California: mythical west coast

The optimal temperatures make this coastal city a paradise for outdoor activities and fun. Everything and everyone constantly takes advantage of the pleasant sun of this region, especially near the San Diego Bay, with its maritime museum that houses a decommissioned aircraft carrier. In the heart of the city, go shopping at Horton Plaza or watch a baseball game at Petco Park. Observe the giant pandas at the San Diego Zoo. Then have fun exploring one of the city's many neighborhoods, such as Little Italy, North Park, South Park, and East Village: these pedestrian areas represent the pinnacle of San Diego's rapidly growing culinary movement, its artistic scene, and the craft beer brewing labs. Start your tastings in North Park, the neighborhood that borders the northeast part of Balboa Park. Along 30th Street and University Avenue, enjoy the genuine cuisine and refined wines of Urban Solace or stop by Carnitas' Snack Shop, beloved by locals (the menu changes every day, depending on the fresh products available). To burn off lunch, rent paddleboards or kayaks in the sparkling Mission Bay of San Diego. End the day in the lively Gaslamp Quarter, where you can dine and dance until late at night. Treat yourself to the luxury of spending a night in one of California's famous hotels: the Hotel del Coronado, on the idyllic Coronado Island, connected to the city by an arched bridge that gives you the feeling of being miles away. Leave the coast behind, but not the sun.

From San Diego you either follow the I-5 freeway into Los Angeles or, if you have time, you just do the 65-mile drive to Dana Point where you can join the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy-1) that follows the coast across the pleasant seaside communties of Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, one of the largest communities in Orange County, best known as one of the places where surfing took off on the U.S. mainland. The history and culture of West Coast surfing is recounted in the fantastic International Surfing Museum (411 Olive Ave., $2), two blocks from the pier in the heart of the lively downtown business district. After Huntington Beach, Hwy-1 continues along the coast past a series of natural marshlands and small-craft marinas, then it bends inland to bypass the ritzy communities of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, passing instead through the industrial precincts of San Pedro that border the Los Angeles-Long Beach harbor, one of the busiest on the West Coast. Winding south and east from Long Beach. At Hermosa Beach, one of a trio of pleasant if surprisingly blue-collar beach towns, Pacific Coast Highway changes its name to Sepulveda Boulevard, the Tarantino-esque communities of LA’s South Bay, which utterly lack the glamour of chichi Santa Monica and Malibu. After passing through a tunnel under the airport runways—worth the drive just for the experience of seeing huge jets taxiing over your head— Sepulveda runs into Lincoln Boulevard. You are in Los Angeles ready to reach your destination for the night. Los Angeles – the land of Hollywood, Disneyland and Universal Studios, where life is as carefree as can be. With its ever-shining sun, palms in the breeze, movie stars with their fancy houses in Beverly Hills, wonderful museums, futuristic buildings, and surfing spots, Los Angeles truly makes for an unforgettable destination.

Along the Pacific coast, one encounters several iconic locations: Malibu, long famous for its long sandy beaches, perfect waves for surfing, luxurious hillside mansions, and spa culture; Ventura, where one can stop to visit the beautiful old town and stroll along the pier that stretches out over the ocean; luxurious Montecito, residence of many international jet set stars. Santa Barbara has a beautiful location on the hills overlooking the ocean, about 150 km north of Los Angeles. Destroyed by an earthquake in 1925, it was completely rebuilt in a Spanish style with red tile roofs and lime walls. To find what remains of the original colonial buildings, you must visit the 200-year-old Presidio de Santa Barbara or the beautiful Mission Santa Barbara on the hills. The main street, with shops, restaurants, and nightclubs, is State Street: from here you can reach the old Stearns Wharf (1872), with more restaurants and the fish market, in the center of a beautiful stretch of beaches.

You will climb along the most linear and sandy part of the coast to Morro Bay, with the famous Morro Rock in the middle of the bay. You'll then drive past the Big Sur area, with stops at the Bixby Bridge and Mc Way Falls not to be missed. This is one of the best sections of the exciting Pacific Highway 1, which was carved into the rock above the stormy ocean in 1937 and is now one of the most beautiful scenic byways in the United States. The centerpiece of Monterey is its magnificent harbor, Monterey Bay. The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary provides homes for seals, sea lions, dolphins, otters, and many more marine species. To learn about these denizens of the sea you can't miss the Monterey Bay Aquarium: to avoid the big lines at the main gate, buy your tickets online and get in by the Advance Ticket Holder entrance, which, as you're facing the building, is down an alley about one hundred feet to the right of the main entrance. Monterey County is known for its wines: stop by the Cannery Row tasting room for A Taste of Monterey, which serves wines from a number of different area wineries and has a breathtaking view of Monterey Bay. Don't miss Old Monterey. This historic district isn't just there for looks; it's still a thriving downtown. Many of the historic adobes are now home to fabulous restaurants and bars.

Continue along one of the most spectacular coasts in America, passing through famous destinations such as Big Sur, Carmel and Monterey. San Francisco’s iconic streets twist up and down its many hills and scenic bridges connecting it to the mainland – chief among which the red Golden Gate. San Francisco is a charming, multi-faceted city, regarded as a liberal, enlightened oasis in a rather conservative America.