Ava
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Post by Ava on Oct 20, 2013 16:00:28 GMT -5
Mi mom just left after spending all summer here. We had tons of fun, and we took a vacation to Las Vegas. It was a fantastic experience. Last year we went to Washington DC, and the previous summer we visited Boston. For next summer we are hoping to visit California. I was planning to go to Los Angeles, but my mom commented that to some friends and they told her there's really nothing there besides the studios (we don't have any interest in visiting them). I was very surprised. Really? Nothing else of interest in Los Angeles? My mom is saying that maybe we should visit San Francisco or San Diego instead. What do you think?
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Peace Of Mind
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Post by Peace Of Mind on Oct 20, 2013 16:04:30 GMT -5
Mi mom just left after spending all summer here. We had tons of fun, and we took a vacation to Las Vegas. It was a fantastic experience. Last year we went to Washington DC, and the previous summer we visited Boston. For next summer we are hoping to visit California. I was planning to go to Los Angeles, but my mom commented that to some friends and they told her there's really nothing there besides the studios (we don't have any interest in visiting them). I was very surprised. Really? Nothing else of interest in Los Angeles? My mom is saying that maybe we should visit San Francisco or San Diego instead. What do you think? I think mom's know best. Monterey Bay, La Jolla, and Big Bear, Martha's Vineyard (and another place that escapes me right now) are a few other places I would recommend. LA - 25 years ago - was nothing but cars, concrete and smog for the most part and the hotel staff were thieves even in an upscale Hotel. But they had good restaurants and shopping! Bonny and Dark and others would have much better suggestions though as they live over there. You two will have a great time regardless of what you decide to do!
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 20, 2013 16:04:48 GMT -5
I'd do San Francisco and the wine country then San Diego. Would never go back to Los Angeles unless there was a reason.
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NastyWoman
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Post by NastyWoman on Oct 20, 2013 16:09:45 GMT -5
I'd do San Francisco and the wine country then San Diego. Would never go back to Los Angeles unless there was a reason. And like Bonny, I live in that area. San Diego is fun but SF and wine country or Yosemite trump it by a nice margin. LA
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Oct 20, 2013 16:13:28 GMT -5
San Francisco and a trip though Napa and Sanoma would get my vote. With that said, I have never been to LA... Never really had a desire, but I have several friends who have lived there short term and none of them liked it.
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NastyWoman
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Post by NastyWoman on Oct 20, 2013 16:18:29 GMT -5
Oops, someone must have been nipping at my brain: Bonny didn't even post on this thread. -shucks2-I stand by my opinion though
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MarleyKeezy78
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Post by MarleyKeezy78 on Oct 20, 2013 18:18:50 GMT -5
Yep, used to live there... Travel the coast north, hit Hearst Castle, Big Sur, Monterrey, San fran and further north! Go to the beach where the filmed Goonies Yosemite, Mammoth, the hot springs! beautiful!!!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2013 18:23:24 GMT -5
Martha's Vineyard is in MA, not CA ...
Ava would you be driving? We LOVE CA (I'm from NY), but LA, not so much. We spent a couple of nights there years ago, saw Hollywood Blvd and Universal, it was fun, but we were with our kids. I have no desire to go back.
I've never been to San Diego, although I'd love to go one day!
I'd definitely go to San Francisco but I'd also drive north to the Muir Woods to see the Redwoods, and drive south down Highway 1 to Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur. The landscapes are just incredible! And I'd definitely go to Yosemite. (Have been there, would love to go back.) And we loved Alcatraz!
DH's best childhood friend lives in Desert Hot Springs, near Palm Springs. That's fun too, although it's VERY hot in summer. Joshua Tree National Park is beautiful, and not crowded.
Know that San Fran itself is very expensive though.
Also, if you want to SLEEP in Yosemite, you need to book MANY months in advance. That goes for any of the National Parks, if you are planning to visit in July or August, but Yosemite is one of the most popular (maybe even THE most popular). It's worth the extra money though, IMO. Otherwise you'd have traffic going in and traffic going out.
