California For Dummies

With two of the nation’s largest megalopolises — Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area—California has the largest, wealthiest, and most urbanized population of any state in the nation. Yet it’s also an agricultural wonderland, a nature-lovers paradise, a wine-lover’s dream, an outdoor enthusiast’s ideal playground, and more. In fact, there’s so much to see and do in California that you’ll probably have to choose.  With this guide, you can’t lose. It gives you the scoop on:

    * Northern California, including San Francisco, the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Redwood Country, Yosemite National Park, and more
    * The central coast, including the Monterey Peninsula and the spectacular Big Sur Coast
    * The Southland cities, including L.A., San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Beach, ritzy Palm Springs, and San Diego
    * Major attractions like Hearst Castle, Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo, and Alcatraz
    * Activities like hiking in the Yosemite Valley, biking along the Monterey coastline, cruising Sunset Boulevard, taking in the scenery on the Pacific Coast Highway, and more
    * All kinds of dining options, ranging from foodie favorites like the French Laundry in Yountville and Campanile, Patina, and Providence in L. A. to good restaurants for picky eaters, and great places to enjoy a vegetarian meal or incredible Vietnamese, Italian, Mexican, or Thai specialties
    * Can’t miss family destinations in various parts of the state, including Humboldt Redwood State Park, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the California Science Center, in L.A., and more
    * All sorts of accommodations, from new Treebones Resort in Big Sur that houses you in a gorgeous yurt, L. A.’s Chateau Marmont, with its Art Deco and Beaux Arts castle-style main building and individual bungalows, the Grand View and Seven Gables inns in Monterey/Pacific Grove with their spectacular ocean views, Chateau du Sureau in Oakhurst for pure pampering and four-star dining, and more.