Saturday, February 6, 2010

California





















CALIFORNIA


There is not one state that starts with the letter B, so it is on to California. My home sweet home. I am hesitant to post this because I know that I will forget something and people will feel that I did not do the state justice, but here I go with a bullet point overview of the state…

Starting in the North with Napa Valley, where everything that there is to do includes alcohol.

Spas and golfing prevail all over the valley where you can relax, get a facial and a mud bath, or hit a round before you head towards your romantic evening. From hot air balloon rides over the Napa valley and vineyards to limo wine tours, winery train rides, dinner cruises, and even bike and kayak tours there are plenty of romantic activities that end with drinking. Bike inside actual vineyards or after a hard day of kayaking be whisked away to what is deemed the best winery by your tour company.

For the non wine lovers you can of course still do bike tours, kayaking, and hot air balloon rides or you can enjoy some family fun with the Safari West Wildlife Preserve which is a 400 acre wildlife sanctuary that offers jeep tours and over 400 mammals and birds. You can even spend the night in a safari tent (don’t worry you aren’t sleeping with tigers this is a hotel room) or spring for a cottage.

Or if you prefer olives to grapes you can go on an olive oil tasting with Great Olive Tours in St. Helena or Round Pond in Rutherford.


The San Francisco Treat:

Obviously you have the big draws of the place—Coit Tower, The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Pier 39, but there also some smaller exciting places to visit such as the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. If you have time check out Golden Gate Park in general, it is an amazing place, there are lots of little areas within the park including the Japanese tea garden where or course they serve tea, but they also have some beautiful plant life. Take some time and recharge your chi by sitting on a park bench in this divine little spot.

After getting your fill of Japan, move on to Chinatown. San Francisco has the second largest Chinatown in the country (second to New York). Going down random alleys in Chinatown may seem a bit sketchy at first but you can find great souvenirs, fresh cat fish, and hot steaming fresh fortune cookies. You cant go to Chinatown without stopping by Portsmouth square and Waverly place, which both give you the community feel. Next to Waverly is the music center where they have a large array of Asian instruments. Of course also in Waverly place are the Tien Hou Temple and the Norras Temple. Chinatown is really one of my favorite places in San Francisco and you can get great tea.

Ok so you cant stop by San Francisco and not get photos of the Cliff Houses on Ocean Beach and of course Lombard Street.

Move on to Haight-Ashbury where you can run across some great vintage shopping and visit scenes from the movie Milk, and lounge in Buena Vista Park. There are so many different districts within San Francisco to choose from, but the Haight just gives you that hippie feel.

Of course there is a ton more to do while in San Francisco so do some research on the best museums and cultural activities that will meet your needs so that you can spend a couple days in the city and don’t forget to ride the Cable Cars!

If you have some extra time in the Bay Area head over to Oakland. Every little kid loves Fairyland because it is where fairytales come alive. This old fashioned park is best for little kids who will enjoy riding the train, seeing a giant shoe, etc.

After letting the little ones get their fantasy fill from Fairyland, take the entire family for a day at Lake Chabot where there are lots of biking and hiking trails to choose from or hike through Redwood Park, which has just that Redwood Trees! If you don’t like to hike then you can head over to Preservation Park instead where you can look at architecture from the 19th century, including one of the homes that has been turned into a museum

As you head South hit Yosemite National Park where you can camp, hike, see waterfalls, and conquer half dome. So much to do, so little time.

Santa Barbara/ Santa Monica/ Long Beach

There is no shortage of beaches along the California Coast, where from Eureka to San Diego you can find places to kayak, snorkel, and surf. What we also have along the coast line are Missions. Placed along the great El Camino Real, there are Catholic Missions placed by the Spanish when California was first being established.

