California for 10 days - need help!
 

Hi, <BR> <BR>We are planning to go to California for 10 days in July with our 2 teenaged kids. <BR> <BR>Arriving and departing from San Diego. What itinerary would you suggest? My eldest wants to see the beaches and the sidewalk that has the handprints of the movie stars. I want to see nice scenery (Sequoias, Canyons & cliffs). My husband wants to see Las Vegas. <BR> <BR>Can we do all of the above in 10 days? <BR> <BR>Thanks, I appreciate any help you can provide.

Not in ten days, unless you REALLY rush and turn a vacation into a mad marathon. <BR> <BR>Suggest you spend a week in the Los Angeles area, alternating between Hollywood, beaches, and scenic beauty (it's there, but you have to look hard for it!). Then spend a couple days in Vegas. By NOT going to Vegas on a weekend, you can get great rates for lodging. <BR> <BR>California scenery like you want to see will take ten days of its own, and it's a two day drive from San Diego anyway. So just look forward to it at a later date.

I agree about not trying to squeeze in a trip to No. California and So. California as well as Vegas. <BR> <BR>Vegas is extremely hot in July, pick a hotel with a great pool. Definitely go midweek. <BR> <BR>I love San Diego, spend a day at Sea World - lots of good beaches and fun watersports.

I LOVE California! Southern Cal has the best beaches and best attractions! Ocean Beach, and Pacific Beach are nice beaches in San Diego. I liked Mission Beach best though-they have a roller coaster and shops and all sorts of fun things right there! Go about an hour north to Oceanside, or San Clemente for more peaceful, cleaner beaches. These are my favorite beaches in California. Good waves for surfing or body boarding too. Go to Los Angeles for a ton of activites such as Hollywood-walk of the stars, and the Chinese restaurant for the famous handprints, or the Hollywood sign, go to a talk show or late night show taping, Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Santa Monica, Venice Beach...the list goes on and on. It would be so hard to do all of that in 10 days. You can, but it will be hectic. I would go to Las Vegas another time. That's a vacation in its own!

L: I think, to some extent, it depends where you're coming from. If this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip to California, then you might want to try to include as much as possible. On the other hand, if you can come back - and you will want to!- then perhaps you can have a more relaxing vacation. I live in San Diego, and my suggestion would be to limit yourselves to SD and LA. Your kids will love San Diego and will want to spend every day on the beach. Great beaches for teenagers (I have two) are Mission Beach, La Jolla Shores, Torrey Pines State Beach, and Del Mar. Parking is awful at Mission Beach and even worse in Del Mar, but the others have a lot of parking space. Make sure you sit close to a lifeguard tower, and, before the kids go in the water, ask the lifeguards where it's OK to swim. We have lots of rip currents close to the shore and they can be very dangerous. Whatever you decide to do, I'm sure you'll have a great time.

I'd recommend: Palm Springs, with a day trip to Joshua Tree, which is a huge desert with some unique boulders and trees (Joshua Trees) -- it is a sight to see, and there are some nice hiking trails. <BR>Then, I'd head to La Jolla (just north of San Diego), then up the coast to Laguna. Both La jolla and Laguna are upscale, artsy areas with some great restaurants and shopping. Both are on the ocean.

I agree that it is probably a lot of ground to cover in 10 days. Bear in mind that the Sequoias are over 500 miles north of San Diego. If you don't see yourself returning in the near future you could consider an inexpensive round trip flight on Southwest Airlines from San Diego to San Francisco or San Jose and spend a few days in the north. Base yourself just north of SF, in Tibuorn or Sausalito, so you have easy access to Muir Woods, the Marin coastline, the wine country, in addition to San Francisco. <BR> <BR>Otherwise, San Diego and LA are doable in 10 days. Vegas is a long, hot drive thru the desert. You really need to go there?? If you do, travel in the evening.

You can see the big trees at Sequoyah National Park. <BR>A suggestion...head to LA tour the area, <BR>do an overnight there, and then the next <BR>am, check out the beaches. Then head <BR>north towards Fresno...but not that far. <BR>Spend the night in Visalia and then <BR>head to Sequoyah National Park to see <BR>the big trees. The park is about 1hr <BR>from Visalia...shouldn't be an all day <BR>visit. You could then head back towards <BR>LA after the park...Bakersfield is <BR>2hrs north of LA..and head back thru <BR>LA towards San Diego. Vegas is a stretch, about 4hrs from LA..depends on <BR>whether you like to keep moving or prefer a slower pace. Tijuana is not <BR>far from San Diego..you can walk thru <BR>and back (parking outside the border on <BR>the US side). But don't let the kids <BR>get out of sight, keep everyone together <BR>and you should do okay there...just be <BR>aware of pick pockets and purse snatchers. The San Diego zoo is excellent, La Jolla is interesting with <BR>great and reasonable restaurants. <BR>If you are into dinosaurs LA does have <BR>the La Brea tar pits..it is quite interesting.

