Lonely Planet California, 5th Edition (Regional Travel Guide)

2220 Pages·2009·57.69 MB·English

by  Sara Benson

Contents
Destination California
Getting Started
Itineraries
History
The Culture
Environment
California Camping & Outdoors
San Francisco
San Francisco Bay Area
Wine Country
North Coast
Northern Mountains
Gold Country
Sierra Nevada
Central Valley
Central Coast
Los Angeles
Orange County
San Diego Area
The Deserts
Las Vegas
Directory
Transportation
Health
The Authors
Behind the Scenes
Map Legend
Return to beginning of chapter
Destination California
FAST FACTS
Population: 36.5 million (the largest of any US state) Highest point:
Mt Whitney (14,497ft)
Lowest point: Death Valley (-282ft)
Area of national and state parks: 5.4 million acres
Tallest waves ever surfed in California: 100ft, at Mavericks, 2003
Miles of shoreline with guaranteed public access: 1100
Number of nude and clothing-optional beaches: 50
Annual tax earned from medical marijuana sales: $100 million
Proportion of US GDP contributed by California: 13-14% ($1.7
trillion)
The moment you arrive in the Golden State, you may suspect you’ve
been cast as the ingenue in a road-trip movie. Everything seems staged
for a script riddled with exclamation points: no way are they going to
surf those skyscraper-sized waves at Mavericks! That can’t be the
Terminator in the governor’s mansion – in his second term! Brrrrrrr…
don’t all those naked people ever get cold?!
The dialogue is all improvised, though you’ll note some recurring
themes. Recently the hot topic has been same-sex marriage, and the
proposed constitutional amendment to ban it and annul the marriages
legally performed in California since June 2008. Medical marijuana is
old news for Californians, who approved a state proposition allowing its
use back in 1996 – though the proliferation of marijuana clubs in urban
areas and rumors of mafia intervention have raised even California
eyebrows lately.
Even if you’ve seen it on TV, California still comes as a shock to the
system. The Venice Beach skateboarders, San Francisco same-sex-
wedding planners, Santa Cruz wild-mushroom hunters, Rodeo Dr–
pillaging trophy wives and cheerful San Diego doomsday cult members
aren’t on different channels. They live here.
To strike up conversation with a local, skip the weather and start in on
the food. If you say, ‘Nice weather we’ve been having,’ you’ll get a
puzzled look: of course it’s nice, it’s California. But ask, ‘So where’s a
good place for a taco around here?’ and now you’re talking. Mulling over
menus means taking a stand on issues close to many California hearts:
organics, veganism, grass-fed versus grain-fed, biodynamics, fair-trade
coffee, and the importance of buying local food (the New Oxford
American Dictionary–approved term ‘locavore,’ meaning people who eat
food grown nearby, was invented here). Californians will listen with
interest to your perspective, even if they do tend to proselytize about
their own – but once you try the food, you’ll understand the obsession.
Unless you want to stir up old NorCal/SoCal rivalries dating from the
19th century – a diverting local pastime when played with good sports –
don’t get Californians started about water. NorCal scolds SoCal for
watering its lawns and filling its pools with water piped in from the
Sierras, while SoCal points out that NorCal shouldn’t talk with its mouth
full of organic veggies grown in the Sierras-irrigated Central Valley.
You might not get a word in edgewise when it comes to technology or
the environment – but listen up, because those wild California ideas
might become the next big thing. California’s technological innovations
need no introduction: perhaps you’ve heard of PCs, iPods, Google and
the internet?
European and Japanese visitors may find it a bit rich to hear
Americans holding forth on global warming and the need for emissions
reductions, since the US is a holdout on international conventions on
these issues. To be fair, Californians helped start the conservation
movement in the midst of the 19th-century industrial revolution, with
environmental action groups, laws curbing industrial dumping, swaths of
prime real estate set aside as urban green space, and pristine wilderness
preserved as national and state parks. While California’s culture of
conspicuous consumption (à la Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous) is
exported via TV and movies, California’s environmentalists have
diligently chipped away at the glossy varnish Stateside. Since the 1960s,
Californians have trailblazed with sustainable foods and low-impact
lifestyles, pushed for the establishment of the Environmental Protection
Agency, preserved old-growth forests with tree-sitting activism, and
established the US market for hybrid vehicles (no small thing here in the
USA’s quintessential car culture).
Once you get the hang of California’s improvised lifestyle, you’ll
