Final West Coast Itinerary
Apr 28th, 2003, 08:13 AM
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Final West Coast Itinerary
Any final comments would be really useful! Thanks xx
San Francisco - Stay at Marriott Downtown
Day One (Arrive approx 11.00)
Cable Car (Powell-Hyde line), Chinatown, Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf
Day Two
Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Marina, Nob Hill, Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Civic Center, North Beach
Day Three
Sausalito, Muir Wood (to see redwoods), Point Reyes, Sonoma
Day Four
Yosemite day trip
(Fly To
Los Angeles - 4 Points Sheraton LA
Day One (Arrive approx 11.00)
Malibu
Day Two
Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Mann's Chinese Theatre, Farmers Market, Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard, Sunset Strip
Day Three
Brentwood, Getty Center, Wilshire Boulevard, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills
Day Four
Pacific Palisades, Venice Beach, Santa Monica (Santa Monica Pier)
(Drive To) Anaheim - Marriott Newport Beach Hotel
2 Days at Disney Land
(Drive To) Las Vegas - Sahara
4 Days at Las Vegas
(Drive To) San Diego - Homestead Village
Day One (Arrive approx 11.00)
Free Day!!
Day Two
San Diego Zoo
Day Three
La Jolla Cove, Seaport Village, Embarcadero, Balboa Park
Day Four
Sea World
San Francisco - Stay at Marriott Downtown
Day One (Arrive approx 11.00)
Cable Car (Powell-Hyde line), Chinatown, Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf
Day Two
Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Marina, Nob Hill, Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Civic Center, North Beach
Day Three
Sausalito, Muir Wood (to see redwoods), Point Reyes, Sonoma
Day Four
Yosemite day trip
(Fly To
Los Angeles - 4 Points Sheraton LADay One (Arrive approx 11.00)
Malibu
Day Two
Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Mann's Chinese Theatre, Farmers Market, Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard, Sunset Strip
Day Three
Brentwood, Getty Center, Wilshire Boulevard, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills
Day Four
Pacific Palisades, Venice Beach, Santa Monica (Santa Monica Pier)
(Drive To) Anaheim - Marriott Newport Beach Hotel
2 Days at Disney Land
(Drive To) Las Vegas - Sahara
4 Days at Las Vegas
(Drive To) San Diego - Homestead Village
Day One (Arrive approx 11.00)
Free Day!!
Day Two
San Diego Zoo
Day Three
La Jolla Cove, Seaport Village, Embarcadero, Balboa Park
Day Four
Sea World
Apr 28th, 2003, 11:02 AM
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SallyKate,
Very busy itinerary. Your tongue will be hanging out about the second week. You will be doing an awful lot of driving. Do you realize how far it is between some of your stops?
In the first place, Yosemite is a good 4-5 hour drive. It really isn't a "day trip" from San Francisco.
Personally, I would pass on Los Angeles. I lived there for three years and hated it (I'm a Northern California person).
4 days in Vegas is a LOT!
I think you need to get a large map and plot your trip. You might want to rethink some aspects.
Curious
Very busy itinerary. Your tongue will be hanging out about the second week. You will be doing an awful lot of driving. Do you realize how far it is between some of your stops?
In the first place, Yosemite is a good 4-5 hour drive. It really isn't a "day trip" from San Francisco.
Personally, I would pass on Los Angeles. I lived there for three years and hated it (I'm a Northern California person).
4 days in Vegas is a LOT!
I think you need to get a large map and plot your trip. You might want to rethink some aspects.
Curious
Apr 28th, 2003, 11:16 AM
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I would agree that it is a jam-packed itinerary in most respects. And four days in Vegas could be a bit much.
However, I vehemently disagree that you can "pass" on LA. It's the largest city in California, and just driving through is ridiculous. There's a lot of great stuff here. (No offense, curious, but LA isn't San Francisco, and northern Californians will just have to accept that. SF is gorgeous and fun, and that's just fine. LA's a sprawling mess of hundreds of communities, sure, but there are pockets of totally unique greatness here....)
