California

by

Ten of the Nicest Small Cities in America


I have not been to every small city in America nor am I any sort of a travel guru.  However, I have been to a lot of small cities having been in 44 of our 5o states.  The following is an entirely subject view of what I believe to  be 10 American cities that should be on anyone’s list of must see destinations.  I do not  believe that any of these cities exceeds a million people in population.  Some, however, do exist in extended areas of over one million.  Excepting the first entry, they are in no particular order.

1.  Savannah Georgia — I consider Savannah to be the nicest small city in all of America.  When you drive into Savannah you cannot help but notice the Spanish moss hanging from the trees.  Although this is not unique to Savannah, when coupled with the beautiful old homes and parks of the city, it may be singular in that respect.  The downtown portion of Savannah can be walked, entirely, in about 15 minutes.  It is only about two blocks wide by 8 or 9 long, and sits next to its large port facility.  Just outside of the commercial portion of Savannah sits most of its stately homes which have frequently shown up in Hollywood movies, “Forest Gump” and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” were each shot there.  Renown for its friendliness, Savannah is a delight to all who visit there.  If there is not other small city in America that you make a must see, make this the one you do see.

2.  Portland Oregon — Portland sits on the Columbia River when it makes a sharp turn northward on its journey to the sea.  It is a very modern and very clean city that is steeped in the logging history of the northwest.  You drive 5 minutes from downtown Portland in any direction and find yourself in the gorgeous Oregon countryside.

3.  Oklahoma City Oklahoma — Oklahoma City is a sprawling small city.  If for no other reason you have to visit OKC for the food.  There are many many restaurants that serve either Mexican food or steaks that would put to shame similar restaurants in just about any other city in America.  It is also the home to the cowboy museum, a place where the old west is put on display and its history explained.  If you happen to go there during the summer, OKC has its own minor league baseball team which plays in a beautiful little stadium referred to as “the Brickyard.”

4.  Honolulu Hawai’i — This seems like a no-brainer right?  Waikiki is incomparable to its beauty and shops.  Waikiki boasts a large number of high-end stores that those of us of modest means can peer into.  But it is also rich in cultural history.  The Queen Iolani Palace, the cultural center, and even the pineapple field tours speak to its rich and long history.  Of course, there is also the Pearl Harbor memorial, an emotionally moving place to reflect on the tragedy of World War 2 as you stand a few feet above the sunken hulk of the USS Arizona.

5.  Sacramento California — Sacramento, like Oklahoma City, is a sprawling city that sits at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers.  While the city itself is slightly over 100 square miles in size, the downtown portion is just a little over one square mile.  The capitol building and surrounding grounds may be the most beautiful of any of the 50 states.  The is also a portion, just a short distance from downtown, know as “old town.”  Old Town sits on the bank of the Sacramento River and is the oldest portion of Sacramento.  The building of this area are maintained to reflect an old west flavor.  Also here is the California Railroad Museum.

6.  Nashville Tennessee —  This, like Honolulu, seems like a no-brainer.  How can anyone not like the home of the Grand Old Opry.  Though rich in country music history, the city also boasts a lively blues music venue which has to be enjoyed.  But Nashville is more than just that offering a good selection of restaurants that serve a variety of southern cuisine, ribs, catfish, and grits have got to be tried here.

7.  St. Augustine Florida — St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States.  It Spanish heritage can still be found in its architecture and food.  It also has long stretches of beautiful beaches that are not congested with the crowds of Floridas more southern cities, and yet rival them in beauty.

8.  Santa Fe New Mexico — Santa Fe is a beautiful combination of Mexican adobe architecture and native American culture.  The city sits in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains amidst the scrub pine.  It is a quaint small city of just under 70,000 people where you can lose yourself in its tranquility and beauty.

9.  Salt Lake City Utah — Salt Lake City sits snugly between the towering Rocky Mountains to the east and the Great Salt Lake to the west.  Founded by the Mormons in the 19th Century, located in its northern portion is the huge Mormon Temple, a beautiful cathedral-like structure that is central to the religion.  During the late spring the city has a stunning vista of the still snow-capped Rockies.

