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California Road Trip

Checkerboard Strangler said:
The rest, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Big Sur, 17 Mile Drive, etc are all very spread out.
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I have mapped it out on Google Maps and I believe it can be done. I'm not planning on spending a lot of time at each point. probably just walk around take some pictures, do a tour, eat and leave depending on the type of day. LA will not be a road trip, but the rest of it will be like a hop on hop off road trip. I'm not worried about spending too much time in the non-San Diego/LA areas. Las Vegas will be three whole days and nights. Day 5 6 and 7 are pretty much free for alls that I just picked up along the route. As you can get to San Fran from San Diego in less than a day.
 
Checkerboard Strangler said:
I would recommend a rental car.
Lyft and Uber are great to get "from one place to another...ONE TIME" but I wouldn't ever plan a vacation itinerary around them.

Can you tell us what "Hollywood event" this is?
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I will be getting a rental car on day 4 to go to San Diego and start the road trip portion. I believe my airbnb is a suburb in Hollywood heights.
 
Checkerboard Strangler said:
Venice Beach's famous boardwalk might be regarded by some as a tourist trap but it is interesting.
This being "winter" it's a lot more laid back and chilled out than it is in the summertime, and that's possibly a good thing.
That said, so called "winter" in Southern California is spring for everyone else.
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Greetings, Checkerboard Strangler. :2wave:

We are currently getting the big storm the Weather people have been calling for this past week, and it has been snowing non-stop since 0500 this morning, with new snow measuring about six inches so far - according to my neighbor who is a spotter for the Weather Bureau - and it has not let up at all! These are not big snowflakes either, but very fine snow! :wow: We are told that we can also expect the wind to really start picking up soon, like we needed that extra problem, so it's very possible we will have at least an additional foot of new snow by tomorrow morning, which is not unusual for NE Ohio in January! Brrrrrr....
 
beefheart said:
Was that necessary?

smh
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Sure. Our proud new registered democrat should see the bi-product of decades of liberal democrat policies in action to get the real California experience. Why is that a problem?
 
VanceMack said:
Sure. Our proud new registered democrat should see the bi-product of decades of liberal democrat policies in action to get the real California experience. Why is that a problem?
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Stop it. Take your politics the hell out of this thread. It is doing great without them.
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
I will be getting a rental car on day 4 to go to San Diego and start the road trip portion. I believe my airbnb is a suburb in Hollywood heights.
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You really need a rental car for the whole trip. Worth the extra money and the time and hassle you will save.
 
beefheart said:
Stop it. Take your politics the hell out of this thread. It is doing great without them.
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Dood wants a great California trip...and you be trippin....
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
I have mapped it out on Google Maps and I believe it can be done. I'm not planning on spending a lot of time at each point. probably just walk around take some pictures, do a tour, eat and leave depending on the type of day. LA will not be a road trip, but the rest of it will be like a hop on hop off road trip. I'm not worried about spending too much time in the non-San Diego/LA areas. Las Vegas will be three whole days and nights. Day 5 6 and 7 are pretty much free for alls that I just picked up along the route. As you can get to San Fran from San Diego in less than a day.
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Trust me, you'll need a car and a bit more time. Don't overlook L.A....don't let the nonsense from people who haven't lived here influence anything. It's an interesting city.
 
polgara said:
Greetings, Checkerboard Strangler. :2wave:

We are currently getting the big storm the Weather people have been calling for this past week, and it has been snowing non-stop since 0500 this morning, with new snow measuring about six inches so far - according to my neighbor who is a spotter for the Weather Bureau - and it has not let up at all! These are not big snowflakes either, but very fine snow! :wow: We are told that we can also expect the wind to really start picking up soon, like we needed that extra problem, so it's very possible we will have at least an additional foot of new snow by tomorrow morning, which is not unusual for NE Ohio in January! Brrrrrr....
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I grew up in DC and NY, and spent my formative years as a young man in Minneapolis, so I know...it's just been a long time, that's all. :D
 
