John Kirch

I'm going to California in July and will be driving down the coast on Route 1 from San Francisco to San Diego. Does anyone have any suggestions on interesting sites to see along the way? We're specially interested in small towns with things of interest in them. Please e-mail response to [email protected]. Thanks.

Dave

There are an infinite number of great places along Hwy 1. YOu have to stop in Monterey, and Carmel to begin with. While in Monterey, go to Pacific Grove. It is small, quaint, good shopping in small stores. Eat breakfast in a little place as you arrive in town on the right side, half way down. It is a little red house on the corner, wonderful. Great photo opts in all three towns. Down the coast, stop at Julia Pfeiffer Burns state park, go to see the waterfall that empties into the ocean from a cliff, very photogenic. Big Sur has some nice places as well. A few lighthouses, plenty of rough ocean scenes along the coast, bring plenty of film. If youmake it down to Cambria, go to Hearst Castle, there are four different tours, take the first one if you have never been, takes a couple of hours, you won't be disappointed.
Good Luck
Dave

Judy

If you're into artichokes, try a stop at the very small town of Pescadero (located off of Route 1 in southern San Mateo county). You can buy artichoke bread in the grocery and eat delicious artichoke soup at the restaurant, Duarte's Tavern (also known for its ollaliberry pie).

Dayle

John, Hearst Castle is definitely worth a tour. Be sure to call a few weeks ahead for reservations. In the summer, the tour companies book up all the tickets. Also spend some time in the Santa Barbara wine country, inland in the Santa Ynez Valley. It's beautiful and has some great wineries. The Ballard Inn is lovely, but again you will need advance resevations. My two favorite wineries are Foley (just around the corner from the Ballard Inn)and Longoria (tasting room in the quaint, tiny town of Los Olivos.

Dayle

John, Hearst Castle is definitely worth a tour. Be sure to call a few weeks ahead for reservations. In the summer, the tour companies book up all the tickets. Also spend some time in the Santa Barbara wine country, inland in the Santa Ynez Valley. It's beautiful and has some great wineries. The Ballard Inn is lovely, but again you will need advance resevations. My two favorite wineries are Foley (just around the corner from the Ballard Inn)and Longoria (tasting room in the quaint, tiny town of Los Olivos.

kam

John, I would suggest to save time that you pick and choose which parts of Hwy 1 you want to see and bypass the rest on 101. For instance, the stretch from Daly City (south of SF) to Santa Cruz can easily be bypassed by taking 280 from SF to 85 South to Hwy 17 to Santa Cruz. There's not much to see on the coast while the ride down the Peninsula on 280 and then over the Santa Cruz Mtns. on 17 are quite lovely--lots of redwoods and wildflowers. Do NOT try to do Big Sur if the weather is not nice--you won't see anything--wait until the fog burns off. Also, you cannot access Hwy 1 around Pt. Conception, you must take 101 through Santa Barbara etc. Some good suggestions on the above posts, but take time to plan especially through LA where you probably will want to take 405 to 5 and then over to Hwy 1 again around Newport Beach. Have fun and allow plenty of time to see everything. One of my favorite little towns is Morro Bay, often skipped in the rush from Hearst Castle. Also, don't forget to make reservations ahead if you want to see Hearst Castle and reserve a parking place at the new Getty, if possible. If none available, take a taxi up--reservations only necessary for cars, not for people!

Linda

John - I like Capitola outside of Santa Cruz and agree with the others to go to Big Sur and Hearst castle. 17 Mile Drive in Carmel is not to be missed. Have a terrific trip, you've made a wonderful choice.

D.B.

Sometimes hwy. 101 and route 1 are the same thing, sometimes they separate and 1 is closer to the beach. South of Santa Barbara they split, 1 becomes PCH and a winding road to Malibu, 101 a freeway to the east of Malibu canyons (off Chesebro road is where they hold the Renaissance Faire). Blungry is right about L.A.: it can take three hours to go 20 miles from Will Rogers State Beach (Santa Monica/Hwy 10) to Huntington or Newport on PCH, there are about a gazillion traffic lights -- and that's when they aren't still trying to clear mud off the road. Of course the 5 and 405 aren't much better, unless it's around midnight.

So my upshot is, once in L.A., plan ahead of time and pick what you want to see, such as Venice beach, and take the freeways over to those places (yep, you gotta live with 'em).

North of Santa Barabara usually isn't too bad, but some places can have their moments (traffic-wise).

Karen

If you do decide to do Big Sur, make sure you eat at Nepenthe Restaurant. It's on the ocean side up on a hill and all the seats look out over the ocean -- gorgeous view (if it's not cold and fogged in) and great food too.

John

Thanks for all the suggestions!