Having said that, Malibu is hardly worth a whole day, IMO. It's a ritzy neighborhood, yes, but hardly set up as a tourist destination. Santa Monica might be worth moving to the second half of that day. What's up in the Palisades that make it worth a visit?
Hollywood and the Strip one day; West Hollywood/WH part of Sunset/Beverly Hills the next (Farmer's Market for lunch?...).
The Getty will take up a surprisingly large part of your day (it's a chore to get there, and you will want to NOT rush your visit). Too bad you couldn't get up to Pasadena and the Norton Simon, which is a truly outstanding museum (LACMA is excellent as well-- but the Simon's high points are truly great works of art); Old Town Pasadena is pretty fun too.
Curious is 100% right in suggesting that you look at a good map of California and ask a hard question: Do I want to do THAT much driving between places?
However, I vehemently disagree that you can "pass" on LA. It's the largest city in California, and just driving through is ridiculous. There's a lot of great stuff here. (No offense, curious, but LA isn't San Francisco, and northern Californians will just have to accept that. SF is gorgeous and fun, and that's just fine. LA's a sprawling mess of hundreds of communities, sure, but there are pockets of totally unique greatness here....)
Having said that, Malibu is hardly worth a whole day, IMO. It's a ritzy neighborhood, yes, but hardly set up as a tourist destination. Santa Monica might be worth moving to the second half of that day. What's up in the Palisades that make it worth a visit?
Hollywood and the Strip one day; West Hollywood/WH part of Sunset/Beverly Hills the next (Farmer's Market for lunch?...).
The Getty will take up a surprisingly large part of your day (it's a chore to get there, and you will want to NOT rush your visit). Too bad you couldn't get up to Pasadena and the Norton Simon, which is a truly outstanding museum (LACMA is excellent as well-- but the Simon's high points are truly great works of art); Old Town Pasadena is pretty fun too.
Curious is 100% right in suggesting that you look at a good map of California and ask a hard question: Do I want to do THAT much driving between places?
Apr 28th, 2003, 12:19 PM
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Definitely a packed itinerery. I'd take a day or 2 from Las Vegas and add it to Yosemite if possible. A day trip to Yosemite really is pushing it. As curious mentioned, it's quite a drive from SF. I can't imagine attempting it in one day, esspecially since it wont leave you with much time to see Yosemite anyway.
In San Francisco, the line to ride the Powell cable cars may be very long - like as much as a 2 hour wait. An alternative is the California line, which isn't as crowded, but still gives you the cable car experience. You can pick it up in Chinatown. To get from downtown to Fisherman's Wharf, I like to take the F streetcar line which is a line of old streetcars from all over the world. It's a lot more convinient for transportation than the cable cars and still a lot of fun.
In San Diego, Point Loma is a really nice place to go for some incredible views of the ocean and the city. The Cabrillo Monument is out there, which if you are familiar with the history of CA is mildly interesting. Much more interesting are the old lighthouse and the incredible views. There is an observation platform where you can watch for whales. Also, down below the point are some great tide pools.
Another interesting place in San Diego is Old Town. The old square itself is really quite interesting with original buildings and a few museums. At 11am everyday there is a free hour long tour which is very informative. If you are interested in the history of the area, I really recommend it.
In San Francisco, the line to ride the Powell cable cars may be very long - like as much as a 2 hour wait. An alternative is the California line, which isn't as crowded, but still gives you the cable car experience. You can pick it up in Chinatown. To get from downtown to Fisherman's Wharf, I like to take the F streetcar line which is a line of old streetcars from all over the world. It's a lot more convinient for transportation than the cable cars and still a lot of fun.
In San Diego, Point Loma is a really nice place to go for some incredible views of the ocean and the city. The Cabrillo Monument is out there, which if you are familiar with the history of CA is mildly interesting. Much more interesting are the old lighthouse and the incredible views. There is an observation platform where you can watch for whales. Also, down below the point are some great tide pools.
