California is not the promised land, but it sure has fooled a lot of people into thinking that it is. Gold-rush prospectors, dust-bowl refugees, midwesterners brainwashed by surf songs—they've all looked on the state as a paradise where their dreams would come true.
Most of them didn't find the Garden of Eden when they crossed the state line, but California sure does look the part: Fertile valleys are nestled beneath rugged mountains, grapevines cover the hillsides and the tallest trees in the world stand high above a rocky ocean shore.
Travelers may be the ones who come closest to finding a utopia in the state. There are so many wonderful things to see and do there that it's hard to pick what not to see and do. At the end of every trip to the region, travelers lay out plans for the next time around.
History
The indigenous Americans who had the good fortune to live in what became California also enjoyed the region's natural abundance of fish, game and agriculture. California had a thriving population long before the Spanish explorers and the gold miners came to the state. These indigenous people, tribes and nations consisted of the Tipai-Ipai, Luiseno, Cahuilla and Gabrielino in southern California; the Costanoan and Miwok in central California; and the Yuki, Wintun, Hupa, Karok and Achomawi to the north, to name just a few.
Spaniard Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first European to visit what is now the state of California. He arrived in 1542. But more than 200 years passed before Spain moved to settle the region, finally establishing a presidio for its army in San Diego in 1769. Soon after, the first of California's 21 Franciscan missions was built in the city.
The missions were established in part because Spain was worried about the territorial incursions of the Russians, who had settled along California's northern coast. But the end of Spain's hold on California came from a different direction: The citizenry of Mexico established an independent nation in 1821 and gained control of California and other Spanish holdings in North America.
When Mexico's short reign began, Yankee traders were already prominent in California: U.S. citizens, many of whom had married into landholding Mexican families, dominated California's business sector. The idea of annexing California to the U.S. was very attractive by the early 1840s and part of the reason for the U.S.'s declaration of war against Mexico in 1846. When the U.S. defeated Mexico in 1848, a large section of western North America, including California, passed into the landholders' hands.
That same year, a crucial event shaped the region's destiny: Gold was discovered on a remote stretch of the American River in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The subsequent California Gold Rush of 1849 transformed nearby Sacramento into an overnight mining boomtown, and San Francisco mushroomed into a raucous and randy gold-crazed port city. Statehood soon followed (1850), and San Francisco continued to boom throughout the Gilded Age of the late 1800s.
Starting in the second decade of the 20th century, folks began flooding to Southern California in pursuit of another sort of glittering prize: movie stardom. With the rise of the motion-picture industry, the Los Angeles area became the entertainment capital of the U.S. and, eventually, the world. But the state has proven attractive in plenty of other ways, as well: It has been a land of promise for everyone from dust-bowl farmers to immigrants from Mexico and Asia to new-age pilgrims to high-tech entrepreneurs.
Snapshot
California's main attractions are its inspiring beauty, cultural offerings, rocky shorelines, skiing, nightlife, the Monterey Peninsula, San Francisco, the Napa and Sonoma wine country, redwood forests, Los Angeles, Lake Tahoe, theme parks, national parks (Yosemite, Death Valley, Redwood, Lassen Volcanic and others), San Diego, Santa Barbara and Spanish missions.
Everyone should see California, but visitors need to plan carefully. There is too much to see in one vacation, so make your choices and leave the rest for another trip.
Potpourri
Looking for a free place to live? Try Slab City, 1,000 acres/405 hectares of Southern California desert near the town of Niland. Though owned by the U.S. government, the site is home to approximately 3,000 people who live in trailers, RVs and converted buses. The settlement has existed since the 1950s, when the first arrivals set up housekeeping on the bare foundations (slabs) of former military barracks.
Don't think that all California wine is made in the northern part of the state: There are quality wineries near Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles.
Southern California is often associated with films and rock music, but it has also been a hotbed for country music. Bakersfield, in particular, became famous for launching the careers of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, and for the twangy electric guitars of the Bakersfield Sound.
Do be on the lookout for whales in the water if you're driving coastal Highway 1 December-February. They're migrating south during that time, close enough to shore to be seen. Just about any time of year, you can also spot dolphins, sea lions, seals and sea otters near shore.
San Luis Obispo was the birthplace of the motel. The Milestone Motel, designed by architect Arthur Heineman, opened there in 1925.
Fort Tejon State Historic Park, near Lebec (north of Los Angeles), was the western terminus for the U.S. Camel Corps. It was an Army experiment where camels carried supplies from San Antonio, Texas, to California across the desert.
