San Francisco

San Francisco

San Francisco is hills, fog, Mission burritos the size of forearms, and pastel Victorians stacked like dominoes. Karl the Fog has his own Instagram, the cable cars are still mechanically pulled by cables running under the street, and the Pacific shows up at the end of every west-bound avenue. The food is wildly good, the views are theatrical, and yes, you'll get cardio just walking to the corner store.

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.