Wrightwood, California
We went to Wrightwood last weekend and had a peaceful time amongst the tall trees. The townspeople were extraordinarily friendly, making me feel like I was on the set of Northern Exposure or Men in Trees. You really don’t experience that degree of friendliness in L.A, even unhip L.A. A shopkeeper startled me when he asked, "Didn’t I see you last night at Rockin’ the Pines?" Rockin’ the Pines was a free outdoor music festival and market night the town had, which we happened to stumble upon. We were pretty easy to spot though, being the lone Asians there.
There is surprisingly a lot going on in this town of 4,000 known for its proximity to Mountain High, the ski and snowboard resort, about 1 1/2 hours north of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel mountains. Rockin’ the Pines has two more dates. I enjoyed the all-girl, punk rock band Pretty in Stereo who played that night. During the town’s summer off-season, it seems to have something fun every weekend: concerts, art shows, plays, car shows, markets…see list below.
Our accommodations, Wrightwood Cottages. $100/night offseason rate:
The "racoon" cabin was rustic, spacious and cozy, but the couches were old and felt grimy. Also the tub was not so clean. But still, it was a cabin and fun to be in.
Scenes from the town:
Wrightwood houses in trees:
Town stores. I loved the Butterfly Emporium, a hippie-ish store. The last pic is of a woman spinning her own llama’s wool at a knitting and tea gathering that happens every Sunday afternoon at Wrightwood Knitting and Spinning.
Accommodations links:
http://www.wrightwoodchamber.org/accommodations.htm
http://www.mthigh.com/pages/lodging.html
Upcoming Events:
- Rockin’ the Pines free music festival. Dates remaining: Sept. 8 and Oct. 6.
- Market Night, a fun night of shopping for arts, crafts, clothes, produce and more at vendor booths.
- Mountain Classic Car Show. Video here.
- Wrightwood Studio Art Tour, go on a self-guided tour of artists’ studios in the woods. Sept. 11
- Summerfest 2007 music festival. $20 admission. August 24 and 25.
- Sunday knitting and spinning.
Plus many more. Check here. Suggestion: drive up and spend the night to see the Studio Art tours. Plenty of talented artists live in the woods there.
Hmmm…never even HEARD of this town…definitely sounds like a good place to spend the weekend, though!
Comment by Jayna — August 11, 2007 @ 9:11 am
looks like a good place for a getaway. you watch Men in Trees?
Comment by MK — August 11, 2007 @ 1:01 pm
Niiiice. Thanks for giving something for next weekend!
Comment by userdoesnotexist — August 13, 2007 @ 1:42 am
MK - Yah, I recently got tuned into Men in Trees. It’s Sex and the City with nature. And userD - I’ll be posting more info about Wrightwood, so please come back in a few days.
Comment by UnHip LA — August 13, 2007 @ 3:38 am