California is built on drama. There is nothing subtle about this place, and there never has been. Our landscape is the result of a hundred million years of violent plate tectonics, lava flows, ancient glaciers, and a patience known only to Mother Earth. What emerges from the combination of these dramatic forces is unlike any other place on Earth, and is rich with the best the planet has to offer: mountains, coastlines, canyons, valleys, plains, deserts, burritos.
We are home to the largest and oldest trees in the world and the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States (and all within 80 miles of each other). drama). In fact, California is the main character.
Today, California is America at its finest. No other state can match our energy, our cultural contributions, or our natural beauty. We are home to a global entertainment industry, a global technology industry, and an economy that nearly every country enviable, as well as some of the most breathtaking scenery not only in the USA, but anywhere.
Sure, it’s loud and crowded, but California is unrivaled as both a place and an idea. That’s why so many people want to come here, visit and live.
So, dip us in gold and call us superfans. We love it here, and that’s why we’re so excited to bring you our first-ever California issue. With this issue, we wanted to delve into what’s happening outside our county borders and give our readers a sense of connection to the larger community of people who call California home. There’s so much to explore.
In these pages, we’ll take a look at our state at large (with an emphasis on SD, of course). First, we’ll go surfing in Santa Barbara with women who started the sport later in life, and then we’ll look at a crisis in California: Birthing centers are closing due to red tape, leaving expectant parents—especially low-income and minority mothers—with few options for where to give birth.
We also climb to the tops of California’s famous palm trees and learn about a scientist’s mission to save the palm trees from a living death, talk to the new lead singer of a truly quintessential Southern California band, travel to a town determined to preserve its stargazing, take a trip to Channel Islands National Park and step inside an incredible desert opera house.
Plus, we have a huge, stunning visual smorgasbord of some of California’s most underrated destinations. Get out your bucket list – you’ll want to add a few. And I hope you’re hungry, because we’re also checking out the hottest new restaurant in Hillcrest and sharing some of our favorite culinary discoveries in SD this month. This magazine is as packed as a California highway at rush hour.
We’ve had fun putting this together for you and hope you enjoy exploring our Golden State with us. We’re happy to call this place home.
