Sunday, June 5, 2011

Hearst Castle / Big Sur

After our trip to Disneyland we drove up the coast back to Monterey.  On our way we made a stop at William Randoph Hearst Castle.  WOW!  Hearst's 127 acre estate located on the California coast, North of Cambria. It took nearly 28 years to build it's 165 rooms. Today Hearst Castle is a State Historical Monument, run by the state Park Service


Invitations to Hearst Castle were highly coveted during its heyday in the 1920s and '30s. The Hollywood and political elite often visited, usually flying into the estate's airfield or taking a private Hearst-owned train car from Los Angeles. Charlie ChaplinCary Grant, the Marx BrothersCharles LindberghJoan CrawfordClark GableJames StewartBob HopeCalvin CoolidgeFranklin RooseveltDolores Del Rio, andWinston Churchill were among Hearst's A-list guests. While guests were expected to attend the formal dinners each evening, they were normally left to their own devices during the day while Hearst directed his business affairs. Since "the Ranch" had so many facilities, guests were rarely at a loss for things to do. The estate's theater usually screened films from Hearst's own movie studio.









Driving up the coast up through Big Sur was beautiful.  Here is the view from our Hotel Room!  It was absolutely Breathtaking.






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