Southern California Trip Report
Jan 3rd, 2005, 06:18 PM
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Southern California Trip Report
For anyone interested, here is a report regarding a trip that my boyfriend and I took to Southern California from 12/26 to 12/31, much of which was planning using suggestions from this forum.
This was my first trip to California, and my boyfriend has been there a few times, but not for about 6 years.
Day One:
Arrived in San Diego via Southwest Airlines at 9:30 am. Wonderful flight from Chicago. Took shuttle bus to Alamo rental facility. They were very busy and so it took at least ½ hour to get our car- a beautiful Chrysler Sebring. Pretty good deal at $93 for the week and unlimited mileage.
So off we drove Northbound to Long Beach to visit the Queen Mary. We paid for the First Class Passage, but only had time to do the WWII and Behind the Scenes tours. Will have to save the haunted tour for next time. Very interesting and well worth the visit.
We left the Queen Mary at closing time and drove to our hotel in Beverly Hills. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza on Beverly Drive. Nice place, not too shabby, at about $100/night (plus parking). Rooms might be a bit small for some tastes.
That first day was finished with a dinner at “The Stinking Rose”, a garlic-themed restaurant, in Beverly Hills. I had the meatloaf, which was very good. This restaurant is recommended for garlic lovers.
Day Two:
Started the day (after a complimentary Priority Club breakfast at Crowne Plaza) with a 10:30 am reservation for the Warner Bros studio tour in Burbank. To me this was one of the highlights of our trip. The tour lasts about 2 ½ hours, and we were able to visit the set of the NBC comedy “Joey” and also the exterior set of the WB show “Gilmore Girls”. I think my boyfriend would have been a bit more thrilled if we had visited the set of “ER”, since he had never even heard of GG.
After leaving Burbank, we drove to Santa Monica and visited the famous Pier. Had lunch at the end of the pier at a Mexican restaurant called Mariasol. The food was pretty good here as well. I had tacos, and my boyfriend had a burrito. The salsa and chips were very good. The pier was not very busy on the day we visited as the weather was cold and rainy.
Before stopping at the hotel to change clothes for dinner, we took a walk on Rodeo Drive.
Dinner that evening was again in Beverly Hills, this time at an Italian restaurant recommended by this forum called Prego. It was a marvelous place for my birthday dinner, and we recommend it highly! I had the lasagna, and my boyfriend had the spaghetti.
Day Three:
Had planned to go whale watching this day, but the weather was too iffy, so we instead drove to Hollywood. Started off the day with a quick tour of the Hollywood Forever cemetery. A guidebook can be purchased at the gift/flower shop.
Now that we were in the mood for Hollywood kitsch, we decided to continue this part of our trip with a visit to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Lots and lots of tourists here. We then did a walk about of the shopping complex called Hollywood & Highland, and had lunch at Johnny Rockets. Completed this part of the day with a walk up and down Hollywood Blvd.
Left Hollywood around 3 pm and drove to Laguna Niguel to stay with our friends. Dinner party with friends that night.
Day Four:
After a late start, we (and friends) drove to San Juan Capistrano. We took the scenic route, as our friends wanted to show us the sights. This area is absolutely beautiful and well worth a visit. Hopefully next time we’ll be able to spend more time here.
Had lunch first thing at the Ramos House Café near the Mission. It appeared as though everyone enjoyed their meal, though I was hoping for Mexican cuisine, which this definitely was not.
A visit to San Juan Capistrano is in order for any history lover or gardener. Coming from Chicago in December, the flowers and plants here were truly beautiful.
Since I wasn’t feeling up to par that evening, I skipped dinner, which I am told by all that attended was very good. The group visited a restaurant in Dana Point called Renaissance, which I believe is well known for their steaks and live music.
Day Five:
Left our friends behind in Laguna after a nice visit with them, and returned to our starting point of San Diego. First stop- Coronado Island. The ride over the bridge was half the fun! Visited the Hotel Del Coronado and marveled at the pounding waves of the Pacific Ocean. Maybe if we save our pennies we can stay here next time….
Second stop of the day was Old Town San Diego. Parking was horrendous. My only other complaint here was that the actual “old town” area is a bit heavy on the retail, which I guess probably does explain why admission was free. Before doing the walk around, we had lunch at a restaurant called Rancho Corona. Service was horrid, and the food wasn’t much better. If that was authentic Mexican, give me Taco Bell please!
We left Old Town after dark and proceeded to our hotel, the Embassy Suites in La Jolla. We arrived just in time for the guest reception which runs from about 5 pm to 7:30. Two drink maximum per person. The hotel is a 12 story atrium type hotel, and our suite was on the 12th floor. The atrium/lobby was very noisy, but once we got into our room we heard nary a peep.
