Patty

There's only ever been one so far (I meant to say started in 2020 and skipped 2021) and at the events I attended, it appeared to be mostly locals. MLK will likely have more of an effect on hotel availability than culinary week.

mrwunrfl

Pasadena is only 7 miles from Santa Anita Park. It is one of the best horse racing tracks in the world. Beautifiul grounds and buildings, especially the clubhouse, good food, great racing, and a gorgeous setting.

crellston

Thanks for the heads up on public hols and festivals everyone. We arrive in SFO on 11 Jan and stay for two days and depart from LAX on 29 Jan. MLK (Martin Luther King?) day probably wouldn’t have an impact on us as if we do go to Yosemite, it would be after picking up the car from SFO on the 13 Jan.

if we don’t go to Yosemite we will hit the Monterey Peninsula on 13-15 Jan. Availability seems ok in Pacific Grove/Carmel / Monterey at present but will get on an book something refundable asap just in case. Being keen foodies, the Culinary festival would be a plus point for us - thanks for the heads up Jean (we often miss these things!)

The Yosemite Valley Lodge suggested by Nelson does have availability for our dates ( I guess it is not used by snow bunnies?) and does look great. It offers refundable deals by put with limits on dates. Would dearly love to visit as it does look amazing , but need to consider realistically, the disruption and additional cost that would ensue from an eleventh hour change of plans. The TA we booked flights and car with offer a 15 hour RT from SF to Yosemite which may be an option just for a quick peek. need to make a decision soon and stick with it I guess.

On the subject of events Etc. Anyone know where I can find out details of dates for concerts? (More Springsteen and Stones than Beethoven and Brahms!)

mlgb

If you go for the coast route south of San Francisco instead of Yosemite:

Davenport Roadhouse for a break before Santa Cruz, or keep going to Capitola.

A venue that may interest you if you decide to include Joshua Tree, they have two bands playing in January. Pioneertown is a short distance from Yucca Valley at the west entrance to Joshua Tree.
https://pappyandharriets.com/events/

January is a scarce month for bih concerts, apparently. Nothing for the Greek or Hollywood Bowl. We are afraid of rain. Plus, that COVID think.

You could browse the Hollywood Palladium links for some other venues.

https://www.hollywoodpalladium.com/

mlgb

Could you just extend your car rental? I would book a refundable night in Yosemite and decide when arriving in San Francisco, doing it after the City? You can check the National Park Service for chain and weather alerts to be sure there is no chain requirement. Weather a few days out should be reliable.

Bookmark the Current Conditions part of the website, and add this phone number:
l 209/372-0200 (press 1 then 1)

The Caltrans number for outside of Yosemite is 1-800-427-7623

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=CAZ324

It does add some time, expense and risk. It might mean a double booking on one night, I guess. Yosemite and your first night in Monterey area.

Takes a good 5 hours for each leg,(San Francisco to El Portal and El Portal to Carmel/PG). Neither of them are very interesting until you reach Santa Nella on the way to Monterey).

I'm assuming the recommended lodging is in El Portal so the YARTS bus is available as a backup. If Wawona Road is open at Tunnel View, I recommend that vista even if you have to go out and back (terrible circulation pattern).

crellston

Thanks for the tips on bands etc.

Re car rental. The package I booked of flights + 2 nights accommodation + car rental got me MUCH better rates than I could get independently PLUS immediate full refund if anything gets screwed up because of you know what! The downside is a lack of flexibility - if I change any of this components I would need to pay a fee, though I don’t think reducing the period of car hire will help me.

If this was our only opportunity to visit Yosemite, I would probably go for it and just drive there from car pick up from SFO on day three and then back to Monterey. If we did do it then I would want to stay within the NP as it s such a short trip @ Yosemite Valley Lodge as suggested by Nelson but that accommodation and similar all seems to be refundable until a week before arrival when road conditions won’t be known. Add to this I am finding it impossible to check with the rental company re their requirements, insurance etc. In all it seem too much hassle!

A Plan B which could work it to spend night 3 in Monterey, check road conditions on arrival in SF and book Yosemite for a couple of nights and drive there as return trip. spend another night in Monterey and continue on down H1. I would book two nights in Monterey area, book 2 night in Yosemite on arrival, drive there for two nights and return to H1 and continue on the road trip. On balance , I think I will keep that in reserve for now and carry on planning the H1 and Pasadena parts of the trip.

