South Dakota? Nope, no beach. San Diego? Not beachy, especially in December. Wanna give us a clue?

OK, you chose California as a search term, so I guess it IS San Diego, after all.

Check out accomodations for La Jolla. It's beautiful and charming and not far from other points of interest.

I had the same question about location, I clicked on screen name but couldn't tell what the search term was, anonymous..how did you find the search term?

Yes, I thought I put this in specifically California, not just U.S. Well, La Jolla sounds good. Any place to stay come to mind?
Thanks
Ken

I found the search term by guessing the most likely state and searching for it! Really bored this AM, I guess.

Kendu, when you selected Clifornia, you selected a search term. Board readers who also select California would see only those posts for which the OP had selected California, but since most of us are interested in more than one state, we read the board itself rather than limiting our search.

I agree that La Jolla is a better choice than SD itself, but haven't been there in many years so can't recommend specifics.

With four teens I think La Jolla would be the best choice in San Diego. You will need a car to get around. I don't know your price range but the Colonial Inn and La Valencia are in the heart of La Jolla and are fantastic hotels.
The Best Western on Fay St. is more reasonable.
The La Jolla Shores area is great for teens as it is a beach community about 5 minutes from downtown La Jolla with lots of surf shops, diving lessons, kyaking (sp?) etc.

Anonymous, just FYI, la Jolla is in San Diego. It is a suburb of the city.

Ken, when you "do Balboa" I'd suggest the Park rather than the Avenue.

yes barbara - big difference between the avenue and park (balboa) !! LOL !!

Thanks guys and gals, I am worried about my not getting the Balboa humor. Otherwise, La Jolla sounds great and I will check those places out.
Ken

Ken, there's Balboa Park and Balboa Avenue. I'm sure you meant the Park. Balboa Avenue is a very busy road running through San Diego. You can safely miss it.

I'd suggest Coronado for the beach and the Del, Fashion Valley mall for shopping (especially if it's decorated for the holidays), then choose between the zoo, the Midway (love it!), or SeaWorld. SeaWorld is a bit contrived, but still fun all the same, especially for a first time visitor. You may also want to consider a short stop at Cabrillo National Monument. What a view!