Another interesting place in San Diego is Old Town. The old square itself is really quite interesting with original buildings and a few museums. At 11am everyday there is a free hour long tour which is very informative. If you are interested in the history of the area, I really recommend it.
Apr 28th, 2003, 12:45 PM
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It does seem like lots of driving. One thing to keep in mind that I find difficult sometimes is that just because the states all fit on the same size map paper they are not the same size. I'm from Oregon and know it takes 8+ non-stop hours to drive from one side of the state to the other - not so in the smaller states on the east coast! From Maine to New York I went through 6-7 states in a day.
What are you going to do at Balboa Park? We spent a whole day there and didn't get through it all. Another thing to see a few blocks from the Seaport Village is the Star of India. An old ship, we found it fun, it is also open late (until 8) so it worked for us to go in the evening.
I agree, Old Town is fun in San Diego, 1/2 a day would be pushing but possible.
You are going to be so tired, but have a good time.
What are you going to do at Balboa Park? We spent a whole day there and didn't get through it all. Another thing to see a few blocks from the Seaport Village is the Star of India. An old ship, we found it fun, it is also open late (until 8) so it worked for us to go in the evening.
I agree, Old Town is fun in San Diego, 1/2 a day would be pushing but possible.
You are going to be so tired, but have a good time.
Apr 28th, 2003, 02:04 PM
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Whoa, that's WAY to much stuff crammed in one vacation! I could really spend a whole vacation in most of the places you listed. I would definitely try to restrain yourself if you want to really get to know California, enjoy it, and not fry your brain! Yosemite is definitely not a daytrip from either northern or southern Ca. It is a destination that most spend at least a few days to enjoy. I would have to take the side that LA is can be a great place to visit if you get the right advice. There's SO much there you can have a great or a horrible time there. One tip for LA: timing your drives at the right time can mean a world of difference! One of the best places is the Getty Center, and you can spend at least 1/2 if not the whole day there (I've done that).
Apr 28th, 2003, 05:26 PM
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I know everyone says that Yosemite is not a day trip from SF but we have done it.
I live 45 minutes east of S. F. and we did Yosemite as a day trip in Dec. My son and his wife were out visiting and wanted to go see Yosemite (again....DS proposed to DIL at Yosemite) because they knew it would be a few years before they got another chance. We left around 6 A.M. just as the sun was rising, we got to spend a few hours in the park before we had to turn around and drive back and it was getting dark when we left. We were gone 13 hours that day and I would say we spent about 4 hours in the park.
It was a LONG DAY! Coming from SF will take you 1 1/2 hours longer than we had but you will also have more daylight then we had in December.
All I can say is BOY, I'm glad I'm not going on your trip.... I thought I tried to cram a lot into a vacation!
Utahtea
I live 45 minutes east of S. F. and we did Yosemite as a day trip in Dec. My son and his wife were out visiting and wanted to go see Yosemite (again....DS proposed to DIL at Yosemite) because they knew it would be a few years before they got another chance. We left around 6 A.M. just as the sun was rising, we got to spend a few hours in the park before we had to turn around and drive back and it was getting dark when we left. We were gone 13 hours that day and I would say we spent about 4 hours in the park.
It was a LONG DAY! Coming from SF will take you 1 1/2 hours longer than we had but you will also have more daylight then we had in December.
All I can say is BOY, I'm glad I'm not going on your trip.... I thought I tried to cram a lot into a vacation!
Utahtea
Apr 29th, 2003, 03:28 PM
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I can understand wanting to cram a lot into one vacation, sometimes it's the only chance you have to visit an area and want to do the most possible. Your itinerary just needs a little tweaking and you'll be fine...
day one and two: rearrange a bit because of locations - fisherman's wharf and alcatraz should be done together (you'll get on the boat to alcatraz from the wharf). Also, when you cross the goldengate bridge you'll end up in saulsalito, and further down you'll be in muir wood. so I would plan that together.
