Cali: Travel guide, prices and free housing · 2026

LLLiubov Lopakovalyubalopakova · Dec 11, 2019Read

West or East? California, Nevada or Massachusetts, New York, Washington? I decided to compare two opposite parts of the USA. The atmosphere in California is incredible. People are a bit laid-back, but at the same time, it seemed to me that they spend their days productively. The weather is hot during the day, but it gets cool by the evening. A huge ocean, but literally three hours away there is a hot desert. This year, at the end of our trip, we had a great vacation. We rented a car for 10 days and visited almost all the interesting sights of LA, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. In Los Angeles, we walked along the Walk of Fame, climbed a huge mountain to the famous "Hollywood" sign, and every evening we visited the Russian hookah lounge "Hookah place" @hookahplace_la - by the way, the guys working there are very cool. They have locations in St. Petersburg too. We went to the Museum of Death - the museum is very creative, but it turned out that everything here is too explicit. It demonstrates in photographs all real cases of death, from suicide to car accidents, what they do with corpses, and so on. But the "Madame Tussauds Museum" is, on the contrary, very positive. The figures of Hollywood stars are made quite realistically. Around them are spotlights, bright colored lights, and music - it feels like you are really at a party with celebrities. By the way, it takes 33 days to make one such figure! We also went up to the Griffith Observatory. It offers a stunning view, especially at night. We rode extreme roller coasters at Six Flags. On the opposite coast of the USA, which we visited last year, everything is a bit different. Even the language is slightly different - for example, in California they always say "piece of pizza", and in the East "slice of pizza". New York is a giant metropolis. It is the king of marketing and advertising. These are huge skyscrapers and crowds of rushing people. There are also insanely many interesting places here and, of course, it is a must-visit. But you probably won't be able to drive a car, as you can spend half the trip in traffic jams. Boston is a little smaller than New York, but we loved it so much!! It is a true student city with impressive universities. In general, guys, you must visit America.

LLLiubov Lopakovalyubalopakova · Dec 10, 2019Read

Barcelona, Paris, Stockholm, Helsinki, London, Reykjavik, Vienna, New York, Miami, Boston, Washington, Amsterdam, Brussels, San Francisco, Los Angeles - these are the major cities I have already visited, and you know what? I found my favorite! This is a case where a city truly deserves its massive global popularity. Los Angeles is a unique city. I'm serious. A huge metropolis with completely different neighborhoods. So, which one is the most memorable? Of course, it's Hollywood! This is where the most famous film studios were born, this is where the Oscars ceremony takes place at the Kodak Theatre, here is the Walk of Fame, and everything around is vibrant—just like in movies and video games. By the way, the first film ever made entirely in Hollywood was the 1910 short film 'In Old California'. In short, spend your money on experiences.

ATAnastasiya Taranavataranova.nas · Nov 30, 2019Read

California is a major wine producer. It produces about 90% of the country's grapes and over 80% of its wine products. The first vineyards in California appeared in the late 17th century, but viticulture only began to develop 100 years later, when Europeans brought 300 grape varieties (about 100,000 seedlings) to California. Is it really that good? We decided to go and check for ourselves. The closest wine region to San Francisco is Napa Valley. It is considered one of the best wine-producing regions in the world. The most interesting part isn't the wine itself, but the fact that we never actually tasted it)) Forgetting about the wonderful law that applies in every state—alcohol is only allowed for those over 21 (we are 19)—we just watched our bus neighbors tasting wine and headed to the vineyards themselves... After spending over an hour in the bushes (each grape variety grows separately there, and we tried almost every one), I can say with confidence that each one clearly differs in taste from the next (obviously). More acidic grapes make drier wine, and sweeter grapes make sweet wine (obviously [1]). What's interesting is that they ask for $35 and up for a single bottle, whereas in Italy, we bought insanely delicious wine for $2. A total rip-off 🤷🏼‍♀️

