California - My Wish List

California is such a big state that covers most of the west coast, so just because I’ve explored what was just round the corner in San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, there is still much much more in California that I’d love to see and do.  Here are just a few on my wish list.

One road trip in California that has always fascinated me is the Pacific Coast Highway.  It’s twisting, cliff-hugging, and exhilarating.  The Pacific Coast Highway begins in Olympia, Washington, and over 1,500 miles later you’ll arrive in San Diego.  http://www.roadtripusa.com/routes/pacificcoast/pacificcoast.html.  I’d love to do either all or parts of the highway on another trip to California.

Pacific Coast Highway. Photo found online.

A national park along the Pacific Coast Highway is another place on my wish list, Redwood National and State Parks.  http://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm.  This park has some of the oldest and tallest trees.

Another National Park that’s on the wish list is the Sequoia National Forrest - http://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm.  It has giant trees and is a huge canyon area.

A place on my wish list and a location I’m half tempted to go to this summer is Yosemite National Park.  Anyone interested in coming with me?  Here’s where to get helpful information on planning a trip to Yosemite - http://yosemitepark.com/, http://www.myyosemitepark.com/ and http://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm.  I’m not entirely an outdoor girl, but I love seeing the animals and seeing the breathtaking scenes including the waterfalls.  I’ve heard it rivals Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, which I loved.  I want to see Bridal Veil Falls which is 620 feet high and El Capitan.  It’s just amazing looking.

Yosemite National Park. Photo found online.

This week, we’ve looked at what I’ve done and what I’d like to do in California.  Do you know of any places I should include on my wish list for California?  If so, please leave a comment below.  It’s amazing what you’ll find just round the corner.  Next week, we’ll look at Colorado!

California - Los Angeles

This post is coming at the PERFECT time.  I’ve scheduled this post on Los Angeles to appear on the blog at the same time as I’m landing in Los Angeles on my way to vacation in Australia.  I’ve visited Los Angeles twice.

First, you have to visit Hollywood Blvd and the Walk of Fame.  It did surprise me because it’s more of a tourist stop than glamorous and there were no famous people!  None.  But, you’ve got to go to say you’ve been there.  The Walk of Fame (http://www.walkoffame.com/) is where the famous people’s handprints are.  While you’re down there, look at the surrounding mountains to see the big HOLLYWOOD sign.

Hollywood sign from Hollywood Blvd.  Photo taken by me.

We did see the red carpet for the premiere of The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) at Kodak Theater within the Hollywood & Highlands Center (http://www.hollywoodandhighland.com/), but we couldn’t stick around for the actors to arrive at the premiere.

We drove two hours from San Diego to Los Angeles’s Union Station, parked the rental car, and took the Los Angeles Subway System to get to Hollywood- http://www.metro.net/.  The subway was really confusing and we didn’t see many people taking it, but it was inexpensive, and very clean.  It also helped us because we didn’t have to drive through town, deal with the traffic, or find parking everywhere we wanted to go.  So, I’d suggest that no matter what town you’re in, look into taking that town’s subway system to get around.

Being the southern belle that I am, I absolutely love the Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles (http://roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/) chain in Los Angeles!  Its good ole soul food!!  One of my co-workers suggested it after seeing famous people on BET and VH1 eating there.  In the two times I’ve been there, I have not seen a famous person.

Two of my friends just recently moved out to Pasadena (home of the Rose Bowl) and I’ve adored their pictures of them checking out what’s just round their corner in the Los Angeles / Pasadena area.  They visited the Getty Museum and I thought the view of the skyline was pretty cool.  Admission is free which is even better, though parking is $15.  Be sure to check it out if you’re in town - http://www.getty.edu/visit/index.html.  I want to if I get out there again.

Two other places I’d like to check out are the Grammy Museum (http://www.grammymuseum.org/) and the Griffith Park and Observatory (http://www.griffithobservatory.org/).  I love music and to have a whole museum devoted to award winning music – WOW!  The most expensive ticket is $12.95, and they have various discounts on their website.  Griffith Park and Observatory has a breathtaking view of the skyline and Outer Space!  Plus, it’s FREE!  You can’t beat that.

Griffith Observatory and it's view.  Photo from internet.

This is just some of the many things to do in Los Angeles.  So far, we’ve discussed different cities in California: San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.  If you know of anywhere else in the Los Angeles area we should check out, please leave a comment below.  I hope you all enjoy my next post - my California wish list.  It’s amazing what you’ll find just round the corner.

