Final Stop Aspiration
Onto few other landscapes did the world project so many aspiring people: from the first settlers to push across the American continent and the workers of the 1930s to the Mexicans and tech venture capitalists of today, California has always been a destination for the hopeful. For travelers, California produces most it promises – visitors encounter intoxicating landscapes, relaxed people, and a feel-good atmosphere. The most exciting route through the state is Highway 1, which stretches along the Pacific and leads north from San Diego over the Big Sur mountain range to San Francisco. En route lie, among other things, the fancy city of Santa Barbara, the castle of newspaper czar and Citizen Kane archetype William Randolph Hearst, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Clint Eastwood’s hometown, Carmel. That California is not only spectacular along the coast is demonstrated by excursions from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park or from Los Angeles to the Mojave Desert. In turn, the Napa Valley and Sonoma County wine regions, which lie north of San Francisco, offer the height of sensation for culinary enthusiasts.
