Editor's note: This week Scene is featuring popular spring break destinations.

The Viper Room is most certainly the place to be in California. With the hottest celebrities pulsing to the latest dance music and mingling around the bar, the Viper Room is the coolest place in town. When you are in California, don't miss the Viper Room.

This is assuming that you either are Brittany Spears or are currently dating the pop idol. For those of you who aren't members of 'NSYNC, staring in the latest WB show or tearing up the modeling runways in Paris, you will be lucky if the Viper Room lets you sift through its garbage.

But fear not. You, the common scum that you are, can still have a good time in California on your spring break.

Both San Francisco and Los Angeles feature plenty of attractions that will admit you regardless of how many Golden Globe nominations you have or have not received.

Los Angeles

Just because Puff Daddy won't let you join his posse, it doesn't mean you can't find a place to party in L.A. Head to Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach and you will find enough bars to satisfy even the thirstiest spring breaker.

Aloha Sharkeez is among the best on Pier Avenue. Sharkeez serves Mexican food and has tables set up where you can eat and enjoy many sporting events on several big-screen televisions.

Early in the evening the atmosphere is a mixture between a loud sports bar and a laid-back dance club.

After 10 p.m., however, Sharkeez changes over into a over-crowded dance club stuffed with people and blasting the latest top 40s music. The tables are put away, the televisions start showing a looped video of surfers, and the music gets even louder.

When Sharkeez first changes over to a dance club, the crowd is mostly people in their early 30s. After midnight, however, people in their early 20s fill the dance floor. The atmosphere becomes more and more wild as the evening wears on.

Unfortunately, after midnight, Sharkeez is also incredibly crowded. Getting to the bar is nearly impossible. This is a real shame because Sharkeez features many exotic drinks and the bartenders are almost as entertaining as the music.

Sharkeez specializes in giant fishbowls filled with whatever tropical drink you desire. Complete with glowsticks, umbrellas and many long straws, the fishbowls are perfect for sharing with a large group of people.

The only problem with Sharkeez is the prices. Bottled beers are $4 and mixed drinks can cost between $6 and $9. If you plan on drinking at Sharkeez, expect to spend a lot of money.

For those who don't drink, however, there is no cover charge, so you can party all night long without spending a dime.

Sharkeez's changing atmosphere makes it a great place to start your evening, party all night and leave when they play the final song. For those who like to bar hop, however, go to Sharkeez first, order a fishbowl, soak up the atmosphere and then move on.

Right next door to Sharkeez is Patrick Malloy's, an Irish pub whose line rivals Sharkeez in length as the night wears on.

If crowded dance floors aren't your cup of tea, there are several other bars just a few doors down with no lines at the bars and plenty of room on the dance floor to bust a move.

If you are suddenly seized by the munchies, visit Fat Face Fenner's Falloon for great seafood and an elevated deck where you can watch people walk by on Pier Avenue. Fenner's features table service and a full bar for people who prefer a quieter drinking atmosphere.

There is plenty to do in Los Angeles during the day time as well. You can lie out in the sun on Hermosa Beach or you can head to downtown L.A. in search of rock divas and movie stars.

Mann's Chinese Theatre at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard is home to many of the top movie premieres. Although you may not be famous enough to be invited to the premier, you can still see where famous people have stood.

Just across the street from the theatre is the Walk of Fame. From Sean Connery and Charlie Chaplin to Tony Danza and John Travolta, almost every top star in the history of Hollywood is memorialized in the sidewalk.

If you are hungry from all that stargazing, don't miss Pink's. For just a couple of bucks at this hot dog stand, you can get a heart attack on a plate.

Pink's features two huge hot dogs covered in chili, cheese and everything else to clog your arteries — all wrapped in a flour tortilla.

If you really want your heart to hate you, make sure you get some fries as well.

After bloating yourself on processed beef, drive down Rodeo Drive and look at all the cars you will never be able to afford and the clothes that cost more than the car you are driving.

