To the west of the United States, bordered by the Pacific Ocean, California represents the allure of a “world end”, both highly urbanized and very wild. Sea, mountain and desert are at the gates of cities, themselves rather open to nature.

California is at first familiar clichés that are exported with emphasis: the sprawling megacity of Los Angeles; Hollywood movie stars; joggers and rollers of Venice Beach; the San Francisco hills traveled by cable cars ; the sirens of Santa Barbara and the surfers of Malibu; the famous Golden Gate Bridge and the most high-tech companies in the world concentrated in the Silicon Valley campaign.

California also offers a kaleidoscope of wild and majestic landscapes: the relentless desert of Death Valley, the extraordinary park of Yosemite, the forests that rise to the sky of Sequoia National Park, the misty cliffs battered by the swell of Big Sur.

Blue skies and mild temperatures almost year-round (except the sea, rather cool!) Give California an incomparable quality of life, source of economic and migratory dynamism that makes it the engine of the American dream.

Here are some California cities you should travel to

San Francisco

San Francisco is a city that is incomparably different from the rest of the United States in its cultural diversity, unconventionality, tolerance, and outward-looking outlook.

Beyond the way of life, its singularity is also found in urbanism. Compared to other cities, the city center is not crushed by skyscrapers. In many neighborhoods, Victorian homes still stand. Sown at the mercy of the famous hills and streets (very) sloping, they undeniably contribute to make San Francisco one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

It will enchant you, for sure, with its human size, its many neighborhoods (as different in their decor and atmosphere as their population), its great museums, its cultural and culinary scene, its cable cars that hit the streets , its beaches and parks, to the iconic Golden Gate Glowing in the axis of the bay.

Rich city, San Francisco has an average income more than 50% higher than the national average. But not everything is rosy. Some corners, like the Tenderloin, at the west margins of the Downtown, concentrate the abandoned by the hundreds. Hotels choices are also diverse here, you can find hotels in San Francisco for any budget.

San Francisco has the coolest climate on the California coast. In July-August, fog banks, derived from the thermal difference between the overheated Californian lands and the cold waters of the Pacific, sometimes envelop the city for days, exfoliating to the Golden Gate. San Francisco has earned another nickname: Fog City!

Los Angeles 

Los Angeles is a huge city – it’s actually a lot of cities, right? – and full of super different places from each other. Santa Monica and her pier of American series. Venice with its beautiful canals, the coolest US streets, the most eclectic boardwalk, Californication locations and the best tater tots of our lives. Hollywood with its amazing homes and cinema views. Downtown Beverly Hills . Malibu . Del Rey . It’s a lot to do, see, know and experience. We spent a week in LA and it was definitely not enough. Even if you need a car to get around the longest distance of the city, it is a delight to stroll through the neighborhoods as if they were really small towns.

Anaheim

Located south of Los Angeles, Anaheim is one of California’s most visited tourist destinations, thanks to Disney’s Disneyland California park complex. With a total of over 18 million tourists a year, the city stands out for its attractions and entertainment for all audiences.

In addition to having Disney, Anaheim is also suitable for sports fans, as throughout the season it is possible to follow good games of baseball and hockey, among others. To top it off, the city also has a lively nightlife full of options. Anaheim has many themed restaurants, such as Palapa, which specializes in Hawaiian food with a seafood-filled menu, and Mi Casa, which is considered one of the best Mexican restaurants in the region. On the other hand, those who are interested in a typical American food with hamburgers and fries, Umami Burger is one of the most popular among tourists.

San Diego

My favorite city in the entire state , San Diego is a great place for a family outing, as the county – the first in the US, bordering Tijuana , Mexico – offers attractions for all tastes, pockets and ages.

Although less well known than some others, this is the second largest city in the state and the eighth in the country, with about 1.3 million inhabitants.

Much of its culture reflects its proximity to Mexico, so you can find a variety of Mexican cuisine restaurants in the area, as well as Latinos from all over the city living and dine in San Diego .

