janisj

I agree - I've driven Sacramento to LA and back in 2 days when I've had to. But I used I-5 down and back and w/o any legs on hwy 1. That 120+ miles is about 3.5 - 4 hours right there. Especially on a weekend when you are sharing the road w/ motorhomes going 25-30 mph.

Assuming you get checked in at your hotel by midnight - then have to get back on the road by 6 a.m..

I'd fly . . . .

janisj

"I'd fly . . . ." OR - just drive I-5 both ways . . . . .

easytraveler

psy_dr: You can certainly do it.

I've driven to LA and back in one day (be at an LA conference all day, at home by 2am and in the office by 8am), so taking two days would be perfectly fine in my book.

Paula has given you some very good advice. I'd recommend the Ventura La Quinta. You should budget about two hours to get there, simply because you will be on the San Diego 405 freeway on a Saturday night. You could meet with some traffic before and around Santa Monica. After you get over the hills into the San Fernando Valley, you should find the traffic less congested.

Next day, start early and have breakfast somewhere along the beach, maybe in Santa Barbara. Then continue on up the coast.

If you take Paula's advice and end up at Nepenthe for lunch anywhere from 11am-2pm timeframe, that'll be fine.

BEFORE Nepenthe, stop off at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and do the easy hike to the waterfall. It's about a half hour to one hour stop.

After lunch at Nepenthe, drive up to Pt Lobos State Reserve and do another easy hike. another hour or so stopover. There are also great hikes along the seashore if you wanted to stay longer.

A few minutes up the road, stop off in Carmel and just walk around a bit, then continue on up to Santa Cruz. Have an informal dinner on the Boardwalk.

From Santa Cruz on up to San Francisco will be about an hour and a half - depending on where your SF hotel will be located.

This should make for a nice drive and not too hurried. You will have seen some of the best sights along the way in big Sur.

Just one more suggestion, if you are going to do this much driving, I'd suggest starting out early for LA. When you get to LA, you can find some place to relax and maybe even snooze a bit before the game. Otherwise i think it'll be an energy sapper to try and drive all the way to LA, go to the game, and then drive to Ventura and doing all of this non-stop.

have a great trip!

dmlove

Just one more suggestion, if you are going to do this much driving, I'd suggest starting out early for LA. When you get to LA, you can find some place to relax and maybe even snooze a bit before the game. Otherwise i think it'll be an energy sapper to try and drive all the way to LA, go to the game, and then drive to Ventura and doing all of this non-stop

This is a great idea. Carson is not very far from some of the beach communities. Maybe arrive early for dinner or a walk on the beach?

psy_dr

Fabulous! I couldn't have asked for better suggestions. Also, I appreciate the concern but we don't mind driving --- we love road trips --- We've actually driven from Miami to NW North Carolina in 2 days (nonstop driving except an overnight stay in Atlanta) and it must have taken us about 18 hours total driving time. We actually had the best time.

Since the California coast has so much to offer visually, I'm sure we'll enjoy every second of it, regardless of the traffic. After all, we are on vacation & after that long drive, we'll be spending 4 days in Sonoma Valley --- we'll make up for stress of the weekend in wine country.

Thank you so much...

easytraveler

If you do decide on the suggested stops at Big Sur, here are a few more details:

The entrance to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park will on your right. As you get to the small parking lot on the left and after you ahve parked, look across the road and you'll some steps. Take these steps down and turn to the right, the path will take you to the viewpoint for the waterfall. Best to plan getting there when the morning fog has lifted, which is hard to predict, around 10am-12pm. this is a wheelchair friendly path so it's pretty easy to walk.

Nepenthe will be on your left.

Point Lobos State Reserve will also be on your left.

It would be essential to have a good map and know approximately how far you have to drive before you need to look for the entrance.

Here's a handy map which you can download and mark the locations.

http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/map.html

Again, have a great trip!

psy_dr

I completely lied earlier...I have another question:
Thanks to the wonderful link that easytraveler provided me with, I came across AMTRAK as an option for traveling on Saturday only --- from SF to Carson.

The closest route I could find was SF to San Pedro. I'm not sure how close San Pedro is from Carson (on the map it doesn't look so bad).

What do you think about using AMTRAK and then renting a car once we get to San Pedro...we'll drive to Carson for the game.

The train leaves SF at 6:50am & arrives at San Pedro at 6pm. It only makes 3 stops - Emeryville, Bakersfield, San Pedro --- NO LA!!! =).

I have no experience whatsoever with AMTRAK. I'm not sure if the trains are notoriously late or if they run on schedule.

I'm also not sure if there are car rental spots near the San Pedro Amtrak station. And most important, even if there are car rentals around the Amtrak station, would we be able to rent a car in time to get to the game by 7:30p?

Any thoughts?

easytraveler

"Any thoughts?"

Uh, yes.


If you're planning on AMTRAK, why not take an earlier suggestion to fly? There's the problem of getting to the train station and getting away from the train station. given the limited amount of time you have, that's not a good idea.

the other thing I'd worry about is the drop-off fees for the car. You're now planning on renting in LA and returning in SF. could be a huge drop off fee for the car.

mlgb

Is there really a train to San Pedro? I've never heard of this before. Or does the train end at Union Station and they transfer you to a bus?

Amtrak is notorious for being late. I would not risk it even if the train dropped you off at the stadium.

lvk

I am reasonably sure that there is no Amtrak station in San Pedro. A through-bus to the Port, and lots and lots of freight trains, but no Amtrak station.

