The perfect place to gaze at the Golden Gate Bridge is Battery Spencer at Fort Baker in Marin County. Located on a 335-acre, former 1905 U.S. Army post, the splendid lookout is easily accessible by car or bike.
The best advice for any first-time visitor to the nation’s capital is to start with a tour of the monuments on the National Mall—at night, when the marble structures resemble white beacons against a dark sky. There’s no more patriotic experience than to walk up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and see the powerful marble statue of Honest Abe in his chair next to the engraved words of his Gettysburg Address. From there, looking out over the Reflecting Pool, is the towering Washington Monument, with the ornate dome of the U.S. Capitol in the distance.
The Na Pali Coast is a bucket-list must with towering green spires, deep canyons, and perilous cliffs sloping into the sea. Those who have the stamina and time to hike the full 11-mile Kalalau Trail are in for one of the world’s most celebrated vistas. A shorter option is to hike two miles of the trail to Hanakapiai Beach.