I'll be arriving at LAX around 1:30pm this Saturday and am planning on driving straight down to San Diego. Any advice for the best route? I'm hoping traffic will be relatively sane. Any suggestions for a late lunch on the way down would also be appreciated. Thanks

Take I-405S (San Diego Freeway). It merges with I-5S and takes you all the way to San Diego. There is a toll road and I don't remember it's name/number, but it's a little quicker and quite fun to drive. Traffic will be busy and you may encounter slow or backed up traffic. I have on Saturdays on occasion, but you may be lucky. I'll be driving the inland route to Walnut myself this Saturday.

Barbara's directions (hi, Barbara!! )are simple and spot-on accurate. I believe the toll road is CA-73 S. I have also never found it to save much more than 5 minutes, although it's a kinda pretty drive (and generally empty). On the 405/5, you may run into a little traffic around Costa Mesa (the CA-73, CA-55 interchanges, South Coast Plaza, John Wayne Airport traffic), then again in south Orange County around the merge with the I-5 ("El Toro Y"), but on a Saturday you should be fine. It's going to be a shade less than 2 hours.

Lunch on the road...? I'd try to grab something within a half-hour of LAX-- and that would be roughly Long Beach through Huntington Beach. What kind of food would you like? There's all sorts of fast-food, a few sit-down places (some better than others). The class of the fast food would be In-'n'-Out, I guess. Best fast-food burgers in California (the "Double-Double" is a classic). There's one close to the freeway in Long Beach:

-- I-405S to Bellflower SOUTH exit. Take a RIGHT at the end of the off-ramp onto Los Coyotes Diagonal.

-- Follow Los Coyotes up to Ximeno (the second traffic signal)-- you'll pass a police station next door to a Krispy Kreme (insert obvious joke here) on your left. You'll see the In-'n'-Out beyond Ximeno on the left. Make a left onto Ximeno, then the first right into the shopping center and head to the In-'n'-Out.

--Heading back out, get back on Los Coyotes the way you came and follow it to the I-405S on-ramp, just past the third traffic signal (Bellflower).

If you want something different, please let us know. There are lots of possibilities....

There is an In-'N-Out Burger place a little further south that is much easier to get to and from the freeway.

Take I-405 to the I-5 merger and continue south into Mission Viejo. At the Avery Parkway exit, turn right then immediately left (50 feet or so from the exit ramp) onto Camino Capistrano. The In-'N-Out is on the left about 100 yards from the corner of Avery Parkway. If you like hamburgers, you'll never find a better one in a fast-food place.

For RJW: I'll have you know, in all the years I was a cop, I never once had a Krispy Kreme. Unfortunately, they didn't open any in our area until after I retired.

dreamathers, DO try In-'n'-Out. Their burgers are fabulous and you can get them without the bun - protein burgers?

dwooddon: I always forget about that line of fast-food joints down there in South County! That is much easier to get to, you're right. The one I recommended was simply the first one I could think of that was less than 5 minutes off the 405.

And you know the Krispy Kreme reference wasn't a slam to you-- think of all the collateral damage those things are doing to plain ol' office workers who get them in morning staff meetings...!!

My daughter from San Diego just arrived at my house. I asked her your question about how to get from LAX to San Diego. She drives this every other week and says to take 405 to 73 (toll road) which is $3 then to 5 to San Diego.

Lunch ?, take Highway 74 (Ortega Hwy)going west, at first stop light going west, turn left. 1 block down, restaurant on right, called El Adobe in San Juan Capistrano


El Adobe

The Romance of Old San Juan lives on at Historic El Adobe. Designated a Historical Landmark, El Adobe is steeped in regional history. Dating back to 1778 as one of the Yorba Adobes, it is currently considered on of Orange County's most prestigious and well-respected dining and banquet facilities. Serving Lunch and Dinner Daily.

Hope this helps.

Wow, you all are great! Thanks so much for the tips. I was thinking a casual sit down place by the beach (we're from Minnesota) for lunch but if we're in the mood for burgers we'll swing by In N' Out! My husband is on the low carb kick so maybe I'll suprise him with a burger without the bun! We'll be spending Monday night in Anaheim (maybe do Disney World) so if you have any recommendations for Laguna/Newport/Long Beach for a relatively inexpensive/moderate restaurant that would be great. We like seafood- but pretty much anything unique. Also, we'll probably have to be at LAX around 2:30pm next Tuesday- I realize traffic would probaby be horrible- so suggestions for anything to do to kill a few hours is appreciated. I thought maybe a late lunch in Venice Beach????? Thanks, you all are great. My sister may be going to grad school out there next fall so someday I may be more familiar with the area!

The In-'n'-Out burger without bun is called "protein style". If you order fries, be sure to ask for them "well done"-- it ensures crispiness.

If you're heading to Anaheim to do DisneyLAND (the original park!), you might just head to Downtown Disney for dinner. There are several choices there (including a pretty good Cajun joint whose name escapes me). If you want good seafood and don't mind waiting for a table, there are two choices that come to mind in the OC: Walt's Wharf (201 Main), Seal Beach (not far off the 405) and the Original Fish Co. (11061 Los Alamitos at Katella) in Los Alamitos (just east of Long Beach). For out-of-towners, Walt's Wharf is the better choice by far (the other one has great grub, but it's really a locals-only kind of joint). Lots of good eateries in Long Beach as well, but it would involve getting far off the freeway into Belmont Shore or Downtown, so....

Laguna has a number of great restaurants, but it's a bit of a detour-- but it's well worth it. In the seafood realm, CLAES (425 PCH) and 230 Forest are probably the best.