Another thing we loved was Mono Lake, which is just off the "back road" to Yosemite. And Bodie, an incredible ghost town just north of there.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Oct 20, 2013 18:25:53 GMT -5
San Diego is beautiful. La Jolla, the rest of the coast, the zoo (now in 2nd place behind Omaha, that I got to see this summer!) and the Gaslight District is a ton of fun. I've never been to LA, but I would absolutely say that there is going to be more in SD for you than LA from your posts. and yeah, MV is in MA. don't go there if you want SoCal sun!
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Peace Of Mind
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Post by Peace Of Mind on Oct 20, 2013 18:40:12 GMT -5
LMAO!!! That was the only name I could think of as a winery because I can't remember shit. It's a wine place there in California. Good friends of ours youngest son got married there and we were invited to the wedding (but didn't go - as you can tell). I know there was a vineyard, lots of wine and it was in California. Any way - the pictures were gorgeous and they all had a great time and we got them wine glasses as a gift. You should go there!
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Sum Dum Gai
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on Oct 20, 2013 18:49:01 GMT -5
You're thinking of Napa. North of San Francisco. It's one of the many reasons SF beats LA hands down. If you decide to go to southern California San Diego beats LA in my opinion as well.
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sesfw
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Post by sesfw on Oct 20, 2013 18:54:36 GMT -5
If you go to Los Angeles they used to have a great museum area. Art, Natural History, etc. Griffith Park Observatory is great if you can slice through the smog. Going down the ocean from LA are several nice small towns that sort of blend together but they are the local hot spots. All the beach towns, Santa Monica, San Pedro/Long Beach (Where the Queen Mary is) Laguna Beach, Seal Beach, and several others I can't remember.
Of course there is always Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm.
I was raised in the San Pedro/Long Beach area and we left for Flagstaff AZ in 1974. Too many people, too much smog. Never looked back.
From Pt Conception and north you will find great places to visit. Santa Barbara and north but plan on spending a lot of funds.
Have fun.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Oct 20, 2013 19:13:38 GMT -5
I see a lot of information here, and it seems to me there's a lot of places more interesting than Los Angeles. Maybe we'll do San Francisco, and also San Diego if time allows. We won't be driving; we'll fly. I'm in the Northeast for now and it would take days each way to drive there, which would be fun, but unfortunately I can't take that much time off. Thanks for all the good advice, guys!
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mmhmm
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Post by mmhmm on Oct 20, 2013 19:26:16 GMT -5
If it were me, I'd go north. That said, there are a lot of things to do in LA, as well, and San Diego is just a day trip away, as is Big Bear. There are the La Brea Tar Pits to see, Knotts Berry Farm in Orange County is pretty cool, especially if there are kids, the original Disneyland is in Anaheim, the Huntington Museum is cool. The studio tours are of interest to some along with, of course, Rodeo Drive. It's not like there's nothing there. I've just always preferred northern California.
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svwashout
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Post by svwashout on Oct 20, 2013 19:43:23 GMT -5
If you like driving how about a PCH road trip? Land in SF rent a car and see wine country, Muir Woods and the GGNRA, then Monterey Bay aquarium, Santa Cruz beach Boardwalk (best in summer), then Hearst Castle and Pismo/Morro Bay halfway down to southland. I don't go to LA often but I did see the Getty art museums not long ago (both the mountain top and the beach villa) and I think they're both well worth the time and 15 bucks parking. I'd skip the Hollywood & Highland avenue of the stars and Universal Studios tours, although these are very popular with some movie buffs and international tourists. I thought the nearby Rodeo drive was pretty nice even though I'm not the shopper type. OC's got Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm, and Huntington Beach is the place to go if you want to have some space to yourself. San Diego's big draws are Sea World and the zoo, and I love walking around surrounding Balboa Park whenever I get the chance to go. La Jolla coves area is always crowded whenever I visit, really hard to find parking so I stopped going a few years back. Nice views from Cabrillo and Mt Soledad. A couple of places for easy hiking close to town would be Ano Nuevo up in the north and Torrey Pines by UCSD.
