San Francisco to LA driving itinerary 8 days
Apr 6th, 2015, 08:09 PM
#21
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On your travels, Google the location of Whole Food's markets. They have great prepared food which should feed the whole family with different dishes, and it will be a fraction of the cost of restaurants. When you leave SF, don't go by the airport, take the hills, I think its #380 south towards San Jose, its prettier and a lot less traffic. Don't travel after dark. You will miss too many sites. Do visit the Monterey Aquarium. On Route #1 down the coast, great Sea Lion Sanctuary,not far from Hearst Castle.There is a nice Marriott Residence Inn just outside of San Luis Obispo, where #1 meets #101. Fun college town. Interesting California mission to visit.
Apr 7th, 2015, 12:02 PM
#23
Please don't paint all hostels with the same brush. I have not stayed in any of the 3 HI hostels in SF but in general the HI hostels are better than the others. https://www.hihostels.com/en?linkid=...FatxQgod9TEA1g
My favorite HI Hostel of the ones I have stayed in is the one in Sacramento across the street from City Hall. It is a Victorian mansion.
The noise you hear at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse is the ocean. The noisiest hostel I ever stayed at (not HI) was in Toronto. The next time I went to Toronto I stayed at HI-much better.
My favorite HI Hostel of the ones I have stayed in is the one in Sacramento across the street from City Hall. It is a Victorian mansion.
The noise you hear at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse is the ocean. The noisiest hostel I ever stayed at (not HI) was in Toronto. The next time I went to Toronto I stayed at HI-much better.
Apr 21st, 2015, 03:14 AM
#24
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Oh wow!
Thanks so much for your detailed suggestions! Didn't expect anymore from anyone!
Will write all your suggestions in my travel diary...makes it soo much easier when making a snap decision !
Not sure how many nights we will stay along the way down from San fran...we have a spare say that we can use up sling the coast or in LA
There is a wild life sanctuary I might try to look into in
LA
Might be interesting for the kids to see a wolf or whatever else they have rescued
Anyone have opinions re this?
Thanks so much for your detailed suggestions! Didn't expect anymore from anyone!
Will write all your suggestions in my travel diary...makes it soo much easier when making a snap decision !
Not sure how many nights we will stay along the way down from San fran...we have a spare say that we can use up sling the coast or in LA
There is a wild life sanctuary I might try to look into in
LA
Might be interesting for the kids to see a wolf or whatever else they have rescued
Anyone have opinions re this?
Apr 21st, 2015, 03:22 AM
#25
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Anyone been to the wildlife waystation out on canyon road?
It's a bit of a hike and I don't know what else there is to see out there...don't know if it's open to visitors on all days throughout winter..might have to call in advance
If anyone has been to some great animal sanctuaries...rather than zoos...
I think that sanctuaries provide a more intimate encounter with the animals albeit with fewer species. What does everyone else think?
It's a bit of a hike and I don't know what else there is to see out there...don't know if it's open to visitors on all days throughout winter..might have to call in advance
If anyone has been to some great animal sanctuaries...rather than zoos...
I think that sanctuaries provide a more intimate encounter with the animals albeit with fewer species. What does everyone else think?
Apr 21st, 2015, 07:09 AM
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If you are going to be parking in San Francisco - try www.gottapark.com
It will find you private parking lots that are always cheaper then the hotel ones. It has a feature that lets you look at the parking lots that are closest to your destination, gives you walking time in increments of minutes, daily cost, and there are reviews by other users for each lot. I've used it when I've stayed at hotels near Union Square in SF - the hotel parking is outrageously expensive, and I have always found safe and secure parking within a two or three minute walk from our hotels. Also available for landmarks and tourist destinations in the city.
It will find you private parking lots that are always cheaper then the hotel ones. It has a feature that lets you look at the parking lots that are closest to your destination, gives you walking time in increments of minutes, daily cost, and there are reviews by other users for each lot. I've used it when I've stayed at hotels near Union Square in SF - the hotel parking is outrageously expensive, and I have always found safe and secure parking within a two or three minute walk from our hotels. Also available for landmarks and tourist destinations in the city.
