La Jolla Beaches

From the family beaches that are most often preferred by tourists to the more secluded coves most desired by surfers, divers, and swimmers, La Jolla beaches offer something for everyone. From Blacks Beach to the north and Windansea Beach to the south, the
La Jolla shoreline consists of steep sandstone cliffs that are seperated by coves and sandy beaches.

They sunny yet beautiful breezes and picture perfect views are a vacation paradise for tourists and a water recreation highlight for locals. There are seven unique beaches that dot the seven mile coastline against a backdrop of real estate, resorts, cliffs, tall palm trees, and lush scenary.

Downtown La Jolla is conveniently located near most of the beaches which not only provide parking for beach visitors but plenty of fine restaurants, intimate cafes, culture, art galleries, and other types of commercial convenience.

Between mid day and 4 PM, the crowds at any of the La Jolla beaches can be very big. The best advice when visiting any of the beaches in La Jolla is to come to the beach early and stay late - so that you can enjoy the magic of the sunsets and dusk views from across the ocean horizons.

Each beach at La Jolla will offer you something unique with different ways to enjoy the bliss of your vacation. La Jolla Shores is the most popular beach for families with the largest expansion of flat, sandy beaches. If you enjoy people watching, sunbathing, and lazy days on the beach - La Jolla Shores is where you want to be.

La Jolla Cove is another excellent beach, with steep sandstone cliffs offering amazing views and the paradise of sparkling blue water the cove is known for. The La Jolla Cove is a swimmer's dream come true because of it's gentle water. Along with the Children's Pool, the Cove is rich with reefs that attract scuba divers and snorkelers to the abundance of marine life.

There are several La Jolla Caves that were carved by nature into the sandstone cliffs between La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores that help attract ocean kayakers from around the world. There is one cave in particular, known as "Sunny Jim Cave" that can be entered through a man made tunnel that leads to a steep descent through a narrow underground tube to a wooden deck.

With plenty of beaches all along the coastline, La Jolla is the place to be during the summer months. La Jolla is a well known tourist attraction, with well over 7,000 people visiting on a daily basis. If you enjoy the beach, La Jolla is going to feel like heaven on earth.

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La Jolla Village Tour

A trip to sunny La Jolla isn't complete with a tour of the city's downtown area, known by locals as the village. With trendy shops, galleries, and nice places to eat, La Jolla Village is something you need to tour on foot to appreciate.

If you are traveling from a distance and must drive to the village, parking is not easy. The downtown streets offer two hour free parking, although your best bet will probably be one of the garages along Fay Avenue where a flat rate will ease your mind of parking worries for the entire day.

Once you have found a place to park, you should begin your tour at the corner of Fay Avenue and Prospect Street. Here, you'll find some of the most famous restaurants in the downtown area, including Moondoggie's and Il Forno.

As you pass by the restaurants, you'll see the Arcade Building, which resembles an old hybrid style. The Arcade Building leads to an alleyway with many specialty shops.

After you explore the treasures of the Arcade Building alley, continue your tour North along Prospect Street and you'll come to a stretch of art galleries. If you appreciate art, you'll love everything the village has to offer you.

Just across the street from the art galleries, you'll find The Grande Colonial Hotel. This hotel is famous and well known for its rate of $1 per day since the opening in 1913, has been renovated many times and now ranks as one of the best landmarks in La Jolla Village.

As you continue your walk down Prospect Street, you'll encounter Girard Avenue, which offers you plenty of shops and eateries.

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All About La Jolla

Attracting tourists from all over the world, La Jolla's community is one that combines trends with traditional class. Located 12 miles north from downtown San Diego, this highly prosperous community offers seven miles of coastline at an elevation of 110 feet. The land here is so desired that it's impossible to find property in La Jolla for less than 1.25 million an acre!

The lucky 38,000 plus who live in this heavenly seaside town live among Mediterranean style architecture with a unique flair. From the crashing waves along the shore to the high rise buildings in the business district, you can expect everything in La Jolla to be first rate quality.

