From Wikitravel

California is on the west coast of the USA. Its terrain and climate varies greatly.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 5 Get in 6 Get around 7 See 8 Do 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Stay safe 12 Get out

Regions

• Southern California - Warm, crowded, home to the Los Angeles-San Diego megalopolis.
• The Desert - Palm trees, blazing sun, resorts.
• The Central Coast - Fertile and cool, remarkably comfortable.
• The San Joaquin Valley - Breadbasket of California.
• The Sacramento Valley - Sacramento and north.
• The Sierra Nevada - California's alpine and skiing region.
• Gold Country - Historic foothills to the Sierras.
• The Bay Area - Unique, high-tech, and one of the most beautiful regions in the world with some of the most open minded individuals anywhere.
• Shasta Cascades - Hills and mountains in the state's northeast corner.
• The North Coast - Redwood trees, rugged coast.

Cities

These are some of the major cities of California.

• Bakersfield
• Fresno
• Los Angeles
• Sacramento
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• San Jose
• Palm Springs

Other destinations

• Death Valley National Park
• Joshua Tree National Park
• Lassen Volcanic National Park
• Mojave National Preserve
• Pinnacles National Monument
• Redwood National Park
• Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
• Yosemite National Park
• Disneyland
• Lake Tahoe
• Napa Valley - Spas, wine tasting, wine tours.
• Big Sur
• Rock Creek Lake

Understand

Get in

All major road and airport entrances (including entrances from other US States) to California have agricultural inspection stations to ensure that some fruits and vegetables do not cross into a region where they may come into contact with the farms in the Central Valley. Often, travellers are subject to border inspection (somewhat strict for domestic travel) and asked if they have been on a farm or are carrying organic matter with them. These measures are likely to be increasingly stringent as extreme biosecurity problems arise from travel-carried fruit and vegetables, imported plants and animals, or even from packing material that may carry bioinvader species.

Get around

California is the third largest state in terms of land size, and is larger than many countries. However, getting around California can be quite simple. In addition to interstates and US highways, California has one of the most expansive state highway systems in the United States. As with all trips in the United States, a car is usually the best way to get around and see all destinations. However the trip from the top of California to the bottom can take well over ten hours. Flying may be a more reasonable option. Many major (like American and United) and low fare airlines (like jetBlue and Southwest) link cities within the state of California.

Beware that some major freeways may have potholes.

See

• California Wildflower Hotline, (818) 768-3533, [1]. From March through May, the California Wildflower Hotline at (818) 768-3533 or visit www.theodorepayne.org offers the latest information on the best places to view wildflowers throughout California. The hotline and website are updated every Thursday evening. The hotline covers Southern California and the website covers the entire state. More than 90 wildflower sites are included. The hotline, now in its 25th year, is operated by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants, Inc.

Do

• Rudy Colombini's Center for the Performing Arts, 1353 Bush St, San Francisco, 415 240-5554, [2]. Music museum, cafe, nightclub, and performing arts space.
• Rock ‘n' Roll Hall of Fame, 1335 Bush St, San Francisco, [3]. Exhibits focused on musicians from San Francisco and who changed the San Francisco music scene.
• Raft the Tuolumne River, 6529 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, [4]. River rafting trips on the nearby Class IV Tuolumne River.
• Palm Springs International Film Festival, Palm Springs [5] Held first 2 weeks of January. One of the largest film festivals in North America. Open to the public. Star studded black tie gala open to public with purchase of gala tickets.
• Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, Palm Springs [6] Largest short film festival in North America. 2nd largest in the world. An Academy sanctioned Festival. 50 of the short flms screened at this festival have been nominated for Academy Awards. The public can meet up and coming directors and actors at special parties. Held Aug 24-30th, 2006.

Eat

Drink

Stay safe

Get out

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