LOCATING IN CALIFORNIA, EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE TO TAKE A CAR AND ATTENT TO RIDE THE NUMBER 1 - CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY 1, WHICH IS ALREADY SLEEPED, EVERYWHERE, IS ALWAYS ALREADY-SECURE. THIS ROAD IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE MOST PAINTING WORLD IN THE WORLD. SAYING IT'S BEAUTIFUL MEANS NOT TO SAY ANYTHING.
Legends Highway 1
It takes about 8-10 hours to fully drive Highway 1 without stops, but rest assured - you will want to stop, get your camera out and take a breathtaking landscape every 10 minutes. So it’s better to plan a couple of free days and calmly enjoy this place - the sun, the ocean and rocks, fresh air and mountain flowers, fogs and giant sequoias - almost physically felt by magic. You will want this track to never end.
It does not matter where you start your route - from the north or from the south. On the way you will find many iconic and already cult places and small towns such as Pacifica, Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterrey and Carmel. For example, on the Monterrey Peninsula, where the scenic 17-Mile Drive passes, wealthy Americans, usually representatives of Silicon Valley, keep their "second home".
The main attraction there is Lonely Cypress - a salt-eaten tree on a rock, which is the official symbol of Pebble Beach and a frequent television screen saver on the local television station. The road also provides access to Spiglass Hill, Kipress Point and Pebble Beach Golf Clubs. Coniferous forest on the rocks, below the waves break on rocky ledges, the sun warms, California condors, the largest birds of North America, soar in the sky ... It seems that time is scrolling at a slower speed.
You will definitely want to take a picture of the arch bridge Bixby Bridge, which connects two mountains above the ocean. It is here that automobile giants most often shoot stylish commercials for their new cars. It is also worth staying at the McWay Falls waterfall - a silver stream falls from a height of about 20 meters onto a deserted wild beach.
Approach the shore itself - if you are lucky, you will see the migration of whales or admire the sea otters floating over dense California algae.
McWay Falls waterfall is located in Julia Pfeiffer Burns Park National Park, so then boldly go inside the park - for example, along the 8-kilometer Ewoldsen trail that runs through the sequoia forest. Along the way, you will find several secluded viewing platforms. And if you find yourself on this route in December or January, be sure to follow the Overlook route and sit on a bench at its end - from there you can clearly see how the whales migrate south.
But the most picturesque place on Highway 1 is, of course, Big Sur, where the Santa Lucia mountain range rises sharply from the coast, offering breathtaking views down to the Pacific Ocean. Either it is powerful, strong and immense, then alarmed, the waves rise dramatically, crashing onto the rocks into a million white splashes, a strong wind blows, which seems to be about to move the car, - it turns calm, warm and pacifying around the corner.
When you enter Big Sur, you immediately understand this, although geographically there is no such city. Big Sur is an area of 150 kilometers long, somewhere in the middle between San Francisco and Los Angeles, which has several forest reserves. It's impossible not to fall in love with Big Sur. There is a special atmosphere, pure energy, few people here, and majestic nature surrounds you. Jack Kerouac wrote a novel about this place. It was here that Henry Miller, having fled from New York, settled down and now his house-museum is located here, where almost every day in the open air, in the forest, literary events and various concerts are held. It is here that the Esalen Institute is located, where Abraham Maslow, Karl Rogers, Fritz Pearl, Stanislav Grof, Virginia Satir and others taught in the 70s. You can still come here and live for some time, talking with philosophers, researchers, fans of spiritual practices, artists and musicians.
The virgin nature of Big Sur awakens religious feelings in travelers: it is not surprising that here for more than 50 years there has been a quiet monastery of the Catholic Order of the Camalduls, New Camaldoli Hermitage, on the top of the hill. You can join the monks at the liturgy, drop by a bookstore or even live a few days in the monastery in one of the houses overlooking the ocean. There is no Internet, mobile communications, television and newspapers. According to the monks, people of all ages and faiths come here to stay in solitude, silence and isolation from the bustle of the city for a couple of days. Nowadays, this is becoming an increasingly urgent need.
