This girl has never seen the beaches on the West Coast. Finally I have some vacation time and some resources...any Cali people have any recommendations? Thanks in advance 🤗
The Santa Cruz area has some nice beaches and coastline. Plus it has the boardwalk with a 100 year old rollercoaster.
I love it! Thanks for the info. That's exactly my speed. I'm really thinking about going for it. Even all by myself. I'll make some friends 🤗😇
The majority of California is farmland. In the South, you have San Diego and LA and then it’s mostly farms up until you get to San Francisco. San Diego is nice, LA is scummy for the most part. My personal favorite beach areas are the central coast starting on the South at San Luis Obispo up through Cambria and Santa Cruz. Once you’re above San Francisco up to Oregon it’s mostly forest. It seems to me that people have a misconception of California.
Years ago, my oldest sister lived in LA. Most of the family went for a visit, but I never got the chance. I've got 2 votes for Santa Cruz!! Thanks Morpheus for your input as well 😻
Chiming in............ I live in Malibu which is 'Barbie famous' and although I love MY beach its not the most public friendly place to enjoy the day. Down south I'd recommend Newport Beach and La Jolla for clean, safe, fun public beach time. There are tons of restaurants and well restrooms. The area of Big Sur might be the most scenic of the Cali coastline so IF your travels are taking you close to San Francisco this might be a great spot also.
@Auroradream wrote, "I love it! Thanks for the info. That's exactly my speed. I'm really thinking about going for it. Even all by myself. I'll make some friends 🤗😇"
Certainly! 🙂 I enjoy living up on the hills about 20 minutes from SC. The area is kind of basic in some ways--not exactly the big city--which is how I like it. (For a bigger city, there is San Jose that is within reasonable driving distance.)
Of course SC is known for its beaches and surfing. My favorite thing to do is hiking on the many local trails and of course the coastal redwoods. In one of my profile pictures, the tree I'm standing in front of is called "The Giant" and is very large--I was amazed the first time I saw it--and is around 1500 years old.
If you find yourself in my area, feel free to contact me if you want. Maybe I could show you around. The Santa Cruz Mystery Spot is a must-see. 🙂
@Morpheus wrote, "The majority of California is farmland."
Very true. I have lived in a few different places in Cali over the years (originally from New England) and every area had strong agriculture. As for Santa Cruz, there is a town called Watsonville not too far down the road with a lot of farming, as well as other places.
@KnightlyCuddles wrote, "The area of Big Sur might be the most scenic of the Cali coastline ..."
I agree! I've heard that Big Sur can be harder to get to because of the roads that were damaged in storms a few years ago, but in my experience you are right about the scenic beauty of the coastline there, and of course there is Hearst Castle, which is fun.
Also, the coastal highway heading north out of Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay is a very scenic drive.
Santa Cruz also is near the forest, you can't go wrong. Plus it's very safe for a woman travelling alone unlike some of the beach cities of Southern California like Venice
@HarleyGirlKate I'm so glad I started this thread. I will come to Cali! I'll look you up too 😁
San Diego is beautiful. And try the Mexican food while you’re there 😋
San Diego is nice. I'm from a small town in Tennessee and every California beach I went to was nice to me. Santa Barbara is beautiful. Always wanted to go back there. San Francisco can be freezing in October. But the advice from the Californians here is better. Southern California has good weather almost every day and is more like what you see in the movies. It would be my pick.
Oh yeah, for sure eat a lot of Mexican food while you are there. If you drive and go thru Texas, eat a lot of Mexican food there too. I miss that food so much. I wish I was 51 years old and going to California. How exciting. It's the best place in the world as far as I am concerned.
Avila Beach near San Luis Obispo
If you do insist on coming to LA, Santa Monica and Venice are probably the most entertaining and behind the orange curtain is Huntington Beach. I would rent a car. Public transportation isn’t the best out here and the MTA trains and buses in LA really aren’t the safest.
@achetocuddle IMO October is the nicest month in SF. Usually warm and an Indian summer (no fog). The coldest months are the summer when the heat from San Jose hits the ocean air and it can be socked in with fog
“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco” ― Mark Twain
Lol from a born and bred beach front Californian, including Malibu.
