Mission founder Junípero Serra is buried at San Carlos Borroméo.
WHERE: The mission trail runs for 600 miles south to north from San Diego to Sonoma. www.missionscalifornia.com. SAN DIEGO DE ALCALÁ: Tel 619-281-8449; www.missionsandiego.com. SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO: Tel 949-234-1300; www.missionsjc.com. SAN BUENAVENTURA: Tel 805-643-4318; www.sanbuenaventuramission.org. SANTA BARBARA: Tel 805-682-4713; www.sbmission.org. SAN CARLOS BORROMÉO: Tel 831-624-1271; www.carmelmission.org. BEST TIMES: at Mission San Juan Capistrano: mid-Mar for migrating swallows with parade and festivities; Sat evenings Jun–Sep for Music Under the Stars summer concerts; Dec for Christmas celebration.
Napa and Sonoma: America’s Premier Vineyards
CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY
California, U.S.A.
If America has an answer to Tuscany—our own locus for great wine, great food, and the good life—Napa and Sonoma valleys are it. These fraternal twins, separated at birth by the Mayacamas Mountains, now bask in international recognition among oenophiles. Together they produce about 10 percent of the world’s wines.
The 35-mile-long arc of Napa to the east is the better known and more densely populated: Three hundred–plus wineries lie along Highway 29 and the scenic Silverado Trail, taking advantage of the area’s sunny days, cool nights, and long growing season.
Crowd-pleasing wineries include powerhouse Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville; Francis Ford Coppola’s Rutherford’s Rubicon Estate; Yountville’s Domaine Chandon; and Sterling Vineyards, near Calistoga. But don’t overlook smaller gems like Schramsberg, in Calistoga, and Swanson Vineyards, in Rutherford. Board the Napa Valley Wine Train, a 3-hour journey in restored 1915-era Pullman cars, which runs 36 miles from Napa to St. Helena, past 27 wineries.
Visitors from San Francisco often come for the day, but to truly appreciate Napa, stay awhile. Rooms at Meadowood, with its rambling main lodge and cottagelike suites get snapped up the first week of June by attendees of the Napa Valley Wine Auction, the world’s most soigné charity wine event.
The more intimate Auberge du Soleil is perched on a hillside dotted with olive trees and features both an excellent spa and an acclaimed restaurant. You won’t want to leave the leafy 33-acre grounds, but to further enjoy the valley’s gastronomy, there’s perhaps no better choice than the legendary French Laundry. Neighboring competition is fierce these days, but Chef Thomas Keller’s nine-course tasting menu is culinary theater, making it one of the top restaurants in the world. Its more relaxed sister restaurant, Bouchon, serves classic bistro fare. Other longtime wine country standouts include Mustard’s Grill, in Yountville, and St. Helena’s Terra and Tra Vigne.
Foodies share Napa with spa lovers, drawn by the famed mud baths of Calistoga. Its most luxurious option is Calistoga Ranch, with 46 cedar-shingle guest lodges and hot springs. Decidedly more low-key is the nonprofit Harbin Hot Springs, known as the birthplace of “watsu” (water shiatsu).
Sonoma, located to the west, is lusher, greener, and cooler than Napa, and known for California’s best chardonnays and pinot noirs. It still retains many orchards and farms, which specialize in olive oil, lamb, and artisanal cheeses that complement the vintages produced by the county’s 250-plus wineries.
Sonoma Valley’s oldest city is Sonoma, centered around a shady plaza and an 1824 adobe mission. Buena Vista, one of California’s first estate wineries, was established in 1857 a couple of miles northeast of here. Sonoma is also home to a host of popular eateries, such as the informal The Girl and the Fig, where fresh local ingredients occupy center stage.
A sprawling pink Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa has been the region’s most luxurious place to stay since it opened in 1927, one of a handful of resorts here to have its own hot springs. Nearby in Glen Ellen, Gaige House Inn, a Queen Anne Victorian dating to 1890, is now one of the country’s finest B&Bs.
Sonoma’s northern Russian River Valley is anchored by the lovely town of Healdsburg. Its historic town square is flanked by the Hotel Healdsburg, where guests come for the spa but particularly for acclaimed chef Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen. Nearby, the exquisite Les Mars Hotel evokes the inns of France; add to that its excellent restaurant, Cyrus, and you have one of Sonoma’s finest overnight addresses. Foodies flock to the less pricey Madrona Manor, surrounded by gardens and cool woods, for its cutting-edge restaurant.
