#california-landmarks

#california-landmarks

A small-budget cult classic can be just as iconic as a major studio film if it speaks to audiences and evokes strong feelings.

The Getty Center's inaugural renovation will blend necessary structural and cosmetic updates, revitalizing galleries to 'bring art in dialogue with nature' and introducing 'exciting new artist commissions.'

"Southern California is built for moments like this-world-class sports, iconic destinations, and a connected coastline," said Jason Jewell, managing director of LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency.

Disney secretly owns nearly all the homes on the east side of Keystone Street, creating a living picture of single-family paradise in sunny Los Angeles. The long run of houses, driveways and front lawns looks that way because the Walt Disney Company demands it.

"The mystery to me is how something so big and that was supposed to be so prominent has gotten so forgotten," Richard White, a Stanford professor emeritus of American history, told SFGATE.

The nine national parks in the Golden State - including Yosemite, Death Valley and Joshua Tree - attracted nearly 12 million recreational visits in 2025, according to statistics from the National Park Service. That's up more than 800,000 visits from 2024 and up more than 300,000 from the previous record set in 2019, according to the data, which stretches back to 1979.

For 2025, there was good news and bad news: overall, these areas were visited 323 million times over the course of the year. That's the good news; the bad news is that this figure was down ever so slightly - specifically, 2.7% - from a record-setting 2024.

Whether it is Scandinavian innovation, a handmade rope crossing in the Peruvian Andes, or a skyline-defining landmark in a global city, the world would look very different without bridges. For centuries, people have found ways to span rivers, valleys, and rainforests, sometimes working with nature itself to create structures that feel as much like art as engineering. There are millions of bridges across the planet and countless candidates for any best-of list.

"Wildflower growth depends on a delicate mix of weather factors, including rain and its timing, amount of sunlight, seasonal temperature patterns, and wind," State Parks wrote in its forecast. "Depending on the region and weather, the peak bloom season typically begins in mid-February onward." Currently, some colors have already been spotted in both the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which is northeast of San Diego, and the Red Rock Canyon State Park, which sits north of Los Angeles.

For travelers looking to get to know the many-varied charms of the Golden State, discovering it through the best beaches in California is never a bad idea. The state's coastline spans a vast 3,427 miles after all. Among its 420 public beautiful beaches are plentiful opportunities to swim, lay out, look at tide pools, surf to your heart's content, or watch the sunset.

Let's be honest: most of your daily commute involves dodging potholes, sitting behind someone going 10 under in the left lane, and wondering why your GPS insists on taking you through three construction zones. Luckily, every once in a while, the road gods smile upon us and deliver something special: bridges that actually make you want to slow down and savor the drive.

Global travel booking website Skyscanner has named its top five destinations for solo travel this winter, and a Northern California favorite the Sonoma Coast made the list. The Sonoma Coast invites a different kind of stillness, the guide notes, praising the rugged shoreline as an antidote to crowded itineraries and overplanned escapes. The roundup also includes Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas, Tangier Island in Virginia, Olympic National Park in Washington and Red River Gorge in Kentucky.