Touring California with a 13 and 11 year old
Jul 5th, 2006, 04:26 AM
#21
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Okay, I will look into Califonia Adventure -but we are bigger Universal than Disney fans in Florida. Thanks for the beach advice. We got lucky the teams are in town on all the days we hit San Fran, LA and San Diego.
Now I have to rent a decent van or big SuV and find some hotels...Flights are booked!!
Thanks for all the help!!
Now I have to rent a decent van or big SuV and find some hotels...Flights are booked!!
Thanks for all the help!!
Jul 5th, 2006, 07:17 AM
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Just so you're aware: Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood are the ORIGINAL parks, and the experience is a little different than from Orlando. Universal, for example, gives you a VIP option where you can spend real quality time touring the movie and TV studio facilities that predate the theme park (in Orlando, the theme park predates any studio facilities they may have). For your movie buff kid, this might be Nirvana.
Or, you could skip theme parks and take the Warner Brothers Studio tour. No nonsense-- just movie and TV stuff.
Or, you could skip theme parks and take the Warner Brothers Studio tour. No nonsense-- just movie and TV stuff.
Jul 16th, 2006, 10:39 PM
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We live in the Bay Area with kids ages 18,14, and 11: we grew up and ALL extended family lives in LA and Orange County, and my grandparents lived in San Diego so I spent my growing-up vacation visits down there and still make trips for baseball tourneys and so on. Here's my take:
Starting in SF, we just spent a mini-vacation there with the kids this weekend. First, where to stay--if you can afford it (watch for package deals) two hotels to consider are the W and the brand-new St.Regis--both flank the SF MOMA and are directly across the street from Yerba Buena Gardens, the best possible "home base" in the city with kids. In Yerba Buena, besides the great park for running around in are the Metreon, which currently has the Titanic Artifacts exhibit--went last night, acutual artifacts including a piece of the hull, they give you a "boarding pass" that assigns you an identity as an actual passenger on the ship and and at the end you find out if you lived or not--we all loved it. Also the Zeum, which has a great hands-on activity where you can make your own clay-mation animated film and bring home a copy, also the original carousel which is always fun for even big kids, a great video arcade, a bowling alley and a skating rink. And of course, if you like art, you are right next door to the Museum of Modern Art and about six other museums in the area. You are within a few blocks of the Montgomery Street Bart Station and within walking distance of both the Embarcadero (for the Ferry Building and Fisherman's wharf) and Union Square. Take in a Giants game at AT&T park, or whatever they are calling it--you are within walking distance of that as well, and even if the Giants are out of town, the park is pretty spectacular. Go to Golden Gate Park and the new De YOung for more art. Go to the Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine Arts--a don't miss with kids and the grown-ups will love it, too. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, or ride a bike. And take a day and head up to Point Reyes, the single most beautiful stretch of coastline park in the state, in my opinion, also with the epicenter of the 1906 Earthquake--you can walk a short trail that has a section of fence that jumped a number of feet in the quake--see it for yourself and you'll see what I mean. Fisherman's Wharf is tacky-ville--locals avoid it like the plague. Alcatraz is interesting but I like Angel Island better--you can kayak if you're into that sort of thing, as well. If you are Alfred Hitchcok fans, watch Vertigo and The Birds, then drive on up to Bodega Bay if you go to Point Reyes, and visit Mission Dolores and Fort Point in the city. My favorite "tourist spot" is Coit Tower.
As you head down the coast be aware that Devil's Slide (HIghway 1) is closed below SF, so you will need to head down through the Santa Cruz Mountains. Big Basin is a beautiful park with redwoods and great hikes if you are outdoorsy. Natural Bridges State Beach has monarch butterflies, though not in summer I think--still a pretty beach in the northern stretches of Santa Cruz. The Boardwalk is fun and crowded in the summer--carnival-style rides, an awesome old wooden roller coaster and right on the beach. But I like Capitola better. IMHO, tho, Southern California has the north way beat for beach-town atmosphere. The north has nicer natural settings. Definitely stop at the Monterey Aquarium--the sea otters, the jellyfish, the sharks, it's all good.
For the goofiest place to stay on the coast, check out the Madonna Inn near San Luis Obispo, if you're thinking about going to San Simeon. Not everyone's cup of tea but the rooms are hysterical and the kids love the place. Has a decent steakhouse, too.
