i was born and raised in fresno california and i have been to all these areas OFTEN. San Fran is nice to go to for like a 2 day trip. go to all the shops and such. full of gays and very dangerous at time. LA is a no no depending on what area you go. very big city and hard to get around. Sac is nothing special…my dad would take my sisters and i there to get school clothes. Don’t go to san diego unless you like the smell of fish…i lived there for a little while. Santa Barbra is nice, Monteray Bay is very nice, Pismo Beach is also nice, Gilory is a good place if you like to shop. Laguna Beach is AMAZING…

San Diego

Check out this site for discount coupons and other info
http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors

Mission and Pacific Beach are your best bet for fun in the sun.
http://www.missionbeachonline.com/

Some must see attractions are the world famous Zoo, Sea World, and Balboa Park. You can get a park passport which allows you entry to a dozen museums as well as the zoo.
http://www.balboapark.org/info/passport.php

North County San Diego is home to the Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. There are multi acre enclosures where herds of wild animals roam plus lots of hiking trails.
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/index.html

La Jolla offers great views, great food, and shopping.
Check out the surfers at historic Winansea Beach. At low tide you can walk out onto the tide pools. Walk along the Cove and check out the caves. Take a stroll on Prospect St and check out the shops, galleries, and have some authentic Mexican food and Alfonso’s. Then head to the Birch aquarium at The Scripps Institution of Oceanography. It has a spectacular view of the bluffs over the Pacific Ocean.
http://www.lajolla.com/Templates/tmpHome.aspx?page=Home&type=page
http://www.alfonsosoflajolla.com/
http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/

For nightlife, the Gaslamp Quarter offers dining, drinking and dancing. It’s also the home of Petco Park and the San Diego Padres major league baseball team.
http://www.gaslamp.org/

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse at the Cabrillo National Monument offers great views of the dowtown skyline, San Diego Harbor and the Pacific Ocean. On a clear day you can see all the way to Mexico.
http://www.nps.gov/cabr/

I’ve only been to three of the four (Santa Barbara, San Fran, and LA). I know that Sacramento is the states capital and it would be very interesting to see, but probably not an ideal vacation spot. It’s kind of far away from anything. The Los Angeles area is nice, but spread out. If you have time, I would drive up the PCH. It’s so beautiful. Start from LA or Santa Barbara and try to make it to San Francisco. Along the way you will run into a lot of great places. There are areas along the road where you will be able to pull over and just enjoy the breathtaking view. You will also see Big Sur.. it’s absolutely beautiful. It would also be worth your while to stop in Monterey (go to the aquarium and find a restaurant with good clam chowder!!) Santa Cruz is another town you might enjoy (very laid back), and within an hour to an hour and a half you will be in San Francisco. There are so many interesting areas and sites to see. If you only have time for one, go to San Francisco! But if you are looking for great beaches, San Diego has some of the best.

SF is THE place to go and there is TONS to do there- way more than 2 days like someone else said! Honestly…. My 2nd choice would be San Diego for a relaxing beach vacation.