California is the epicenter for inventions as diverse as the Frisbee, the laser, the first 360-degree looping roller coaster, the vacuum tube, the egg incubator, the first digital (virtual reality) theme park, the television, the first radio broadcast, the freeway, the gas station, the seedless watermelon, the fortune cookie, the enclosed shopping mall and the Barbie doll.
The town of Zzyzx (pronounced ZY-zix) was founded by Curtis Howe Springer, a squatter who built a health spa, castle and radio station on government land in the Mojave Desert (you can see the turnoff for it on Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas). He used the site to preach his peculiar brand of gospel and to sell miracle cures.
The highest temperature ever recorded in North America was 134 F/57 C degrees in 1913 in Death Valley.
Nine counties in California supply all the artichokes in the U.S. The annual Castroville Artichoke Festival's first Artichoke Queen (in 1947) was the then unknown actress Marilyn Monroe.
People looking for the perfect climate might try Eureka. The highest temperature ever recorded is 78 F/26 C, and the mercury drops below freezing maybe once a year.
If you are interested in visiting some of California's more fascinating missions, don't miss San Juan Bautista (in San Juan Bautista), Mission San Jose (in Fremont) and Mission Santa Clara (in Santa Clara).
The oldest living things in the world, the bristlecone pine trees, grow at an altitude of 11,000 ft/3,350 m in California and Nevada. Some are estimated to be nearly 5,000 years old. The largest living things in the world are the coast redwoods, also known as California redwoods, which frequently top 300 ft/93 m tall.
Shopping
The shopping in California is as good as it gets: Visitors can find everything from funky clothes for the MTV crowd to priceless bijouterie for the Rolls-Royce set. Look for avant-garde fashions and haute couture, imported products and art, sports gear and entertainment-industry memorabilia. In San Diego, look for Mexican arts and crafts.
There is no place better in North America to shop for wines than in Northern California. The area's hundreds of wineries offer limited runs, vintage reserves and test-production wines that are available only at the winery. You'll also find gourmet foodstuffs in wine-country shops—from fine olive oils and vinegars to chutneys, cheeses and salsas. In redwood country, you'll find redwood clocks, tables, chairs, chainsaw carvings and boxes, some tasteful, some less so. Prospecting equipment is readily available in Gold Country, including pans, picks, maps and scales.
You'll find plenty of fresh fruits, dried fruits and nuts. The dried fruits and nuts are presented in numerous ways: dipped in chocolates or yogurts, roasted, smoked, etc. It's really quite fun to find one of the factory outlets in the Central Valley and sample all the offerings. (One stop we would highly recommend is Casa de Fruta, south of San Jose in Hollister on Highway 152—it has both good produce and lots of kitsch.)
Finally, you can buy excellent original art throughout the state. Especially large groups of artists and artisans work in Arcata, Mendocino, Sausalito, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Napa and San Francisco.
Day By Day
Several trips are necessary to appreciate California—there's just too much to see and do. We have come up with two itineraries that will at least serve as an introduction to the southern or northern parts of the state.
Southern California
Days 1 and 2—San Diego.
Day 3—Get an early start and drive north on Interstate 5 out of San Diego toward Los Angeles. Exit at San Juan Capistrano to see the mission and to pick up Highway 1. Drive north along the coast, stopping in Laguna Beach to see the shops. Go on to Newport Beach and either take time for a harbor cruise (or a ferry ride to Balboa Island) or proceed to Long Beach to tour the Queen Mary. Spend the night in Long Beach.
Days 4-6—Los Angeles.
Day 7—Drive north out of Los Angeles along coastal Highway 1 to Highway 101. Stop in Santa Barbara, walk the Red Tile Tour and see any other sights that interest you. Overnight in Santa Barbara.
Day 8—Follow Highway 1 north to Lompoc and the Santa Ynez Valley, known for murals, flower farms and wineries. From Lompoc, take Highway 246 east to the "Little Denmark" town of Solvang, a charming town with buildings that look like they've been lifted from a fairy tale, windmills, and Danish restaurants and bakeries. After you've seen the sights, take 101 back to Los Angeles and overnight there.
Day 9—Depart Los Angeles.
Those who would rather experience some of Southern California's desert scenery should substitute the following for Days 7 and 8:
Day 7—Drive east from Los Angeles on Interstate 110 toward Palm Springs. See the sights and overnight in the Palm Springs area.
Day 8—Depart Palm Springs, taking Interstate 110 east and then turning north into Joshua Tree National Park for a leisurely all-day tour on the main thoroughfares in the park. You'll emerge on the northern side of the park in either the town of Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms. Return to Los Angeles by heading west on Highway 62 and then I-10.
Those who wish to see Death Valley and other parts of the Mojave Desert will need at least three days to make the circuit from the Los Angeles area.
