1,000 Places to See Before You Die

by Patricia Schultz

  Fiercely protected by its 1,500 residents, Big Sur is a natural masterpiece with a staggering drama about it. Take it in at Pfeiffer State Beach and from your windshield as you snake along the edge of the Santa Lucia mountains. Stop for lunch at Nepenthe’s outdoor patio, suspended 800 feet above the surf, or stay at the dramatically situated Post Ranch Inn, with its grand vistas of the Pacific 1,200 feet below. Across the highway, the Ventana Inn & Spa offers the same casual luxury and middle-of-nature feel. For an infinitely more affordable sum, consider Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, offering old-fashioned comfort since the 1930s.

  Head north to the Monterey Peninsula and Carmel-by-the-Sea, home to the landmark 1771 Carmel Mission (see p. 712). Clint Eastwood, former mayor and one-time proprietor of the Hog’s Breath Inn, still owns the historic Mission Ranch Inn, housed in an 1850s farmhouse, and occasionally makes an appearance at its popular steak house.

  Golfers adore Pebble Beach Resort’s four courses, including the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links, consistently ranked the best public course in America. Guests staying at the Lodge at Pebble Beach are within earshot of the Pacific’s crashing waves. Nongolfers can enjoy the same views by traveling the legendary 17 Mile Drive, a private toll road connecting the towns of Carmel and Monterey. Check into one of the 10 exquisite rooms at the Tudor-style Monterey Inn. Then head to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, home to over 550 aquatic species, including sea otters, sharks, octupuses, and the improbably beautiful jellyfish.

  From Monterey, the PCH winds up to San Francisco, past rocky Point Reyes National Seashore and the 19th-century fishing-town-turned-artists-colony of Mendocino. Though the PCH technically ends in Leggett, it’s worth the scenic 40-minute drive up Highway 101 to the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, where ancient, mist-cloaked trees line the 31-mile-long Avenue of the Giants.

  A landmark along the Pacific Coast Highway, the Lone Cypress is over 250 years old.

  WHERE: PCH runs approx 655 miles from Southern California north to Leggett. www.byways.org. LA SUPER-RICA TAQUERÍA: Tel 805-963-4940. Cost: lunch $6. SAN YSIDRO RANCH: Tel 800-368-6788 or 805-565-1700; www.sanysidroranch.com. Cost: from $650; dinner $65. HEARST CASTLE: Tel 800-444-4445 or 916-414-8400; www.hearstcastle.com. J. PATRICK HOUSE: Tel 800-341-5258 or 805-927-3812; www.jpatrickhouse.com. Cost: from $170. NEPENTHE: Tel 831-667-2345; www.nepenthebigsur.com. Cost: dinner $40. POST RANCH INN: Tel 800-527-2200 or 831-667-2200; www.postranchinn.com. Cost: from $595 (off-peak), from $750 (peak). VENTANA INN: Tel 800-628-6500 or 831-667-2331; www.ventanainn.com. Cost: from $400. DEETJEN’S: Tel 831-667-2377; www.deetjens.com. Cost: from $90. MISSION RANCH: Tel 800-538-8221 or 831-624-6436; www.missionranchcarmel.com. Cost: from $135; dinner $45. LODGE AT PEBBLE BEACH: Tel 800-654-9300 or 831-624-3811; www.pebblebeach.com. Cost: from $715; greens fees from $110. OLD MONTEREY INN: Tel 800-350-2344 or 831-375-8284; www.oldmontereyinn.com. Cost: from $239. MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM: Tel 831-648-4800; www.mbayaq.org. HUMBOLDT REDWOODS STATE PARK: Tel 707-946-2263; www.humboldtredwoods.org. BEST TIMES: Apr–May and Sep–Oct for nicest weather; mid-Sep for Monterey Jazz Festival; Dec–Feb for whale-watching.

  Animal Attraction by the Sea

  THE SAN DIEGO ZOO

  San Diego, California, U.S.A.

