From San Diego, then where?
 

I am flying into San Diego 8/22 and will be in CA flying out of LAX on 8/29. MY first trip to CA. Staying in Old Town in SD-is that a good choice? (Plan to do the zoo, GasLamp and beaches.)Beach & eat vactioner who wants to drive up the coast, making several stops along the way. Definitely plan to do the Rodeo Dr/Hollywood/Long Beach-27th- 29th.
What locales would you stop in for the night along the way? Thanks.

You didn't mention Shamu/Sea World :-)

I recently stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott in Old Town and found it delightful. I walked the couple blocks down through Old Town. OT gives you easy access to everywhere. You may want to go to Seaport Village and Coronado Island. I love to drive up to the Presidio (very close to OT) for the view. A favorite eatery of mine is Point Loma Seafoods. Not fancy, a fishmarket/restaurant on a marina. It can get crazy busy. Keep in mind it is less than a 2 hour drive from SD to Long Beach. (I live right next to Long Beach and the OC) On your way up you might look into La Jolla, right next to SD and Laguna Beach, maybe Newport Beach, Balboa Island to stop. Enjoy your trip here to SoCal

Yes to Point Loma Seafood in San Diego area.

Before you go, rent the DVD "Some Like It Hot." Most of the scenes were filmed at the Del Coronado Hotel on Del Coronado Island just across the sound from SD. Drive out there late in the afternoon and have a drink at the outdoor bar while you watch the sunset. Then take a self-guided walking tour of the hotel.

We took the 'Old Town Trolley' tour which is a hop-on-hop-off tour of the city. You can only go around once; get off wherever you wish; then get back on again. We used it with limited time at off/on stops, but noting where we wanted to return in our rental car.

Should I make reservations now for all the nights we are in So. Cal? I have reservations for the first two nights and then was planning to wing it. I have noticed some hotels are not available and am now unsure.

I received the DVD Some Like It Hot as a Christmas gift from the kids after our stay at the Del, I agree to check out the Hotel Del Coronado, very nice place where we enjoyed a 3 night stay. :)

Spend some time in Laguna Beach, we stayed at the Montage Resort which was amazing, and don't forget SeaWorld while in San Diego! ***kim*** ((*))

August is one of the busiest and expensive times to come to San Diego and Southern California..
I don't know what your budget is but if you are staying in Old Town, I presume it is budget..
Old Town is an ok place to stay..it should be somewhat cheap.
I would do the Old Town Trolley Tour..cheap and fun and gives you an overall view of SD.
Hotel Del and Montage in Laguna beach are in the $400-600 a night range.
I would do the SD Zoo, Cabrillo Monument, Balboa Park, La Jolla and the coastline of SD.
I would not wing it and get reservations for your dates in SO. Cal.

It's a pretty easy drive from San Diego to Long Beach/ Hollywood. You're going up there on a Wed. so if you leave about 9 in the morning you should make good time, even if you stop along the way. Since you plan to stay a week here, you have plenty of time to visit the best of our beaches.

For your nights in LA, consider getting a room at either the Hampton Inn Hermosa Beach or Holiday Inn Express Redondo Beach. Both locations are close to the beach. You are midway between Long Beach and Hollywood. L84SKY is correct that you could do a one day loop to Hollywood and back, but it would be an extremely long day. If you were planning on two days in LA, change hotels and take some time to enjoy the sites.

If you are at all an art fan, the Getty Museum between Malibu and Hollywood is one of the finest in the world.

Thank you all. I am on a budget and chose Old Town in San Deigo, so we could go and walk around & enjoy the culture but drive to the beach. Is the GasLamp District fun?
I did book the HI at Hermosa Beach great location. Thanks.
Would you recommend staying in or around West Hollywood for the last 3 days while we do the Rodeo Dr. & typical touristy things? If yes, any suggestions?

Hi Holbrook..
Nothing wrong with being on a budget especially in So.Cal..
Old Town, you can eat for cheap at Fred's Mex and have a marg at Old Town Mex Cafe..do the Whaley House.
Gaslamp is fun and see if you can catch a Padre game at Petco park..they sell $5 tickets called 'park pass' no seat but a cheap way to see the major league game.
Take a harbor cruise and have a fish sandwich at Point Loma Seafoods..
Have fun in San Diego!

gaslamp.org
sdhe.com
sandiego.org

We just got back from going to Petco last night - boring game but what a great ballpark. Like Tams I highly recommend it. Old Town is not my favorite place to stay -but it does have character and is a fun place to visit.
You should be able to walk up to the Petco and get seats - it was not crowded at all last night.