Major attractions on the Pacific Coast
San Diego
 Situated 190 km south of Los Angeles, is the 8th largest city in the US.
 It was the first Spanish settlement on the west coast since Juan Rodriguez
Cabrillo landed in San Diego Bay in 1542 and claimed the territory for Spain.
 The city was part of Mexico and finally after the Mexico-American War, it
became part of the US.
 Its main feature is its magnificent deep water harbour.
 It used to be known as the “tuna capital of the world”, counting with
numerous canneries since 1901.
 The city was declared Foreign Trade Zone due to its location on the USMexican border.
 As “Home port of the Pacific Fleet” it is the centre of military and defence
related activities and home to the personnel thus engaged.
 Shipyards and submarine building are of significant importance.
 Medical, biopharmaceutical and biotechnical companies are headquartered
there encouraged by research programmes developed by UCSD (University of
California San Diego) in those fields.
 Tourism:
a) Comic Con since 1970s, being the largest convention of its kind in the
world.
b) Sea World, with its famous orca whales, since 1964. (The one in Florida
opened in 1973)
c) San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, one of the few featuring cage less animals.
d) Hotel Del Coronado which is a wooden Victorian beach resort. Opened in
1888 and one of the few examples of true American architecture, Del
Coronado has been featured in many films and has hosted presidents, royalty
and celebrities.
The missions
The most evident remains of the Spanish colonisation are the 21missions
established by Franciscan priests. They spread along the coast within 1326 km
that separate San Diego from Sonoma in the north of San Francisco.
San Juan Capistrano
Capistrano is the largest and most popular of the missions. It was founded in
1776 but the great stone church has been in ruins since 1812 when an
earthquake hit that area and caused its roof to collapse. The ruins have
become famous because they are the home to the swallows that return every
summer on the dawn of 19th March, Saint Joseph’s Day, to rebuild their nests
and spend the summer in California. On the day of San Juan, 23rd October,
they leave Capistrano to seek summer in the southern hemisphere, returning
to Goya, Corrientes in Argentina. Their marvellous feat implies flying 12000
km from dawn to sunset without stopping to eat or drink in order to save time
during 30 days. Then, on the dawn of 19th February, they leave Goya again on
their way to Capistrano completing the round trip of 24000 km in a year.
“One swallow does not a summer make” Aristotle……
Long Beach
 A major naval base which closed in 1997.
 Offshore platforms operate in its area.
 The busiest container port on the west coast.
 Tourist centre
a) The RMS Queen Mary is an ocean liner that covered the same route
as Titanic (Southampton to New York) from 1936 to 1967 and was
similarly designed. It operated as a troop ship during WWII. Nowadays,
it is a museum and a luxury hotel.
b) Spruce Goose is an aircraft designed by Howard Hughes to provide
military transport during WWII. It is made of wood, with a wingspan of
98m and was finished by 1947 though it only flew a very short distance
once. It is exhibited in a special dome built for that purpose.
Anaheim
 Disneyland
The first park designed and opened by Walt Disney on 17th July, 1955. The
second park, Disney California Adventure, opened in 2001.
Los Angeles
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Founded in 1542 by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo
Nicknamed “City of Angels”
Famous for its celebrity oriented culture
Celebrity Zip Code Beverly Hills 90210
World known streets:
Rodeo Drive, famous for luxury shopping, especially the three blocks
which start on Wilshire Blvd.
Sunset Boulevard: a 35 km long street that goes from downtown LA to
the Pacific Ocean, following a former cattle trail. The street goes through downtown
LA, Hollywood (where all the recording studios are), UCLA’s Westwood campus,
Brentwood (where OJ Simpson killed his wife) and the prestigious area of Pacific
Palisades (home of numerous celebrities).
 La Brea Tar pits, which are natural asphalt deposits in downtown LA. There
is a museum in which fossils found in the pits are exhibited.
 UCLA
The most prestigious of the universities in LA, ranked 8th in the US, holds a
record of notorious dropouts. Some students who have graduated are Jim
Morrison, Sean Astin, Mayim Bialik, Francis Ford Coppola and John Williams.
Hearst Castle in San Simeon
It is a historical landmark enclosed within a national park. Due to his
immense fortune, Hearst was able to purchase art collections, sculptures and
materials from castles in Europe which gave shape to his own castle in the U.S. Very
important people such as Charlie Chaplin, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston
Churchill were guests there.
San Francisco
 Nicknamed “Frisco”, “The city in the Bay”, “Fog City” and “The Paris of the
West”
 The Franciscan mission was established in 1776.
 The city was almost completely destroyed by the earthquake and fire of 1906
 During the Gold Rush, prospectors accumulated in the area and its population
grew from 1000 to 25000 inhabitants in a year (1848-1849)
 Examples of immigrants who settled there are Levi Strauss( jeans) and
Ghirardelli (chocolates)
 During WWII, it was the port of embarkation for services in the Pacific
Theatre.
 After Vietnam War, it became the centre of liberal activism, Summer of Love
and the Gay movement.
 Homelessness is a terrible problem and the city holds the highest rates in the
US.
 UCSF (University of California San Francisco) has its campus there.
 It’s a cultural, commercial and financial centre.
 Tourist attractions:
a) Victorian architecture
b) Two magnificent bridges, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge.
c) Cable cars since 1873
d) “The Rock”, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary (1934-1963) with famous
inmates such as Al Capone and “the birdman” of Alcatraz.
Hawaii
 Nicknamed “The Aloha State”
 Volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.
 Temperatures are never higher than 31 or lower than 18 degrees
Centigrade.
 Discovered by James Cook in 1778 who perished there during one of his
expeditions.
 Only one big city, Honolulu, in Oahu.
 Produces wood, sugar cane, pineapples, honey bees
 Another important harbour for the Pacific Fleet
 Tourism
a) Iolani Palace – used to be a Royal residence and now it’s a museum.
b) Statue of Kamehameha, one of the most famous kings
c) The Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbour dedicated to honour those
who perished during the attack on 7th December 1941. Survivors of the
attack can request to have their ashes taken to the remains of the vessel
by divers in order to be buried with their fellow mates.
d) Diamond Head, a dormant volcano in the heart of Waikiki Beach and
its most distinctive feature.
e) Hanauma Bay, a crater opened to the sea shore which is inhabited by
400 different species – Natural Preserve – snorkelling and diving are
allowed.
f) Dole Plantation, property of the former Hawaiian president, presents
the largest maze in the world- pineapple growing
g) The Polynesian Centre, theme park and museum which pays tribute
to the culture of the Polynesian Islands (Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti,
Fiji, Aotearoa, Marquesas and Easter Island)
h) Surfing and the North Shore, sport of chiefs and kings –Waimea and
Sunset beaches with clean calm water during the summer(training
period) and fantastic swell during the winter. Sandy beach, President
Obama’s favourite, presents a dangerous shore break and is generally
used for body boarding.
Jack Johnson, the world famous musician and environmental activist,
was born in the North Shore. He used to be a professional surfer until he
suffered a serious injury which has kept him away from professional
competitions.