Yosemite - spend at least one night there or around there, if not two.
you may want to head to vegas after sf/yosemite before heading to LA. THen you can do LA, Disney, San Diego, in that order. Or at least do LA then vegas, before heading to disney/sandiego.
you're fine in the LA part.
newport beach is about 40 minutes from disneyland/anaheim. so take that into consideration when planning those days.
2 nights is plenty in vegas to see all the hotels and see a show. spend 4 days only if you want a break/relaxation/spa vacation there, or else you'll get real bored, real quick, especially during the day, there isn't much to do, and the fun is at night.
you can do old town same day as san diego zoo. but sea world is an all day event.
have fun!
day one and two: rearrange a bit because of locations - fisherman's wharf and alcatraz should be done together (you'll get on the boat to alcatraz from the wharf). Also, when you cross the goldengate bridge you'll end up in saulsalito, and further down you'll be in muir wood. so I would plan that together.
Yosemite - spend at least one night there or around there, if not two.
you may want to head to vegas after sf/yosemite before heading to LA. THen you can do LA, Disney, San Diego, in that order. Or at least do LA then vegas, before heading to disney/sandiego.
you're fine in the LA part.
newport beach is about 40 minutes from disneyland/anaheim. so take that into consideration when planning those days.
2 nights is plenty in vegas to see all the hotels and see a show. spend 4 days only if you want a break/relaxation/spa vacation there, or else you'll get real bored, real quick, especially during the day, there isn't much to do, and the fun is at night.
you can do old town same day as san diego zoo. but sea world is an all day event.
have fun!
Apr 29th, 2003, 03:50 PM
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Yosemite as a day trip from SF? I think not. At least one overnight is required.
You have waaaaaay toooo much in your itinerary. Those sorts of itineraries end up with a lot of the sites being axed after you get there.
If you are going to do The Getty, be certain you get a parking reservation in advance. You can do that online, which is what I did when I went recently. BUT, The Getty was the only thing I did that day. It is worth 5-6 hours at least and make sure and eat lunch in the fancy restaurant.
I am not a lover of Vegas and would eliminate it entirely. You are going to spend too much time in the car.
You might also want to save San Diego for another trip or spend more time in SF before moving to LA/San Diego.
I have been to California about 20 times for business and/or pleasure and still have not seen San Diego or Yosemite. I have been to Vegas, but not as a side trip from California.
My advice would be to center your 2 week trip in two locations--for example, San Francisco and Los Angeles and stay put. Take day trips from your locations (in LA you could stay somewhere midway betw. Anaheim and whatever were your priorities in LA to minimize moving hotels). Picking up and packing all the time gets old very quickly--and, after a couple of theme parks, you will find you are theme parked out.
My personal preference, which is reflected in the above advice, is to stay put and take day trips. The type of vacation you describe will end up with drive bys of all the sites and total exhaustion--not to mention arguing because everyone is exhausted.
In one week in Long Beach recently I saw the following: Disney's California Adventure, The Queen Mary, daytrip to Catalina Island, The Getty, a Dodger game, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC Studio tour, Richard Nixon library, Long Beach Acquarium, 45 boat ride in Long Beach harbor and the shops nearby. That was it--and it was a very exhausting week.
Whatever you choose, it is your vacation. Just remember that it is a vacation, not a forced march. You can always come back and see what you missed. Someday I am finally going to get to Yosemite. I finally got to Catalina Island in my recent trip. There is always a reason to go back.
You have waaaaaay toooo much in your itinerary. Those sorts of itineraries end up with a lot of the sites being axed after you get there.
If you are going to do The Getty, be certain you get a parking reservation in advance. You can do that online, which is what I did when I went recently. BUT, The Getty was the only thing I did that day. It is worth 5-6 hours at least and make sure and eat lunch in the fancy restaurant.
I am not a lover of Vegas and would eliminate it entirely. You are going to spend too much time in the car.
You might also want to save San Diego for another trip or spend more time in SF before moving to LA/San Diego.