Checkerboard Strangler said:
I'll be glad to wrap up some samples from Boopers and make it look like I got it from SF and send it to Mr. Casca.
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I find it hilarious that one tabloid article from the drudge report about piles of **** in California, means that the entire state is going to **** as well. I have very conservative friends who say they won't ever step foot in the state. Politics will never prevent me from travelling or being entertained.
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
I find it hilarious that one tabloid article from the drudge report about piles of **** in California, means that the entire state is going to **** as well. I have very conservative friends who say they won't ever step foot in the state. Politics will never prevent me from travelling or being entertained.
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Sigh, there IS one area in SF which is the site of a rather large homeless encampment.
And yes, sanitation is a serious problem there, and the city has tried a few half measures here and there with limited success, so the problem is growing. Other major cities are also experiencing similar encampments, and not just in California either, because despite this so called great economy, there are still large numbers of persons displaced by issues like unaffordable housing and a decline in low skill jobs.

This is actually a national problem.

And all that having been said, as someone who has done business in San Francisco many times, I can assure you that it is possible to spend a week there and never see a single pile of human feces on the sidewalk. If you go looking for it, you'll find the problem but if you're not looking for it, you might not ever see it.

When the hundreds of thousands of Hoovervilles dotted the national landscape, I don't think outraged people moralized on the these unpleasantries. I think that charitable groups and cities tried to band together to provide some form of sanitation.
Criticizing the politics of the cities where Hoovervilles popped up did not fix the problem, only remedial action did.
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
I booked a flight to LAX at the end of March. I've never been out west and I want to make the most of it. I know some of you are west coasters so let me know what you think of my itinerary before finalizing it. Is it doable? I don't plan to have a car in LA until I make the trip up North to San Francisco.

Days:
  1. Fly to LA 3/14
  2. LA: Griffith Park Observatory, Hollywood Sign, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Universal Studios, Walk of Fame
  3. Around LA: Santa Monica Pier, Seal Beach, Sunset Beach, Downtown LA
  4. San Diego Zoo: downtown, Coronado Island
  5. Santa Monica- Malibu- Santa Barbara: Homes tour, Pepperdine University
  6. Santa Barbara- Monterey- Big Sur: 17 Mile Drive, Bixby Creek Bridge, McWay Falls
  7. Monterey- San Francisco: Transamerica Pyramid, Lombard Street, Golden Gate Bridge (This day is iffy depending on flight)
  8. Vegas- Mirage, The Strip (Hotels), casinos
  9. NV- Death Valley/Area 51
  10. NV/AZ- Hoover Dam/Grand Canyon
  11. Fly Back Home 3/24
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Big cities don't do much for me. Seen one, seem most. :lamo

If I was going to the west coast (CA) for the first time : I would want to see

- Highway 1 (drive)
- Yosemite NP
- Sequoias and Redwood Parks
-Mt. Whitney area (east side of the Sierras , highway 395,

Death Valley is unique. You may want to check but I believe Scotty's Castle is still closed. The area had a flash flood a year or so ago.
 
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Checkerboard Strangler said:
Venice Beach's famous boardwalk might be regarded by some as a tourist trap but it is interesting.
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If I was taking someone on a tour to LA for the first time I wouldnt bother with Venice Beach unless they got plenty of time to kill. Beyond the Hare Kishnas and the workout warriors at the muscle beach gym, there's not much else over there.

NeverTrumpGOP said:
I find it hilarious that one tabloid article from the drudge report about piles of **** in California, means that the entire state is going to **** as well. I have very conservative friends who say they won't ever step foot in the state. Politics will never prevent me from travelling or being entertained.
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Outsiders think CA is just a big blue state and thats it, but its more complex than that. Progressives are really centered in the urban areas while out in the countryside the lean gets more conservative. In LA Orange County has been a conservative bastion for a long time, I dont know what it is now since I havent been back for awhile.

A quick reference for LA is that the closer you are to the beaches people tend to be more conservative- same applies as you go farther away from the urban sprawl too. As you get closer to Downtown, then people get more liberal.
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
I booked a flight to LAX at the end of March. I've never been out west and I want to make the most of it. I know some of you are west coasters so let me know what you think of my itinerary before finalizing it. Is it doable? I don't plan to have a car in LA until I make the trip up North to San Francisco.

