to the people, and a lot of them will come back and stay. The thing that matters is the sense of community and the big hearts trying to hold it together.”

For Victoria Knapp, chair of the Altadena Town Council, the question of older Altadenans rebuilding is specific to a number of dynamics.

“What is the insurance situation; are there additional funds to bridge any gap without having to spend one’s retirement; is the senior alone our coupled; are there adult children who would inherit the rebuilt home and would they want to; are there any outstanding health conditions that would be exacerbated by the potential stress of rebuilding; are the adult children nearby, in another state, and is moving closer to them an option and/or preferred,” Knapp said. “These are questions that need to be answered by older Altadenans facing a rebuild.”

For Hans Allhoff, chair of Altadena Heritage, the many aspects of Altadena underlines the freedom every resident has to chart their next steps.

“We all love Altadena in our own way,” he said. “It’s very easy to say we’re going to rebuild, but you have to do it right. At the end of the day, we need to respect that it’s everyone’s call.”

The McFarlands want to impress upon their neighbors that they don’t have to leave.

“It’s their home,” Robert McFarland said. “It’s their place, that people you know years ago set down the stakes and paid the price for them to be here, and that they should stay, that they should rebuild. And if they decide not to rebuild, they should sell to a young family that looks like them for a reasonable price who could not otherwise afford to live here.”

Groups such as Green Housing Foundation can help, he added.

Elachi sits in what used to be the outdoor patio of her home of 40 years and with a sad smile relates the loss of her extensive, museum-quality collection of Native American pottery, listing tribal names like a gentle chant: “Inuit, Acoma Pueblo, Navajo, Jemez.” She catalogs other losses: her husband’s archives from a lifetime with JPL and Caltech, baby photos of their daughter Lauren, how they had just gotten their home “almost to the point of perfect.”

“I danced down the staircase at the open house when we found this house,” Elachi said, remembering. “We starved for three years after so we could afford it, but it was fabulous.”

She stops at the door of the flat-roofed guesthouse, one thing that was saved from the fire.

“Oh look, the camellias are blooming,” she said, gazing at a pale pink bloom.

​ Orange County Register 

Dense fog advisory issued for San Diego County Coastal Areas and Orange County Coast until Saturday morning

• February 22, 2025

San Diego County Coastal Areas and Orange County Coast were placed under a dense fog advisory by the National Weather Service on Saturday at 4:18 a.m. The advisory is in effect until 10 a.m.

The NWS San Diego CA said, “Visibility as low as one quarter mile in dense fog.”

“Low visibility could make driving conditions hazardous,” according to the NWS. “If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you.”

Guidance from the NWS for navigating foggy conditions

If a dense fog advisory is issued for your area, it means that widespread dense fog has developed and visibility often drops to just a quarter-mile or less. These conditions can make driving challenging, so exercise extreme caution on the road, and if possible, consider delaying your trip.

If you must drive in foggy conditions, keep the following safety tips in mind:

Reduce speed:

Slow down and allow extra travel time to reach your destination safely.

Visibility priority:

Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which also activate your taillights. If you have fog lights, use them.

Avoid high-beams:

Refrain from using high-beam headlights, as they create glare that impairs your visibility on the road.

Keep a safe distance:

Maintain a significant following distance to account for abrupt stops or shifts in traffic patterns.

Stay in your lane:

To ensure you are staying in the correct lane, use the road’s lane markings as a guide.

Zero visibility protocol:

In situations of near-zero visibility due to dense fog, activate your hazard lights and seek a secure location, such as a nearby business’s parking lot, to pull over and come to a stop.

No parking options:

If no parking area is available, pull your vehicle as far to the roadside as possible. Once stationary, turn off all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights are not illuminated, reducing the risk of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.

By adhering to these recommendations from the NWS, you can navigate foggy conditions with greater safety, mitigating the risk of accidents and prioritizing your well-being.

​ Orange County Register 

Best cooling rack

• February 22, 2025

Which cooling racks are best?

Without a doubt, one of the most underrated kitchen tools is the cooling rack. It’s affordable and can be used for numerous tasks beyond the basic cooling of baked goods. However, not all cooling racks are created equally, and some are more functional than others.

Depending on what you need a cooling rack for, there are a plethora of options. If you’re searching for a durable and versatile cooling rack, the Kitchenatics Roasting and Cooling Rack is an ideal choice. It’s extra large and can even be used in the oven or on the grill.

