California People & Culture

Hurt all over from sking (being a weekend warrior) on the slopes in Lake Tahoe? The 30 minute trip into Truckee is sure to please everyone- from the shoppers, to the drinkers, to the people watchers- a great day trip if you need a break from the slopes.

Go in winter. The scenery is amazing. Snowshoing to the seqouias is a moving experience and there are many less people.

Vast roads, long periods of no smoking and looking at beautiful people with not a lot going on in their lives or heads except keeping up. Keeping up with their neighbours, their peers, their fitness regime or the fashion mores of the style nazis. Place to visit, just once. The west coast is so much more.

A true joy, I arrived with a work partner from Boulder City, NV, we got our little airport map and headed towards Polk Street, crossed the Golden Gate bridge 4 times, back and forth, before we realized that there's a Polk Street and Polk Ave and Polk this and Polk that. Ended up starved and had dinner in China Town, was simply the best Chinese food I've ever had, Steamed plates of dim sum, stir fried beef, lomein noodles, and a fish (fried, with head and tail) that simply melted in our mouths. What a delightful city, hilly and charming. With people from all walks of life going about their busy lives and always willing to point two idiots towards their destination.

Healdsburg is an odd mix of charm and exclusivity. Parts of it welcome, parts of it repel (if you don't have enough cash, that is). But overall, it's a lovely, quiet place to visit if you're in Sonoma county. The downtown area rings a central plaza adorned with skyscraping trees and a central fountain; it's a wonderful place to laze away an afternoon and do some low-energy people watching. There are some charming little shops and some excellent independent restaurants (though the prices don't quite go to those stratospheric Yountsville heights).

For a truly shitty experience go to the Inland Center Mall or even worse make your way over to the Carousel Mall. Any real risk taker knows that to really enjoy a city, one must delve themselves into the culture. While making your way to the Carousel Mall, take a stroll on South "E" Street. The cracked streets and beggars are sure to make for a plethora of inspiring vacation photos.

Perhaps you'll find an open restaurant or two, but I doubt it. Who needs it anyway? This is the wild west. So snort some meth, take a shot and head down to South "E" Street for a vacation I can promise you'll remember forever.

It is so easy to misunderstand Los Angeles. It’s a vast place with a lot of concrete and a lot of cars, and many visitors feel threatened by that. But in fact, L.A. is a warm and welcoming city with some of the friendliest people in the world. After all, there is a reason why millions of people have chosen to live here! Here you have all of the resources and facilities of a metropolis together with a relaxed West Coast atmosphere and an ideal climate. There is a great deal of natural beauty, from the impressive San Gabriel mountains to the cliffy beaches of the South Bay. Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of cultural opportunities in Los Angeles, but you do have to take some initiative to find them. So don’t get overwhelmed by the sheer number of people and activities; plan ahead, do your research, and be prepared to discover that you might actually love L.A.

Blink and you missed it. This is as LA as Northern California Gets. Almost Encino! It's how Primus can be from CA and not be skater-punk.

For the gay travelers amongs us, do not think of San Francisco as an gayscene heaven. While the city is fantastic. the gay scene hasn't evolved very much since the late eighties. Youngsters under 30 should adjust their expectations. San Fran is no New York... The gays are older and still stuck in a Freddy Mercury mode.
Great shopping , culture and sightseeing though.

I love San Francisco! Street vendors, culture, diversity, music, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Seals, etc. Go explore . . . and feed a homeless person, there's a lot of them.

Go to the Festival of the Arts - Pageant of the Masters July - August. It is by far the coolest art show I have been to! Famous works of art with real people to music.

If you want to enjoy some excellent Mexican food on a warm night, definitely head over to Old Town San Diego. The main street is lined with many restaurants sporting large open patios, music, and enormous margaritas! You can visit the old Spanish mission down the street and buy some period souvenirs while you're at it.

