From the sea, a refreshed perspective on the California coast

Admit it, California is a tourist’s wonderland. Nearly every city up and down the coast is worth a visit. You may think you’ve seen all they have to offer, but these seaside cities have surprises in store, provided you approach properly from the water.

Five of us recently boarded a ship in Los Angeles to discover California from the sea. It seemed like nothing more than a fun way to immerse ourselves in our home state.

Here’s what we didn’t expect: Each port revealed a new and different side of itself there’s something markedly different when you enter these waterfront cities from the water itself. Let’s set sail.

SANTA BARBARA: MONIED BEACH TOWN

Our first stop is Santa Barbara; our ship is too large to pull up to the dock, so we use tender boats the ship’s lifeboats to shuttle to and from shore.

We arrive in the middle of the wide beach on a sunny summer Sunday. One look around introduces this newcomer to Santa Barbara: beach on one side, money on the other. The wide sand is full of sun-kissed beachgoers enjoying a perfect day in paradise. A block away, locals and visitors and cruise-ship passengers walk the well-manicured blocks and look in tony shops and restaurants.

We end up at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, itself evidence of the city’s privileged past. The building, dedicated in 1929, is as much icon as symbol of justice.

Outside, they’re cleaning up the courtyard from a shindig the night before; a bride and groom pose nearby for wedding-day photos.

We head to the top-floor observatory where we get a panoramic view of the town, from the beach to the nearby mesa to the historic mission in the hills.

Then we stop to get a cold one and run into friends from Los Angeles who have come up for the day. They lament the traffic they endured driving here; we just think of our ship and smile.

SAN FRANCISCO: CITY OF SEA LIONS

I’ll confess: San Francisco has never been one of my favorite cities. Whether you arrive by car, plane or even train, you have to pass through endless suburbia before reaching the actual city. The freeways and parking are a nightmare, of course. And there’s the smug way residents look at you because you don’t live there and they do.

Then I arrived by ship, and everything changed.

The Golden Gate Bridge isn’t something you eventually get to after fighting traffic; instead, it’s your official welcome to the bay.

Alcatraz isn’t off in the distance; it’s a milestone indicating you’ve almost arrived.

And the wonderful Fisherman’s Wharf isn’t a destination you hope you eventually visit; it’s home base, for we’re docked just steps away.

Because this is an overnight stop, we’ll have plenty of time to explore. So, on this hazy afternoon, we get our bearings and head to a local watering hole for some neighborhood color.

San Francisco is home to a thousand wonderful restaurants, but we’ve brought one with us our ship. It’s already paid for, so we have a leisurely dinner back onboard.

Later, we head out to see what’s going on next door at Pier 39, in the heart of the Fisherman’s Wharf area. But it’s now past 10 p.m. on a Monday, and everything is closing down. We stroll around the mostly vacant pier, when we notice loud barking sounds coming from the other side.

We head over and unexpectedly discover dozens and dozens of sea lions, some asleep, others looking for attention. A few folks are gathered on the dock, watching them float on the barges tied up below. It’s an amazing sight and sound.

After snapping several terrible photos dark sea lions against dark water at night we head back to our ship. From our balcony, we enjoy a nightcap and the barking in the distance.

The next morning, we become tourists with a capital T, and head for the open-top, double-decker tour bus. We get a comprehensive visit to every corner of the city and toward the end of our tour, we cross the Golden Gate. We think we will have an amazing view from the second level of the open-topped bus. We are wrong.

It is windy and bitter cold I can barely look up for a moment without my face freezing. There’s no chance to take pictures. My friend Virginia has wisely gone below, where it’s warm. Later she comments on the amazing views; I saw nothing.

Back from our tour, it’s time to visit the sea lions once more. There are many more during the day hundreds and the crowds watching their antics are bigger, too. It’s a sight to behold though not for Virginia, who’s waiting for us to set sail so she can hit the ship’s casino.

We are scheduled to depart San Francisco at sunset and sail back under the Golden Gate a half hour later, when the unthinkable happens: All passengers and crew more than 2,000 of us are back on board early, so we can set sail ahead of schedule.

That puts us under the famed Golden Gate right as sunset is upon us.

The City by the Bay twinkles in the distance as we head back out to sea. For once, I have left at least a little piece of my heart here.

MONTEREY: WORKING SEAPORT

“Monterey” conjures images of coastal luxury, or perhaps Jack cheese. It’s easy to forget Monterey’s roots as an old-time, hard-working fishing town.

Our tender boat drops us at the wet end of Old Fisherman’s Wharf, today a mecca of watering holes, art galleries, souvenir stores and saltwater taffy. But the restaurants and take-out shops, with their amazing seafood, are reminders of the fish that put the town on the map.

