It is understandable why California attracts a lot of people. There
it is warm and sunny most part of the year, Los Angeles is full
of movie stars, rollerblading babes can be found all over the place
in Venice Beach. Even if it is exaggerated, this part of the California
mystique is real and not very hard to find.
But California has other things too, that are not scripted, sanitized,
and broadcast to the mesmerized masses of the world. The glitter
and glamour are only the surface of an incredibly diverse state
that would be a productive and powerful nation in the event of ever
getting separated from the Union. California has it all: redwood
forests, an incredibly verdant Central Valley, the Sierra Nevada,
deserts, a lot of well-known cities, and hundreds of miles of beautiful
coastline.
Despite the crime, pollution, traffic, and earthquakes, which have
made California famous as well, people here are still the golden
children of the United States, America’s spoiled rich kid that is
either loved or loathed by everyone. (In Oregon, for example, they
sell lots of license-plate rims stating "I hate California.")
To be perfectly sincere, people here don’t really care. Californians
are aware of the fact that they live in one of the most interesting
places in the world, and they’re proud of their state. Nobody can
guarantee you that you’ll meet Arnold Schwarzenegger or learn how
to surf here, but with a little time, a little money, and an adventurous
spirit, you will be guided by us and offered one of the most fulfilling
vacations of your life. The four of us do nothing but travel, but
we chose to live in California because this place has so much to
offer.
While I am no travel advisor or expert on tourist attractions and
what have you, I can speak to the beauty and wonder of Half Moon
Bay, California, having just lived in the area for fourteen months,
and having friends who live, work, and shop there. Between nature
and industry, then, the combination, the symbiosis of two styles
fitting and working together so beautiful is only bested by the
dual joys of an ideal location. In other words, Half Moon Bay, California
is a coastal town with residences and businesses both on the shoreline
and inland and with farming, produce, supplies, and services both
“natural” and technologically and industrially advanced.
The coast of Half Moon Bay, California is a surfers’ Valhalla:
just a couple of weeks back, for instance, the Mavericks surf competition
saw hundreds of fans and viewers taking the day off and hanging
on the beaches to witness Grant Twiggy Baker of South Africa take
first, and Tyler Smith and Brock Little take second and third, respectively,
on waves surprisingly sufficient considering the weather—which
was nearing hot—and the area—which is relatively calm
in ocean action.
The weather in general in Half Moon Bay, California is some of
the most appealing in the nation, temperate for the most part, save
the few months of rain and wind storms that take out a power line
here and there. But the farmers on their ranches and the growers,
of pumpkins, brussel sprouts, and other staple veggies, have back-up
generators and three other “seasons” without snow or
sleet or ice to threaten crops or livelihoods. Small businesses
thrive, from art shops to flower bodegas like Aloha, a shop specializing
in orchids—live orchids, glass orchids, and orchid portraits;
and large, recognized companies serve the population by way of Safeway,
Albertson’s, Longs, and banks and gas stations that are accessible
but not overbearing in number of prices.
Some of the finest cuisine can be found on the shoreline and a
few blocks inland—from fresh seafood to Italian to Asian,
and visitors and locals alike can walk down to the pier, to the
signed up fishermen on their boats, and buy live crab and/or lobster,
which can be brought back to the house and cooked up in lieu of
sitting in at the restaurants…which are ambient and amiable
and lovely (and reasonable in price, as well).
Numerous hotels, motels, inns, and bed and breakfast sites offer
comforts from cozy to chic, and such places as the Farallon Inn
(on highway 1 in Moss Beach, five miles north of Half Moon Bay)
even come with a small but superbly satisfying fare of Indian food
and pizza, which the Faralon’s owners cook in and run. The
place is so good that locals and tourists alike sign the walls with
sharpies, thanking the owners and gushing over the food, which is
absolutely perfect—authentic to the Indian owners and surprisingly
top notch as “Italian” fare, too.
The weather is perfect, really. The beaches are many and easy to
get to. And the people are direct, friendly, and helpful. There
is, of course, a public library, a sanitation department, and fairly
easy-going but still by-the-book fire and police departments, as
well as a chamber of commerce. With these and with the online tour
information sites, you will be happy you decide to travel to, pass
through, stay for a visit in, or live in Half Moon Bay, California.
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