What to know before you buy a cooling rack

Why do I need a cooling rack?

The most apparent purpose of a cooling rack is to cool baked goods. But why can’t you just leave your baked goods in the pan to cool?

Most cupcake pans, cake pans and baking sheets are made from material meant to capture and evenly distribute heat. So while they do a great job of cooking your cookies or muffins in the oven, those pans will continue to hold heat and cook your baked goods long after they’re taken out of the oven. This can lead to a dry, crumbly, overcooked cake if you don’t remove it from the pan and allow it to cool.

How to use a cooling rack

While the original and most common use for a cooling rack is to cool baked goods, they have evolved over the years and now offer a variety of uses.

Cooling food: In addition to cooling baked goods, you can also use cooling racks to cool pizza, vegetables, seafood and even meat. Depending on the cooling rack, you can even place hot pans directly on your cooling rack.

Baking: The second most common use of a cooling rack is baking, with one caveat — the cooling rack must be labeled as oven-safe. Putting your food on a cooling rack in the oven allows the fat to drip off and all sides of your food to be heated evenly. However, not all cooling racks are oven-safe, so it’s essential to check before putting it in the oven.

What to look for in a quality cooling rack

Dishwasher-safe

Because of the coating on some cooling racks, not all can withstand a dishwasher cycle. However, being able to put your cooling rack in the dishwasher is convenient and makes cleanup much quicker.

Rustproof

Depending on the material, some cooling racks are susceptible to rust. Look for cooling racks that are rustproof for lasting durability.

Extra uses

A few cooling racks are even more versatile and can be used on the grill, in the air fryer, in a smoker and in a broiler. Again, it’s essential to check the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure where you can use your cooling rack.

Weight

Pies can weigh up to 5 pounds, and layered cakes can weigh up to 10 pounds. If you’re using a cooling rack to hold a pan with a turkey or ham in it, you’ll want to make sure your cooling rack is durable enough to carry extra weight.

How much you can expect to spend on a cooling rack

You can expect cooling racks to cost between $10-$25, depending on size, material and features.

Cooling rack FAQ

Should I cover it with tin foil to protect my cooling rack?

A. It’s not recommended. The purpose of cooling racks is to allow air to circulate around all sides of the food. Covering the cooling rack with tin foil or waxed paper would hinder airflow and circulation and cause uneven cooling.

Do I need to spray my cooling rack to prevent sticking?

A. It depends if the cooling rack is nonstick. Nonstick cooling racks shouldn’t need a nonstick spray. However, if you notice sticking or the rack is not nonstick, you could spray or grease your cooling rack.

What’s the best cooling rack to buy?

Top cooling rack

Kitchenatics Roasting and Cooling Rack

What you need to know: This chemical-free stainless steel cooling rack is versatile enough for cooling or baking and durable enough to hold up to 45 pounds.

What you’ll love: The extra-tall square grid size allows air to circulate evenly and cool food even faster. It’s dishwasher-safe, rustproof, grill-safe and oven-safe up to 575 degrees.

What you should consider: The tight grid size can trap small food particles, making it hard to clean.

Top cooling rack for the money

Nordic Ware Round Cooling Grid

What you need to know: Not only can it be used for cooling, but the copper-plated circular steel wire grid makes it a gorgeous serving platter.

What you’ll love: The round shape and large 13-inch diameter make the perfect size to cool cookies, Bundt cakes and other baked goods. It’s sturdy enough to hold heavy foods and has legs to allow even circulation.

What you should consider: It’s not dishwasher-safe and cannot be used in the oven.

Worth checking out

Ultra Cuisine Oven-Safe Cooling Rack

What you need to know: With an extra set of 1-inch tall, sturdy feet supporting the middle, this oven-safe wire cooling rack can hold heavy foods without sagging.

What you’ll love: It’s made of 304-grade heavy-duty stainless steel that will not rust. It’s dishwasher-safe, oven-safe up to 575 degrees and nontoxic. It’s the perfect size to fit in a baking sheet.

What you should consider: The tight grid can easily catch food and make it difficult to clean.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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​ Orange County Register 

Best sling bag

• February 22, 2025

Which sling bags are best?

Sling bags come in a number of different styles, including messenger bags, wallet cross-bodies and sling backpacks, and they’re a great way to carry your most important belongings and give you the design and durability you need.

The OutdoorMaster Sling Bag is designed to hold a small laptop or tablet up to 12 inches wide, has several compartments, an ergonomic design and a reversible shoulder strap.

