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[stereobread]

How has California not been done already?

Top 10 places in California:

1. San Francisco. The best city in the US and one of the best in the world. It has among the most beautiful natural settings of any city I've been to (Istanbul is the only one that comes close) and one of the most diverse populations in the world.

2-9 aren't really in any particular order, just the first places to spring to mind.

2. Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks. Yosemite is great too, don't get me wrong, but the crowds in the Valley are just too much for me. These parks are perfect for any activities you might want to try out in the Sierra Nevada back country.

3. The central coast, especially Big Sur provides some of the most spectacular coastline in North America. Pretty much anywhere you go from Ventura to Santa Cruz is going to be amazing. My personal favorite experience is sea kayaking in Morro Bay and being approached to within about two feet by curious sea otters. Otters are awesome.

4. Death Valley National Park. Stark, forbidding, hot as hell and absolutely beautiful. Very few places outside of the Sahara can beat it for experiencing true desert.

5. The redwoods. Most tourists head for either Muir Woods or the Redwood National Park but these trees, the tallest in the world, grow along the coast in a belt stretching all the way from Santa Cruz to southern Oregon. Old growth redwoods are incredible but in a way that you can't really understand until you actually see them. I had a roommate once from Vermont who couldn't understand why everyone was telling him he had to go see "some trees." Then he actually went, he got it then.

6. Napa and Sonoma. Internationally recognized as producing some very, very good wine.

7. San Diego. At any given time of the year the odds are pretty good that it's 75 degrees fahrenheit and sunny in San Diego.

8. The Coast Range. It doesn't get the same attention as the Sierra or the coast itself but the mountains and valleys separating the coast from the Central Valley are full of cool little towns and the best Mexican food you're likely to find outside of Mexico (OK, all of California is full of the best Mexican food you're likely to find outside of Mexico).

9. The Channel Islands. Santa Catalina is the best known but all of them are cool. A string of isolated islands full of wildlife that's not found anywhere else. Island foxes are adorable and I imagine the smaller than average island mammoths that they've found fossils of were probably pretty cute in their day.

10. Los Angeles. In the spirit of full disclosure I don't actually like LA that much but I couldn't in good conscience leave it off the list. LA is a microcosm of the United States and the world. What I said earlier about San Francisco's diversity goes double for LA. My only real problem with the city is that it's so spread out that you really need a car to get anywhere or do anything. Other than that, LA's pretty cool.

So yeah, California's got some nice stuff.

[sianeth]

How has California not been done already?

Top 10 places in California:

1. San Francisco. The best city in the US and one of the best in the world. It has among the most beautiful natural settings of any city I've been to (Istanbul is the only one that comes close) and one of the most diverse populations in the world.

2-9 aren't really in any particular order, just the first places to spring to mind.

2. Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks. Yosemite is great too, don't get me wrong, but the crowds in the Valley are just too much for me. These parks are perfect for any activities you might want to try out in the Sierra Nevada back country.

3. The central coast, especially Big Sur provides some of the most spectacular coastline in North America. Pretty much anywhere you go from Ventura to Santa Cruz is going to be amazing. My personal favorite experience is sea kayaking in Morro Bay and being approached to within about two feet by curious sea otters. Otters are awesome.

4. Death Valley National Park. Stark, forbidding, hot as hell and absolutely beautiful. Very few places outside of the Sahara can beat it for experiencing true desert.

5. The redwoods. Most tourists head for either Muir Woods or the Redwood National Park but these trees, the tallest in the world, grow along the coast in a belt stretching all the way from Santa Cruz to southern Oregon. Old growth redwoods are incredible but in a way that you can't really understand until you actually see them. I had a roommate once from Vermont who couldn't understand why everyone was telling him he had to go see "some trees." Then he actually went, he got it then.

6. Napa and Sonoma. Internationally recognized as producing some very, very good wine.

7. San Diego. At any given time of the year the odds are pretty good that it's 75 degrees fahrenheit and sunny in San Diego.

8. The Coast Range. It doesn't get the same attention as the Sierra or the coast itself but the mountains and valleys separating the coast from the Central Valley are full of cool little towns and the best Mexican food you're likely to find outside of Mexico (OK, all of California is full of the best Mexican food you're likely to find outside of Mexico).

9. The Channel Islands. Santa Catalina is the best known but all of them are cool. A string of isolated islands full of wildlife that's not found anywhere else. Island foxes are adorable and I imagine the smaller than average island mammoths that they've found fossils of were probably pretty cute in their day.

10. Los Angeles. In the spirit of full disclosure I don't actually like LA that much but I couldn't in good conscience leave it off the list. LA is a microcosm of the United States and the world. What I said earlier about San Francisco's diversity goes double for LA. My only real problem with the city is that it's so spread out that you really need a car to get anywhere or do anything. Other than that, LA's pretty cool.

So yeah, California's got some nice stuff.

Lake Tahoe, come on!!

