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Going to California in September

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Except for the San Fran portion of your itinerary I would have sworn you were going to Disney World. I just got back from LA and unless you like A LOT of concrete and A LOT of smog (and I mean a lot) then consider a much nicer place like Napa perhaps. LA is a mess ... get away from the crowds and relax.

You will be doing very little of it in LA on I-10 or the 405 or the 605 or the 105 or ...
 
Day 1 - After flight be sure to pick up jtvang125 at his place. He promises that you won't even know he's there.
Day 2 - Disneyland
Day 3 - Disneyland/Hollywood Tour
Day 4 - Universal Studios
Day 5 - Drive to SF
Day 6 - Alcatraz and SF Bus Tour
Day 7 - Not sure, we'd have maybe 5 hours before the flight


Fixed.
 
My wife and I just spent a week in LA. I grew up there but my wife has never been to CA so I gave her the 'quick' tour after a starting off with a two day visit to see my mother in Nevada.

The last 5 days went something like this:

Lake Arrowhead
Dodger game
Disneyland
Drove up from OC through Antelope Valley, across to I-5, up into the San Joaquin Valley, across Hwy 46 (James Dean Memorial Highway) to Cambria then down to Morro Bay
Solvang/Buellton/Santa Ynez Valley (plenty of wineries if that's your gig)
Fresh strawberries in Lompoc/Guadalupe area (yummy!)
Santa Barbara/Ventura then PCH through Malibu
Spent the last night at Santa Monica beach and gave my wife a tour of the area I grew up (Venice/Marina Del Rey area) before heading back to LAX to fly home.

Just a lot of driving/tour-guiding/picture taking.
 
Originally posted by: KaChow
My wife and I just spent a week in LA. I grew up there but my wife has never been to CA so I gave her the 'quick' tour after a starting off with a two day visit to see my mother in Nevada.

The last 5 days went something like this:

Lake Arrowhead
Dodger game
Disneyland
Drove up from OC through Antelope Valley, across to I-5, up into the San Joaquin Valley, across Hwy 46 (James Dean Memorial Highway) to Cambria then down to Morro Bay
Solvang/Buellton/Santa Ynez Valley (plenty of wineries if that's your gig)
Fresh strawberries in Lompoc/Guadalupe area (yummy!)
Santa Barbara/Ventura then PCH through Malibu
Spent the last night at Santa Monica beach and gave my wife a tour of the area I grew up (Venice/Marina Del Rey area) before heading back to LAX to fly home.

Just a lot of driving/tour-guiding/picture taking.
Click to expand...

You were all over the place.
 
go to the getty, the hollywood tour is nothing amazing. go to the getty and hike the hollywood sign.
 
So it's pretty much unanimous that the drive to SF, while beautiful, probably isn't worth it since we have so little time.

We won't be renting a car at all then. It's just too expensive since I'm 22 I'd have to pay all the underage fees. I also don't trust my CC rental coverage to work out of the country, so I'd have to load up on all the insurances. So we'll be cabbing to everything, really.

Oh, and I should have been more clear: If we goto SF, we'll fly out of SF, not head back to LAX to catch the flight.

Lots of really awesome thoughts and suggestions though guys, thanks. I wish we could consider only one day in Disneyland, but that's pretty much not an option. It's virtually the entire reason she wants to go, lol, so we really have to do two days.

The main reason I really want to incorporate SF into this trip is if I don't, I'll likely never go. It's too far and too expensive to go there just for SF.
 
Spend all your money and charge up your cards while there. You're not doing it Cali-style unless you go into debt.
 
Originally posted by: scott
Originally posted by: Scouzer
<cut>
We won't be renting a car at all then. It's just too expensive since I'm 22 I'd have to pay all the underage fees. I also don't trust my CC rental coverage to work out of the country, so I'd have to load up on all the insurances. So we'll be cabbing to everything, really.

<cut>
Click to expand...

SF has good public transportation.

Impractical to attempt LA w/o a car. As you know, before we were born the auto lobby got Southern Calif. to rip out its good public transport rail system and it was sold to Argentina where it still runs today.
Gotta have a car for Southern Calif. You've just gotta.

If no car, you'd probably be better off around SFO.
Click to expand...

I know, it really sucks, but auto rental would cost upwards of $125 a day... we'd need to do a lot of cabbing to exceed that.
 
Rather than driving all the way to San Francisco, why not visit Sequoia National Park instead? Big ass trees are pretty cool and about 200 miles driving is a lot easier than going all the way to NoCal.
 
Originally posted by: Scouzer
Originally posted by: scott
Originally posted by: Scouzer
<cut>
We won't be renting a car at all then. It's just too expensive since I'm 22 I'd have to pay all the underage fees. I also don't trust my CC rental coverage to work out of the country, so I'd have to load up on all the insurances. So we'll be cabbing to everything, really.

<cut>
Click to expand...

SF has good public transportation.

Impractical to attempt LA w/o a car. As you know, before we were born the auto lobby got Southern Calif. to rip out its good public transport rail system and it was sold to Argentina where it still runs today.
Gotta have a car for Southern Calif. You've just gotta.

If no car, you'd probably be better off around SFO.
Click to expand...

I know, it really sucks, but auto rental would cost upwards of $125 a day... we'd need to do a lot of cabbing to exceed that.
Click to expand...

A ten minute ride in Northern California from the airport to an offsite car rental place cost us $35 two months ago. Doesn't seem like it would take that long to up the cab fees...
 
Originally posted by: Scouzer
Originally posted by: scott
Originally posted by: Scouzer
<cut>
We won't be renting a car at all then. It's just too expensive since I'm 22 I'd have to pay all the underage fees. I also don't trust my CC rental coverage to work out of the country, so I'd have to load up on all the insurances. So we'll be cabbing to everything, really.