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MarleyKeezy78
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Post by MarleyKeezy78 on Oct 20, 2013 19:53:02 GMT -5
I forgot Pismo! That was so much fun to drive down! While Disney and the amusment parks are fun, there is no line for the beach or the redwoods
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2013 20:20:12 GMT -5
Bonny checking in... Background: Born in Napa but raised in San Diego. Lived there until I was 25. My father lives in the NE County. Mom's condo that I took over is in the La Jolla Shores area and we own another house in Oceanside just north of Carlsbad (LEGOLAND). I'm in San Diego several times a year. As a kid I used to hate LA (smog, traffic, crazy people) but DH spent a lot of time at his grandmother's estate near Pasadena. Both he and some friends of ours who relocated from the SF Bay Area to LA County have shown me that there's a lot to see. Our cabin that we have in vacation rental service is about 2 hours from LA and San Diego and about an hour from Palm Springs. We currently live in the SF Bay Area about 10 miles south of San Francisco on the coast side. We have lived here for a total of 14 years. We just finished with a month full of house guests where we made two trips to Sonoma (Healdsburg and Dry Creek), San Francisco and Yosemite (during the shut-down!), Mono, June and Bass Lakes. So with that background, it would be helpful to know who all would be on the trip (ages), how much time you were planning, what time of year and finally interests (hikers, museum goers, etc.) Rest assured that you're going to have a great time no matter where you go and you'll be back!
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Oct 20, 2013 20:37:17 GMT -5
Hi, Bonny;
We are 70 (Mom) and 40 (me). Mom doesn't drive and I don't drive on vacation or in places I don't know. It's just too stressful for me. We like museums, art exhibits, the beach, we like to go to shows, zoo, sightseeing, etc. I live in the Northeast for now, so anything different from what's available there would be a new experience for us. Keep in mind that Mum has problems with her hip and cannot walk too much. We plan to go during the summer; either July or August, and plan to stay about a week.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2013 20:47:12 GMT -5
Hi Ava, Not driving or limited driving will really limit your visit to CA. Outside of San Francisco, downtown LA and a very limited part of San Diego, there isn't much public transport in CA...and I used to work for a public transit agency in the SF Bay Area. Given that you're only talking about a week, I'd focus my attention to San Francisco. Any chance you can visit late September or early/mid October? Our weather does suck in the summer (usually really foggy...I love it but it can be really disappointing and cold!) and the tourist crowds are crazy when school is out. ETA: We're about ready to have dinner and watch a movie. I probably won't be back posting until tomorrow am (unless the Evil Girl kitty makes me wait up for her). I can post a suggested itinerary. When I plan trips to new areas I really like to check out Trip Advisor. We've also gone the route of doing more vacation rentals vs hotels so you might check that out as well tomorrow am before I get up. You're also welcomed to PM me.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Oct 20, 2013 21:24:45 GMT -5
Thanks, Bonny.
I will check out Trip Advisor for sure. There's really no chance of me going in September or October because I attend school, too. I am taking my MBA, and classes start at the end of August. I don't feel bad about transportation being limited to a few cities; I'm a city girl. I'll visit San Francisco, probably concentrating on that. San Diego, possible. Los Angeles, if time and money allows, maybe spend one day there and take a bus tour to move around.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2013 8:32:52 GMT -5
If you're not going to be driving, I would definitely vote for San Fran. Personally, I don't get much out of LA either. Unless you're doing Disney. We love San Diego....the Zoo, the beaches, Coronado, etc. I also love wine, so wine county is great for me. But Southern CA is definitely more a driving culture.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2013 9:56:37 GMT -5
Hi Ava,
You will have enough to do in San Francisco and it's immediate environs in a week. Save Southern California for a separate trip.
You will have fun if you spend 3 or 4 days in the City itself. There are two short side trips which I would recommend that will require the rental of a car; 1. A trip to one of the wine areas. For you, I suggest the town of Sonoma and out the Valley of the Moon or the Hwy 12 corridor. And 2. A trip down to Monterey/Carmel area via Hwy 1.
