JIM HAMILL
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TEMECULA

california
I've driven past Temecula a few times on I-15 on the way to San Diego. As a former resident of California, I've seen my fair share of Pechanga Resort commercials and advertisements. I had a general awareness that Temecula had an old town commercial center and several vineyards outside of town. I was never sure whether Temecula was a legitimate destination or a tourist-centric, attraction driven destination. I decided to find out over two days when I needed a quiet place to work away from family during an extended COVID visit to California. I'm still not sure what to make of Temecula. 

Temecula's population is 115,000 - it's a small area and it felt like there were a ton of people everywhere. This didn't feel like an exclusive resort town but rather like a raucous small town. Temecula's first draw is it's historical old town area. There's a cool mission style City Hall. 
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The sidewalks in the Old Town area have a Western, wood plank look (although it's definitely concrete). The Old Town's commercial area has tried to retain the old western feel - I think it's done  pretty well in that it feels more charming than tacky. Despite COVID there was a lively and loud outdoor dining and drinking scene along the main street. I grabbed an espresso, walked around the Old Town area then headed off to a warehouse district north of this area that is loaded with microbreweries.
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Temecula's second draw is it's wineries. And boy are there a ton of wineries. I picked Palumbo Family Vineyard to drink a glass of red wine. On the drive up Rancho California Road I passed dozens  of wineries and was glad when I reached Palumbo. It felt like an oasis of the main drag. I thought watching the mountainside was as calming and relaxing as drinking the glass of wine.
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  • Lifetime Travels
    • Best Of... >
      • 2014 World Travels
      • Videos
    • Africa >
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Kenya
      • Tanzania
    • Asia >
      • East Asia >
        • China
        • Hong Kong >
          • Essentials
          • Attractions >
            • HK Free
          • Coffee
          • Cooked Food Centre >
            • Best Cooked Food Centres
          • Culture
          • Dining
          • Districts
          • Expat and Colonialism
          • HK Skyline
          • Nature
        • Japan
        • Macau
        • South Korea
        • Taiwan
      • Indian Sub-Continent >
        • Bangladesh
        • India
        • Maldives
        • Nepal
        • Sri Lanka
      • Southeast Asia >
        • Brunei
        • Cambodia
        • Indonesia
        • Laos
        • Malaysia
        • Myanmar
        • Philippines
        • Singapore >
          • Singapore >
            • Singapore Layover
            • Central
            • Coffee
            • Dining
            • Hawker Centers
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        • Thailand
    • Europe >
      • Balkans >
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