The Sonoma Valley is recognized as the birthplace of California’s wine industry
WHERE: Napa and Sonoma are 40–70 miles north of San Francisco. VISITOR INFO: www.napavalley.com; www.sonomacounty.com. NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN: Tel 800-427-4124 or 707-253-2111; winetrain.com. Cost: from $50. MEADOWOOD: Tel 800-458-8080 or 707-963-3646; www.meadowood.com. Cost: from $475. AUBERGE DU SOLEIL: Tel 800-348-5406 or 707-963-1211; www.aubergedusoleil.com. Cost: from $550 (off-peak), from $750 (peak); dinner $60. FRENCH LAUNDRY: Tel 707-944-2380; www.frenchlaundry.com. Cost: 9-course tasting menu $240. BOUCHON: Tel 707-944-8037; www.bouchonbistro.com. Cost: dinner $50. MUSTARD’S GRILL: Tel 707-944-2424; www.mustardsgrill.com. Cost: dinner $50. TERRA: Tel 707-963-8931; www.terrarestaurant.com. Cost: dinner $60. TRA VIGNE: Tel 707-963-4444; www.travignerestaurant.com. Cost: dinner $50. CALISTOGA RANCH: Tel 800-942-4220 or 707-254-2800; www.calistogaranch.com. Cost: lodges from $565 (off-peak), from $750 (peak). HARBIN HOT SPRINGS: Tel 800-622-2477 or 707-987-2477; www.harbin.org. Cost: cottages from $170 (off-peak), from $230 (peak); day use from $25. THE GIRL AND THE FIG: Tel 707-938-3634; www.thegirlandthefig.com. Cost: dinner $45. FAIRMONT SONOMA MISSION INN: Tel 866-540-4499 or 707-938-9000; www.fairmont.com/sonoma. Cost: from $229 (off-peak), from $359 (peak). GAIGE HOUSE INN: Tel 800-935-0237 or 707-935-0237; www.gaige.com. Cost: from $200 (off-peak), from $350 (peak). HOTEL HEALDSBURG: Tel 800-889-7188 or 707-431-0330; www.hotelhealdsburg.com. Cost: from $275 (off-peak), from $360 (peak); dinner $45. LES MARS HOTEL: Tel 877-431-1700 or 707-433-4211; www.lesmarshotel.com. Cost: from $510. CYRUS: Tel 707-433-3311; www.cyrusrestaurant.com. Cost: 8-course tasting menu $130. MADRONA MANOR: Tel 800-258-4003 or 707-423-4231; www.madronamanor.com. Cost: from $250; 4-course prix-fixe dinner $75. BEST TIMES: Apr–May for wildflowers; 1st week of Jun for the Napa Valley Wine Auction; Jul–Aug for Mondavi Summer Concert Series; Oct–Nov for harvest season.
As Low as You Can Go
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
California, U.S.A.
Located in the northern reaches of the Mojave Desert, Death Valley National Park is the lowest, driest, and hottest spot in America, with scorching summers that reach 125°F and higher—in July 1913 it topped out at 134°F. Though the heat may be brutal, there’s a striking beauty here, from the stark, parched Deadman Pass and Dry Bone Canyon to the soaring drama of Telescope Peak at 11,049 feet. Fifty-one species of mammals, 307 species of birds, and 1,000 species of plants are indigenous to this desiccated land that receives just 2 inches of rain a year.
Death Valley is actually not a valley but a plate of crusty salt flats that have been sinking between two slowly rising mountain ranges. Within the park confines (140 miles across), the most popular sights are Artist’s Palette, where mineral deposits have colored the hills orange, pink, purple, and green, and Zabriskie Point, with its views of Sahara-like sand dunes. From mile-high Dante’s View, you can see 360 degrees for 100 miles, taking in the highest and lowest points in the Lower 48: Mount Whitney, at 14,491 feet, and Badwater, at 282 feet below sea level. The park’s most peculiar happenings take place on the flat, parched lakebed at Racetrack Playa, where boulders weighing as much as 700 pounds sometimes move hundreds of yards at night, with no witnesses or explanation.
Air-conditioned cars and luxury inns have improved on the experience of 19th-century pioneers that gave the area its name in 1849. The best place to stay in the park itself is the 1927 stone and adobe Mission-style Furnace Creek Inn, an oasis of hot springs and palm trees, with a welcoming, spring-fed pool, a restaurant offering cinematic views, and an 18-hole golf course (the lowest in the world). Continue your road trip south to Joshua T
ree National Park: 800,000 acres of high desert and one of the most popular rock-climbing areas in the country, with more than 8,000 established routes. Nearby Desert Hot Springs drew the likes of Al Capone, who soothed his nerves at the Two Bunch Palms resort. You too can sink into its pure mineral water that comes out of the earth at 148°F but is cooled before reaching two stone pools set in a tree-shaded grotto.