I have been to California about 20 times for business and/or pleasure and still have not seen San Diego or Yosemite. I have been to Vegas, but not as a side trip from California.
My advice would be to center your 2 week trip in two locations--for example, San Francisco and Los Angeles and stay put. Take day trips from your locations (in LA you could stay somewhere midway betw. Anaheim and whatever were your priorities in LA to minimize moving hotels). Picking up and packing all the time gets old very quickly--and, after a couple of theme parks, you will find you are theme parked out.
My personal preference, which is reflected in the above advice, is to stay put and take day trips. The type of vacation you describe will end up with drive bys of all the sites and total exhaustion--not to mention arguing because everyone is exhausted.
In one week in Long Beach recently I saw the following: Disney's California Adventure, The Queen Mary, daytrip to Catalina Island, The Getty, a Dodger game, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC Studio tour, Richard Nixon library, Long Beach Acquarium, 45 boat ride in Long Beach harbor and the shops nearby. That was it--and it was a very exhausting week.
Whatever you choose, it is your vacation. Just remember that it is a vacation, not a forced march. You can always come back and see what you missed. Someday I am finally going to get to Yosemite. I finally got to Catalina Island in my recent trip. There is always a reason to go back.
Apr 29th, 2003, 04:08 PM
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from experience - you don't need reservations at the Getty. when you drive up, they ask you if you have any -just say no, and they'll just tell you "we'll let you through this time, but next time you need reservations". so if you do have reservations, you'll get a smile. if you don't have reservations, you can still get in.
Apr 29th, 2003, 04:40 PM
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I've done most things on your itinerary on my 2 trips to CA.Just came back 2 days ago. I found that Old Town in san Diego is better than Seaport village, and Sea World was not as good as I thought it would be. Catalina Island is also worth a trip. In Chinatown, Wokwiz has a nice 2 hr. tour that is very informative, and ends with a DimSum (?sp.) lunch. In La Jolla have lunch at Georges overlooking the cove. It is great.They serve lunch until. For Alcatraz make sure you buy your tickets in advance.Also, Venice Beach is a big waste of time-it is really trashy. If your short of time skip it.
Apr 30th, 2003, 05:30 PM
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We just spent a day showing some visitors Muir Woods. Here was itinerary. Left the house at 10, picked up a salami at Lucca (22nd and Valencia) and chocolates at Joseph Schmidt. This admittedly slowed us down. We went to the Golden Gate, stopped on the other side right above the bridge and further up, drove down toward the beach and back to 101. Missed the entrance and went through Sausalito and on to Muir Woods. Visited Muir Woods and finally had lunch at 3 p.m. at Nuir Beach. From there went to Stinson Beach and the road up to Mt. Tam. Got home by 7 that evening. My wife had hoped to go to Point Reyes, but we did not have the time. So I think that your Day Three is impossibly long. I think that the same goes for Day Two.
May 1st, 2003, 06:01 AM
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I just finally made it to reading the bottom of your itinerary.....Balboa Park is a great place and you could easy spend a very full day there! It is one of my favorite places in SAN! http://www.balboapark.org/ They have museums, all kinds of gardens and walking trails, a replica of the Old Globe theater (Shakepeare plays), the science museum with planeterium, self-guided and guided walking tours (various focuses) and eating places. I've even seen a free, full lenghth production of a Shakespearean play in an outdoor amphitheater (the small one, not the big one). We had a wonderful lunch at the The Prado http://www.pradobalboa.com/ , located in "The House of Hospitality." I hope you have lots of fun on your trip, and I look forward to hearing your report and impressions of California when you get back!
May 1st, 2003, 07:06 AM
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If you actually went with your proposed itinerary, once finished you will kick yopurself for spending more than 1 day on Vegas and not allowing more days in SF! Also, I would agree to a full day at Balboa PK in San Diego. I also think North Beach neighborhood would be a better home base in SF. These fodorites know of what they speak. Listen.
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