We asked the concierge for a restaurant recommendation, and he was right on with his suggestion of The Fish Market, which was about a 20 minute ride North to Del Mar. I had the salmon, and my boyfriend had the crab. We did not enjoy the Oysters Rockefeller, which were a bit heavy on the spinach. Everything else was good though.
Day Six:
After a complimentary “cooked-to-order” breakfast at the Embassy Suites, we packed up our suitcases for the last time and headed out to the Gaslight Quarter. Bad choice. While this might be the place to be after dark, it is not a great idea for 10:00 am. This area is a bit seedy, and during the two hours plus we spent there walking around I did not see any police presence. I would maybe come back next time one evening to visit Croce’s.
Also, my boyfriend, cute and geeky as he is, was really looking forward to visiting the Computer Museum of America, which I understood to be nearby. Alas, it has moved recently, and I therefore lost my chance for a nap while he wandered amongst old Apples and IBMs.
Back we climbed into the car and drove to Balboa Park for a visit to the Automobile Museum. This was a move we made on the fly, and it wasn’t too bad of a choice. This museum can be visited in probably an hour or so, unless you are a real car nut. The admission per person was $7.00.
Now we were hungry, so we decided to try to find an In and Out Burger since I had heard rave reviews of them from fellow Chicagoans. This place must be a cash cow. The food was okay, nothing spectacular.
After In and Out, I spied a Robinsons-May. Our Laguna friends said it was a must visit, and so I decided to flex the old credit card one more time.
Back we went to the car, and since it was pouring rain, we decided the time was right to return the rental car and make our way to the airport. Again, a great Southwest flight and a New Years Eve spent at 41,000 feet.
Glad to be home, but looking forward to our next visit to California sometime in the future. Frisco here we come!
This was my first trip to California, and my boyfriend has been there a few times, but not for about 6 years.
Day One:
Arrived in San Diego via Southwest Airlines at 9:30 am. Wonderful flight from Chicago. Took shuttle bus to Alamo rental facility. They were very busy and so it took at least ½ hour to get our car- a beautiful Chrysler Sebring. Pretty good deal at $93 for the week and unlimited mileage.
So off we drove Northbound to Long Beach to visit the Queen Mary. We paid for the First Class Passage, but only had time to do the WWII and Behind the Scenes tours. Will have to save the haunted tour for next time. Very interesting and well worth the visit.
We left the Queen Mary at closing time and drove to our hotel in Beverly Hills. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza on Beverly Drive. Nice place, not too shabby, at about $100/night (plus parking). Rooms might be a bit small for some tastes.
That first day was finished with a dinner at “The Stinking Rose”, a garlic-themed restaurant, in Beverly Hills. I had the meatloaf, which was very good. This restaurant is recommended for garlic lovers.
Day Two:
Started the day (after a complimentary Priority Club breakfast at Crowne Plaza) with a 10:30 am reservation for the Warner Bros studio tour in Burbank. To me this was one of the highlights of our trip. The tour lasts about 2 ½ hours, and we were able to visit the set of the NBC comedy “Joey” and also the exterior set of the WB show “Gilmore Girls”. I think my boyfriend would have been a bit more thrilled if we had visited the set of “ER”, since he had never even heard of GG.
After leaving Burbank, we drove to Santa Monica and visited the famous Pier. Had lunch at the end of the pier at a Mexican restaurant called Mariasol. The food was pretty good here as well. I had tacos, and my boyfriend had a burrito. The salsa and chips were very good. The pier was not very busy on the day we visited as the weather was cold and rainy.
Before stopping at the hotel to change clothes for dinner, we took a walk on Rodeo Drive.
Dinner that evening was again in Beverly Hills, this time at an Italian restaurant recommended by this forum called Prego. It was a marvelous place for my birthday dinner, and we recommend it highly! I had the lasagna, and my boyfriend had the spaghetti.
Day Three:
Had planned to go whale watching this day, but the weather was too iffy, so we instead drove to Hollywood. Started off the day with a quick tour of the Hollywood Forever cemetery. A guidebook can be purchased at the gift/flower shop.
Now that we were in the mood for Hollywood kitsch, we decided to continue this part of our trip with a visit to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Lots and lots of tourists here. We then did a walk about of the shopping complex called Hollywood & Highland, and had lunch at Johnny Rockets. Completed this part of the day with a walk up and down Hollywood Blvd.
Left Hollywood around 3 pm and drove to Laguna Niguel to stay with our friends. Dinner party with friends that night.
Day Four:
After a late start, we (and friends) drove to San Juan Capistrano. We took the scenic route, as our friends wanted to show us the sights. This area is absolutely beautiful and well worth a visit. Hopefully next time we’ll be able to spend more time here.
Had lunch first thing at the Ramos House Café near the Mission. It appeared as though everyone enjoyed their meal, though I was hoping for Mexican cuisine, which this definitely was not.