WHERE: 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Tel 760-786-3200; www.nps.gov/deva. FURNACE CREEK: Tel 800-236-7916 or 760-786-2345; www.furnacecreekresort.com. Cost: from $315; greens fees $30 (off-peak), $55 (peak). When: mid-Oct–mid-May. JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK: Tel 760-367-5500; www.nps.gov/jotr. TWO BUNCH PALMS: Tel 800-472-4334 or 760-329-8791; www.two bunchpalms.com. Cost: from $160 (off-peak), from $230 (peak). BEST TIMES: Oct–May for good weather; mid-Feb–mid-Apr for wildflowers; dawn and late afternoon for dramatic views.
A Tale of Two Spas
GOLDEN DOOR AND CAL-A-VIE
Escondido and Vista, California, U.S.A.
Workaholics can recharge and reconnect with their minds and bodies at either of Southern California’s top spa destinations, which are among the best in the country. The better known of the two is the venerable Golden Door, established in 1958 as the first wellness destination to combine nascent American fitness concepts with European body treatments, and long a top choice for Hollywood A-listers. Inspired by centuries-old ryokan-style Japanese inns, it’s set on 377 decidedly Zen acres, complete with meditative sand gardens, elevated wooden paths, and koi ponds. It serves a mere 40 guests, usually all women, but men take over the place during a few special weeks each year. Activities range from hikes at sunrise to in-room massages and breakfast in bed (many ingredients come from the Door’s own gardens). A staff-to-guest ratio of four to one helps guarantee a reinvigorated new you.
The even more blatantly luxurious Cal-a-Vie Health Spa accommodates only 30 guests at one time and promises a five-to-one staff-to-guest ratio, not to mention spectacular views of California hills from every vantage point. In addition to spa treatments, the 200-acre property promotes health through its state-of-the-art fitness pavilion loaded with enough contraptions to work out a lifetime’s worth of wound-up minds and muscles. Like the Golden Door, it has all-inclusive rates—even providing workout clothes—but Cal-a-Vie offers shorter packages for those who can’t disappear for a full week.
GOLDEN DOOR: Tel 800-424-0777 or 760-744-5777; www.goldendoor.com. Cost: $7,750 per person per week, all-inclusive. CAL-A-VIE: Tel 866-772-4283 or 760-945-2055; www.cal-a-vie.com. Cost: 3 nights from $4,195 per person, all-inclusive. BEST TIME: Sep–May for nicest weather.
“In Los Angeles, by the time you’re 35, you’re older than most of the buildings.”—DELIA EPHRON
LOS ANGELES
California, U.S.A.
If one city characterizes the American Dream, it’s Los Angeles. Over the years, it has been a magnet for countless dreamers who come here to remake themselves (for every hopeful starlet, there are scores of new immigrants) in the land of year-round sunshine and commercialized make-believe. As the entertainment capital of America, L.A. is filled with unexpected contrasts, but it’s an equal-opportunity Dream Machine that celebrates the fine arts and kitsch with parallel enthusiasm, and embraces dining temples and food trucks with the same aplomb.
TOP ATTRACTIONS
GETTY CENTER AND GETTY VILLA—The 110-acre, six-building Getty Center, designed by architect Richard Meier and opened in 1997, holds the J. Paul Getty Museum’s enormous collection of pre-20th-century European art as well as photography from all over the world. A commanding hilltop citadel of glass and off-white travertine, the center is a work of art itself and rates as one of the world’s premier art complexes.
The Getty Villa, near Malibu, was built by the American oil billionaire as a fantastic re-creation of Classical architecture: It is modeled after a majestic 2nd century B.C. villa near Pompeii. Set at the edge of the Pacific amid manicured gardens, it’s now home to the J. Paul Getty Museum’s extraordinary collection of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman antiquities. GETTY CENTER and GETTY VILLA: Tel 310-440-7300; www.getty.edu.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART & MUSEUM ROW—The largest art museum in the western U.S., with a staggering trove of 150,000 objects dating from ancient times to the present, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is undergoing an expansion and renovation known as the Transformation. With the recent debuts of an open-air pavilion and two new structures designed by architect Renzo Piano, the 20-acre, seven-building complex now features a host of rotating exhibits that draw from its collection of contemporary American art as well as its abundant holdings of historic art and artifacts from around the globe. LACMA is also a center for live music, with chamber concerts on Sunday evenings, jazz (Friday evenings April–November) and Latin (Saturday afternoons May–September), all free.
LACMA stands on a stretch of Wilshire Boulevard known as Museum Row, with four other excellent museums within two blocks, including the Architecture and Design Museum, the Craft and Folk Art Museum, and the Petersen Automotive Museum. But for an only-in-L.A. experience, head to the Page Museum at La Brea Tar Pits, where pools of bubbling liquid asphalt have trapped and preserved the remains of Ice Age mammals, such as the saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, ground sloths, and mammoths, who once roamed these parts. LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART: Tel 323-857-6000; www.lacma.org. PAGE MUSEUM AND LA BREA TAR PITS: Tel 323-934-7243; www.tarpits.org.
