• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Going to California in September

Scouzer

Scouzer

Lifer
The girlfriend and I are planning a trip down to LA in late August or early September. We're planning around 5 days (and two travel days where we won't be able to do much)

The non-negotiable itinerary (her demands!):

2 days - Disneyland/Hollywood Tour
1 day - Universal Studios (does this take a full day?)

This leave us two quality full days that we can do stuff, and maybe two more half days on the travel days. She wants to do Knott's Berry Farm, but I'm not huge on rollercoasters and shit... doesn't really interest me. We also don't want to do SeaWorld, doesn't interest either of us.

After that, we're not sure what else to do. I really want to rent a car and head north from LA to San Francisco, but it's a hell of a long drive if we take Highway 1. We'd essentially have to give up a whole day in the car. We could fly for about the same price, but we'd be giving up a lot of scenery on the drive. Thoughts? Is the drive scenic enough to be worth a day in the car? We really want to see the redwood forests and as I understand there's some on the coastal highway, is that right? Is there anything near the highway we shouldn't skip?

I love military stuff and old crap, Alctaraz is something I really want to do! Anything else historic we shouldn't miss, in either SF or LA?

So my thoughts on a possible plan:

Day 1 - Not sure what to do on this day, we'd have about 4 hours after the flight
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

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.
 
Personally, I wouldn't drive to SF. You would be better off flying to Oakland from LA or Long Beach and taking BART into the city for a day trip. You might ask, "Why not just fly into SF?" From personal experience, I find flying into Oakland easier and cheaper. You take a shuttle from the airport to the nearby BART station, take BART into the city.

You might want to consider going to the San Diego Zoo (Pandas!) and/or the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Its only a couple of hours to drive to San Diego from LA.

I haven't gone in the last few years but both Warner Brothers and Paramount studies have tours. No rides of course, just tours of working studios. Sometimes you see some neat stuff. On a Paramount tour they had just finished shooting one of the Brady movies and we were able to go in the house set.

-KeithP

 
made up my mind to make a new start
going to california with an aching in my heart
 
Originally posted by: Scouzer
So my thoughts on a possible plan:

Day 1 - Not sure what to do on this day, we'd have about 4 hours after the flight
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
Click to expand...

I would recommend this itinerary:

Day 1 - Relax and enjoy some time together after the flight.
Day 2 - Disneyland
Day 3 - Universal Studios
Day 4 - Hollywood Tour/Start driving up Highway 1
Day 5 - Finish drive and go to the Wharf
Day 6 - Alcatraz/Bus Tour
Day 7 - Whatever

You don't really need the half day in Disneyland. With just the two of you you should easily be able to get everything done in one day. Plus, Disneyland is 'spensive, so limiting time is good. That will also allow you to leave on your drive a bit earlier. You can then spend your Night 4 in Carmel/Santa Cruz/Monterey. It's worth it.
 
Originally posted by: OCguy
:music: I wish they all could be
california girls :music:
Click to expand...

After living here, the Beach Boys had it all wrong.

Texas girls > California girls.


As for things to see, Zoo and Wild Animal park are certainly good options.
If you are in to art the Getty art museum in Malibu is awesome.
Head out to Palm Springs and take the Aerial Tramway up to Mt San Jacinto.
Driving on highway 1, although quite scenic is very slow, and quite often dangerous. The road is far to narrow in places and very curvy.
 
Originally posted by: CrackRabbit
Originally posted by: OCguy
:music: I wish they all could be
california girls :music:
Click to expand...

After living here, the Beach Boys had it all wrong.

Texas girls > California girls.
Click to expand...

Maybe in a weight contest?



"Everything is bigger in Texas!"
 
Originally posted by: Scouzer
Day 1 - Not sure what to do on this day, we'd have about 4 hours after the flight
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
Click to expand...

Disneyland is easily done in a day, and Universal Studios is a complete waste of time. I know you said it's non-negotiable, but I've lived here for 12 years now and I've never met a single person who either lived here or visited on vacation and said it is a must-see attraction after having been there. Knott's is essentially Disneyland with Peanuts characters.