  The world-famous San Diego Zoo, with more than 4,000 animals representing 800 species, dates back to 1916, when it set the standard for wildlife conservation around the world. Two of the most popular exhibits spread among 100 well-tended acres are Elephant Odyssey (the playful Cha Cha is the draw) and the Giant Panda Research Center, whose main attraction, the adorable Yun Zi, was born in 2009. Other exotic residents of the zoo are the orangutans of Indonesia, and creatures rarely seen in captivity, including tree kangaroos, and giant tortoises from the Galápagos.

  The zoo is the centerpiece of Balboa Park, a verdant 1,200-acre recreational area and the largest cultural park in the country. Its 14 museums, housed in beautiful Spanish-Moorish buildings, were constructed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. Wildlife viewing continues 35 miles away at the 1,800-acre San Diego Safari Park (a sister facility of the San Diego Zoo), home to hundreds of different species—African lions, white rhino, warthogs, and cheetah—that roam freely in vast enclosures, creating a safari-like experience. Wild creatures also abound at SeaWorld San Diego, where five species of dolphins, sea lions, and a number of orcas including Shamu all pirouette and perform in what is widely considered America’s premier showplace for marine life.

  Stay at the timeless Hotel del Coronado, famous for hosting 14 presidents and Marilyn Monroe (when Some Like It Hot was filmed here). Built in 1888, ‘The Del” towers like a Victorian wedding cake over 2 miles of pristine white beach on the “island” of Coronado that it shares with its sister property, Beach Village at the Del. Stop by the Crown Room, named for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who allegedly met there, and sample its world-famous Sunday Brunch. The nearby Glorietta Bay Inn offers a similarly elegant ambience if you reserve a room in the central 1908 mansion. The staff can arrange rentals for bicycles as well as boats for sailing on the bay across the street.

  Just 15 miles north of San Diego, the “California Riviera” around La Jolla lures vacationers with its 17 miles of sandy coves sheltered by dramatic cliffs. The bluff-top vantage of the Mediterranean-style La Valencia Hotel overlooks La Jolla Cove, one of the area’s most popular swimming spots (for people and sea lions alike). Golfers come here for Torrey Pines golf course, host of the PGA’s Buick Invitational and the 2009 Samsung World Championship, and the lucky ones unpack at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, a Craftsman wonder overlooking the course (with an extensive spa for golf widows). Theater buffs enjoy the La Jolla Playhouse, founded in 1947 by Hollywood luminaries such as Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer, and winner of a Tony Award for America’s Outstanding Regional Theater.

  Trained orcas perform at the 7-million-gallon Shamu Stadium, often splashing audience members seated in the “soak zone.”

  WHERE: 120 miles south of Los Angeles. SAN DIEGO ZOO: Tel 619-231-1515; www.sandiegozoo.org. BALBOA PARK: Tel 619-239-0512; www.balboapark.org. SAFARI PARK: Tel 760-747-8702; www.sandiegozoo.org/park. SEA WORLD: Tel 800-257-4268 or 619-226-3901; www.seaworld.com. HOTEL DEL CORONADO: Tel 800-468-3533 or 619-435-6611; www.hoteldel.com. Cost: from $249; brunch $75. GLORIETTA BAY INN: Tel 800-283-9383 or 619-435-3101; www.glorietta bayinn.com. Cost: from $190. LA VALENCIA: Tel 800-451-0772 or 858-454-0771; www.lavalencia.com. Cost: from $300. TORREY PINES GOLF COURSE: Tel 800-985-4653 or 858-453-3226; www.torreypinesgolfcourse.com. Cost: greens fees from $95. THE LODGE AT TORREY PINES: Tel 800-656-0087 or 858-453-4420; www.lodgeattorreypines.com. Cost: from $300 (off-peak), from $450 (peak). LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE: Tel 858-550-1010; www.lajollaplayhouse.com. When: May–Nov. BEST TIMES: Zoo animals are most active in cooler months and early or late in the day; late Jun for La Jolla Festival of the Arts; Jul for U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition; early Aug for San Diego Street Scene; late Dec–mid-Mar for whale-watching.

