Help planning a 3 weeks in Dec Seattle, SF, LA, Anaheim and LV
Feb 3rd, 2014, 05:20 PM
#1
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Help planning a 3 weeks in Dec Seattle, SF, LA, Anaheim and LV
I'm planning a trip with two of my girlfriends to the West Coast in December this year. We're all in our 20s and for them it's their first time in the States. We're flying into Seattle on the 3 Dec and flying out of Vegas on 24 Dec.
We definitely want to visit Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Disneyland, Las Vegas and Grand Canyon.
We were planning to do a road trip but being from Australia where we drive on the opposite side of the road we're not so confident about the driving as well as the fact that it is winter and we're worried about the road conditions.
So most likely we are going to fly from city to city.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated in terms of how long we should stay in a place or whether driving is still the better option.
Thanks in advance for any information or suggestions you could provide.
We definitely want to visit Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Disneyland, Las Vegas and Grand Canyon.
We were planning to do a road trip but being from Australia where we drive on the opposite side of the road we're not so confident about the driving as well as the fact that it is winter and we're worried about the road conditions.
So most likely we are going to fly from city to city.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated in terms of how long we should stay in a place or whether driving is still the better option.
Thanks in advance for any information or suggestions you could provide.
Feb 3rd, 2014, 06:29 PM
#2
If a driver in your group is more than 25, you should drive for at least part of the way. I would use Southwest Airlines for the bulk of this place to place travel. The only place where I think you should rent a car (if you can) would be L.A./Disneyland.
If it were me, I'd spend my time as follows:
4 days Seattle. That will give you time to recover from jet lag and explore the area.
4 days San Francisco. You can take BART from the airport into SF. I'd stay at one of the motels on Lombard Street (Cow Hollow is my favorite) and use Muni Bus No. 30 to get around town. SF has great public transportation.
4 days (renting a car) in L.A./Disneyland. Base yourself in Santa Monica or West L.A. You can reach Disneyland by car in an hour, traffic permitting.
4 days in Vegas, with a 1 day excursion (tour) to the Grand Canyon. They do these tours and pick up from most of the hotels on the strip. The trip to the Grand Canyon; stop, and return that evening is really all you'll need.
The extra days use to get from one place to the next. They're all about an hour apart by plane.
If it were me, I'd spend my time as follows:
4 days Seattle. That will give you time to recover from jet lag and explore the area.
4 days San Francisco. You can take BART from the airport into SF. I'd stay at one of the motels on Lombard Street (Cow Hollow is my favorite) and use Muni Bus No. 30 to get around town. SF has great public transportation.
4 days (renting a car) in L.A./Disneyland. Base yourself in Santa Monica or West L.A. You can reach Disneyland by car in an hour, traffic permitting.
4 days in Vegas, with a 1 day excursion (tour) to the Grand Canyon. They do these tours and pick up from most of the hotels on the strip. The trip to the Grand Canyon; stop, and return that evening is really all you'll need.
The extra days use to get from one place to the next. They're all about an hour apart by plane.
Feb 3rd, 2014, 10:23 PM
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@Surfergirl That itinerary sounds pretty good actually two of us are over 25 so we can drive it's just the road conditions though I remember last time I was in LA at winter the weather was quite pleasant still.
@clarkgriswold I'll have a look into the coastal train didn't know there was one does it happen to be scenic?
@clarkgriswold I'll have a look into the coastal train didn't know there was one does it happen to be scenic?
Feb 4th, 2014, 07:19 AM
#5
Much as I am a big supporter of off-season visits to our fair city, I'd recommend skipping Seattle in December. It will be wet, dark, and possibly cold, whereas California will have a much higher probability of sunny weather, more things to do, and longer days. If you're locked into flying into Seattle, then fine, but I wouldn't start any road trips from here. Maybe take a couple of days to get your clocks set to local time, but then I'd hop a plane (cheap) to San Francisco and start any road tripping from there.