L, it's a good 8 hours, and a wretched boring dusty hot 8 hours at that, between Las Vegas and Sequoia NP, via Barstow and Bakersfield. The alternate route is via Death Valley, which would be interesting in the winter but not advised in July, maybe not even allowed as the National Park Service can close the roads in DV if they think it's dangerously hot, which it can be. <BR>That makes Las Vegas a pretty long detour, doable if it's really important to you, but a couple of thoughts on that... First, in July it can be too hot to do much outside in LV during the day, except maybe go somewhere in the car, maybe Lake Mead or Hoover Dam, but even then you step outside the car and pow, it hits you. It's often even too hot to sit by the pool, so you end up inside the casinos, which is where they want you to be, anyway. Most visitors to LV in the summer turn their days upside down, going out at night and sleeping during the heat of the day. Second, for kids, though, that can be a drag, and they end up with the TV or at the video arcades and junk food stands thoughtfully provided by the casinos to allow Mom and Dad to enjoy the free drinks at the craps tables or the slots. The "family destination" thing for LV is baloney IMO. It IS fun at night, with all the lights and sinking pirates and erupting volcanoes and all that, so if you decide to go just plan on becoming temporary night people. <BR> <BR>If the LV spur can be postponed to another time, you might consider taking those 2 or 3 extra days and extending your trip up the coast to the Hearst Castle at San Simeon, about 4 or 5 hours north of LA. Beautiful coast scenery, interesting for you and your kids.

Yes, you can do it all if you don't mind a lot of driving. Suggest you spend a day in San Diego, then head up the coast to LA where your kids can see Hollywood and the handprints - perhaps even Universal Studios to round out the star experience. From there suggest you jet over to Vegas where even the kids will have fun. Then come back over the mountains into central California and wander up through Yosemite. Spend at least one day there and then jet over to the coast for a long ride up through SF (a must stay for a day) then on to the redwoods and Mendocino. Then, with everyone warn out, a full day drive down interstate 5 will return you to San Diego in time to go home. It's aggressive, but do-able and every bit of the scenery is wonderful.

Just because it can be done does not make it a good idea. While you could do so cal, vegas and squeeze in Yosemite, you should save central coast and northern cal for another visit. 10 days is pretty short to cover that mileage. If you skip vegas you could do a bit more on the coast. Consider how often you would want to change hotels. Are you willing to stay in more than 4 hotels? One in SD, one in LA, one in Vegas, One in/near Yosemite or Sequoia, one on the coast etc, etc. It's hard to see it all and still feel like you've been on vacation! Good luck planning.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. We will have 11 1/2 days after all. This is a once in a lifetime trip with our kids. We come from Montreal, Canada therefore, the chance of coming back are very slim. <BR> <BR>We want to see as much as possible but on the other hand, to much driving might spoil the trip. <BR> <BR>We will arrive in San Diego around 1pm on a Thursday and leave on a Monday. Where and how many nights should we spend in each city? <BR> <BR>What areas of these cities should I look at for lodging(safe and affordable)? <BR> <BR>Which of the suggested beaches have trees so I can sit in the shade? <BR> <BR>Thanks <BR> <BR>

If he wants to go to Vegas just for the gambling, why don't you suggest Tahoe instead? (Vegas is VERY hot during the summer! My friend took the Hoover Dam tour this past weekend and it was 125 F down at the bottom.) Get out a map....there are four basic ways to shoot straight up California...I-5 is the quickest, but boring...(but you will see how California feeds the world if you drive up I-5)...you can take I-5 until it hits Hwy 99, which is an older highway, but the Sequoias are not that far from it..(up at Sacramento, you would connect to Hwy. 50 to cut over to Tahoe from either I-5 or Hwy 99)...Highway 101 will take you through the San Francisco area, but it is a longer drive, (but cooler temps).... You can see things along the way and come back on another route...Hwy 1 takes you along the coast, (a good part of 101 does, too...at times, 101 and Hwy. 1 are the same road). If you spend a couple of days in each area, you can do it...the key here is 'organization'. Your butts will feel like cement at times, but if it is a one-time shot, try to cram as much in as you can and just remember that you can rest when you get back home. (We do this when we go to Europe and it is surprising as to how much we actually do remember). There are beaches all up and down the coast, but the warmest ones are around southern California. If you want ocean drama, then you should drive up Hwy. 1 and go through the Big Sur area. If you go to Grauman's Chinese, (hand and footprints), please try to make it to the La Brea Tar Pits, which aren't that far away from Hollywood...they are unique...plus, they aren't that far away from the beach in Santa Monica.. You have plenty of options here, but just try to talk him out of Vegas...very, very hot!