ATAnastasiya Taranavataranova.nas · Nov 30, 2019Read

We spent most of the day on the road, but we did stop at an incredibly beautiful place (not counting food stops). We were driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Even though it looks quite close on the map, the drive ended up taking us about 8 hours. Contrary to my expectations, the climates of these two cities are very different. The temperature dropped from 32 to 21 degrees. Instead of a blue sky, endless clouds were drifting by, and we thought we wouldn't see clear weather at all. On the way, we passed a wildly picturesque spot – 17-mile Drive. It is famous for being a scenic coastal road that runs along the Pacific Ocean, passing by famous golf courses and expensive houses in the towns of Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach, California. It is the first private (!) road in California. the main scenic attraction of the road is the Lone Cypress, a salt-battered tree that is the official symbol of Pebble Beach and a frequent screensaver for TV broadcasts from this area. Unfortunately, by that point, Matvey and I had already played games on our phone and drained the battery, so you'll have to take my word for it))

LGLiaysan Gilfanovaiglr2 · Dec 11, 2018Read

Next, we went to the famous state of California. To the quiet, calm, and uniquely distinguished city of San Francisco. To the ever-rushing Los Angeles, teeming with celebrities or future stars, to the Hollywood sign that has become a symbol of the city, and to the cold, powerful, and at first glance, completely inaccessible Pacific Ocean. All of California turned out to be exactly as I imagined it – impossible to describe or standardize. You can't say that California is reckless and has a very fast pace of life like Los Angeles, because, for example, San Francisco didn't seem like that to me at all. It is much calmer; in fact, you get the impression that all the locals are mainly busy showing off – with cars, talents, the ability to paint on walls, whatever they can. California is like a separate multinational country that you can study endlessly. When we were already flying home, I looked out the airplane window for a long time and saw how the weather was changing. From the sunny states at that moment, we flew past foggy Albion, past European cities that were sometimes sunny and warm, sometimes covered in a fine drizzling rain; we were flying towards cloudy, already gray Moscow, preparing for a cold winter. It is amazing, but this change in weather reflected my state of mind. It was unbearable, I'm not afraid to use the word, painful to leave a country where I saw so much, learned so much, and understood so much for myself. It was as if I had broken out of the circle of my ordinary life for 4 months and lived them in a parallel reality – amazing, unforgettable, at times evoking contradictory feelings, but still so attractive.

VViktormorfeus929 · Nov 5, 2010Read

That's it… We had already visited all the interesting spots on our route. All that was left was to cross America. We woke up around 6 AM and hit the road. After driving all day, we reached a very interesting state in the evening – Oklahoma. At one gas station, we discovered that our car tire was worn out again. And quite badly. It had to be changed. But it was already evening. So, we decided to put on the spare, drive to the nearest town, stay in a motel, and change the tire in the morning. But how to put on the spare? It turned out the jack that Alex had kindly lent us was too small. We needed to find a suitable one. We asked all the truckers at the gas station – nope, they didn't have one. Just then, a cop pulled into the station, and we had the idea to ask him. He gladly agreed to help us – he lent us a jack and tools. He just asked for my license and then gave me some paper stating that he had indeed helped us. Apparently, he needed it for his report. We changed the tire, found a cheap motel, and crashed. We still had about 30 hours of driving left to the Atlantic Ocean. We spent the night in a provincial Oklahoma town called Sapulpa. What a dump. In the morning, we found a shop in the center that could change the tire, paid the guy who did it 20 dollars. We gave him a 3-dollar tip, he was a very nice guy, and we drove on. The people staying at the motel with us could hardly believe that such a trip was real. They even took photos with us and the car. We drove all the next day and decided to drive through the night for the first time – time was running out. At night, we worked on a rotation – one drives, the other sleeps in the passenger seat. We had to drop the girls off in Baltimore, Maryland, and return to the Outer Banks before the bank closed, since it was Friday, and we needed to pick up and cash our final paychecks from the restaurant. We drove as fast as we could – we were speeding like crazy – there was no other way. But we made it and got our money. Then, barely able to stand, we drove to Alex's place. I calculated then that we had been driving for over 30 hours non-stop. That's how our trip ended. It ended where we started. We were tired but happy… WE DID IT – WE CROSSED AMERICA BY CAR BOTH WAYS. #roadtrip #usa #adventure