Big Sur is a kind of place of power that few people know about. It is frightening and at the same time bewitching. When you are here, it begins to seem that no Himalayas, Tibet or pyramids are needed - to get answers to all the questions, you just need to live for a while here.
HEARST CASTLE
The legendary castle of media magnate William Hearst is an almost surreal, strange, but beautiful answer to America’s royal castles in Europe. You can visit Hurst Castle only with a guided tour. Whatever guide you get, they all know how to notice the most interesting details and know why unusual old kitchen utensils were intended, how houses were built, what famous stars visited Hearst and where zebras and polar bears came from.
Where to Stay South California
The Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Beach
More recently, Condé Nast Traveler magazine has declared The Resort at Pelican Hill the best resort in the United States. The hotel is located in Orange County, between the coastal towns of Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. It is not on the shore, but on a hill, so a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean opens from every room - there are simply no bad views. But still, Pelican Hill is not even a hotel in the usual sense, but rather a community or even a small town. People come here who want to relax with special comfort.
The villas are built in the classic Italian Palladian style, so Pelican Hill with its solid white columns and cozy shady arbors would be perfect for, say, a Fellini movie. Spacious bungalows are decorated with handmade wooden ceilings, marble bathtubs and, most importantly, gas fireplaces - therefore, in the evenings, when stars the size of a pea appear in the sky, it is so nice to fall asleep under the peaceful crackling of firewood. And if you want maximum luxury, you can rent an entire house with a travertine roof (houses with two, three and four bedrooms are available). The concierge and the butler are ready to help you around the clock, in the kitchen you will find professional cookware, and if you get tired of sitting at home, you can go to a private club or pool.
The hotel was built by American businessman Donald Bren, chairman of the Irvine Real Estate Company. He clearly spared no effort and resources to create an exact copy of the Mediterranean ancient Roman palace with elements of the classical style. Arched aqueducts hang over the main entrance, soft sofas are in the halls, and even the dressing houses around the pool are decorated with Roman columns. Cypresses, bougainvilleas and a special pride of the hotel - 750 olive trees grow throughout the territory.
Pelican Hill boasts two golf courses from Tom Fazio and the largest coliseum pool in the world with salt water: its diameter is 41 meters, and it took more than a million tiles of Italian mosaic to decorate it. In the ice cream parlor you will find a choice of several dozen flavors of gelato, which is prepared here at the hotel. SPA complex occupies as much as 2100 square meters. Separate male and female halls are located on this space, as well as 22 rooms with procedures for every taste - from reflexology to four-handed massage.
Pelican Hill's main restaurant, Andrea, specializing in Northern Italian cuisine, focuses on Italian quality and authenticity. For example, fresh pasta is manually made here every day. For this, the restaurant has a special room in which the necessary level of humidity is maintained. It is also worth trying the traditional risotto, which is not prepared in a completely traditional way: hot rice is mixed with you in a huge parmesan head. And after a hearty dinner, you can sit in the movie theater lounge and watch black and white classic Italian cinema or enjoy an incomparable California sunset.
Despite the fact that the hotel has existed for 8 years, it still remains a kind of "hidden gem" of southern California. Hollywood celebrities often come here to relax (only 40 minutes from Los Angeles), TV presenters and financial tycoons who value privacy. In a word, there is absolutely everything necessary for relaxation: magnificent views, wonderful restaurants, cozy villas, beaches, your own golf club and even a wedding church. Due to the natural beauty of this place, weddings are held here almost every weekend.
www.pelicanhill.com
San Francisco Bay
The San Francisco Bay Area is the city itself and the surrounding towns, parks, and nature reserves located around the bay. In the southern part is Silicon Valley. Its territory is surrounded by beautiful coniferous forests that protect it from fogs and winds, daily walking around San Francisco. And despite the distance of only 30 kilometers, the Silicon Valley is always warm and sunny, while in San Francisco often have to wear jackets and scarves.
Nevertheless, it is San Francisco that captivates and delivers aesthetic pleasure. This city has a unique aura, it is characterized by sophisticated lyrics, the spirit of liberalism and true freedom. You will definitely feel its true chic, aesthetics of architectural structures and get acquainted with the lifestyle of local residents who know how to live beautifully.