Days:
  1. Fly to LA 3/14
  2. LA: Griffith Park Observatory, Hollywood Sign, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Universal Studios, Walk of Fame
  3. Around LA: Santa Monica Pier, Seal Beach, Sunset Beach, Downtown LA
  4. San Diego Zoo: downtown, Coronado Island
  5. Santa Monica- Malibu- Santa Barbara: Homes tour, Pepperdine University
  6. Santa Barbara- Monterey- Big Sur: 17 Mile Drive, Bixby Creek Bridge, McWay Falls
  7. Monterey- San Francisco: Transamerica Pyramid, Lombard Street, Golden Gate Bridge (This day is iffy depending on flight)
  8. Vegas- Mirage, The Strip (Hotels), casinos
  9. NV- Death Valley/Area 51
  10. NV/AZ- Hoover Dam/Grand Canyon
  11. Fly Back Home 3/24
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You're in for the trip of a lifetime, I'm so jealous. I drove cross country years ago and even detoured down into the heart of Mexico for a month-long stay there, then drove up through Arizona, Nevada and California. Six months of my life doing exactly what I always dreamed of doing, seeing the real U.S. coast to coast.

You will absolutely need to rent a car. The Pacific Coast highway is amazing. It's actually better to drive from S.F. down to L.A. rather than the other way because the ocean is always on the side of the road you're driving South if you do it that way. But going S. to N. will be amazing too. Stop at Pismo Beach which is dead center of that drive between L.A. and S.F. It's a lot of fun to explore the famous Pismo Dunes Natural Preserve. Drive right onto the beach with your car and you'll see campers, trailers, people digging up the famous 'Pismo clams' and lots of sand dune buggies racing up and down the dunes. North of Pismo is the Monterrey Peninsula, there's plenty to be awestruck with there in Carmel too.

The Hearst Castle/Mansion is definitely a 'must do' and it's in San Simeon, right at the start of the Pacific Coast highway. You're going to be passing it anyway, so take the time and do one of the several tours offered. "Above the clouds on top of The Enchanted Hill" is how William Randolph Hearst described it.

Death Valley is great, it's definitely not for everyone but I enjoyed it because I love history. Lake Tahoe is definitely one place I'd add to your agenda. 'The Jewel of the Sierra Nevada mountains' as it has been described, is unlike anyplace else. And there's plenty of casinos and places to gamble in on the Nevada side. You can stop at the Cal-Neva Lodge and put your right foot standing in the state of California while your left foot stands in the state of Nevada. The lodge was a favorite hangout of Frank Sinatra who loved the seclusion of the place. Others like JFK and Marilyn Monroe enjoyed themselves at the Cal-Neva Lodge many times. The location of the Ponderosa Ranch is located at Lake Tahoe.

I have to tell you that ten days will not be enough to see what's really the best parts of California. A lot of the 'best' lies to the North of San Francisco with Muir Woods, Napa and Sonoma and the amazing wineries there. If it was me doing that trip, I would rent a car at the airport in LA. and immediately head North and out of that city. It's a mess and the things you're planning are things that are on the 'tourist checklist of things to do in L.A.' but they really aren't worth wasting time over. There's bigger, better and the most amazing sights you'll ever see once you're out of the traffic nightmares of L.A.
 
PoS said:
If I was taking someone on a tour to LA for the first time I wouldnt bother with Venice Beach unless they got plenty of time to kill. Beyond the Hare Kishnas and the workout warriors at the muscle beach gym, there's not much else over there.


Outsiders think CA is just a big blue state and thats it, but its more complex than that. Progressives are really centered in the urban areas while out in the countryside the lean gets more conservative. In LA Orange County has been a conservative bastion for a long time, I dont know what it is now since I havent been back for awhile.

A quick reference for LA is that the closer you are to the beaches people tend to be more conservative- same applies as you go farther away from the urban sprawl too. As you get closer to Downtown, then people get more liberal.
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IDC about what politics the people in California are. I get along with everyone. When I'm vacation, I tend to block out the politics. I don't go on DP, I barely go on twitter and I just take in the sights, if someone brings up Trump (usually foreigners) I will def banter with them about him, but other than that I don't talk about politics on vacay. That's time to get away from it all.
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
Thanks! That sounds like a great idea for Coronado I saw it on someone else's itinerary and it seemed like a cool spot. There's a little pinball museum on Asbury Park Beach I take my dad to all the time. It will be fun to compare them.
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Greetings from Asbury Park New Jersey. Just thought I would throw that in there for you.
 
