Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [3]
In Los Angeles: People, Places and the Castle on the Hill (2002), AM Holmes checks into the legendary Chateau Marmont on the Sunset Strip to create this quick-witted and entertaining cultural dissection of the city and its people in all its surreal glory and glamour.
In Where I Was From (2003), Joan Didion’s thoughts on California shatter palm-fringed fantasies as she skewers the stinking rich, the violence and shallowness as we accompany her pioneering family’s own history on this warped shore.
My California: Journeys by Great Writers (2004) is an insightful collection of stories by such fine chroniclers as Pico Iyer, Patt Morrison and Carolyn See. Proceeds benefit the California Arts Council.
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INTERNET RESOURCES
Hunt down bargain airfares, book hotels, check on weather conditions or chat with locals and other travelers about the best places to visit – or avoid – on the internet. Start with lonelyplanet.com, where you’ll find travel news, links to useful resources, an accommodations booking engine and the interactive Thorn Tree forum. For more cool websites Click here.
California Department of Transportation (www.dot.ca.gov) Packed with tourist assistance, route planning, mapping assistance and highway and weather conditions.
California State Government (www.ca.gov) Links to general information, history, culture, doing business and environmental protection.
California State Parks (www.parks.ca.gov) Indispensable site for history, information and services at all state parks.
California Tourism (www.visitcalifornia.com) Links to all visitor bureaus throughout the state.
Roadside America (www.roadsideamerica.com) The ‘online guide to offbeat attractions’ covers lots of places they won’t tell you about at the local tourist office.
Theme Park Insider (www.themeparkinsider.com) Visitors rate and evaluate rides and attractions at major theme parks in SoCal and elsewhere.
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TRAVELING RESPONSIBLY
Since our inception in 1973, Lonely Planet has encouraged readers to tread lightly, travel responsibly and enjoy the magic of independent travel. Travel is growing at a jaw-dropping rate, and we still firmly believe in the benefits it can bring. But we also encourage you to consider the impact of your visit on both the global environment and local economies, cultures and ecosystems.
Traveling sustainably within congested Southern California is a challenge but there are some things you can do to lessen your impact. Build an itinerary around more than just Disneyland and other impacted hot spots. Get out of the car and onto a bike or hit the trail in gorgeous parks and wilderness. This book is full of ideas to get you off the beaten path. You might even want to put it away sometimes and just get lost. (Tell us if you find a great new place.)
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By the author of Pulitzer Prize-winning Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Marc Reisner’s A Dangerous Place: California’s Unsettling Fate is a nightmare vision of California’s impending ‘big one’ (earthquake).
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For background on the wider environmental issues facing Southern California and how these are being tackled, Click here.
Getting There & Away
Flying has become second nature and few of us stop to consider using alternative travel methods. Yet, depending on where you’re based, traveling to Southern California by land may be easier and more comfortable than you think. Amtrak operates three long-distance trains each day Click here and Greyhound’s bus network is extensive Click here. If you’re driving, rent an efficient car – preferably a hybrid – rather than using your own vehicle, especially if it’s an old gas-guzzler. And decline those ‘free’ upgrades – how big a car do you really need? Consider ride-sharing Click here. If you do choose to fly, offset your carbon emissions. See www.climatecare.org, www.terrapass.com or www.sustainabletravelinternational.org for details.
Slow Travel
Southern California is practically synonymous