Visit Bear Republic Brewing Company
345 Healdsburg Avenue
Phone: (707) 433-2337
Website: www.bearrepublic.com
Live music Fri. Sat. Hike Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve in Guerneville Have to go Wine Tasting, try Clos Du Bois, Gallo, Gary Farrell, Kendall Jackson, La Crema, Rodney Strong Float down the Russian River on a tube or canoe/kayak

Soak up up the sun on the Santa Monica Boulevard, ride the feris wheel for an amazing view and support the realy nice guy playing music on the pier.

I love San Francisco! Street vendors, culture, diversity, music, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Seals, etc. Go explore . . . and feed a homeless person, there's a lot of them.

Every Sunday Campbell hosts an open-air farmers market in the middle of Campbell Avenue. They close the street to all traffic so that the vendors can sell everything from fish to flowers to fruit and candles. Its a must do. They also have great festivals like St Patrick's Day with the handful of Irish Bars around the historic Campbell area, as well as an Oktoberfest.

A true joy, I arrived with a work partner from Boulder City, NV, we got our little airport map and headed towards Polk Street, crossed the Golden Gate bridge 4 times, back and forth, before we realized that there's a Polk Street and Polk Ave and Polk this and Polk that. Ended up starved and had dinner in China Town, was simply the best Chinese food I've ever had, Steamed plates of dim sum, stir fried beef, lomein noodles, and a fish (fried, with head and tail) that simply melted in our mouths. What a delightful city, hilly and charming. With people from all walks of life going about their busy lives and always willing to point two idiots towards their destination.

If you go, take a handful of quarters and an easy going approach as this quiet, hippie-esque community is very laid back. Make sure you eat fish tacos and walk out along the mile long pier for the sunset!

Downtown Fullerton is very nice. There is a Japanese restaurant that has all-you-can eat sushi every Thursday night start at 7PM or 730PM but you have to get there early because it ends at 11PM and they don't take reservations. There is also an Old Spaghetti Factory nearby as well as a Wahoo's Fish Taco.

