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Is exploring your hometown really a "vacation"?
After reading and hearing all the horror stories about air travel, I have decided to spend an autumn vacation seeing my home town of Los Angeles through the fresh eyes of a tourist. I decided to do that after I picked up a brochure for a sightseeing bus tour. Reading it made me realize that I had never visited most of the standard tourist attractions on the itinerary, despite living here my whole life. I bought some guidebooks and have been researching this experience exactly as I would plan a trip to a far-off destination. I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the many things I've overlooked around here, or that I never knew existed.
The itinerary I'm planning is necessarily scattered across a hundred-odd square miles in all directions, an inescapable fact (and challenge) for anyone visiting Southern California. So I'll be taking day trips from home over two weeks. No matter where I choose to stay I'd get to enjoy(?) a daily freeway commute, so home (in the South Bay area) is as good a "base" as any. But here's the question: If I'm exploring my home town, driving my own car, and sleeping in my own bed every night (with no packing, unpacking, or removing shoes for the TSA), is this really a "vacation," "travel," or a "trip"? That's perhaps a philosophical question along the lines of "If a tree falls in a forest and nobody hears it, does it make a sound?" But there's actually a practical and serious reason for asking it. My boss and co-workers will naturally want to know what exciting plans I have for my time off. But where I work, it's all too common for people supposedly "on vacation"-- and using their limited vacation time, no less-- to be actually at working at home. Between whatever personal activities they're doing, they're sending and answering e-mail, making phone calls, and phoning in to meetings. I need to make it very clear that just because I'm "not going anywhere," I'm <i>not</i> at home "on call." I'm really on vacation, and it should be no different from being away on another continent. I would appreciate whatever thoughts you might have about making that case, since I've never heard anyone admit to doing what I plan to do. |
In this case, your vacation is the period of time you are paid to not go to work.
I would say that you plan to explore your home town during your vacation. You will be "on" vacation from work but not from your home town. |
JB
This is a great idea - to actually make a point to view your city as from the eyes of a tourist. I know New Yorkers who have never gone to the Empire State Bldg, or Statue of Liberty, or any other tourist sites. And they've lived there their entire lives. Often we think we are really exploring our own cities, but we end up doing a few things here and there - or go once and twenty years go bye and sights and venues have changed. Excellent! |
While this is a wonderful idea and I confess that there are many interesting places and wonderful activities where I live that I have that I have never taken advantage of, doing so would not be a vacation to me. I would have home as a base, therefore I would also have:
*personal & business phone calls to deal with *meals to cook & clean up from *beds to make *adult children to deal with etc, etc, etc If *I* were to contemplate this, I would definitely check into a hotel. What I really should do is get out my calendar and pencil in week-end get-aways. |
I think 2 weeks is a bit too much for just day tripping from LA; you won't be able to go far if you have to come home to South Bay every night. For example, you can go to Orange County and then San Diego and spend 2-3 nights in SD. You can't do SD in one day and it's not worth the 2 hour trip back the same day every day.
I think you should also consider going to Santa Barbara, Solvang, and San Luis Obispo areas. I would also stay 2-3 nights while traveling through those. And finally, you can go even more north to Monterey/Carmel/Hearst Castle/Cambria areas if you haven't been. If you haven't done the drive up the coast with a few stopovers, I think it's definitely strongly recommended :) I think you can easily do most "tourist" things around LA that are a "day trip away" in a week. |
There is a wonderful book defining several day/weekend trips from LA. Right now, I cannot find the one we used when we took a trip to Southern CA several years ago. I did find these at Amazon but I'm still looking for the one I used:
Day Outings from Los Angeles on a Tank of Gas (Travel and Local Interest) by Gandall Hollywood Escapes: The Moviegoer's Guide to Exploring Southern California's Great Outdoors Hollywood Escapes: The Moviegoer's Guide to Exploring Southern California's Great Outdoors by Harry Medved and Bruce Akiyama California Trails South Coast Region by Peter Massey, Jeanne Wilson, and Angela Titus |
You don't need to tell your boss and coworkers what your plans are. Don't tell them you will be home. If they ask what your vacation plans are, just tell them it is a surprise and you will tell them when you return. That way it is the truth, but also they don't know you will home so won't be expecting you to still be on the hook for things.
