MY son is doing an internship in at the Home Depot Stadium and will stay in Carson. When we come to see him where should we go, where should we stay, where should we eat and how close is this to San Diego? We thought we might go there after he starts work. We will be driving out from the east coast with him so he won't know the area when we get there. As always thanks for your help.

Hi Poolqueen,

Well, Carson is not exactly the garden spot of southern CA. It's an area of heavy industry - refineries, manufacturing, train tracks.

It would be about a 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive to San Diego without traffic.

It is fairly near Long Beach and Long Beach has some very nice areas.

Hope your son enjoys his new internship!

Hi poolqueen,

You could stay in Long Beach or in any of the South Bay Beach Cities (Manhattan, Hermosa & Redondo) if you would like to be close to the ocean. Otherwise, Torrance has some extended stay hotels which are not far from the Home Depot Center (beautiful facility, by the way!) The Torrance/Carson area is home to the U.S. Headquarters of Toyota and Honda (Nissan just moved to Tennessee), so there are plenty of hotels that cater to business travelers in that area. Does your son have housing provided for him?

If you give us some idea of your interests, food preferences and budget, we can be more helpful with restaurant and activity information. There are not many places to eat near the Home Depot Center, but plenty of great places in nearby South Bay cities.

To eat (and stock up on takeout) excellent and very close to CSUDH/HD Center.

Giuliano’s Delicatessen
1138 W Gardena Blvd
Gardena, CA 90247-5902

Also close.
Sushi Island in Gardena
Street: 18539 S Western Ave, Gardena, 90248

There are a few hotels in Carson, the Doubletree near the Civic Center would be the only one I'd suggest. Other than that, staying somewhere near the 405 (San Diego Freeway) would be convenient. There's a Marriott in Torrance, and another near the Long Beach airport (exit Lakewood), also check the Holiday Inn and extended stay places near LB Airport. For something more splurgy, there are a Hyatt and a Hilton on the beach in Huntington Beach, which isn't really too far. San Diego is 2 hours at off-peak and more like 3 during rush hour (which seems to be most of the time).

Dayle, if it isn't the garden spot is it a safe place for him for the summer. he has housing provided

great ideas about housing. as far as costs 150 a night or thereabouts and reasonable for food like 20-30 per person dollars for food, not including alcohol.

as always thanks for your input.

The HD stadium is within the boundaries of California State University (Dominguez Hills) which Dayle may not realize is part of Carson. Is your son staying in the dorms?

Yes, I realize where Carson is and the surroundings. Just meant that there are nicer areas nearby as far as where to stay and things to do.

No he is not in the dorms. He is in a house with other interns. keep the info coming.

Almost all of Carson's neighborhoods are quiet, single family and well-kept. People get it confused with Compton which is immediately north. Anything south of Victoria should be okay.

If you just head west on Victoria (It will become 190th, then Anita, then Herondo), you will arrive at the Pacific Ocean in about 25 minutes. A left onto Harbor Drive will bring you to King Harbor in Redondo Beach, which has lots of great restaurants & nightspots. A right onto Hermosa Avenue will take you into downtown Hermosa Beach which has restaurants, bars and shops. This will be a great place for him to hang out in the summer.

If you want to stay by the water, check out the newly renovated Portofino Inn, the Best Western Sunrise or the Crowne Plaza in Redondo Beach, which may be in your budget range. Otherwise there is a Residence Inn, a Homestead Suites and an Extended Stay America near the Del Amo Mall in Torrance. These offer spacious suites at a pretty good value.

This should be an exciting summer in Carson, with all the hoopla surrounding the arrival of Becks and Posh!

Forgot to mention-- you might want to stay away from the Summerfield Suites on Prairie Ave. in Torrance, as that property is adjacent to the giant Mobil Refinery.

We have a wealth of good restaurants in the area, almost any cuisine you can imagine. If you give us an idea what your preferences are, we can give you some recommendations.

We like steaks, ribs, italian, some seafood. You all have been helpful I feel better about him being out there and am looking forward to the trip. Thanks.

I'm sure he will have a blast in Southern California this summer. I'm thinking that he'll probably see lots of celebrities, too. The buzz is that celebs that would have never set foot in Carson will be arriving at Home Depot Ctr. by the limo-loads to watch L.A.'s newest shining star (from the Luxury Boxes, of course).

The mall in Carson is called the South Bay Pavilion and has a few unexciting chain restaurants (Chili's, Tony Roma's) You will have to drive about 20-30 minutes for any decent food.

For Ribs: http://www.lucillesbbq.com">www.lucillesbbq.com has several locations, but the Belmont Shore one (Long Beach) would be the most fun neighborhood for your son.

For steaks (with a great view), head to Redondo Beach http://www.kincaids.com">www.kincaids.com is on the RB pier. Bluewater Grill is a great seafood restaurant, also on the water in Redondo http://www.bluewatergrill.com">www.bluewatergrill.com

For Italian, we like Buona Vita on Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach http://www.buonavita.com">www.buonavita.com.

Those are just a few to get you started. I'm sure the Long Beach experts will chime in with some of their favorites in that area.

While you're in the area, drive over to Gardena - in the Ralph's shopping plaza on Redondo Beach and Van Ness there is a GREAT LITTLE Italian restaurant that has been there for years - Lomeli's. The prices are good but the food is fabulous - you may have to wait for a table since it's a tiny place, but the food is worth the wait.

If you're feeling a bit adventurous, try my favorite restaurant in my hometown- The Loft in Torrance. Hawaiian food- island style fried chicken, chicken teriyaki, korean bbq beef, macaroni potato salad, hmm...all for low prices! It's located on Hawthorne and Lomita, next to the Kinkos. It's also next to Vince's, which is a pretty decent Italian restaurant. Afterwards, head over to Torrance Bakery in downtown Torrance for some famous chocolate chewy cookies. Happy eating!

I already posted this info in response to a request for DC itinerary suggestions, but it is relevant here as well. There is a new site for social trip planning and itinerary building - TripWiser. They have thousands of pre-defined itineraries that you can customize and save as various scenarios. They are still in beta but I subscribed and the site seems to be working all right. Their Google map integration is very nice as well, very convenient for planning a road trip: http://www.tripwiser.com . They cater to baby boomers and family travelers but everyone can use them.

I forgot to mention one of my favorite spots - it's in Torrance - on Sepulveda just west of Crenshaw - King's Hawaiian. Now that the original King's in Honolulu is closed, I think this is the only one that's open for dining. They have a really nice restaurant there - great food, WONDERFUL bakery, good prices. They're open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and you can take -out too - especially in the bakery - yummy stuff!

At Kings Hawaiian, make sure you try their rainbow cake...DELICIOUS. I'm starving now thinking about all this great food.