Robb Report, the magazine for millionaires (and the wannabe wealthy) once crowned the town the best place to live in America.

But a closer look shows La Jolla (pronounced "la hoya") to be a far more intriguing stop than the usual west-of-the-freeway suburban seaside spot.

La Jolla has attracted legions of offbeat authors, most notably Theodor Geisel, better known by his pen name, Dr. Seuss. Mystery writer Raymond Chandler called La Jolla a haven for old folks, while Tom Wolfe wrote that one of its best beaches was segregated — only the young could be seen on the sand.

Gliders circle above the nation's most famous nude beach. Body surfers (clothed) share the waters with nasty-looking but harmless, small leopard sharks (though a possible Great White Shark report was made in August).

All this is packed into a gorgeous 20 square miles at the northwest tip of San Diego that's home to just 35,000 of the metropolis's 1.2 million residents.

You know you've hit La Jolla when the bland corporate boxes along Interstate 5 suddenly give way to an urban fantasyland. Post-Mod architect Michael Graves' Hyatt hotel looks like a 1930s radio.

The gleaming white Mormon temple resembles a rocket ship ready to blast off into the heavens.

La Jolla has been a hot spot since the early 19th century. Locals joke that the last real estate bargain was in 1886 when Frank Botsford, the "father of La Jolla," sold lots for $1.25 per acre.
Today it would top $2 million per acre. The average home price is now $1.2 million.

At the north end is Torrey Pines State Reserve, the 1,700-acre green space with its famous pine trees atop steep sandstone bluffs. Nearby is Torrey Pines Lodge, with a spa offering Clarity Sage. It sounds like a music hall dancer in "Deadwood" but actually is an aroma emitted in its glass-box-like therapy room.

For millions of fans of the little pockmarked ball, Torrey Pines is synonymous with pro golf. Home of the Buick Invitational, the resort features two championship, 18-hole courses. Along with the usual sand and water traps, golfers have to deal with the frequent roar of F/A-18 Hornet jets streaking overhead from nearby Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.

Just down the hill is the Salk Institute, which from the outside looks like another office complex.
But walk into its magnificent main courtyard and you are standing in one of the shrines of modern architecture created by Louis I. Kahn.

The buildings on either side seem to fold back, as the expanse of white stone stretches toward the sea. It's a stark, simple and oddly calming space.

Occasionally, visitors will see what looks like a parachutist floating by next door. Torrey Pines Gliderport is one of the most popular spots in the country for non-motorized aircraft. U-shaped paragliders float off the towering sea cliffs. Neophytes can come to ride "tandem" with an experienced flier.

If something goes wrong, it is a long way down to Black's Beach, the area's nationally (in)famous nude beach. From high up on the cliffs the not-so-buff folks in the buff are tough to see, though their monochromatic skin tone indicates they are sans swimsuits. The most established nudists have their own club, The Black Beach Bares.

Down the hill is the famous Birch Aquarium, essentially the public-outreach arm of the Scripps Institution for Oceanography.

Farther along is La Jolla Shores, the wide sand strand that's the best beach in the area. At night, bonfires blaze to keep away the chill. Follow Prospect Street, where Dr. Seuss used to walk his dogs, into the heart of La Jolla Village. Girard Avenue is the main artery, filled with shops eager to separate visitors and residents from their savings.

Geisel, who died in La Jolla in 1991, is the most celebrated of La Jolla's offbeat literary lineage. He lived in a converted observation tower.

Mystery writer Raymond Chandler of "Farewell, My Lovely" fame lived in La Jolla off and on for 13 years after World War II, tried to commit suicide here and ultimately died in Scripps Clinic in 1959.

Most everyone, famous or not, resident or visitor, eventually makes their way at some point to La Valencia. The "pink palace" hotel has been a local landmark for more than three quarters of a century. The inn's Whaling Bar is the city's best place to meet up with friends. Others like the quieter realm of the lounge with its nearly floor-to-ceiling picture window overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Ellen Browning Scripps Park, set against the Pacific, is La Jolla's equivalent of a town green. Locals host family parties on the manicured lawns.

Down in the cove, children play hide and seek in the caves, while snorkelers head out beyond the shallows for a look at bright orange garibaldi fish and the occasional dolphin or lemon shark. La Jolla Underwater Park & Ecological Reserve, established in 1970, is a mecca for snorkelers.

In the park is the "Dr. Seuss tree," a bent arbor with a shaggy top that supposedly inspired some of Geisel's illustrations. Dr. Seuss is gone, but the tree remains. So does his quirky spirit in the rich, off-kilter world of La Jolla.