1st thing first, there are no private beaches here, it's codified in our law, so you go where you want! ignore buffy and biff giving you stink eye from their collapsing palace on freeway 1.
LA is awesome. In addition to our beaches, Museums, botanical gardens, observatories, incredible mountain hiking and views from the San Gabriel mountains above Pasadena, which is home to the breath taking Huntington gardens, Norton Simon museum, rose bowl which hosts world class events in a beautiful setting. The biggest let down is Hollywood but if you're into that celebrity racket, there's plenty of fun to be had there.
Among our best traits, We are a melting pot, but you can find little ethnic pockets for cultural enrichment and the well saturated, authentic ethnic food offerings. Go have real Thai food in Thai town, Korean BBQ in Korea town, tacos that will ruin you for life anywhere in East La, authentic Chinese from every region Hong Kong to Szechuan in Alhambra and Monterey Park, burn your face off Cambodian in Long Beach, little Ethiopia, Japanese in little Tokyo and Torrance, I could go on and on, and that's just LA. Ignore the haters. If you're feeling like getting a little ratchet after all your museum going green juice and hiking, we know how to party too. Rooftop pool Night clubs, underground parties, salsa clubs, live music, debaucherous entertainment galore.
San Diego is also enormous and awesome, immediately north of LA is softer slower, and quaint. North is forestry and foggy. Beautiful but very different from south.
Don't let anyone scare or discourage you and Choose your adventure!
@biancalovecraft my name is not "Biff" but there might indeed be a plethora of Buffy's in the "BU"
Besides that small dig, nice summation of LA. 9.3 /10 only cause perfection is just so difficult to achieve.
It depends on what kinds of things you like. I haven't been there in around 20 years (other than the rare visit) but grew up north of Los Angeles in the Ventura area, and lived in several different parts around Los Angeles for 14 years. LA has great museums (The Getty is a must see), and several Observatories (Griffith Park and Mount Wilson are fantastic).
The Santa Monica Boardwalk/Venice Beach area is great for cycling/skating. Further north of Santa Barbara is Solvang (prominently featured in the movie Sideways). More north along the coast in Carmel (has an amazing scenic driving route) and is close to Santa Cruz.
A little inland is Yosemite of course. If you're a science geek like me, Livermore and Stanford and Berkely accelerator may still do tours. Of course there's the Bay area and wine country, but just across from SF is Muir Woods which is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and further north along Hwy 101 are more redwoods. Mt. Shasta has some pretty cool caverns but not a lot else unless you're into boating on a lake.
A lot depends also on how much time you have. Even a lot of native Californians are unaware of it, but a gorgeous drive is along the eastern Sierra Nevada along 395 from Victorville all the way up to near Tahoe.
If it's beaches you like, Malibu and Zuma, while crowded (especially if you're going during summer) are pretty good, but nothing beats the areas south of Pendleton down near San Diego.
Hope that helps, and if you want to more specifics about any of this, feel free to either respond here or shoot me a message.
Also stay away from larger fancy looking Mexican restaurants. Go to the little hole in the wall spots where you see locals and someone’s mom and abuelita are running the kitchen with tio in his Dodger jersey on the grill.
I live in San diego and it's very beach forward and the vibes are nice and we have the best Mexican food
@KnightlyCuddles Glad for your input. I do think the year I was in San Francisco in October (the 80s) it was unusually cold.
Yes, the Mexican restaurants that aren't chains tend to be better.
@Vocalist100 You grew up in Ventura? You are so lucky.
I love California. This is the best thread ever, ha ha. And it's giving me California fever.
@Auroradream While you are at it, you might as well start saving for your 2nd trip to California cause you are gonna want to go again, lol. If you go north and inland I would try to hit Yosemite. I've never been but after learning more I feel like it's one of the best places up north, but there are so many, hard to say.
I love @biancalovecraft 's post and she did sum it up well. LA is interesting and I would certainly include that in a first trip to California. Plus the OP could compare her LA visit with her sisters. I hate that she missed getting to go to California when her sis lived there. It's different now.