  “One day if I do go to heaven, I’ll look around and say, ‘It ain’t bad, but it ain’t San Francisco.’”—HERB CAEN

  SAN FRANCISCO

  California, U.S.A.

  San Francisco is the city Americans fantasize about, sing about, and leave their heart in, a place of myth and magic on par with Paris and Venice. With a stunning waterfront setting that rivals that of Rio de Janeiro or Cape Town, it is America’s most livable big city, with wonderful food, a raft of great hotels, and fascinating and unique neighborhoods, all beloved by its highly individualistic citizenry.

  TOP ATTRACTIONS

  ALCATRAZ ISLAND—Though closed as a penitentiary since 1963, Alcatraz (‘the Rock”) remains America’s best-known prison, having once housed such notorious criminals as Al Capone, Robert “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Robert “The Birdman” Stroud. Located on a craggy, escape-proof island in San Francisco Bay, this former maximum-security prison, reachable via a 1.5-mile ferry ride, is now a popular half-day trip. For a truly eerie experience, take
the night tour, which starts with an incomparable sunset view of the city and bay. INFO: Tel 415-561-4900; www.nps.gov/alca. HOW: Alcatraz Cruises offers ferries from San Francisco’s Pier 33, tel 415-981-7625; www.alcatrazcruises.com.

  GOLDEN GATE PARK—One of the country’s greatest urban green spaces, 1,000-plus-acre Golden Gate Park is a magical place that brings together towering redwood forests, a Japanese tea garden, the world-class California Academy of Sciences (see p. 729), herds of American bison, and the outstanding de Young Museum (see next page), all linked by footpaths and shady thoroughfares. INFO: www.sf-recpark.org.

  THE PRESIDIO & GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE—At the far northern end of the San Francisco peninsula, the Presidio has been a fortification since at least 1776, when the Spanish established a garrison here. It remained a military post after the U.S. took control (it was the headquarters of Western Defense Command during World War II), but in 1994 the Army transferred this parklike, 3-square-mile property to the National Park Service. The Presidio is now one of the city’s favorite outdoor escapes, with beaches (Baker Beach is clothing optional), coastal trails, and new destinations such as the Disney Family Museum. Rising from the Presidio’s tip is the massive 1.7-mile span of the Golden Gate Bridge. An engineering marvel, the bridge is named not for its color (an “international orange” that makes the bridge more visible in fog) but for the Golden Gate Strait it crosses. Traverse the east-side walkway of the bridge for an exhilarating, wind-blasted walk and an enthralling panorama of bay and city. THE PRESIDIO: Tel 415-561-4323; www.nps.gov/prsf. WALT DISNEY FAMILY MUSEUM: Tel 415354-6800; www.disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum. GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE: www.goldengatebridge.org.

  When it opened in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge laid claim to the world’s longest suspension span.

  SAN FRANCISCO FERRY BUILDING—The imposing 1898 Ferry Building, with its signature clock tower, is a mighty temple to the region’s culinary delights and a showcase for many of Northern California’s legendary food purveyors: Cowgirl Creamery, Hog Island Oyster Company, and the fantastic artisan chocolates of Recchiuti Confections, to name a few. At the outdoor farmers market, open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, shoppers jostle for produce just plucked from the field. The Ferry Building is also home to top restaurants such as the Slanted Door, where Charles Phan serves acclaimed Vietnamese cuisine, and Mijita, a taqueria serving crispy Baja-style fish tacos. Plus, it still acts as the hub for ferries to and from Bay Area destinations, including Sausalito. INFO: Tel 415-693-0996; www.ferrybuilding marketplace.com. SLANTED DOOR: Tel 415-861-8032; www.slanteddoor.com. Cost: dinner $50. MIJITA: Tel 415-399-0814; www.mijitasf.com. Cost: lunch $15.

