sal615

Just me (the "cool Aunt") and my fav 18 yr old neice...Spring break (about 8 days in mid April)...We thought a drive up the CA coast would be a great bonding experience. Neither one of us has been to CA. She's into beaches and boys, and I'm up for introducing her to a little culture, appreciation of the beautiful country and FUN! Can anyone suggest an itinerary including the "do not miss" places to go that might fit this bill? Many THANKS!!!

PamSF

Where are you flying into or driving from? The coast is long and the points along the vary depending on where you'll be starting from and leaving from.

sal615

We are arriving from Nashville, but as far as the starting point, I'm open for suggestions...perhaps SFO and go South...OR Lax and go north! We're flexible...

chucklesbythebay

Well, beach + boys = sourthern California. Northern California is gorgeous but chilly, year round (I live in SF and love it). Northern California is renown for their unbelievable coastline, but you have to think about sweaters, jeans, etc...(you can have a slightly warm, sunny beach day in Northern California but it is not what east coast people are used to..) There are the exquisite redwood forest on the northen California Coast, too....There is also Hearst Castle, Big Sur, Monterey Bay...

Hiroshi

Many people start in San Francisco and drive south so it may be cheaper to rent a car in Los Angeles and drive north. I heard that a few drivers are so distracted by the beautiful scenery that they drive off the road and fall into the ocean. Statistically, it is a bit safer to drive north because it is more difficult to drive off the cliff because the USA drives on the right side. San Francisco to Los Angeles drivers drive on the edge of the cliff but LA to SF drivers do not.

PamSF

She likes Beaches and boys and you want culture..Well, LA and go North could probably work. You could check out LA,Santa Barbara,Hearst Castle,Monterey and Santa Cruz ending up in SF. You will get more beach stuff starting out in LA with beautiful country side opening up to you as you drive North. If she gets too itchy for the beach scene again after leaving LA you can satisfy her wants with Santa Cruz at the other end. There is a boardwalk at Santa Cruz as well. Monterey will give you the aquarium which most everyone regardless of age likes. One 1/4 hours north of SF is Point Reyes National Seashore which is also quite beautiful and filled with great places to explore. Southern California folks might give you some better ideas..like Venice beach and Santa Monica. Others might recommend heading down toward San Diego. I would absolutely include Monterey whichever way you choose to travel. You might also want to look at Big Sur as a spot to stop. Once you decide if SF will be in your trip plans I can offer some ideas for the two of you.

chucklesbythebay

CAREFUL! I LIVED ON THE THE EAST COAST FOR MANY YEARS! Southern California is beach + boys. Northern California, even Santa Cruz, is chillier than what any east coast person (from Florida to New England) would expect. Santa Cruz is fun and the boardwalk is great--but, you will not have the HOT, sunny, warm water beach experience you are used to on the Atlantic Coast. first of all, the Pacific is coming down from the Artic Circle. But, Northern California is wonderful for other reasons.

chucklesbythebay

Northern California has its own culture and it is worth experiencing it (personally, I like Northern Ca. better than Southern California but I heard others who strongly disagree). Your niece needs to be aware that beach and boys (as defined by Atlantic coastal communities) either begin or end in Southern California. There is a slight hippie/beatnik air in northern California, especially on the coastline (even in people who snub that concept, it is inescapable). San Francisco is a must see, dress in layers because Northern California suffers from a perpetual spring climate...our winters are defined by rain and our summers are defined by no rain....average lows are 50 degrees, average highs are 72 degrees, varying a little here and there. Nobody has air-conditioning on the coast in northern Ca...and the heat goes on during foggy summer evenings.

Duane

Start in SFO or Oakland and drive South. That way you are on the ocean side of the raod - views are awesome and the weather gets better as you go. It was a great trip when we did it.
Duane

sal615

What a great start! Interesting that you should mention the best driving direction to catch the best view...It would not have occured to me...thanks for all the suggestions so far...

J_Correa

Which ever direction you drive on Hwy 1 between SLO and Monterey, just take it slow and stop often to check out the views. I think that the majority of the people who have trouble on that road try to drive too fast and don't take the time to stop and look around.

I think you are definitely the "cool aunt" to take your niece on a vacation like this.

I think that given your niece's interest in beachs and boys, starting in LA is definitely a good idea. That way she can have some of that stereotypical California beach experience first. Then she'd be more likely to open to other things like culture and nature.

If you have the time, I would start in San Diego first.

janis

I'm sorry - but Duane's suggestion is nutty. The views are just as good going north -- Plus it is MUCH safer if you are not used to Hwy 1.

Being on the cliff (ocean) side of the road will be a white knuckle, tense drive and the driver will not be able to relax and look at those gorgeous views you are passing.

On the mountain side of the road you can see all the views just as well and not have the feeling of falling off the cliff at any moment.

(BTW - I drive often both directions - I prefer going north but am comfortable enough driving south. These comments are based on what friends from the midwest and east coast have told me. Some are scared spitless by the drive south. probably more than 20 people have told me over the years they were too nervous to look at the views driving south.)

DavidDJ

There is so miuch to see along the California coast. I would suggest about 4 days in LA for some of the city atmosphere before experiencing the great coastal scenery.