San Diego 2 nights, LA 2 nights,up 101 with stop in Santa Barbara or Solvang (Pea Soup Anterson's in Buellton is a California institution and is just off the freeway)for lunch to Pismo Beach/Morro Bay/Cambria 1 night, through Big Sur on hwy 1 then to Monterey 1 night, San Francisco 3 nights (go to Muir Woods to see the trees), straight down 101 to San Luis Obispo 1 night (stop in Gonzales at Las Fuentes for lunch if you like really good Mexican food), early start to drive down to San Diego 1 night before departure. Your last day will be a Sunday which will allow you to get through LA in the best possible time to San Diego. In LA I would stay in or near Santa Monica which is great fun for teens on the beach, on the pier or renting bikes/skates to go down to crazy Venice Boardwalk. Personally I would shorten the two nights in San Diego to 1 and spend more time on the Central Coast, but you've never been here. You must talk husband out of Las Vegas--just not worth it. God forgive me for mentioning this, but I believe there's a Chumash Indian casino somewhere on the Central Coast near Santa Maria or Paso Robles? if he absolutely has to gamble. And, no trees on the beaches--bring a sun hat if you have skin problems. If teens are girls, there's a super designer outlet mall at Gilroy just off 101 about 2 hours south of San Francisco. Have a great trip. Get the kids to read a bit about the history of California, the missions, the plight of the sea otters, the importance of water etc. Only wish you had more time.

Well Kam provides inspiration for accomplishing this feat. First, talk hubby into giving up Las Vegas, it's too hot there in July anyway. You can see the rest of what you want with drives no more than 4 ish hours. Starting in SD 2 nights, LA 2 nights, Fish Camp (south entrance of Yosemite you can see the valley and the giant Sequoias in the south of Yosemite) 2 nights, SF 2 nights (you've seen trees now you can skip Muir woods and can concentrate on the sites in SF), Monterey 1 night, Santa Barbara 1 night and back to SD for your last night. I know I plagerized from Kam a bit here, because it is a good plan. Just wanted to avoid doubling back over scenery previously viewed.

Thanks for your suggestions.. My husband does not want to see Vegas to gamble, he wants to see it for the lights, the hotels ect... We have a casino here in Montreal and we are not into gambling at all. <BR> <BR>I agree that Vegas will be very hot but he really wants to include it in our itinerary... <BR> <BR>I have a boy (15) and a girl (11) who have been to Universal Sudio and Disney world in Florida so these will be skipped in California. <BR> <BR>If we want to go to a talk show taping where can we go? Do we need to reserve in advance?

btt

L,<BR>I suggest that you concentrate most, if not all of your time in Southern California. The scenery is beautiful. It is lively, and suprisingly, is not overcrowded. I'm talking about San Diego. They have so much to do there. Some of my favorites are<BR>1. renting a bike (your hotel will most likely have them), and then taking the bike (yourself too), and going across the bay on the ferry to Coronado. In Coronado, biking is a favorite, and is an easy way to get around.<BR>2. Another great thing to do snorkel. in an upscale town named La Jolla. In the La Jolla Cove, they reserved a whole beach/tide pool for the main purpose of snorkeling. I recommend that you bring your own equitment, seeing that buying it can get costly. <BR>3.Go to Cabrillo National monument. It is a big park on the pennisula that has a great tide pool. You walk down the cliff, and go and watch the water come in and out of the beach. They have wild life all around the place, and a great view of the pacific ocean.<BR>Hoped you dound all of this info. useful.<BR>C ya, Kim

If this really is a "once in a lifetime" trip, then you must ALL see what you desire! First poster Paul had it down pretty good, but I'd like to add to it. Living where you do I would imagine you have beautiful scenery at home. After some San Diego zoo and beaches and the LA stuff, DO go to Vegas, as long as you can cope with the reality of 110 degrees in the shade! Do indoor stuff or pool time in the hot afternoons, see the outdoor stuff EARLY in the morning, and stroll and see the lights LATE at night. There's a nap in there somewhere, just do it smart and drink LOTS of liquids. I recommend driving up to Zion National Park in Utah for GORGEOUS scenery comparable to California's Yosemite, and at a much closer (3 hours) from Vegas. If you can stand the heat in Vegas, 90's in this park should not be too bad. And the drive getting there has great beauty, too. Do this midweek also, if possible. Summers crowds are everywhere, but even moreso on weekends.<BR>Feel free to e-mail me directly for suggestions on LA/San Diego areas, too. I live in LA area.<BR>You CAN do it, just plan well, but maybe not the Big Trees....too far.

Is there anyway that you could fly into San Diego and then fly back to Canada from the San Francisco area? It would give you a lot more time and often the multi-leg tickets aren't any more money. In fact, I recently saved money by flying into Vancouver and flying back from Seattle. <BR>While Las Vegas will be sweltering hot, it is an amazing sight at night with all of the bright lights - there's no place quite like it.