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These Artist Directories are a passion of mine.
My goal has always been to supply an affordable and attractive way for ALL artists to get world wide exposure via the internet and the means for people LOOKING for art to FIND it!
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- Thank you, Hillary
California Destinations Offer Views From The Top
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) – From the north to the south, California offers postcard settings, but it’s the state’s scenic vistas and overlooks that provide some of the most picturesque views and are among the favored spots of international visitors.
“It’s simply inspiring seeing California from far above the ground,” said President and CEO Caroline Beteta of the California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC). “From eating signature California cuisine at one of our cliff-side restaurants to riding a pulley suspended on a cable down a mountain, visitors, whether here for leisure or adventure, will find a host of remarkable outlooks that offer only-in-California sights.”
San Diego, with its beautiful and perse landscape, provides a number of fascinating ways to take in the sights of this seaside paradise. The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego is the tallest building on the West Coast waterfront, and it's where guests and visitors alike enjoy sweeping views of the city and harbor. Located in the San Diego County Region, 122 miles (197 kilometers) south of Los Angeles, The Top of the Hyatt Bar, on the 40th floor, is a favorite nightspot for the after-dinner crowd to mingle and marvel at downtown’s glittering lights. Just west of San Diego, the Cabrillo National Monument, situated on the Point Loma peninsula at the entrance to the San Diego Bay, is one of the city’s most popular viewpoints. Commemorating Cabrillo’s 1542 exploration of the California coast, the monument’s visitor center and Old Point Loma Lighthouse, perched high atop the peninsula, provide views of the metropolitan area, Coronado, along with the ocean. At 1,942 feet (592 meters), the historical Oceanside Pier is the longest wooden pier on the West Coast. A relaxing stroll over the Pacific Ocean inspires travelers to unwind while taking in the amazing coastline. The pier is located in Oceanside and is 84 miles (135 kilometers) south of Los Angeles.
Home to the largest concentration of ski resorts in the country, Lake Tahoe in the High Sierra Region offers lots of skiing. But what really sets the region apart are its lake views. Whether visitors are surfing powder at Squaw Valley USA at an elevation of 8,200 feet (2,499 meters) or munching on a local-favorite grilled fish taco at the lakeside Sunnyside Resort & Marina, Lake Tahoe is always front and center. For the more adventurous, Heavenly Ski Resort’s Flyer Zip Line takes visitors on a 3,330-foot-long (1006 meters), 80-second ride with speeds reaching 50 miles per hour. Lake views also extend to golf resorts with the historic Old Brockway Golf Course in Kings Beach offering up tremendous sights of the largest alpine lake in the U.S. Lake Tahoe is located approximately 200 miles (322 kilometers) north of San Francisco.
Death Valley comes to life in a jeep tour of the largest national park in the contiguous United States. Through an arrangement between Xanterra Parks & Resorts and Farrabee Jeep, visitors can rent high-clearance, four-wheel-drive sport utility vehicles to ride to the highest point in the park, Telescope Peak, at 11,000 feet (3,352 meters), where one can see for more than 100 miles (161 kilometers) in many directions, including views of Mount Whitney to the west, which is the highest summit in the continental U.S., and Charleston Peak to the east. In total, travelers can explore 700 miles (1,127 kilometers) of park roads to remote areas, including the Race Track where rocks are reported to move mysteriously. Death Valley National Park is located in the Deserts Region and is 291 miles (468 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles. Visitors to the state can take in one of the most spectacular views in Southern California via the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs, 107 miles (172 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. Riders start at the Valley Station at 2,643 feet (806 meters) and end at the Mountain Station at an elevation of 8,516 feet (2,596 meters), the gateway to the Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness Area.
Located in the San Francisco Bay Area Region, San Francisco is a 49-square-mile peninsula (79 kilometers) bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay that presents spectacular vantage points from different areas throughout the city. But for a San Francisco dining experience that is a feast for the eyes as well as the mouth, the Carnelian Room can’t be beat. Soaring 52 stories above the city and 781 feet high (238 meters), diners savor panoramic views of the City by the Bay while enjoying contemporary continental American cuisine. In 1939, hotelier and owner George D. Smith transformed the 19th floor penthouse suite of the Mark Hopkins Hotel into a glass-walled cocktail lounge. Today, the Top Of The Mark, at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel offers a near 360-degree vista of San Francisco, including views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz. Famed for its 100 martinis menu, the Top Of The Mark has been rated as one of the 26 “World’s Best Hotel Bars” by Forbes.com two years consecutively. The Cityscape on the 46th floor of the San Francisco Hilton also showcases the city’s most famous landmarks through its 14-foot-high windows (4.3 meters) as walls. Travelers can expect to take in Coit Tower, Union Square, City Hall and AT&T Park, while tasting contemporary Californian dishes.
Located 6 miles from downtown Salinas and 13 miles (21 kilometers) from the Monterey Peninsula in the Central Coast Region, Toro Park provides more than 4,700 acres for thousands of visitors each year. Many of the park’s 20 miles of trails (32 kilometers), geared for hikers, cyclists and horseback riders, offer sweeping views of the Salinas Valley, which is 106 miles (171 kilometers) south of San Francisco. The most popular is the 1800 Trail, which rises from sea level to 1,800 feet (549 meters) and provides amazing sights. Point Lobos State Reserve offers beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean and is located just outside of Carmel, 116 miles (187 kilometers) south of San Francisco on Highway 1.The daring might want to try stand-up paddling on Monterey Bay, 112 miles (180 kilometers) south of San Francisco. This up-and-coming sport, which combines surfing and paddling, has created a lot of excitement and provides views from the top of Monterey Bay looking down into the water’s depths.