I wouldn't worry too much about driving on the "wrong side." Many thousands of Aussies, Brits and Japanese visit the US, and vice-versa, annually, and almost none of them return home as checked baggage
. The roads for the most part are divided highways, drivers are generally pretty skilled, and particularly on certain roads, e.g. California Highway 1, it seems at times that foreign visitors (most driving Mustang convertibles that have zero room for bags, or people for that matter) outnumber the locals. You'll be fine.
In the winter, the towns and scenery along CA 1 (Big Basin Redwoods, the Monterey Peninsula, Big Sur, Hearst Castle...) are spectacular, LA is terrific (especially for movie lovers as many late-year contenders for Oscars are shown in local theaters so Academy members can see them - good star-gazing opportunities) and the desert east of LA is at its best. (Try a day in Palm Springs and amazing Joshua Tree National Park.) And of course, shopping and eating are at their best in the Christmas season. You can't go wrong.
I wouldn't worry too much about driving on the "wrong side." Many thousands of Aussies, Brits and Japanese visit the US, and vice-versa, annually, and almost none of them return home as checked baggage
. The roads for the most part are divided highways, drivers are generally pretty skilled, and particularly on certain roads, e.g. California Highway 1, it seems at times that foreign visitors (most driving Mustang convertibles that have zero room for bags, or people for that matter) outnumber the locals. You'll be fine.In the winter, the towns and scenery along CA 1 (Big Basin Redwoods, the Monterey Peninsula, Big Sur, Hearst Castle...) are spectacular, LA is terrific (especially for movie lovers as many late-year contenders for Oscars are shown in local theaters so Academy members can see them - good star-gazing opportunities) and the desert east of LA is at its best. (Try a day in Palm Springs and amazing Joshua Tree National Park.) And of course, shopping and eating are at their best in the Christmas season. You can't go wrong.
Feb 4th, 2014, 09:39 AM
#6
The Coast Starlight goes from Seattle all the way down to Los Angeles. (It actually starts in Vancouver). It takes 2 days to get there. I have taken it 3 times: first time from LA to "SF" (it doesn't go to SF, it goes to Emeryville across the bay in the Oakland area, then you have to take a bus to a particularly seedy area of SF where it drops you off). Second time from LA to Seattle. Third time from Seattle to LA.
It is an enjoyable, but super long ride that you don't want to do unless you pay for a tiny sleeper (egregiously expensive). It is notorious for it's delays -- and not just a few minute delays but delays that go on for hours. And that's in the middle of summer! In winter, when there is a lot of "weather" as it eeks up the State inland, delays could even be longer.
I would not recommend this train going south, because all of the really scenic portions (i.e. the coastline)in California, or the Klamath Falls (Crater Lake area) in Oregon, you get to when its DARK outside. Going south, I'd say, the only great scenery you see during the daylight hours are Portland, where you can get out and stretch and maybe, if you move quickly, you run outside across the street from the station and take a quick picture of your friends and the totem pole. And the following day, you get some really brief scenery (until it gets dark) between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. IF the train is on time, that is. The train is supposed to reach Santa Barbara around 6 p.m., which in December, it's been dark for nearly an hour.
December in LA is generally not our rainy season. Although this winter has been unusual in the complete lack of any noticeable rain and the unseasonably warm weather (we had my annual Christmas Eve get together outside -- even the space heaters weren't needed!), I've found in the past that the weekend following Thanksgiving Day we generally get a little bit of rain -- I only recall this because that's the weekend we like to put up our holiday lights. But again, it's usually a sprinkle, not a pisser.
At your ages, I was driving all over Europe and England (where there really IS weather!), and had absolutely no problem driving. So it shouldn't be hard to do in LA -- these days you can't drive fast anyway, and the accelerator and the brakes are in the same position on the floor that they are in vehicles used in Australia or England. You'll be fine.