Once you hit Santa Barbara you know you're in SoCal. I love the Spanish Architecture, the shops on State Street and the general laid-back feeling here. Lots to do but I haven't been here often enough to give details. Maybe someone else will.
L.A. Ahhh--can't help too much on places to stay here as we always stay with family, but consider one of the beach hotels in Santa Monica. LA is HUGE and you have to drive a lot to get anywhere. Santa Monica pier is nice, also places with kids are the La Brea Tar Pits--a truly bizarre museum but I adored the place when I was a kid--lots of ice-age skulls and you can see the ongoing excavation. Haven't been to Universal Studios in years. If you can find a way to get a tour of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory--or JPL--in Pasadena, do so, as that is where all the Mars Pathfinder building and so on goes on--they all make the pilgrimmage out to FLorida for launches. In South Pasadena, the public golf course is little and very tolerant of kids--the holes are all short and there's even an old-fashioned mini-golf course there as well. Along the Arroyo is the Lummis Home--a great piece of early Arts & Craftsmanship with some amazing architectural details, and nearby is the Southwest Museum, full of Native American art and crafts. Downtown LA has Olvera Street and the Plaza, Chinatown, and nearby Dodger Stadium if you are baseball fans. The California Science Museum across from USC in Exposition Park is wonderful, too.
Take a ferry over to Catalina for the day, or spend a night or two there if time permits. Best snorkeling in the state. And lots of unique scenery and fun stuff for kids to do there, a classic beach town. But beware the days the cruise ships land there...
Orange County is where beaches really shine. Newport has Balboa--Peninsula and Island, and also the Back Bay for a sunset kayak paddle with amazing birdwatching. Big and Little Corona are other wonderful beaches. Haven't been to California Adventures, will be going later this summer, I hear it's great. But if you aren't amusement people, you aren't amusement people. Still, as others have pointed out, Disneyland IS the original--it's still big fun for a day. Be sure and stop for a date milkshake at the shack on PCH on the way down the coast to Laguna...YUM! Trust me.
In San Diego our favorite place to stay if you can still get reservations is the Surfer Beach Hotel right on Pacific Beach. Has a pool, and yummy restaurant, and a great coffee bar for morning lattes and super blueberry pancakes, and you are literally right on the beach. Make sure you visit Balboa Park for kid stuff while in San Diego, and better than the Zoo, IMHO, is the Wild Animal Park, a whole day trip, about a 35-mile drive from San Diego but truly spectacular for seeing herds of animals (yes, herds--lions, giraffes, elephants--the whole shebang) all roaming around together. It's the closest I'm likely ever to get to an African safari, with all the thrill of a zoo besides.
Skip Tijuana--dirty and depressing. Catch a Padres game at Petco Park. Okay, I guess you can tell we are baseball fans in this family.
Whatever you do, have a wonderful time. I love living in California.
Starting in SF, we just spent a mini-vacation there with the kids this weekend. First, where to stay--if you can afford it (watch for package deals) two hotels to consider are the W and the brand-new St.Regis--both flank the SF MOMA and are directly across the street from Yerba Buena Gardens, the best possible "home base" in the city with kids. In Yerba Buena, besides the great park for running around in are the Metreon, which currently has the Titanic Artifacts exhibit--went last night, acutual artifacts including a piece of the hull, they give you a "boarding pass" that assigns you an identity as an actual passenger on the ship and and at the end you find out if you lived or not--we all loved it. Also the Zeum, which has a great hands-on activity where you can make your own clay-mation animated film and bring home a copy, also the original carousel which is always fun for even big kids, a great video arcade, a bowling alley and a skating rink. And of course, if you like art, you are right next door to the Museum of Modern Art and about six other museums in the area. You are within a few blocks of the Montgomery Street Bart Station and within walking distance of both the Embarcadero (for the Ferry Building and Fisherman's wharf) and Union Square. Take in a Giants game at AT&T park, or whatever they are calling it--you are within walking distance of that as well, and even if the Giants are out of town, the park is pretty spectacular. Go to Golden Gate Park and the new De YOung for more art. Go to the Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine Arts--a don't miss with kids and the grown-ups will love it, too. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, or ride a bike. And take a day and head up to Point Reyes, the single most beautiful stretch of coastline park in the state, in my opinion, also with the epicenter of the 1906 Earthquake--you can walk a short trail that has a section of fence that jumped a number of feet in the quake--see it for yourself and you'll see what I mean. Fisherman's Wharf is tacky-ville--locals avoid it like the plague. Alcatraz is interesting but I like Angel Island better--you can kayak if you're into that sort of thing, as well. If you are Alfred Hitchcok fans, watch Vertigo and The Birds, then drive on up to Bodega Bay if you go to Point Reyes, and visit Mission Dolores and Fort Point in the city. My favorite "tourist spot" is Coit Tower.