The grey-whale migration is in full swing at Point Reyes National Seashore , one of the premier spots on the entire California coast to spot these enormous mammals. But there’s more here than just whales. Hike rocky headlands rising from the sea, scope the wide-open sky for migratory birds , kayak Tomales Bay , or stroll long, sandy beaches beside the roaring surf. On the other side of the San Andreas Fault from the Marin shore, the 65,000-acre peninsula is on an entirely different tectonic plate, and it feels like it too: this is the windiest, foggiest place on the West Coast. Except for several 19th-century dairy farms, the land has remained completely undeveloped since Sir Francis Drake landed here in 1579 to repair his ship, the Golden Hinde . The peninsula’s eastern side is marked by pine forests and the steep hillsides of Inverness Ridge, the spine of Point Reyes; west of the ridge the land undulates in rolling prairies and grasslands, with wide-open vistas of sky and sea. Get your bearings at the Bear Valley Visitor Center , the park’s headquarters. Pick up a copy of the fog-proof Tom Harrison hiking map . The Drakes Beach Visitor Center is smaller and 30 minutes from the mainland, but has interesting historical exhibits about Sir Francis Drake, as well as a good café . At the very tip of the peninsula, the postcard-perfect 1870 Point Reyes Lighthouse sits below the 600ft-high headlands—308 steps, to be exact—in order for the beam to shine under the typically high fog. Bring binoculars to spot passing ships and whales, and listen for the braying and barking of elephant seals lazing on the rocks. Make it a point to go inside the lighthouse to see the giant first-order Fresnel lens when the lighthouse is open. Even if it’s not, you can still whale-watch from the point. Because it’s ten miles out to sea, you’ll have a drop-dead vantage point on the migrating gray whales (December through April), an awesome sight! Whale-watching Road-closure Alert:
On weekends and holidays, from late December through mid-April, the road to Chimney Rock and the lighthouse—the top spots for viewing migrating gray whales—closes to vehicles south of South Beach. To relieve traffic jams on the narrow road, the park has initiated a shuttle-bus service from Drake’s Beach. For full details, read this . Beaches flank Point Reyes, some mellow, others fabulously treacherous. The surf is calm enough for wading at Drakes Beach ; its drive-to access and proximity to a visitor center and rest rooms make it good for families with kids, but that’s also its drawback: too many people. There are fewer beachcombers on Limantour Beach , and the birdwatching is fantastic. On the Tomales Bay side, the water is warmer and sometimes smooth as glass, perfect for little kids; head to Heart’s Desire Beach , part of Tomales Bay State Park —one of the state parks Schwarzenneger proposes closing . But for real drama, head to the Great Beach , a 10-mile-long stretch of sand that gets positively hammered by the surf; this is one of the few Northern California beaches to face almost due west, and it gets killer waves. Seriously. Listen up: Do NOT turn your back on the ocean here; rogue waves drown inattentive visitors every year. ( Read more tips and cautionary tales about beach safety at Point Reyes , including how not to drown if caught in a rip current.) Crisscrossed by 140 miles of hiking trails , Point Reyes’s most dramatic hikes are atop coastal bluffs, by the beach, and along Inverness Ridge. For the most bang for your buck—especially if you have out-of-towners in tow—it’s hard to beat the Tomales Point Trail at the park’s northern end. Park at Pierce Point Ranch, then trek over undulating grasslands, hundreds of feet above the surf, through the Tule Elk Preserve , with herds of wandering elk just yards away. (Stay back: they’ll charge if you get too close!) The moderately easy 3-mile one-way hike is long enough for most, but continue another 1.7 miles to the tip for stellar views of Bodega Head. For equally stunning vistas, take the more challenging Inverness Ridge Trail from Limantour Rd to the top of 1282ft-high Mount Vision (which you can also access by car from the other side). Near the lighthouse, the jaw-dropping Chimney Rock Trail has stellar wintertime whale-watching, and in spring awesome wildflowers. From the Bear Valley Visitor Center, the Arch Rock Trail is wildly popular, primarily because the trailhead is near the main visitor center; the four-mile trek to the beach shows off the peninsula’s varied landscape—pine forests, grasslands, and coastal bluffs—but you can’t access the beach at trail’s end. For a big, easy wow, take the half-mile roundtrip loop along the Earthquake Trail to see an 18ft break in an old wooden fence, a remnant of the 1906 earthquake—a must-do if you’re starting your day at the Bear Valley Visitor Center. A Note about Dogs on Point Reyes:
Unlike at state parks, you can bring your pup to parts of the park so long as he stays on a short leash (less than six feet long). The rangers are very strict about enforcement; remember, if you get a ticket here, it’s a federal offense. (I know, I know…don’t blame me.) Dogs aren’t permitted on any trails (except Kehoe Beach access trail), and they’re allowed only on a few beaches. Read the rules before you come.

Rialto Is A City In the Inland Empire, a city filled with gangs drugs and a lot of mixes of different races. Party's every weekend fill this city with ambiance.
Bring Protection when ever visiting IE.

If you drive a car into San Francisco, be prepared to either parallel park or pay a premium for a lot.

For parallel parking, you may have to do so on a very steep hill so prepare yourself! For lots, expect to pay about $5-10 for a couple hours, $25 and up for overnight in private lots, and around $50 per night even when you are a guest at a major hotel.

San Francisco is colder than you think it is. Bring a jacket or sweater, even if it's warm during the day it gets chilly at night.

If your staying in San Francisco its definitely worth a visit. We hired bicycles and rode over the Golden Gate bridge to Sausalito, which is absolutely beautiful.

Every Sunday Campbell hosts an open-air farmers market in the middle of Campbell Avenue. They close the street to all traffic so that the vendors can sell everything from fish to flowers to fruit and candles. Its a must do. They also have great festivals like St Patrick's Day with the handful of Irish Bars around the historic Campbell area, as well as an Oktoberfest.