Cali Itinerary Help
 

Hi! My husband and I are would like to take a trip to California this fall for an alumni football game in Southern California. Since we are making the trek all the way from Ohio (and don't really care to spend all that much time in LA), my husband would like to visit San Fransisco and some of N. California. We have found a very reasonsable multi-leg flight (I get car sick and can't do the LONG drive from northern to southern CA) but would like suggestions from the Fodorites on the itinerary. I did visit the area about ten years ago but can't remember our route or how long it took to travel. We only have a week!

Here's what we're looking at:

Monday evening: Arrive in San Fran (catch a Giants game, spent a day or two touring the city, etc.)

Wednesday: head up North to see Redwoods, travel to wine country

Friday morning: return to San Fran for a quick flight down to LA

Saturday: football game

Sunday: home

Is this doable? Ideas for where to go for a short visit in the wine country?

Your help is appreciated!

Sounds good to me, though after Napa Valley I might rather drive to Sacramento and fly south from there, rather than backtracking to San Fran. See our capitol city and fly out of a less hectic airport. One-way car from SF to Sacr should be easy, and though Sacramento is A BIT further map-wise, you won't hit the Friday morning commuter mess going to SFO.

I dunno where your L.A. football game is , but consider flying into Burbank (BUR) or Santa Ana (SNA) rather than the hell that is LAX.

Not sure about rental car return, but you can catch Alaska Airlines from Santa Rosa to LAX nontop if you are not interested in driving back to SFO. I just reread your post and it seems like you might have already purchased your tickets to LA...if not, this might be an option.

As far as a destination in the Redwoods...The Benbow Inn would be fun and is located well for seeing Redwoods. It is near the town of Garberville.

Consider staying in San Francisco and seeing what you want via day trips.

A short distance away from San Francisco is Muir Woods. A gorgeous small stand of Redwoods. While you are there, take a drive out to Stinson Beach and have dinner in Sausalito on your way back to the city.

Another day trip could take you into the wine country of Sonoma Valley.

Just a thought. Have a great trip.

Fall is one of the nicest times to vist San Francisco and the Napa Valley. Be sure you have reservations in Napa before going. Fall is harvest time and weekends get very crowded. Sonoma would be less crowded and they have many nice wineries too. Healdsburg is nice, the Alexander Valley is beautiful and remains off the beaten path.

just a couple of things:

- While the commute into SMF will be busy - it won't be <b>anything</b> like the mess you'd hit driving from Wine country to SFO. So yes - flying from Sacramento (or Santa Rosa if you can get a decent Fare) makes more sense.

- By heading north to the Redwoods do you mean the National Park/Avenue of the Giants area?? If so, that is a VERY long drive. There are redwood parks at Muir Woods in Marin County and Armstrong Redwoods in Sonoma County. They aren't the huge stands like farther north - but will save you a lot of car time. If you do want to go up north - then yes, the Benbow is terrific.

Using the term &quot;Cali&quot; will get you kicked out of California. It's a real no-no. Save it for next time you go to Columbia, SA.

Curious

I was going to warn leeni too ;)

She <i>almost</i> redeemed herself by spelling out California in the actual post. But then there was that &quot;San Fran&quot; :D

I don't know why we are so picky about what we are called, but it is just one of our many quirks, I guess ;)

I lay this &quot;Cali&quot; thing squarely at the feet of LLCoolJ. This is a huge black mark on an otherwise pretty successful career.

First, my apologies to all who were offended by my &quot;Cali&quot; and &quot;San Fran&quot; references! I apologize - it was late when I wrote this post and I was trying to save time! Gosh - I don't want to get kicked out of California before I even arrive!

Thanks for the all the great info. Never thought about flying out of the North instead of backtracking. Luckily for us, we haven't booked our flights yet so we still have flexibility.

Follow up questions:

1. Driving distance between San Fransisco, Muir Woods, and wine country areas? How about continuing to Sacramento?

2. Given our schedule and geography, which is better: Sonoma Valley, Healdsburg, or Alexander Valley? (Just need a taste, er, sip, of the wine country...)

3. Football game is at Los Angeles Coliseum so what are the two or so most convenient airports for that destination? I don't think we'll rent a car so transportation to/from game and airport will be a factor.

Thanks again!

leeni8:

It's CA or California and San Francisco is either spelled out or referred to as &quot;The City.&quot; :)

Have a wonderful trip!

LAX is the closest airport to the Coliseum, but where will you be staying?

