Hello,
I'll be in San Clemente this Sunday (Oct. 22). I'm accompanying a friend to a work thing she has, but I need to make myself scarce for a few hours. I'll have her car (and a GPS unit), but I need to find something to do with myself between 4-8pm! Any suggestions?

I really have no idea what the town is like, what's near, what will be open, etc. Even just a place to hang out, eat, have coffee, a drink, a bookstore... anything like that would be great.

Please excuse my ignorance about the area... I'm visiting CA from Florida, so I have no idea what to expect. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

Thanks in advance,
Carol

4-8pm is a bit awkward for visiting tourist areas but here are a few suggestions:

There is a good restaurant at the base of the San Clemente pier. Depending on the weather that day, you may or may not have a good ocean view while dining.

One of the premier California Missions, San Juan Capistrano, is only a few miles north. It is interesting to walk around the grounds but I believe it is only open during daylight hours.

A few miles further north, there are a number of galleries in Laguna Beach. I don't know what their Sunday hours are late in October but some may be open.

Since you are from Florida, you might enjoy a drive through a national forest. Cleveland National Forest is just a few miles northeast of San Clemente and has some wonderful forest and mountain views.

Have a great trip.

Go down to PCH, drive to Dana Point, walk around the Harbor for a little while perhaps, then back in the car to continue down PcH to Laguna Beach. This is a great walking around town, and you'll find plenty of window shopping and restaurants.

San Juan Capistrano, as dwooddon suggested, is also a good idea, a 5 minute drive north from San Clemente on the freeway. Spend an hour or so wandering the Mission and it's beautiful grounds. Then walk around the nearby antique and gift and art shops. Spend some time at Diedrich coffee shop directly across from the Mission, and/or eat in the garden at the CedarCreek restaurant. Just across the street from the mission are the train tracks right in the middle of town. Cross them, and you'll find a lovely little street called LosRios street. The Ramos House Cafe is a lovely little garden restaurant, highly rated by Zagat, where you could bring a book and eat a nice meal and feel comfortable eating by yourself.
Make sure to get a good map of the area.

San Clemente is a beachy town with (IMO) a little less to do than Laguna or San Juan.
Invest in a good map to get an idea of the lay of the land.
Best of luck.

Thanks very much for both of your responses. If the Mission is that close, I think that would be a great idea. I see online that it closes at 5 pm, so perhaps I could get in an hour there.

dwooddon, Is the restaurant at the base of the pier you're referring to called White Horses?

frankie, I will definitely look into the coffeehouse and restaurant you mention. I know I'm gonna be there at a really bad time of day/week (lots of stuff closed on an Sunday evening. But I'll give it a shot, for sure. Otherwise, I may end up reading in a Starbucks.

I will have a GPS unit to navigate around in my car, but if I'm doing any walking, I'd need a map, as you suggest. Any online maps you know of? I was in Border's and could find hardly ANYTHING on the area in guidebooks.

Thanks again,
Carol

The restaurant is called The Fisherman's Restaurant and Bar. The food is very good.

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel...rano.html#tips

That's a big link to cut and paste, but I thought there was some good info here.

Restaurant names change but a couple of years ago, the one at the base of San Clemente pier was named "The Fisherman" if I remember correctly.