LisaDiane

Hello,
I've been reading & researching the many great posts here, and would love some feedback on our first itinerary for our trip.

Background info: Myself and DH (both 32)making our first trip to CA. We live in TX, DH has dreamed of SF trip for years (he has been a 49er fan since grade school - somewhat challenging in the land of the Cowboys!)

Here are the plans so far:

Thurs, Sept. 22: Arrive Oakland at 10:25 a.m. Head to lodging to drop off luggage(currently have reservations at Hotel Bijou on Mason, but we're hoping to get a better deal on Priceline). Eat lunch, then plan on spending afternoon biking the bridge. After bike trip, spend a short time checking out Wharf before heading to dinner.(Not sure where!)

Fri, Sept. 23: 10 a.m. "City Scapes & Public Places" Walking tour, followed by lunch at Crocker Galleria (Thank you Stu Dudley!) Afternoon: possibly explore Union Square & Chinatown, dinner at Chef Jia's or Hunans Home

Sat, Sept. 24: Really need some help here...would like to see the following: Legion of Honor, Golden Gate Park, Palace of Fine Arts/Exploratorium, and Ferry Bldg.

Sun, Sept. 25: NFL game starts about 1 p.m., not sure what to do before. Is Tartine Bakery open on Sundays? After game, will pick up rental car and drive to Monterey. Dinner at one of the following: Old Fisherman's Grotto, Monterey Fish House, or Forge in the Forest in Carmel. Lodging at The Munras Lodge in Monterey.

Mon, Sept. 26: Breakfast at Friar Tuck's in Carmel at 7:30 a.m. Pt Lobos at 9 a.m., leave by 11 a.m. Pick up lunch at Big Sur Deli. Would like to make Hearst Castle tour at 3:30 p.m., is this possible? If so, after tour head to LA.

Tues, Sept. 27: Not sure here...want to see the following while in LA: Getty Center, Hollyhock House, Graystone Mansion, La Brea Tar Pits, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood, also a beach area. Undecided about dining in LA, but definitely want to try Farmer's Market

Wed, Sept. 28: Universal Studios (not just for tour, we also enjoy rides and shows)

Thurs, Sept. 29: Warner Bros Studio Tour, no sure what to pair with this.

Fri, Sept. 30: Depart from LA

Okay, that's what I have so far. I would greatly appreciate your input!

Lisa

nancytwo

My comment for the Monterey/Carmel/Hearst Castle visit is that you are really blowing through it. Monterey and Carmel are beautiful and the drive down Highway 1 is one of the most famous drives in the US with many places to stop and enjoy the sights like Big Sur, Rocky Point, Ventana, To make it to Hearst Castle by 3:30 can be done but you would be pushing it. Highway 1 follows the coast and is just a two lane road not a freeway. You might want to consider spending the night in Cambria after Hearst Castle and heading off to LA the next day. Cambria has many nice places to stay on the beach. From there I would head inland take the Highway 101 to LA. Good time of the year to visit the CA coast.

janis

I don't have time right now to address the full itinerary. But you'll probably get other responses.

But I do have a comment about the Sunday. Are you actually going to the Niner game? Or are you just watching it on TV and then heading south?

If you are going to the game - do realize it is impossible to get out of Candlestick's (I refuse to use any of the later names) parking lot until long after the game is over.

If you are just watching it and then picking up the car to head south - the game will affect traffic very seriously and you will probably be quite delayed on any southward route.

If it were me and just watching the game on TV, I'd get the car first thing in the a.m. and head down to Monterey. You will have plenty of time to get to your hotel and watch the game there. If you wait until after the niner game to get your car it will be a pretty darned long/late drive to Monterey.

gigib

Where are you staying in L.A.? You will of course have a rental car!

razzledazzle

ttt & good example of a travel thread...

carlmont

Lisa,

You have picked the most perfect time to come! I highly recommend spending more time in the Northern California area. In my opinion Yosemite, San Francisco, Monterey/Carmel and Big Sur are scenic wonders. Southern California is nice if you stick to the coast (especially from L.A. down to San Diego.
As a California native since birth (my great grandfather was born in San Francisco in 1863) I must admit my partiality to Northern California and others may think I am biased and they might be right. Whatever you do I hope you have a wonderful time!

Lisa too

FainaAgain

Regarding Sat 24: start with Ferry Building, if you don't buy anything, take an F trolley to bus line 30, go to Exploratorium, not sure how to get from there to the Legion of Honor, somehow to bus line 2 and walk up along the golf field, from there bus 18 to Golden Gate park and check out the park's shuttle to go to the Japanese Garden.

Surfergirl

Along the lines of the question asked by Janis, I had a couple of questions about that Sunday as well. First, what time does the game end and how are you getting from the game to the hotel to the car? And will the car be available late Sunday afternoon? Is the rental place open?

The drive down to Monterey (after all the traffic) should be nice, but I don't think after all that driving and settling into your hotel on Munras that you're going to want to back track on Del Monte to the Fish House (although it IS a great place!). Instead, if it were me, I'd go and have dinner on the wharf. They probably will have their $20 lobster specials going on. We like Delmonico's (or is it Dominico's -- I forget the name)and Gilberts recently reopened it's dining room after a nice remodel.

