Page 25 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

and harbor tours are among the prime
attractions of 21st-century Marina del Rey.
Landlubbers like the place, too, for its ocean
views, year-round outdoor restaurant
dining (thanks to the benign climate) and
Marina del Rey’s raft of special events. Chief
among the latter is the annual ARTsea fes-
tival, with its array of art, dance, music and
food, scheduled for May 18-19. Also popular
with locals and visitors alike is Beach Eats,
held May through September on Thursday
nights, with its eclectic food truck eats; in
2018, Beach Eats added live bands.
WEST HOLLYWOOD: Design,
Entertainment & LGBTQ Capital
With a population of 37,000, 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.
BIG BEAR LAKE:
Year-Round Adventure
The Great Outdoors is the featured attrac-
tion at Big Bear Lake, a prime mountain
vacation spot in Southern California that
basks in 300 days of sunshine a year. Seven-
mile-long Big Bear Lake is the liquid heart
of the area, while the communities of Big
Bear Lake (pop. 5,200) and Big Bear City
(pop. 12,500) are year-round jumping-off
points for the boating, fishing, biking,
hiking, skiing, nature walks and horseback
riding available in surrounding Big Bear
Valley. The San Bernardino Mountains,
with elevations of 6,700 feet to 10,000 feet,
provide a rugged backdrop. This alpine
area, located 100 miles northeast of Los
Angeles and 150 miles northeast of San
Diego, offers four distinct seasons with
recreational activities to match. Oktober-
fest, held every fall, is a very popular celebra-
tion complete with German music, hearty
German food and, of course, excellent
imported German beer. Fourth of July fire-
works over manmade Big Bear Lake are very
popular in summer. In winter, ski resorts
such as Big Bear Mountain Resort (a.k.a.
“Bear’’) and Snow Summit offer skiing and
boarding on the snowy slopes.
» FIND YOUR
CITY FUN
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
Marina del Rey
visitmarinadelrey.com, 424-526-7900
West Hollywood
visitwesthollywood.com, 800-368-6020
Big Bear Lake
bigbear.com, 800-424-4232
2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 23