It is an enjoyable, but super long ride that you don't want to do unless you pay for a tiny sleeper (egregiously expensive). It is notorious for it's delays -- and not just a few minute delays but delays that go on for hours. And that's in the middle of summer! In winter, when there is a lot of "weather" as it eeks up the State inland, delays could even be longer.
I would not recommend this train going south, because all of the really scenic portions (i.e. the coastline)in California, or the Klamath Falls (Crater Lake area) in Oregon, you get to when its DARK outside. Going south, I'd say, the only great scenery you see during the daylight hours are Portland, where you can get out and stretch and maybe, if you move quickly, you run outside across the street from the station and take a quick picture of your friends and the totem pole. And the following day, you get some really brief scenery (until it gets dark) between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. IF the train is on time, that is. The train is supposed to reach Santa Barbara around 6 p.m., which in December, it's been dark for nearly an hour.
December in LA is generally not our rainy season. Although this winter has been unusual in the complete lack of any noticeable rain and the unseasonably warm weather (we had my annual Christmas Eve get together outside -- even the space heaters weren't needed!), I've found in the past that the weekend following Thanksgiving Day we generally get a little bit of rain -- I only recall this because that's the weekend we like to put up our holiday lights. But again, it's usually a sprinkle, not a pisser.
At your ages, I was driving all over Europe and England (where there really IS weather!), and had absolutely no problem driving. So it shouldn't be hard to do in LA -- these days you can't drive fast anyway, and the accelerator and the brakes are in the same position on the floor that they are in vehicles used in Australia or England. You'll be fine.
Feb 4th, 2014, 11:03 AM
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I'm biased towards San Francisco because I live in the area (but raised in LA).
We've gone up to Seattle about 4-5 times in the last 15 years to visit relatives & to sight-see. Last time with friends from San Francisco, we ran out of interesting stuff to do in Seattle after 2 full days, so we came home early. On another visit, relatives drove my wife & I through the Olympic National Park and also to Snowqualme Falls (I think that's the name). Both were quite scenic - but as Gardyloo noted, that's something you won't want to do in Dec - especially without a car.
In my (biased) opinion, there are tons more things to do in & around San Francisco than in Seattle (or LA). Here is a lllloooonnnngggg thread I posted many years ago, that visitors still use as a resource:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...mendations.cfm
Any chance of driving down our spectacular Hwy 1 from Carmel to Cambria???? I've never visited Oz - but this is one of the most scenic coastal drives I've seen (we spend 2 months vacationing in Europe every year).
IMO, and ideal trip would be:
- Fly to San Francisco & spend 6-7 nights here. Do things like bicycling over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, and then take the ferry back to SF. Rent a car the last 2 days here & drive to Muir Woods & visit, catch the breathtaking site atop the GGNRA just west of the Marin side of the GG Bridge. Drive around & see some sites that are difficult to get to by public transportation.
- Drive 2 1/2 hrs to Carmel & spend 2-3 nights there, visiting the Aquarium, Carmel Beach, Carmel, 17 mile drive, Spanish Bay, and especially Pt Lobos ("most scenic meeting of land & sea").
- Drive the scenic Hwy 1 to Big Sur. Have lunch at Nepenthe, then continue south. Explore Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. If there is time left in the day, visit Hearst Castle. If there is not enough time left in the day, visit the castle tomorrow first thing. Stay 1 night in Cambria or San Simeon.
- On to LA (try to slide in between rush hour traffic if you do this). Spend 4-5 nights in LA
- Drive to Anaheim or Laguna Beach & spend 2-3 nights. Visit Disneyland, Newport Beach, and Laguna Beach.
- Return the car at Orange County Airport, and fly to Las Vegas. In addition to a day-trip to the Grand Canyon, do a day-trip to Death Valley. It might be warm.
Stu Dudley
We've gone up to Seattle about 4-5 times in the last 15 years to visit relatives & to sight-see. Last time with friends from San Francisco, we ran out of interesting stuff to do in Seattle after 2 full days, so we came home early. On another visit, relatives drove my wife & I through the Olympic National Park and also to Snowqualme Falls (I think that's the name). Both were quite scenic - but as Gardyloo noted, that's something you won't want to do in Dec - especially without a car.