I can't imagine you would make it to Hearst Castle by 3:30, do the tour then head to L.A. The trip from Monterey to L.A. using Highway 1, then 101 can range anywhere from 8 to 12 hours depending on weather, road conditions, stops to take photos, etc. It is NOT a drive (especially heading south, on the cliff side) you want to race. DO get a full tank of gas before leaving Monterey.

I can't imagine not stopping in Big Sur other than to go to the Deli, but that's me.

By the time you hit the Santa Barbara area, you will hit traffic. They are in the process of adding another traffic lane, but that's been going on for some time. It still won't be fast until you hit Ventura County.

JBC411

Right on, janis! Candlestick it is! We all should refuse to meekly accommodate this "name sale" silliness.

It amazes me that so many, especially in the media, obediently parrot these meaningless names whuich are nothing but advertising--even when not receiving any payment for it. I would expect the specific media in partnership with the team owners (like the stations broacasting the games) to do their advertising duty to those who have paid for it, but for so many others to use these names which have nothing to do with the teams' or the localities' history--and even use them excessively, substituting the commercial annuncement for many times they would have used simply "the ballpark" or the "the stadium" before--seems very sheeplike to me.

Our conversations and writings with each other are not for sale, and we who have not agreed to spout advertising in exchange for payment should insist on using names which have some meaning when talking amongst ourselves.

LisaDiane, let me join the chorus that you are not allowing enough time between Carmel and Hearst Catle. You will not see anything in California more otherworldly beautiful or more worthy of seeing at leisure than
Point Lobos and Big Sur. Seeing these places and touring Hearst Castle on the same day will not work. You should throw away the map in determining how long you will need for the Carmel to San Simeon trip. You will both want and need (for safety reasons) to take this stretch more slowly than anyone used to Texas driving can imagine.

Type Big Sur in the search box and click on Search. Many threads discussing the area and what to see there will appear to the left.

LisaDiane

Wow, thanks for so many great responses! I will try to clarify our plans and answer questions in the order of the responses...

We are aware that we are not going to fully appreciate the coast, but we will be able to at least experience it for a short time. If I had unlimited funds, I would spend several weeks for this trip! Having never been to California, it was extremely difficult to choose and we wanted to experience as much as possible. There are so many places to see! (We are already talking about our "next trip to CA" and we haven't even made it to the firest one). Soooo, we chose our destinations based on what we both wanted to see the most. I wasn't able to convince DH to stay on the coast more than one night, he is very much a "travel nazi!"

We are actually going to the game. We are planning to rent the car before we go to the game, but would rather park it elsewhere and take public transport to the game, especially since it sounds like it will take forever to get out. Any ides for this?

So far for LA, we have only secured lodging for the first night, at the Holiday Inn Santa Monica.

FainaAgain, thank you for the info for Saturday, that sounds perfect! I wasn't sure where to start, and I think that will work out well. I wasn't aware that the park had a shuttle so thanks for that info too!

Surfergirl, we still haven't quite worked out the logistics of getting from the game to the car. I did check to make sure the rental agency is open Sunday morning, which is when we are planning on picking up the rental. The game starts at 1 pm, I guess it will be over around 4pm? I wonder if the rental agency would allow us to leave the car parked until after the game...that would save problem with parking. Anyway, for the dining in Monterey, we may just be too tired and end up picking up something to eat in the hotel room!

DH & I are used to long road trips, as he hates to fly. I'm lucky I convinced him that there was no way I was driving to CA from TX.

I really want to stop at Hearst Castle if it is a possibility. We don't mind getting into LA really late, we will sleep in the next morning.


Okay, I think that should help clarify. Thanks for all the great responses and please keep them coming!

Lisa

janis

OK - it looks like we can't convince the travel nazi to spend more time on the coast.

So back to some practical info about your Sunday plans.

The game will not end until a bit after 4:00, UNLESS there is overtime, or lengthy stopages during the game. Yes you can take buses to the game -- most people w/ any sense do unless they are tailgating. But the buses don't start leaving until 30 mins after the game. They do have dedicated lanes but the traffic is still slow. You will be VERY lucky to be back to whereever you park the car by 5:30. 6:00 or later is more likely. Is the car rental agency open that late? If not, you probably can't leave the car there. Then you have to fight your way back through all the game and normal Sunday afternoon traffic so you are looking at being only as far as San Jose by about 8 p.m.

You are almost better off just driving to the game (Gawd, I can't believe I just said that). But getting out of the Stick parking lot by 5:00-5:30 only gets you on 101 and there the traffic will be bumper to bumper. No matter which route you take, it will more than an hour to San Jose - two would not be unusual.