What to know before you buy a sling bag

Type of sling bags

There are several kinds of sling bags, including classic slings, designer slings, wallet cross-bodies, sling backpacks, messenger bags and cross-body hiking bags.

• Classic: The classic sling is a bag with one end of the strap attached to the bottom of the bag and the other attached to the top. Classic slings are used as daypacks, especially if you’re tired of lugging around a big, heavy bag. These bags are slightly larger than wallets with interior pockets to store items, such as your wallet and phone.
• Designer: Designer slings are much like classic slings but more appropriate for special occasions or date nights. They come in various shapes, colors and styles and are sometimes bejeweled.
• Wallet cross-body: A wallet cross-body is the ideal bag for a casual day out. It’s similar to a classic sling, but it’s a wallet with a leather strap or chain attached to it.
• Sling backpack: Sling backpacks are backpacks with one strap worn across the body and a zipper on the strap.
• Messenger bag: The messenger bag is a larger version of a classic sling and works well for work settings.
• Cross-body hiking: Cross-body hiking slings combine backpacks and messenger bags.

Convenience

Sling bags are streamlined and simple to carry — you can throw the strap over your head and carry the bag across your chest. You can open your bag and grab whatever you need, even while you’re walking.

Comfort

Sling bags are comfortable to carry, since most of these bags have a broad shoulder strap that can be slung across the chest. They lay flat against the body, so they’re not overly bulky and they let you stay mobile when necessary.

What to look for in a quality sling bag

Durability

Genuine leather and thick canvas are great materials to look for in sling bags if you want something durable. Pay attention to the quality of the seams of the sling bag, since they’re typically the weakest points. If the seams aren’t reinforced or double-stitched, they might rip under heavy stress.

Straps

Shoulder straps go across your chest and come in a variety of quality levels, styles and sizes, so don’t ignore this feature when selecting your bag.

How much you can expect to spend on a sling bag

Sling bags cost about $15-$200, depending on the materials, quality, construction and features of the bag.

Sling bag FAQ

What’s the purpose of a sling bag?

A. Sling bags feature an ergonomic design that works with your shoulders to reduce and/or eliminate back, shoulder and neck pain. The proper way to carry your sling bag is with the strap going across your chest.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of sling bags?

A. Sling bags can help you keep from filling extra space just because you have it, since you really only have enough room for your water bottle, headphones, phone, wallet and keys. They also simplify what you carry — you have less bulk to manage and fewer pockets to check. They’re more comfortable over the long term compared to shoulder bags, and you can easily and quickly access your things without removing your bag.

On the flip side, sling bags usually have a lower carrying capacity than other bags, such as backpacks. They aren’t right for carrying heavy loads, since the bag weight is placed across only one shoulder. Carrying a heavy bag could lead to shoulder and neck strain as well as issues with your posture.

What’s the best sling bag to buy?

Top sling bag

OutdoorMaster Sling Bag

What you need to know: This versatile, sturdy sling bag is the perfect everyday bag.

What you’ll love: This sling bag is designed to hold a laptop or tablet up to 12 inches wide. It has a water bottle pocket as well as a hidden antitheft pocket. Its ergonomic design means it’s lightweight but can hold lots of items, and it’s a decent size with a comfortable, reversible strap.

What you should consider: Several people had issues with zippers breaking or coming open after limited use.

Top sling bag for the money

Leaper Canvas Messenger Bag

What you need to know: This sling bag is made for multiple activities and boasts plenty of space for all your things.

What you’ll love: The Leaper sling has a number of compartments and pockets, including those sized for a laptop and phone. The washed canvas is a durable fabric, while the outer flap and buckles provide security. It comes in over 20 colors in a unisex design. Its medium size makes it convenient for travel.

What you should consider: It isn’t waterproof, so it isn’t best for trips where it could get wet.

Worth checking out

Osprey Daylite Shoulder Sling Bag

What you need to know: This ambidextrous shoulder sling bag has comfortable padding and plenty of storage areas.

What you’ll love: The back of the bag has a padded mesh panel for extra comfort and breathability. You can fit it over your left or your right shoulder, so it’s ideal for both left- and right-handed people. It has a spacious main compartment and some smaller pockets to hold items like your phone and keys.

What you should consider: The strap isn’t completely padded.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

Check out our Daily Deals for the best products at the best prices and sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter full of shopping inspo and sales.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

​ Orange County Register