HumblePi said:
You're in for the trip of a lifetime, I'm so jealous. I drove cross country years ago and even detoured down into the heart of Mexico for a month-long stay there, then drove up through Arizona, Nevada and California. Six months of my life doing exactly what I always dreamed of doing, seeing the real U.S. coast to coast.

You will absolutely need to rent a car. The Pacific Coast highway is amazing. It's actually better to drive from S.F. down to L.A. rather than the other way because the ocean is always on the side of the road you're driving South if you do it that way. But going S. to N. will be amazing too. Stop at Pismo Beach which is dead center of that drive between L.A. and S.F. It's a lot of fun to explore the famous Pismo Dunes Natural Preserve. Drive right onto the beach with your car and you'll see campers, trailers, people digging up the famous 'Pismo clams' and lots of sand dune buggies racing up and down the dunes. North of Pismo is the Monterrey Peninsula, there's plenty to be awestruck with there in Carmel too.

The Hearst Castle/Mansion is definitely a 'must do' and it's in San Simeon, right at the start of the Pacific Coast highway. You're going to be passing it anyway, so take the time and do one of the several tours offered. "Above the clouds on top of The Enchanted Hill" is how William Randolph Hearst described it.

Death Valley is great, it's definitely not for everyone but I enjoyed it because I love history. Lake Tahoe is definitely one place I'd add to your agenda. 'The Jewel of the Sierra Nevada mountains' as it has been described, is unlike anyplace else. And there's plenty of casinos and places to gamble in on the Nevada side. You can stop at the Cal-Neva Lodge and put your right foot standing in the state of California while your left foot stands in the state of Nevada. The lodge was a favorite hangout of Frank Sinatra who loved the seclusion of the place. Others like JFK and Marilyn Monroe enjoyed themselves at the Cal-Neva Lodge many times. The location of the Ponderosa Ranch is located at Lake Tahoe.

I have to tell you that ten days will not be enough to see what's really the best parts of California. A lot of the 'best' lies to the North of San Francisco with Muir Woods, Napa and Sonoma and the amazing wineries there. If it was me doing that trip, I would rent a car at the airport in LA. and immediately head North and out of that city. It's a mess and the things you're planning are things that are on the 'tourist checklist of things to do in L.A.' but they really aren't worth wasting time over. There's bigger, better and the most amazing sights you'll ever see once you're out of the traffic nightmares of L.A.
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Yeah I realize that there's a lot to explore in Northern California too. That will be saved for a long weekend trip.
The only reason I'm spending so much time in LA is b/c I have a conference there for three days, and that's what prompted the trip.
Pismo Dunes sounds like something I was searching for. I wanted the hipster bonfire beach experience that I've heard about goes on a lot out there. Is that the typical vibe at Pismo? It's half way from Santa Barbara to Big Sur so that's perfect.
Death Valley sounds good to me too, but I do not think I will make it to the lodge, as it's a little out of the way.

Thanks for the tips!
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
Yeah I realize that there's a lot to explore in Northern California too. That will be saved for a long weekend trip.
The only reason I'm spending so much time in LA is b/c I have a conference there for three days, and that's what prompted the trip.
Pismo Dunes sounds like something I was searching for. I wanted the hipster bonfire beach experience that I've heard about goes on a lot out there. Is that the typical vibe at Pismo? It's half way from Santa Barbara to Big Sur so that's perfect.
Death Valley sounds good to me too, but I do not think I will make it to the lodge, as it's a little out of the way.

Thanks for the tips!
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I loved Pismo Beach so much that I stayed for 3 months. It's definitely a 'retro' little town, it's like being in a 1970 time-warp. They have an amazing pier at Pismo and if you're not interested in fishing you may be lucky and spot some of the gray whales since you are going at precisely the right time to see them migrating. There's a lot of amazing wineries to tour right in that immediate Pismo area also. Good idea to skip Death Valley and in my opinion Lake Tahoe with it's crystal clear blue lake and gambling casinos and mountains beats L.V. hands down for total enjoyment.
 