Northern California
Days 1-3—San Francisco with a day trip to the Napa Valley or Sonoma County wine country.
Day 4—Head south on Highway 1, pausing to visit Santa Cruz before continuing south to Monterey. Overnight there.
Day 5—Spend most of the day in Monterey, then head south on Highway 1 in the afternoon, possibly stopping at Carmel or Point Lobos State Reserve. Continue south along the Big Sur coast, drinking in the spectacular scenery. Overnight in Big Sur.
Day 6—Drive south to San Simeon and tour the Hearst Castle. Afterward, head south to Morro Bay, then northeast on Highway 41 to Highway 198 to Sequoia National Park.
Days 7 and 8—Spend two days sightseeing in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.
Day 9—Drive up through Yosemite National Park and overnight in the area (this area is especially busy in the summer).
Days 10-12—Continue on to Lake Tahoe. Spend the next two days relaxing and seeing some of the area attractions.
Day 13—Make the half-day drive back to San Francisco, pausing briefly in the Sacramento area if you have enough time.
Day 14—Depart San Francisco.
If you have extra time, a good route through the far northern part of the state is to drive north from San Francisco along the coast, through Mendocino County and Redwood National Park, before turning east to see the Shasta/Cascades area. Return to San Francisco via Sacramento.
Also within a short drive of San Francisco is Silicon Valley. Head south where you can visit the theme park Great America or the Tech Museum, or get in some easy to strenuous scenic hiking.
Dining Overview
California is a gourmand's dream. Some of the world's best chefs energetically combine fresh fish and seafood from the Pacific, abundant produce from the fertile farmlands of California and some of the world's best wines from all across the state. California cuisine insists upon gourmet treatment of fresh local ingredients.
But don't think you're going to live on just seafood or vegetables while visiting. On the contrary, California's diverse culture means you can eat all types of authentic fare from around the world, including Thai, Korean, Chinese, Indian, French, Italian and Indonesian. In addition, you can select from a wide variety of vegetarian dishes or from the Weight Watchers, South Beach or Sonoma diets. What California offers hungry travelers and residents alike is variety.
Take advantage of Mexico's influence on California—whether at a roadside burrito stand, at an elaborate restaurant with cuisine from interior Mexico, or at an authentic Mid-Eastern Indian stand for an order of humus and vegetables. Make a quick stop for American fast food, or take your time at a Italian or Thai restaurant. Anywhere you travel in California, you'll find a wide variety of food stops and restaurants.
Personal Safety
You can call 911 toll-free from any public telephone to obtain police, fire or medical assistance. Emergency services can detect your location from a landline; if you call 911 on a cell phone, be prepared to give your location to the operator.
Health
Several species of rattlesnake live in California, particularly in desert or semiarid regions and at lower elevations. Watch for the distinctive triangular head and a rattle at the end of its tail. Don't only look for coloring, as rattlesnakes can have a black phase, too. Baby rattlesnakes don't have a rattle, and cute as they are, they are just as dangerous (if not more) as mom and dad.
Generally, a rattlesnake would choose to avoid humans before biting them. If you are hiking along and hear a rattle, freeze, identify where the sound is coming from (you may never see the snake, as they blend in so well), and back away. Don't put your arms or legs under any rocks or into any holes you can't clearly see.
If bitten, immobilize the area and keep it at or below the level of your heart. If the bite is on the hand or arm, remove any rings, watches or tight clothing. And above all, get medical help immediately.
Too many movies have shown victims treating rattlesnake bites with ice or tourniquets, or by cutting the site of the wound and sucking the blood out—that's pure Hollywood. None of these treatments has been proven to help, and all of them can lead to further injury.
But for all the warnings of rattlesnakes you may hear, don't let it keep you from venturing out and enjoying the California outdoors. If you take the appropriate precautions, the risk of serious injury from a rattlesnake bite is extremely slim.
Western poison oak is prevalent along the Pacific coast. It can grow as a shrub in open sunlight or as a climbing vine in shaded areas, and exposure to its oils can cause an itchy rash and blisters. California kids are taught the rhyme "Leaves of three, let it be!" to help them distinguish the glossy three-leaflet clusters that look similar to an oak leaf. The lobed leaves are bright green in the spring, yellow-green to reddish in the summer and bright red in the fall.
If you think you may have been exposed, wash the area with Tecnu (a strong soap available at pharmacies) and cold water. Warm water may help it spread. The rash can be spread by scratching or bathing (take showers, not baths), and you can pick it up from oils left on car seats, blankets or clothes—or even by petting a dog that has rubbed against the plant. Mild cases are usually treated with calamine lotion and a determination not to scratch, but extreme blistering may require a visit to a doctor. And be careful what you toss on a campfire—inhalation of poison-oak oils in smoke can cause life-threatening lung damage.
