Camp Eman | San Onofre

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. - As a kid, I was never much of a camper, but last weekend I borrowed my parents' camping equipment and headed halfway down to San Diego to where that nuclear power plant that looks like a pair of boobs sits. I still am not much of a camper, even after pitching a tent on the campgrounds at San Onofre State Beach, but that's only because camping on these beach-adjacent grounds hardly feels like camping at all.

Located along the I-5 just at the county lines between San Diego County and OC, the Bluffs Campgrounds at San Onofre overlooks the ocean and one of the five most visited state parks in California. Each campsite costs $35 to reserve and comes with a picnic table, fire pit, parking for one to two cars and just enough room for up to eight campers. There are public bathrooms, showers and faucets to wash your feet.

I had read plenty of negative reviews of this campground on Yelp in which many complained about everything from the size of the sites to the rocks on the beach. While they are right about the feeling that you are essentially camping in a parking lot, these campgrounds are about as rough as I'm willing to rough it. Real camping just doesn't appeal to me at all, and those feelings were solidified when I went shopping for basic supplies and saw the wide range of equipment available. If I need to purchase a portable toilet seat and a bucket for a weekend trip, count me out. I'll leave that for the camping snobs on Yelp.

There are six access trails to the 3.5 mile stretch of beach below the campground. We spent the late afternoon on the sand, where we enjoyed a competitive game of bocce ball and where my gymnast friend coached me on achieving unassisted handstands. I've decided that 'handstanding' is the new 'planking'. I can hold about three seconds before eating sand.

We retreated to our campsite just after sunset to use what was left of the daylight to prepare dinner, a spread that included hot dogs, burgers and bratwursts. Vacant sites are scarce in the summertime, so I lucked out in finding two consecutive sites for us to be together. It was just enough space for my group of 15 or so to set up camp, grill some meats and gather around the fire for drinking games while the pyromaniacs of the group threw more and more wood into the pit. Thankfully, nobody lost any eyebrows to the campfire, though I think I may have come close a couple times.

I'm no Boy Scout, and no, I don't think my one night of sleeping in a tent on a parking lot just a few yards off the highway would have earned me any merit badges. At the very least, camping at San Onofre felt like an all-night tailgate party by the beach. Good fun while it lasted and a nice departure from my usual surroundings, but 19 hours into it, I was dying for a proper shower. I don't think I would do well in the woods.

Photo Recap

Check campsite availability through Reserve America.

Read reviews of San Onofre State Beach Campgrounds on Yelp.

'Mad' Menswear

When Banana Republic debuted its Mad Men line earlier this month, I stopped by an in-store launch party for the collection. A huge fan of the show, I was looking to add a classic touch to my wardrobe. For four television seasons, The AMC drama has been captivating audiences and re-defining (reminding us, rather) what "dapper" looks like on a man. With the help of Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant, Banana Republic brought back classic notions of style with a modern edge for both men and women.

I browsed every rack on the men's sales floor. If I wanted, I could have strutted my stuff right out of South Coast Plaza ready for a walk-on role in season 5 of the show - If I wasn't such an "Chinaman" (It was the 60s after all). But since I'm no "Don Draper" at my firm, I passed on the suit separates, fitted trousers and fedora hat, which are probably best reserved for the executive type who has someone to hand his coat and hat to when he walks into the office. I took the 65-piece 1960s-inspired collection up on one of its smallest offerings - a silver plated limited edition tie bar for $39.50.

Tie bar sales have increased in recent years and were featured in a lot of menswear magazines this past Spring. Some attribute their comeback to sharply dressed characters like Roger Sterling and Don Draper. The tie bar is a reminder of a generation that came to work dressed up and are among the few types of masculine accessories available.

I displayed a bit of ignorance the first time I wore it. Thinking it was merely a shiny ornament serving more style than function, I spent most of the morning with it clipped to the tie but not to my shirt. The point of wearing a tie bar is to keep your tie from swinging and flapping around, which of course my tie was doing (with added weight). An obvious failure on my part, but what can you expect from a guy whose generation has never had to wear a proper suit?