In my (biased) opinion, there are tons more things to do in & around San Francisco than in Seattle (or LA). Here is a lllloooonnnngggg thread I posted many years ago, that visitors still use as a resource:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...mendations.cfm
Any chance of driving down our spectacular Hwy 1 from Carmel to Cambria???? I've never visited Oz - but this is one of the most scenic coastal drives I've seen (we spend 2 months vacationing in Europe every year).
IMO, and ideal trip would be:
- Fly to San Francisco & spend 6-7 nights here. Do things like bicycling over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, and then take the ferry back to SF. Rent a car the last 2 days here & drive to Muir Woods & visit, catch the breathtaking site atop the GGNRA just west of the Marin side of the GG Bridge. Drive around & see some sites that are difficult to get to by public transportation.
- Drive 2 1/2 hrs to Carmel & spend 2-3 nights there, visiting the Aquarium, Carmel Beach, Carmel, 17 mile drive, Spanish Bay, and especially Pt Lobos ("most scenic meeting of land & sea").
- Drive the scenic Hwy 1 to Big Sur. Have lunch at Nepenthe, then continue south. Explore Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. If there is time left in the day, visit Hearst Castle. If there is not enough time left in the day, visit the castle tomorrow first thing. Stay 1 night in Cambria or San Simeon.
- On to LA (try to slide in between rush hour traffic if you do this). Spend 4-5 nights in LA
- Drive to Anaheim or Laguna Beach & spend 2-3 nights. Visit Disneyland, Newport Beach, and Laguna Beach.
- Return the car at Orange County Airport, and fly to Las Vegas. In addition to a day-trip to the Grand Canyon, do a day-trip to Death Valley. It might be warm.
Stu Dudley
Feb 4th, 2014, 03:19 PM
#8
Stu's plan is brilliant, of course. It would be what I would do (and have done), but in my 30's when I had more expendable income.
All I'm saying is we don't know how much you and your friends have to spend, but some of these options are well worth considering.
My only issue, I think, is going southbound on Highway 1. It is very windy (as in winds a lot) and you'd be on the sea side of the road, with direct drops to the sea. In fact, I have a friend from England coming over the end of March and he wants to travel hwy 1 from SF to L.A. Even though he's been driving for nearly 30 years, he doesn't want to chance it, so I'm going to drive up to SF and pick him up. Assuming the weather is decent, we'll take the coast route and as Stu mentioned, have lunch at Nepenthe before continuing south.
All I'm saying is we don't know how much you and your friends have to spend, but some of these options are well worth considering.
My only issue, I think, is going southbound on Highway 1. It is very windy (as in winds a lot) and you'd be on the sea side of the road, with direct drops to the sea. In fact, I have a friend from England coming over the end of March and he wants to travel hwy 1 from SF to L.A. Even though he's been driving for nearly 30 years, he doesn't want to chance it, so I'm going to drive up to SF and pick him up. Assuming the weather is decent, we'll take the coast route and as Stu mentioned, have lunch at Nepenthe before continuing south.
Feb 4th, 2014, 06:42 PM
#10
Stu,
Obviously you've never been outside of London on a small windy country lane at night in winter heading to or from a country pub. Just room for one car and possible black ice. Now THAT can scare the you know what out of you.
Obviously you've never been outside of London on a small windy country lane at night in winter heading to or from a country pub. Just room for one car and possible black ice. Now THAT can scare the you know what out of you.
Feb 5th, 2014, 04:23 PM
#12
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Thanks so much for all your suggestions.
We are locked in to fly into Seattle so will probably stay just two days to get over jetlag and see the major sites, space needle, pike place market - any suggestions for good places to eat? We love our food!
I think we will forgo the drive from SF to LA and probably fly. Last time I was in San Francisco I absolutely loved it! Will definitely look at that thread about things to do in SF - thanks Stu. Will probably spend about 6 days there then fly to LA.
