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must see place


wimmie

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Dear fellow Palmtalkers; Next spring I want to visit California and Nevada. Could you, local Palmtalkers, please tell me what/where the "must-see-places" are?

Thanks in advance,

Wim.

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Do you already know which parts of California and Nevada you want to visit, @wimmie? Or does it all depend on where people recommend?

Personally, I think the San Francisco Bay Area is spectacular and there are many public gardens worth visiting.

Edited by Josh76
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California/Nevada is a very big region. Are you looking for palm-related destinations? In Northern CA, the San Francisco Bay Area has the botanical garden, the Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park - all within walking distance of each other. There's also the Lakeside Palmetum across the bay in Oakland, and the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden just a few miles north in the Berkeley Hills. The Ruth Bancroft garden in Walnut Creek just a bit east of the Berkeley Hills is a great garden also, but doesn't specialize in palms, I don't think. Inland, in Northern California, you won't find many parks or destinations with the diversity and concentration of palm species, but you will find palms everywhere. 

If you're looking for general points of interest, not palm-related, there are too many to list. It will depend on what you're interested in doing. The Central Coast (San Luis Obispo county) is great for wine-tasting (Napa likes to claim the title, but Central CA is wine country also). Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are all within 1.5 hour drives from Fresno, so Fresno is a good place to stay if you are planning to visit the parks. 

I'll let the Southern California folks chime in with suggestions for the Southland. I'm not too familiar with that country :P

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Thanks, guys; the plan is to drive from L.A. to San Francisco, then further on to Yosemite, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Arches, Monument Valley.

More suggestions?

 

Wim.

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Wow! haha you are going to be making quite the trip. How long is your stay?If you're going to be in the Sierra Nevada, I highly recommend Sequoia NP. Yosemite is spectacular, but be prepared for crowds. When we go, we hike in the late afternoon or very early in the morning to avoid the large tour bus crowds and traffic. What's even better is hiking at night B). Nobody is on the trails at night. If you do make a detour into San Luis Obispo county, Templeton and Santa Margarita are sleepy little towns with an old-west feel. They're not destination spots, but if you happen to drive by on Highway 101, you might find them interesting.

You'll probably enjoy Old Town Sacramento. It's a historical district with an old-west feel. 

The only places I know in Southern California that are palm-related are the Huntington gardens and Lotusland in Santa Barbara. I'm sure there are a lot more, I'm just not familiar with any. 

I don't think you'll find much in the way of palms outside of California except perhaps in Phoenix/Tucson and perhaps some phoenix dactylifera or washingtonia in Las Vegas or Saint George, Utah. 

 

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your more than welcome to come visit my "Vista Garden" down here in San Diego.

Carlsbad, California Zone 10 B on the hill (402 ft. elevation)

Sunset zone 24

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Wimmie,

As you are driving north from L.A., skip Interstate 5 and stay on 101 which hugs the Pacific.  Santa Barbara (90 miles north of L.A. is worth a stop for a day or two.  Its position between the ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains is quite beautiful and very reminiscent of the Mediterranean coasts of Spain, Italy and France.  In fact, Santa Barbara is often referred to as the "American Riviera."  Continue north on 101 to San Luis Obispo and then get on Highway 1.  This will lead you on a section of coastal highway known as Big Sur which is arguably  one of the ten most scenic drives in the world.  A stop at Carmel/Monterey is also worth two days.

The downside of this route is that most mornings are overcast and foggy, and summer is peak tourist season; crowded with much traffic.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

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I recommend seeing the native Washingtonia filifera palm groves near Palm Springs: Indian Canyons (both Andreas Canyon and Palm Canyon), Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve, and Joshua Tree National Park. Anza-Borrego State Park is highly recommended, but I have never been there.

San Diego's Balboa Park is a lovely destination for its palms and museums. The San Diego Botanical Garden (Quail Gardens) in Encinitas is excellent.

The Virginia Robinson Garden in Beverly Hills (reservation required) is a beautiful, quiet spot with palmy gardens, and a charming house.

Besides the amazing Huntington Botanical Gardens, the Los Angeles Arboretum in nearby Arcadia is excellent. Best Chinese food in the United States is served in restaurants in that area.

The Los Angeles County Museum has the only conceptual-art palm garden I know of, by Robert Irwin. It has extraordinary palms.

I recall South Coast Botanical Garden in Palos Verdes, near Los Angeles, had a good palm collection.

