California
A thousand miles of coast, and the best of it is the part most visitors skip.
Most itineraries run San Francisco to Los Angeles and stop. Go the other way. North of Mendocino the coast empties out, the fog comes in, and the trees get taller than anything else on earth.
Towns and cities in California
Avenue of the Giants
Thirty-two miles of the tallest trees on earth, running parallel to the freeway everyone else takes.
Big Sur
A stretch of Highway One between Carmel and San Simeon, cliffs on one side and redwood canyons on the other.
Carmel-by-the-Sea
A one-square-mile village on the Monterey Peninsula with no street addresses, only corners.
Garberville
A small Highway 101 town in Humboldt County, the usual gateway to the redwoods of the Avenue of the Giants.
Los Angeles
A city too spread out for one center, so its best food sits in strip malls and neighborhoods, not downtown.
Palm Springs
A midcentury desert resort town two hours east of LA, built around pools, golf, and mountain views.
San Diego
A low-slung coastal city near the Mexican border, its best food scattered across beach neighborhoods rather than downtown.
San Francisco
A dense, hilly city of small neighborhoods, where a few blocks can change the language on the menus.
Santa Barbara
A Spanish-tiled coastal city between mountains and ocean, an hour and a half up the coast from LA.
Logged in California
Ash & Vine
Palm Springs, United StatesA small farm-to-table dining room in Palm Springs' old plaza, nearly perfect-rated on very few reviews.
Benbow Historic Inn
Garberville, United StatesA 1926 Tudor-revival lodge on a lake south of the redwoods, once a stop for Highway 101 road-trippers.
Carmel's Hidden Gem
Carmel-by-the-Sea, United StatesA small corner café at Mission and Fifth serving seasonal coastal fare, genuinely named for how easy it is to miss.
Deetjen's Big Sur Inn
Big Sur, United StatesA cluster of 1930s redwood cabins and a candlelit restaurant tucked into a canyon just off Highway One.
El Pescador Fish Market
San Diego, United StatesA counter-service fish market and café on La Jolla's Pearl Street, order the day's catch and eat on the patio.
Emporium Thai
Los Angeles, United StatesA Southern Thai kitchen in a quiet Westwood strip mall, known locally for its crab omelette.
La Super-Rica Taqueria
Santa Barbara, United StatesA cash-only taco stand on Milpas Street that Julia Child was famously a regular at.
Miranda Gardens Resort
Avenue of the Giants, United StatesCottages on the Avenue of the Giants where the redwoods start at the end of your balcony.
Yamo
San Francisco, United StatesA four-stool, cash-only Burmese counter in the Mission, built around one order of rice noodles.