Trip Report: Southern California and Santa Barbara
Jan 5th, 2008, 09:54 AM
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Trip Report: Southern California and Santa Barbara
Trip Report: Southern California and Santa Barbara
So this is my first trip report… I was inspired to give back after “taking” so much great information from this forum – and because I can never seem to remember enough of the specifics of our travels to provide good responses!
We (me, my DH and DD kindergartener) just got back from our annual winter pilgrimage to the sunshine of southern California where my parents live. The trip started out with a rousing phone call from Northwest Airlines at 2:30am advising us of the rescheduling of our flights (by two days!) due to weather issues so we ended up driving the first leg of our flight (through fog, rain and snow!) and continuing on the originally scheduled second leg.
Upon arrival at Orange County airport (SNA), we had the usual poor experience with Hertz (which is limited to this airport for some reason) – this time, we had an issue with the rate not showing as quoted.
It was warm and sunny – just what the doctor ordered! We stay with my parents in Irvine so I don’t have any hotel information to share. And we usually have yummy home cooked meals but we did eat out a few times:
Woody’s Diner (used to be Lido Diner) 3461 Via Lido in Newport Beach
Great food – classic American comfort food - and even better desserts from the soda fountain
Here is a review: http://www.ocregister.com/news/diner...chicken-served
Newport Rib Company 2196 Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa
http://www.ribcompany.com/
Great ribs and great side dishes – and generous portions
Benjies Restaurant 1828 N Tustin Ave, Santa Ana
http://www.benjiesdeli.com/
A wonderful New York style deli also with generous portions
Ruby’s Diner – lots of locations
http://www.rubys.com/
A good diner with typical burger and fries fare
In-N-Out Burger – lots of locations
http://www.in-n-out.com/default.asp
Simply burgers, fries and shakes (and a not-so-secret menu)
Champps Americana – at the Spectrum Shopping Center
http://www.champps.com/default.aspx
Lots of big screen televisions and good burgers and more!
And here are some fun things we did (we have yet to clue our daughter in to the existence of Disneyland but will have to some day!):
Discovery Science Center 2500 North Main Street in Santa Ana
http://www.discoverycube.org/
We had an Entertainment book coupon for one free children’s ticket ($9.95) with a paid admission ($12.95) – and the cashier gave it back to me so I gave it to a friend who lives nearby. My daughter loved this place – we could have stayed all day long! They had the usual interactive science exhibits and a seasonal exhibit, The Science of Gingerbread. The favorite exhibit was the Dino Quest Exhibit – where, for an additional cost, the kids go on research missions and communicate what they’ve found back to headquarters via transmitter wands. It took my daughter bit to get the hang of getting the wand to accept the information as she found the items she was searching for but once she mastered it, she had fun on the mission.
Legoland – 1 Legoland Drive (off I-5) in Carlsbad
http://www.legoland.com/california.htm
We initially dismissed going to Legoland due to the expense (one day tickets are $59 for adults and $47 for children/seniors) but my mom was able to buy tickets several months ago at a local supermarket for $22 each for children/seniors. So my parents took our daughter (when we ran away to Santa Barbara for a couple days) and arrived at opening time – to find a long line at the parking entry (another $10 per car) but no line at the entry to the park. Legoland was running a special where you could claim a free one day admission ticket for future use for every paid admission ticket presented so my husband and I were able to take our daughter for a return visit (on New Year’s Eve) so she could ride the roller coasters that Grandma and Grandpa wouldn’t take her on! Legoland is geared for kids ages 4 to 12 with some gentle rides and some not so gentle rides – one is a robot hand (Knights Tournament) that you ride in and choose your level of torture from 1 (gentle) to 5 (thrown around upside down). The indicated wait times seemed to be overestimated but there were still long waits.
