Riding a Cable Car: It's the quintessential San Francisco experience, taking the Powell-Hyde cable car down to Fisherman's Wharf. When you reach the top of Nob Hill, grab the rail with one hand and hold your camera with the other, because you're about to see a view of the bay that'll make you all weepy.
Exploring Alcatraz Island: Even if you loathe tourist attractions, you'll dig Alcatraz. Just looking at The Rock from across the bay is enough to give you the heebie-jeebies—and the park rangers have put together an excellent audio tour. Heck, even the boat ride across the bay is worth the price.
Hot-Air Ballooning over Napa Valley: Sure, you have to rise at dawn to do it, but drifting over the Napa Valley's vineyards in a balloon is the best way to view the verdant, undulating hills, meticulously striped with vines and bordered by mountains. Flights run in the morning on clear days, when the air is calm and cool. You can book a trip through your hotel or with Bonaventura Balloon Company (tel. 800/FLY-NAPA) or Adventures Aloft (tel. 800/944-4408).
Wine Tasting in Napa or Sonoma: You don't have to be a connoisseur to appreciate the wine trail. All you need is a decadent streak and a designated driver. Sniff and sip at a few wineries, take in the bucolic views, and see why this region is one of the hottest destinations in the country—a place to sample some of the world's best wines right at the source.
Taking a Train Ride through the Redwoods: Where else on this planet would you get an opportunity to ride a historic steam train through a remote coastal redwood forest? The Skunk Train (tel. 800/866-1690) in Fort Bragg once lugged logs and now takes tourists on an all-day outing through a redwood forest, an 80-mile journey that crosses over 31 bridges and trestles and through two deep tunnels. They even offer a Sunset Dinner BBQ excursion.
In my early 20s, I took the requisite college student's pilgrimage to Europe, exploring its finer train stations and sleeping on the premier park benches from London to Istanbul. I was relatively anonymous—just another tanned and skinny, blond and blue-eyed American with a backpack. That is, until I crossed into the former Eastern Bloc.
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When I saw young I visited an underground mall that had many shops. It was two or three levels of stores below ground, and I was amazed at how large the underground mall was. It was faily new in the late 60's. Would anyone know where such a mall might be found in California?
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My husband is working in Los Angeles and I'm in Chicago. I'm flying out in a couple weeks to see him and he is going to be busy and I want to see as much as I can while I'm there. I will be there for 5 days. I never been there and this gives me a chance to see Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. How is Catalina and how far is it for Los Angeles?
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My wife, my two daughters (9 and 12), and I will travel to Los Angeles during the Thanksgiving week. We'll arrive to Los Angeles and we'll return from San Francisco a week after. I'm looking for books about things to do in California, and I found thousands of them. May you recommend a site or book to recommend how to know and to enjoy (with kids) this week? Our idea is to rent a car in Los Angeles and know the near important places before to go to San Francisco. Any recommendation would be welcome. Thanks in advance.
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