The city is the destination of many young people around the world who want to study English – like me, a few years ago – as well as American students from some of its universities. Thus, the city is very young and has attractions that mainly think of this public.

Author – Shalini kotnala

Being the second generation of immigrants from Gadwal, we always spent summer holidays in our ancestral homes. Holidays were fun there as we got relief from schools, homework and Delhi’s excruciatingly hot temperature. It was the time of the year when we would meet our cousins and grandparents. We enjoyed both the familiarity and unfamiliarity among the indigenous people there. But as time flew I grew less excited about our regular trip. It was then that my mother, trying to refurbish my excitement, planned to take me to Tarkehswar temple.

Knowing her daughter’s love for stories she narrated the folklore cum fable associated with Tarkeshwar Mahadev. The fable revolves around the faith that every time there is some auspicious deed happening in a house, one has to visit the temple to express gratitude.To illustrate the point the story talks about an entire ignorant marriage procession being turned into trees for not visiting the Tarkeshwar temple. The significant mythical evidence for the story is the presence of some trees bleeding if cut with an axe. Now when I think about the fable I speculate, may be the people were so modern then that they didn’t need concepts like afforestation, global warming and climate change to realize that forests hold much importance in human lives.

As a kid I believed the story and was scared to displease Lord Shiva. From my maternal grandparents’ house the distance to the temple is 12 km. We walked the whole way simply because we didn’t have any other option. But now the temple can be reached by hiring a taxi from Lansdowne to Gundalkhet Village or directly to Trakeshwar. Nearest railway station is at Kotdwara (70 km) and airport at Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun.

We treaded the sloppy, steeping walkways and Nanu kept pointing to one place or the other, while mentioning its name. On the way, I saw the school where my mother studied and the place from where she denied leaving her studies in-between; because back then telling him on his face when he was at home was like asking for the devil’s wrath. Nanu also named the different trees and their fruits which were natural delicacies consistent from his childhood to mine. And in this way our five hour long journey was completed.

What welcomed us at Tarkeshwar was a huge tree in the shape of a trishool, a weapon associated with Lord Shiva. It was almost impossible for me to believe that among thousands of deodar trees only a single deodar is in the shape of a trishool, which is in the compound of the shrine. Now there are four trees like that in four different directions surrounding the Tarkeshwar temple. Back then, seeing my expression of awe, Nanu took us inside and asked me to count all the bells of the temple, which was like counting stars. That many were there.

On an average day, 3 or 4 bells are offered to Lord Shiva after the fulfillment of a wish. In trying to make him believe that I am actually counting bells, I touched every bell I saw. And I was not the only one doing it, the gentle breeze there was also trying to caress every cold bell making them jingle. The jingling sound mixed with the chirping of birds and the sound of gushing water was harmonious.

When inside the temple my family offered milk to an idol of Lord Shiva I got offended because I was more inclined to facts than faith. I tried to make everyone understand that we were wasting milk. And then I got to know about the underground capillaries from Tarkeshwar to a place 25 km away from it, named Jhalsain, where the offered milk reaches and is taken home for those who are struck by evil spirits.

As the residing deity of the temple is Lord Shiva, Mahashivaratri, Deepavali, Annakuta and Nrising Leela are the festivals celebrated annually with great enthusiasm. Best months to visit the temple are from March-October because the place is packed with festivals and the weather is just perfect. Back then there was no option for accommodation but now there is an ashram and a Dharamshala. If prior information of visit is confirmed, one can stay there and food is served as per ashram rules at Dharamshala.

Tarkeshwar temple is situated in a cup shaped valley surrounded by the majestic pine and deodar tress. If not the faith, at least the enthralling beauty of the shrine claims your spirituality. The place is guarded by mythological stories making it nothing less than an amalgam of truth, mysticism and faith. It’s an inner struggle between cherished facts and neglected faith which gets activated there. Being hybrids we always have to face this dilemma of choosing between city and village. For me personally, the wilderness claims my soul and the city possesses my heart.