Coastal California 4 - Couverture souple

After graduating from college in Chicago, Sara Benson jumped on a plane to California with just one suitcase and $100 in her pocket. She has bounced around the Golden State ever since, including just about everywhere between San Francisco and LA. She paddled, hiked, cycled and drove all along the Central Coast while researching this guide. The author of 50 travel and nonfiction books, Sara has contributed to Lonely Planet's USA, California and Hawaii guides. Andrew Bender is a true Angeleno, not because he was born in Los Angeles but because he's made it his own. Two decades ago, this native New Englander packed up the car and drove cross-country to work in film production, and eventually realized the joy was in the journey (and writing aboutit). His work has since appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, more than two dozen LP titles and on his blog. Current obsessions : discovering LA's next great ethnic enclave, and winter sunsets over the bike path in Santa Monica. Author, arts commentator and adventurous eater Alison Bing was adopted by California 16 years ago. By now she has done everything you're supposed to do here and a few things you're definitely not, including talking up LA bands in San Francisco bars and falling in love on the 7 Haight bus. Alison holds a graduate degree in international diplomacy, which she regularly undermines with opinionated commentary in magazines, newspapers, on public radio and in more than 20 books. A native of central Michigan, Nate Cavalieri lives in Northern California and has crisscrossed the region's back roads by bicycle, bus and rental car on a quest for the biggest trees, the best camping and the hoppiest pints of beer. In addition to authoring guides on California and Latin America for Lonely Planet, he writes about music and professional cycling. He's the Jazz Editor at Rhapsody Music Service.