10.  Burlington Vermont — The largest city in Vermont at about 43,000 people, Burlington sits on the shores of the gorgeous Lake Champlain.  The city is the center of commerce for what is called Vermont’s “Northern Kingdom.”  Its downtown area has a large collection of quaint shops and small comfortable restaurants.  The lakeside portion of the city boasts a nice combination of boat rentals and tour boats.

I also want to offer ten other cities, without comment, that I consider worthy of visiting.  1.  Portland Maine, 2. Louisville Kentucky, 3. Charleston South Carolina, 4. Bar Harbor Maine, 5. Gettysburg Pennsylvania, 6. Laramie Wyoming, 7. Richmond Virginia, 8. Napa California, 9. Lake Tahoe Nevada, 10. Provincetown Massachusetts.

by

Visiting Northern California


When people hear about California I think their mind tends to go to the Los Angeles area and all its glitz and glamour.  I have visited there a number of times and frankly, I am not all that impressed.  Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to see, really good things, but it all still leaves me a little wanting.

Northern California is like a totally different state.  It in no way resembles the south.  Where Southern California is hundreds of square miles of urban sprawl, Northern California, even with its cities, allows you to quickly escape to the countryside.  My observations come more from all the time I spent out there on business than vacation time.  There was a stretch of four months were I stayed in Sacramento for the majority of the days during any given month.  That gave me a lot of time to explore and visit.

San Francisco is the gem of the west.  As different as it is from my home town city of Boston, it also has much of Boston’s quaintness and charm.  You will find lots of great restaurants, historic places of interest, and activities to keep you entertained for at least a week.  Just to the north of San Francisco is the city of Sausalito.  This is an artist community situated just across the Gold State Bridge.  From there you need drive only a short distance to John Muir Woods where you will find a wonderful redwood forest.

Redwood National Park is in the southeastern part of the state and a bit of a drive.  Although you cannot get all the wonderful sights of Redwood National Forest, John Muir Woods still gives you plenty of redwoods to marvel over.  The woods have any number of trails you can stroll along and enjoy the aromatic and scenic delight of the forest.

You might from San Francisco venture northward to the Napa Valley.  The Napa Valley is one of the premier wine growing areas of the United States.  It extends from Napa northward to Calistoga along route 29.  En route you will encounter many wineries most of which are open to tourists and offer you a free taste of some of the wines they make.  One thing, do not swallow the wine!  You will get drunk.  The wines are  really good but these wineries all offer you a place to spit out the wine you have tasted.

From Napa you drive about an hour and a half to the state’s capital, Sacramento.  Sacramento is an absolutely delightful little city to visit.  I highly recommend visiting the “Old Town” district.  This is the old portion of the city as it sat along the banks of the Sacramento River.  It gives you some of that old city flavor but there is also the State Railroad Museum at the site.

From Sacramento take U.S. Route 50 eastward to Lake Tahoe.  It will take several hours but the scenery along the way is really good.  En route, look for the famous Folsom Prison.  And the highway, even though not offering the speeds of an Interstate, still allows you to average over 50 MPH to Tahoe.  Upon reaching the area of Lake Tahoe you will have traveled through 3 very different regions: the coastal mountainous area, the inland plains, and finally the Rocky Mountains.

Lake Tahoe is truly one of the most beautiful regions in the entire state.  The lake is an extremely deep crystal clear lake that is surrounded by chalet style houses.  Lake Tahoe itself is actually intersected by the states of California and Nevada.  Route 50 travels along the southern edge of the lake into Nevada.  If you were a fan of the western t.v. show Bonanza, you can see the actual set on the eastern shore.  There is also a road leaving the western edge of the lake at route 50 and going northward around the lake.  I highly recommend this beautiful route.

I am obviously a fan of Northern California but in this short article I have not even scratched the surface of all the many wonderful sites you can see there.  With just a little planning you can have a vacation like none you have had before.