California by car
california en travel
Useful notes about America and California. Against the environment of the global world collapse and wars, we unexpectedly got a U.S. visa and decided to go there immediately. Because no one knows what the .... will happen next month and whether we'll be able to travel at all...
Arrival #
First trap #
In America, they are very liking of taking a deposit everywhere. For renting a car or a hotel. In addition to the price, you need to freeze a specific amount of money for a while. For this, they want an actual credit card, which is a rarity now.
European Fintechs provide us with various debit or prepaid cards. Earlier, I always used a Tinkoff (RIP) card for this. It was an actual credit card. Generally, Tinkoff was the best bank in the world from the customer's point of view. And I've seen many banks from different countries. Revolut can't even come close to replicating it.
As a result, we had to look for local car rentals in the middle of the night. They work even for cash. For the car's return to another city, we had to pay $500 extra! And then we have to request a refund from an online car rental company. Conclusion:
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You should never prepay for renting a car in advance. It is better to pay on the spot.
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Always have a valid credit card if you travel to the U.S.
Toyota Camry #
We ended up with our Toyota Camry. Otherwise, it's almost impossible to get around in the United States. Huge distances and practically no public transportation.
Cars #
America is a country of Japanese cars. After the collapse of Detroit in the middle of the last century, the market was taken over by Toyota and Honda.
American cars are represented here by Tesla. And pickup trucks like Dodge and Chevrolet.
California #
California is also called the Golden State because of the gold rush. There are also oil and oil pumping stations along the roads. In addition, there is a mild sunny climate where I think everything grows. There are trees with mangoes and pomegranates. And oranges are just lying around. The vegetation in California is amazingly diverse. Most of the plants of the world can be found here.
San Francisco #
A beautiful botanical garden in downtown San Francisco 🪴 on the 4th floor of the Salesforce skyscraper.
The weather is very unusual. The sun 🌞 has been blazing all day. Not a cloud in the sky. It feels like it should be hot, and the ground is hot. But it's such a fresh breeze all the time that you should always have a sweatshirt with you.
The famous Golden bridge is always in the fog
Seals sunbathing in the fog around the Golden Gate Bridge and flocks of seabirds
Cupertino #
Apple campus #
San Jose and its Cupertino area are known to all Apple users.
This is where I finally bought myself a watch, and I am also closing rings now. Which I generally find very rewarding.
Stanford University #
The city of Palo Alto, where Google is headquartered, is home to the beautiful campus of the symbol of Silicon Valley, Sandford University, home of the Internet. Where Google, Facebook, Apple, and so on were born.
Stanford was founded by a railroad magnate, U.S. senator, former California governor Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane Stanford. The university is named after their only son, who died in 1884 and did not live to see his 16th birthday. The Stanfords decided to dedicate the university to their only son. Leland told his wife, "The children of California will be our children."
Stanford is not only the home of IT. It is also known as the site of the Stanford Prison Experiment.
Stanford Endowment Fund #
Successful University alums make solid donations. Not just money but stock as well. As a result, the foundation owns some of the valley's many multi-million dollar startups.
All income from the foundation is reinvested, and annual payments of 5 % (about 1.2 billion USD) pay for 22 % of all current expenses. The rest is given by the government through grants and contracts and paid by students and non-governmental grants.
As a result, 1 in 4 Stanford students pays no tuition. For families with incomes below $125,000, the scholarship covers tuition in full. For families with incomes below $65,000, Stanford also covers room and board. As a result, 81% of Stanford students owe the university nothing after graduation.
Shops #
Another thing that amazes me about America is the stores. In general, everything in America is enormous. Probably because of the vast territory.
Instead of liters, there are gallons. That's why all the packages are even more gigantic.
Especially impressive is the Whole Foods shop — a favorite grocery store since 2009. There's a massive selection of everything you can eat. I haven't seen anything like this anywhere else — five to 10 different kinds of strawberries, potatoes, meat, and fish. The best part is that there's hot food on weight. You can eat as well as in a restaurant and much cheaper. There are tables on the way out, and there are dishes.
Camping #
The strongest impression is, as always, nature. Few things can compare with the mountains, lakes, and giant trees.
California is known for its national parks. They are colossal nature reserves. Everyone says there are a lot of bears there. But we never met one.
You can't just walk into the park. You have to book and pay for everything. It is forbidden to sleep in a car, and paying for a place on the campsite to put up a tent is necessary.
Prices vary. From $20 a night at the wild but beautiful Kings Canyon. When you drive there through the mountain serpentines about 3 hours before you get there, all communication is cut off. Up to $120 a night at one of the Big Sur campgrounds. And that's just for the right to pitch a tent. Showers are not included. You must insert coins in the shower to wash — 25c (quarters).
Sequoia #
The forest of giant Sequoia trees makes you feel like a dwarf in the land of giants. A picture, of course, doesn't convey that. Even the rocks there are kind of huge. The tree itself has a very red color and soft bark. It can be more than 115 meters high and more than 10 meters in diameter. After it grows above the forest, it only grows wider. The oldest tree ** on our planet, "General Sherman," is 2,200 years old!
High Sierra. #
Lake Tahoe is on the Nevada border. The Sierra Nevada mountain range runs through here. High Sierra is the largest mountain. Apparently named after MacOs :)
Lake Tahoe. #
Only a freshwater lake in the mountains can be more beautiful than the mountains.
Big Sur #
It's a long, scenic route number one along the ocean from Monterey to Los Angeles, where the mountains and the ocean meet.
