LRK

I've really gotten alot out of reading these postings! What a wonderful resource...don512, the only thing I absolutely want to leave out of our itinerary are theme parks--we've seen both Universal and Disney in FL. But beaches, the best museums, the Redwoods, ghost towns, seaside villages, horseback riding, and just people-watching and relaxing are all on our agenda! I'm thinking that maybe we should follow some of the advice possible skipping Yosemite and heading North of San Francisco to see thoise fabed Big Trees. Coming from NJ, anything over 60 feet will fit the bill...

m367

The Coastal Redwoods in Northern California are taller. The massive Giant Sequoias which are wider are in Mariposa Grove at the southern entrance of Yosemite; plus you have the Yosemite Falls, Vernal Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Half Dome, Glacier Point, etc.

SFer

LRK,

If you ae coming all the way from Jersey, do yourself a favor and do not skip Yosemite. it is such a breathtaking place to visit. Some of the best redoods are in Big Basin Park. No need to go north of San Francisco to the redwood trees.

S_F_E

I have to second the don't skip Yosemite advice. I live in Sonoma County and the first time my children saw Yosemite, as we drove into the Yosemite Valley and they first saw the beautiful vistas, I heard my five-year-old boy whispering to himself in an absolutely awed voice in the back seat, "I will never forget this. I will never forget this."

I, of course, will never forget him saying that!

chucklesbythebay

HEY!
I am a former NJ person! MY suggestion is DO NOT SKIP YOSEMITE--THERE ARE BIG TREES THERE, TOO! DO SKIP SAN JOSE! San Jose is just a sprawling suburb/city--and, you can find that at home! My suggestion for a memorable vacation: Definitely San Diego, San Francisco, Yosemite. Mono Lake is nice but not as special as the other places. DO drive the coastal highway from San Luis Obispo to San Francisco...that drive has the most dramatic coastline views...north of SF is not as dramatic but still pretty. DO NOT SKIP YOSEMITE! Just book now!!!!! from a former jersey girl...

joesorce

If possible, plan your L.A. time on a weekend, when the traffic is MUCH more maneageable. Otherwise, Santa Monica and the Shangri-La are not well located to museums, the zoo and sights.

We usually recommend the Holiday Inn Brentwood/Bel Air because it is close to Beverly Hills/Hollywood while still just a short drive (15 min) to the beach and Santa Monica.
It is also very close to the fabulous Getty Museum (which, by the way, has a special kids area and is open until 9pm on weekends and has a FABULOUS VIEW restaurant(pricey).)

Best Western Sunset in West Hollywood is also very nice with good-sized rooms and central location.

The Museum of Science and Industry is quite a hit with 10-12 yr olds and the Imax theatre is next door. The Museum of Natural History is not far away so you can do all 3 in one day easily, along with a stop at La Brea Tar Pits on the way home.

The LA Zoo is next door to the Will Rogers Western Heritage Museum and you can do both at once. Both are under-rated and very nice. You can then have dinner nearby and make it up to the Griffith Park Observatory at sunset for an incredible view and a peek at the galaxies.

The third day....a beach day might be in order, followed by the Getty Museum and dinner along restaurant row in Beverly Hills, or in Westwood where movie premieres are often held.

Marny

I also agree with previous posters who say DO NOT SKIP YOSEMITE, however I would also say DO NOT SKIP SAN JOSE either. There's plenty to do in San Jose and the surrounding area. Los Angeles and San Diego are actually just as spread out and sprawling as San Jose, if not more so.

Yosemite, SF, San Jose, San Diego, and the coast from Monterey down to Big Sur are all great places to see to get an overview of California mountains, cities, and coastline. While the coast north of Monterey is not bad either, I would skip it to enjoy the superb scenary south of Monterey.

rjw_lgb_ca

Quick note RE: the Shangri-La in Santa Monica. It is an old Deco-era hotel, but frankly not one of the best-maintained. It's clean and convenient to the Third Street Promenade, the Pier and other sights in SM-- but it's not very opulent. If you're yearning for a Deco experience in SM, the Georgian is a prettier property. If you want to stay in SM, you should stay at one of the nicer properties like the Miramar (now a Fairmont hotel, and still one of the very nicest in this area), Shutters on the Beach (extremely expensive, but worth it), the Loews or the Merigot, or the Viceroy (brand-new renovation). The suggestion of the Holiday Inn Bel-Air/Brentwood is an excellent one. It's nicer than you would expect from a HI-- and the location is great. Note that it's just off the 405-- but well-insulated.

Veronica

Being that I live in Santa Monica that's the only place I would stay if I was visiting L.A.

rjw_lgb_ca

Veronica: I work in SM (actually, I'm looking at the Shangri-La outside my office window right now!), and yes, it's definitely a great place to stay when visiting LA. And if it's broiling inland, it's ALWAYS pleasant here!

If I had to think of the negatives, they are the same for ALL beach communities in southern California: Kinda hard to get to, kinda hard to get out of. It's nowhere near as bad to use Santa Monica as your base as it is to use, say, Huntington Beach or Long Beach (where I live-- all the ocean, half the price!) or Laguna Beach. Still, you do have a schlepp ahead of you to go to, say, Getty Center. If you can accept that, you'll love it here!