So you now are actually on the road to Monterey but it is already dinner time. (For the first time in a generation+ they are not expecting sell outs every game but the crowds/traffic will still be bad)

If it were me, and having fought post 9er game traffic many times, I'd have dinner in SF and drive down to Monterey after the craziness has thinned out. OR - take picnic supplies and eat in the parking lot after the game and then leave around 6.

iamq

Sounds like a forced march down the coast to me. Not my idea of a vacation. You have recieved some great suggestions. I'd take them if I were you.
Have a great time in the city.
-Bill

alibi13

I would suggest one less day in LA and one more day in Big Sur. Or forget Highway completely and just take 101. In Big Sur, they have AMAZING hikes (of all levels). Limekilm (20 miles south of Big Sur) is a jewel. Andrew Molera bluff trail is gorgeous. Both of these are very easy and SO wonderful. If you are locked into the first night in LA, I would scrap Hearst Castle completely. That guy's house is nowhere near as wonderful as the Big Sur area. Oh, and why eat at the deli? Why not reserve a table at Sierra Mar, the restaurant at the Post Ranch Inn? It's on the coast, 900 feet above the water.

In LA, if you are locked into the idea of a studio tpur, I would say go with Warner Borthers and forget about Universal Studios. It's a commercialized theme-park dump in the valley. They'll probably build a replica in Florida or Texas in the next 10 years.

The important thing about LA is that when you make a list of things to do in a day, they should all be geographically related. Like Warner Brothers might be paired with something such as Huntington Gardens. Avoid Hollywood Boulevard. Go to Koreatown, somewhere like Soot Bull Jeep; that is an awesome experience that you can have nowhere else.

JBC411

LisaDiane, it's true that Big Sur is much more wonderful than "that guy's house," but on the other hand "that guy's house" is more wonderful than anything you will see in LA.

By all means, skip Universal. Warner is the better studio tour and the other good one, I think, is NBC in Burbank. I think the replica of Universal in Florida that Alibi13 predicted is already open and surely one will be coming to Texas to add to the fine theme parks you already have there. I could maybe see Universal if kids are with you, but for two adults...

Others, I'm sure, will strongly disagree, but as a former LA area resident, I think LA is a much better place to live than to visit. There is an abundance of 6 to 7 (on a scale of 10) worthwhile attractions to keep you busy on weekends if you live there, but there are very few 9's and 10's if any for the visitor on a tight schedule, and geography plus traffic make it difficult to see them in a short time.

Now here's a compromise--I checked tour availability at the Castle, and while the last tours available on Monday the 26th start at 3:20 (not 3:30) they start again at 8:20 AM on Tuesday.

Stay the night in San Simeon or Cambria, which would substantially increase the time you have available for Point Lobos and Big Sur, take Tour One at the Castle at 8:20 (and my recommendation would be to immediately follow it up with Tour Two which starts being offered at 10:20, but that's up to you.)

Then head to LA and you will only have cut short your LA time by half a day. I think that LA (especially the Bevery Hills/Hollywood?Westwood area is best seen after dark anyway.

I thought of suggesting the evening tour at the Castle (which is given in only parts of the year, but September is one of them) as another compromise, and would have proposed that if you were going to be there on a Friday, but it looks like that is the only day of the week it is being given.

In any case, especially if you want the first tour in the morning, or an evening tour, BE SURE to reserve your tour(s) well in advance: http://www.hearstcastle.com/tours/

Surfergirl

If you want to see Big Sur and Hearst Castle, you need to stay on Hwy 1. Otherwise you have to backtrack twice.

Patrick

"I would say go with Warner Borthers and forget about Universal Studios. It's a commercialized theme-park dump in the valley. They'll probably build a replica in Florida or Texas in the next 10 years."

Huh? Where have you been? The Universal Studios in Florida was built some 10-20 years ago and is actually bigger than the one in LA.

carlmont

Wow JBC, You ever consider a job as a tour organizer? Impressive.

markmcthomas

Hi,

I made this same trip a couple years ago. I did it in 7 days. You will have fun and see a lot. I landed in SF on Saturday and left LA the following Saturday. I was in L.A. by Tuesday night.

Personally, I was a little disappointed in L.A. You might think about how much time you spend there. It has some interesting stuff - but it is basically a big dirty city like any other. Very bad traffic, dangerous areas, etc. And it takes a long time to get around - Basically it reminded me of Houston (where I live) except bigger. I gotta tell you, the Big Sur blew me away - don't be surprised if you love it. Also, Santa Barbara was a very cool city, and the mission there is very nice to see.

Also, just a suggestion, NAPA valley is just north of SF if you like wine - it is really cool to spend and afternoon there. I didn't know anything about wine but I enjoyed it, you get to see how they make wine, and you get free samples. Just realize the wineries close down by 5 or 6. I know you need a car to go there, but you know, I could rent a car for a whole week as cheap as I could for 4 days - you might look into that.

I am sure you realize that SF is hard to get around in, but make sure you are prepared for that. Please feel free to ask me any questions -- I am a fellow Texan and made a similar trip.

justbeachy

Just back from California. Flew into San Francisco and drove Highway 1 south to Huntington Beach over the course of a week. The leg from Monterey to Cambria took 7 hours. We stopped at several state parks, hiked, gaped at the jaw dropping scenery, had lunch at Nepenthe. Don't rush through Big Sur, it's other worldly.

fehgeddaboudit

If this applies to anyone, I'm glad I took the time:

Hwy 152 at Hecker Pass is being widened and is closed until the end of Sept 2005, 129 is being suggested instead.