  DE YOUNG MUSEUM—The de Young Museum’s sleekly angular, copper-clad new home, designed by Herzog & de Meuron and opened in 2005, holds the West Coast’s foremost collection of art from the Americas, Oceania, and Africa. In addition to these traditional strengths, it has impressive holdings of sculpture and American art—including works by Edward Hopper and Grant Wood—as well as costumes, beautiful Turkmen carpets, and medieval ecclesiastical vestments. INFO: Tel 415-863-3330; www.deyoung.famsf.org.

  ASIAN ART MUSEUM—As befits a city where over a third of the population claims Asian and Pacific Islander heritage, the Asian Art Museum is the country’s largest showcase of Eastern treasures, with 17,000 pieces in its permanent collection. In its new home, a 1917 Beaux Arts building (formerly the city’s main library), the dazzling collection spans 6,000 years of works from China (its greatest strength), Japan, Korea, India, Afghanistan, Thailand, and Myanmar. INFO: Tel 415-581-3500; www.asianart.org.

  SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART—The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA), devoted solely to 20th-century art, is housed in a striking structure by Swiss architect Mario Botta, a landmark in the South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood. Among the stars of its collection: paintings by Matisse, O’Keeffe, and Picasso, and photographs by Alfred Stieglitz and Ansel Adams.

  On the horizon: a 100,000-square-foot expansion, designed by Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta to accommodate the prized contemporary art collection of Gap cofounders Doris and Donald Fisher. INFO: Tel 415-357-4000; www.sfmoma.org.

  SFMoMA moved to its new Mario Botta–designed home in 1995, 60 years after the museum was founded.

  CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES—In its new Renzo Piano–designed home, the California Academy of Sciences is one of the crowning glories of San Francisco. Located in Golden Gate Park (see p. 727), the Academy encompasses Steinhart Aquarium, Morrison Planetarium, Kimball Natural History Museum, and world-class research and education programs. Under one roof (and a “living” roof at that, with a 197,000-square-foot native plant gardenscape designed to provide natural insulation), you’ll journey from a living rain forest to a coral reef ecosystem, and from the ocean depths to the boundaries of space. INFO: Tel 415-379-8000; www.calacademy.org.

  CHINATOWN—In San Francisco’s famed Chinatown—with one of the largest Chinese populations outside Asia—you’ll hear more Cantonese and Mandarin than English. Enter this exotic world through a green-roofed, pagoda-style gate that opens onto Grant Avenue, the city’s oldest street. Wander Stockton Street’s back alleys to see butchers, fishmongers, Chinese herb and tea shops, and a fortune cookie factory on Ross Alley. For a counterpoint to the bustle of the streets, take the elevator in the Chinatown post office to the Kong Chow Temple. This spiritual refuge, filled with incense, gilded altars, and flowers, offers a marvelous view from the balcony. For the best dining, look for places packed with Chinese patrons, such as the R&G Lounge, or if you don’t mind sharing a single long table, the House of Nanking, known for its noodles. VISITOR INFO: www.sanfranciscochinatown.com. R&G LOUNGE: Tel 415-982-7877; www.rnglounge.com. Cost: dinner $15. HOUSE OF NANKING: Tel 415-421-1429. Cost: dinner $18.

  NORTH BEACH—This long-time Italian neighborhood is characterized by alfresco café tables, the aromas of garlic and freshly ground coffee, and the still-potent spirit of the Beat Generation. It’s perfect for strolling, people-watching, and nursing cappuccinos. Along a busy stretch of Columbus Avenue, North Beach’s main thoroughfare, is the landmark City Lights Books, cofounded in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and once frequented by Alan Ginsberg. Climb the stairs up Telegraph Hill for some of the best vistas in town, particularly from the top of 212-foot-high Coit Tower. Watch the trees for flashes of color; flocks of parrots make their home on the hill. CITY LIGHTS BOOKS: Tel 415-362-8193; www.citylights.com.

