California trip report
 

Well, we're back from our one-week trip to San Francisco and Monterey. It was wonderful! so beautiful there, and had great weather. It was nice to spend spring break someplace that wasn't packed (we usually go to Florida or the caribbean).

We arrived about noon saturday at SFO, picked up our rental car and headed to Monterey on highway one (picked up at Half Moon Bay). We pulled over a few times...my two teenagers (14-yr old son and 17 yr old daughter) really enjoyed watching all the kite surfers. Cool! Also stopped in Santa Cruz and walked along the boardwalk with our ice cream cones. The kids enjoyed, although not my cup of tea.

We stayed at the Monterey Plaza Hotel, and I was glad we splurged for an oceanfront room with balcony. A very pretty hotel, and it was so relaxing to drink my coffee on the sunny balcony every morning and watch the adorable sea otters (wearing my complimentary terry cloth robe!) The hotel was in a good location for us because you could walk to a lot of places and the kids liked Cannery Row. We walked to a Thai place in Pacific Grove the first night which was very good. Next day we hiked around in Point Lobos and watched the young sea lions nursing on the beach. Then we stopped at the Mission in Carmel. Finally a drink at the Hog's Breath and then back to Monterey. Ate at the Monterey Fish House that night. It was good, although very crowded.

Next day we planned to drive into Big Sur but turned back because of Fog. Went to the aquarium and that was a great place, but kind of crowded (I guess you can tell by now I have a low tolerance for crowds!) We spent about two hours there, which probably didn't do it justice, but everyone was ready to go. Then we shopped a bit, had dinner at the Blue Moon which was ok (nice views and decor) but too much $.

The next day we did go to Big Sur, went to Julia Pfeifer Burns, McWay falls, hiked amongst some redwoods. Nepenthe for lunch. All wonderful!!! We also stopped at Pfeiffer Beach which is awesome. Huge rocks in the water. It was sooo windy the sand was blowing in our faces, and kind of cold, but still very neat, and we hung out there for a while. Ate at the hotel that night which was fine.

Next day we drove to San Francisco, with a stop at the Elkhorn Slough on the way. I like birds, and my kids humored me.

We stayed at the Argonaut in San Fran and really liked it. The lobby is very cozy and they serve wine complimentary to guests. We got rid of our rental car before checking in (first drove over the golden gate and through sausalito) and didn't miss it. The ARgonaut was a good location, away from the tacky madness of Fisherman's wharf but still close enough to make it easy to get around. Nice views of the Golden Gate from the park next door.

While in San Fran, we toured Alcatraz, which we all enjoyed, also walked through China Town which was a lot of fun, and of course rode cable cars. I had been there twice before and never done those things (both times the cable cars were out of service). We ate in the North Beach area and walked up to Coit Tower from there to see the views at night. Had lunch in Chinatown. Another dinner at Ghiradelli at Mccormick's. Beautiful restaurant, food ok. My husband said the oysters were good. Spent part of our last day in Berkeley, which was fun. Of course, now my daughter wants to go to college there, although it sounds impossible for out of staters to get in.

All of you lucky enough to live in that area, enjoy it! When my boyfirend (now husband) and I first saw it as a college grad in 1979, we wanted to move there. Life and three children intervened. I think you have to do it when you're young.

This was one of the best vacations we've had. Aside from the beautiful weather and scenery, the best part was my kids. They didn't fight once and we all compromised with each other's desires about what to do. They never complained once! I really enjoyed their company and great sense of humor. They grow up so fast--just when it gets easy to travel with them they're off to college.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice. It got to be too much at times (due to my compulsiveness!) but I really think you can't go wrong in California. I had a lot of misgivings at first about skipping Hearst, but for our family with just one week, this was perfect. We did a lot, but still had time to relax and enjoy where we were without a lot of driving.

Plus, now I have an excuse to go back and see Hearst and the south portion of Big Sur!

Sounds like you had a great time. Wonderful report.

Wow Bucky! You really packed it in. I'm glad the weather cooperated, the kids got along and you had a great time! Thanks for posting.

Hi Bucky,
Sounds Great! We're taking the kids there on Wednesday for 9 days (4 days in Yosemite).
Like you we are "tempting" our kids to choose a city that we will all love for college! (Yeah, I should have moved there in "79" too after college....)
I've been there many times but, like you, this will be the first time to visit "the Rock" or to jump onto a cable car!
Regards,
Pete & Wendy

What, no San Jose? No Winchester Mystery House, no Etruscan Museum, SJ opera and ballet? No flights in/out of SJ airport, no restaurant meals in SJ, no hotel stays? You could easily have skipped Monterey, the Pacific Ocean and SF and spent the week enjoying the suburban sprawl "culture" of San Jose. NOT! Just yanking Nutjob's chain, lol.

Glad to hear that you had a nice time, thanks for the report.

Great report, bucky!

Thanks so much for posting! So many people come on this forum to ask about California and I often wonder how their trips went! It's priceless getting your feedback.

Please tell your daughter that she should try applying to the UC system anyhow. All colleges need "diversity", so an out-of-state application will add to the UC diversity.

I believe that one application is sufficient for all the UC campuses. She just has to specify which ones she wants to go to (doesn't need to apply to all of them!). She can't go wrong with UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara or UC San Diego.

Guess you'll have to make another trip to California to check out the other UC campuses! LOL!

Great report! Thanks again!

And thanks again for your help.

She's definitely going to apply--there's no stopping her now! The tour guide at Berkeley told us only 8% get in from out of state, so it's really difficult, even though she's near the top of her class. I believe it's easier for grad students, so I'm encouraging her to try again then. (And secretly hoping she stays in the Midwest for undergrad so I can keep her closer to home for a few more years!)

Something to think about - if your daughter is interested in the UC system and doesn't get in as a freshman, she might consider transfering in as a junior. California has a good community college system and many colleges have direct transfer agreements with the UCs and California state universities. Basically, as long as there is space at the university, your daughter maintains a 3.0 or higher GPA at the community college, and she completes her lower division requirements, she will be accepted at the university of her choice through the transfer program. If space is limited in her chosen major, there may be additional requirements. A financial benefit of going this route, the out of state tuition surcharge for the community colleges is less than that for the university, and by attending school in California for a couple years, your daughter would have a chance to establish California residency before entering the university and avoid the out of state tuition surcharge.

Thanks for the trip report. Just visited SF myself in January and had a similarly good time. It was like I was back!

Our kids too did not want to stay at the Aquarium much longer than 2 hours. I wonder if it's because they rather see the sea life in the wild.