california for dummies

by Mary Herczog and Paula Tevis California FOR DUMmIES ‰ 4 TH EDITION s 01_068632 ffirs.qxp 1/8/07 7:06 PM Page iii 01_068632 ffirs.qxp 1/8/07 7:06 PM Page vi Plan your trip with For Dummies Covering the most popular destinations in North America and Europe, For Dummies travel guides are the ultimate user-friendly trip planners. Available wherever books are sold or go to www.dummies.com And book it with our online partner, Frommers.com ߜ Book airfare, hotels and packages ߜ Find the hottest deals ߜ Get breaking travel news ߜ Enter to win vacations ߜ Share trip photos and stories ߜ And much more Frommers.com,rated the #1 Travel Web Site by PC Magazine 01_068632 ffirs.qxp 1/8/07 7:06 PM Page i Available wherever books are sold. Go to www.dummies.com or call 1-877-762-2974 to order direct. The fun and easy way ™ to travel! U.S.A. Also available: Alaska For Dummies Arizona For Dummies Boston For Dummies California For Dummies Chicago For Dummies Colorado & the Rockies For Dummies Florida For Dummies Los Angeles & Disneyland For Dummies Maui For Dummies National Parks of the American West For Dummies New Orleans For Dummies New York City For Dummies San Francisco For Dummies Seattle & the Olympic Peninsula For Dummies Washington, D.C.For Dummies RV Vacations For Dummies Walt Disney World & Orlando For Dummies EUROPE Also available: England For Dummies Europe For Dummies Germany For Dummies Ireland For Dummies London For Dummies Paris For Dummies Scotland For Dummies Spain For Dummies OTHER DESTINATIONS Also available: Bahamas For Dummies Cancun & the Yucatan For Dummies Costa Rica For Dummies Mexico’s Beach Resorts For Dummies Montreal & Quebec City For Dummies Vancouver & Victoria For Dummies ™ 01_068632 ffirs.qxp 1/8/07 7:06 PM Page ii by Mary Herczog and Paula Tevis California FOR DUMmIES ‰ 4 TH EDITION s 01_068632 ffirs.qxp 1/8/07 7:06 PM Page iii California For Dummies ® , 4th Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. 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For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: 2006939514 ISBN: 978-0-470-06863-2 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 4B/RX/QR/QX/IN 01_068632 ffirs.qxp 1/8/07 7:06 PM Page iv About the Authors Mary Herczog is a second-generation California native and is married to Paula Tevis’s prom date. She writes for Frommer’s and Wiley whenever she can, which is quite a bit (Frommer’s New Orleans, Frommer’s Las Vegas, Las Vegas For Dummies, Los Angeles For Dummies, and more!) and she is so happy she can do it in the California sunshine. The rest of the time, Mary works for the film industry, which is a very California thing to do. Paula Tevis, also a second-generation Californian, was born and raised in Santa Barbara, attended college in Los Angeles, and then moved to her favorite city, where she could cheer for the San Francisco Giants in peace. After an eclectic but blessedly brief career that included stints in the computer and nonprofit sectors, she and her California-bred husband produced a couple of lovely children, and Paula happily relinquished the 9-to-5 world for the 24/7 one that parenting brings. Upon regaining consciousness, she metamorphosed into a freelance writer, and over the years has contributed articles and essays to Parenting and Family Fun maga- zines, the San Francisco Chronicle, Citysearch.com, Frommer’s Las Vegas, and Frommer’s New Orleans. She is the author of San Francisco For Dummies, the Berlitz Vancouver Pocketguide, and Frommer’s San Francisco with Kids. Paula currently lives with her husband and their daughters in London, but reads the Chronicle online daily. 01_068632 ffirs.qxp 1/8/07 7:06 PM Page v 01_068632 ffirs.qxp 1/8/07 7:06 PM Page vi Dedication This book is dedicated to the memory of my brother, Peter Tevis. Authors’ Acknowledgments I wouldn’t write this book if I couldn’t write it with Paula Tevis. Without Melissa Sherman Pearl, the San Diego and Laguna chap- ters would have been skimpy, and Sims Brannon created the Central Coast wine chapter. I am hugely grateful to both. Lisa Derrick helped make sense of Los Angeles, and Rick Garman helps me make sense of everything. California is the golden state because I live here with Steve Hochman. — Mary Herczog Many thanks to my coauthor, the truly amazing Mary Herczog. Thanks, too, to the wonderful people who assisted me in one way or another as I made my way through the best half of California: Bev Chin, Patience Tevis, Prudence and Steve Handelman, Nick Cann and Peggy Blair, Andrea and Jeff Tobias, Irene Levin Dietz, Ina Levin Gyemant and Leonard Shlain, the imitable Cynde Ahart Woods, Robert Markstein, Donna Joyner, the wonderful Renee Brincks of the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Patricia Unterman. Mark Katz and our daughters, Lili and Madeleine, make living anywhere an adventure and a joy. — Paula Tevis Mary and Paula also wish to extend great thanks to their editor, Marc Nadeau. 