When you hear the word "Riverside," you may think of sedate blue water moving through a green landscape, a landscape green with high grass and trees with healthy, leafy canopies. You may think of a city more park than city. And your impression might not quite fit Riverside itself. Riverside is, after all, a major city in California, the largest city in the Inland Empire with a population of nearly 300,000. But although Riverside struggles with big city problems like smog, urban sprawl and traffic, it still fits its nickname: the city of trees. You need only take a look at the city from above to see it the downtown is lined with trees and every street has its own corridor of greenery. Victoria Avenue, which plunges through Riverside's middle, is a spectacular example of these green corridors.

It's remarkable that in a city so large, so many of the landmark attractions are an interesting mixture of nature and history. Mount Rubidoux is more a foothill than a mountain, but few walks are more fascinating than this. Historic plaques line the trails up to the summit. This summit is home to the Peace Tower and a cross visible from below. The California Citrus State Historic Park preserves orange groves much as they were in the turn of the century and still producing. Gardens and parks are easy finds indeed, they're everywhere.

Riverside is also rich culturally April's Riverside International Film Festival is a worldwide affair and the Riverside Festival of Lights is a month-long Christmas party at the Mission Inn. Mission Inn is an attraction itself. Its design by several architects resulted in a pleasingly eclectic oddness and what was once an adobe 12-room cottage has turned into a city block's worth of exotic buildings. The University of California Riverside is another place to visit for cultural richness - galleries and museums as well as the irrigated desert landscaping Riverside is known for.

Riverside is about 10 miles south of San Bernardino and 32 miles east of Orange County.