notice that plot devices aren’t necessary to get Californians to act out.
On the contrary, movies can’t begin to capture how Californians behave
when there are no cameras on. The Sierra Nevada Gold Rush, San
Francisco’s Summer of Love, the LA punk scene, Silicon Valley high-tech
booms: no screenwriter could make this stuff up, no matter how
talented. Like any Hollywood blockbuster based on a great work of
fiction, movies about California can’t compare to the original. But don’t
just sit back and enjoy the show – California is the place to take part and
make a scene. Other places on the planet have their wow factor, but
there’s only one region that so consistently merits the delighted disbelief
of a long, drawn-out ‘Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!’
Return to beginning of chapter
Getting Started
WHEN TO GO
COSTS & MONEY
INTERNET RESOURCES
TRAVELING RESPONSIBLY
TRAVEL LITERATURE
California is huge – in the USA, only Texas and Alaska are bigger states –
and it takes time to get around. You can ride trains or buses between
major cities and certain towns, but you’ll need a car to reach more
remote areas, including many state and national parks. Reservations are
essential during peak travel seasons, especially during the summer
months and around major holidays. But don’t let a lack of advance
planning stop you from hitting the road any time, because spontaneity
and an anything-goes casual lifestyle are what California is really all
about.
Return to beginning of chapter
WHEN TO GO
Any time of year is a fantastic time to be traveling somewhere in
California, but the ideal time for you to visit depends on where you’re
going and what you want to do.
See Climate Charts Click here for more information.
Most travelers arrive in summer, between Memorial Day in late May
and Labor Day in early September, crowding major tourist attractions
and causing room rates to spike, even at motels. Summer is prime time
for hitting the beaches and also the best time of year to visit the
mountains for camping, hiking and mountain-biking. From June to
August, festivals happen statewide. If you decide to visit California in
summer, try to travel midweek, when crowds are thinnest and rates
cheaper. The shoulder seasons (March to May, September and October)
bring smaller crowds and lower prices.
Along the coast, expect summer fog and chilly weather anywhere
north of Los Angeles. In spring and fall, that persistent ‘June gloom’
clears along much of the coast, revealing the panoramic ocean vistas
you’ve seen in Hollywood movies. In fall it can be warm enough to swim
in the Pacific Ocean, at least in Southern California (SoCal).
Unless you’re planning a beach vacation, winter (November to
February) is an interesting time to visit. The mountains turn into a
winter wonderland, drawing skiers and snowboarders to the slopes, and
whale-watching is fantastic. Chances of rain are greatest in the winter
months, but they’re still pretty slim unless you’re traveling in Northern
California (NorCal).
In spring (from February to April), SoCal deserts are carpeted with
wildflowers – if recent rains have been plentiful. Fall is another
beautifully temperate time for desert travel. In winter, overnight lows
can dip below freezing and snow-covered Joshua trees are not unheard
of. Summer is not ideal for venturing into the deserts, where the
mercury can soar above 120°F, although low lodging prices and sparse
crowds are enticing, mostly to heat-seeking masochists.
For year-round festivals and special events, Click here. For holidays,
Click here.
Return to beginning of chapter
COSTS & MONEY
California is not a bargain travel destination. The easiest way to get
around is by car. Rental-car rates start at $125 per week; insurance costs
extra. Gasoline (under $3 per gallon at press time) is even more
expensive during summer, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and in
remote places such as Big Sur and the SoCal deserts – as much as a
dollar more per gallon than in metropolitan areas. For more advice on
getting around, including via public transportation, Click here.
Like fuel, lodging costs peak between late May and early September.
Cheap motel rooms start at $50, while midrange hotels and B&Bs charge
from $125 to $225 per room. The sky’s the limit at top-end resorts,
where ‘basic’ rooms can start at over $400. Throughout this book, we’ve
quoted peak-season prices for accommodations; you can expect discounts
of up to 50% during the low season. To save more money, avoid the
coast and stay near major freeways. Click here for information about
lodgings.
You can lower your budget by buying takeout food instead of sitting
down to eat. For more substantial restaurant meals, lunch is always
cheaper than dinner. A two-course meal without drinks in an average
restaurant costs between $20 and $30, plus tax and a tip (Click here).