The American Riviera

Here's the kind of place where you end up with one thing on your mind: how can I move here? This achingly beautiful region -- a longtime magnet for artists (Edward Weston) and writers (Jack Kerouac, Henry Miller, John Steinbeck) -- stretches for some 400 miles along the coast, with picturesque hamlets like Carmel-by-the-Sea, jagged sea cliffs along Big Sur, the incomparable Monterey Bay Aquarium, and elegant wine country. Come romp on a beach, hike a trail, or relax in Santa Barbara, justly nicknamed 'The American Riviera.'