I'm suggesting this itinerary because it should give you a nice flavor of CA. Some city, a little country, and a small taste of our beautiful Coastline.
Don't rent a car until you are actually ready to take the side trip. Parking a car and paying to park is extremely expensive in the City. You will find that a lot of San Franciscans don't own a car and simply rent for excursions too. Outside of the City parking and traffic won't be much of an issue.
Do a little reading about the Spanish establishment of the Mission system. As every California grade school kid learns, they are both a source of pride and shame. Pride in terms of establishing an important trading and transportation system throughout California. Shame in terms of how badly the Europeans treated the native Americans. For better or worse it is our story.
There's quite a bit written about them but here's a link with a map to get you started: www.missionscalifornia.com/california-missions-map.html
You'll have an opportunity to easily visit 3; Mission Delores in San Francisco, the Sonoma Mission at the square and the Carmel Mission. Some people make visiting the Missions their trip but there are a lot of them and some are more interesting than others. These three should give you enough of a flavor.
When planning your side trips keep in mind that a lot of places, including hotels, will require a minimum of a two-day stay, especially on the weekends.
And for rental cars, you might investigate Enterprise. They do have a facility at the airport which is perfect for you to head out to Carmel/Monterey. And they will come pick you up at your hotel in San Francisco.
I don't want to overwhelm you with too much detail so do some investigation and either quote or PM me so I can respond.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2013 13:59:21 GMT -5
And one other thought: If you have to make a choice between the two outside destinations; I would reluctantly suggest forgoing Carmel and Monterey ( ) and instead from Sonoma head out along the Russian River towards the Coast and Hwy 1 at Jenner. Plan on making a two hour stop at Armstrong Woods State Park just outside Guerneville. Here you will find a first growth Coastal Redwood forest similar to what you would find at Muir Woods in Marin with about 10% of the traffic and plenty of parking! You can have a beautiful lunch at River's End in Jenner (make reservations even during the week). It's a little pricy ($19 for fish and chips ) but the food really is good and you will think you are in one of the most beautiful places in California where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean. Alternatively you can head down to Bodega Bay (scene of Alfred Hictchcock's The Birds) for a very casual lunch. We had wonderful and inexpensive lunch at one of the crab shacks at the bay vs the more expensive places right on Hwy 1. You can follow Hwy 1 all the way down to the Golden Gate bridge and experience some truly beautiful coastline. Just be prepared that it's a full half-day drive. The bridge does really back up on Friday and Sunday afternoons/evenings. It's not a bad place to be stuck on a beautiful afternoon but you definitely don't want to be cutting it close trying to make a flight out of SFO!
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Oct 21, 2013 14:42:49 GMT -5
I just got back last week from a trip to California, San Fransisco and the surrounding area. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Though it depends on what you're interested in. A few hours south of San Fransisco is the Big Sur area. It's miles and miles of absolutely gourgous coastline. Just drive south on highway one. Once you get past Santa Cruz and into the Monteray Bay and the Big Sur area, you'll be like . Seriously, it was like something out of a magazine. There's also Napa Valley and lots of Redwood forests around. San Fransisco was okay too. I liked seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, cruising the bay, and seeing Fisherman's Wharf. There's also Yosimite around that area. Anyway, something to think about. If you want to know more about the specifics of the places we visited, just ask. I've never been to Los Angeles, but my overall impression is it's good for Hollywood and shopping, and that's about it. Though everyone is right, if you want to stay at the lodge in Yosimite, you'll need to book many months in advance, maybe even a year. So plan ahead now. I think reservations for Alcatraz also run several months in advance. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see it (nor Yosimite) because of the government shutdown. I didn't get to see Miur Woods either, but there were plenty of State Redwood parks to visit. One thing to keep in mind though, everything in the San Fransisco area is expensive.
