Introducing California
The moment you arrive in the Golden State, you may suspect you’ve been cast as the ingenue in a road-trip movie. Everything seems staged for a script riddled with exclamation points: no way are they going to surf those skyscraper-sized waves at Mavericks! That can’t be the Terminator in the governor’s mansion – in his second term! Brrrrrrr...don’t all those naked people ever get cold?!
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Even if you’ve seen it on TV, California still comes as a shock to the system. The Venice Beach's skateboarders, San Francisco's same-sex-wedding planners, Santa Cruz's wild-mushroom hunters, Rodeo Dr-pillaging trophy wives and cheerful San Diego's doomsday cult members aren’t on different channels. They live here.
Unless you want to stir up old NorCal/SoCal rivalries dating from the 19th century – a diverting local pastime when played with good sports – don’t get Californians started about water. NorCal scolds SoCal for watering its lawns and filling its pools with water piped in from the Sierras, while SoCal points out that NorCal shouldn’t talk with its mouth full of organic veggies grown in the Sierras-irrigated Central Valley.
You might not get a word in edgewise when it comes to technology or the environment – but listen up, because those wild Californian ideas might become the next big thing. California’s technological innovations need no introduction – perhaps you’ve heard of PCs, iPods, Google and the internet?
Once you get the hang of California’s improvised lifestyle, you’ll notice that plot devices aren’t necessary to get Californians to act out. On the contrary, movies can’t begin to capture how Californians behave when there are no cameras on. The Sierra Nevada Gold Rush, San Francisco’s Summer of Love, the LA punk scene, Silicon Valley high-tech booms: no screenwriter could make this stuff up, no matter how talented. Like any Hollywood blockbuster based on a great work of fiction, movies about California can’t compare to the original. But don’t just sit back and enjoy the show – California is the place to take part and make a scene. Other places on the planet have their wow factor, but there’s only one region that so consistently merits the delighted disbelief of a long, drawn-out ‘Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!’
Ready to go?
These tours & activities make it easy:
- Explore the best of the Western USA on a 15-day camping adventure
- Discover the highlights of California in 8 days
- See the best of San Francisco and visit Alcatraz on a city tour
- Hike, bike and kayak your way around Monterey and Yosemite
Last updated: Jan 24, 2013
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Hotels & Hostels in California
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Best Western Plus Heritage Inn Rancho Cucamonga/Ontario
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California
Things to do
- All things to do (3,552)
- Activities (698)
- Entertainment (630)
- Restaurants (909)
- Shopping (413)
- Sights (868)
- Tours (71)
Make it happen
Our Top Picks For California
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1 Disneyland
Rocketing through Space Mountain, watching glorious fireworks and meeting Mickey in unexpected places
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2 Lassen Volcanic National Park
This area of Northern California is glorious, with dramatic volcanic landscapes, emerald forests and mountain-lake camping. Over summer the information center at Manzanita Lake offers ranger-led programs to help you learn a little about the local wildlife and culture while you gawp at the scenery. Check out the photos!
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3 Paley Center for Media
Nowhere on earth does it make more sense to watch TV in a museum than in LA. At the Paley Center for Media you can do just that. Better still, you can watch great documentaries and retrospectives on stars and innovators from the small and large screen. (Psst. Check out our list of best California movies. Did we leave something out? Let us know!)
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4 Big Sur
If rugged coastal scenery is your thing, then don’t miss Big Sur. Here Hwy 1 pulls out all the stops, scenery-wise. It’s an epic journey taking in hippie camps, smugglers' coves, lonely lighthouses and the Piedras Blancas elephant seal colony. Finish with a tour at the over-the top Hearst Castle
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5 Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The West Coast's oldest beachfront amusement park is still packing them in. Ride the ancient wooden roller coaster, stuff yourself with cotton candy, reminisce about the Lost Boys - there is something to amuse everybody.
Fast Facts about California
- State song
'I Love You, California'
- State song should be
'California Love', 2Pac (feat. Dr Dre); 'California Sun', The Rivieras; 'California Girls', Beach Boys
- Miles of shoreline with guaranteed public access
1100 (1770km)
- Highest point
Mt Whitney (14, 497ft, highest in 48 states)
- Lowest point
Death Valley (-282ft, -85m)
- Tallest wave ever surfed in California
100ft (30m), at Mavericks, Half Moon Bay, 2003
- Population
36.5 million (the largest of any US state)
- Most annoying soap opera character Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering), Beverly Hills, 90210
- Worst food innovation
Smoked Salmon Pizza
- Value of gold mined in 2000
$155 million