You really can't compare north and south. They are totally different. And maybe it's just me, but every time I got in the ocean there it was cold, even in San Diego in September. I'm sure summer is some different. But don't expect warm water like Florida or southeastern USA.
@Auroradream i have not read all the previous comments yet, but I will, when I get a minute- where in California are you heading - I’m in San Diego - if you head this way, let me know, I’d love to meet you.
No offense to anyone from SoCal that is jaded? by it, but let my tell ya, if you are from Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arksansas, it is usually a thrill even to visit "just LA or just Malibu", both of which I like. But I also get why people are praising northern California...a unique beauty. I already had the impression that many people from SoCal tend to think north is nicer. It's all relative. If you were born and raised in Podunk, Tennessee like me, even living in Bakersfield CA is great. You never hear anyone say "if only I could have grown up in Middle Tennessee", lol.
@KnightlyCuddles why Thank you, I'm happy to be of service, and if you will forgive the dig, Malibu royalty illegal beach hoarding antics are well known and frowned upon by the other citizens of this enormous state for good reason, so I take every opportunity to welcome tourists to our lovely PUBLIC beaches in Malibu.
@achetocuddle it sounds like you're due for a visit 😊 North is beautiful but a lot of the beaches are rocky and cold. It depends if you want action and to be entertained or quiet and to be soothed.
Also in my not so humble opinion, the biggest danger on any ca beach is the rip tide, and almost none of them are free of that.
That's the thing about north. There is no lying on the beach and being comfy in a bathing suit or tee and shorts. Much less getting in the water unless you are tough or wearing special gear.
I never thought of the southern beaches as being dangerous but it was the 80s and I wasn't alone. And I didn't go to that many.
I don't have the stamina and good health to travel but if I did northern and southern CA would be my 1st pick. In separate trips.
It was 93 in Sacramento today (NorCal) so I don't recommend my end of the valley till Halloween. My cousins live in Carlsbad and I just love the beach there. Fire pits, sand, and a great vibe. Close to San Diego too. I lived in SD for 5 years. Inland can be hot, the beaches are great but in a different way than North of LA. Balboa Park and old town are very dear to me. Sunset Cliffs as well. No one mentioned the LA Brea Tar Pits in LA they are the best but this girl would also send you to the Mammoth site in South Dakota so there's that. Catalina Island is loaded with charm and Buffalo.
From my homebase the possibilities are kinda endless. You really can't go wrong. Just decide on the activities you want to do and then pick a base to launch from. Santa Cruz is great and is a short hop to Monterey, San Francisco, & San José. Driving up the coast highway to Fort Ross is spectacular.
The hardest part of visiting California is figuring out a reasonable amount of adventure. The possibilities are endless. Have a blast.
@hoping4snugs I am in Carlsbad! I can walk to the beach from my house and it’s so beautiful-
@Auroradream I love my city of Carlsbad and there is so much to see and do in San Diego - and LA- but as so many of the people here have said about Northern California - and how beautiful it is, it’s true, My favorite things in the world are The Redwoods and if you have not seen them, you should. I went camping near Santa Cruz a few years ago , at a place called Big Basin Nation Park and it was the best campground ever. You were surrounded by the redwoods and the black sky and the stars at night and the hiking trails were incredible-
Sadly there is too much California to do in just one trip
Awww now I want to go on a California adventure and I live here. @Auroradream I hope you have a great visit.
@jillyain My cuz lives across from Lego Land close to a really nice park. We ride ebikes to the beach from there. I wish it were in my budget to move but I am grateful my cousin loves to host.
Has there been any California meet & greets for this site? It would be fun to have a series of them. North Coast. Central Coast. Southern Coast. Then repeat for the interior and eastern mountains.
@hoping4snugs i have seen people talk about cuddle parties here but I’m new to cuddling and so have not gotten involved in any cuddle parties or events - it would be cool to though. If you come back to visit your cousin - I’d love to meet you too, we are so close. I’m near legoland