Sprawling between the mountains and the beaches, Los Angeles is quintessential California. Whether your taste runs to fashionable Beverly Hills, the mega-entertainment of the movie studios, or the sizzle of homestyle Mexican food on Olvera Street, the city of angels is worth exploring.
Sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco's broad bay will surely be a highlight of your cruising life. Once docked along the Embarcadero, you're just a short walk from Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, North Beach and other attractions that make this one of the world's favorite cities. The scenic Napa Valley wine country is nearby, too.
Prim and proper, neat and clean, friendly little Victoria island is like a breath of fresh air. Its British heritage is apparent in the double-decker buses, the Royal British Columbia Museum and High Tea at the Empress Hotel. Go out to the renowned Butchart Gardens, where sunken floral beds reflect international themes.
In Vancouver, you're never out of sight of towering peaks--or of the sea. It is a prosperous city adorned with flowers lining the streets and lush greenery like Stanley Park. Museums offer fine collections of the dramatic Northwest native arts. Vancouver's Chinatown is the second-largest in the world. The waterfront Gastown district recalls the city's colorful past as a premier Pacific port since the days of the Clipper ships.