Ruth Newell

Ruth Newell
Ruth Newell is a freelance writer with a serious slant towards dharma travel. She spent the last 25 years writing a variety of technical documents, marketing material, and website content for Native American tribes, government entities, and corporations. Much of her professional writing pertains to sustainable development (specializing in zero waste technologies), comprehensive and environmental planning, fundraising/financing, and community and business development. She also taught creative writing in a private school for 16 years. For the last three years, she’s been traveling, housesitting, and writing about the places she visits, the people she meets, and the food she eats (2shoestravel.blogspot.com). She has been contributing to the Reader since 2011.

Articles by Ruth Newell

RSS

Fallbrook – 56 miles and an eternity from San Diego

Oranges, avocados, crime, schools, attempt to change the town center

When I say Fallbrook, nothing comes to mind “They are going to fix the streets? For whom? Every other shop is vacant and has been for the last few years. There’s no draw for tourists. ...

The Presidio: Old Town national landmark

Explore San Diego's origins on the grounds of this 1700s Spanish fort.

Set above Old Town, San Diego’s forty-acre Presidio Park is a National Historic Landmark preserving the first permanent European settlement on the West Coast and the site from which exploratory missions embarked into California's interior. ...

Surf meets street eats: Oceanside's Sunset Market

The Thursday evening street fair makes for a North County draw.

Every Thursday night for the last eight years, starting at 5 p.m., Oceanside’s Sunset Market kicks off. Consuming four blocks down near the pier, this market’s more than your standard farmer’s fair. With live music ...

The Queen Mary's Sir Winston's smoking deck

First-class aboard the historic ship in Long Beach. (Cigar optional.)

There is no smoking on the Queen Mary. Signs are posted everywhere stating just that. So, when we arrived at the topmost deck to dine at the luxurious Sir Winston's Restaurant and Lounge, I noted ...

See (and surf) SoCal's sand dunes

What to do, where to eat & stay on these close-to-home desert adventures.

I typically love the sea, sun and sand. Interestingly though, not all the sands I’m drawn to lie in coastal regions. In fact, most of the sand on Earth is stacked in massive piles in ...

Altadena: a rustic Los Angeles

2.5 hours north, there's lots to discover for history & outdoor lovers alike.

Author Zane Grey said, "In Altadena I have found those qualities that make life worth living." Walking down Mariposa Street, “Millionaire’s Row,” where Grey’s home still stands – past the oversized craftsman-style bungalows and through ...

Whiskey in the White House

Follow in Washington's footsteps just a short drive south of D.C.

"George Washington slept here!" And he did, too. Truth be told, he slept there as well. And there. What can I say? The man got around. With four family homes, you’d expect as much. He ...

Catalina's calling

Your guide to a weekend – and world – away on island time.

Santa Catalina Island, one of the Channel Islands (but not included in the Channel Islands National Park), lies 22 miles off the southern California coast. Though it is privately owned by the Santa Catalina Island ...

Welcome to East Jesus, CA

Up the road from Salvation Mountain, miles from anywhere.

Overlooking the Salton Sea in the shadow of mature Ironwood trees rests a man still much loved. The former “mayor” of East Jesus, a fenced community of free-roaming, ever-rotating artists, musicians, scientists and builders located ...

See more stories by Ruth Newell