Dos & Don'ts
Do be aware that California has 25 separate area codes (and they seem to change faster than the traffic lights).
Don't panic if you feel an earth tremor, but do take action if there is time: If you're indoors, stand in a strong doorway or get underneath a sturdy desk or table away from any windows—and watch out for falling objects. Do not go outside, and under no circumstances should you get in an elevator. If you're outdoors and you feel a tremor, move into an open area, away from buildings, trees, brick walls or power lines. If you're driving, pull over and stop away from overpasses and power lines, and stay in your car until the shaking has ceased. Remember, not every shake is a life-or-death situation. Though California is famous for earthquakes, most residents have felt fewer than three tremors in their lifetime. In fact, few have experienced a big earthquake. Generally speaking, you won't realize you've experienced an earthquake until it has passed, if you experience one at all.
Do be aware that park rangers at Yosemite will fine you if you leave food in your car and a bear breaks into the vehicle to get to it.
Do be aware that the legal drinking age in California is 21, and you must be 18 to purchase tobacco products.
Don't be surprised if upon entering California, your car is inspected more closely than if you were crossing the border into Mexico. Any produce or plants may be confiscated—the state's Department of Food and Agriculture administers strict quarantines.
Do keep in mind, if you cross the border into Mexico, U.S. citizens may be asked to show proof of citizenship. For longer stays or trips south of Ensenada, you'll need a tourist card, available from the Mexican Embassy. U.S. insurance is typically not valid in Mexico, but short-term insurance is available for purchase near the border.
Hotel Overview
Visitors to California will find every type of accommodation imaginable, from bare-bones budget lodgings to the most sumptuous deluxe hotels, resorts and spas. Along the coast, there's an abundance of bed-and-breakfasts, inns and historic small hotels as well as beachfront and cliffside properties. Many of these places offer Internet connections, which is great for business travelers.
If you are headed to the national parks, you'll get a somewhat smaller range of choices. To stay inside Sequoia or Kings Canyon national parks, you can camp, stay in cabins (some with private baths) or stay in the lodges run by guest services.
Visitors traveling up the coast to Redwood National Park will find the best selection of accommodations in Eureka, on the southern end, and Crescent City, on the northern. No facilities are available inside the national park itself. A few bed-and-breakfasts, motels, trailer parks and campgrounds lie between the two cities, and there are also campgrounds at nearby state parks. Hikers can camp within the national park (with a permit), but there are no developed campgrounds. Yosemite, on the other hand, is well-supplied with hotels, lodges, campgrounds and cabins inside park boundaries, but the vast number of people needing accommodations makes vacancies hard to come by.
In the Wine Country, you can choose from elegant country inns, bed-and-breakfasts, hotels, resort retreats and hot-spring spas. Choosing accommodations in the Palm Springs area is like choosing from a dessert trolley—making a decision among the villas, condos, casitas and resort hotels can be excruciating.
Geostats
Passport/Visa Requirements: Beginning January 2007, all U.S. citizens must have a passport when traveling by air to or from Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America and Mexico. Citizens of Canada, Mexico and the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda also must have a passport or other designated secure document to enter the U.S.
Beginning 1 June 2009, passports are required for land crossings at the Canadian and Mexican borders with the U.S. and for cruise passengers returning to the U.S. from Mexico, the Caribbean, Canada or Bermuda.
Reconfirm travel-document requirements with your carrier prior to departure.
Population: 36,132,147.
Languages: English.
Predominant Religions: Christian (Protestant and Roman Catholic), but most other religions are represented..
Time Zone: 8 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (-8 GMT). Daylight Saving Time is observed from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
Voltage Requirements: 110 volts.
Taxes
The state sales tax is 7.25%. Local taxes may add as much as 1.25%.
Hotel-occupancy tax rates vary by county and range from 8% to 12.5%.
Weather
California is a year-round destination, and its climate is as varied as its geography. A long coastline and two extensive mountain ranges provide moderating influences that make California both scenic and weather-wonderful. Summer is mostly dry all over, with occasional heavy showers over desert and mountain areas. Winters along the coast are generally mild. What rain there is in the state occurs most frequently and heavily October-April in the north and November-March in the south. The Santa Ana winds blow hot and dry out of the south in the winter—often hard enough (100 mph/160 kph) to close some highways. The interior areas of California, away from the coast, experience much greater extremes of temperature and season. Palm Springs, for instance, can have summer highs in excess of 110 F/39 C.
