As an Easterner, I am told constantly that California is a vapid place. It is very large but certainly not short of exciting things to see. There is not much of the 18th century unless it is Spanish or Mexican, however the examples of those styles are truly wonderful. Distances are a different scale, the opposite of the East.
I am more familiar with Los Angeles and still discovering San Francisco and the surrounding areas, but there is no shortage of discoveries.
The cow parade was just too good not to include.