California - San Francisco

I really enjoyed visiting and working in San Francisco for a few days.  On a free day, I took a Gray Line Bus tour of the city that included Alcatraz.  It was a great tour showing me the basics of San Francisco.  Because it’s such a big city, I’d suggest finding a similar tour to see everything and make the most of your time.  You can always go back and spend extra time at the sites you really enjoyed if you have more time.

You should start at the Golden Gate Bridge - http://goldengatebridge.org/visitors/whattodo.php.  It’s what people think of when they think of San Francisco!  You should check out the gift shop in the Round House on the south end of the bridge.  Also, you should try to walk across the bridge because it’s got a great view of everything from there and you get to say you’ve walked on the bridge.

Golden Gate Bridge

Next, make a stop at the Fisherman’s Wharf area (including Pier 39) (http://fishermanswharf.org/).  Be sure to check out the seals!  You’ll probably hear them first.  They are there year-round.  It’s also neat to see the fresh seafood that came in that morning.  This area has great shopping and restaurants too.

You want REAL Chinese food?  Visit the San Francisco Chinatown (http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/).  It’s the biggest and oldest Chinatown outside of Asia!  It is much bigger than the one in DC.

Alamo Square Park (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamo_Square,_San_Francisco) – you’ve probably seen it and didn’t know it.  It’s shown during the introduction to the 80s show Full House – remember seeing the row of townhomes with the city skyline in the back?  Those townhomes are called the seven sisters.  The park has a great view of the city skyline.

Alamo Square Park

Twin Peaks also has a great view of the skyline - http://www.sftravel.com/twinpeakssanfrancisco.html - though there is a very winding road to get up there.

I think Lombard Street is an amazing feat of engineering.  It’s considered the most crooked street in America.  http://www.sftravel.com/lomabardcrookedstreet.html.  Thankfully, the tour bus just stopped at the bottom of the street for us to see it and didn’t attempt to drive down the street.

Lombard St. Picture found online.

Another pretty place that I saw on the bus tour was the Golden Gate Park - http://www.golden-gate-park.com/.  This area is very pretty and if you have extra time, it might be good to go back and see the wonderful details of the park.

At the end of the tour, we boarded a boat to Alcatraz - http://www.nps.gov/alca/index.htm.  The boat trip was great because it sails underneath the Golden Gate Bridge.  Alcatraz is an island in the San Francisco Bay that had a real prison that was shown in the movie – The Rock.  I got the audio tour headset once arriving on the island and it told me stories of the prisoners as I walked around on the grounds.  I liked that I could take my time on the tour and pause it whenever.  From the island, you’ll have a great view of the city, the bay, the bridge, and the surrounding areas.

One side of Alcatraz.

The other side of Alcatraz.

Inside the prison.  Alot had the headsets on.

San Franciso Skyline from Alcatraz.  Picture taken by a fellow Alcatraz tourist, Will.

I spent another day with my college friend Tim, who moved out there after graduation.  I took the San Francisco subway, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) (http://bart.gov/) out to the suburbs where Tim lives.  The BART was confusing, and wasn’t heavily used, but it was cheap and I didn’t have to drive out there.  Tim showed me around the eastern and northern suburbs.  We visited the town of Sausalito (http://www.sausalito.org/) – such a quaint little town to walk around in. 

Sausalito

From there, we went to Conzelman Rd., a one-way road up a hill (north of the Golden Gate Bridge).  You’ll come back down the hill on Fort Barry and Simmonds Rd.  Tim took this picture of me when we stopped going up the hill and I swear I would think I photo shopped me into the picture if I wasn’t there.  It’s really high up.  Check it out!

Photo taken by Tim on Conzelman Rd.

The one regret I have with my San Francisco visit was that I didn’t ride on a cable car!  SHOCKER!  So, please don’t be like me and not ride one.  You’ve got to do it.  http://sfcablecar.com/.

These are just a few of the things I did in San Francisco.  Because California is huge, it will take a few posts this week so come back soon as we discover what’s just round the corner in California!  If you know of anywhere else in the San Francisco area we should check out, please leave a comment below.

**Pictures taken by me unless otherwise noted**

California - San Diego

I love California.  I have been there for work several times.  I’ve visited San Diego, Oceanside, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

I spent a month in San Diego in the spring of 2003 where I really got to learn the town. I’ve gone for one and two week trips here and there over the years since.

There are many places that I recommend visiting in San Diego.  I’ve found that the easiest way to see them all is by taking a trolley tour of the area- http://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego.  They are in other cities across the United States and the DC one is great as well.

