San Francisco and Los Angeles in January 08
 

From what I've read here, rain in SF, a foggy coastline and the odd mud slide would not be unusual in January (now there's a good start).

I assume main tourist attractions (Disneyland, Universal, Alcatraz etc) will be open (remember Clark Griswald at WallyWorld!) and bus tours available as usual (with the addition perhaps of overnighters at Yosemite or Tahoe for non skiers??).

Also, is anyone aware of particular events scheduled for SF or LA in January 08 which may make searching for 'last minute' hotel deals unwise?

Any advice much appreciated. (The two family members contemplating this trip could quite easily spend any inclement days "undertaking intensive retail reconnaissance and soaking up contemporary American popular culture". One has been to SF 3 or 4 times at other times of the year.)

You are correct that all tourist attractions will be open. The theme parks are generally not very busy. However, they do use the winter months to perform some maintenance projects, so there may be some rides or area of the parks closed down.

It is not clear from your post whether you will have a car or will be relying on bus tours/public transport. If you plan to drive in January to Tahoe or Yosemite, you may need to drive with chains on your tires. Some auto rental companies will rent you the chains. Also, be aware of road closures because of snow.

If you are looking for bus tours in Los Angeles: www.viptoursandcharters.com has lots of choices and combinations.

There are always conventions in SF - but in Jan. the biggest is Macworld, which next year runs from Jan 14-19.

Thanks for your replies. BTW, sorry if my remarks about the climate might be seen as somewhat flippant given the other extreme problem you are experiencing there right now. Only a few years back my family and I had the car packed with essential belongings and cat and ready to abandon our home in similar circumstances. Hope everyone gets through it.

farremog, We were in SF and LA this January past. We were lucky with the weather but it was VERY cold in SF. Sunny days but you really needed a jacket. However, LA was much warmer, there was no fog on the drive down to LA which was great. All attractions were open. Alcatraz just had shorter opening times from memory. Again at the end of the day on Alcatraz it was freezing (for me anyway) Have fun,
Schnauzer

Thanks Schnauzer - probably nothing you couldn't survive in Canberra, or Adelaide for that matter. The others, if they go, will be glad to get away from the January heat. BTW, enjoyed your account of your experiences at the French language school and admire your dedication to the task. I had been thinking that a month at the Institut at Villefranche would be the ant's pants, but it's probably too late in my case (and being half deaf and half stupid wouldn't help either).

farrermog, Ah, but you see I come from the sunny skies of Sydney!!! Canberra weather, well that is another matter altogether.

I am sorry to say I actually didn't write a report on our January holiday for Fodors. I am normally pretty good but this one got away and I figured there are so many from the US on this board that I probably could not have added too much more.

We went skiing in Steamboat for 10 days before flying to SF and then driving to LA. I have made comments about the drive on other threads saying I thought it was a bit boring after the "good" bits early on, but the locals took umbridge - I say this in the nicest possible way. We didnt' give the necessary time to really get into the mood as we were just driving from A to B with only one stop in the middle. But I still maintain it was not as spectacular as I was led to believe. The bit below Carmel certainly is great but after that it was a bit same same. I'll probably get slammed again!!! How are you getting from SF to LA? Schnauzer

Thanks Schnauzer - I spent nearly 40 years there, but prefer it here (although the others don't). If they go in Jan, they won't be driving between SF and LA (& one has done the Scenic Drive before by bus). They would probably be spending 5 nights in each, with the possibility of an overnight bus tour to the snow (we rarely see any here now).

They will need a car in LA and to drive to Disneyland which is 1 hour away from LA. I would recommend renting a car in SF and driving along the coast to LA with a couple stops, like in Monterey and Santa Barbara for example.

I hope you'll do some driving along the coast ("Big Sur"): the ocean on one side and the redwoods on the other--glorious! We just returned from a 10-day California Road Trip; I posted a trip report here:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...herl&fid=1

Enjoy your travels!

Thanks for the further advice. For what it is worth, Australians (and NZers for that matter) contemplating a trip to the US shortly should investigate going via Tokyo with JAL. Not only does the airfare appear to be significantly lower than the other main carriers, but because there is apparently a day's wait for the connection in Tokyo, overnight accommodation, breakfast and transfers are thrown in. Won't suit everyone, but potentially a good deal for others.