Lookout post on a beach in Santa Barbara, California.
FIRST SECTION OF HIGHWAY ONE
Santa Barbara–Big Sur–Monterey–Carmel
There are journeys that have no end. Or maybe they invite endless endings. California meets the ambitious expectations of a generation clothed in contemporary myths where literature, cinema, music or art come into play. And we do it on a path that does not seem to have an end either: on Pacific Coast Highway, no more no less.
And in this homeric catharsis, on wheels, four-handed and feminine, flourishes above all the powerful desire to knock down, or perhaps strengthen, our own utopias. With proper names: Jack Kerouac, John Steinbeck, Doris Day, Henry Miller, Quentin Tarantino, Sam Shepard, Allen Ginsberg, Marion Davis, David Lynch, Nicole Kidman, Emma Stone… hundreds. Thousands. And also, why blush, the Thelma & Louise's teenage rave. Recognize the adrenaline, the legitimate tingling in the stomach, when, after refueling at a gas station that dissolves at 48 degrees in Death Valley, 'the howl' emerges: "Start, Louise!".
Santa Cruz, in California, was a bastion of the counterculture of the 50s and 60s of the last century.
OF MISSIONS, MANSIONS AND 'BODEGONES'
Santa Barbara - Santa Ynez - Solvang - San Luis Obispo
A little over an hour from Los Angeles, and overwhelmed by its hairless and familiar palm trees, we landed in the insolent beauty of Santa Barbara, playground and residence for burned-out L.A. producers. who decided to put the brakes on, change the car for the bicycle and share their routines in the network of white houses and Mediterranean roofs of what is known as the American Riviera.
The first visual contact, on the promenade that connects East Beach with West Beach, parade beardless Herculeans on skates, couples holding each other by the waist of long-term tans and stylish Californians dressed in impossible hats (or unclassifiable pets) dedicate afternoon after afternoon to 'be' under the Santa Barbara sun.
Impassive and from above, the Santa Bárbara Mission, from 1920, 'the queen of the Californian missions', with its Doric façade topped by two towers, is the greatest exponent of Spanish ecclesiastical work in the 19th century. Many centuries before the settlement of the clerics, the Chumash Indians gathered and hunted throughout Santa Barbara County. Currently relegated to a small reservation in Santa Ynez, it is striking that the Catholic mission cemetery is home to some 4,000 Chumash graves.
The Santa Barbara Mission, California, houses 4,000 graves of the Chumash Indians.
turned into summer capital of SoCal (South of California) , the glory of the American Riviera is savored with a sunset ride in Stearns Wharf, the oldest wharf on the West Coast, whose wooden logs creak under the feet of those who enter and exit the souvenir shops, bars and restaurants devoted to seafood and fresh West Coast fish.
This is what happens at the Shellfish Company, where every night dozens of diners come together who yearn for their crab specialties. They do not make reservations: you sign up for a list at the entrance, the wait becomes unforgettable with a local lager in your hands – the Californian beer boom deserves a separate monographic report – and, if you leave food on your plate, you claim your doggy box.
They say that Californians conquer you with all five senses. You don't have to go far to check it out. In the neighborhood of the Funk Zone district, high-rise dwellers rub shoulders with French or Japanese vacationers grab some late-night shopping at The Shopkeepers or the specialty store at Surf n-Wear's Beach House , check your pulse (and several wines) at Lucky Penny or The Lark , or spill a few cocktails to the music at Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.
And now the important thing: dedicate an afternoon (with its night hours) to the Urban Wine Trail, a proposal to explore on foot or by bike a network of 28 local bogegas , on a route studded with boutiques, designer restaurants and art galleries that make the American Riviera a magnet for elegant foodies that are entertained in several languages.
Stearns Wharf Pier, in Santa Barbara, the oldest on the West Coast.
Crisscrossed by Pacific winds and by the fog from the Santa Ynez Valley, the Santa Barbara wine country served as a lure, in 2004, for the crew of the film Sideways, turned into tourism landmark of California wine culture. On the way to get grapes, we mistake mills for giants.
We are in Solvang, a fairytale town founded by danish settlers fleeing the cold midwestern winter in 1911. Their blonde descendants live together in this particular nordic enclave with a mediterranean climate, where we find, among twenty wineries, a museum dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen or several reproductions of windmills from northern Europe.