Sounds like a great idea to check out your local area. |
I use my vacation time to get out of town, and I spice up non-vacation periods by doing the kind of hometown sightseeing you describe.
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I'd agree that as long as you are in your own home, it will NOT be a vacation. I love the idea of exploring your own area, but unless you check into a motel and force yourself not to return home to check mail, see how things are going, whatever, you will NOT have experienced the feel of a vacation.
I'd tell everyone I know that I'm going to an exciting big city and exploring -- but it's a secret which one. And let it go at that. By the way, I won two nights at a nearby luxury hotel once. We packed and went, although it is less than 5 miles from our home. It was just like going to a distant place -- and we made ourselves go to restaurants we've never been, just to make it more of a vacation. We returned feeling like we HAD been away, but we'd never get that feeling if we had stayed in our own home. |
I do this all the time. I check into a room downtown Chicago. Twelve to 18 miles away can be an immense difference and it IS a vacation. Just because it is a closer one in location than a "normal" vacation or longer travel, doesn't mean it isn't a vacation.
In fact, I've done this for up to 4 days and DIDN'T get the motel room. And traveled in the other directions away from the city. It was even more interesting- there's lots to see in my area of great caliber but unsung for tourism. They thought I was downtown or in MI. Vacation is also a state of mind. And JBHapgood, you will not be like most people in your city, L.A. who probably haven't been to 2/3rds of what the city has to offer but live there because they say it is so "accessible" and "available". LOL! It's true here too and in NYC. Tons of city dwellers who say this haven't been to a museum or exhibit or any sports event or any fine arts etc. in years and tend to hang in a 20 block area at the same 3 or 4 places. LOL! Human nature is amazing! Creatures of habit. |
I agree with checking into a hotel for at least part of the time. Heading to SD, up to Santa Barbara, and so forth is an excellent idea for part of your time. You have 2 weeks, so I would say spend part of your time at home and then do a few 2-3 night stays someplace.
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For me, it would have to be coupled with staying in a hotel. Home is where you love to be when your vacation is over LOL! I don't want to make the bed on vacation, although I don't mind so much if I'm in someone else's condo LOL.
That said, it's still "your vacation", so while I know how hard it is to not attend to work/errands, etc., the point of vacation is to take your mind off of those things for awhile - clear your head, so to speak. So do it, and enjoy it! |
The only risk with this is that you end up spending a lot of time doing "stuff" rather than actually exploring.
To make it work you'll need certain rules: Have a daily list of what you'll do Be out of the house by a certain time every day (No errands or projects) Eat every meal out (except breakfast if you want) Don;t answer your phone at all - pick up messages if you want - but no answering |
I agree with checking into a hotel. No matter what you plan to do if you are in your own home you will be doing chores and that isn't what vacations are about. My husband and I always used to take a break for a long weekend or around holiday time and book a room in a nice hotel. We would just roam around - dine out and do what tourists do in a city. You get the break without the hassle of airlines etc etc. Check out priceline.com and find a deal on a hotel it is worth it.
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Have the post office hold your mail for two weeks.
Do not read any work related emails. Leave home just after rush hour (eat breakfast at home I say). Eat out frequently at those places you always meant to try. Definitely make an itinerary. Make some reservations for places like the Getty Villa and Griffith Park Observatory. Spend a day at the beach, sailing, or take a cruise to Catalina. Be sure to spend the hotel savings on meals and shopping! And I like the idea of not telling anyone where you are going. |
I think it's a great idea. We are actually doing the same thing for our anniversary this weekend. We are checking into a nice hotel here in Dallas, and doing all the "touristy" things that we have never done. I'm looking forward to it! I think anytime you are not working and doing something you would not normaly do it is a vacation. After all, vacation is "leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure". You do not have to check into a hotel to accomplish this.
