Travel to Cali
 

I would like to take a short inexpensive trip (3-4 days)to California with my 12 year old daughter the last week of June. What city has clean beaches, shopping, plenty of things to do and see and transportation. Would I need to rent a car or can I take trains, buses, trolleys. I would also enjoy the temperature in the upper 80s. Your advice is appreciated.

With that criteria, I would head to San Diego, although temperatures in the upper 80s is probably pushing it. San Diego has everything else though - beaches, shopping, things to see and do. I'd probably rent a car, but you can do it without, you will just spend more time getting from point A to point B.

Santa Monica might fit the bill nicely too. Again, don't count on scorching temperatures, but the weather should be nice.

Santa Cruz is a cool town too, but you would definitely need a car for that since there is no airport there. If your shopping tastes are eclectic, then Santa Cruz will have some shops for you. Plenty of things to do and see and some nice beaches.

June is often very cool in southern California -- not always, but can't guarantee temps in the 80's!
I think Santa Monica/LA would be a very fun place for a 12 year, though you'd have to rent a car. Maybe slightly warmer than San Diego...
If she's a zoo/animal lover, San Diego has good beaches and the zoo and wild animal park.
Renting a car would be the easiest way to get around.

Hi curryk, I agree withh the SanDiego idea even though it probably will not be in the high 80's.

BTW, when I saw the title of your thread I had no idea where "Cali" was? This is not a nickname for California.

San Diego is beautiful with lots of things to do with a 12 year old. In fact your question reminded me of when I was that age and my aunt took for to SanDiego for several days. It was a fantastic vacation. So I think the two of you would really have a good time. Have a fun trip!

I think if you count Baja-California (Baja-Cali?!?) as part of California, you might get some upper '80's, but probably not THAT cali--ente.

I agree with the others on San Diego. It's a great town for kids that age.

Really Loveitaly? I've always heard california referred to as Cali.

With your criteria and wanting to use public transport I agree w/ the others. San Diego is you best bet.

But maybe you have some misconceptions about California. All those TV shows with pretty young things running on the beach - if there were close ups you would be seeing goose bumps for sure. It is only rarely in the high 80's (or even the low 80's) along the coast and especially not in June. There is often fog and dreary weather - so much so it is called the "June Gloom".

If you want hot weather you usually have to go inland - but then you aren't at the beach.

I'm certainly not trying to talk you out of a beachy vacation - you and your daughter will really LOVE San Diego. But you might need to pack some sweaters to go w/ the bikinis . . . . . .

Leslie: Cali is in Columbia - our amazing state is CALIFORNIA.

Sorry, but California is just not referred to as "Cali".

San Diego is unlikely to have temperatures in the 80s, never mind upper 80s, at the end of June. Other than that tiny detail, there is everything you want. IMO, a car is a must in San Diego.

So when Notorious B.I.G sang a song that said "I'm going going back back to Cali Cali" he was talking about Columbia?! And when 2Pac made a song called California Love and he says, "Cali is where they put they mack down" he wasn't talking about California? Hmm.... I might have to listen more carefully to the lyrics! (Sorry guys, I'm a rap fan! lol)

Not to mention LL Cool J's song called Going back to Cali!

sorry guys, don't mean to sound ignorant or anything, i just have always heard people say Cali when referring to California. I've even heard it from your own Californians. Maybe it depends on where u live.... or what music you listen to! lol

Leslie, perhaps if you lisened to songs which use actual words you might have a better idea.

oops, listened.

LOL!! that's funny. I was just trying to make a point, that curryk isn't the only one that has referred to it as Cali before. (I've heard it from normal people, too, not just Rap artists)

Leslie - w/ your logic I assume you call all women the B word or the W word (only they drop the W and only use an H - probably because they don't know how to spell it)

Get real . . . . . .

So in other words, Cali is a curse word? I didn't mean to offend you, SORRY

Lived in California all my life and have never heard anyone from CA refer to it as Cali. On this board I have seen people use Cali but it seems like and odd and unfamiliar word, alot like "Frisco" instead of San Francisco.

Don't think I would use rap lyrics as a model for my vocabulary ;)

I totally think San Diego would fit your needs except for the upper 80s part.