Ganna Walska Lotusland in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, is essential. Reservation required. The Courthouse is spectacular, with a good palm collection. Franceschi Park offers a panorama over the city, the ocean, and the islands. The Super-Rica Taqueria is renowned. Their "queen of the missions" is grand, but all the missions are interesting to see. On the drive from LA to San Francisco the mission at San Juan Bautista is big and worth visiting, and the one at San Miguel is austere and moody.

On the drive from LA to SF, allow plenty of time to take Highway One through Big Sur. Two or three days would be good. Point Lobos State Reserve, near Carmel and Monterey, after the northern end of Big Sur, is a must see, maybe the the most picturesque coastal landscape in California. South of Big Sur, the towns of San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, and Cambria are nice. 

Nevada: The desert landscapes of this state can be subtle and very beautiful, but many of the roads (Highway 80, 95) pass through dull parts. Highway 50, from Lake Tahoe to Carson City, Fallon, Austin, Eureka, and Ely, is magnificent, and the old mining town of Virginia City is a fun detour. The landscape feels almost empty, and it's important to travel as self-sufficiently as possible. East of Yosemite is Mono Lake (in California near the Nevada border), an exquisitely beautiful desert lake with a backdrop of the Sierra Nevada crest. Just north of it is Bodie State Park, a well-preserved ghost town and dose of Old West ambiance. Another hour or two into Nevada is Walker Lake, another picturesque (and dwindling) desert lake. Pyramid Lake, north of Reno, is an easy detour from that city and is quite beautiful. South from Mono Lake runs Highway 395 along the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada, a drive I have heard is one of the most spectacular in California.

 

 

 

Edited by JasonD
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Jason Dewees

Inner Sunset District

San Francisco, California

Sunset zone 17

USDA zone 10a

21 inches / 530mm annual rainfall, mostly October to April

Humidity averages 60 to 85 percent year-round.

Summer: 67F/55F | 19C/12C

Winter: 56F/44F | 13C/6C

40-year extremes: 96F/26F | 35.5C/-3.8C

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51 minutes ago, JasonD said:

I recommend seeing the native Washingtonia filifera palm groves near Palm Springs: Indian Canyons (both Andreas Canyon and Palm Canyon), Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve, and Joshua Tree National Park. Anza-Borrego State Park is highly recommended, but I have never been there.

San Diego's Balboa Park is a lovely destination for its palms and museums. The San Diego Botanical Garden (Quail Gardens) in Encinitas is excellent.

The Virginia Robinson Garden in Beverly Hills (reservation required) is a beautiful, quiet spot with palmy gardens, and a charming house.

Besides the amazing Huntington Botanical Gardens, the Los Angeles Arboretum in nearby Arcadia is excellent. Best Chinese food in the United States is served in restaurants in that area.

The Los Angeles County Museum has the only conceptual-art palm garden I know of, by Robert Irwin. It has extraordinary palms.

I recall South Coast Botanical Garden in Palos Verdes, near Los Angeles, had a good palm collection.

Ganna Walska Lotusland in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, is essential. Reservation required. The Courthouse is spectacular, with a good palm collection. Franceschi Park offers a panorama over the city, the ocean, and the islands. The Super-Rica Taqueria is renowned. Their "queen of the missions" is grand, but all the missions are interesting to see. On the drive from LA to San Francisco the mission at San Juan Bautista is big and worth visiting, and the one at San Miguel is austere and moody.

On the drive from LA to SF, allow plenty of time to take Highway One through Big Sur. Two or three days would be good. Point Lobos State Reserve, near Carmel and Monterey, after the northern end of Big Sur, is a must see, maybe the the most picturesque coastal landscape in California. South of Big Sur, the towns of San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, and Cambria are nice. 

Nevada: The desert landscapes of this state can be subtle and very beautiful, but many of the roads (Highway 80, 95) pass through dull parts. Highway 50, from Lake Tahoe to Carson City, Fallon, Austin, Eureka, and Ely, is magnificent, and the old mining town of Virginia City is a fun detour. The landscape feels almost empty, and it's important to travel as self-sufficiently as possible. East of Yosemite is Mono Lake (in California near the Nevada border), an exquisitely beautiful desert lake with a backdrop of the Sierra Nevada crest. Just north of it is Bodie State Park, a well-preserved ghost town and dose of Old West ambiance. Another hour or two into Nevada is Walker Lake, another picturesque (and dwindling) desert lake. Pyramid Lake, north of Reno, is an easy detour from that city and is quite beautiful. South from Mono Lake runs Highway 395 along the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada, a drive I have heard is one of the most spectacular in California.