I am almost set on accommodations in the Monterey area and Pacific Grove seems to to hit the spot in terms of type of accommodation , views and proximity to Carmel , Monterey etc. Will try to nail that and move on to the next destination along the road..

Jean

The Theater in the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles has a couple of concerts in January 2022. The theater's interior is wonderful.

"The Life and Music of George Michael" on Jan. 21st. Could be fun.

Anais Mitchell on Jan. 27th. Singer/songwriter, guitarist.

https://theatre.acehotel.com/

I can't remember what you decided on Santa Barbara, but if you're there on Jan. 21st, KT Tunstall and Charlie Mars at the Lobero Theatre.

https://www.lobero.org/events/an-eve...kt-tunstall-2/

Tdiddy12

WOW! Some excellent comments all across the board. For my two cents and I may get some push back. In that time of year, I don't think you can get the full impact of Yosemite. Also it's not easy to get to from the coast if you start down the road. There are some roads that head over there but I think you need to make that decision in Monterey. The stretch down Hwy 1 is very beautiful, the Elephant seals are an amazing thing to see, Cambria very nice. South of Big Sur can be tricky with winter and roads. We were almost on the nightly news when they opened Hwy 1 in Big Sur in April, they had a film crew there and it was big news. I think it had been closed for over a year, but now there is a brand new bridge / section. Diddos on Nepenthe for a lunch after Monterey or Carmel. Personally I like Cambria, we used to go there for short getaways. They have a nice long boardwalk along a very dramatic coast in January. Some nice restaurants there also.

As for the Pasadena area, I agree Huntington Gardens would be a must. Also, I am a tour guide with the Los Angeles Conservancy, I do an Art Deco tour and a Historic Downtown tour, it would be my honor to give you a guided tour of Downtown Los Angeles. I would skip Hollywood, Tinsel town has gotten a little rusty! Either way, you will have a lot to see.

janisj

"For my two cents and I may get some push back. In that time of year, I don't think you can get the full impact of Yosemite"

These 3 snapshots were taken on Dec 22. This wasn't a photography-centric trip -- didn't even take my cameras and was there for the Bracebridge Dinner so only walked around for a couple of hours two different days:










Yosemite is absolutely glorious in winter - the waterfalls are not gushing but there are no crowds it is beautifully quiet, no crowds and you can find absolute solitude.

My very favorite time in the Valley is late April through the end of May but other than that, winter is the best IMHO.

mlgb

I'm more in the camp of preferring to go in the fall or spring, provided the roads over Tioga Pass and to Glacier Point are open. Unfortunately they plan to reconstruct the road Glacier Point in 2022 so that won't be possible next year. Tough choices!

Here is another link for live entertainment options
https://www.los-angeles-theatre.com/...r=2022&month=1

Jean

I think Yosemite is wonderful year-round but whether it's the right place to be in January depends on your interests and plans. Few crowds, but hiking is limited. There could be amazing winter scenes, but weather could also cancel your plans. You can't drive into Tuolumne Meadows in winter. Tuolumne is more than half of the park and, for some, is as stunning as the valley... just in a different way.

mlgb

I agree Jean. Going in winter has limitations. No Tuolumne, no Tioga Pass, no Glacier Point.

Barbara

Yes, Yosemite is limited in January, but your time is also limited. You wouldn't have time to do half the things mentioned here as not being available in January. If you're very lucky it will have snowed a couple of days before you'd go. The Park will look magical and the roads will be clear. Nothing you will see on the coast, beautiful as it is, compares to Yosemite. You live on an island which has some fabulous coastal drives, albeit sans vineyards, but nothing even close to Yosemite.

Tdiddy12

I agree with Austin Traveler about Carmel not being too close to SF. If you spend an afternoon in Monterey, then you will be ready to experience Carmel at an easy pace. Also getting out of SF and through San Jose may take longer than you expect given traffic.

crellston

Thanks all for the additional input which is really appreciated! Who knew that a National Park would evoke such diverse opinions? It must really be special, so special in fact, that after discussions with the boss, we have decided that it deserves more time and to be included in a trip dedicated to west coast, probably in 2023. As Barbara points out , our time is limited and it clearly deserves way more time. Our usual trips are circa 6 months when we would likely Allocate a week to Yosemite, to say that we are slow travellers is a major understatement!

having made that decision I can now focus upon the H1 road trip section. For which I have allocated 5/6 nights for this, the first two nights will be in Pacific Grove (next to Carmel/ Monterey correct?) . I must have misread the map as I initially thought Carmel was 30 mins from SF which it is clearly not, hence my comment that it was too close, duh!) . Accommodation is most likely Green Gables Inn.