01_068632 ffirs.qxp 1/8/07 7:06 PM Page vii Editorial Editors: Marc Nadeau, Development Editor; Heather Wilcox, Production Editor Copy Editor: Elizabeth Kuball Cartographer: Anton Crane Editorial Assistant: Melinda Quintero Senior Photo Editor: Richard Fox Cover Photos: Front: Carmel: The Lone Cypress Tree (© Michael Howell/Robert Harding World Imagery/Getty Images) Back: Wall Mural depicting old Hollywood stars seated in movie theater (© David Peevers/ Lonely Planet Images) Cartoons: Rich Tennant ( www.the5thwave.com) Composition Services Project Coordinator: Patrick Redmond Layout and Graphics: Claudia Bell, Stephanie D. Jumper, Barry Offringa, Julia Trippetti Special Art: Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico Proofreaders: David Faust, Techbooks Indexer: Techbooks Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/ General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: 01_068632 ffirs.qxp 1/8/07 7:06 PM Page viii [...]... Best Museums 18 The Best Guided Tours .19 Chapter 2: Digging Deeper into California 20 History 101 20 A Bite of California s Culinary Past and Present .23 California on the Page and the Screen .25 Reading up on California 25 Going to the California picture show .26 xii California For Dummies, 4th Edition Chapter 3: Deciding Where and When to Go 28 Going Everywhere You... Part I: Introducing California .3 Part II: Planning Your Trip to California 4 Parts III, IV, and V: The Destinations 4 Part VI: The Part of Tens 5 Appendix 5 Icons Used in This Book .5 Where to Go from Here 6 Part I: Introducing California .7 Chapter 1: Discovering the Best of California .9 The Best California Travel Experiences .10 California s Best Hotels... Introducing California 7 Chapter 1: Discovering the Best of California 9 Chapter 2: Digging Deeper into California 20 Chapter 3: Deciding Where and When to Go 28 Chapter 4: Following an Itinerary: Five Great Trips 39 Part II: Planning Your Trip to California 47 Chapter 5: Managing Your Money 49 Chapter 6: Getting to California 59 Chapter 7: Getting Around California ... Southern California — but we may refer you to other chapters of the book for more information on certain subjects Part I: Introducing California This part introduces you to the best of California and touches on everything you want to consider before actually getting down to the nittygritty of trip planning, including: ߜ Lively cultural information ߜ When to go (and when you may want to stay home) 4 California. .. 41 Itinerary #2 42 Discovering California with Kids .42 Itinerary #1 43 Itinerary #2 43 California in Two Weeks for RomanceSeeking Couples .44 Itinerary #1 44 Itinerary #2 45 California in Two Weeks for Nature Lovers .45 Itinerary #1 45 Itinerary #2 46 Part II: Planning Your Trip to California 47 Chapter 5: Managing Your Money... Southern California cities 31 The Desert 32 Scheduling Your Time 32 Understanding California s Climate 33 Revealing the Secret of the Seasons 34 Perusing a California Calendar of Events 35 Chapter 4: Following an Itinerary: Five Great Trips 39 Seeing Northern California s Highlights in Ten Days 39 Itinerary #1 40 Itinerary #2 40 Seeing Southern California s... may want to stay home) 4 California For Dummies, 4th Edition ߜ Tips on planning your itinerary, plus actual time-tested itineraries that you can use as a proven blueprint for your own vacation Part II: Planning Your Trip to California This is where we get down to the nuts and bolts of travel planning, including: ߜ How to get to California and how to get around California after you arrive ߜ How much... itineraries to follow on your trip Chapter 1 Discovering the Best of California In This Chapter ᮣ Drawing a bead on California s outstanding experiences ᮣ Serving up the best of California s hotels and restaurants ᮣ Finding the best family destinations ᮣ Taking the scenic tour (even guided ones) ᮣ Making your way to California s elite museums C alifornia is really an awesome place, in the truest sense (not... take a stand so that you will know what to include in your California vacation — and, even more important, what to pass by After all, you want to figure this stuff out now, in the planning stage — not after you get there, when it’s too late 2 California For Dummies, 4th Edition Dummies Post-it® Flags As you read this book, you may find information that you want to reference as you plan or enjoy your... icon for money-saving tips or particularly great values This icon points out bits of well-guarded insider advice that give you an edge over those who don’t know better This icon highlights the best that California has to offer — at least in our humble opinion Look at Chapter 1 for a brief introduction to each of the places and activities in this book that have earned this icon 6 California For Dummies, . & Orlando For Dummies EUROPE Also available: England For Dummies Europe For Dummies Germany For Dummies Ireland For Dummies London For Dummies Paris For Dummies Scotland For Dummies Spain For Dummies. www .dummies. com or call 1-8 7 7-7 6 2-2 974 to order direct. The fun and easy way ™ to travel! U.S.A. Also available: Alaska For Dummies Arizona For Dummies Boston For Dummies California For Dummies Chicago. For Dummies New Orleans For Dummies New York City For Dummies San Francisco For Dummies Seattle & the Olympic Peninsula For Dummies Washington, D.C .For Dummies RV Vacations For Dummies Walt Disney