[stereobread]

Lake Tahoe, come on!!

You're right, I absolutely could have kept going. I'd also add in the old Spanish Missions if it were a longer list.

Oh, also, In & Out Burger.

[starlagurl]

And now, it's Sian's turn:

Travelmonster and Sianeth, your blogs are up there!

http://blog.travelpod.com/2009/04/21/10-be...ces-in-england/

[sianeth]

Ahh nice job Louise, it looks good! Looking forward to the others...

[kamyp]

The 10 best places in South Africa:
1. Cape Town (Tne flat mountain, the beaches, people, Robben Island and the people)
2. The Wine Route in the Western Cape
3. The Garden Route Drive and the places on the way
4. Kruger National Park
5. Drakensberg Mountain Range
6. Window of God
7. Augrabies Waterfall
8. Oudtshoorn and the Kango Caves
9. Durban (a bit biased)
10. Namaqualand when the wild flowers have sprung

Places that didn't quite make it on my list :
Jeffreys Bay for the Surfing
St. Lucia (for the wetlands and the scuba diving)
Addo National Park
George
Knysna

And it has great weather

[starlagurl]

Thanks kamy, I should have your list up in no time!

Today though, it was Martin's turn at Florida:

http://blog.travelpod.com/2009/04/22/10-be...sit-in-florida/

[travelmonster]

And now, it's Sian's turn:

Travelmonster and Sianeth, your blogs are up there!

http://blog.travelpod.com/2009/04/21/10-be...ces-in-england/

[starlagurl]

Annnnnnnd here comes Paula's list:

http://blog.travelpod.com/2009/04/23/top-1...ces-in-england/

[sianeth]

Annnnnnnd here comes Paula's list:

http://blog.travelpod.com/2009/04/23/top-1...ces-in-england/

Oooooooh, you are starting a turf war

[starlagurl]

Yeah I know...your post is getting a bunch of Stumble Upons by the way, Sian.

[sianeth]

Yeah I know...your post is getting a bunch of Stumble Upons by the way, Sian.

I don't really know what that means, I will take your word that its a good thing!

[starlagurl]

Oh it's a browser application that lets you thumb up and thumb down websites. 500 people came there from it today!

[polydemic]

1) Denali Park, Alaska

2) The Grand Canyon, Arizona

3) The Adirondacks, New York

4) Mammoth Caves, Kentucky

5) Yellowstone Park, Wyoming

6) Yosemite Park, California

7) The Everglades, Florida

8) Mt Rainier, Washington

9) Crater Lake, Oregon

10) Meteor Crater, Arizona

[starlagurl]

Shazlex, yours is up now too.

http://blog.travelpod.com/2009/04/24/10-th...o-in-australia/

[branefatboy]

Macedonia

1.Ohrid Lake, Ohrid
2.Stobi, Gradsko
3.Heraklea, Bitola
4.Kokino, Kumanovo
5.Kuklica, Kratovo
6.Matka, Skopje
7.The Millenium Cross, Skopje
8.Markovi Kuli, Prilep
9.Smolarsk Watterfalls, Strumica
10.St.Plaosnik, Ohrid

http://www.exploringmacedonia.com/

[starlagurl]

Here's Sian's list about East Australia:

http://blog.travelpod.com/2009/04/27/top-1...east-australia/

[starlagurl]

Herrrrrrrrrrrrre's Rachel's list:

http://blog.travelpod.com/2009/05/01/best-...o-in-australia/

[newatlas]

The 10 best places in Utah, USA.

1. Moab, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse State Park & scenic byways (amazing scenery & recreation opportunities)

2. Zion National Park & Bryce Canyon National Park (amazing scenery)

3. Park City & Deer Valley (historic town, scenery, world-class skiing, Sundance Film Festival, Winter Olympic sites)

4. The high Uintahs (mountains, scenery, forests, thousands of lakes, camping, fishing)

5. The Wasatch Mountains (amazing scenery, hiking, world-class ski resorts, lakes, recreation opportunities, forests, Mt. Timpanogos, scenic byways)

6. Downtown Salt Lake (amazing scenery, architecture, sports, arts, culture, history, beautiful areas)

7. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Lake Powell, scenery, recreation, houseboats) & Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (scenery)

8. White water rafting down the Colorado or Green Rivers

9. Antelope Island, the Great Salt Lake & the Bonneville Salt Flats (the largest salt water lake next to the Dead Sea, boating, scenery, herds of buffalo, birds & wildlife preserves, amazing sunsets, the largest horizon on earth, the largest salt flats on earth - they do world-renowned racing out there - break land-speed records)

10. Bingham Canyon Mine (Kennecott Utah Copper Mine) (you can see this open-pit mine from outerspace)

[starlagurl]

Utah is amazing. I wish I could've spent more time there in May when I was there. I stayed for two nights in Denver after driving through Monument Valley, it was awwwwwesome.

Have you lived there your whole life?