We're thinking of hiring a car in LA and driving around and then down to Anaheim for a couple of days in Disneyland/California Adventure.
Then we are thinking about keeping the car and driving from LA to Vegas - is that drive worth it? We are thinking of stopping at Calico and Primm for shopping and arrive Las Vegas at night.
Do we need the car in Vegas? Or should we return it. We do want to visit Grand Canyon but not sure about driving there with the chance of snow etc.
Thanks again for your suggestions all of you have really helped shape our itinerary quite a bit.
We are locked in to fly into Seattle so will probably stay just two days to get over jetlag and see the major sites, space needle, pike place market - any suggestions for good places to eat? We love our food!
I think we will forgo the drive from SF to LA and probably fly. Last time I was in San Francisco I absolutely loved it! Will definitely look at that thread about things to do in SF - thanks Stu. Will probably spend about 6 days there then fly to LA.
We're thinking of hiring a car in LA and driving around and then down to Anaheim for a couple of days in Disneyland/California Adventure.
Then we are thinking about keeping the car and driving from LA to Vegas - is that drive worth it? We are thinking of stopping at Calico and Primm for shopping and arrive Las Vegas at night.
Do we need the car in Vegas? Or should we return it. We do want to visit Grand Canyon but not sure about driving there with the chance of snow etc.
Thanks again for your suggestions all of you have really helped shape our itinerary quite a bit.
Feb 5th, 2014, 05:58 PM
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>>>keeping the car and driving from LA to Vegas - is that drive worth it?>We are thinking of stopping at Calico>Do we need the car in Vegas?>We do want to visit Grand Canyon but not sure about driving there with the chance of snow etc.
Feb 5th, 2014, 07:15 PM
#14
Totally agree with Stu. LA to Vegas is a quick 4 hour* drive through the most boring yawn inspiring scenery in California/Nevada. And the * goes to Hwy 15 where you're speeding down the motorway and suddenly there's an accident and everything comes to a complete halt. Where, if you forgot to stop at a restroom and need to go, good luck.
It's not so horrible if you leave around 7 a.m. on a weekend and get there around noon. Otherwise, you need Sirius or a well charged Ipod with stylized music to keep you awake.
In SF, don't forget the Marina/Cow Hollow area. Chestnut Street; Union Street -- both are great walking streets, lots of cool places to eat, drink, and shop.
It's not so horrible if you leave around 7 a.m. on a weekend and get there around noon. Otherwise, you need Sirius or a well charged Ipod with stylized music to keep you awake.
In SF, don't forget the Marina/Cow Hollow area. Chestnut Street; Union Street -- both are great walking streets, lots of cool places to eat, drink, and shop.
Feb 5th, 2014, 07:29 PM
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Okay I think you've convinced me to not do the drive from LA to Vegas.
I'm super tempted to do the drive from San Francisco to LA and I would if I was travelling with someone else I'll definitely make a go of it one day.
Yeah I think we'll do the tour of Grand Canyon - that should take about a day? I really want to visit Death Valley as well would that be able to do a tour in a day as well?
Thanks for all the suggestions I think our itinerary is getting more into shape.
I'm super tempted to do the drive from San Francisco to LA and I would if I was travelling with someone else I'll definitely make a go of it one day.
Yeah I think we'll do the tour of Grand Canyon - that should take about a day? I really want to visit Death Valley as well would that be able to do a tour in a day as well?
Thanks for all the suggestions I think our itinerary is getting more into shape.
Feb 5th, 2014, 08:13 PM
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>>I'm super tempted to do the drive from San Francisco to LA and I would if I was travelling with someone else I'll definitely make a go of it one day.>I really want to visit Death Valley as well would that be able to do a tour in a day as well?>>In SF, don't forget the Marina/Cow Hollow area. Chestnut Street; Union Street -- both are great walking streets, lots of cool places to eat, drink, and shop
Feb 16th, 2014, 06:24 PM
#17
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Thanks so much for all your suggestions.
