California: “Swimmin’ Pools and Movie Stars”
Yes, California is the home of Hollywood and all the glitz and glam that goes along with that. For many people across the globe, this is all they think of when they hear the name of this west coast state. But there is so much more to California than what makes it onto the big screen.
Venture deep into the deserts and you will discover strange landscapes populated with Dr. Seuss-like trees, or the lowest, hottest place below sea level where cracked earth and a searing sun make you wonder how any flora or fauna can survive here at all. Travel the coastline in either direction on one of the most beautiful highways in the US, and you will see seals and surfers swimming in the warm waters, and picturesque communities and castles overlooking the ocean. Or split the difference, because between California’s dramatic ocean coastlines and eastern deserts you can walk among giant redwoods and sequoia trees that dwarf visitors and turn us all into tree-huggers.
And speaking of tree-huggers, California is where hippies led a cultural revolution in the 1960s and 70s at the corner of Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco, preaching peace and love, protesting war and leading the way to societal change that influenced generations. But even after tie-dyed shirts were exchanged for 3-piece suits in Silicon Valley, a laid-back California culture still survives in places like Surf City and the one and only Venice Beach boardwalk.
It’s why people will continue to dream of California and everything it offers, whether that is following in the footsteps of celebrities or discovering spectacular landscapes. There’s always something here that inspires.
READ ARTICLES ON WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN CALIFORNIA:
A Tour of Hearst Castle: Hollywood’s Ultimate Party Palace
The year 1925 would have been a very good time to be a friend of William Randolph Hearst. Not just because the media mogul was on the top of his game, making money hand over fist with his string of over two dozen newspapers and magazines, radio stations and Hollywood film production studio. But because this signalled the beginning of an era of extravagant parties at a palatial mansion he had built high on the hills above San Simeon, California – Hearst Castle.
Slaying Giants: Destroying Sequoias to Prove Their Existence
It’s the ultimate in historical irony: felling millennia-old giant sequoia trees in the 19th century as ‘trophy trees’, just to prove to the world that they had existed in the first place. Here’s what happened.
Cambria, California: More Than Just Hippy Dippy Charm
It's hard to find small towns that offer urban amenities while still keeping their original charm and slower pace of life that make them so attractive in the first place. But Cambria, California seems to have struck that perfect balance. This pretty coastal town four...
