First trip in California
 

Hi,

I am planning to spend 2 weeks in California in August. I have 3 kids (12, 13 and 15). I was planning one week in LA area and 1 week in SanFrancisco area.

Any input?

Thanks

Are you driving from one city to the other? If so, I'd allow several days to enjoy what's in between. From Santa Barbara up through Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, Cambria/ San Simeon, Big Sur, Carmel/ Monterey/Pacific Grove, Capitola and Santa Cruz. And if you want to venture inland, don't forget Yosemite.

You input first, then we'll input. What are your interests? How will you get from LA to SF? What's your budget?

I would like to go to Disney, visit Alcatraz, spend 2-3 days on the beach, visit one vineward.

We also like very much the nature (forest, trees, statepark)

Santa Barbara, located closer to LA than SF, is fun...good shopping :) and there is lots to do. The beach is beautiful there, lots of places to eat, a zoo, you can rent bikes that 4 people are on (i can't remember the name)

they are called surreys :)

I don't know if you will find forest, trees and nature in LA. If you like the beaches- Venice/Santa Monica is nice to people watch, you can rent rollerblades/or bikes and go up and down the coast from one place to another. In orange county area- laguna/newport area is nice- artsy neighborhood, rich people. Up near Malibu area there are some hiking trails and the J Paul Getty museum.
The LA Observatory/Griffith Park is also a nice area to hike, and lots of funky shops/restaraunts in the Silver Lake area. There's also Runyon Canyon, a hiking trail where all the Hollywood stars take their dogs in Hollywood, a little difficult to find if you're not a local. There is SO much to do in LA, but SO much traffic, you need to utilize your time wisely otherwise most of your day might end up on the freeways