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Oct 21, 2013 16:43:45 GMT -5
Personally, I'd rent a car and do one of two things - either start in San Diego (I like San Diego, personally!) and drive north along the coast toward Oregon, or rent a car in southern Oregon (or SF if you have limited time) and drive south all the way. PCH is gorgeous and if you have the time, you can see nearly all there is to brag about in CA. If there's more time available, OR has a beautiful coastline too!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2013 16:53:17 GMT -5
Personally, I'd rent a car and do one of two things - either start in San Diego (I like San Diego, personally!) and drive north along the coast toward Oregon, or rent a car in southern Oregon (or SF if you have limited time) and drive south all the way. PCH is gorgeous and if you have the time, you can see nearly all there is to brag about in CA. If there's more time available, OR has a beautiful coastline too! The PCH/Hwy 1 trip is gorgeous and a separate trip on its own right. But Ava stated in one of her posts that she doesn't like to drive in new places so in my recommendation I purposefully limited the driving. BTW There is an article in last month's Sunset Magazine about driving PCH. Of course they skipped my town and I was tempted to give them a ration of sh*t. C'mon, we are were Portola discovered San Francisco Bay the hard way...over land since the Golden Gate (pre bridge) was so fogged in that they kept sailing by it! It's marked by a statue on Hwy 1 which looks suspiciously like he's looking for his car at the Park-n-Ride.
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Sum Dum Gai
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on Oct 21, 2013 17:08:11 GMT -5
I just got back last week from a trip to California, San Fransisco and the surrounding area. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Though it depends on what you're interested in. A few hours south of San Fransisco is the Big Sur area. It's miles and miles of absolutely gourgous coastline. Just drive south on highway one. Once you get past Santa Cruz and into the Monteray Bay and the Big Sur area, you'll be like . Seriously, it was like something out of a magazine. There's also Napa Valley and lots of Redwood forests around. San Fransisco was okay too. I liked seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, cruising the bay, and seeing Fisherman's Wharf. There's also Yosimite around that area. Anyway, something to think about. If you want to know more about the specifics of the places we visited, just ask. I've never been to Los Angeles, but my overall impression is it's good for Hollywood and shopping, and that's about it. Though everyone is right, if you want to stay at the lodge in Yosimite, you'll need to book many months in advance, maybe even a year. So plan ahead now. I think reservations for Alcatraz also run several months in advance. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see it (nor Yosimite) because of the government shutdown. I didn't get to see Miur Woods either, but there were plenty of State Redwood parks to visit. One thing to keep in mind though, everything in the San Fransisco area is expensive. You were out here and didn't let us know?! Jerk. You could have met some internet weirdos and gotten restaurant recommendations.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2013 17:35:24 GMT -5
Sum Dum Gai said: LOL, you wrote what I thought! Although to be honest, I was probably out of town with my out of town guests...at the same places @phoenix84 was! 'Fess up Phoenix, did you sneak into Yosemite too?
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Oct 21, 2013 20:59:13 GMT -5
Ava, if you don't want to drive, I'd suggest San Francisco. I flew in to Sacramento to see my DS, took a very clean train to Orlando and switched to BART to get to my hotel. Used BART to get to everything I wanted to see. Most was within walking distance of BART. No taxis. Did take a ferry across the bay. I'd love to see Alcatraz.
I got lucky on the weather. It wasn't foggy.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Oct 21, 2013 21:06:57 GMT -5
Yes, thanks everyone. I was so set on going to L.A., because all the movie stars live there and you kind of glorify the place. I really don't want to drive; I drive a lot every day and I'm kind of burned out. I rather not drive during vacations. In fact; not driving is very relaxing for me, one of the things I look forward when I go on vacation. That and having a pool in the hotel. I'll do San Francisco, and maybe there are bus tours to some of the excursions from there? That would be great. I'll try to do San Diego if I can, but I'm not sure because vacations get expensive really quick. Last summer in Las Vegas I went a little bit over budget. I know California is way more expensive (I don't gamble, so my expenses were shows, exhibits, dinners, etc.). I still would like to set foot on L.A. at least for a day, but we'll see. I'm glad I asked because I would never had thought of all the suggestions that appear here. I need to sort through them and see what would be possible for us.
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