You can shop the Mad Men collection here.

An in-store visual reminiscent of Sterling Cooper's ad campaign for Playtex, "Are you a Jackie or a Marilyn?" from Season Two of Mad Men.

The tie bar best serves its function when worn below the breast pocket. I felt it best clipped between the third and fourth button of my shirt. I've read that some guys wear them higher for a "younger" look. Some wear them at slight angles for style, and some wear them level.

Movie Magic on a Cemetery Lawn

Cemetery screenings in Hollywood, Calif. bring classics back to life.

LOS ANGELES - I feel a sense of anticipation whenever the lights finally dim in a movie theater just before the opening credits. It's almost like boarding an airplane or a roller coaster ride that whisks you away into another world. But whenever the sky dims and the sun sets over moviegoers on the lawn of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, it's like departing on a time machine destined for another reality that exists in the vaults of Hollywood studios.

Every year, from June to September, L.A. residents pay their respects to old Hollywood at Saturday night outdoor screenings of classic films on the lawn of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, an eternal resting place for the stars on Santa Monica Blvd. Cinespia, the organization that produces the events, opened its 10th year of screenings with "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," paying tribute to the late Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away earlier this year.

While the thought of spending an evening among crypts and tombs at first seemed creepy, I was delighted to check this off my 'Things to Do" list after hearing a Cinespia organizer's interview on a radio program. I attended a screening of Alfred Hitchcock's classic, "Vertigo," a personal favorite of Cinespia founder John Wyatt.

Admission to the screening costs only a $10 donation. Hundreds of moviegoers lined up in the late afternoon to secure a good spot on the lawn in time for gates to open at 7 p.m. During the migration from the entrance to the actual screening area, you are greeted with impressive sites of beautifully constructed monuments and Art Deco architecture from the 1920s.

Groups at the event varied in age and size. The yuppies, the hipsters and the gays all came out in full force, many with incredibly stylish picnic baskets in hand, containing a variety of snacks and beverages. No price-gouging concession stands at this venue. And in the spirit of keeping the mood festive, alcohol is permitted at the screenings. Many brought their own selection of wine or purchased it at the makeshift bar at the side of the lawn. Some wandered the picturesque cemetery grounds, which is a Walk of Fame in its own right. While the property is beautiful and green, I was a little too creeped out by many of the tombstones, each displaying a holographic image of the deceased's face.

A DJ spun records until it was dark enough for a clear projection to come through onto the white marble wall of the cemetery's largest mausoleum, where the likes of Rudolph Valentino and Peter Lorre are buried. When the film started, people took their seats in low lawn chairs and cozied up with one another under blankets. Against a graying sky, over 2,000 movie lovers watched as Hitchcock's classic was brought to life in a spirited celebration of old Hollywood.

This weekend, The Hollywood Forever Cemetery will screen "The Jerk" (1979) starring Steve Martin and will show Hitchcock horror classic "Psycho" (1960) on Aug. 27. Tickets and parking are available at the event and online at Cinespia.org.

Like Cinespia on Facebook here.

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About Eman About Town

Eman About Town is a blog independently produced and written by SoCal native and LA/OC explorer Emmanuel Cayanan. Dedicated to documenting Cayanan's own meanderings as a man about town in his mid twenties and an entry-level professional in the communications industry, Eman About Town offers his guide to style, food, nightlife and entertainment. A shameless self-promoter and self-admitted narcissist, Cayanan has been blogging since his teenage years and most recently captured the attention of many with his travel blog, Eman In Italia in which he documented his experience as a study abroad student in Florence, Italy during the summer of 2008. Now a freelance writer for a SoCal nightlife and entertainment magazine and a full-time communications professional, Cayanan started Eman About Town as a means for sharing unique experiences, good eats and his own perspective on anything and everything as he strives to achieve the marks of a worldly, well-rounded gentleman.

To stay connected, follow @EmanAboutTown on Twitter.