At the end of March my 17 year old dtr and I will travel to San Diego. I thought we would take one day to drive up to LA. What suggestions do you have for sights that would appeal to a girl this age? TIA.

topping...

I suggest shopping and eating and people watching in La Jolla. Pacific Beach and Mission Beach are also fun for teenagers, lots of inexpensive little stores to wander through. She might also like Horton Plaza, a shopping mall downtown adjacent to Planet Hollywood. Unless she's really enthusiastic, I can't see the Zoo or the Wild Animal Park being of much interest, but she might enjoy Sea World. The weather will probably be a bit cold for actually going to the beach, but if you are lucky and hit a really warm spell, try La Jolla Shores.

Thanks, Barbara. Are those activities and places all relatively safe for a (savvy) teenage girl alone?

Maybe not Pacific/Mission beach areas alone, but the others should be OK.

Ruth - If you're only staying in San Diego for a few days, I don't know if I'd recommend you taking an entire day to drive up to LA. It would be atleast 2 hours of drive time in both directions. There is so much to do in San Diego if you're only going to be there 3 or 4 days.

Yes, Horton Plaza would be safe for your daughter. And a day at the zoo would be equally safe.

Pacific Beach tends to attract a lot of party-type college students, so it may not be the scene that you want your teenage daughter to explore on her own. I think La Jolla beach would be a better place for her.

Thanks again, Barbara, and thank you also for your input, Sarah. I will be in San Diego on business, which is why my dtr will be on her own a couple of days. So San Diego is not a destination we chose, but as long as we're there we'd like to see as much as we can. Neither she nor I has ever been to southern California, so it would be of interest to both of us. I realize the length of time in driving and plan to make it an early departure that morning. That said, does anyone have a suggestion for what to target when we drive up there?

Ruth - What types of things would be of interest to you and your daughter? Where are you from? I don't want to suggest things that you might be able to do at home. Anything in particular that you hope to see or do in Southern California? I know that you didn't choose San Diego, but you're going to love it when you get there. It's a wonderful place!

Thanks, Sarah. We are definitely going to take in as much of San Diego as we can in our limited time here. My dtr's main interests are dancing and music. I know she'd love to get into some nightclubs, but being a minor, she probably will be limited in her choices. We are staying in the Gaslamp District, and I understand there's a lot of night life there. We will only have three evenings and one full day to spend together.

I don't think the zoo or the wild animal park appeals to either of us. I enjoy hiking and nature, but she doesn't really share that interest, although she might hit some trails with me to keep me company. We have gone on a lot of "road trips to nowhere" together over the years, where we just pick a direction, get in the car and go, so we don't really need a definite itinerary, but just some guidelines as to what is interesting where. I _am_ concerned that she keep herself safely occupied during the three days that I am at training sessions.

We are from the northeast, outside of NYC.

Seems a shame to spend a lot of time shopping in a beautiful place like that but I know where I end up with my daughter. San Diego does have a GREAT mall. They redid it a couple of years ago and it's quite large with some stores that are different than most cities. I can't remember the name but it is near "hotel circle". There are two there but one is much larger. Walking around down by Seaport Village is good. Have fun! What area will you stay in?

LOL, Marilyn, the mall does seem like every teenage girl's ultimate destination! And to answer your question, we are staying in the Gaslamp district.

The mall to which Marilyn is referring is Fashion Valley and it is the best in town. It has great shops ranging from major stores like Nordstrom, Needless Markup, Saks, etc, to one-of-a-kind boutiques with everyting in between,lots of eating options and movie theaters. There is a trolley station at Fashion Valley, so if your daughter can get to the trolley on Harbor Drive near the Convention Center, she can easily get to Fashion Valley.

Thanks, Barbara. I just couldn't think of the name. Are you from SD? If so, do you know anything about the Hilton at Gaslamp Quarters? There are several questions on here but no answers.

Marilyn,
Yes, I live in San Diego. I don't know anything about the Hilton in the Gaslamp district, though. Sorry I can't help with that.

We will be near the trolley, so Fashion Valley sounds like a winner -- thanks!

I'm still hoping for some tips on what to see and the best route to go for our day trip to LA ...

We have driven a few times from San Diego to LA and I love stopping at Carlsbad and touring the outlet stores and having a snack at Rubys Diner there. I would suggest going to Anaheim yhe evening before your free day and perhaps taking a bus tour from there. I took one last year that took us to hollywood, Mann's Chinese Theatre and then Universal Studios and we really enjoyed it. Just a thought! A quick way to LA is the Interstate 5 but a nicer realaxing route is the Pacific Highway. i have done both and really enjoy the drice on the Pacific Hightway best, much more relaxing! and you can stop and tour many shops etc along the way.