BTW janis, your assumptions are wrong. maybe you need to lighten up...?

Sorry, but here are the facts: No one in California refers to the state they reside in (or are visiting) as "Cali". Unless they're trying to sound like East Coast rappers (all the ones you cite are from the NYC area). Then it's doubly irritating.

It's "California" or "CA". Just like my home town is "Long Beach", not "The LBC" or "The LBZee" or whatever the hell Snoop calls it. He's a nice guy, but he's generally baked when he records, so don't look to him as an informant of southern California speech patterns.

We had a similar discussion recently over the "The OC" appellation that's spreading like a cancer through this country thanks to that damn Fox TV show. No one before that show ever called Orange County "The OC". NO ONE. We call it "Orange County". Or "OC". Or "Through The Orange Curtain". And as I live two miles from the OC border, I think I can speak with a bit of authority.

And for the original poster-- San Diego, especially if you are going to try to do this trip without a car. Your hope for temps in the 80s is pretty much a pipe dream in June on the coast, but hopefully it will warm up into the mid-70s.

OK - no, "Cali" is not a curse word. But to use rap artists (or any music for that matter) as your source of what things are called in "real" life is just silly . . . . . .

rjw, "through the Orange curtain"???

Point taken, thank you and good night! (never thought it was such a big deal, but it obviously is)

Rap music is a representaion of
"real life" from a point of view
which includes, and is not limited to
life on the street, gangs,drugs and their dealing...to say this is not REAL
is the truly silly statement,IMHO.

Leslie does not deserve a brow beating on her choice of music(are books and art next?)

You all could have been kinder about the "Cali" thing, geez...!
R5

Thanks Razzledazzle, I was hoping someone would come to my defense! I'm in no way trying to be offensive, I love visiting California!

I'd say to curryk, San Diego is great, I love going there! Just don't offend anyone by calling it Cali, please!

Wow, there are some grumpy Cali folks on here! Note the use of Cali. And BTW, it's not just East Coast rappers that use that term. Plenty of non-Californian non-rapping professionals use that term in the context as follows:

"Hey what are you up to this weekend?"
"I'm heading to Cali for a little R&R."

I thought all Californians were supposed to be laid back. Oh yeah, that's another myth worth busting on this board. :)

We're not grumpy, but please do us the courtesy of calling our state by its name. When we correct your mistake nicely, which we did, don't argue with us and imply that we don't know where we live.

lol. that's funny traveldiva. I never thought they would be so grouchy. I'm not in or near the East Coast and I hear Cali being used all the time.

Barbara: I wondered if you'd catch that! I was being facetious (although in nostalgic moments we do fume about "going through the Orange Curtain to save a half-percent sales tax"...).

Sorry, but I think we'd get the same lashing from someone from NYC or Chicago or Orlando if we threw about phrases like "Chi-Town" or "The Big Apple" or "NYNY" or "O-Town" (eeewwwwwww!).

Especially when "Cali" is most unambiguously a city. In Colombia. Consúltese un mapa de Sudamérica por favor.

If not San Diego, curryk, your daughter would probably love Huntington Beach (Surf City!), although it gets to be a bit of a zoo on a nice day. The beaches are usually pretty clean, all things considered. And Newport and Laguna Beach are just down Coast Highway.

Not to beat a dead horse... ;)

This Cali thing definitely depends on who you talk to and where you are. I have heard Cali in southern California, but rarely in northern, and then usually amoung younger people in their teens and early 20s. You hear it in hip hop, which like it or not, does reflect life for a segment of our population and pop culture. Cali is a slang term and slang has to come from somewhere.

Like Herb Caen once said..."please don't call it Frisco." Please don't call it Cali.

Nails on a chalkboard....

*shudder*

This topic of "Cali" gets beaten to death every now and again on this board, along with "Frisco". I've lived here my whole life, as have many of my friends, and I can't think of a time when any of them used either of those words, except maybe to make fun of a tourist or a poseur. As a native Cahleeforneean, they both make me cringe, and I don't know why.