The handful of blocks in the historic center invites you to get lost among the pastel explosion boutiques, try the authentic aebleskivers (Danish donuts with jam) at Birkholm's Bakery & Café or let Uve and Etla tell us, between bites, why Swedish Candy Factory is the only place in America that makes Swedish Polkagris candy.
Now, we are among vineyards, and Solvang is a good starting point for a walk among these vines kissed by sun, mist and Pacific winds. An undeniable lure for travelers aboard Harley's, new-age caravans, American convertibles and even bicycles. It is convenient to imitate the liturgies of the locals: stock up on provisions for a picnic – The Rancho Market is overwhelming–, choosing a path between the Santa Maria Valley and the Santa Ynez Valley –ours, the Foxen Road Trail–, stopping at the wineries that inspire you –most of them have gardens for outdoor feasting–, and indulge in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay without looking at your cell phone or looking at the past.
Come on, here are our bets: Foxen , in the sustainable winery of Dick Doré and Bill Wathen you will taste the heaven of the Rhône-style syrah, the Rancho Sisquoc , tastings (10 dollars with engraved glass) of six of their jewels, with a standing ovation to its 2016 Sauvignon Blanc and 2015 Pinot Noir, on a plot overlooking a sea of vines, and Riverbench Vineyard & Winery, which boasts award-winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wines overlooking the Santa María Valley.
The town of Solvang, in California, was founded by Danish settlers in 1911.
Filled the fantasies between drinks, we return to the Pacific Coast Highway heading to another place designed for delight. In 2017 San Luis Obispo occupied the fifth place in the country in the thorny category of 'happy cities' , and according to the parameters of National Geographic.
The truth is that happiness here is inextricably linked to various aspects, such as incombustible cultural agenda, historic and precious buildings such as the art deco facade of the Fremont Theater , a totem of 1940s cinema and a musical reference of this era, a grateful university community and the legacy of Catholic joy and faith, as witnessed by the Mission of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa , whose bells toll every day since 1772.
In front of it, a stream divides the historic center in two. On the other side of a tiny bridge, it is almost mandatory to try, with one of their beers or sakes!, the generous daily specials at Novo. In the same street, the weekly farmers market celebration It thrives on vegetable stalls, steamy barbecues and live music. Yes, indeed San Luis Obispo makes you smile.
Art deco facade of the Fremont Theater, in San Luis Obispo.
THE BIG COUNTRY OF THE SOUTH
With this grandiloquence, the first settlers who settled in Monterey baptized the extraordinary nature of Big Sur, a rugged 145-kilometre stretch of coastline, sandwiched between the mists of the Pacific and the irresistible microclimate of the Santa Lucía Valley.
For many, the mere mention of the place takes us back to a particular degree of recreation, supported by an unclassifiable catalog of literary, musical and film references of an essential period in the history of California: between the decades of the 50s and 70s of the 20th century.
Big Sur has been a haven for tycoons, as witness the oversized Hearst Castle, a Homeric palace commissioned by William Randolph Hearst from California's first female architect, Julia Morgan; in addition to home and salvation of geniuses of world literature such as Henry Miller, of enlightened new-ages and members of the Beat Generation –Lawrence Ferlinghetti or Jack Kerouac–, who elevated their fascination with this landscape of mustard cliffs, fluorescent foam beaches dotted with jade stones and landscapes dotted with theatrical redwoods, where elephant seals roam free in San Simeon, migratory whales swim off Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, sea otters relax and The threatened American condor flies without brakes.
The grandeur of the imposing Big Sur in its purest form.
If conditions permit, the winding stretch of Highway One, from Morro Bay to Garrapata State Park, runs through landscapes that silence any conversation and that they give to make several round trips to the depths of our utopias.
It is important not to leave aside that state of mind when going through the splendor of Ragged Point cliff, McWay Falls, a 24-meter drop into the sea from Julia Pfeiffer Burns and, above all, when you land in the last literary refuge one expects to find around a dangerous curve.
The Henry Miller Memorial Library stands as the ultimate beat beat and cultural soul of Big Sur. "Here I am absolutely out of the world." This is how Henry Miller conveyed to his beloved Anaïs, in one of her epistolary exchanges, his intention to stay in Big Sur. And so he did from 1944 to 1962.