That, and government. At the end of the wharf is the historic Custom House, the oldest government building in California. With its tile roof and adobe walls, it looks like it belongs in Mexico and it once was: As far back as 1822, Monterey was the capital and main port of Mexico’s Alta California, and this building was the Mexican government headquarters. The city didn’t fall under U.S. control until 1846 during the Mexican-American War.

Indeed, all over the old downtown area are historic buildings shoulder-to-shoulder with the contemporary, many of them in the unique Monterey State Historic Park.

California’s first theater, first brick house and the Old Whaling Station with its sidewalk made of whale bones are interspersed with newer offices, condos and homes. (Not far from the Old Whaling Station is the local office of Save the Whales.)

Stay alert, though: Most of these historic buildings carry warning signs that they’re unreinforced and might be unsafe in a major earthquake.

Before heading back to the ship, I must sample the local cuisine: creamy clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. It’s enough to feed a family, yet I manage to gulp it all down (and most of the bowl, too).

Playful sea lions see us off; maybe they’ve followed us down from San Francisco.

AVALON: CELEBRITY GETAWAY

It’s a little strange stopping at Catalina Island. “I can almost see my house from here,” I say, feeling a bit like Sarah Palin (or was it Tina Fey?). Heck, the island is part of the Long Beach school district, in which I live.

But it’s a world away, as anyone who’s ever visited knows. Our ship anchors amid much smaller vessels gathered in Avalon Harbor, and we head into town.

Today we decide to tour the famous Casino building. We learn of its history and of the island’s. It’s always been a getaway for stressed-out Southern Californians but you know that already.

After a few hours in Avalon, we return to our ship and head off, sailing away from home for the second time in a week.

ENSENADA: IT’S CALIFORNIA, TOO

Yes, we are cruising California, but Ensenada is in Baja California, so it counts.

Plus, it’s almost legally required: Maritime laws says any cruise ship not registered in the U.S. and practically none are must stop in a non-U.S. port somewhere on its itinerary.

We’ve been here before and will do the same things we always do. We’ll take the five-minute shuttle bus to the heart of town and walk by the souvenir shops along Avenida Lopez Mateos. We’ll have a drink or three at Papas and Beer, which reminds me of Fort Lauderdale during spring break in the 1980s (not necessarily in a good way). We’ll go to Hussong’s Cantina, a more authentic looking tourist trap that serves up a darn fine margarita nonetheless.

This time, though, I do something different. I have heard of an attraction where you can hold a baby lion and have your picture taken with it, and we find it. For $25, we get a few minutes with the feline cutie and take all the photos we want. Proceeds, we are told, help a nearby wildlife preserve. I’m skeptical as to where the money really ends up, but holding the young cub is memorable, regardless.

(A word of caution: On returning home, I find some websites warning that the cub-photo booth may indeed not be as innocent as it appears. I can’t confirm what I read, but it does give me pause.)

There’s more to Ensenada than just Lopez Mateos. Someday we’ll make it to La Bufadora, the famous blowhole that shoots water high in the air, or take in some real Mexican culture. Someday.

This day, though, as we sail away our final sail-out of the trip we realize our week along the California coast has gone by too soon.

LOS ANGELES: LAND OF CARS

For first-time cruisers, it can be a surprise at how many sail-ins you don’t see. When your ship is scheduled to arrive at a port early in the morning as it always will be at the end of your voyage you’ll dock during the wee hours, and wake up already at your destination.

And so it is on our last morning: We awaken on a ship already tied up at the Los Angeles cruise port. (Somehow, this facility looked more glamorous on “The Love Boat.”)

Check-out is fast and customs is faster. In no time, we’re standing in a giant parking lot with thousands of other people trying to remember where we left the car.

It’s good to be home. In California.

IF YOU GO

Unlike Carnival’s Long Beach-to-Mexico cruises (many of which stop at Catalina) that leave several times every week, finding a California-oriented cruise is definitely a mixed bag:

Princess Cruises has a variety of itineraries sailing from Los Angeles, including seven-day California cruises almost every month. Info: princess.com

Royal Caribbean has a few seven-night California cruises planned for fall 2015. Info: royalcaribbean.com

Norwegian Cruise Line has four- and five-night trips between Vancouver, Canada, and Los Angeles in September, if you don’t mind flying to or from British Columbia. Info: ncl.com

Other ships make one-time stops in Southern California, often on repositioning trips as they move from one market often Alaska in the summer to winter homes in warmer climates.

(c)2014 The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.)

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