For the next two nights I am thinking either Cambria or Morro Bay. They seem to be as close as makes little difference to exploring the area so it will likely come down to choose of accommodation and availability of restaurants. In Morro Bay the Estero Inn and the Inn at Rose’s Landing are the shortlist. In Cambria, Ollalieberry B & B , Cambria Pines Lodge, Sand Pebble Inn and Fireside Inn on Moonstone.

Anythoughts on any of those places to stay would be appreciated.

After that I am thinking either, one night in the wine country and one in Santa Barbara or just two in SB and a drive through of the wine country. Who knows it may well tie in nicely with the KT Tunstall suggested by Jean ( though the irony of travelling halfway across the world to see someone from the U.K. is not lost on me &#128512

Once I / we have nailed that then I will take a look at what we will do from Pasadena. Though for now, Tdiddy, you generous offer of a guided tour of downtown LA is gratefully accepted!

mlgb

Of your options I have only direct experience with Cambria Pines Lodge. We typically stay there when it is on sale (only in the upstairs fireplace rooms) The place is built like a park lodge and can be creaky and undermaintained at times. Especially there, but for all of them, I'd comb through the reviews to see how they are holding up now.. Some places haven't been able to maintain daily housekeeping and meal service due to staffing issues.

Worth checking directly about breakfast and meal service at all of them, also. Especially if paying extra for the breakfast part of the B&B...

Wine country is in Santa Barbara County, not really in Santa Barbara City. The Lompoc-Los Olivos-Solvang-Buellton area, and others more to the north.

https://sbcountywines.com/

Also some around Paso Robles which is not far from Morro Bay.

Good luck with your decision.

Jean

Which "wine country" were you thinking of? The part of the state between, say, Cambria and Santa Barbara is filled with several distinct varietal areas. I like the wines in the Paso Robles area and the town's historical center, but it might be a bit of a detour. Paso is one of the oldest wine-making areas in the country, started by Franciscan missionaries in the late 18th C. It also has a growing olive oil industry. IMO the scenery in the Santa Ynez Valley area is hard to beat, but I'm not sure what January viewing conditions would be like. But if you're really into wines and have preferred varietals, you might want to look at the website below along with a map to figure out a route. Remember that even without any stops or detours along the way, the drive from Cambria to Santa Barbara will take at least 2.5 hours. Sunset at that time of year will be shortly after 5:00 p.m.

https://www.cawineclub.com/california-wine-regions

Again, if you're really into wines, you could also make a (long) day trip from Pasadena to Temecula.

mlgb

Back in the day they didn't even charge for wine tasting in Santa Barbara or Paso Robles, or at most it was $10 with a free glass. Those days are long gone! Now it's often reservations only, $20 to $30 pp. Sigh.

When staying in Lompoc we also like Sissy's Uptown Cafe for wine tasting. Not even sure if they are doing that now.

I think there may also be some craft breweries along your route as well as here in Southern California.

Patty

The central coast has many wine regions. As mentioned the varietals vary and even the same varietals can taste very different depending on growing conditions so if you have anything specific in mind, let us know.

I haven't stayed at Green Gables but the location is excellent. Right across from the coastal recreational trail that takes you into Monterey or you can walk the other direction around Point Pinos all the way to Asilomar. It's close to downtown PG as well for dining. In downtown PG we like Passionfish, Wild Fish, Poppy Hall and Jeninni.

We might be staying at the Cambria Pines Lodge for the first time in December. mlgb, how can I tell if we have an upstairs room? I booked a king fireplace. Looks like other rooms types are sold out that night.

mlgb

The Fireplace Rooms have to be on the top floor so you are good! They are the only ones we will book (+ we need the two Queen Beds).

I wonder if they still do the included breakfast buffet. That was a bonus of sorts. We liked walking around the garden and down into town to eat at Robin's.
https://www.robinsrestaurant.com/menus/