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If you must tell the people at your office something, just say you will be vacationing in Southern California. The fact that you may be sleeping at your own house is really none of their business.
I think it sounds like fun and agree with the suggestions that you make an itinerary in order to be sure you cover what you really want to see. |
Thanks for all your responses.
smartcookie, your suggestions for trips outside Los Angeles are very good ones. But I've already done (and enjoyed) all of them, particularly San Diego. Over the years I've made many road trips around Southern California. But I have purposely avoided "the monster" of Los Angeles out of a desire to escape my normal urban environment; and also frankly because I find solo driving on clotted freeways very unpleasant and stressful (yes, I'm a SoCal native, but my drive to work, chores, and normal life seldom require lengthy freeway trips). I've been known to set out at 3 in the morning so I can get through "the monster" as painlessly as possible. I have now essentially exhausted the obvious local road trips, and I don't really feel like revisiting those places. For various reasons a lengthy road trip isn't practical, and I definitely don't want to fly. So almost by default, it's time to plunge fearlessly into the belly of "the monster" and see what I've been missing. I have also carefully investigated using mass transit. There are a very few places of interest that are near MetroRail stations, and I'll definitely take advantage of that because it's a reasonably pleasant way to get around (even though I have to drive 8 miles to the nearest station). But getting anywhere else requires multiple buses, which means spending lots of time standing on street corners. That's not how I want to spend my vacation. I'm taking two weeks so I can alternate my freeway adventures with things closer to home or rest days. I'm definitely planning a fun-filled itinerary, including the recently-reopened Griffith Observatory and both Gettys. If I tried taking daily day trips like that in normal traffic for a week, I'd probably need another vacation to recover from it! |
As for checking in to a hotel, my first idea was to devise an itinerary based on geographical clusters. So I'd stay a night or two in one area, tick off the nearby sights on the list, and then move to a hotel in some other area (possibly late a night to avoid the worst of the traffic, as "rush hour" extends throughout the day), and repeat until I run out of time.
If I lived in Dallas or Chicago and were planning a vacation in Los Angeles, that "divide and conquer" strategy would seem the only way to go. The normal approach of choosing a central location convenient to public transportation as a base for exploring a city won't work here. No such place exists! But I decided that the benefits of moving around like that wouldn't be worth it. It would be trading traffic hassles for "if it's Tuesday this must be Pasadena." And besides, I usually sleep better in my own bed. mlgb, I doubt I'll be spending my savings on meals and shopping. I have never cared for shopping whether at home or on vacation, and I really don't need three restaurant meals a day. A nice lunch is sufficient, although I suspect I'll also be treating myself to dinner and a movie on some evenings to wait out the peak traffic. I'll use the money for a future adventure. I'm thinking about taking the Amtrak Coast Starlight to Portland or Seattle. That should provide an interesting taste of the Third World, complete with decaying infrastructure and "you'll get there when (and if) you get there." |
nytraveler and mlgb, you're right about setting up a specific plan and rules. Like nearly all my travels, this "trip" will be solo. I have enough difficulty finding friends who can join me on trips to "exotic" locations. Convincing any of them to take some vacation days and join me in exploring local sights would be a very hard sell. Nobody will be pushing me to get out the door or ensuring that I stick to my plan, which is both good and bad.
I have taken days or weeks off from work without making plans. The default is to stay home with my computer, a book, or chores rather than jumping on the freeway and heading somewhere. When I go back to work, it's with the feeling that I've just squandered some very precious vacation days. I don't have that problem when I'm actually "away," since I'm there to explore. So I'm hoping that planning an itinerary exactly as I would do for a trip "away" will overcome the inertia. Fortunately, I don't have access to work e-mail at home, so that's not a problem. And I usually screen my phone calls anyway, since most of them are solicitations or telemarketers (the "do not call" list is far from perfect). If someone calls me from work, they'll get my answering machine, just as they would if I were in Australia. Unfortunately, some errands can't be avoided, even on vacation. |
mms, you have the best suggestion so far. For those who don't spend their vacations working part-time "on call," there's a large element bragging about exotic and prestigious destinations from which they have just returned. So if I tell everyone about my great trip to Los Angeles, I would certainly get admiration for the sheer audacity of doing something nobody would ever even think of, let alone admit to doing!