Maybe it's because I've always heard it from people outside the city/state trying to sound like they're, I don't know, hip to the scene or something, like coming here is such a nonchalant event that they can barely be bothered to get the whole word out, like if someone lied and said, "Oh yeah, I chill in the Big Apple all the time", not knowing no one there actually calls it that. To me it sounds like someone using slang they think the residents of Cali and Frisco must use to refer to themselves. Because we're all so laid back it's too much effort to spit the whole word out. Sippin' on gin and juice--laid back--with my mind on my money and my money on my mind. Nyuh.

love
roxy not roxanne

P.S. San Diego's great. I think you'd enjoy the beaches there more than LA, and it's better for walking. Santa Cruz is actually lots of fun, you could take a shuttle from the San Jose airport into town (40 minutes) and stay by the beach, checking out the Boardwalk, and taking the bus into the nearby downtown area, or walking even, which might be faster. They have that steam train that picks you up at the Boardwalk and chugs up into the redwood covered mountains, fun on a clear and pretty day. Your 12 yr old would enjoy the Boardwalk rides and excitement, the long beaches, and the shopping and atmosphere of downtown, I think. I do. Nyuh.

Thank you for all of your replies. I apologize for the Cali reference. For now and forever more it is California. San Diego, here we come!

By the way (talk about "nails on chalkboard") -- yes, Cali is a city in ColOmbia NOT ColUmbia. Columbia is a university here in NY. Colombia is a country in South America. My gosh...

Hey, as a native Californian/CAli-fornian, may I offer the Californian response to this whole Cali issue and simply say: WHATEVER, DUDE!

For what it's worth, I heard someone refer to CA as Cali for the first time only a few months ago. I suppose I'm old, that's all.

Anyway, I grew up in Newport Beach, have lived in/stayed in nearly every beach city in Southern Cal, and chose to settle in Laguna Beach, which gets my totally non-objective vote hands down. We have 12 miles of beautiful beaches (from wide to lovely hidden coves). Hunt. Beach has long straight beaches, which are fine if you're a surfer (I am) but kind of a snore when it comes to aesthetics. Laguna has many small unique shops and some good restaurants, several excellent coffee haunts (Zinc Cafe!) and FREE trams/trolleys (the fake kind--they're really buses that look like trolleys). Summer traffic can be a mess, but if you choose a hotel within walking distance to everything (there are many) it can be relaxing. Finally, Laguna has the Sawdust Festival (crafts, live music, food, glass blowing demonstrations) and the Pagent of the Masters (some people think it's lame, others love it) and a generally cool but family friendly vibe. We have parks, too, including a good playground right at Main Beach. nearby is incredibly beautiful Crystal Cove State Park (very under utilized) and if you must, Fashion Island (upscale shopping center) is a 20 min drive away.

Just my two pennies!

After all of this,do you still want to go to Cali-fornia? I'd think twice.

Hey, just let the person(s) refer to California as 'Cali' - it simply marks them as bumpkins.

Wow this was an amazing post. I was born in "Cali" and have lived in San Diego for the last ten years. Unfortunately the 80's will most likely not happen. June is not a great month for the whole southern California region . They call it "June Gloom". A pretty thick marine layer that sticks around all day. But who knows it weather! Never the less San Diego is a wonderful place for kids and big kids alike. And don't worry not all people from "Cali" are as uptight as some here.

Have fun.

I live inland near Laguna Beach and that is a very good option. If your 12 year old likes art it is definitely a good place to go. The sawdust festival is fun for kids. There are cute shops and restaurants. There is also a Sea lion rescue center that gives tours. I also think it is a few degrees warmer up there.

San Diego is definitely bigger with more things to do, but with only 3 or 4 days I'd pick Laguna.

curryk..
I personnally love PACIFIC BEACH in San Diego, I would try to stay either there or Mission Beach.
Enjoy the early mornings walking the boardwalk. Have breakfast by the beach.
If you like to spend time at the beach, this is a great area! How about roller blading on the boardwalk.
What about a day a seaworld.
Also, find out about getting to the gaslamp district at least one night. Hopefully you will be there on a weekend and can spend one Saturday night in the gaslamp district.
Have a great time with you kid!