Business district
Even though La Jolla is mostly known for its incredible shoreline, the city's business district is hardly modest to say the least. Located to the east in La Jolla, there are professional centers, financial buildings, law firms, and technological industries that dominate this district.

There are also modern shopping centers here as well, along with a wealthy residential area. The world renowned Scripps Memorial Hospital & Medical Research Center is here as well as the San Diego Mormon Temple - a remarkable 59,000 square foot building that resembles a large ice sculpture.

The Village
The downtown area of La Jolla offers shops, hotels, boutiques, restaurants, coffee houses, salons, and art galleries. Even though this area is rather small, the district is full of trendy
establishments that draw wealthy visitors from all over the world.

Girad Avenue is the main street of La Jolla, even though Prospect Drive is known as "Rodeo Drive" in San Diego.

Shoreline
Although the business area and La Jolla Village are both impressive communities, the most memorable region in La Jolla is the areas and communities along the Pacific shoreline.

La Jolla offers some of the most impressive shore lines in Southern California, with remarkable caves, cliffs, beaches, and sunsets. The best view of La Jolla can be seen from the air. Daring visitors can take in La Jolla via the Torrey Pines Gliderport and learn flying. If you seek a more tame view of the coastline, try the scenic drive along North Torrey Pines Road.

All along the coastline, La Jolla offers you a first rate shopping district. You can visit
jewelry stores, art galleries, souvenir shops, and fashionable boutiques. Once you have been shopping, you can complete the day by dining above the water of the Pacific.

From the art galleries and trendy shops to the world class golf courses, La Jolla has attractions to please tourists from all over the world. Each district is unique, yet they are all similiar when it comes to quality. You won't find anything short of the best when you visit the best Southern California has to offer.

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Tips for Planning a Pleasurable Napa Valley Wine Tour

Napa Valley is a great destination to plan a vacation where you are a wine connoisseur or you know absolutely nothing about wine but you would like to learn. There is a keen belief that you need to be a wine expert in order to enjoy a trip to Napa Valley; however, the truth of the mater is that you can still enjoy a great time in Napa Valley even if you are not very knowledgeable about wine. If you are considering starting a wine cellar at home, a trip to Napa Valley is a great way to educate yourself about different types of wine as well as stock up on quality wines at reduced prices.

First, be aware that when you plan a trip to Napa Valley it is a good idea to make your reservations in advance. Napa Valley has truly experienced a surge in popularity in recent years. More than five million people visit Napa Valley and take wine tours each year. As a result, it is a good idea to make reservations in advance.

Most of the wineries in Napa Valley are located on Highway 29. Napa Valley itself is just a mere 35 miles long. When traffic is not bad you can easily navigate the distance of Napa Valley in 30 minutes. That said; however, the immense popularity of Napa Valley has meant that there have been numerous construction projects; both in terms of building construction as well as road construction. This means that you should plan for road delays. The good news about this is that you will have plenty of time to read up about the many different wineries located in Napa Valley while you are waiting.

Due to the fact that you may get delayed on the road, it is a good idea to make sure that you start the day with a full tank of gas. You certainly will not find any gas stations at any of the wineries. In the event you run into construction or a road delay you do not want to find yourself without gas.

When packing for an outing or a day of taking wine tours it is a good idea to make sure that you bring along several items with you to make the day easier and more pleasurable. First, keep in mind that it is a good idea to bring along a pack lunch. While it is true that some wineries will offer food; there may not always be substantial amounts of food so it is a good idea to be prepared. Many wineries offer picnic areas that are absolutely stunning so you will have plenty of opportunities to enjoy a relaxing and breathtaking lunch.

In addition, it is a good idea to bring along some bottled water. In most cases, you will spend a lot of time walking around and traveling between wineries. Bringing along your own bottled water is a good way to make sure that you do not have to stop for water or go thirsty in between.

You will also want to make sure that you bring along a camera. Napa Valley is certainly well known for its fine wineries; however, the scenery and landscapes in Napa Valley are nothing short of spectacular.

Finally, make sure that you bring along plenty of dollar bills and five dollar bills. You will find that there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy wine tastings for just $5.

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