Lonely Planet - Lonely Planet Discover California

This Is California

Everyone heads to the Golden State to find fame and fortune but you can do better. Come for the landscape, stay for sensational food, and glimpse the future in the making on Americas creative coast.

California is older than it seems. Coastal bluffs and snow-capped peaks created over millennia of tectonic upheavals threatened to shake California right off the continent. And after unchecked 19th-century mining, logging and oil drilling threatened to undermine its ancient natural splendors, Californias pioneering environmentalists rescued about 2.5 million acres of old-growth trees. Conservation initiatives by John Muir and his Sierra Club created Yosemite National Park and Redwood National & State Parks, and though Unesco named them World Heritage sites, visitors call them simply breathtaking.

Every time they sit down to eat, Californians have nationwide impact. Since California produces most US fresh produce and specialty meats, minor menu decisions go a long way. Californians are taking trendsetting stands on mealtime moral dilemmas: certified organic versus spray-free, grass-fed versus grain-finished, farm-to-table versus urban-garden grown, veganism versus humanely raised meats. But no matter what you order, its likely to be local and creative, and it better be good Californians compulsively share their dining experiences via social-media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Yelp, all created here. For a chaser, try a stiff drink: California produces the nations most prestigious wines, and has more breweries than any other state.

Californians are once again getting by on their wits. From the Gold Rush to the dot-com bubble, California has survived booms and busts and the current US recession is no different. Trends are started here not by moguls in offices, but by a motley crowd of surfers, artists and dreamers concocting the out-there ideas behind skateboarding, interactive art and biotechnology. The Creative Class research institute predicts that California has the talent and technology to stage another economic comeback and if you linger in California galleries and cafes, you may actually see the future coming.

Trends are kickstarted here by a motley crowd of surfers, artists and dreamers.

Cable car (), San Francisco
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Californias Top Experiences

Ancient Redwood Forests

Ditch the cell phone and hug a tree, man. And why not start with the worlds tallest trees: redwoods? Californias towering giants grow along much of the coast, from Big Sur north to the Oregon border. Its possible to cruise past these trees or even drive right through them at old-fashioned tourist traps but nothing compares to the awe youll feel while walking underneath these ancient ones. Meditate at Muir Woods National Monument ( ).

Redwood National Park ()
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Pacific Coast Highway

Make your escape from traffic-jammed freeways and cruise the coast in the slow lane (). Californias coastal highways snake past sea cliffs and beach towns. PCH (the generic term for the route) connects the dots between major coastal cities, too: surfin San Diego, rocking LA and beatnik San Francisco. In between, youll uncover hidden beaches, rustic seafood shacks, and wooden seaside piers for catching sunsets over the Pacific.

Pacific Coast Hwy, Big Sur
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