EDDIE BRADY / GETTY IMAGES ©Santa Monica Pacific Park’s Ferris wheel on Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica
Who needs LA traffic?
Hit the beach instead.
Santa Monica can grant
instant happiness. Learn
to surf, ride a solar-
powered Ferris wheel,
dance under the stars
on an old-fashioned pier,
amaze the kids at the
aquarium’s tidal touch
pools or just dip your
toes in the water and
let your troubles float
away. Did we mention
jaw-dropping sunsets?
Experience it all on Trip
30: Route 66.TRIPS 1 u
Monterey
Forget Hollywood visions
of sun-soaked SoCal
beaches. Instead imagine
John Steinbeck and
his novels of American
realism set on this rugged
peninsula. To meet local
wildlife, hop aboard a
whale-watching cruise in
the marine sanctuary or
step inside Cannery Row’s
renowned aquarium.
Then soak up the
atmosphere at the West
Coast’s oldest lighthouse
on Trip 15: Around
Monterey & Carmel.TRIPS 1 f
Lake Tahoe
In summer, startlingly
clear blue waters invite
splashing around,
kayaking and boating,
while mountain bikers
careen and hikers stride
along trails threading
through pine forests. In
winter, after a thrilling
day of skiing Olympic-
worthy runs or snowshoe
trekking, retreat to your
cozy lakefront cottage to
toast s’mores by the fire
pit. Trip 18: Lake Tahoe
Loop is ready to roll
year-round.
TRIP i