Off Interstate 15 in Southern California
It seems simple enough: You live in a desert, you like to see water. For the second year running, San Diego was your place to run from Las Vegas summers. Spend your days at the beach, Sea World or the famous San Diego Zoo. Spend your nights learning the subculture of each beach community's night life, or investigating restaurants and clubs in the Gaslamp Quarter. Disneyland, which is starting to seem less like a "getaway" and more like home, was a distant second.
Our Pick: MONTEREY
Off state Route 156 in Northern California
Admittedly we can't put the modifier "weekend" in front of this getaway designation, since Cannery Row is a little far for a quick hop. But when we have a few days to drive up the California coast, nothing makes us forget dust and stucco faster than Pebble Beach, the Monterey Bay Aquarium or even the fancy restaurants and shops in nearby Carmel.
