ParkerSunshine

Looking to travel this July to California....my husband and I have never been and we will be traveling with a 3 month old.

We will have 8 - 10 days to travel.

I know I want LA to be part of our stops. I figure this is an easy place to visit with an infant as we can stroll the streets, take in some sight seeing celebrity tours etc.

I would like another stop to include a beach with things to do in walking or close driving distance of that beach - whether it be a board walk, shops etc.

I am thinking 2 places over 8 - 10 days might be enough.

Can anyone share their input and suggested cities to stop in?

Thanks

janisj

Not sure where you are coming from or if you know southern CA at all -- but in general (and LA is HUGE so of course there are exceptions to 'in general') Los Angeles is not a 'stroll the streets' sort of place. The land area of the LA basin is larger than several US States and the sites are spread very far and wide. One area you can stroll and would tick the beach box -- is Santa Monica. So if you spend a few days there you could go anywhere for the rest of your time. You could do half in LA and half in San Diego, or LA/San Francisco, or LA and the central coast/Santa Barbara, or lots of other options.

joesorce

Flying into one city and flying home from another often works best, no backtracking to the original airport. Check one-way rental car possibilities before securing flights, however.

tomfuller

Don't know where you are coming from but Allegiant Airlines flies into Los Angeles from cities as far east as Branson MO and as far north as Fargo ND and Bellingham WA. They also have deals on hotels, tours and rental cars. http://www.allegiantair.com/

If they fit your schedule, they are usually the cheapest way to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix-Mesa.

november_moon

Travelling with an infant is probably easier than with a toddler since the infant isn't mobile - the baby has to go where you go

LA definitely isn't a strolling city, but plenty of other places in CA are. There are lots of beach communities with good shops, good walking, and great scenery. And of course if you decide to carry the baby in a baby bjorn-type thing, then you aren't even limited by the strolability of a place.

Jean

Although it's certainly not like strolling around NYC, Chicago or San Francisco, there are parts of L.A. that are really nice for strolling. This article only relates to the city of L.A. and doesn't mention Los Feliz Village.

http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/...n-los-angeles/

Beyond L.A. city limits, add Old Town Pasadena, Culver City, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Riviera Village in Redondo Beach, and several towns on the coast south of L.A.

Were you planning to stay in the L.A. area the entire 8-10 days? Tell us what things you want to see/do while you're in the area.

mrwunrfl

Seal Beach, where I live, sounds like what you are looking for. You can park in a pay lot next to the pier. Or park on Main Street for free (though there is a time limit - they mark your tire and write you a ticket if you don't move it before the time limit. There is also parking on the sie streets. But, like in any of the beach towns, pay attention to the parking signs.

Would be better to visit during the week because there are a good number of local tourists on hot July weekends.

There is a nice beach and great views from the pier. It is more of a family place than what I know of Santa Monica, or even Manhattan Beach.

Main Street is three blocks long. It has shops with beach clothing, pizza, coffee shops, a kite store, sea shell store, art shops, restaurants (Irish, Thai, American, Irish, Vietnamese, seafood, Irish, Greek, etc.), gifts, a music shop with records and an amazing number of places to get your hair cut. There are trees and benches on the sidewalks to watch the parade - kids heading home from the beach with their surfboards, locals catching up, local tourists - from a few miles inland - strolling with their babies.

If you want to see shell games or rollerskaters zooming buy or a lady who will carve your name onto a grain of rice then another beach town might be for you.

mlgb

Santa Monica if you can afford it for the beach. Maybe Hollywood if you want to do touristy stuff.

mrwunrfl

Santa Monica does have parking garages that are easy to find.

nicoleferg

if you are visiting for 8-10 days you have plenty of time to do numerous things. I would venture to newport beach & even to San diego. there are of course plenty of things to do in L.A. but that is a good amount of time to visit many areas.

POlson

Favorite places to stroll with baby: LA beach walks, Huntington Gardens, LA Zoo, LA Arboretum, LACMA, Olvera Street. Lots of parks and child-friendly backpack hikes available throughout city. If you are a shopper, there are lots of funky, fun, neighborhoods to stroll or hit one of the many outdoor malls such as the Grove at the LA Farmer's Market or The Americana in Glendale.

Two books to consider: City Baby LA (Chapter 13) and Baby's Day Out in Southern California.

HJU

Santa Monica and Venice are both great for strolling, either on their beach paths or through their neighborhoods or along Main St/3rd St Promenade. Much of the rest of LA can be challenging on foot, although the neighborhoods of Larchmont Village/Hancock Park, Los Feliz/Griffith Park, and Pasadena are also very pedestrian friendly.

South of LA, I also like Manhattan Beach for beach/town/neighborhood walking, and it's very family-friendly. Laguna Beach is a close second.

spirobulldog

My favorite city in CA would be San Francisco. Yosemite is my favorite as far as places to go. Other places that we love are The Coast, The Redwoods, Sequoia National Park. San Diego would be a good place to go when your child is about 5 or 6. LA is really one of our least favorites.

LSky

Where are you planning to start from and fly out of? Besides strolling and celebreties sightings, what else are you interested in?

Hiking?

Musuems?

Big Parks?

How do you plan to travel? Are you mainly interested in Los Angeles? Do you want to hang out on the beach?

I agree with spirobulldog. I love SF, and the Northern Coast. San Diego is great if you active and like sunshine and beaches. I avoid LA whenever possible, although, there are things about LA I like. Getting through it is usually my main goal though.