Getting to SF has three alternatives:

1) Drive PCH (hwy 1). It's definitely beautiful. It's also really really long and eventually the ocean starts to look the same no matter how many times you look at it. But there are some really fun places to explore on your way up (Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach, Morro Bay, Monterey, for starters).

2) Drive 5. Boring. Straight. Fastest option with a car.

3) Fly. Fastest option. But you'll have to drive to the airport, drop off the car, check in, fly, rent another car, etc etc. Overall you'll save time, but it's a hassle.

IMHO, either drive hwy 1 and just accept the extra day, explore the coastline and enjoy it, or fly and save yourself as much time as possible. Try Burbank airport as an alternative for the LA-SF leg. And spend the day you'd lose at Universal Studios and go to Napa Valley.

Sorry for being so long-winded, I feel like there's a lot of info to give you!
 
Originally posted by: Scouzer
The girlfriend and I are planning a trip down to LA in late August or early September. We're planning around 5 days (and two travel days where we won't be able to do much)

The non-negotiable itinerary (her demands!):

2 days - Disneyland/Hollywood Tour
1 day - Universal Studios (does this take a full day?)

This leave us two quality full days that we can do stuff, and maybe two more half days on the travel days. She wants to do Knott's Berry Farm, but I'm not huge on rollercoasters and shit... doesn't really interest me. We also don't want to do SeaWorld, doesn't interest either of us.

After that, we're not sure what else to do. I really want to rent a car and head north from LA to San Francisco, but it's a hell of a long drive if we take Highway 1. We'd essentially have to give up a whole day in the car. We could fly for about the same price, but we'd be giving up a lot of scenery on the drive. Thoughts? Is the drive scenic enough to be worth a day in the car? We really want to see the redwood forests and as I understand there's some on the coastal highway, is that right? Is there anything near the highway we shouldn't skip?

I love military stuff and old crap, Alctaraz is something I really want to do! Anything else historic we shouldn't miss, in either SF or LA?

So my thoughts on a possible plan:

Day 1 - Not sure what to do on this day, we'd have about 4 hours after the flight
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
Click to expand...

You only need one day of Disneyland. Hollywood Tour = worthless. I would rather discover neighborhoods. Bad examples, but something like Old Town Pasadena, Santa Monica, Redondo Beach or Chinatown. Universal Studios is kind of suck but maybe that's your thing.

I would add in famous places for lunch and there are a bunch of awesome restaurants for dinner. If you're in Hermosa I would do the bar row there or Main st in Santa Monica.

Oh and a drive to SF = waste of a whole day travelling...
 
Originally posted by: Scouzer
The girlfriend and I are planning a trip down to LA in late August or early September. We're planning around 5 days (and two travel days where we won't be able to do much)

The non-negotiable itinerary (her demands!):

2 days - Disneyland/Hollywood Tour
1 day - Universal Studios (does this take a full day?)

This leave us two quality full days that we can do stuff, and maybe two more half days on the travel days. She wants to do Knott's Berry Farm, but I'm not huge on rollercoasters and shit... doesn't really interest me. We also don't want to do SeaWorld, doesn't interest either of us.

After that, we're not sure what else to do. I really want to rent a car and head north from LA to San Francisco, but it's a hell of a long drive if we take Highway 1. We'd essentially have to give up a whole day in the car. We could fly for about the same price, but we'd be giving up a lot of scenery on the drive. Thoughts? Is the drive scenic enough to be worth a day in the car? We really want to see the redwood forests and as I understand there's some on the coastal highway, is that right? Is there anything near the highway we shouldn't skip?

I love military stuff and old crap, Alctaraz is something I really want to do! Anything else historic we shouldn't miss, in either SF or LA?

So my thoughts on a possible plan:

Day 1 - Not sure what to do on this day, we'd have about 4 hours after the flight
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
Click to expand...

screw knotts and just take the drive up the 1, you don't even have to go to san fran, you can go as far as santa barbara and just enjoy yourselves.
 
