California Cities - Travel Guide

• * Beverly Hills, one of the richest cities in the USA. Circuit: well-kept roads, villas of the stars.

• * City Hall, * El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park,
  * Farmers Market, * Little Tokyo
  
  
• *** Getty Center, an international cultural and philanthropic organization who's objective is education, the study and preservation of masterpieces. Sculptures, manuscripts, paintings, drawings, photographs. The new museum opened in 1997 on a 40 hectare piece of land, 10 of which are constructed. The project cost one billion dollars, making the Getty Center the most important cultural center in the world. Magnificent views downtown skyscrapers, the Pacific Ocean and the San Bernardino Mountains Collections: sculptures, manuscripts, paintings, drawings, furniture, photographs. Length of the visit: 1 day.
  
  
• * Hollywood, the dream-factory is situated at the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains. A hundred years ago this fertile land was bought by the real estate agent Harvey Wilcox. The movie businessmen Samuel Goldwin (MGM), Carl Laemmle (Universal) and William Fox (Fox) made their first films in the old stable of the Hollywood ranch, thus becoming the name of the city. Their objective was to take advantage of the new legislation favorable to the movie industry, the almost constant blue skies and cheap labor. Sightseeing : * Hollywood Boulevard whose sidewalks are decorated with stars marked with the names of celebrities, Sunset Boulevard, museums.
  

• * Queen Mary, the luxurious ocean liner turned into a hotel (365 cabins and 3 restaurants) anchored at Long Beach.
  
  
• *** Los Angeles County Museum presents rich collections of American, Chinese, Korean, Japanese art, costumes and fabrics, modern and contemporary art, European paintings and sculptures, photographs and drawings.
  
  
• * Malibu has the most beautiful beaches of Los Angeles.
  
  
• * Mann's Chinese Theater Sidewalks are imprinted with signatures, hands, and feet of Hollywood stars.
  
  
• * The Museum of Modern Art (MOCA) has 400 paintings, sculptures, photographs, and drawings.
  
  Today we can visit the 16 hectares of Universal Studios which is also a thematic attraction park, a visit of the movie stages and animations explaining the special effects used throughout the cinematographic moments of the company.

• * Historic houses of the city, * Cannery Row, the nearest city to * Pacific Grove with numerous Victorian houses.
  
  
• ** Bay Aquarium situated on Cannery Row, is the biggest aquarium in the USA with over 6,000 marine creatures and their biosphere.

• ** Old city founded in 1875.
  
  
• * Norton Simon Art Museum
  
  
• ** Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery - Collis Huntington had a shop in the State of New York before becoming a gold digger in California. It is not gold that made him rich, but the birth of the railroad industry. His fortune went to his nephew Henry who married his widow. She acquired numerous European works of art, while her husband assembled the most important collection in the world of manuscripts dealing with the history of England and the United States.
  

Sightseeing: the * California State Capitol

• *Balboa Park, * Maritime Museum, *Seaport Village
  
  
• ** La Jolla, pretty city on the coast.
  
  
• ** SeaWorld, attraction park who's theme is marine life (aquariums, dolphin shows etc.).

• * Alamo Square Victorian treasures, this row of houses called "Postcard Row" is one of the most-photographed residential streets in America.
  
  
• * Alcatraz Island From the mid 1930's until the mid 1960's, Alcatraz was America's premier maximum-security prison, the final stop for the nation's most famous inmates such as Al Capone. Alcatraz Island - San Francisco Bay
  
  
• ** San Francisco Bay and its magnificent panoramas.
  
  
• *The Cable Car is a picturesque tram that moves by a system of cables. Of the original 180 kms built in 1873, only 17 kms of lines are left. The Cable Car was designated Historical Monument in 1964.
  
  
• * Cannery at Fishermans's Warf is the old cannery building of the Del Monte Company. Today the building has shops, restaurants and art galleries. Concerts and poem recitals under the olive trees in the interior court.
  
  
• * Chinatown is the biggest Chinese city built outside of China. The inhabitants are Asian, descendants of the railroad workers that established themselves in the region around 1850 right after the gold rush.
  
  
• * Civic Center is one of the most beautiful administrative center in the USA.
  
  
• ** Wooden houses dating from the Victorian era of the 19th century in the residential area of the city.
  
  
• * Embarcadero Center is a shopping mall and a leisure center. It is an interesting example of the rehabilitation of urban regions.
  
  
• * Fisherman's Warf is a picturesque port with an Italian atmosphere that harbors 200 fishing boats.
  
  
• ** Golden Gate Bridge is the longest suspended bridge in the world. Twenty-five painters apply two tons of paint every week to maintain its' red-orange color. It was, at the time of its' construction (1933-1937) a technical feat and it became the pride of the city.
  
  
• Golden Gate Park, a botanic park including the * California Academy of Sciences, * The Asian Art Museum and the * Japanese Tea Garden.

• * Lombard Street became a tourist attraction because of its' incredible sinuous shape that includes ten " Z " and a 40% angle.
  
  
• * The Museum of Modern Art puts the emphasis on a collection of paintings and sculptures by American artists.
  
  
• Transamerica Pyramid is a building in the form of a needle built in 1972.
  
  
• * Wells Fargo History Room is a small museum dedicated to the history of California, from the gold rush to the great earthquake of 1906.

• * Winchester Mystery House

San Luis Obispo is located at the foot of the Santa Lucia Mountain chain, midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The city is a few minutes away from sensational beaches, hundreds of vineyards and the famous castle of William R. Hearst. Many activities are also offered, such as golf, art galleries, museums, festivals etc.

San Simeon

• ** Hearst Castle - Incredible castle of the press tycoon William Hearst (1863 -1951), built on the flanks of the Santa Lucia Mountains, it has become a national monument. It is one of the most visited places in California. Book the tours in advance.
  Hearst Castle Page
  
  

**Santa Barbara

• * Justice Hall , The Mirador, Pistoric arch of El Presidio, Cassa de la Guerra, Art Museum, Museum of History.
  
  Surroundings: Santa Barbara Mission, Zoo, Steam Wharf, Botanic Garden.

* Sausalito

An old fishing village that became the harbor of numerous floating houses.

* Solvang

Tourist city with a Danish influence (houses, windmills, folk dances and pastries).

*Tijuana

On the border of Mexico, it is known for its' colorful shopping centers. The best way to go to Tijuana from San Diego is by train that connects with the two cities every 15 minutes.

Credit Images: "San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau Photo"