Yes to what Jason said. In L.A:  Just driving around in L.A you will see so many different palm types. Santa Monica has planted palms everywhere (Wilshire Blvd is lined with Triangle Palms, Ocean Ave is lined with Canary Island Dates, and they are now planting Royal Palms, plus the views are gorgeous. There are some nice Foxtails I think on Arizona Avenue between 4th and 2nd. But everywhere in L.A you'll see tons of palms.

Palm-attractions worth visiting in L.A: Virginia Robinson Gardens in Beverly Hills is beautiful. South Coast Botanical Gardens in Palos Verdes has a good palm collection. The Huntington Botanical Gardens and the L.A Arboretum are definitely worth a visit. 

In Orange County: South Coast Plaza has palms everywhere, Huge Royals, Kings, Kentias, Teddy Bears, Nikau, Majesties, Pygmies, Dates, Washies, etc.They are on Bear Street and Bristol Street. 

In San Diego: Balboa Park is a beautiful park with lots of palms. Again, just driving around SD you'll see lots of palms. La Jolla (beautiful sea town near SD) has lots of palms everywhere. 

To the north of us (north of L.A) is Santa Barbara, which is a beautiful town with lots of palm trees. Lotusland is simply stunning and you should definitely go. 

Have fun and I hope the weather is nice! 

 

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Palos Verdes Estates - coastal Los Angeles - 33°45'N 118°24'W

On a cliff, 2 blocks from the Pacific Ocean. Zone 10b - Sunset zone 24

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On 1/16/2017, 7:12:47, Josh76 said:

Do you already know which parts of California and Nevada you want to visit, @wimmie? Or does it all depend on where people recommend?

Personally, I think the San Francisco Bay Area is spectacular and there are many public gardens worth visiting.

Josh, the San Francisco Bay-area is vast. Any spots in particular?

Wim.

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11 hours ago, wimmie said:

Josh, the San Francisco Bay-area is vast. Any spots in particular?

Wim.

Hi @wimmie,

Yes, the Oakland Lakeside Palmetum is incredible and if you're lucky enough to run into Darold or one of the other guys who maintain it, they'll gladly tell you about the various species planted there. I haven't been there in many years but the botanic garden in Golden Gate Park is beautiful and the Berkeley Botanic Gardens are also worth a visit. 

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8 hours ago, Josh76 said:

Hi @wimmie,

Yes, the Oakland Lakeside Palmetum is incredible and if you're lucky enough to run into Darold or one of the other guys who maintain it, they'll gladly tell you about the various species planted there. I haven't been there in many years but the botanic garden in Golden Gate Park is beautiful and the Berkeley Botanic Gardens are also worth a visit. 

Oke; thanks, Josh!

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The San Diego Zoo is a major botanical garden (and headquarters for the tiny but important Center for Plant Conservation).  Lots of palms.

The coast from roughly Ventura to San Francisco is one of the country's most beautiful areas.  Be sure to admire Morro Bay and the Carmel-Monterey-Santa Cruz area.  Santa Cruz is a famed center for surfing.  The first redwood forest is in a nearby state park.  

San Francisco was largely destroyed by the fires caused by its big earthquake of 1906, so not much left of its more distant past.  Possibly the city's architectural masterpiece is a decorative temple, a permanent 1960s re-creation of a plaster one built for an exhibition:  the Palace of Fine Arts.  

It's worth continuing up the coast some distance from San Francisco, at least Point Reyes.  No palms, but great scenery.  

Organizing the inland trip, getting away from palms, is a separate set of issues.  Northern Arizona has magnificent landscapes and curiosities, including the Petrified Forest and a genuine, impressive Meteor Crater.  Sunset Crater (a medieval little volcano) and numerous other areas of pre-European habitation are also worth visiting.  

Zion National Park, well worth a visit, as well as other parks in Utah.

Fla. climate center: 100-119 days>85 F
USDA 1990 hardiness zone 9B
Current USDA hardiness zone 10a
4 km inland from Indian River; 27º N (equivalent to Brisbane)

Central Orlando's urban heat island may be warmer than us

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Hi Wimmie,

 

If you come to Los Angeles, there are wonderful palms at LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, UCLA's Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden, along Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills and all over my neighborhood, in the Hollywood Hills. You are also welcome to come by my place and see about 300-ish palms, that range in height from very small to taller than my house.

 

Enjoy planning your adventure!

 

David

Hollywood Hills West, Los Angeles, CA USA

Southwest facing canyon | Altitude 600 - 775 feet | Decomposing granite
USDA Zone 10b | AHS 6 | Sunset Zone 23 | Köppen Csb | No frost or freezes
Average Low 49 F°/9.4 C° | Average High 79 F°/28.8 C° | Average Rainfall 20"/50.8 cm

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