San Diego Wild Animal Park - 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/index.html
We received two free general admission passes for the Wild Animal Park from a relative. We bought two Journey into Africa bus tickets (with a 2 for 1 coupon) for $10 and a Best Value ticket for our daughter that included entry, the bus and unlimited carousel rides. We followed the Kilimanjaro Safari Walk trail through the park and took the Journey into Africa bus tour which recently replaced the train tour. We were all impressed with the wide expanse the animals have to roam in and the large number and variety of animals. We caught the end of the elephant show and saw a serval (small African cat) up close in an animal encounter we happened upon. My daughter liked the giraffes, going on the bus, the petting kral (deer instead of the usual goats at petting zoos) and the carousel – she went on it twice! We didn’t fully cover the Heart of Africa and Condor Ridge sections.
Crystal Cove State Park - Pacific Coast Highway between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach
http://www.crystalcovestatepark.com/
We discovered this park last year – it’s just off Pacific Coast Highway at Newport Coast Drive. You have to pay to park ($10) and there are several nice trails down to the beach. If you time it right (when the tide is on the way out), there are lots of tide pools to explore although be careful because the rocks can be quite slippery. We saw lots of small crabs and fish. A favorite of my daughter’s.
Laguna Beach
This is one of our favorite places to walk around – there are quaint shops, art galleries and restaurants. And a nice beach to walk on, usually with people playing volleyball. There is also a nice playground for kids.
Balboa Island and Peninsula
This is another favorite place to walk around. Jamboree Road goes right onto Balboa Island across a little bridge. We usually make an immediate right into an alley and go over two streets to find a parking spot. The island has lots of great houses to look at and a main street with shops and restaurants. There is path all around the outside of the island. There is a car and pedestrian ferry ($1 a person each way) at Agate Avenue to take across to the peninsula where there is a fun zone and boats to Catalina. Further up is the Balboa Pier with the original Ruby’s restaurant at the end. There is a nice beach and a playground, although my daughter was more interested in collecting shells.
Rose Parade Float Viewing – Post Parade
http://www.tournamentofroses.com/events/showcase.asp
We’ve gone to Pasadena to view the floats being made but this year we went to view the floats after the parade. What a treat – you can get within a foot of the magnificent floats! We listened to an informative podcast describing the floats on the drive up and parked in a special park and ride at the Community Education Center in Pasadena. We bought tickets right there for the shuttle ($3 per person) and entry to the float viewing ($10 per person). The shuttle took us directly to the start of the float viewing area and we walked about two miles with lots of other people oohing and aahing at the beautiful floats. We will definitely do this again!
Santa Barbara
My husband and I were able to escape for a few days to Santa Barbara (thanks mom and dad!).
Getty Villa - 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades
http://www.getty.edu/
On the way up to Santa Barbara, we stopped at the Getty Villa in Malibu because someone had given us tickets they couldn’t use. The tickets are free (parking was $8) but need to be requested in advance for a specific date and time. We arrived an hour earlier than our timeslot but were let in with no problem. The Villa is a beautiful recreation of a Roman country house with lots of ancient artifacts and replicas. We took the Architecture and Gardens Tour which lasted about forty minutes and was quite informative.
We stayed at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort - 633 East Cabrillo Boulevard
After requesting advice from this forum, we ended up booking Fess Parker’s Doubletree Inn. The rate was $250 per night for a king room with a mountain view. Upon check-in, we accepted an offer to upgrade to a handicap friendly (“a few grab bars and larger doorways”) king room with a garden view. However, the room had a parking lot view and a shower head at our shoulders. A phone call to the front desk indicated that the only alternative was the original room we had booked – which was fine with us but not clear why the other room was offered as an upgrade. Also, they had the usual $9.95 per day internet access charge which we begrudgingly paid but then had trouble with high speed access. Upon checkout, my husband explained how the stay wasn’t up to our expectations (and how we’ve had similar less than wonderful experiences at our last three Doubletree/Embassy Suites stays). Not sure I’d stay there again – the hotel was a huge complex and not conveniently located to State Street (the main drag).
State Street is the center of the downtown shopping and restaurant area. There is an electric trolley that runs the length of State Street and another one that runs along the waterfront – both are 25 cents per ride.
We ate at:
The Palace Grill – 8 East Cota Street
http://www.palacegrill.com/
A very popular (and deservingly so) Cajun/Creole restaurant with great martinis served in mason jars.
