what is the best city to visit in california?

I am looking for a cool city in southern california if possible (but not los angeles). may be even northern california if there's a really nice city there that takes you away from it all. Prefferably I want the city to have a lot of life and culture and hopefully take me away from everyday stress.

Public Comments

1. Catalina Island :) (southern cali)
2. San Francisco
3. San Diego
4. Either San Diego or San Francisco, but both cities are fairly different from each other. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and have lived in San Diego for the past 6 years so I kno both places well. SF is one of the most beautiful and unique cities in America with so many different cultures. It's a very wealthy city and has some of the best architecture with so much character all over the city. It's a very dense city and is unlike any city on the west coast. But it is very crowded and congested. The weather there isn't the best in my opinion; it's cold and foggy in the mornings and evenings and is usually in the upper 60's to low 70's during the day and can be fairly windy. But there are so many great sites to see and experiance and just a few miles north of the city across the Golden Gate Bridge is the Marin Headlands and Muir Forest, which are great for nature and hiking to escape the city. San Diego is also a great city and it might be a better fit for you if you are looking to relax and escape everyday stress. The people are nice, friendly, and very laid back. It's a beach oriented city and has the best beach culture in the United States. The weather is the best in the nation too; it's not too hot or too cold and is sunny all the time. During summer the it's usually 73-78 during the day and at night usually 67-70; very comfortable and not too humid. The temperature here in SD is pretty much perfect. And it has the warmest water on the west coast, currently the water in the ocean is around 70. In SF the water temp at the beaches, which are cold and foggy most of the time, is in the 50's and not swimmable w/o a wetsuit. San Diego is great during the summer and is my favorite time of year here, even with all the tourists. There are so many great and exciting events and things to do all the time. There are so many different attractions like the SD Zoo, SeaWorld, Balboa Park and all of its museums, ect.... But the main reason I am suggesting San Diego over SF is for the relaxing beach scene. There are many different types of beaches here; wide, sandy east coast style beaches with tons of people, small beaches in between rocks and cliffs, and nice sandy beaches below 300 foot cliffs. The beach is just so relaxing and peaceful. I live in the beach community of Pacific Beach, about 5 miles north of downtown SD, and work 30 miles north in Carlsbad and during summer traffic can be killer coming home, so today after work I just went to the beach for an hour or two and waited until there was no more traffic. It was great; after a hard day of work just being able to lay on the beach and not have to deal with traffic then having an easy commute home afterwards, I love it! It makes for a good end to a long workday. San Diego is such a fun and happening city but the great thing is that you can easily escape the hustle and bustle of the busy areas and relax on an uncrowded beach not far from all the action. Northern San Diego County from La Jolla north have the best beaches. If you are looking to relax yet still be able to go out and have fun and experiance some culture then SD is a little better for that b/c of the much better weather and beach scene. SF is great too but it's much more urban and busy compared to SD.
5. yeah right, sav. i see ur still hot with that lecture type of answers. btw, i'd suggest san diego.
6. San Diego or Carlsbad, San Francisco is not the place to relax to much going on all the time , but interesting.