Poole Matthew - AARP Frommers California 2012

California 2012

by Harry Basch, Tara de Lis, Mark Hiss, Erika Lenkert, Kristin Luna & Matthew Poole

Published by:

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

111 River St.

Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978/750-8400, fax 978/646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201/748-6011, fax 201/748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Wiley and the Wiley logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Frommers is a trademark or registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

ISBN 978-1-118-01731-9 (paper); ISBN 978-1-118-09978-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-09979-7 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-09980-3 (ebk)

Editor: Stephen Bassman

Production Editor: Lindsay Conner

Cartographer: Andrew Dolan

Photo Editor: Alden Gewirtz

Cover Photo Editor: Richard Fox

Design and Layout by Vertigo Design

Graphics and Prepress by Wiley Indianapolis Composition Services

Front cover photo: Napa Valley vineyards Dennis Frates/Alamy Images

Back cover photo: California surfing Shotfile.com/Ultimate Group, LLC/Alamy Images

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Opening up the world and the wonders in your own backyard.

Maybe youre finally planning that big trip youve dreamt of for years. Maybe youre ready to hop in the car and go where the road takes you. Or maybe youre visiting far-flung family and friends.

Welcome to travel for grown-ups. Where do you turn for help?

Dedicated to helping you enjoy and enrich your life through travel, AARP has teamed up with Frommers to offer the best advice on must-see destinations, from daytrips to journeys around the world. Well guide you to the best food, accommodations, shopping, nightlife, sights, and activities that suit your lifestyle.

And true to AARPs commitment to help you stretch your dollars, well show you how to get the best value, whether youre traveling near or far. Want to splurge on a fancy hotel and eat cheap, or vice versa? We offer all price ranges. And give you the flexibility to tailor your trip to your budget. Whatever you choose, whatever your budget, well make sure you have memorable and wonder-filled experiences.

So hit the road and enjoy every minute. Well show you the way.

About the Authors

Harry Basch is the author of Frommers Exploring America by RV and RV Vacations For Dummies and a contributor to Frommers USA. His books, articles, and photographsmany of which he produced in collaboration with his late wife, Shirleyhave been published internationally for more than 25 years.

Tara de Lis is a native Angeleno. She spent six years as the L.A. City Editor for Citysearch.com and has been published in L.A. Times Magazine , Gayot , dineLA, AOL, and CitySpots. Never officially off-duty, she spends her free time seeking out new restaurants and hand-crafted cocktails.

A third-generation Southern Californian, Mark Hiss is a writer and photographer who has spent more than 25 years in San Diego. He was founding editor of both the visitor guide Where San Diego and Performances, the playbill magazine for the citys leading performing arts venues. He is also a recovering publicist who spent many years working for several of San Diegos top theater companies.

A native San Franciscan, Erika Lenkert spends her time traipsing around the Bay Area and across the globe in search of adventure and great food. She has written for Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Bride's, Wine Country Living, San Francisco Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, and Time Out. Her latest work is an entertaining and cooking guide called The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining (www.lastminutepartygirl.com).

Kristin Luna hopped around a bit before finding a permanent home in San Francisco. Her intrepid spirit has led her all over the globe in search of adventure, whether scuba diving cageless with sharks in the South Pacific or hurling herself out of a plane at 15,000 feet in the Pyrenees. Kristin has worked on other Frommer's guides and been a contributor to Newsweek, Forbes Traveler, and the Travel Channel. Her work has also appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Islands, Real Simple, Sherman's Travel, Glamour, People, and Entertainment Weekly.

Matthew Poole , a native Californian, has authored more than two dozen travel guides to California, Hawaii, and abroad. A regular contributor to radio and television travel programs, he has made numerous guest appearances on the award-winning Bay Area Backroads television show, among other broadcast outlets. Before becoming a full-time travel writer and photographer, he worked as an English tutor in Prague, ski instructor in the Swiss Alps, and scuba instructor in Maui and Thailand. Highly allergic to office buildings and mortgage payments, he spends most of his time traveling the globe in search of new adventures.

How to Contact Us

In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful placeshotels, restaurants, shops, and more. Were sure youll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed with a recommendation, wed love to know that, too. Please write to:

Frommers California 2012

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

frommersfeedback@wiley.com

Advisory & Disclaimer

Travel information can change quickly and unexpectedly, and we strongly advise you to confirm important details locally before traveling, including information on visas, health and safety, traffic and transport, accommodations, shopping, and eating out. We also encourage you to stay alert while traveling and to remain aware of your surroundings. Avoid civil disturbances, and keep a close eye on cameras, purses, wallets, and other valuables.