I managed to convince my friends to do the SF to LA drive along the Coastal Highway which is exciting.
In regards to the route if we spend one night in Carmel and one night in Cambria/San Simeon would that be sufficent to do the drive and do some sightseeing - we're fine not seeing everything just some of the major sights. Pt Lobos, Hearst Castle, lunch at Nepenthe. Any other suggestions that we could stop if we wanted to do the drive in 3 days and 2 nights?
So would you consider Marina/Cow hollow area a convenient place to stay in SF itself for a couple of days?
Thanks in advance for any help
I managed to convince my friends to do the SF to LA drive along the Coastal Highway which is exciting.
In regards to the route if we spend one night in Carmel and one night in Cambria/San Simeon would that be sufficent to do the drive and do some sightseeing - we're fine not seeing everything just some of the major sights. Pt Lobos, Hearst Castle, lunch at Nepenthe. Any other suggestions that we could stop if we wanted to do the drive in 3 days and 2 nights?
So would you consider Marina/Cow hollow area a convenient place to stay in SF itself for a couple of days?
Thanks in advance for any help
Feb 16th, 2014, 06:35 PM
#18
See the Monterey aquarium and pop over to adjacent Pacific Grove to see the migrating Monarch butterflies.
http://gardyloo.us/20130124_155a.JPG
http://gardyloo.us/20130124_187b.JPG
Just north of the Hearst Castle turnoff is a giant elephant seal breeding colony, which will be very active in December.
http://gardyloo.us/20130124_7a.JPG
http://gardyloo.us/20130119_90a.JPG
http://gardyloo.us/20130119_121a.JPG
If time allows, visit the Big Basin Redwoods near Santa Cruz - http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=540
http://gardyloo.us/20130124_155a.JPG
http://gardyloo.us/20130124_187b.JPG
Just north of the Hearst Castle turnoff is a giant elephant seal breeding colony, which will be very active in December.
http://gardyloo.us/20130124_7a.JPG
http://gardyloo.us/20130119_90a.JPG
http://gardyloo.us/20130119_121a.JPG
If time allows, visit the Big Basin Redwoods near Santa Cruz - http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=540
Feb 16th, 2014, 08:16 PM
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The Monarch Butterflies are having some migrating problems.
As a 40 year "local" - I like the the Marina/Cow Hollow area.
Union Square with all the vagrants is becoming less & less appealing to us. We get pis---- when we go there on the way to dinner, shopping, meetings, or just wandering around and have to confront them. It didn't seem like so much of a problem 25 years ago.
Stu Dudley
As a 40 year "local" - I like the the Marina/Cow Hollow area.
Union Square with all the vagrants is becoming less & less appealing to us. We get pis---- when we go there on the way to dinner, shopping, meetings, or just wandering around and have to confront them. It didn't seem like so much of a problem 25 years ago.
Stu Dudley
Feb 17th, 2014, 01:44 AM
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Years ago - we lived in the Marina - on Union St - and just loved it. Check out the Chelsea Inn on Lombard, or one of their sister hotels.
As for the drive to Vegas - no problemo IMO - and don't stop at Prim or anywhere else to shop - just get into Vegas and enjoy the great sights and they have outlet shopping down the strip - south of the MGM resort a couple of miles, and many other shopping choices in/around town, etc.
Hey - don't forget us down here in San Diego (only two hours south of LA LA land) - where it is less expensive and easier to get around than in LA/Orange County.
As for the drive to Vegas - no problemo IMO - and don't stop at Prim or anywhere else to shop - just get into Vegas and enjoy the great sights and they have outlet shopping down the strip - south of the MGM resort a couple of miles, and many other shopping choices in/around town, etc.
Hey - don't forget us down here in San Diego (only two hours south of LA LA land) - where it is less expensive and easier to get around than in LA/Orange County.