If you are feeling adventurous, walk into one of the stores and watch the salespeople curse you with their eyes for even pretending that you can afford the clothes on the rack.

If you are young at heart, Disneyland is the place for you. While not nearly as large as Disneyworld in Orlando, Disneyland can still fill a day with plenty of excitement.

Thanks to a new system called Fastpass, you can spend more of your time riding the rides and less time standing in line.

When you get to the park, go straight to one of the big rides with long lines like Space Mountain. Rather than standing in line, go to one of the Fastpass machines and get a ticket.

The ticket will give you a time to come back later in the day in order to skip the line.

So rather than waiting for two hours to ride, you get to go right to the front of the line and wait only about ten minutes.

Fastpass makes the entire Disneyland experience more enjoyable.

This spring will also be the first time to enjoy Disneyland's newest attraction – California Land.

With a big wooden rollercoaster and a "Hollywood Pictures Backlot," Disneyland will have even more to enjoy this March.

San Francisco

If the sandy beaches and celebrities of Los Angeles aren't your idea of a perfect spring break, San Francisco may be the place for you. In stark contrast to the beaches outside L.A., San Francisco crashes into the Pacific Ocean with rocky cliffs and bigger waves.

Santa Monica is just a 30 minute drive south of the city along Route 1 where you can watch the surfers challenge the crashing waves.

Even if surfing isn't your thing, a drive along Route 1 is not to be missed. The road snakes along the cliffs and offers an incredible view of the Pacific.

A car is practically a must in San Francisco if you want to see all the sights.

In addition to the beauty of Route 1, a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge should be part of every visitor's itinerary.

While the actual drive across the bridge is nothing spectacular (it's just a bridge… it's big and orange but still just a bridge), the view from the opposite side looking back to San Francisco is breath-taking.

Just after you cross the bridge, there is a scenic overlook where you can look back at the city. All the landmarks in San Francisco are visible and the big, orange bridge creates a striking photo opportunity.

Across the road from the scenic overlook, there is a road that scales the mountain and offers a view of the Pacific on one side and the San Francisco Bay on the other.

After seeing San Francisco's attractions from a distance, it's time to head down into the city.

Pier 39, also known as Fisherman's Wharf, is the biggest attraction along the water front.

With trendy restaurants and a plethora of gift shops, Fisherman's Wharf is the definition of a tourist trap. Unlike most trashy tourist traps, however, Fisherman's Wharf is a lot of fun.

There are plenty of street performers to keep you entertained. As one juggler announced to his audience, "Yes, I do in fact make my living by passing around my hat."

From jugglers and fortune tellers to dancing robotmen and freaks who will pose for photos with you, Fisherman's Wharf has plenty of people who will gladly accept your spare change.

The biggest attraction at Pier 39, however, is the ferry to Alcatraz Island. The famous maximum security prison can only be reached by ferry and reservations are required.

Check out www.blueandgoldfleet.com/az.htm for rates and availability.

You can try just walking up and hoping to find an open ferry time, but that is highly unlikely. Without a reservation you probably won't get anywhere near "The Rock."

Tours of Alcatraz are self-guided, using headphones and a tape player that you can rent on the island.

Allow about three hours to take the ferry, tour the prison, snap some pictures and ride the ferry back.

A visit to Alcatraz will cost about $20 but it is worth every penny. The stories of prison life, attempted escapes, and famous criminals are fascinating.

Several park rangers stationed around the prison are also available for presentations throughout the day.

They can debunk many of the myths about Alcatraz perpetuated by movies about the prison.

For example, the tunnels under Alcatraz that are so important for Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage in "The Rock" don't even exist.

The sunny beaches and glamourous streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco may be frequented by celebrities and those who hunt for them.

But even if "Entertainment Tonight" doesn't want to do a feature story on your love life and "Total Request Live" isn't playing your hits, you can still have fun on your spring break in California.

• Visions of sunny beaches and crashing surf got you `California Dreamin'