Monterrey. #
Monterrey is a small coastal town in the middle of California. Very beautiful and unusual. Admittedly it was impossible to find affordable lodging, and we tried to sleep right in the car. Of course, at night, we were woken up by a polite cop and told to proceed to the campground. We told him there was no room. Then he recommended we park at the store.
An interesting finding is the "Malinka" European grocery store. I mean, typical "European" products are sold there, like cottage cheese, sour cream or buckwheat, etc.! I.e., products which don't exist in Europe at all, from our point of view. But for Americans, apparently, all that is not Africa and Asia -- it is Europe. 🤓
Reindeer just walk around and sleep right in the cemetery.
Santa Barbara #
The city of Saint Barbara. Unfortunately, we didn't meet Prince Harry or CeCe from what is probably the world's most famous soap opera of the same name. It was founded in 1786 on St. Barbara's Memorial Day. Back when California and Mexico were part of the Spanish Empire.
This is the tenth mission to convert the native Chumash-Barbeño Indians to Catholicism.
Los Angeles #
Venice beach 🏖 #
One of the brands of California's largest city is Venice beach. Artists sell paintings. The musicians aren't bad dawgs playing whole bands. Something like the Arbat in Moscow, only on the beach with girls in bikinis on roller skates. But every 10 meters, there are bums. They don't just stink. They scream, and they scare passersby. They can throw a banana at you. In the end, it's all just disgusting! It's a sad picture.
Getty Museum #
I loved the Getty Gallery in LA. I highly recommend it. Massive collection of paintings and sculptures from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The museum is very modern. Everything is well thought out. There's a great parking lot. Plus, admission is free, and the city has a great view.
Pasadena #
We liked Pasadena the most. It's such a fantastic neighborhood or city in LA. And CalTech, which is located there. It's famous for being the setting for The Big Bang Theory. Aunt Glasha's Cheesecake Factory is called Cheesecake Factory. But we found out after we ate there.
Los Angeles #
The largest city is Los Angeles. LA, as well as San Francisco, has the most significant number of millionaires and billionaires. The Hollywood district, I think, is already known. If California is considered a country, its GDP is the 5th largest in the world. Slightly less than Germany, but more than England or like two prewar Russias.
All the disadvantages of metropolitan areas are very apparent here. LA has a ton of problems:
- Huge distances
- Overcrowding and the resulting traffic jams. I.e., it takes hours to get anywhere. And in one day you can visit a maximum of two places.
- High housing prices.
- Criminalization. There is a movie, "Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood," about this. A neighborhood where there are now more than 80% Latinos. They even renamed it "LA South" to clean up the image. It looks like a city street market from the '90s with the bums. I haven't seen anything like this, even in the provincial cities of Russia.
- There are no or very dim street lamps. There are no sidewalks. That is, a person in a black sweatshirt can walk down the street at night or ride a bike without lights. And you can't see him at all.
- There are homeless people everywhere. They build whole tent cities for themselves on the side of the road. They stink.
- Including the virtual absence of public transportation. You could say there isn't any. There are very few dedicated bus lines. We only saw two subway stations. Only six lines, of which two are real. The rest are just streetcars that pretend to be subways.
Sobyanin (mayor of Moscow), with his right of the first night for the entire development budget of all Russian cities, may unfold here.
Millionaires living in Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Malibu should be ashamed of their LA center. Although that's what capitalism is all about, and it's every man for himself. But it's not safe for them. They have to live behind 2-meter high fences, just like at Rublevka in Moscow.
There are also some weird guys standing on every corner at night. Strange loud sounds like "claps" going off all the time. It was the first time outside Russia that I sensed danger on the street.
Anyway, my past dirty city leader was Paris. Now it is defeated. The title of the most polluted city in the world went to Los Angeles.
You can even sunbathe on the beach. But it's only warm during the day. And if you can find parking.
San Diego #
San Diego is the terminus of our California trip from almost all the way north, i.e., from San Francisco to the south. It's already on the border with Mexico. It is as beautiful as anywhere else, but you can also swim in the ocean in July. But only during the day, of course, while it is still warm. The water is clean despite the waves. On the beach, a lot of people, and it looks like a typical resort. Parking is indeed free; therefore, finding a place is challenging. Also, here is one of the most famous zoos. It is located in the beautiful Balboa Park. It reminded me something of our VDNH. But it is necessary to allocate time for this separately, and we had only one day that we spent on the beach. In general, all cities in California caused only positive emotions and desire, if not to immigrate here, then at least once again to visit.
In general #
Almost all cities in California evoke only positive emotions and desires. If not to move here, then at least once again visit. Americans often smile, talk casually on any topic, in general, without complexes, and look very friendly. At Stanford, we were approached by a sporty middle-aged man who began to talk about himself, asking where we were from and where we were going. It turned out that he is also an IT guy. Though who else can meet at Stanford :) And it seems to me that every other person has an Apple Watch.
So it turns out that California wakes up last of all. You read the Monday morning breakfast news under the headlines like "Monday recap." Even the U.S. stock exchange is already ending trading. That is, Monday has passed, and you just woke up. So you always have the right last hand. It's very convenient, like in poker.
Almost all cities in California evoke only positive emotions and desires. If not to move here, then at least once again visit. Americans often smile, talk casually on any topic, in general, without complexes, and look very friendly. At Stanford, we were approached by a sporty middle-aged man who began to talk about himself, asking where we were from and where we were going. It turned out that he is also an IT guy. Though who else can meet at Stanford :) And it seems to me that every other person has an Apple Watch.
So it turns out that California wakes up last of all. You read the Monday morning breakfast news under the headlines like "Monday recap." Even the U.S. stock exchange is already ending trading. That is, Monday has passed, and you just woke up. So you always have the right last hand. It's very convenient, like in poker.