Hawaii:
The
Hawaiian islands are great! While the big island is more traveled
the smaller one like Lana'i or Ni'ihau are nice but you can't go wrong
with any of them. The crater at Moloka'i, Waikiki beach or the lava
flow at Kona are some great places to visit. Each island has some
great hotels but my favorite is the famous Royal Hawaiian on the big island.
Make sure you ride an outrigger, snorkel the reefs and play a round of
golf on one of the beautiful courses. Aloha!!!!
Los Angeles, CA:
I
Love LA!!! Whether you are walking down Rodeo drive and window shopping
(all that I can afford) in Beverly Hills or checking out Mann's Chinese
Theater and the Walk of Fame in Hollywood you are bound to see some interesting
things or people. I never have a bad time in LA. I always stay
at either the Westin Bonaventure downtown or the Beverly Hills Prescott
in Beverly Hills when I visit the area, though there are a bunch of great
places to stay. If you go, rent a convertible so you can enjoy the
sun and drive to and along some fabulous beaches. Start up north
in Malibu and grab a drink at Gladstone's to watch the sea lions and catch
a glimpse of a dolphin or whale, make sure you drive by Pepperdine campus
(I would of never study if I went there). Then head down to Manhattan
and Hermosa beach for drinks on the marina and to watch a sand volleyball
game. If you still got the energy head down to Seal and Huntington
beaches on your way to Newport Beach. On your way back hit the Queen
Mary, aquarium and one of 250 beers on tap at the Yard House in Long Beach.
Whatever you do, you are bound to have a great time and see some gorgeous
ladies and maybe even someone famous. If you can head down the coast
and stay in San Diego for a night. Hit the beach or the bars and
restaurants in the Gas Light area. I recommend the staying at
the Westgate.
San Francisco, CA:
SF
has been a great experience and I do recommend that if you are able, to
spend some time here. There is so much to do and no matter what your
likes are you will have no problem finding something. The parks,
zoo, museums, trails and the bay itself are fabulous and there are so many
bars and restaurants you won't know what to do or eat;-) Even though
they are tourist traps you should definitely hit Fisherman's Wharf, a ferry
to Alcatraz, Chinatown and a shopping trip to Union Square at least once.
Make sure you take the cable cars to but try and do that during the week
or be prepared to stand in a line (long lines). The Hyatt at Union
Square (nice bar at the top), Mark Hopkins (Top of the Mark) and the Fairmont
(Tonga Room) are some great places to stay and drink when in the city.
The great thing about SF is you can basically walk everywhere and if you
like exercise you will love the hills of the city. Strolls to North
Beach, up Nob Hill, around the Marina district and to the PacBell ballpark
area are great walks. I could write a book about all the restaurants
and bars in the area, instead I'll give you some highlights. You
have to grab a drink at Zeke's (Nob Hill), Star Light Room (Union Square),
Momo's and Paragons (PacBell park area). Visits to the Red Room,
the Beauty bar, the Eastern Trading Company (homemade beers) and my favorite
Le Colonial are great as well. If you like crab then a visit to Crustacean
and Scoma's are the restaurants for you. Cafe de Brazil is good for
a taste of Rio. Garlic rules at the Stink'n Rose. You can't
go wrong in SF so whether you like Thai, Ethiopian, Greek, Mexican or anything
else you'll find your place. For great views of the city make sure
you visit Coti Tower, Presidio park, the Cliff house and Nob Hill.
While SF is the heart of the bay area visits to Tiburon, Sausalito, Monterey,
Napa, Walnut Creek and Berkeley offer you some hidden gems. Tutto
More in Tiburon, Albatross, Beckett's and Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Twist
and PF Chang's in Walnut Creek, V Sattui's in Napa and Salute's in Richmond
are just a few of the places you will be happy you visited on your trip.