(Bring a hankie. The Trojans will win.)

Leeni - at least you didn't refer to Orange County as &quot;the O.C.&quot; -- another pet peeve of mine -- and I don't even live in California any more. :-)

BTW, I don't think you can get from LAX to the Coliseum and back without a car...if that's changed since I lived there (10+ years ago) I'm sure someone will correct me.

And to all those who might be tempted, don't call it <b>Frisco</b>, either.

You can get from LAX to anywhere in L.A. by taxi. It doesn't sound like you're on a tight budget, but you could also take the bus to Union Station or the metro (train).

Getting to the Coliseum by taxi is easy (and is offset a bit by avoiding parking fees), but finding a cab after the game might be almost impossible. But we drive to the Coliseum , so I could be wrong about the availability of cabs after the games. There is a Radisson Hotel nearby which I suppose would have a taxi stand. The hotel is probably sold-out already for that weekend:

http://www.radisson.com/losangelesca_midtown

If you rent a car, you would have to pay for overnight parking at most of the nicer hotels.

<i>(Bring a hankie. The Trojans will win.)</i>

Unless they're playing Stanford (sorry, couldn't resist :)!)

If you are going to be in the wine country I would not go to Muir Woods for redwoods. I would either take Hwy 1 to Bodega Bay or Hwy 101 to Petaluma, get off at the East Washington Street exit and follow that to the Bodega Highway (it's automatic) and go to Bodega Bay that way. (Faster).

Then go north on Hwy 1 past the Sonoma County beaches and when you cross the bridge over the Russian River go east on Hwy 116 to Guerneville, where you will find Armstrong Grove Redwoods State Park. Larger than Muir Woods and no fleets of tour buses.

If you continue on Hwy 116 you come to Santa Rosa, but if you take a left fork you will end up in Healdsburg which is a charming wine town and a good place to spend the night, after perhaps having time to either sample some of the tasting rooms in town or head out to one of the closer wineries. (Ask someone in Guerneville to put you on the road to Healdsburg.)

The next day you would have time to visit some wineries in the Dry Creek area or the Alexander Valley, Geyserville, etc. Since Healdsburg is just off Highway 101, it is a straight shot back to San Francisco.

If you can get a reasonable flight out of Santa Rosa, as someone suggested, that is even closer. It is a little harder to get to Sacramento from Sonoma County than from Napa County, but I would do it this way for the Redwood experience.

Thank you to all who have given us great advice. Just a few more follow up questions:

Here is how our itinerary is shaping up:

FRI: Fly from Santa Rosa to LAX (only non-stop choice)

Stay overnight in LA area (Hollywood? Downtown?)

SAT: Attend game at LA Coliseum; return to hotel

SUN: Based on price, fly out of either LAX or Santa Ana to return home

So, my final questions:

1. What part of LA should we stay in that's safe and somewhat convenient to LA Coliseum? (I read that the area around the Coliseum isn't all that great)

2. Which airport is more convenient to leave from based on the above? Is Santa Ana too far? Good transportation there?

Please help once more - I'd like to book our flights soon!

THANK YOU!

I would suggest downtown L.A. There are lots of great hotel choices which should be pretty reasonable on weekends, as they cater to the business traveler during the week. Try Priceline for a 4* in the downtown zone. Your cab ride from downtown hotels to the Coliseum would be much shorter than the ride from Hollywood.

From downtown, you can take the Metro Rail (www.mta.net) to Union Station, then catch the $4 &quot;Flyaway Bus&quot; to LAX. www.lawa.org/lax/LAXflyAway.cfm#2

Is the trade off for a much cheaper flight out of Santa Ana worth the added hassle of finding a shuttle or cab to take us there on a Sunday morning? Better to stick with LAX even if pricier?

We have really liked the Russian River area, as a day-trip from San Francisco. Is it considered to be wine country? It's a gorgeous place.
:)&gt;-

I guess it depends on how much cheaper. You could probably get a car service to take you from downtown LA to SNA for about $100 one way. On a Sunday morning, it should only be about a 45 minute ride. I wouldn't chance a shuttle or taxi. Try: http://orangecountyairportlimo.com
for a quote.

I agree with lvk's suggestion to stay in downtown L.A. You can't really consider the area around the Coliseum because there's only one or two hotels, the Radisson being the only one I'd consider and its website says it's sold out for that weekend. USC sells out most home games, but this will be the biggest game on USC's home schedule this season. There will be a huge number of out-of-town people at the game, and you should get your hotel reservation soon.

