EUROQUEST SideTracks

Visitors to San Diego will undoubtedly set foot onto the precious premises of Balboa Park - the green gem and natural retreat of San Diego, and among others, home to the world-famous San Diego Zoo. Yet Balboa Park has an infinite number of attractions, both well-publicized and hidden, and as such, tends to cater to visitors and locals alike. For that reason, Balboa Park constitutes a wonderful meeting point between visitors and locals, where the former become acquainted with true local Southern California hospitality and the latter engage in fruitful exchanges with a vast variety of cultural and artistic impulses in a spectacular and unique natural setting. For that reason, Balboa Park is a main tourist attraction and a treasure off the beaten track in its own right, combining the best of both, most of which is totally free of charge. For hiking, biking and other outdoor recreational activities, the part of Balboa Park located EAST of FLORIDA DRIVE, MORLEY FIELD, offers the best cond

Northern California has wonderful outdoor recreational options and certainly more to offer visitors than just the urban charm of San Francisco.The Bay Area as a whole features vast expanses of park and wilderness territory just outside the metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. Scenically nestled in the less developed sections of the East Bay, we find Mount Diablo State Park - a true oasis of quiet and solitude amidst the suburban sprawl of the nearby East Bay communities of Concord, Walnut Creek, Danville and San Ramon. For that reason, an excursion to Mount Diablo ranks among a true treasure-off-the-beaten-track experience featuring an infinite number of hiking and adventure trails amidst spectacular natural scenery and with no crowds or modern-day distractions disturbing the peaceful untouched setting. We begin approaching Mount Diablo State Park from the North - leaving Interstate 680 at Ygnacio Valley Boulevard in Walnut creek to continue eastward towards the

Even the locals love this place - when Nevadans need to escape the bland suburban sprawl and casino scene of Las Vegas, they head about 20 miles East to Boulder City. This Small Town America still radiates community spirit hard to find elsewhere in Clark County. This is certainly a Treasure off the Beaten Track destination, as tourists are few and locals work hard at preserving their community's heritage and small town flair. The history of Boulder City can be summorized in a nutshell: built in the 1930s to house workers building nearby HOOVER DAM, it looks back at not even a century of existence. Yet then again, all of Southern Nevada is quintessentially a product of the 20th century. And Boulder City pursued a radically different approach towards its urban conservation and community policies than nearby greater Las Vegas. To start with HOUSING, for instance, where for many years building ordinances were among the strictest and new developments limited to just a minor number an

Visitors to the Southwestern US usually focus on Greater Los Angeles with its attractions of Hollywood and Disneyland or head right to the area's natural wonders like Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. Fewer by far tend to dedicate time to San Diego or the sights of the nearby Mojave Desert, which we would like to cover in even greater detail in upcoming weeks here on Euroquest Sidetracks. Among those who do decide to visit Greater San Diego, the majority will stay in Old Town or see Balboa Park along with the city's world-famous zoo. Yet communities in the surrounding area equally hold great appeal and offer visitors a chance to experience a local side of San Diego along with its splendid Southern California hospitality. No better place than the seaside resort of La Jolla about 10 miles north of Downtown San Diego. Here we find the perfect set-up for a magical day away from the daily grind featuring spectacular coastline, a quaint and artistic inner city, a German brewery and near