Hey Off Roaders And Hikers : Urban Peaks of Northern California

    COSTA MESA, Calif.--May 1, 2002--WESTWAYS readers take in the views of San Francisco -- not from the famous Top of the Mark, but from Montana Mountain and Mount Tamalpais.
    The magazine's May/June cover story features the Bay Area's urban mountains, where hikers can take in wildflowers and endangered butterflies, striking sunsets and seasonal waterfalls. Christine Colasurdo wrote the feature story that includes photographs by Maxine Cass.
    WESTWAYS also takes readers out to the ballgame with a feature story about the home team -- the Los Angeles Dodgers -- where devotees Robert Earle Howells, longtime WESTWAYS contributor and Robin Jones, associate features editor, share recollections about the team from the perspectives of different generations and gender.
    WESTWAYS editor John Lehrer puts a factual spin on the wind turbines rising from the desert in the Tehachapi and San Gorgonio Pass northwest, of Palm Springs. Lehrer's report details the state of wind energy in California.
    City Views features a two-page spread on London, where cosmopolitan style meets Harry Potter. The story describes the varied ways to spend a London vacation: museum hopping, shopping, eating and relaxing. London's new and hip "gastropubs" (pubs that serve restaurant-quality food), hangouts and fashionable neighborhoods are featured.
    In Overdrive, columnist Peter Bohr offers advice for buying a first car for a teen-age driver. He lists 10 potential first-car vehicles interspersed with sage advice for parents and teens. Bohr also provides his own remembrances of his first car, a used Volkswagen Beetle.
    WESTWAYS suggests ways to beat the heat inside the car this summer, shows cartoon cars selling for $72,500 and tells readers how to cook on a car's engine as an alternative to run-of-the-mill road food in What's New...Automotive. Author Bill Scheller notes that the real reward is "watching people's jaws drop" when "Poached Fish Pontiac" is pulled out from the engine compartment.
    The May/June WESTWAYS takes a look at the past five decades of Chevrolet's Corvette. The model celebrates its 50th birthday this summer and continues to attract driving enthusiasts young and old.
    Off-Ramp features the U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego. Built in 1895 by the second son of former President Ulysses S. Grant, the hotel was restored most recently in the mid-1980s. Today it's a favorite spot of locals and tourists alike for lunch and overnight stays. A 1961 photograph from the Auto Club's Corporate Archives contrasts with a contemporary color shot.
    WESTWAYS also features best Southland restaurants for steaks, rack lamb and prime rib:

--  Bon Appetit:           Chuck's of Hawaii, Santa Barbara
                           Anjin, Costa Mesa
                           Duane's Prime Steaks and Seafood, Riverside
                           Rainwater's on Kettner, San Diego
                           Taylor's Steak House, La Canada Flintridge
                           Nick & Stef's Steakhouse, Los Angeles

--  Calendar:              Arts, Entertainment and Activities

--  Wine Cellar:           L.A.'s San Antonio Winery

    WESTWAYS, the lifestyle magazine for Southern California, features trends in automotive, travel, lifestyle and entertainment. For more information, call Carol Thorp or Elaine Beno at 714/885-2333.