Roundup: Freeway shooting; snow blitz for ski resorts; San Francisco meal deals; passport tip

Lots of travel activity this morning, good and bad. A freeway shooting is snarling L.A. traffic. There’s better news for snowboarders, skiers, foodies and globe-trotters.

Traffic alert: There’s been a shooting on the southbound 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles, and traffic is backed up for miles. Motorists are being diverted to the southbound 110.

Snowstorms on the way: Don’t be fooled by Los Angeles temps in the 70s today. Cold, rain and snow are headed for us starting this weekend, with Big Bear expecting 1 to 2 feet of white stuff. SoCal resort operators are “giddy,” say Times staffers Jia-Rui Chong and Paloma Esquivel, and they’ve geared up some great deals.

San Francisco meal deals: Foodies, rejoice. The 8th annual Dine About Town San Francisco will run Jan. 15 to 31, offering prix fixe lunches for $21.95 and dinners for $34.95 (plus tax and tip) at more than 100 top Bay Area restaurants. The list is expected to be posted on the website of the visitors bureau beginning Dec. 15. Keep watching so that you can reserve early; some dates sell out. Headed to San Diego in January? That city has its own restaurant week, Jan. 11 to 16.

Fast-tracked passports: This is a great time to apply for a passport. Wait times are about three weeks, and you’ll avoid a possible backup in 2009, when stricter border rules in June are expected to spur a surge in applications. For more, see my post today.

—Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

Photo: Snowboarder at Bear Mountain. Credit: Karen Tapia-Andersen / Los Angele Times

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 12, 2008 at 7:48 am by Jane Engle and is filed under California, Deals, Good Morning, Lake Tahoe & Eastern Sierra, Los Angeles, News, Tips & Advice, Northern California, Outdoors & Adventure, Rail Travel, San Diego, San Francisco, Sierra Nevada, Ski & Winter, Winter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.