As you head down the coast be aware that Devil's Slide (HIghway 1) is closed below SF, so you will need to head down through the Santa Cruz Mountains. Big Basin is a beautiful park with redwoods and great hikes if you are outdoorsy. Natural Bridges State Beach has monarch butterflies, though not in summer I think--still a pretty beach in the northern stretches of Santa Cruz. The Boardwalk is fun and crowded in the summer--carnival-style rides, an awesome old wooden roller coaster and right on the beach. But I like Capitola better. IMHO, tho, Southern California has the north way beat for beach-town atmosphere. The north has nicer natural settings. Definitely stop at the Monterey Aquarium--the sea otters, the jellyfish, the sharks, it's all good.
For the goofiest place to stay on the coast, check out the Madonna Inn near San Luis Obispo, if you're thinking about going to San Simeon. Not everyone's cup of tea but the rooms are hysterical and the kids love the place. Has a decent steakhouse, too.
Once you hit Santa Barbara you know you're in SoCal. I love the Spanish Architecture, the shops on State Street and the general laid-back feeling here. Lots to do but I haven't been here often enough to give details. Maybe someone else will.
L.A. Ahhh--can't help too much on places to stay here as we always stay with family, but consider one of the beach hotels in Santa Monica. LA is HUGE and you have to drive a lot to get anywhere. Santa Monica pier is nice, also places with kids are the La Brea Tar Pits--a truly bizarre museum but I adored the place when I was a kid--lots of ice-age skulls and you can see the ongoing excavation. Haven't been to Universal Studios in years. If you can find a way to get a tour of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory--or JPL--in Pasadena, do so, as that is where all the Mars Pathfinder building and so on goes on--they all make the pilgrimmage out to FLorida for launches. In South Pasadena, the public golf course is little and very tolerant of kids--the holes are all short and there's even an old-fashioned mini-golf course there as well. Along the Arroyo is the Lummis Home--a great piece of early Arts & Craftsmanship with some amazing architectural details, and nearby is the Southwest Museum, full of Native American art and crafts. Downtown LA has Olvera Street and the Plaza, Chinatown, and nearby Dodger Stadium if you are baseball fans. The California Science Museum across from USC in Exposition Park is wonderful, too.
Take a ferry over to Catalina for the day, or spend a night or two there if time permits. Best snorkeling in the state. And lots of unique scenery and fun stuff for kids to do there, a classic beach town. But beware the days the cruise ships land there...
Orange County is where beaches really shine. Newport has Balboa--Peninsula and Island, and also the Back Bay for a sunset kayak paddle with amazing birdwatching. Big and Little Corona are other wonderful beaches. Haven't been to California Adventures, will be going later this summer, I hear it's great. But if you aren't amusement people, you aren't amusement people. Still, as others have pointed out, Disneyland IS the original--it's still big fun for a day. Be sure and stop for a date milkshake at the shack on PCH on the way down the coast to Laguna...YUM! Trust me.
In San Diego our favorite place to stay if you can still get reservations is the Surfer Beach Hotel right on Pacific Beach. Has a pool, and yummy restaurant, and a great coffee bar for morning lattes and super blueberry pancakes, and you are literally right on the beach. Make sure you visit Balboa Park for kid stuff while in San Diego, and better than the Zoo, IMHO, is the Wild Animal Park, a whole day trip, about a 35-mile drive from San Diego but truly spectacular for seeing herds of animals (yes, herds--lions, giraffes, elephants--the whole shebang) all roaming around together. It's the closest I'm likely ever to get to an African safari, with all the thrill of a zoo besides.
Skip Tijuana--dirty and depressing. Catch a Padres game at Petco Park. Okay, I guess you can tell we are baseball fans in this family.
Whatever you do, have a wonderful time. I love living in California.
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