Salinas

Salinas

Salinas is the Salad Bowl of the World, where most of the country's leafy greens, strawberries, and broccoli come from. John Steinbeck grew up here and the National Steinbeck Center downtown is excellent. The Salinas Rodeo is a century-old summer event. The Monterey Bay is 20 minutes west, but the city itself is a working ag town with strong Mexican-American culture.

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is the Texas Gulf coast city where Selena grew up (the memorial on the bayfront is moving). The USS Lexington aircraft carrier is permanently parked downtown as a museum. The beaches at Padre Island National Seashore are some of the longest undeveloped stretches of barrier island in the country. Sun-soaked, breezy, and salt-aired in equal measure.