In the Orange County Region, the Gazebo at Laguna Beach’s Heisler Park is a beautiful vantage point that is located on a coastal bluff and surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean. It also offers dramatic vistas of Laguna Beach’s downtown. Laguna Beach is located 51 (82 kilometers) south of Los Angeles.
It’s all about the location at the Fire Lookouts overlooking Mount Shasta in the Shasta Cascade Region, 276 miles (444 kilometers) north of San Francisco. These rustic cabins and lookouts are historic guard stations and work centers located in remote areas that are occasionally used to house Forest Service employees. As the need for these accommodations decline, they are made available to the general public. Built approximately 80 years ago, the properties are accessible by car, but the roads turn to dirt for the last stretch of the drive, giving visitors a sense of truly being in their own private wilderness. Here guests have access to outstanding views and a chance to reconnect in a memorable place. One of the more luxurious ways of seeing California’s grand scenery is while soaking in a hot tub aboard a three-story houseboat as it cruises Shasta Lake north of Redding, 216 miles (348 kilometers) north of San Francisco. The sights include the volcanoes Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak, as well as the impressive Shasta Dam and miles of pristine forested shoreline.
West Hollywood, a 1.9-square-mile city (3.2 kilometers) between Beverly Hills and Hollywood, has spectacular panoramic views of the Los Angeles County Region from atop some of the most luxurious hotels in the city. The new Andaz West Hollywood Hotel, boasts fantastic sights of the Hollywood Hills on one side and the Sunset Strip and downtown Los Angeles on the other. Some of the best views are from the rooftop deck, which is 14 stories high. West Hollywood is located 9 miles (15 kilometers) west of Los Angeles. Open in April 2008, the London West Hollywood Hotel also features a rooftop deck, 10 stories high. This pool deck is the perfect fusion of California chic and timeless British tradition and features abundant English garden-style landscaping, private cabanas and teak decking set against the sweeping views of the Los Angeles skyline. In Beverly Hills, 13 miles (21 kilometers) west of Los Angeles, the 18.5 acres of the Greystone Mansion afford some of the best views of the city. Open daily, the free manicured grounds make for a picturesque day. One of the city’s best-kept secrets is the balcony of Brooks Brothers on Rodeo Drive. The 22,000-square-foot space is available for private soirees and looks out to palm-lined Rodeo Drive, where patrons can scope out paparazzi and Lamborghinis galore.
Rooftop bars aren’t limited to Southern California, as these trendy venues are also the rage in downtown Sacramento. Located in the Gold Country Region, 87 miles (140 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco, The Mix Ultra Lounge in the Firestone Building offers views of the State Capitol and beyond. This swanky gathering place, especially popular with the after-work and stay-out-till-dawn crowd, has the hottest DJs in town spinning tunes from Motown to funk and even disco.
Visitors can climb to the top of one of the tallest Pacific Coast lighthouses as keepers have done for more than 100 years at the Point Arena Lighthouse and Museum in the North Coast Region, which re-opened to the public after renovations February 13. Set in one of the most spectacular, yet peaceful surroundings on the northern California coast, the Point Arena tower is the only Pacific West Coast lighthouse of significant height, 115 feet (35 meters), which you can climb to the top. Guided tours of the light station as well as self-guided tours of the grounds are available daily. The lighthouse, which is located on a point of land that juts out 2 miles into the Pacific, is also a great vantage point to watch the annual migration of the California gray whales, which pass by the point every March as they head to the warm lagoons of Mexico. Point Arena is located 130 miles (209 kilometers) north of San Francisco.
In the Inland Empire Region, the best views are found via hot air balloon and bi-plane rides over the Temecula Valley wine country with California Dreamin’. On hot air balloon rides, visitors leisurely float over rolling hills, impeccably planted rows of lush vineyards, while enjoying a mimosa (orange juice and excellent local champagne), a favorite balloonist breakfast. For those travelers looking for a more lively experience, they can share the spirit of adventure with aviation pioneers, such as Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh, in a 1928 Travel Air biplane, NC5433. The company provides the leather helmet and goggles and flies you in an open cockpit, offering up panoramic sights of the lush, green vineyards. Temecula is 87 miles and (140 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles.
Travelers to the Central Valley Region are in for a very different view. Although not necessarily scenic the view from the tour platform at the Hilmar Cheese Company in Hilmar is definitely memorable as guests overlook employees packaging “the big cheese,” a 640-pound (291 kilos) crate of cheese to be exact. It’s the most photographed site on the tour, where visitors learn how cheese is made via interactive and hands-on exhibits. Hilmar is located 109 miles (175 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco.
The CTTC is a non-profit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs - in partnership with the state's travel industry - that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination. According to the CTTC, travel and tourism expenditures total $96.7 billion annually in California, $16.7 billion of which is international, support jobs for 924,100 Californians and generate $5.8 billion in state and local tax revenues. For more information about the CTTC and for a free California Visitor’s Guide, go to www.VisitCalifornia.com.