Page 21 - 2018 Travel Guide to California

and meetings venue, the Queen Mary is
linked on land by the Passport shuttle bus
to the Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach
Convention and Entertainment center and
other sites. The arts are served by the
Museum of Latin American Art, the Long
Beach Playhouse and a lively street-art
scene. Aquatic sports and beach volleyball
thrive in the sunny climate. Moreover, a
wide range of dining options abounds,
thanks to the city’s multiethnic make-up,
which embraces white and black residents,
Hispanics, Pacific Islanders and Asians,
notably Cambodians and Filipinos.
WEST HOLLYWOOD: Design,
Entertainment & LGBTQ Capital
With a population of 35,000, West Holly-
wood provides style and spark to Greater
Los Angeles well out of proportion to its
size. Vibrant “WeHo,’’ bounded on the east
by Hollywood and the west by Beverly Hills,
is Greater LA’s gay village, with about one-
third of residents identifying as lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ).
Within its tightly packed 1.9 square miles is
western Sunset Boulevard, aka the Sunset
Strip, with its famous music venues, among
them the Troubadour, Viper Room and
Whisky a Go Go. The city also boasts hip
hotels such as the Mondrian, Andaz and the
Sunset Marquis. Classic retro Art Deco and
Spanish Revival apartment buildings dot
swaths of the city, while western Melrose
Avenue is abuzz with restaurants, shops,
antique and furniture stores and the nearby
Pacific Design Center. The Halloween Car-
nival is a huge and popular party. An influx
of Russian Jews late last century from the
disintegrating Soviet Union adds to West
Hollywood’s cosmopolitan character.
fun such as hot-air ballooning. The three-
day Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine
Festival, held every year on the first
weekend in June, is a major draw. Also pop-
ular are the historic buildings and casual
shops of Temecula’s Old Town.
» FIND YOUR
CITY FUN
TEMECULA: Vineyards & Golf
Located 85 miles southeast of Los Angeles
and 60 miles north of San Diego on Inter-
state 15, this fast-growing city of 110,000
sits amid the vineyards of the Temecula
Valley—one of Southern California’s major
wine-making areas. Temecula, incorpo-
rated in 1989 in what was once Rancho
California, is also a popular golf destina-
tion; together the city and its suburbs have
nine golf courses. The sunny, warm-to-hot,
semi-arid climate allows devotees to hit the
fairways year-round. Pioneering industries—
agriculture, cattle ranching, quarrying
granite-stone—have been largely sup-
planted by golf and wine, as well as outdoor
Mendocino
visitmendocino.com, 866-466-3636
Tahoe City
visitahoecity.org, 530-583-3348
Nevada City
nevadacitychamber.com, 800-655-6569
Santa Cruz
cityofsantacruz.org, 831-420-5030
San Luis Obispo
visitslo.com, 805-781-2777
Long Beach
visitlongbeach.com, 800-452-7829
West Hollywood
visitwesthollywood.com, 800-368-6020
Temecula
visittemeculavalley.com, 888-363-2852
2018 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A 19