Lee’s World
California May 2006
For a couple of weeks in May 2006, I flew back to California to spend time with my friend Mark, and see more of the State.
Rather than leap straight into the car after a long flight, I usually rest in Los Angeles over night. As before, I booked a hotel through Priceline in downtown Los Angeles. Downtown may not be everyone's choice, but it has some amazing buildings - the Walt Disney Concert Hall, MOCA, etc - which are well worth seeking out and exploring. Priceline found the Westin Bonaventure Hotel for me, where I had stayed before. The views from my room on the 25th floor were amazing.
I met up with Mark the following day in San Diego, an easy two hour drive South from Los Angeles. We stayed at the Park Manor Suites, which would not be to everyone's tastes, but it suited us. We had a one-bedroom suite, completed with large living area and kitchen/diner. The hotel is ideally located for all of San Diego's sights - it's right next to Balboa Park, where we did spend a morning at the Photographic Museum; only minutes from the Old Town, where we went to the theatre to see the very funny "Forbidden Broadway" team on tour; and from Coronado and the Hotel del where "Some like it Hot" was filmed, amongst other films.
For the most breathtaking views of the ocean, and some great food, head for the Ocean Terrace at Georges at the Cove, La Jolla. Another great place to eat, in San Diego is Phil's BBQ, 4030 Goldfinch Street - great ribs and chicken.
From
San Diego we drove up to Palm Springs for the weekend to catch up with
friends, shop, and relax. Palm Springs is undergoing amazing growth, with
new building developments everywhere. Not all are that interesting, but
some, including the new Biltmore development, use great design and materials
to produce quality architecture. Of course, none can quite match the amazing
mid-century modern architecture around town such as the Kaufman House,
designed by Neutra, or the buildings of Frey and Lautner.
After a long
weekend in Palm Springs, we hit the road to escape the unseasonable heat of
the desert and headed once more to the Coast. After a four hour drive we
arrived in Santa Barbara - a beautiful, quiet town on the coast North of Los
Angeles. After an overnight stay, exploring downtown and a visit to the
Mission,
we
drove North on the coastal road through Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, and the
bizarre town of Solvang to San Luis Obispo. The town turned out to be a real
surprise, with a nice downtown area and a doctor's surgery designed by Frank
Lloyd Wright. Much to our delight, the staff invited us into the building
and explore the light and airy interior. A rare honour to explore an
original FLW interior.
From San Luis
Obispo we drove a further hour to Cambria, a small town set in a pine
forest. The town was a little sleepy and twee and seemed to live off it's
proximity to the local major sight - Hearst Castle - which was after all why
we'd stayed there.
Hearst Castle
was built by the publishing magnet, William Randolph Hearst, on a hillside
overlooking the Pacific. It was known as the Enchanted Hillside, and still
is an enchanted place. The only way to visit the site is through one of the
four guided tours - we chose the experience tour which takes in the two
pools, the
ground
floor of the castle, one of the guest houses, and the cinema. The tour
lasted almost two hours. The tour gave a fascinating insight into Hearst's
life at the castle. It was followed by an Imax film about building the
castle, and life there with Hearst. Surprisingly though, the film made no
mention of Marion Davies, Hearst's mistress, who had been mentioned during
the guided tour.
It was a great few days away, and well worth the long drive from Palm Springs.
And the whole trip - just what I needed. A relaxing time, somewhere warm, and spending time with Mark, a really amazing friend.