| With two of the nation’s largest megalopolises — Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area—California has the largest, wealthiest, and most urbanized population of any state in the nation. Yet it’s also an agricultural wonderland, a nature-lovers paradise, a wine-lover’s dream, an outdoor enthusiast’s ideal playground, and more. In fact, there’s so much to see and do in California that you’ll probably have to choose. With this guide, you can’t lose. It gives you the scoop on:
- Northern California, including San Francisco, the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Redwood Country, Yosemite National Park, and more
- The central coast, including the Monterey Peninsula and the spectacular Big Sur Coast
- The Southland cities, including L.A., San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Beach, ritzy Palm Springs, and San Diego
- Major attractions like Hearst Castle, Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo, and Alcatraz
- Activities like hiking in the Yosemite Valley, biking along the Monterey coastline, cruising Sunset Boulevard, taking in the scenery on the Pacific Coast Highway, and more
- All kinds of dining options, ranging from foodie favorites like the French Laundry in Yountville and Campanile, Patina, and Providence in L. A. to good restaurants for picky eaters, and great places to enjoy a vegetarian meal or incredible Vietnamese, Italian, Mexican, or Thai specialties
- Can’t miss family destinations in various parts of the state, including Humboldt Redwood State Park, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the California Science Center, in L.A., and more
- All sorts of accommodations, from new Treebones Resort in Big Sur that houses you in a gorgeous yurt, L. A.’s Chateau Marmont, with its Art Deco and Beaux Arts castle-style main building and individual bungalows, the Grand View and Seven Gables inns in Monterey/Pacific Grove with their spectacular ocean views, Chateau du Sureau in Oakhurst for pure pampering and four-star dining, and more
Like every For Dummies travel guide, California For Dummies, 4th Edition includes:
- Down-to-earth trip-planning advice
- What you shouldn’t miss — and what you can skip
- The best hotels and restaurants for every budget
- Handy Post-it Flags to mark your favorite pages
Complete with all kinds of planning tips plus actual time-tested itineraries, this covers the must-see attractions, suggests things to see or do that are off the beaten path, and answers questions you might not even think to ask, like where to go to get down and wacky the way actual Californians do, where to find great inexpensive, gifts, and even where to find the graves of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. With this guide, you’ll soon be singing, "California, here I come."
About the Author
Mary Herczog is a second-generation California native and is married to Paula Tevis’s prom date. She writes for Frommer’s and Wiley whenever she can, which is quite a bit ( Frommer’s New Orleans, Frommer’s Las Vegas, Las Vegas For Dummies, Los Angeles For Dummies, and more!) and she is so happy she can do it in the California sunshine. The rest of the time, Mary works for the film industry, which is a very California thing to do.
Paula Tevis, also a second-generation Californian, was born and raised in Santa Barbara, attended college in Los Angeles, and then moved to her favorite city, where she could cheer for the San Francisco Giants in peace. After an eclectic but blessedly brief career that included stints in the computer and nonprofit sectors, she and her California-bred husband produced a couple of lovely children, and Paula happily relinquished the 9-to-5 world for the 24/7 one that parenting brings. Upon regaining consciousness, she metamorphosed into a freelance writer, and over the years has contributed articles and essays to Parenting and Family Fun magazines, the San Francisco Chronicle, Citysearch.com, Frommer’s Las Vegas, and Frommer’s New Orleans. She is the author of San Francisco For Dummies, the Berlitz Vancouver Pocketguide, and Frommer’s San Francisco with Kids. Paula currently lives with her husband and their daughters in London, but reads the Chronicle online daily. |
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