Apr 21st, 2015, 08:04 AM
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scdreamer,
The web site only lists private parking spaces, including some that are much farther away that the public spaces that are much cheaper than the private ones. Just to test it, I plugged in a 6:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. parking (overnight) schedule close to Union Square and the Sutter St. garage, which is the one I usually use, did not show up with its low price of $1 per hour – the day time rates are higher.
The web site only lists private parking spaces, including some that are much farther away that the public spaces that are much cheaper than the private ones. Just to test it, I plugged in a 6:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. parking (overnight) schedule close to Union Square and the Sutter St. garage, which is the one I usually use, did not show up with its low price of $1 per hour – the day time rates are higher.
Apr 21st, 2015, 08:45 AM
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I have not really been following this thread in any detail, but I stumbled on your question about animal sanctuaries, and that piqued my interest. Here are a few that came up when I did a Google search. Looks interesting. And of course there are more.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/top-l...rn-california/
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/top-l...rn-california/
Apr 21st, 2015, 04:45 PM
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http://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/...tockton-garage
is one of the garages. The Fourth St. garage (on Mission) is slightly more expensive.
is one of the garages. The Fourth St. garage (on Mission) is slightly more expensive.
Oct 5th, 2015, 09:18 AM
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If you are going to Hearst Castle, we really liked the Best Western Cavalier oceanfront resort. My room had two queens, and a small fireplace, with a nicely-stocked coffee bar.
http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwest...ertyCode=05173
Since Venice Beach is on your list, I have stayed several times at the Pacifica Inn at Venice Beach. It's a couple of blocks to the pier. You will be right in the middle of Venice, so be prepared for quirkiness. They have a loft room, with a queen bed in the loft and a sofa sleeper on the main floor. A complimentary continental breakfast is provided, and there are fridges in the rooms. (When our kids were teens, and we were saving money by staying in one hotel room, we'd put the 'girls' in one bed and the 'boys' in another. It worked for us.) Parking there is a nominal fee, like $10/night, and if you're lucky you get a covered space connected to the hotel.
http://www.pacificahotels.com/innatvenicebeach
Another Pacifica property we like, which is a step up from the Inn at Venice Beach, is the Jamaica Bay Inn. You can get a room that overlooks Marina del Rey, and you can walk the oceanfront from there. It's more expensive, but sometimes they will offer a free, hot breakfast. Parking is more expensive than the Inn, though.
http://www.pacificahotels.com/jamaicabayinn
In Santa Barbara, I may have been the person who recommended the
Castillo Inn at the Beach. We found a really good price there one Easter weekend. It has free parking, very nice & clean rooms, free continental breakfast, and is just a block from the waterfront.
http://www.sbcastilloinn.com
Enjoy your visit to California. We love it there.
http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwest...ertyCode=05173
Since Venice Beach is on your list, I have stayed several times at the Pacifica Inn at Venice Beach. It's a couple of blocks to the pier. You will be right in the middle of Venice, so be prepared for quirkiness. They have a loft room, with a queen bed in the loft and a sofa sleeper on the main floor. A complimentary continental breakfast is provided, and there are fridges in the rooms. (When our kids were teens, and we were saving money by staying in one hotel room, we'd put the 'girls' in one bed and the 'boys' in another. It worked for us.) Parking there is a nominal fee, like $10/night, and if you're lucky you get a covered space connected to the hotel.
http://www.pacificahotels.com/innatvenicebeach
Another Pacifica property we like, which is a step up from the Inn at Venice Beach, is the Jamaica Bay Inn. You can get a room that overlooks Marina del Rey, and you can walk the oceanfront from there. It's more expensive, but sometimes they will offer a free, hot breakfast. Parking is more expensive than the Inn, though.
http://www.pacificahotels.com/jamaicabayinn
In Santa Barbara, I may have been the person who recommended the
Castillo Inn at the Beach. We found a really good price there one Easter weekend. It has free parking, very nice & clean rooms, free continental breakfast, and is just a block from the waterfront.
http://www.sbcastilloinn.com
Enjoy your visit to California. We love it there.
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