While visiting Santa Barbara you can head over to Stearns Wharf where there are plenty f restaurants with ocean views. You can rent bikes, skates, etc and ride along the harbor. If being active on the beach is not your style you can go shopping on State Street or visit the Botanical Gardens, or simply dance the night away at one of the many night spots on State Street or if you didn’t get your fill of wine in Napa, there is wine country in Santa Barbara as well.

If Santa Monica is more your scene head over to the third street Promenade where there are 20 movie theatres, stores, restaurants, fortune tellers, street dancers, and more excitement. If you like the Promenade then you will also like Santa Monica pier which has a Pacific Amusement park and a wooden rollercoaster as well as shops and beach life. More fun for the entire family includes Angel’s attic is a cute little Victorian museum that has dolls and other collectibles displayed, but also offers high tea in the afternoons as well as the Magicoplois, a magic theatre that draws 150 people a night to the variety shows.

Yet another beach to make the list, Long Beach, which is known for their dinner cruises and Gondola rides, but also offers beauty such as the Earl Burns Japanese Garden and the Scorpion Submarine, a military museum which has the decommissioned Soviet submarine. Long Beach also has Shoreline Village which has shops, a waterfront boardwalk, live entertainment, and a carousel for the kids. If you are more than passing through you should spend the night at the Queen Mary, which is a ship turned into a hotel and museum.

Orange County/LA

Of course you cannot visit Orange County without going to Disney land and Universal Studios, but while in Orange County you should visit what I believe to be the prettiest beach – San Juan Capistrano. This peaceful (and less impacted) beach in California offers you beauty and serenity everyday. While in Capistrano take the kids over to the Zoomars petting zoo and bird park, where depending on the time of year you are there they also hold events or house special animals like reindeer.

When you get to the LA area, you will have to visit the Hollywood sign, I suggest running or hiking the mountain up to the sign where you can often see celebrities who often use the mountain for their daily run. I would also hit the Griffith Observatory, which amongst its numerous exhibits also has a state of the art planetarium. Something just as cool and exciting for the kids to see would be Watts Tower, which is made of scrap metal from bed frames, pipes, and even seashells. LA also has Exposition Park, which has a rose garden as well as other beautiful features.

Musuems up the wazoo exist in LA, including the amazing and worthwhile Getty as well as the heartwrenching, but definitely educational, LA also has various museums including the Holocaust Museum. After spending a day filled with education, you can shop, shop, and shop some more at the shops on Melrose, another place you may run into celebrities.

San Diego

San Diego is one of my favorite places in the world, and I have been spoiled enough to live there. One of the main reasons that it is my favorite place is because of the glorious Balboa Park which is home to 13 museums and a Japanese tea garden. You can buy a day pass and visit all 13 of them for about 30 bucks. Beautiful landscaping, old Spanish buildings, museums that change their exhibits regularly, and even an old lady who reads to the children in front of the old theatre, there is just something lovely and quaint about Balboa Park that you cannot help but love.

The best way to see San Diego, for those that have never been is to ride the Old Town Trolley. Start in Old town, which is just that a Spanish settlement that still has old fashioned candy stores and entertainment, this Trolley will take you all around San Diego including to Coronado Island (yes the same Hotel Del Coronado from Marilyn Monroe’s Some Like it Hot), the San Diego Zoo (totally worth it although not on the day you take the trolley since it is an all day adventure in itself), USS Midway, and Sea Harbor Village (which is where I like to spend my New Years Eve celebrating with dancing and fireworks).

If you prefer seeing all of San Diego from an up high view, you can take a hot air balloon ride, go skydiving in Chula Vista, or simply bike up to Mount Soledad, where you can literally on a clear day see to Mexico. You will also be able to see plenty of Beaches, including Belmont Park which has that beach boardwalk feel of shops, ice cream, food, arcade games, amusement rides including a rollercoaster, and bars and restaurants.

I know that there are 1000 more things to do in California. It is a wonderful state and no matter if you like beaches, mountains, snow, museums, zoos, botanical gardens, or anything else your heart may desire California has something for you.

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