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL AND THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC—Since its debut in 2003, the soaring Walt Disney Concert Hall has become downtown L.A.’s dazzling landmark, courtesy of architect Frank Gehry. An undulating mass of shiny steel that seems to billow like a ship at full sail, it offers marvelous state-of-the-art acoustics for the resident Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, now under the youthful baton of superstar conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Visit the Disney in style: Come early for drinks or a meal at Patina, one of L.A.’s top French restaurants, then attend a concert and experience the hall at full throttle. In summer, follow the L.A. Philharmonic as it heads outdoors for a series of evening concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, the fabulous amphitheater in the Hollywood hills that’s been a Tinseltown tradition since 1922. WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL: Tel 323-850-2000; www.laphil.com. PATINA: Tel 213-972-3331; www.patinagroup.com. Cost: dinner $85. HOLLYWOOD BOWL: Tel 323-850-2000; www.hollywoodbowl.com.
Frank Gehry designed the Walt Disney Concert Hall’s swooping curves and stainless steel exterior.
DOWNTOWN L.A.—Long a snoozy high-rise business center, Downtown, in the best SoCal tradition, has had a makeover. The multivenue Music Center is the city’s top performing-arts venue; its 11-acre campus comprises the Walt Disney Concert Hall (see previous page), the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (home of the Los Angeles Opera and former site of the Academy Awards), the Ahmanson Theater, and the Mark Taper Forum, L.A.’s cutting-edge theater.
Just a block away is the two-building Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), which holds an outstanding permanent collection of American and European works, from abstract expressionism and pop art to the latest in conceptual and digital creations.
The imposing Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, opened in 2002, is considered a stunning example of modern ecclesiastical architecture. The interior is gloriously meditative, all soaring space and alabaster-filtered light.
Flanking Downtown are long-established immigrant neighborhoods—Chinatown, Little Tokyo, and the Mexican enclave along Olvera Street. Explore them for inexpensive, authentic ethnic food, or head to the Grand Central Market, L.A.’s largest and oldest open-air emporium, where bustling stalls and informal eateries draw an amazingly diverse crowd.
If you can score a ticket to an L.A. Lakers game, you’ll see another cross section of Angelenos, including perhaps such courtside celebrities as Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio. The Lakers play at the Staples Center, also adjacent to L.A. Live—a complex of restaurants, cinemas, and the very cool Grammy Museum. VISITOR INFO: www.dow
ntownla.com. MUSIC CENTER: Tel 323-850-2000; www.musiccenter.org. MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART: Tel 213626-6222; www.moca.org. OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS: Tel 213-680-5200; www.olacathedral.org. GRAND CENTRAL MARKET: Tel 213-624-2378; www.grandcentralsquare.com. THE STAPLES CENTER: Tel 213-742-7340; www.staplescenter.com. L.A. LIVE: Tel 213-763-5483; www.lalive.com.
HOLLYWOOD—Show-biz pioneers Cecil B. DeMille, D. W. Griffith, and Jesse Lasky put Hollywood on the map in the 1920s as a town synonymous with glamour and ambition. In the 1930s, most of the city’s production studios decamped north to the San Fernando Valley, and for a number of years the area largely traded on its glorious past. But like a faded star, Hollywood has had a face-lift.
Nevertheless, most of the stars you will see on Hollywood Boulevard (premieres aside) are those embedded in the sidewalk—the mile-long Hollywood Walk of Fame honors over 2,400 legends of entertainment. Revel in Old Hollywood glitz at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, an astonishingly ornate movie palace from 1927 that’s still in business, but is most noted for its impressive collection of handprints and footprints of Hollywood heavyweights. Grauman’s is also the pickup spot for Hollywood’s most popular bus tour: Sure it’s cheesy, but you know you can’t resist Starline’s 2-hour movie-star homes drive. Just up Hollywood Boulevard is where you can join another popular outing, the delightfully macabre (and rather naughty) Dearly Departed Tour. Ride in the ‘Tomb Buggy” to visit sites of celebrity scandal (Hugh Grant, George Michael) and death (Michael Jackson, Janis Joplin, River Phoenix).
The Hollywood Museum, housed in the original Max Factor Building, offers another glimpse of the past. The Art Deco landmark is filled with over 10,000 items from the glory days: You’ll see sets, costumes, and props from hundreds of movies, including Cleopatra’s tunics and Hannibal Lecter’s jail cell. Be sure to stop by the restored Max Factor salons and dressing rooms, where Marilyn Monroe went to have her roots touched up.
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