You might also check to see if the OSU alum association (and/or another booster group) has any lodging and transportation packages. Many of these groups book blocks of rooms all over L.A. (including where I live in Manhattan Beach) and take the fans back and forth in luxury buses.

I also agree with the airport comments and wouldn't consider SNA unless the fare was crazy cheaper.

Hopefully you are planning this trip for September as the baseball season ends at the end of the month.

Car rentals on weekends are $17 per day, and traffic is very manageable usually. Why are you cabbing from LAX to downtown, to the Colliseum, to Santa Ana etc?

Clarkgriswold, there may be cheap weekend car rentals available, but the parking charges are steep. For the USC/OSU game at the Colisseum, parking could easily reach $40-50 unless they get to the Colisseum several hours before the game and snag a spot in one of the state-owned lots or on the USC campus. (Many groups with and without motor homes arrive at dawn.) Likewise, overnight parking at a downtown hotel can cost more than the car rental unless they find a package that includes free parking.

And traffic? Around the Colisseum on the days of big games, traffic is very controlled and to an out-of-towner could be very confusing. The only good news is that there is no home Dodger or UCLA game the same day and no events scheduled (yet) at either Staples Center or Nokia Theater.

Get the car and have the freedom to stay someplace memorable/different like Beverly Hills, Santa Monica or Manhattan Beach.

There are beautiful museums within walking distance of the Coliseum, so you can go to the game early and have plenty to see while you wait. $40 for parking is nothing compared to the cost of cabbing it everywhere for two days. Get a late flight on Sunday if you can, enjoy half of another day, maybe at a beach just minutes from the airport. LAX probably has the best flights out for you, and shouldn't be difficult to deal with on a Sunday.

Thanks to all - flights are booked! Now I'll try to comb through other posts for good hotel ideas. Does anyone have hotel suggestions for:

Central area of San Francisco: Sun-Tues: central located as good sightseeing base; Nothing fancy.

Healdsburg area: 2 nights mid-week (and I know nothing is budget-priced in this area but something reasonable)

Downtown L.A.: Fri-Sat nights. Again, nothing fancy - just safe.

We still haven't decided on the car rental in LA but for now, let's look at downtown LA.

Again, many thanks. I would have never thought to fly out of STS. I really appreciate all of your help - you guys are the best!

The Omni Hotel in downtown L.A. gets good reviews. Nice location, close to Museum of Contemporary Art, Grand Central Market, Disney Hall, Music Center and walking distance to the cathedral.

<i>Central area of San Francisco: Sun-Tues: central located as good sightseeing base; Nothing fancy.</i>

What's your budget? Or better yet, how much is more than you're willing to spend?

dmlove, as far as budget, I think most of our budget will go towards activities and food, as well as time in Healdsburg. I guess $125 - $150/night. What about Best Western Hotel California in Financial District (just saw a good rate for it and it looks alright)

There's a Best Western in Healdsburg that is decent; otherwise I'd suggest staying in Calistoga. It's a beautiful 30 min. drive from Calistoga to Healdsburg, plus Calistoga is a sweet little old-fashioned resort town with natural hot springs. One budget-minded place our friends have liked is Washington Street Lodging.

As far as downtown LA, I would also pick the Omni as first choice.

Others that have good locations are the Bonaventure and the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown.

In a bit more urban situation (next to Pershing Square) are the Biltmore and Checkers.

Leeni, I don't know the hotel (I live here, so don't stay in hotels here often!) but I checked on TripAdvisor and it gets pretty good reviews. It has what is supposed to be an excellent vegan restaurant (Millenium), is near Union Square (theaters, shopping), etc. It might be a good choice.

Do a search -- others have had very good things to say about the Chancellor and the Rex hotels (but I don't know the prices).

Read the Tripadvisor reviews on the mentioned L.A. hotels. Some have had rather negative (or mixed) ones recently. The Omni ranks #1.

Just to clarify re: budget. We are trying to stay around $125-$150 per night in San Francisco. Open to more in Healdsburg and would like to spent less in L.A. since we'll be there such a short time.

Suggestions for area to stay in San Francisco based on itinerary?

Columbus Motor Inn for San Francisco.

ParkPlazaLodgeHotel.com for Los Angeles if you decide to book a car.
How early is your return flight from LAX?

We leave LAX at noon on Sunday.

Thanks for everyone's help so far. Anyone else have Healdsburg area or San Francisco hotel ideas?