Google maps says going all the way up the 1 from LA to SF is like 10 hours. Going up I-5 is 6 hours (400 miles).

You also have to figure that depending on where you are leaving from and whether it's a weekday with rush hour traffic, it could take you much longer than that.


If you really really want to go to SF, I'd drive up I-5 or fly. That won't be scenic, but you'll have more time to actually enjoy SF. If you just want to see some scenery around the ocean, I like the idea of driving up to Santa Barbara. Or if you do fly or take I-5 to SF, you can always take a drive down to Monterrey.
 
I strongly recommend doing EITHER NorCal or SoCal. Trying to do LA and SF in a one week trip is going to be pushing it. You'll wind up car fatigued and stressed rather than relaxed and laid back.

If you want to go for a drive visit Santa Barbara, or go wine tasting. Go out to Catalina or something.
 
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.
 
If you want to see a real set, do the Warner Brothers Studio tour. Its not as well known but really cool. I think the tour is about 2 hours. When we went, we got to check out the ER and Gilmore Girl sets...like actually walk through them.

I don't think its worth the drive SF, thats a 6-7 hour drive each way. Go to San Diego and check out the zoo or the wild animal park and have dinner in the gas lamp.
 
You don't have to drive up the 1 (PCH) the entire way. Personally, I would take the 101 up to Santa Barbara and chill out there for a bit and then get back on the 101 and head up to Santa Cruz/Monterrey. You can take PCH from there to SF.

My recommendation:

Day 1 - Settle in and chill.
Day 2 - Disneyland
Day 3 - LA stuff (JS80 gave suggestions)
Day 4 - LA stuff
Day 5 - Drive to Santa Barbara and then Santa Cruz/Monterrey
Day 6 - Drive to SF via PCH and do stuff in SF
Day 7 - Leave

It's kind of a hectic schedule, but it's doable. It would work much better if you added an extra day. I also like the others' suggestion of going to San Diego and seeing the zoo and wild animal park instead of doing SF.


Hell, if you can do a 10-day trip, I would fly to SD and spend two days there, drive to Disneyland/LA and then drive up to SF.

Ideal trip (10-day):

Day 1 - Fly to SD and chill
Day 2 - SD Zoo
Day 3 - SD Wild Animal Park and drive to Anaheim
Day 4 - Disneyland
Day 5 - LA stuff
Day 6 - LA stuff
Day 7 - Drive to Santa Barbara and end in Santa Cruz/Monterrey
Day 8 - Do stuff in SC/M and drive up to SF late in the day
Day 9 - Do stuff in SF
Day 10 - Leave
 
I did the 1/101 route 2 weeks ago.

We took 1 from Half Moon Bay (SF) to Santa Barbara (10 hours with stops along the way), then 101 from SB to LA (2 more hours)

Remember, it is a waste to take the 101 or the 1 when it is dark.

SD wild animal park is good, fuck universal, fuck chinatown.


SoCal has one of the best ethnic food scenes in the US, so if you're into food I'd explore that a little bit while driving around.

Originally posted by: DrVos
If you want to see a real set, do the Warner Brothers Studio tour. Its not as well known but really cool. I think the tour is about 2 hours. When we went, we got to check out the ER and Gilmore Girl sets...like actually walk through them.
Click to expand...

ER set is gone, they are currently rebuilding it. You do get see the entire lot, the old friends set, various vehicles from various movies...
 
Watch your wallet closely... the state of California is desperate and will do anything for more revenue.
 
Originally posted by: rudder
Watch your wallet closely... the state of California is desperate and will do anything for more revenue.
Click to expand...

Too late. Sales tax here is up to what, 9.25% now? Not the worst in the country, but it's pretty bad.
 
Where are you flying out of? If you're flying out of LAX you might as well forget about visiting San Francisco. That's a good 6-7 hour drive one way on a good day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top