A tale of two-and-a-half cities: from San Francisco to Los Angeles via Santa Barbara

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, September 6, 2016.
(Image credit: Max Whittaker)

Since the early 1900s, the great US road trip has been central to the American national psyche. The spread of wide interlinked highways and the increasing affordability of the motor car throughout the century brought the metropolises of the United States within touching distance, enshrining motor holidays as an integral aspect of contemporary Americana.

By the late 1960s, a newly liberated generation hit the roads, setting a course, largely, for the epicentre of free love and social revolution: San Francisco. The city drew in beatniks, hippies, pilgrims and hopefuls, who came in search of a new way of life and determined that if they didn’t find it, they would start one of their own.

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Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.