There is a Farmers Market festival every Thursday in Fullerton, with music and lots of food. Great location for Disneyland, Knox Berry Farm, California Adventure, and other scenic adventures.
I've been to Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. Los Angeles is good if you want to experience "Hollywood". Other than that, if you want to experience social beaches I would head to San Diego. If you want a really great city experience, nothing beats San Francisco. There is a lot to do in Los Angeles but be careful because places like ritzy Beverly Hills will very quickly go into some of LA's very ghetto destricts. Same with Hollywood -- past the main touristy area, the town becomes very ghetto. My experience is nothing feels quite as scary as downtown Los Angles at night. By all costs, stay clear of South Central. Venice is an interesting place and so is Santa Monica for some classic social, if not eclectic, culture. Traffic's horrible. Air is terrible. Hey, it's Los Angeles.
Of course most visitors to Berkeley go to Telegraph to shop, but there are plenty of other areas that offer a completely different type of shopping experience, if the begging teenager/dirty hippie scene isn't your thing. Try College Ave (go several blocks past the dorms) and Fourth Street. Fourth Street is a bit trendier, but both are pleasant, though too yuppie-ish for some.
Pack a sweater! Because Santa Cruz is in California and a beach town, many people think it will be warm and sunny. Actually, it can get surprisingly cold. Also, don't count on swimming in the ocean, unless you wear a wetsuit. As with most of Northern California beaches, the water is freezing.
Visit Sacramento -- it's a tranquil place. I suggest enjoying a delicious coffee in the naked lounge -- it's great!
Tecopa … I just used the hot springs yesterday and last weekend. No fee. Not co-ed. No clothing. Wonderful as always.
Santa Barbara … Not a bad place -- stands out by a country mile as the cheapest accomodation in town. Very small common area, standard dorms. Cool guys working there at the moment; there seems to be a good deal of turnover.
Saratoga … Its location is splendidly calm and serene without being isolated, nestling among old California redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains.
San Francisco … If you don't want to wait in line for the cable cars that run from Market Street to Fisherman's Warf, it's best to go try the California cable car line instead (from Market to Van Ness on California Street). It isn't as hilly, so it's not quite as much fun, but there's almost never a line. Or if you do take the other lines, at least go at night when there's usually much less of a wait (check the schedule at transitinfo.org).
Klamath … If you're driving from inland (from the I-5) you will be astounded by the enormity of the redwoods at Redwood National Park.
Point Reyes … I was staying there. There were lots of trees and greens! It's great and you can meet people from different places around the earth!
Sausalito … Wonderful wildlife, and nearby towns, a nice cozy environment.
San Diego … Ocean Beach (OB) is not known for respectful people, so be forwarned. However there are lots of cool bars around and a colorful array of people in OB. Basically a slacker town with priorities that are not exactly much in the way of production, mostly destruction.
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