VViktormorfeus929 · Nov 5, 2010Read

After San Francisco, we had two options for where to go – either Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon. We simply didn't have enough time for both. We decided that the Grand Canyon was the better choice. And what about Las Vegas? Just another big city. We left San Francisco sometime after lunch and spent the rest of the day driving through California towards Arizona. We drove until we were tired and, following our old routine, ended up camping for the night :). In the morning, we headed towards the Grand Canyon. Who has seen the movie 'Cars'? It tells the story of an abandoned old road that no one uses because everyone takes the new highway. This story is real. We were actually driving back from California on that new highway. And the old abandoned road is the very famous Route 66, which once connected Chicago and Santa Monica. Now no one drives on it because there's no point. Interstate 40 was built nearby, and everyone uses that. But since this road was once very popular, there are many signs on the interstate indicating that the famous Route 66 runs nearby. Now, there are only small abandoned towns on that road, just like in the movie. Nevertheless, there are many tourists there. We stopped in one of these towns; unfortunately, I don't remember its name, I only know it was in Arizona, not far from the Grand Canyon. It was quite beautiful there. We bought souvenirs, ate at a restaurant where the waiter got offended because we left him a small tip, and then went to see the Grand Canyon. Entry to the Grand Canyon National Park is paid. It costs 25 dollars per car. It doesn't seem like much money, but still. Free buses run throughout the park. But my brother and I decided to walk. The girls took the buses. Oh well. There are several viewpoints along the canyon. We chose the highest one and headed there. When we reached our goal, a stunning view of the canyon valley opened up before us. It really is SOMETHING. You have to see it. Then we went for a little walk along the top of the canyon. What surprised me was that there are no fences. If you want to jump down, go ahead. Why collect money at the entrance then? We took photos, threw stones down, timed how long it took for those stones to fall, and went to wait for the girls. There's nothing to do at the Grand Canyon for longer than an hour. By evening, we reached a campsite in New Mexico and spent the night there according to our established routine.

VViktormorfeus929 · Nov 5, 2010Read

The next day, out of habit, we packed our bags, said goodbye to our star, and headed to San Francisco around 10 o'clock. It was a 6-hour drive from LA. We chose a different route that runs along the ocean coast—it is California, after all. We didn't choose it in vain; the road is truly beautiful, just like the state itself. In San Francisco, we arranged to meet an old acquaintance of mine who has been living in Washington state for a year. For this occasion, he specifically traveled to California, spending 13 hours one way. As I mentioned, we hadn't planned our trip beyond LA. So, we intended to get a room in an inexpensive motel and all stay there. Two of his friends were supposed to come with him, so the motel would be quite cheap for us. Since he arrived in SF before us, he was tasked with finding that very affordable motel in the center. And he found one. He paid 100 dollars for a room with two beds, which easily fit 7 people. So, we arrived in SF in the evening, met up with Sergey, settled into the room, and went for a walk together. To be honest, we didn't really see much of SF. We just walked around a bit in the evening and then returned to the motel. And then, in the morning, we went to see the famous red bridge and Alcatraz prison. But only from the shore. My impressions of San Francisco are somewhat neutral. Maybe because we spent so little time there. It's cool in principle, but very cold, and there are many hills, which are difficult to drive on with a manual transmission car. We said goodbye to Seryozha and went our separate ways—he went home to Seattle, and we headed back to the Atlantic Ocean. Goodbye, California… We will miss you… See you again.