A visit to San Juan Capistrano is in order for any history lover or gardener. Coming from Chicago in December, the flowers and plants here were truly beautiful.
Since I wasn’t feeling up to par that evening, I skipped dinner, which I am told by all that attended was very good. The group visited a restaurant in Dana Point called Renaissance, which I believe is well known for their steaks and live music.
Day Five:
Left our friends behind in Laguna after a nice visit with them, and returned to our starting point of San Diego. First stop- Coronado Island. The ride over the bridge was half the fun! Visited the Hotel Del Coronado and marveled at the pounding waves of the Pacific Ocean. Maybe if we save our pennies we can stay here next time….
Second stop of the day was Old Town San Diego. Parking was horrendous. My only other complaint here was that the actual “old town” area is a bit heavy on the retail, which I guess probably does explain why admission was free. Before doing the walk around, we had lunch at a restaurant called Rancho Corona. Service was horrid, and the food wasn’t much better. If that was authentic Mexican, give me Taco Bell please!
We left Old Town after dark and proceeded to our hotel, the Embassy Suites in La Jolla. We arrived just in time for the guest reception which runs from about 5 pm to 7:30. Two drink maximum per person. The hotel is a 12 story atrium type hotel, and our suite was on the 12th floor. The atrium/lobby was very noisy, but once we got into our room we heard nary a peep.
We asked the concierge for a restaurant recommendation, and he was right on with his suggestion of The Fish Market, which was about a 20 minute ride North to Del Mar. I had the salmon, and my boyfriend had the crab. We did not enjoy the Oysters Rockefeller, which were a bit heavy on the spinach. Everything else was good though.
Day Six:
After a complimentary “cooked-to-order” breakfast at the Embassy Suites, we packed up our suitcases for the last time and headed out to the Gaslight Quarter. Bad choice. While this might be the place to be after dark, it is not a great idea for 10:00 am. This area is a bit seedy, and during the two hours plus we spent there walking around I did not see any police presence. I would maybe come back next time one evening to visit Croce’s.
Also, my boyfriend, cute and geeky as he is, was really looking forward to visiting the Computer Museum of America, which I understood to be nearby. Alas, it has moved recently, and I therefore lost my chance for a nap while he wandered amongst old Apples and IBMs.
Back we climbed into the car and drove to Balboa Park for a visit to the Automobile Museum. This was a move we made on the fly, and it wasn’t too bad of a choice. This museum can be visited in probably an hour or so, unless you are a real car nut. The admission per person was $7.00.
Now we were hungry, so we decided to try to find an In and Out Burger since I had heard rave reviews of them from fellow Chicagoans. This place must be a cash cow. The food was okay, nothing spectacular.
After In and Out, I spied a Robinsons-May. Our Laguna friends said it was a must visit, and so I decided to flex the old credit card one more time.
Back we went to the car, and since it was pouring rain, we decided the time was right to return the rental car and make our way to the airport. Again, a great Southwest flight and a New Years Eve spent at 41,000 feet.
Glad to be home, but looking forward to our next visit to California sometime in the future. Frisco here we come!
Jan 3rd, 2005, 06:44 PM
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In N Out is great, I crave these burgers every once in awhile. Luckily, there's one about ten minutes away from our home! With a group of up to eight teenagers at our home at once, it's a lifesaver sometimes! LOL ***kim***
BTW, Johnny Rocket's is also lots of fun with pretty good burgers comprable to In n Out!
BTW, Johnny Rocket's is also lots of fun with pretty good burgers comprable to In n Out!
Jan 3rd, 2005, 06:45 PM
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Lamchop, sure enjoyed reading your report and can relate to your thoughts.
One small suggestion though. Do NOT go to Frisco. Go to San Francisco!!! Please - do yourself a favor
Happy trips in 2005
One small suggestion though. Do NOT go to Frisco. Go to San Francisco!!! Please - do yourself a favor
Happy trips in 2005
Mar 12th, 2005, 08:45 AM
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We thought the Crowne Plaza was a nice place. Its not the fanciest place in the world, but a good bargain. I was just excited to be staying in Beverly Hills!
Our room was at the back of the hotel, and it was pretty quiet. I think that reviews I had seen beforehand on Tripadvisor.com complained about noise if you stayed streetside.
Regarding breakfast, I believe that there is a sign-in sheet every morning and there is a sign that says for priority club members only. I am sure the front desk will be happy to help.
Good luck!!
Our room was at the back of the hotel, and it was pretty quiet. I think that reviews I had seen beforehand on Tripadvisor.com complained about noise if you stayed streetside.
Regarding breakfast, I believe that there is a sign-in sheet every morning and there is a sign that says for priority club members only. I am sure the front desk will be happy to help.
Good luck!!
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