  FISHERMAN’S WHARF—Though a small fishing fleet still departs from Fisherman’s Wharf, this hugely popular tourist mecca is largely dedicated to souvenir shops and take-away food. Brave the throngs and head to the bay front, where you can enjoy straight-from-the-boat fish-and-chips and freshly cracked Dungeness crab. Watch jostling and barking sea lions from Pier 39 and take in the stunning view of the Golden Gate Bridge (see p. 727) or Alcatraz (see p. 727). Top it off with a chocolate sundae at Ghirardelli Square or an Irish coffee at the Buena Vista café, which claims to have perfected the drink in 1952. VISITOR INFO: www.fishermanswharf.org. GHIRARDELLI SQUARE: Tel 415-474-3938; www.ghirardellisq.com. THE BUENA VISTA: Tel 415-474-5044; www.thebuenavista.com.

  OTHER MUST-DOS

  ONLY-IN-SAN-FRANCISCO ENTERTAINMENT—The Fillmore Theater, a cornerstone of the 1960s counterculture sound (think Jefferson Airplane), is still rocking out. So is the BooM BooM RooM, once owned by John Lee Hooker and still the best blues and funk club in the city. Hilarious Beach Blanket Babylon, a zany, ever-evolving musical revue, dates back to anything-goes 1970s San Francisco. Elaborate drag shows have their own long tradition in the city, and Harry Denton’s Starlight Room, atop the Sir Frances Drake Hotel, offers Sunday brunch featuring a high-energy variety show with a bevy of sparkling divas. THE FILLMORE: Tel 415-346-6000; www.thefillmore.com. BOOM BOOM ROOM: Tel 415-673-8000; www.boomboomblues.com. BEACH BLANKET BABYLON: Tel 415-421-4222; www.beachblanketbabylon.com. HARRY DENTON’S: Tel 415-395-8595; www.harrydenton.com.

  RIDING THE
CABLE CARS—Jump aboard one of San Francisco’s iconic cable cars as it clangs up and down the city’s insanely steep hills—it’s the archetypal San Francisco experience. Of the three cable car routes, the most scenic is the Powell-Hyde line, which climbs past the mansions of Nob Hill and inches along Russian Hill with its Victorian homes. INFO: www.sfcablecar.com.

  San Francisco’s cable cars are one of the few National Historic Landmarks that move.

  AT&T PARK & THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS—San Franciscans are devoted to Major League Baseball’s Giants and their intimate AT&T Park. The stadium is one of the smallest but newest in the majors, with retro touches like a redbrick exterior and clock tower. The location is unique: Boats bob beyond the outfield on the sparkling bay, occupied by fans with fishing nets at the ready for a “splash hit.” INFO: Tel 415-972-2400 for tours; 415-972-2000 for tickets; www.sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com.

  EVENTS & FESTIVALS

  CHINESE NEW YEAR—Chinese New Year is celebrated on the lunar new year, and in San Francisco it’s grown into the largest celebration of Chinese culture outside Asia. The highlight (on a Saturday, in January or February) is the New Year Parade, with surreal floats, colorful costumes, firecrackers, and the spectacular 250-foot Golden Dragon, which snakes through the streets held aloft by a team of more than 100 men and women. INFO: Tel 415-986-1370; www.chineseparade.com.

  SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL—The San Francisco International Film Festival attracts an annual audience of more than 80,000. The 2-week event takes place from late April to early May and features 200-plus films. There are premieres, retrospectives, and rarities in a wide variety of genres, including new digital media offerings. The Film Society also holds screenings and events throughout the year. INFO: Tel 415-561-5000; www.sffs.org.