I live near San Pedro and researched the Amtrak route for a cousin visiting SF from Europe last year. It is an 11 hour trip from SF -LA's downtown Union Station, and that is only if it is on time! You would then have to hop a bus to SP, then rent a car. It would be easier just to rent a car from Union Station. I think your original plan of driving down on the 5 is much more time efficient. Better to rely on your own driving than our unreliable California public transit system.

I think you can drive to Ventura after the game on Saturday night without any traffic problems.

We are former Galaxy season ticket holders, and agree that it is a beautiful stadium. Have a great time!

janisj

Drive or fly - avoid Amtrak at all costs. The train might make it on schedule -- but more often it can be 1, 2, 5 hours late.

paula1470

Definitely avoid the train. I think you need to decide if this trip is the opportunity to see the coast of California or just a quick trip back and forth from SF to LA.

If you haven't driven through Big Sur and seen the Central Coast, then I would stick to the itinerary you suggested with stops in Morro Bay/Cambria, Carmel/Monterey.

If you want to just go up and back then look at JetBlue. Jet Blue flys between Oakland and Long Beach airport. I just looked at a weekend in Sept and you can fly between the two for $129 per person. There is a flight that gets you into Long Beach at 4:43pm. This would give you time to get some dinner before the game. Then spend the night in the area, maybe the Beach House in Hermosa Beach. Get up the next morning have a nice leisurely breakfast and then fly back to Oakland. Long Beach airport is about 10 miles from Carson. You could also fly from either SFO or Oakland into LAX but Long Beach airport would help you avoid LAX.

TTess

MichelleY & Paula1470 - the Porsche was a Carerra and the man driving it was in his 30's, sandy blonde hair and very handsome! Shhh! Don't tell my husband - he was asleep in the shotgun seat. It was really fun.

psy_dr - when I read your update and JanisJ's advice, I so agreed with her. Forget Amtrack, they're notoriously late. You can get a cheap SWA flight from the bay area to L.A. that will save you so much time and trouble. With the price of gas, it's probably less expensive. Plus, driving our coast is exhausting. There are spots with a lots of turns and it's just a highway (with lots of cliffs), not a freeway. You have to really pay attention, if you're tired, you could be very sorry.

Nepenthe is good for drinks, only. I really loathe the place. I'm a local and can tell you that the owners are HUGE narcissists and their food is dreadful, just dreadful. Stop for a drink on the deck and drive into Carmel, only 30 minutes away, for something delicious. Don't waste your money on Nepenthe's expensive drek. amp;

Have a great trip - it sounds like fun!

psy_dr

You're all so right...thanks for putting some sense into me. Flying isn't an option at the moment, so we've decided (final decision --- I promise!) to drive. Exhausting as it might be, we'll enjoy the drive more than anything else. This is why I LOVE Fodors for my travel information --- I always find friendly people who invest the time to make my trip that much more enjoyable. It makes me want to give back...I think I might just check in on the Miami/Florida Qs & give some suggestions on my hometown.
You guys are fabulous...have a wonderful day!

psy_dr

TTess --- you just gave me some motivation for doing some of the driving =)
It almost sounded like you had a Chevy Chase National Lampoons Vacation moment --- where he was driving, his wife was asleep and Christie Brinkley passed by him. Too funny! I had to laugh...

paula1470

TTess-Love your story. Maybe I should pay more attention to the car next to me when I am driving.

As far as Nepenthe, I really didn't think their food was that bad and I am pretty fussy. I did think it was expensive, though, for what you get (just had a burger). It's not the kind of place to get a great meal and it's not the kind of place I would return to over and over but certainly you need to experience it once. TTess-I understand your point of view because you know the owners. It is too bad that they have that attitude just because they own someplace that is unique.
I still would recommend stopping there for at least a drink.

easytraveler

Whenever I go to Nepenthe I think of Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles:

http://www.nepenthebigsur.com/stories/rita_orson.html


Nepenthe (Greek for "No Sorrow") - a proposed love nest that became a wonderful stop instead for hundreds of thousands of travelers.

psy_dr

I have heard so much about Nempthe -- not just on this thread, but on other threads I've come across while researching CA. I'm sure we'll check it out & grab a bite there...

Speaking of food --- my husband and I enjoy really good food & we don't mind splurging on a good meal in SF (we've been told about Slanted Door, Asia de Cuba, and a few other ones) and we were told about Le Bouchon (we can't afford French Laundry & my father-in-law who is french ate at Bouchon and enjoyed it).

Although, we can't eat out like that every night while in SF or Sonoma (our 2nd night in Sonoma will be the Farmer's Market in the plaza, so we'll have a wine basket with cheese & meats).

We need one more Sonoma/Healdsberg restaurant (or anything near Sonoma --- we're staying at the Trojan Horse Inn in Sonoma). We'll have our rental car so we don't mind driving to a restaurant.

We also need a few budget restaurants (I love a good pizza & a good burger) in SF.

One night we're going to Biscuits & Blues (I think that's the name) to hear Lavay Smith & the Red Hot Skillet Lickers --- any comments on the food there?

And finally, we are not opposed to the drive through or fast food joints...no McDonalds, BK, Wendy's, etc. But if you have anything there that is quick but quality (like Chipotle, for example), please let me know.
One of the earlier replies to my message indicated there are a few fast-food places that have a following (like In&Out burger --- we don't have these here)...any comments?

Again...I lied...I did have more questions. =)

psy_dr

Sorry -- Nepenthe...

MomDDTravel

I hate to fly more then the next but I would definately fly (I tried to find if you said that you cannot fly for some reason?).

I have driven from S.F. to Orange County - once for vacation - we went up the coast and back down the 5 and the other time because my son was too sick to get on an airplane and I had to drive him home instead of fly.

Definately fly.