From LA along Highway 1, I would recommend stopping in Santa Barbara and touring Hearst Castle (www.hearst-castle.org) in San Simeon. Reservations are necessary for Hearst Castle. North of San Simeon there are the spectacular vistas of Big Sur. In Monterey (www.monterey.com) you should check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium (www.mbayaq.org) 17 Mile Drive, Fisherman's Wharf (www.montereywharf.com) and the quaint town of Carmel (www.carmelbythesea.com)
From Monterey head north on Highway 1 to Santa Cruz for a stop at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (www.beachboardwalk.com) If you stay overnight in Santa Cruz, the West Coast Santa Cruz Hotel is very nice. Each room has an ocean view. (www.westcoasthotels.com)
The coast between LA and the Monterey Bay Area has the best scenery. The coastal area north of Santa Cruz is not quite as nice. Therefore, from Santa Cruz you can take Highway 17 north and stop along the way at Big Basin Redwoods State Park (www.bigbasin.org) From there take Highway 17 to 280 north into San Jose (www.sanjose.org) for more of a city atmosphere. Some of the main attractions include the Tech Museum of Innovation (www.thetech.org) The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum (www.egyptianmuseum.org) Winchester Mystery House (www.winchestermysteryhouse.com) and the History Museum (www.historysanjose.org) and Japanese Gardens in Kelley Park. If you are into antiques, you should visit Antique Row http://www.antiqueinfo.com/briarwood/antiquerow.htm

From San Jose take the scenic 280 freeway up to SF. Along the way in the town of Woodside I would also take a tour of the Filoli Estate (www.filoli.org) As with Hearst Castle, reservations are also needed.

Have a great trip.

bookhall

Janis makes a good point. We did the drive northbound in September 2001. And that was enough white-knuckle, heart-pumping for me--I've gotten cautious in my old age... Much of the highway in that area has a 35MPH speed limit--but you're limited by the slowest vehicle ahead anyway. You'll pass campers going the opposite way whichever way you go. Do I want to be on the ocean side with a bit Winnebago coming toward me? Don't think so...

There's a great site with pictures of the coast. http://www.californiacoastline.org/ You're going to need bandwidth to really look around in there. And a good map of California (or even the Central Coast, if you can find one,) to orient yourself. I was just looking at Morro Rock, and you can even see surfers on the north side--no decent waves when the picture was taken, though. The couple that did the photography--Gabrielle and Kenneth Adelman--deserve major recognition for what they've done. It's worth a look...

Meesthare

There's a restaurant called Nepenthe in Big Sur, just off the highway (the sign was small and difficult to see the last time I was there, but definitely worth watching for) that has great views and wonderful food. They have a website - www.nepenthebigsur.com - even if you just stop for coffee and a snack, it's a super place.

joesorce

In April you'll save $50 or more on a rental car if you fly north and then drive south and drop the car in LA or San Diego. I'd do 2 nights and a half-day in San Fran, then a night in Carmel, a night in Santa Barbara, last 3 nights near L.A., Santa Monica etc. Don't miss the Getty Museum in LA, and maybe a studio tour (Universal for fun & rides or WB for behind-the-scenes & history). We love the Brentwood Holiday Inn near Beverly Hills - very close to UCLA, shopping, lots of dining, maybe 15 minutes to Malibu Beach and 20 minutes to Hollywood.

lenleigh

Bookhall, thanks for that link on the coastline! My husband and I are thinking of flying into SFO, renting a car and driving to Napa, LA and then onto San Diego and wanted to drive along the coast. Now I can get an idea of what the road looks like and the scenery. Coming from Colorado, I am hoping that the drive up to Pikes Peak is much worse than the drive along the CA coast (dirt road with no guard rails at 14,000 feet)! Please tell me it is better than that! Is the speed limit 35 all the way?

bookhall

The drive from Morro Bay to Monterey is about 120 miles along the coast. I doubt you'd make it in under three hours--nor would you want to.

I don't think it's 35 all the way--it's 50 some places and 25 in some others. Just as there's guard-rail in some locations, and nothing in others. There's driving in the woods near Big Sur, and I recall running through conventional (flat) landscape on the northern part.

I know nothing about Pikes Peake, but my understanding is that it's a destination that is to be ascended as quickly as possible. That core section of the CA Central Coast is to be savored. The driver won't see much scenery except when she pulls over to take a look.

A couple more URLs: http://www.byways.org/travel/byway.html?CX_BYWAY=2301 offers some information about the Big Sur highway. And at http://community.webshots.com/user/bookhall I've got some pictures of our LA-SF trip. Note the one shot of the DOT guy plowing away pieces of a rockslide. While he's doing that, there's a DOT truck that leads each lane, one at a time, through the cleanup area.

LDLee

My wife and I did this drive last May. Wonderful time for us.

Hwy 1 has amazing views of the coast. The drive is not as bad as described. Pay attention, and understand your average speed from Morro Bay to Carmel will be no more than 35 mph. If you do it, definitely see the Hearst Castle. And visit some of the parks just south of Carmel. Search for posts on the coast drive. Lots of great suggestions.

As for your niece, if her primary interests are beaches and boys, once you get past Santa Barbara, there is not much for her. I would think from San Diego to Malibu would be primarily where she would want to go. You could do a college tour. Start at UCSD or SDSU, then UCLA, USC and Pepperdine, UCSB, UC Santa Cruz, San Jose State, Stanford, then Cal Berkley. Wide variety of schools, wide variety of boys.

janis

sal615: Since you are used to mountain driving you will be fine going south - just don't hurry. You probably know "flat-landers" who are terrified by the drive up Pikes Peak. Those are the types my suggestion was aimed at.

OT - I was driving a distant relative from Michigan around Emerald Bay at Tahoe. A scary road for novices - along a ridge with cliffs and water down both sides of the road and she TOTALLY freaked. I was going slow - but she was in a panic - even tried to get down on the floor of the back seat

Her husband said afterwards they had never driven (or seen) cliffs like that.

So my advice still stands for "flat landers" but not for folks used to unguarded winding mountain roads.