LOS ANGELES NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO

By: Shari Hearn

You cannot visit Southern California without stopping at one of its many wonderful beaches and dipping your toes in the Pacific Ocean. However, if you have a limited time on your visit and can only visit one beach, you may have a difficult time choosing. Which Southern California beach should top your list? Well, it depends on what you're looking for:

Surfing

Huntington Beach: With over 50 surfing competitions held each year in Huntington Beach, plus a Surfing Walk of Fame, Surfers' Hall of Fame and International Surfing Museum, Huntington Beach, or "Surf City" as some call it, is the place you'll want to visit to surf and watch surfers in action. Forget your surfboard or boogie board? No problem, you can also rent one in Huntington Beach. You'll want to visit the pier at Huntington City Beach where you can watch the surfers as well as take in the views, which include Catalina Island, 22 miles away (check out the pay scopes for closer views).

Another reason to go to Huntington Beach is that all three of their beaches (Huntington City Beach, Huntington State Beach and Bolsa Chica State Beach) have concrete fire rings which allow you to have nightly bonfires and cookouts.

Swami's Beach: Located in Encinitas below Seacliff Roadside Park, Swami's Beach is also a great place to watch the surfers, as it is considered one of the best surfing spots along the San Diego County coastline.

Sunbathing and Relaxing

Zuma/Point Dume: Of course, you can sit in the sand and relax at all the beaches in Southern California, but Point Dume and Zuma beaches, approximately 19 miles west of Malibu on Pacific Coast Highway, are the beaches to go to escape the crowded Los Angeles beaches. When driving west on PCH you'll come to Point Dume first, then Zuma. Point Dume is a little quieter than Zuma, so if you want to lie in the sand and sleep, or read a good book, Point Dume is it. Of course, just because Point Dume and Zuma beaches are great for relaxing, that's not all there is to do. Some consider Zuma beach one of the finest surfing beaches as well.

People Watching

Venice City Beach: Want a quirky beach experience? Then you'll have to visit Venice Beach, at the end of Washington Street in Venice. There you'll find skaters, performers and those you're not quite sure if they're performing or not. On any given weekend you can be treated to musicians, acrobats, mimes, magicians and other assorted entertainers. You'll also find restaurants and all sorts of shops along Ocean Front Walk, as well as Muscle Beach, where you can find bodybuilders pumping iron. If you like crowds, you'll love Venice Beach on the weekend.

Fun Out of the Water

Santa Monica State Beach: If you get tired of sunbathing or playing in the ocean, Santa Monica State Beach is great because you have Pacific Park at Santa Monica Pier with rides, games and restaurants. You have to really try hard to be bored at Santa Monica State Beach. Rides include a carousel, roller coaster, bumper cars, motion simulator and a nine-story Ferris wheel with spectacular views. You can also roller blade and ride bikes on the bike bath along the beach.

These are just a sampling of the great beach experiences you can have in Southern California. Just remember to bring and apply your sunscreen, drink plenty of water throughout the day, and enjoy your visit.

About The Author:

Shari Hearn is a writer and creator of TopVacationSpots.net, Boating-Vacation.com and RV-Camping.net

Courtesy of www.articlecity.com

 
What Makes California Famous?

By: Rusty Vecali

California - The Golden State. It is famous for many things everyone knows but also for things that'll probably surprise you. Most of us know that California is the home of movie stars (of course Hollywood is there), but very few people know that it is one of the major cheese producing States in the USA! California is a progressive state, with an experimental culture that always thinks ahead, whether in technology, fashion or social issues. There are many who dream about moving to California. And why not, for its the state that has an attractive past and a very promising future.

California has developed forward moving politics and revolutionary social policies. When the sky of Los Angeles started getting covered with the clouds of automotive pollutants, a regulation was passed that limited polutant emissions from every automobile. Because of this effective regulation, the air of Los Angeles is much cleaner now. This decision has not only cleaned the atmosphere of Los Angeles but has also set example for rest of United States. Example setting is not only the habit but is also in the culture of California.

Hollywood and the movie industry will be typical talking points when the subject of California comes up. High speed car chases through cities or on lonely mountain roads, high speed boat races on the waters of lake or ocean, designer fashions that take one’s breathe away, all add up to the movie industry’s portrayal of life in the fast track. Add to it all those designer homes, more fantastic than the mind of most of us can conceive, and the rest of the world is left panting. California is a land of pioneers who still lead the way today, just as Hollywood portrayed those ancient pioneers drawn thousands of miles to enjoy the mild climate and to explore the natural resources hidden in the majesty and drama of the landscape.

The unique geography of California is largely made up of desert. Even sprawling Los Angeles overlaps large desert areas. To make Los Angeles a more comfortable place a large amount of water is piped in from neighboring states of Oregon, Washington etc. The tough landscape characteristic of California is formed in scarps resluting from tectonic plate movement. A part of the state is placed on the plate that moves northward, with large part of Pacific Ocean on it and the rest of the portion is placed on the plate which is continental United States.

Although plates of Los Angeles and California are moving in different directions, the belief that one-day Los Angeles or California is going to break off remains a popular myth. However, the difference in plate movements result in the huge earthquakes California is famous for. It is possible that after billions of years, Los Angeles might be located at the place of Juneau Alaska, but till then we have lots of time to enjoy California with its lovely southern weather, skiing, sun tanning, shopping, amusement parks and much more. Surely, California has so much more to offer than any other state.

About The Author:

Copyright 2006 Rusty Vecali. All rights reserved. Rusty Vecali runs UC California - a popular site on California and related topics. See Rusty's article archive at: UC California.

Courtesy of www.articlecity.com
 

Thanks for visiting our California Travel Guide

Travel Destinations

© 2005-2009 www.GrabYourPassport.com Online Travel Guides