It is believed that San Francisco is very different from other American cities. It is a city of artists, philosophers and artists. And the number of cultural events held here annually, including opera and ballet, is very large. Constantly held art exhibitions, classical music concerts, theater premieres and festivals. It is better to park the car and explore the city on a bicycle, on cute trams or even on foot. Here’s one possible route: first cross the Golden Gate Bridge on a bicycle, then ride through the Presidio Park, drop by the museums of the Golden Gate Park and sail a boat along the beautiful, little-known Lake Stow Lake. Then go along the Embarcadero embankment to the famous Fisherman's Wharf. Here you can eat, just take a walk or go to the Exploratorium Museum of Science. Climb up a couple of blocks, and Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus department stores are waiting for you in the central square of the city - Union Square. Drink a cappuccino with an Italian bun in the same square in Emporio Rulli Cafe, and head for North Beach to Beach Blanket Babylon with renewed vigor. You will find even more clubs and restaurants in Valencia Street and in the Mission area. For dessert, check out the Bi-Rite Ice Cream ice cream parlor. The only problem with San Francisco is that there are so many interesting things that you are unlikely to want to leave.
Mount Shasta - for adventure seekers
For those who appreciate the beauty of nature rather than the city, we advise you to take a car and drive to the legendary Mount Shasta in the very north of California. This place, like a magnet, attracts mystics, gurus, sages and just curious people. There are many mysterious stories about this mountain. They say that underneath its peak is a whole city. Some people think that this city has long been abandoned, while others - that people (or some other creatures) live in it and that technology is very developed.
At the foot of the mountain stands Mount Shasta, whose inhabitants will be happy to tell you about meetings with the Lemurians, residents of the invisible city of Telos, Saint-Germain and aliens. But all agree on one thing: near the Shasta crater (and the mountain is a volcano) there is a special energy that can heal, discover secret forces and give hidden knowledge. In recent years, Mount Shasta has become an increasingly popular destination for spiritual tourism.
Where to stay in Northern California
Hotel Ritz-Carlton San Francisco
The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain is rarely a disappointment. Therefore, you will surely enjoy this hotel in the heart of San Francisco and its aristocratic setting. In addition, the building has its own long history. The hotel itself opened in 1991: earlier, in 1909, the Pacific office of Metropolitan Insurance Company and the main campus of Cogswell College were located in its building. A 9-storey hotel with 336 rooms in a huge white neoclassical building cannot but fascinate.
The facade is decorated with lion heads, a winged hourglass and seventeen ionic columns. In the elegant lobby, crystal candlesticks illuminate the marble floor and foyer walls with paintings inspired by the culture and architecture of San Francisco. Everywhere there are soft chairs, glass tables, vases with orchids and chocolates. And of course, in the lobby you will find a vase with famous Chinese fortune cookies with predictions inside. You may not have known, but such cookies appeared at the beginning of the 20th century in San Francisco.
The hotel's interior is designed in soothing colors: curtains made of thick silk, paintings in gilded frames. The rooms are decorated in blue and white "Pacific" colors and are full of pleasant expensive little things. The bedding is made from Frette fabric weighing 400 threads per square inch, and the beds themselves are incredibly comfortable.
The two upper floors are traditionally reserved for Ritz-Carlton for Club Level rooms, which offer many useful services. If you enter one of these rooms, a personal sweet surprise awaits you there (and you will be very surprised by it), as well as concierge services in the club restaurant, which will tell you where to go tonight.
The cuisine of Parallel 37's main restaurant (San Francisco, located at 37th parallel) is based on traditional California products. The quality of food here is excellent and is accompanied by a bright presentation. The restaurant is in great demand, therefore it is better to book tables in advance.
In the Lobby Lounge with a beautiful view of the courtyard, you can enjoy a traditional midday cup of tea for San Francisco or a trendy cocktail with tea tincture, as well as take part in one of the traditional tea ceremonies of different nations.
The hotel is located in the exclusive area of Nob Hill, very close to Chinatown and shops in Union Square. Such a good location, as well as comfort and exquisite service makes the Ritz Carlton San Francisco an ideal solution for both business trips and leisure.
www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/california/san-francisco
Text: Irina Malkova