San Diego averages temperatures of 73 F/23 C in summer and 63 F/17 C in winter. San Diego's heat is moderated by ocean breezes, except during September and October, when easterly winds off the desert shoot the temperature into the 90-100 F/32-37 C range. Los Angeles enjoys relatively pleasant, mild weather throughout the year: Midday temperatures June-October average 83 F/28 C (though it can get hotter), and November-May, midday temperatures average 65 F/18 C. The thermometer seldom drops below 40 F/4 C in winter. San Francisco can be foggy and generally damp in the summer, and visitors will also encounter fog and rain on the far northern coast. Winters along the coast are generally mild.
Autumn is the best time to visit the Wine Country—that's when you can see the vines in full color and the harvest taking place. It's hotter than San Francisco in the summer, though not unbearable because there's little humidity. In winter, when harvest is over, winemakers tend to have more time to chat with visitors. In spring, the new vines are budding, and it's a popular time for bicycling through the area.
What to Wear
Sunny California's warm-weather reputation has spawned a booming tourist sweatshirt business in San Francisco—Mark Twain's famous (and unverified) line "The coldest winter I ever spent was summer in San Francisco" is frequently recited because it's all too close to the truth. The weather in California is, for the most part, mild and sunny, but expect morning (and sometimes evening) fog along the coast and cool mornings even during the summer in the Sierras. Because it lies on a peninsula surrounded on three sides by water, San Francisco can be socked in by fog for days at a time during the summer, when the warm inland weather hits the cool ocean water. San Francisco's most lovely weather is usually September and October. Southern California's weather, on the other hand, is almost monotonously perfect—morning fog followed by highs of 70-80 F/20-27 C day after day. Summer in the deserts, though, can top 100 F/38 C regularly, so if you're heading to Death Valley, Palm Springs or Joshua Tree in summer, carry plenty of water, strong sunscreen and a hat.
Wear layers, and don't forget a light sweater or jacket, and sunscreen.
California culture is generally laid-back, and conservative business attire is rare outside of the banking or insurance industries. Casual Fridays have expanded to most of the week in many California corporations, and most dress codes only draw the line at flip-flops or exposed navels—if there is a dress code at all.
Telephone
If dialing outside the area code you are calling form, dial 1 first. For directory assistance for a local number, dial 411; long-distance dial is 1, plus the area code, plus 555-1212; toll-free 800-555-1212.
Transportation
California has a number of major airports. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), one of the largest in the U.S. and a gateway to Asia and the Pacific, is 10 mi/16 km southwest of downtown. Many major airlines also serve the surrounding Los Angeles airports of Burbank (BUR), Ontario (ONT), Long Beach (LGB) and Orange County (SNA). San Diego International Airport (SAN) is another busy air hub in the southern half of the state.
Most people flying into Northern California will arrive at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), also a U.S. gateway to Asia and the Pacific. San Jose International Airport (SJC), Oakland International Airport (OAK) and Sacramento International Airport (SMF) are served by slightly fewer airlines. The nearest international airport to Lake Tahoe is the Reno, Nevada, airport (NVO). To best see Northern California, we suggest flying into the Bay Area (San Francisco, San Jose or Oakland), renting a car and then hitting the road. Major rental car agencies maintain branches at all of the state's larger airports.
Cruise ships dock at Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro or in adjacent Long Beach. They also stop regularly in San Diego and in San Francisco at Pier 35. Small boats take visitors to the Channel Islands from Ventura and Oxnard. Ferries to Catalina Island run from San Pedro and Long Beach. (Catalina Cruises operates a fast commercial passenger vessel—the Catalina Jet—from Long Beach to Catalina that promises a stabilized ride for those who suffer queasiness on most boat trips.)
Several Amtrak lines serve California from outside the state. Within the state, one Amtrak line travels along the Los Angeles-San Diego corridor and then on to Paso Robles, and another line runs from San Diego to San Francisco via Los Angeles and the Central Valley. The Coast Starlight makes a scenic run between Los Angeles and Oakland before continuing on to Seattle, Washington. Greyhound provides bus service between cities in California and to points outside the state.
Additional Reading
Snow Mountain Passage: A Novel by James D. Houston. Alfred A. Knopf (2001).
Big Dreams: Into the heart of California by Bill Barich. Vintage (1995).
Daughter of Fortune, A Novel by Isabel Allende. HarperTorch (2001).
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin. Black Swan (2000).
Tourist Offices
California Division of Tourism, 1102 Q St., Suite 6000, Sacramento, CA 95812. Phone 916-322-2881. Toll-free 800-862-2543. Fax 916-322-3402. http://www.gocalif.ca.gov.
