Where Have You Been Lately?

Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor: Sierra Nevada, Calif.

“I don’t think there’s anything more beautiful than being up above the tree line in the summer. My favorite spot is the Eastern Sierra. I like to go to June Lake and stay at the Reverse Creek Lodge, and they have a handful of cabins located right on the creek. I took my son fishing up there. There are literally hundreds of lakes.”

Discovery: “The best thing about the Sierra is that you can wander around for days and not see another person. There are thousands of little nooks and crannies that you can investigate. But make sure to have a good map and know how to retrace your steps because it’s very easy to get lost.”

Michele Lamy, restaurateur: Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia

“I would retire to North Africa someday. I es-pecially like Sidi Bou Said, a small town built along the side of a hill overlooking the coast. It is full of that beautiful white Moorish architecture and people draped in beautiful fabrics. People call it the city of poets because it is full of those small cafes where you can find intellectuals sipping espresso all day and discussing philosophy.”

Discovery: “You should definitely visit the Cafe des Nattes in the center of town. You can sit and watch the people, the sky and the sea. It’s very magical.”

Chris Isaak, singer-songwriter: Yakutat, Alaska

“I just came back from Yakutat, Alaska, a small town along the southern coast west of Juneau. Most people go there to fish, but I went there to surf. The waves are OK, but I have a couple of friends that live up there. You have to either fly in or take a boat. But it’s really pretty. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to see the Northern Lights. They sort of look like slow-motion lightning sparkling behind frosted glass.”

Discovery: “It’s cold! If you’re going to surf, you’d better find the heaviest full suit that you can. And if you go for a hike, watch out for bears. One day we surfed until it was dark. And afterward we lost our way. It took us about half an hour to find our way through the woods and back to our car. The next day we came back and we noticed that there were bear tracks right behind our tracks the whole way.”

John Humble, photographer: Bali, Indonesia

“I left for Indonesia about a week after the riots broke out and the State Department warned me that I shouldn’t go. But I’ve learned that when there is a civil insurrection, it’s the best time to go! You can stay in any hotel, eat in any restaurant and never have a problem getting in. As soon as I got to Surabaya, I got stuck in a huge traffic jam while the demonstrators rolled by in their trucks. So I rolled down my window and took some pictures and they all smiled and waved. I took a little side trip to an island called Madura, and I didn’t see another Western face. The entire country was amazingly beautiful. Bali was full of that amazing, intricately carved Hindu architecture, which I love.”

Discovery: “You can buy everything over there a lot cheaper than you can here. I think I shipped back five packages of stuff. Sarongs were $1.50 each. But I would take one pair of shorts, a T-shirt, a pair of sandals, one pair of long pants, and that’s it.”

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Compiled by Paul Young