Jamie Ferrell, Author at Secret Los Angeles

Hi there! I grew up in Santa Cruz and graduated from UC Berkeley in 2018 with an English major and Spanish minor. After teaching ESL for a few years, I joined the Secret Media Network as a Staff Writer. I love to write about California history, hidden gems, museum exhibitions, and local wildlife.

This 8,000-person CA community was just named the best small beach town in the country, and you can now reach it with recently expanded service on the Pacific Surfliner

Pismo Beach has long been a favorite stop on Highway 1 or 101 for Californians looking to trade traffic for ocean air. Now, the small beach town in SLO has a new title to add to its repertoire: Last w...

Cutting cross-city traffic to just 10 minutes: Archer Aviation unveils zero-emission electric air taxi and vertiport plan at L.A. LIVE ahead of the 2028 Olympics

Electric air taxis could eventually ferry concertgoers, sports fans, and visitors directly to and from L.A. LIVE, under a newly announced plan that Archer Aviation and AEG hope will be ready to support...

Wellness & nature

‘Trade trash for spa treatments’: These Yosemite lodges are offering free day spa passes to visitors who volunteer for the massive September park cleanup

The Yosemite Climbing Association and the National Park Service are bringing back Yosemite Facelift, a five-day run of park cleanup projects from September 23-27, 2026. Volunteers can join for as litt...

Sports Top news

With 6 million LA28 Olympic tickets sold, the next public window moves to 2027 — swapping the lottery for a first-come, first-served system with zero limits

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic organizers announced last Thursday that total ticket sales have crossed the 6 million mark following the close of Drop 2 and an accompanying Visa presale, leaving the bulk of th...

Things to do

Less than 40 minutes from L.A., this free 265-acre ranch hides a historic movie star mansion, shady foothill trails, and a bison herd once owned by Walt Disney

Less than 40 minutes from L.A., tucked into the Newhall hills, William S. Hart Park & Museum is one of Santa Clarita's best cinematic hidden gems. Once the personal ranch of silent-film cowboy star Wi...

Things to do Visit Los Angeles

One of the world’s largest flea markets brings together 20,000 visitors and 2,500 vendors every month in Pasadena

On the second Sunday of each month, Pasadena’s Rose Bowl Stadium transforms into the Rose Bowl Flea Market, a sprawling open-air shopping destination unlike any other. Around 20,000 visitors typically tur...

National Park Service turns 110: All U.S. national parks will waive entrance fees on one day only next week — here’s where you can save up to $30

The National Park Service officially kicks off National Park Week tomorrow, offering 8 days of events and activities in honor of the nation's 250th anniversary. The biggest save-the-date is next Tuesday,...

Escapes Wellness & nature

Forget Yosemite: California’s least-visited national park gets 19 times fewer visitors, and it just finished building a new campground that costs $15 a night

California's national park escapes are renowned worldwide, but one of the most spectacular is still crowd-free. In 2025, Channel Islands National Park recorded just 227,186 recreational visits, compared w...

Escapes Things to do

Less than 1 hour from L.A., this small town is shutting down its Main Street on Thursday for its second-to-last block party of the year — featuring a ‘Time Machine’ theme with a gladiator arena and throwback music

Santa Clarita’s Old Town Newhall is a vibrant arts and entertainment hub, with weekly farmers markets, live music, and family-friendly events filling its calendar. From April through September, the dis...

Escapes

Only 45 minutes from L.A.: This 19th-century ghost town hides the ruins of the longest continually operating oil well in the world

Did you know that there's a remarkably preserved, 19th-century oil boomtown right here in L.A. County? Mentryville is tucked into Pico Canyon near Stevenson Ranch/Newhall in northwest Los Angeles Coun...

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