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JBHaphood--Well then, this is the perfect opportunity to share with them all the great things right in your area! After you keep it secret til you get back to work though, lol!
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A trip report, of sorts.
First, I'm glad to report that Los Angeles is a truly fascinating travel destination. I visited some of the "major" attractions (including the recently-reopened Griffith Observatory and Getty Villa, the other Getty, the Huntington) as well as several "hidden" places I never knew existed (most notably Rancho Los Alamitos and Naples, both of which are in Long Beach). And I barely scratched the surface. Unfortunately, I can't say that my solo exploration of Los Angeles was an enjoyable vacation. The "commuter" approach didn't work (and, as I said earlier, the sights of Los Angeles are spread over such a large area that it's impossible to avoid "commuting"). The traffic was far worse than I expected-- and I expected it to be horrible. Since on normal weekdays I'm either at work or (rarely) on vacation somewhere far away, I really had no idea what everyday traffic was like. Even when I treated myself to a nice dinner and a movie so I could head home at 8:30 or 9, the freeways were still clotted. I don't want to think about what it's like at 5. I did venture downtown using the MetroRail light rail, which was a delightful break from traffic as well as from ridiculous parking charges. Unfortunately, MetroRail covers only a tiny portion of the Los Angeles sprawl, and it goes to rather few places of tourist interest. Traveling any distance using buses inevitably means spending too many hours standing on nondescript street corners waiting for transfers. In the future I'll pick a neighborhood, read up on it, book a motel, and enjoy a nice vacation exploring it fully, possibly by local bus. That should avoid the worst of the traffic hassles. Indeed, if air travel remains in its current deplorable state, I could well imagine doing just that on my vacations for the rest of my life. Los Angeles really is that diverse and exciting. My intent here definitely is <i>not</i> to discourage people who don't live here from visiting. But if you do plan a vacation exploring the Los Angeles sprawl, you should be fully aware of what it involves. My situation as a "soloist" made the traffic problems worse. If you're like the overwhelming majority of vacationers, you'll be traveling with a spouse, family, or friends. That means you can use the "high occupancy vehicle" (carpool) lanes on the major freeways that often (but not always!) reduce the stop-and-creep headaches. Even without carpool lanes, sharing the driving and navigating chores will surely make the inevitable stress more manageable. If you <i>are</i> thinking about taking a solo vacation in Los Angeles, this is my honest advice: Unless you have the patience of a saint and the serenity of a Zen master, choose another destination that doesn't require spending so much time sitting alone in a car going nowhere. If you dream of visiting Southern California, you'll have a much more enjoyable and relaxing time in San Diego or Santa Barbara. |
Interesting.
Just last night we ate at a new restaurant and I told my wife to imagine us being on vacation. It made for a quick mental get-away. The we had to drive the horrible central CA coastline on our way home. :$ |
JBHapgood: or San Francisco where you can leave the car at home, hop on a bus, and enjoy your adventures!
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Faina, I actually was considering trying the new MegaBus from Los Angeles to San Francisco. For reasons too boring to relate, I decided against it. Maybe next year.
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Take Amtrak that goes along the coast, do it in spring. The hills from Santa Barbara and up make great scenery.
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I think the main problem is that you were coming from South Bay and going back to South Bay. Traffic is really not that bad in Los Angeles proper outside of 7-10am and 4-7pm, and most of the time around Downtown. And on the weekends, I rarely have problems unless I'm trying to drive from the valley to LA proper or from South Bay to LA proper. It's just best to avoid routes that most people take at specific times and on certain days. For example, everyone from the valley is going to LA proper or to the beach neighborhoods on weekend mornings/noon, so 101 south is bad, etc. I think next time, you should pick a small hotel in a certain area and explore everything around there for 1-2 days. Or, if you drive home to South Bay, it's a good idea to wait until 10pm at night.
