JIM HAMILL
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CALIFORNIA

more:  usa
I spent the better part of three years of my life living in California. Not a day goes by that I don't think or wish I still live in California. And then I come out here to visit family and within fifteen minutes I hate the state. There is no rational reason to live in California. The state is ridiculously expensive and the salaries are not reflective of that high cost of living. There's forty million people living in California and I believe that every...single...one...is...crazy. That said, I've never met a Californian I didn't like. For as ignorant and self absorbed as I think California's collectively are, I've never met one that fits that stereotype. Maybe I need to meet every forty million Californians. I look at that video of In-N-Out and I wish, if only California ran that smoothly, I'd move out here again.

SAN FRANCISCO
The preeminent U.S. city - as of 2017 it's accurate to say it's left NYC in the dust.
San Francisco
THE EAST BAY
Oakland, Berkeley - is there life on the other side of the bay?
THE EAST BAY
THE SILICON VALLEY
Steve Jobs and crew.
SIlICON VALLEY
LOS ANGELES
It boils down to one word and one word only: weather.
LOS ANGELES
SAN DIEGO MICROBREWERIES
Lots of warehouses.
sd microbreweries
THE INLAND EMPIRE
The 13th Largest Metropolitan Area in the U.S. - and no one has ever heard of it.
INLAND EMPIRE
THE SALTON SEA
Forget the cable cars.  Forget Hollywood.  It's all about Slab City.
SALTON SEA
OCEANSIDE
Highway to the Danger Zone. Danger Zone. Ride into the Danger Zooooooone.
oceanside
TEMECULA
​Panama City for 50 and 60 year olds - at least while I was there.
temecula
PALM SPRINGS
Desert escape.
palm springs

CROSS COUNTRY VIDEOS
​Videos from a 2003 Cross Country trip.
CROSS COUNTRY VIDEOS
  • Lifetime Travels
    • Best Of... >
      • 2014 World Travels
      • Videos
    • Africa >
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Kenya
      • Tanzania
    • Asia >
      • East Asia >
        • China
        • Hong Kong >
          • Essentials
          • Attractions >
            • HK Free
          • Coffee
          • Cooked Food Centre >
            • Best Cooked Food Centres
          • Culture
          • Dining
          • Districts
          • Expat and Colonialism
          • HK Skyline
          • Nature
        • Japan
        • Macau
        • South Korea
        • Taiwan
      • Indian Sub-Continent >
        • Bangladesh
        • India
        • Maldives
        • Nepal
        • Sri Lanka
      • Southeast Asia >
        • Brunei
        • Cambodia
        • Indonesia
        • Laos
        • Malaysia
        • Myanmar
        • Philippines
        • Singapore >
          • Singapore >
            • Singapore Layover
            • Central
            • Coffee
            • Dining
            • Hawker Centers
            • Kopitiam
            • Suburbicity
        • Thailand
    • Europe >
      • Balkans >
        • Bosnia and Herzegovina
        • Bulgaria
        • Croatia
        • Moldova
        • Montenegro
        • Romania
        • Serbia
      • Central Europe >
        • Austria
        • Germany
        • Czech Republic
        • Hungary
        • Slovakia
        • Slovenia
        • Switzerland
      • Eastern Europe >
        • Kazakhstan
        • Russia
        • Ukraine
      • Nordic >
        • Iceland
      • Western Europe >
        • Belgium
        • France
        • Ireland
        • Italy
        • Netherlands
        • Spain
        • United Kingdom
    • Middle East >
      • Israel
      • Jordan
      • Qatar
      • United Arab Emirates
    • North America >
      • Canada
      • Cuba >
        • Trinidad
        • Cuba Videos
        • Havana
        • Cienfuegos
      • Mexico
      • Panama
      • Puerto Rico
      • United States >
        • New England >
          • Connecticut
          • Maine
          • Massachusetts
          • New Hampshire
          • Rhode Island
          • Vermont
        • Mid-Atlantic >
          • Delaware
          • Maryland
          • New Jersey >
            • Morristown
          • New York >
            • Lake Placid
            • Westchester - LI
          • Pennsylvania >
            • Pittsburgh
            • The "T" >
              • Upper Susquehanna
              • Poconos
              • Lancaster County
          • Washington DC
        • South >
          • Alabama
          • Arkansas
          • Florida
          • Georgia
          • Kentucky
          • Louisiana
          • Mississippi
          • North Carolina >
            • Cameron Indoor
          • South Carolina
          • Tennessee
          • Virginia
          • West Virginia
        • Midwest >
          • Illinois
          • Indiana
          • Iowa
          • Michigan
          • Minnesota
          • Missouri
          • Ohio
          • Wisconsin
        • Central Plains >
          • Idaho
          • Kansas
          • Montana
          • Nebraska
          • North Dakota
          • South Dakota
          • Wyoming
        • Southwest >
          • Arizona >
            • Phoenix
          • Colorado
          • New Mexico
          • Oklahoma
          • Texas
          • Utah
        • West Coast >
          • Alaska
          • California
          • Hawaii
          • Nevada
          • Oregon
          • Washington
    • Oceania >
      • Australia
      • Fiji
      • New Zealand
    • South America >
      • Argentina
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
    • Useful Links >
      • Travel Tips
  • Philadelphia Story
    • Quintessential Philly
    • Americas Birthplace
    • Philadelphia Neighborhoods
    • Philly Dining
    • Beer and Coffee Project
    • And Everything Else
  • Travel Writing
    • Travel Around the World
    • How To...
    • Travel Adventures
    • Travel Inspired Writing
  • About
    • My Background
    • Site Navigation
    • Contact Me