The San Diego Zoo - http://www.sandiegozoo.org/  - is undoubtedly the best zoo in the world, in my opinion.  It’s huge so prepare to be there for the whole day and be sure to get on the tram that goes around so you can catch it all.  It’s definitely worth the admission price.

Old Towne San Diego - http://www.oldtownsandiegoguide.com/ - is one of my favorite places to go in San Diego.  It’s really neat to see the old stores, pick up a few souvenirs, and eat some great Mexican food.  All the restaurants are great and have outside eating areas that are a lot of fun.

Balboa Park - http://www.balboapark.org/ - is beautiful.  Balboa Park was built for the 1915-16 Panama-California Expo.  Be sure to take a picnic.  It’s a great place to gather your thoughts, chill and get away.  They have museums there as well that you can venture into or just walk around the park outside.

Seaport Village - http://www.seaportvillage.com/ -This area is a good place to get a view of San Diego Bay, pick up some souvenirs and get something to eat.  I really like the food and view of the bay at the Pier Café - http://www.piercafe.com/

Point Loma Lighthouse - http://www.nps.gov/cabr/historyculture/old-point-loma-lighthouse.htm - has a beautiful view of San Diego from up there as well as of the Pacific Ocean and North Island / Coronado area.

La Jolla (pronounced La Hoy-ya) - http://www.lajolla.com/ - Seals on the shore of La Jolla are pretty cool to check out.  They’re always there and you can get pretty close to them.  But, walking around town checking out how the rich live is kind of interesting as well.

Talking about the rich, you should also check out the Coronado area and the Hotel Del Coronado http://www.hoteldel.com/.  You don’t have to be a guest of the hotel to walk on the property.  You should check out the hotel, the beach, the restaurants, the spa, etc.

If you’re interested in Navy history or ships, check out the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier. One of my friends saw it the last time she was there and really enjoyed it - http://www.midway.org/.

Tijuana, Mexico is only about 30 minutes south of San Diego.  You can’t drive most rental cars into other countries so we parked on the US side of the border and walked across.  I wasn’t impressed but it was neat to say I had been to Mexico.  You are now required to have a passport, or passport card to cross the border. http://www.tijuana.com/

When it comes to food, I’ve found a few favorites in the area –

Souplantation - http://www.souplantation.com/ - is an all you can eat soup, salad, and breadstick place with different soups and salads every day, that all taste fresh.  When you’re on the road and eating out every night, you try to find these kinds of places.

In n’ Out Burger - http://www.in-n-out.com/default.asp - it’s a chain in California and in the southwest.  They have burgers, fries, and milkshakes and they’re all fresh and awesome.

Pat and Oscars - http://www.breadstick.com/index.html - another great salad and breadstick place, but they have other options that are yummy too.

El Indio Restaurant - http://www.el-indio.com/ - yummy inexpensive Mexican food.

Point Loma Seafood - http://pointlomaseafoods.com/index.html - you can buy the fish and take it home to cook or you can eat here.  It’s right on the water so they have a great view and great food!

Todai’s Seafood - http://todaisandiego.com/1.html - huge all you can eat seafood and Japanese food buffet.  YUMMY!  Come prepared to eat.  It is a little pricey but check around for coupons online or in the community newspapers.

Vera Cruz Fish House in San Marcos http://www.fishhouseveracruz.com/Fish_House_Vera_Cruz/Fish_House.html is really good if you’re in the area.  You can either buy fish to take home and cook or eat it at the restaurant.

Ruby’s Diner on Oceanside Pier - http://www.rubys.com/index.aspx - if you’re willing to venture out of San Diego, you should check out the town of Oceanside.  Ruby’s is a 50s diner with burgers, milkshakes, etc at the end of a pier and has a great view.  If the seas are rough, you might want to stay on land.  Last time, my team checked it out we got a little sea sick because the seas were rough and the restaurant was swaying with each wave.

Claim Jumpers - http://www.claimjumper.com/ is also outside of San Diego.  You better come starving because Claim Jumpers is good family cooking food and HUGE portions.  All of the food there is yummy.

A favorite chocolate chain I like to go to in the San Diego area is Sees Candy - http://www.sees.com/.  They give a free sample.  I love their truffles!  Yummy!

One popular chain in California that I didn’t like was Del Taco.  It’s nasty and very greasy.  Keep away.

These are just a few of the things I like to do in San Diego.  If you know of anywhere else in the San Diego area we should check out, please leave a comment below.  Later this week, I’ll share about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the other places in California that I’d like to visit.  Then, next week, we’ll explore what’s just round the corner in Colorado.

**Pictures were taken by me **