<cut>
Click to expand...

SF has good public transportation.

Impractical to attempt LA w/o a car. As you know, before we were born the auto lobby got Southern Calif. to rip out its good public transport rail system and it was sold to Argentina where it still runs today.
Gotta have a car for Southern Calif. You've just gotta.

If no car, you'd probably be better off around SFO.
Click to expand...

I know, it really sucks, but auto rental would cost upwards of $125 a day... we'd need to do a lot of cabbing to exceed that.
Click to expand...

You could practically do that in one shot going from Disneyland to Hollywood if it's at the wrong time of day. SoCal is incredibly spread out. You're going to have to suck it up and get the rental car. Try calling smaller rental car companies and see if they can give you a better rate since you're under 25.
 
UPDATE:

We've ruled out SF. There just isn't enough time, and it'd cost too much to add it to the trip. We'll be doing 7 days in Anaheim/LA instead.

We've also ruled out renting a car. We'll be doing everything out of a hotel in Anaheim and using bus tours that Gray Line operates to get us into LA. They'll save us hundreds of dollars over renting.

So this is our new itin:

Day 1 - Arrive around 1PM... we may try to do Knott's Berry Farm if we don't get delayed on the flight, otherwise a nice dinner or something
Day 2 - Disneyland
Day 3 - Disneyland
Day 4 - Universal Studios -- We're hoping to squeeze a run over to Warner Brothers here too, as suggested, as it's pretty close
Day 5 - LA/Hollywood Tour
Day 6 - ??? We haven't decided what to do this day. If it boils down we can't think of anything good, we'll just cut short a day. Maybe if one of the sports teams are in town we'll try and get in and see one, that'd be cool. It's also possible to rent a car just for the day and try to do something outside of town, but I'm not sure what. Maybe Sequoia National Park?
Day 7 - Fly home

We aren't really interested in San Diego Zoo/Wild Animal Park... zoos are cool, but not really cool enough I want to fly across a continent to go see.
 
Originally posted by: Scouzer
We aren't really interested in San Diego Zoo/Wild Animal Park... zoos are cool, but not really cool enough I want to fly across a continent to go see.
Click to expand...

???

I'm guessing you eat babies as sacrifices to the Devil too?
 
Originally posted by: mrkun
Originally posted by: Scouzer
We aren't really interested in San Diego Zoo/Wild Animal Park... zoos are cool, but not really cool enough I want to fly across a continent to go see.
Click to expand...

???

I'm guessing you eat babies as sacrifices to the Devil too?
Click to expand...

Naw, there's just a really good zoo around here too 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Fritzo
Originally posted by: ElFenix
made up my mind to make a new start
going to california with an aching in my heart
Click to expand...

I think someone told him there's a girl out there with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Click to expand...

I also think he should take his chances on a big jet plane. And never let them tell you that they're all the same.


Peace

Lounatik
 
Originally posted by: glenn1
Rather than driving all the way to San Francisco, why not visit Sequoia National Park instead? Big ass trees are pretty cool and about 200 miles driving is a lot easier than going all the way to NoCal.
Click to expand...

That's still a long haul. You're talking 6+ hours of driving round trip.
 
Originally posted by: Scouzer
UPDATE:

We've ruled out SF. There just isn't enough time, and it'd cost too much to add it to the trip. We'll be doing 7 days in Anaheim/LA instead.

We've also ruled out renting a car. We'll be doing everything out of a hotel in Anaheim and using bus tours that Gray Line operates to get us into LA. They'll save us hundreds of dollars over renting.

So this is our new itin:

Day 1 - Arrive around 1PM... we may try to do Knott's Berry Farm if we don't get delayed on the flight, otherwise a nice dinner or something
Day 2 - Disneyland
Day 3 - Disneyland
Day 4 - Universal Studios -- We're hoping to squeeze a run over to Warner Brothers here too, as suggested, as it's pretty close
Day 5 - LA/Hollywood Tour
Day 6 - ??? We haven't decided what to do this day. If it boils down we can't think of anything good, we'll just cut short a day. Maybe if one of the sports teams are in town we'll try and get in and see one, that'd be cool. It's also possible to rent a car just for the day and try to do something outside of town, but I'm not sure what. Maybe Sequoia National Park?
Day 7 - Fly home

We aren't really interested in San Diego Zoo/Wild Animal Park... zoos are cool, but not really cool enough I want to fly across a continent to go see.
Click to expand...

The Wild Animal Park isn't like any zoo you'll ever visit. The animals are all out in the open, in large expanses of open ground where they can roam around freely. Obviously, the carnivores aren't kept with their natural prey...or with any prey for that matter. They have their own areas. The lions are always good for some photo ops. They like to lounge around in the sun on a retired SUV carcass.

We have year passes and we go there a few times a year. They also have an overnight camping deal where you get to spend the night in the park. I'd like to do that sometime.
 
have you dont the zipline tour yet jules? i've heard nothing but good things about it (well except for obviously the price).
 
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
The Wild Animal Park isn't like any zoo you'll ever visit. The animals are all out in the open, in large expanses of open ground where they can roam around freely. Obviously, the carnivores aren't kept with their natural prey...or with any prey for that matter. They have their own areas. The lions are always good for some photo ops. They like to lounge around in the sun on a retired SUV carcass.

We have year passes and we go there a few times a year. They also have an overnight camping deal where you get to spend the night in the park. I'd like to do that sometime.
Click to expand...

Depending where you are too it's not too far as it's not down south in the heart of San Diego but in.. encinitas?.

I moved nearby, am about 30 minutes from the zoo and this just reminds me, I really need to find some time and go.
 
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