Page 24 - 2020 Travel Guide to California

CITIES
HOLIDAY CELEBRATION in Mammoth
Lakes, right; tall ship Hawaiian Chieftain
with the Carson Mansion in the
background, Eureka, bottom; shopping in
Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, opposite.
refurbished vintage railroad cars along
unused railroad tracks. Grab a cup of joe at
the adjoining Yountville Coffee Caboose.
BERKELEY: The Arts & More
Long famed for its commitment to brainiac
inquiry and social activism, Berkeley, on
the eastern shores of San Francisco Bay,
doubles as a richly diverse travel destina-
tion. The college town of 120,000 boasts
unique shops and restaurants along Fourth
Street in west Berkeley, and shopping, the-
ater, music and movie-going downtown on
and off south Shattuck Avenue. The expan-
sive University of California campus
includes first-rate entertainment venues
and athletic contests ranging from intercol-
legiate football and basketball to niche
passions such as men’s and women’s rugby,
played at jewel box Witter Field. The
Gourmet Ghetto, with classic California-
American restaurant Chez Panisse, the
22 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
original 1966 Peet’s Coffee & Tea shop and
many more, is arrayed on and near north
Shattuck Avenue. The cross-town Elmwood
neighborhood on College Avenue offers a
relaxed village ambiance.
ONTARIO: Family Fun and a SoCal Flare
Located 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles
where Interstates 10 and 15 meet, this San
Bernardino County city of 181,000 features
the dry, hot climate and palm-lined land-
scaping that characterize Southern
California. Incorporated in 1891 and named
for the Canadian province of Ontario, it was
once home to citrus orchards and health
retreats promoting the benefits of the dry
climate. Today’s city economy is driven by
super-shippers Fed Ex and United Parcel
Service. But Ontario isn’t all about business.
It emphasizes family fun, epitomized by
the annual Pancake Breakfast and Car Show
(10,000 attendees, 400 cars) on the first Sat-
urday in June, and the nearly century-old
Christmas on Euclid (Avenue), with its
Christmas-in-the-desert decorations, hol-
iday snacks, live music and traditional
nativity scenes. The NBA’s G League Agua
Caliente Clippers take to the basketball
hardwoods in the 11,000-seat Toyota Arena.
MAMMOTH LAKES: Adventure
Year Round
Forty miles from Yosemite National Park at
7,880 feet above sea level, the alpine com-
munity of Mammoth Lakes is a prime place
to enjoy year-round recreation in the
eastern Sierra Nevada. In summer, you can
go horseback riding in the Ansel Adams
REDWOOD COAST; DAKOTA SNIDER/VISIT MAMMOTH. OPPOSITE: MONKEY BUSINESS IMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK