jensenycwee

Hi

This is my first time going to USA and hope to get some comments and ideas if my trip itinerary is realistic and acceptable?

I will be driving from July 9th onwards till last day at SFO

Wednesday - July 5
9:25 AM Depart from Changi International Airport (SIN) - Changi International Airport
10:10 AM Arrive at San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
12:00 PM Check in at Hotel Griffon12:45 PM
Take Bus 8 (Fisherman's Wharf) @ 3rd St & Howard St to Hard Rock Cafe
1:15 PM Hard Rock Café & Sea Lion Colony & Pier 39
2:30 PM Walk to Madame Tussauds & San Francisco Dungeon
5:30 PM Fisherman's Wharf & Ghirardelli Square
7:00 PM Dinner - To Plan
8:00 PM Take Historic Streetcars "F" from Beach & Jones (Castro) back to Hotel

Thursday - July 6
10:00 AM San Francisco Walking Tour - Union Square
11:30 AM Swan Oyster Depot (Lunch Stop)
12:30 PM Chinatown San Francisco - Walk from Powell St to Chinatown.png
2:00 PM Back to Fisherman's Wharf
4:10 PM Alcatraz Island Tour - Behind the Scenes

Friday - July 7
10:00 AM Heavy Breakfast
11:00 AM HIGHWAY 1 BEER AND WINE TOUR
7:00 PM Dinner - TBD

Saturday - July 8 9:00 AM To Golden Gate Bridge 9:50 AM Golden Gate Bridge
10:30 AM Vista Point (Look out point)
10:45 AM Walk to Sausalito Ferry Terminal
11:20 AM Sausalito Ferry Terminal
12:00 PM Lunch & Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
2:00 PM Trip to Twin Peaks
3:00 PM Twin Peaks (37.7525° N, 122.4476° W)
3:30 PM Back to City
Free & Easy For Rest of Day

Sunday - July 9
7:45 AM Check out at Hotel Griffon - Hotel Griffon
8:00 AM Pick Up Car - TBC
8:30 AM Drive out from Hotel Griffon San Francisco
11:00 AM Stop over @ Moss Landing State Beach
11:15 AM Drive to Monterey via CA Highway 1 (45 mins drive)
12:00 PM Monterey Tour - Lunch + Cannery Row + Old Fisherman's Wharf
1:45 PM Carmel-By-The-Sea, California, USA
3:15 PM Bixby Creek Bridge
3:45 PM Tea Break @ Nepenthe Restaurant (or Big Sur Bakery)
4:45 PM Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
6:30 PM Photo Stop - "From Plains to the Mountains"
6:40 PM Depart Last Photo Stop to Rigdon House
7:15 PM Check in at The Rigdon House - The Rigdon House

Monday - July 10
8:30 AM Check out at The Rigdon House
9:00 AM Hearst Castle
11:00 AM Stop over at "Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery"
11:15 AM Leffingwell Landing
11:30 AM Photo Point - Moonstone Beach
11:30 AM Nit Witt Ridge (No.939 California Historical Site)
1:00 PM Lunch - TBC
2:45 PM Photo Point - "Montaña de Oro State Park"
3:30 PM Bubblegum Alley
4:30 PM Photo Point - Pismo Beach
6:00 PM Check in at Hotel Corque - Hotel Corque

Tuesday - July 1
9:00 AM Check out of Hotel Cosque
10:00 AM Santa Barbara Shoreline Park
10:30 AM Reach Santa Barbara + Lunch
1:30 PM Gardens of the World - Gardens of the World
3:30 PM Getty Villa
5:30 PM Dinner Stop @ Santa Monica Pier - Santa Monica
7:30 PM Check in @ Hollywood AirBnB

Possibly “The Valley Hive” or “Bennett Honey” – to check nearer to date if there is a tour

Wednesday - July 12
8:00 AM Disneyland (Whole Day)

Thursday - July 13
10:00 AM Park @ Hollywood & Highland
2:00 PM Griffith Observatory - Griffith Observatory
4:15 PM Depart to Sunset Ranch Hollywood
5:00 PM Sunset Ranch Hollywood - Sunset Ranch Hollywood Stables

Friday - July 14
8:30 AM Depart to San Diego @ 830am
10:45 AM Early Lunch @ La Jolla Water Sports Area
11:30 AM Snorkelling with Shark - La Jolla Water Sports
2:30 PM Old Point Loma Lighthouse + Point Loma Lighthouse
5:30 PM Check in hotel

Saturday - July 15
8:00 AM Little Italy Mercato Farmers' Market - Little Italy Mercato Farmers' Market
9:00 AM Little Italy Town - Little Italy, Little Italy.pdf
10:30 AM USS Midway Museum
12:00 PM Lunch Break - TBC
2:30 PM Old Town San Diego / Mormon Battalion Historic Site / Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
4:30 PM Gaslamp Quarter
Extra: Mission Bay Park (if time permits)

Sunday - July 16
8:30am Moving Off to Las Vegas
10:00 AM Julian Pie Company or Apple Alley Bakery
12:30 PM Lunch Stop - Palm Springs - The Mall of Victor Valley
2:30 PM Joshua Tree Visitors’ Center Drive By The Amboy Crater Drive to Las Vegas

Monday - July 17
9:00 AM Red Rock Canyon Overlook
9:15 AM Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center
12:45 PM Las Vegas North Premium Outlets

If there is time (if not postpone till 07/20/2017), go to 1) Fremont Street Experience, 2)
The Mob Museum - The Mob Museum and 3) The Neon Museum - The Neon Museum

Tuesday - July 18
9:00 AM Photo Stop - Hoover Dam - Hoover Dam Parking
12:00 PM Las Vegas - The Strip

Wednesday - July 19
8:00 AM Drive to Grand Canyon South Rim or book a day tour
1:00 PM Take an easy trail walk

Thursday - July 20
No Plans for This Day (Any ideas are welcome)

Friday - July 21
Death Valley (day tour)

Saturday - July 22
6:30 AM Driving to Yosemite

Sunday - July 23
6:30 AM Yosemite – Do “Half Dome Hike”

Monday - July 24
No Plans for This Day (any idea) - If I am doing the Half Dome Hike, I should be deadbeat here.

Tuesday - July 25
Roaring Camp Steam Train Through Santa Cruz Redwoods
2:00 PM TBC - likely Silicon Valley and Stanford University Visit

Wednesday - July 26
Last Day in San Francisco
9:00 PM Travel to SFO International

db6040

A couple comments.

Your California coast and San Francisco parts look good. The coast south of San Francisco is so, so beautiful.

You have big drives between the Grand Canyon South rim and Death Valley, and then between Death Valley and Yosemite. The estimates you get on google maps are always under what it will actually take you. You can't get to Death Valley quickly, from anywhere. It is hugely vast. Getting from the entrance to your hotel will likely take you much longer than you think.

I would not book a tour for the South Rim - there is simply no need. Book any of the lodges in the park and you will be walking distance to the rim and can explore yourself. One overnight here is sufficient in my opinion. Here is an idea - you could reverse your plans a bit and go straight to the South Rim after your quick stop in Joshua Tree, you could have an overnight at the south rim and then go on to Las Vegas the next day. This would make your drive to Death Valley shorter. Spend at least an overnight in Death Valley and then be on your way to Yosemite (a long drive this day). You really want more than one day in Yosemite, and ideally 3 or 4. The day after your Half Dome hike absolutely stay in Yosemite and try to find another day for here as well.
Unless you are really interested, I would skip the Hoover Dam. We don't like Las Vegas but the Mob Museum was pretty interesting.

sf7307

I am exhausted just reading your itinerary (and I am FAR from being a so-called "slow traveler"). It's a great list of everything you might want to see and do, but be flexible, because you're going to miss a lot due to underestimating time driving, needing a break, etc.

Specifically, be sure you have an advance reservation for the Alcatraz tour (it sells out) and you must have a permit (and they are limited) to hike Half Dome.

Surfergirl

Like sf7307, I am also far from a "slow" traveler, and I too was pretty exhausted reading your very detailed and structured itinerary.

I think it's really good as a "road map" or bucket list of what you want to see and do, though. But because you will be in California, and particularly in Southern California, you really have to be both flexible, as well as mindful of: (1) the distances you are traveling from point A to point B, and (2) the traffic.

For example, on July 11 (you have it as July 1), you plan to be in Santa Barbara at 10:30 and I guess will have a very early lunch (be mindful that many restaurants that do not serve breakfast do not open until 11:00 a.m.) Even if you are a "eat to live" (as opposed to "live to eat") kind of person, you will spend 45 minutes for lunch (inclusive of being seated, ordering, food prep, eating, paying and exiting). Then you race off to Gardens of the World (didn't know this existed!!) in Thousand Oaks, which is at least an hour to get there, plus 2 hours to visit.

If you are planning on being at GOTW at 1:30, and get any quality time at all to visit, you will not leave until at least 3 p.m., and then need to drive all the way to the Getty Villa. You cannot possibly get there by 3:30 p.m. unless it is by helicopter. Do you plan on actually visiting? Because if so, you should know that it is CLOSED on Tuesdays. And they are in the midst of a remodel.

Knowing that, skip the Getty Villa since you can't see it anyway and continue on to Santa Monica and the pier.

Speaking of which, were you planning on taking Kanan Dune Road from the 101 to the 1 or were you going to take the 101 to the 405, then the 10 to Santa Monica? The road conditions on Kanan Dune Road should be fine by the time you visit, and that is a lovely drive into Malibu, but it does tend to tack on a lot of drive time. But since you will have to skip the Getty Villa, it would be doable and you'll get to see some great Malibu shoreline.

In short, the outline is good, but be flexible, especially with drive times. It is now "rush hour" all day, every day, then there's the accidents and police pursuits every single day. In So. Cal, most commuters have learned to adjust, and if we have work or an appointment, we always leave early to allow us enough time to (hopefully) arrive where we need to be on time. Although we now have some really great mass transit, including subways and light rail in the City of Los Angeles, it has not alleviated traffic congestion. At all.

janisj

I really shudder when I see itineraries down to the minute like this (more common over on the Europe forum) . . . It is pretty certain most of your days will end up different and most of your times will be off. There are few 15 minute increments that will hold up in Las Vegas or California traffic.

For example: >>Monday - July 10
8:30 AM Check out at The Rigdon House
9:00 AM Hearst Castle

DebbieDoesDulles

I would surely skip Solvang/Hotel Corque and stay in Santa Barbara that evening.

You'd definitely have to skip the little Gardens of the World detour if you want any time at Getty Villa. And you want to allow for slow traffic around Los Angeles for anything that you have planned between 4pm and 7pm. Getting to Disneyland for 8am will be a slow mess, too.

suze

It's a teeny-tiny comment, but why are you going to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, 3 separate/different times?

DebbieDoesDulles

You have set aside 6 days for Las Vegas/Death Valley and should know that it will be miserably hot. We were in Las Vegas for a wedding in July and it was 115F

Grand Canyon is not a day trip, you spend 9 hours in the hot sun driving back and forth, and only have 1.5 hours to see the park. Personally I think you'd prefer visiting Zion National Park which saves 4 hours of car time and gives you more time to see the splendor. Or, add a day or two to the California coast where the weather will be pleasant and the beach cities will have a hectic summer vibe (and a cool ocean breeze!)

jamie99

Drop at least half the places you have on your Highway 1 drive, like Nit Witt Ridge and Bubblegum Alley, complete timewasters unless you are the type of person to drive miles out of your way to see the "largest ball of twine".
Have lunch at Nepenthe and drop Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey especially since you are seeing the SF Wharf. See the Carmel Mission, one of the prettiest of all the California missions.

RVvagabond

I don't believe any trip to LA is complete without spending at least 4 hours at Venice Beech. You can rent bicycles and peddled along the beach.

vaga

november_moon

Here are my thoughts:

I agree with the others that you have things planned too tightly and won't be able to do everything you have planned. I would scale it back, and have a list of possibilities as well - things to do if you have time after your main sightseeing

Having flown from Singapore to SFO on more than one occasion, I would caution against planning too much on your day of arrival. It's a long flight and jet lag can be significant. I am definitely a fan of doing something on the day of arrival so as to get on local time as quickly as possible, but I'm never able to do much that requires much thinking, and I am doing well if I am still up by 8pm. I also get where I am going and have a good, refreshing shower and change of clothes - that helps keep me awake the rest of the day, so I wouldn't plan on being out of the hotel and out sightseeing 45 minutes after you get there.

SF to Cambria - This is about 5 or 6 hours of driving, so keep that in mind when you plan your stops. Carmel to Cambria is 3 hours without stops, and you will want to stop a lot.

jensenycwee

Hi everyone

Thanks for all the comments. They are great for me to rethink my route.

Yah, I'm planning to have a night stop midwat between LV to Yosemite as suggested.

I'm flexible on my plans as this is a road trip and not a "tick the box" trip.

Happy to hear more suggestions and feedback!

Cheers!

marvelousmouse

Given that it's high season, you may want 2 days at Disneyland. Especially if you want to see both parks? You'll spend a lot of time in lines. And I would want to spend those nights in Anaheim NOT Hollywood.

I also think you haven't got much of a chance to win half dome lottery. You could try for both days, though. And even if you don't there is more than enough to see/hike in the valley alone. You don't say where you're staying at Yosemite- you want to be in the park.

And you need all of this reserved ahead of time- California lodging fills up fast.

jensenycwee

Hi marvelousmouse

I am planning to stay at Disney for a night so that I dont have to drive back to LV after fun time at Disney. From there, I am driving to San Diego.

As for Yosemite, I am thinking of staying at Curry Village. Will book by end of next week once I firm up my itinerary.

I am wondering if anyone has any suggestion(s) on where to do a stay over for a night between Las Vegas and Yosemite where the drive from LV will be about 4 to 5 hours.

Hopefully, i can do some interesting walkabout for a couple of hours in the afternoon. I am also open to visit a winery where is it walkable distant from my lodging (I dont drive & drive).

Alternatively, if I can drive and stop by a bee farm with tour available or fruit farm would be nice then I will stay over at some small town, I will be happy with this plan too. Just need recommendation if there is any interesting bee or fruit farm.

As I am doing Death Valley the day before on a guided tour (Lv-DV-LV), I would not want to stay at DV though.

Many thanks to everyone, once again!!

janisj

>>I am wondering if anyone has any suggestion(s) on where to do a stay over for a night between Las Vegas and Yosemite where the drive from LV will be about 4 to 5 hours.

AustinTraveler

Check out the Lone Pine Film Museum if you stay there. Very interesting!

StuDudley

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...mendations.cfm

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

>>7:45 AM Check out at Hotel Griffon - Hotel Griffon
8:00 AM Pick Up Car - TBC
8:30 AM Drive out from Hotel Griffon San Francisco
11:00 AM Stop over @ Moss Landing State Beach
11:15 AM Drive to Monterey via CA Highway 1 (45 mins drive)
12:00 PM Monterey Tour - Lunch + Cannery Row + Old Fisherman's Wharf
1:45 PM Carmel-By-The-Sea, California, USA
3:15 PM Bixby Creek Bridge
3:45 PM Tea Break @ Nepenthe Restaurant (or Big Sur Bakery)
4:45 PM Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
6:30 PM Photo Stop - "From Plains to the Mountains"
6:40 PM Depart Last Photo Stop to Rigdon House
7:15 PM Check in at The Rigdon House - The Rigdon House

jensenycwee

Hi StuDudley

Yes - after hearing all the great suggestions, i have broke up the trip from SF to Carmel, Carmel to Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara to LA.

I have also dropped Nit Witt and Bubblegum alley. As for Old Fisherman Wharf and its nearby places, I am going with an open mind. if it is 'not useful' or boing, i will move on.

Now thinking of winding down by 3pm at some beach front hotel and chill. I will do McWay Fall early the following day at about 730am to 8am. Budgeted about 1.5 hours to spend at Julia P. After back to hotel to wash up and Drive to Nepenthe for lunch before moving to Hearst Castle (ETA 230pm, to be in time for last tour at 3pm). Will stop over at Pismo Beach for a night.

Last day along PCH will be Pismo to Santa Barbara to Garden of the world to Santa Monica Pier for dinner and then head into LA to stay over.

I think this would be much lighter and easier.

janisj

It is still waaaaay too regimented.

>>Budgeted about 1.5 hours to spend at Julia P. After back to hotel to wash up and Drive to Nepenthe for lunch before moving to Hearst Castle (ETA 230pm, to be in time for last tour at 3pm).