PoS said:
If I was taking someone on a tour to LA for the first time I wouldnt bother with Venice Beach unless they got plenty of time to kill. Beyond the Hare Kishnas and the workout warriors at the muscle beach gym, there's not much else over there.
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The Venice Beach Boardwalk was my stomping grounds from about 1986 until 1994. My studio was a half block from the boardwalk in the basement of the Morrison Apartments, one of those Venice haunts where the lead singer for The Doors lived for a while. I restored and edited The Best of the Leon Russell Festivals concert video in that little atelier.

morrisonBIG.jpg

Even before that, I was a fixture on the boardwalk, filming the innumerable and bizarre personalities and entertainers who made the place the attraction that it is.

Prior to The Morrison, I lived in a bungalow on Abbott Kinney, which is the heart of the Venice Arts District.

AbbottKinneyHouse2.jpg

RialtoHouse22.jpg

There's tons of things other than a few Hare Krishnas and muscle heads.
The place is a vast stretch of street performers, beach food, entertainment venues, cafes, fashion shops, marijuana dispensaries, surf and skate shops, antique dealers, boutiques, art installations and restored historic hotels. I don't know if you frequented the place often or not but a lot has changed down there in the intervening years.
And I haven't even touched on the world famous Venice Canals which have been restored to their turn of the 20th century glory.

It truly is a freak show but that word is not necessarily a negative connotation, because so many of the "freaks" who inhabit Venice are the archetypes of what makes up the foundation of a lot of our popular culture today. It is impossible to count the number of pop culture trends that have originated at Venice Beach, and on any given day you're also likely to see more of the celebs that make Hollywood famous than you will in Hollywood itself.

If that's not your thing and you're not entertained by any of the stuff I mentioned above, then yes, perhaps Venice is something to skip over. But any flight of fancy that celebrates Southern California is going to include Venice Beach.
There's too much SoCal history tied up the place to ignore.

By the way, the Santa Monica Pier, just up the road from Venice, is also a must see, and so is Chinatown and Koreatown.
 
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I used to be a tour guide, so here are some tips from my experience. If you get to San Francisco, consider Muir Woods to see the coastal redwoods. Much more crowded than it used to be so check, as you may need reservations. You won’t regret it. As to the GGate bridge, ask directions going underneath on the SF side towards Fort Point. For a great view of the bridge and the city, cross to the north, take the Sausalito exit and turn left under the highway to head back to the city. Before doing so, you can exit to the right and go up a hill (there will be other cars doing the same). There are places to pull over, and you will be looking down on the bridge and the city. If you continue on a big, you my find gun placements from WWII places to guard the city and bay. The top of Twin Peaks in the city is also worth a look. Fisherman’s wharf is overrated, but if you go, Scoma’s is recommended, if it’s still there all these years later. Finally, at night head towards Treasure Island on the Bay Bridge. From the left lane you can approach it and there is plenty of parking for a great night view of the city. Fog can cancel the view in some of these places. Grant street is the tourist area of Chinatown, worth a look, but Stockton St., one block up is more genuine. Finally, if you are a movie buff, walk down Stockton towards the tunnel, on one side climb stairs to Bush St. There in an ally called Burritt is a placque commemorating a scene in the Maltese Falcon, the murder of Sam Spade’s partner.
 
Nickyjo said:
Finally, at night head towards Treasure Island on the Bay Bridge. From the left lane you can approach it and there is plenty of parking for a great night view of the city.
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Just on a personal note, I might suggest avoiding spending more than a few minutes on Treasure Island and don't drink water from there at all. The entire area, Treasure Island and Hunter's Point, are former EPA Superfund sites which were never adequately cleaned up and they're within "spitting distance" of each other. Hunter's Point was used to store a lot of radioactive material without adequate protection or shielding.

My wife served on Treasure Island 1984-1988 as a Navy diesel mechanic.
 
beefheart said:
Would you please leave politics out of this.

This thread is about a vacation in LA, and it has been full of good reading and good advice. But, you had to come in here and try to inject politics into it.
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This site is called "Debate Politics" not "Facebook." pointing out how Leftist policies have destroyed a once beautiful state is not out of line here.
 
Casca XV said:
This site is called "Debate Politics" not "Facebook." pointing out how Leftist policies have destroyed a once beautiful state is not out of line here.
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And....it is posted in "leisure activities" section, not the Casca introduces politics to a non politic section.

Have some decorum and some class.
 
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