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You could use your home as a base, but get away for 2 nights at a time. I'm an hour from San Francisco and under 1 1/2 hours to Monterey/ Carmel. I enjoy both more when I do a 2 night trip to each vs. day trippin. :-)
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5 miles from home is enough to give me a "fix".
Packing an over-nighter and paying for parking is often sufficient fulfillment for me. I prefer to mix in a flight or two, but I'll take what I can get. |
smartcookie, you're quite right. But I suspect it's bad going between any far-flung areas on weekdays, not just the South Bay. Any trip will likely involve the 405 or the 101-- and the alternatives don't seem to be that much better. In the future I will definitely book accommodations in an area I want to explore, and drive to and from there after midnight (10pm is still crowded). It's also more like a "vacation" that way.
I suppose that an actual visitor can carefully plan out an itinerary based on geographical clusters of places, spending several nights in each cluster and moving between them late at night when the freeways are less congested. The caveat is that such an approach will reduce the traffic headaches but not eliminate them, as surface streets can get very congested too, even at supposedly off hours. I suppose the right attitude would help-- traffic congestion is an inherent characteristic of Los Angeles, so you might experience it to its fullest. Go with the flow (or, in this case, the stoppage). It's better than flying. |
Faina, do you mean the Coast Starlight? That's really the only train that goes north of Santa Barbara, unless you want to ride a bus from San Luis Obispo and beyond.
The Coast Starlight actually sounds like quite an adventure, a taste of the Third World where service is slow and unreliable and "you'll get there when you get there." I've been meaning to call up Amtrak and ask them what provisions they make for passengers who want to go part of the way. If you're going from San Francisco (Emeryville) to Los Angeles and the train can be anywhere from six to 14 hours late, how do you know when to show up (or whether to book an additional night at the hotel)? |
To the original question, I don't consider it a "vacation" but being a tourist in your own home city can be fun.
I had out-of-town guests here in Seattle this week and we went up the Space Needle, rode a ferry, went to Snoqualmie Falls, ate dinner out each night... and had a great time. |
Not working is a vacation :-)
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JBH, yes, Coast Starlight, I took it only once, and it was not more then 2 hours late. The passengers boarded in LA on time, but didn't take off until something was fixed. As I live in SF, it was not a problem for me.
As for you... well... a hotel reservation will hold your room till 6 am I beleive, other then that you are on your own. I talked to a woman on Zephyr coming from Chicago, they were late coming to Chicago, and lost one night reservation with B&B, non-refundable. |
Clicked "post" too soon.
Maybe you want to fly to SF and take the train home? I did this coming from Chicago not to worry about hotel reservations. And we were 7 hours late, arriving at 1 am instead of scheduled 6 pm. I think you can call Amtrak and they will tell you if a train is late and how late. |
While exploring my hometown isn't exactly a "vacation" (since we still have to feed the kids in the morning, look for matching socks in the laundry, and try to overlook the mess in the living room as we make our way out for a day of hometown sightseeing), it IS fun.
This summer (due to budget restrictions), we decided to take 3 days off from work and just hang out. We live downtown, so it's easy to leave the car in the garage & just hop on a bus to see all the sights, just like a tourist. It was fun telling the waitress at the restaurant down the street from us (which we hadn't frequented before) that we were on vacation. She said, "Oh that's so nice. Where are you from? "1/2 mile up the street," we replied. We all had a good chuckle. |
It is if you do it with a vacation mind set. Otherwise, no.
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I went to my hometown in Minnesota (Browerville) in May.
Took me about 5 minutes to "explore" the town. One grocery store Two bars One Bank One hardware store One gas station One garage One high school 1-12 One Catholic school 1-6 Two churches One cafe One clinic Two creeks, one with a small park One small river One used things store (Thread Shed) |
Jbhapgood - thanks for reporting back. I was curious to see if it was a sucess. It is simply too hard for me to relax if we stay "home". I too live in Southern California. We do often take a few days at stay at a hotel in our area or San Diego - this summmer we are actually renting a house in Newport Beach. :-)
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