LRK

Whew! Thanks to all of you, I have an itinerary (w/reservations that can be altered if needed...) that we're very excited about!
4 nights in San Diego
3 nights in LA (thanks for the heads up about staying in Santa Monica--I've chosen to stay at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown LA over the Holiday Inn in Brentwood b/c we could get two connecting rooms at a fabulous rate thru Hotels.com. ($95 a night per room inc. tax & parking.) Is that location OK?
2 nights in San Luis Obispo
2 nights in Monterey
3 nights in Yosemite (staying in Oakhurst--comments?)
2 Nights in Lake Tahoe
5 Nights in San Francisco (haven't booked yet--any comments about returning rental car when we arrive SF--seems like a car will be a hassle, or do we stay outside the city somewhere and take public transport in?)
Well, that's what I've come up with so far.
Things I've learned: I'm a Librarian and I am used to using tons of books and the internet as resources, but the books I turned to most frequently were the AAA books. Well laid out, concise info. I used these books in conjunction with Tripadvisor.com, Fodors.com and Hotels.com . Also, if anyone you are travelling with is over 50, join AARP! It only cost about $20 for a three year membership and the discounts I got were great. I booked our flights online with USAir, and on their homepage was a link to AARP special rates, with a special # to call--that easy. We saved $350! Also hotels offer AARP rates as frequently as AAA rates.
So, thank you to everyone! And like I said, this isn't in stone and I am open to all of your fabulous suggestions--who needs friends in CA when you've got Fodors Chat!

gail

When we did a driving trip ending up in SF, (we did a one way car rental Seattle to SF) we dropped stuff at hotel and then husband returned car to airport, took transit back to hotel. A pain for him, but with cost of parking car in SF for 5 nights, it was worth it. We are a family very attached to cars - we will drive anywhere, no matter how crazy, and even we did not miss it in SF. There are in-city car rental places, but we found they would not accept one-way car rental or charged a ridiculous surcharge (since then they would drive it to airport).

m367

Just a comment re Oakhurst. It is 15 miles south of the southern entrance to Yosemite Park. And it is 45 miles from Yosemite Village.

elberko

Another Oakhurst comment. One big advantage is that Oakhurst has restaurants. We stayed in El Portal, which only has motel restaurants. The "park" restaurants were barely adequate.

Despite the ride, next time we would stay in Oakhurst. Spend the day in the park, then go back to Oakhurst, get cleaned-up, and go out to dinner. It depends on your style of travel, but this would be our ideal Yosemite visit.

m367

For your stay in LA - check out the calendar at www.Hollywoodbowl.com for a great evening.

rjw_lgb_ca

RE: The Westin Bonaventure in downtown LA. I know it sounds like we're bouncing you around the Southland with these hotel suggestions, but I think all of us who live in the area would like your experience to be the best possible. The Bonaventure is a perfectly aceptable hotel, although its exterior design (REALLY glitzy in the 70s when it was built) belies rather pedestrian rooms and sterile, concrete corridors. The restaurant/cocktail lounge at the top of the hotel (I assume it's still there-- it's been a couple of years) was nice. And it was just about the only choice for dining and drinks in downtown LA after 6 PM. You will be MUCH happier staying in a hotel on the Westside. I cannot stress that enough. Especially with your kids in tow.

You might find deals at some of the hotels on Sunset in the West Hollywood area. The Standard isn't too expensive and is now the Cool and Hot place for the trendy to stay. There are others that aren't too pricey in that area that would be good (NOT the Ramada on Santa Monica Blvd-- it's not a particularly nice hotel, nor a particularly "family-friendly" property).

If you can afford to stay in Santa Monica (at a reasonably nice hotel), do. Just be aware that you're on the coast, and getting to points inland will involve driving.

MichelleY

I think your trip sounds great!! You will get to see a wide variety of what CA has to offer. Be flexible with with the Tahoe portion. You may want to add a day or so. Tahoe is the jewel of the Sierra!

Sherri

Greetings! I have to add my two cents about the Westin downtown. I have 2 boys as well and I think that you would be MUCH happier away from downtown. Although downtown L.A. has improved in the last few years, it is still not too attractive and is hard to get in and out of - especially if you are visiting during the week. Traffic through downtown L.A. during peak hours is brutal. Santa Monica sounds much nicer for you and your kids. Also, you mentioned that you wanted to avoid theme parks which I understand if you have done the Disney thing. You may want check out Universal Studios though. Unlike Florida's location, it is the original and it is always a hit with everyone that has gone when visiting us. The backlot tour is fun and Universal Citywalk is adjacent to the studios (shops, restaurants). Actually, the Universal Sheraton is right there and may be a good centralized location to visit other destinations in the area. Also, one comment about Yosemite, if you cannot find lodging in a lodge or hotel (did you try the Tenaya Lodge at the south entrance before you enter the park?), you may consider going online and checking out cabin, condo, or townhome rentals (Yosemite lodging brings up quite a few options). We have done that quite a few times and you could possibly find one that would work for a few days. They rent cabins in the Wawona area (near the redwoods), at the Glacier Point area and also on the floor of the valley. Have fun on your trip!

turn_it_on

Don't stay in downtown LA, don't stay in downtown LA, don't stay in downtown LA.

It's kind of a ghost town at night, nothing you can really walk to, everyone works there during the day and deserts it at night, it's not a typical downtown at all...you'd be MUCH better off in Hollywood or Santa Monica, where there is an abundance of activity you'd enjoy during the day and night.

love
kristin

clarkgriswold

Agree, downtown LA is the wrong choice for a family stay.

Contact HI Brentwood directly to see if they can match that rate. Terrific family hotel and close to Getty - a must visit!