Visiting Ojai has been on my bucket list for a long time, and I happily made the trip there a few weeks ago. It was the perfect weekend getaway. Ojai is in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is about 10 miles long and surrounded by hills and mountains. Ojai is known for its boutique hotels and Pixie tangerines. There are gorgeous tangerine groves everywhere in Ojai. My boyfriend and I brought our dogs with us since it was a last-minute getaway. We were able to stay at the Capri Hotel, which is pet-friendly and centrally located. I loved the hotel’s hip and old-school exterior. We stayed in a king deluxe patio room. The patio was fenced, so the dogs could chill outside. When you exit through the fence, the hotel offers another fenced, grassy area for pets to run around. This was perfection, in my opinion. We had an amazing experience, and the dogs were equally happy during their stay. Relaxing by the pool in the desert heat also provided the chill vibe we were looking for. We took the dogs for a hike in the Ojai Meadows Preserve, which was covered in beautiful yellow wildflowers, and then took a stroll through downtown Ojai and over to Bart’s Books. This is quite possibly the best bookstore I’ve ever been to. It attracts people from all over the world and is recognized as the largest independent outdoor bookstore in the United States. Minnie especially enjoyed herself; she’s quite the little bookworm.    At the end of the trip, we stopped at Meditation Mount, which was incredibly serene and breathtaking. It was worth the effort and trip up the mountain to observe the silence. Namaste!               — Rafie Iannello, account director, Pacific Rim