It was his friend Emil White who built this temple dedicated to the memory of the author of the Tropic of Cancer in 1981. Ironies of life, Miller declared himself an enemy of postmortem concessions: “The way to honor someone is to live your life with dignity ”. Perhaps today I would smile to see this place with an enchanted air delight readers from all latitudes.
Detail taken at the Henry Miller Memorial Library, in Big Sur, California.
BIG SMALL TRUTHS: Carmel – Monterey – Santa Cruz
Liane Moriarty's name is forever linked to Monterey's. The play _ Big Little Lies _ brought this Australian author to the very home of David E. Kelley. The creator of the homonymous series succumbed to the atrocities and ingenuity of the leading women and transferred this devastating allegation against gender violence to an idyllic setting, Monterey, and placed on the shoulders of Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley and Zoë Kravitz the responsibility of turning the county town on the covers of women's magazines.
HBO's cult series adds awards, followers, good reviews and a trail of curious people who come from its premiere to discover why Monterey has become an emblem of feminist power (at least in fiction).
Little or nothing remains of his past as important center for the production of canned sardines, when Cannery Row condensed the exploits and miseries of that working class immortalized by John Steinbeck in The Outskirts of Cannery: “(Cannery Row is) a poem, a stench, a screeching sound…”.
A few steps away, on Prescott Ave., stands the bronze bust of the great chronicler of the Great Depression. Without leaving the street, in what used to be one of the largest canneries, the Monterey Bay Aquarium boasts of being one of the most prodigious aquariums in the world, with a population of more than 35,000 marine creatures and aquatic plants (special mention to its Jellyfish Gallery and the Open Sea teeming with hammerhead sharks, turtles and sunfish).
Facade of a barbershop in Monterey, California.
Meanwhile, and a short walk away, another tourist bastion such as Old Fisherman Wharf has served as a point of inspiration for the scriptwriters of the HBO jewel. Each season brings together a remarkable community of trackers of divine beings: whales, seals, dolphins or sea lions.
Guarding views of the sea, the mansions color the heights of Monterey with avant-garde architectural design. At this point, someone may wonder where is the monument that Big Little Lies has popularized in the opening tune (a standing ovation to Michael Kiwanuka now, please): the Bixby Bridge.
To photograph the portentous monument of a single arch you have to move away from the fishing town about 30 kilometers, towards Big Sur. And, for the brave, ten kilometers away, a stop at the green cape of Point Sur park and, also on the way, a break in Garrapata State Park to hug veteran redwoods.
To take a good photo of the portentous Bixby Bridge you will have to move away a few kilometers and gain perspective.
After a 15-minute drive north of the Pacific Coast Highway, Instagram stories collapse with the first snapshot of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Much of his fame is due to Clint Eastwood, who was mayor of this exclusive village during the 1980s. From time to time, it can be seen in its streets or in the vicinity of the beautiful Mission of San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, founded by Junípero Serra in 1770.
Its nearly 4,000 inhabitants welcome with the same hospitality movie stars, artists, producers and a whole collection of vacationers who guard their bank accounts and anonymity with the same zeal.
But here those who rule are not only them, but also their pets. Carmel feels authentic devotion and respect for the canine inhabitants. Since 1880, the highly exclusive resort has kept the crowds at bay on Ocean Avenue, which feeds the most obscene fantasies of its inhabitants in temples such as Tiffany's or Bottega Veneta.
in the surrounding streets, more than 100 art galleries, French style restaurants, canine boutiques, small hotels and a few kilometers lined with mansions with stone chimneys where Jack London, Brad Pitt, Clark Gable, Charles Chaplin or Doris Day once rested, whose Cypress Inn hotel is a mediterranean style canine paradise for pets more used to traveling in convertibles and private jets.
In this endless adventure, we grant ourselves a penultimate license: Santa Cruz. Santa, for its reputation as a bulwark of the 1950s and 1960s counterculture and home of new age visionaries in the 70s. And his cross: the predisposition to hedonism and a way of life dedicated to surfing, or serving the whims of the Pacific.
In this game of contrasts, the surfing myth finds its balance between the chaos of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the attachment to sustainable living of the students of the University of California. The yin and yang of the American dream. The beginning of the end.
Vintage attractions on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, whose Looff Carousel dates back to 1911.