Ruby’s on State Street – 734 State Street
Cajun Kitchen – 901 Chapala St
http://www.cajunkitchensb.com/
We had breakfast at both of these restaurants – and they were both great! I had melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon roll French toast at Ruby’s.
Santa Barbara Brewing Company - 501 State Street
http://www.sbbrewco.com/index.shtml
We had dinner here but weren’t so impressed – the food was average.
Cold Spring Tavern – 5995 Stagecoach Road, Santa Barbara - highway 154, The San Marcos Pass, about a 15 or 20 minute drive from Santa Barbara
http://www.coldspringtavern.com/
I discovered this place in a magazine and what a find – it’s an old stagecoach stop on a pass – we thought we were lost trying to find it and then stumbled upon cars lining the streets all around it. We actually had a thirty minute wait at 2 in the afternoon!
Hope this info is helpful to someone in planning a trip to Southern California or Santa Barbara!
So this is my first trip report… I was inspired to give back after “taking” so much great information from this forum – and because I can never seem to remember enough of the specifics of our travels to provide good responses!
We (me, my DH and DD kindergartener) just got back from our annual winter pilgrimage to the sunshine of southern California where my parents live. The trip started out with a rousing phone call from Northwest Airlines at 2:30am advising us of the rescheduling of our flights (by two days!) due to weather issues so we ended up driving the first leg of our flight (through fog, rain and snow!) and continuing on the originally scheduled second leg.
Upon arrival at Orange County airport (SNA), we had the usual poor experience with Hertz (which is limited to this airport for some reason) – this time, we had an issue with the rate not showing as quoted.
It was warm and sunny – just what the doctor ordered! We stay with my parents in Irvine so I don’t have any hotel information to share. And we usually have yummy home cooked meals but we did eat out a few times:
Woody’s Diner (used to be Lido Diner) 3461 Via Lido in Newport Beach
Great food – classic American comfort food - and even better desserts from the soda fountain
Here is a review: http://www.ocregister.com/news/diner...chicken-served
Newport Rib Company 2196 Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa
http://www.ribcompany.com/
Great ribs and great side dishes – and generous portions
Benjies Restaurant 1828 N Tustin Ave, Santa Ana
http://www.benjiesdeli.com/
A wonderful New York style deli also with generous portions
Ruby’s Diner – lots of locations
http://www.rubys.com/
A good diner with typical burger and fries fare
In-N-Out Burger – lots of locations
http://www.in-n-out.com/default.asp
Simply burgers, fries and shakes (and a not-so-secret menu)
Champps Americana – at the Spectrum Shopping Center
http://www.champps.com/default.aspx
Lots of big screen televisions and good burgers and more!
And here are some fun things we did (we have yet to clue our daughter in to the existence of Disneyland but will have to some day!):
Discovery Science Center 2500 North Main Street in Santa Ana
http://www.discoverycube.org/
We had an Entertainment book coupon for one free children’s ticket ($9.95) with a paid admission ($12.95) – and the cashier gave it back to me so I gave it to a friend who lives nearby. My daughter loved this place – we could have stayed all day long! They had the usual interactive science exhibits and a seasonal exhibit, The Science of Gingerbread. The favorite exhibit was the Dino Quest Exhibit – where, for an additional cost, the kids go on research missions and communicate what they’ve found back to headquarters via transmitter wands. It took my daughter bit to get the hang of getting the wand to accept the information as she found the items she was searching for but once she mastered it, she had fun on the mission.
Legoland – 1 Legoland Drive (off I-5) in Carlsbad
http://www.legoland.com/california.htm
We initially dismissed going to Legoland due to the expense (one day tickets are $59 for adults and $47 for children/seniors) but my mom was able to buy tickets several months ago at a local supermarket for $22 each for children/seniors. So my parents took our daughter (when we ran away to Santa Barbara for a couple days) and arrived at opening time – to find a long line at the parking entry (another $10 per car) but no line at the entry to the park. Legoland was running a special where you could claim a free one day admission ticket for future use for every paid admission ticket presented so my husband and I were able to take our daughter for a return visit (on New Year’s Eve) so she could ride the roller coasters that Grandma and Grandpa wouldn’t take her on! Legoland is geared for kids ages 4 to 12 with some gentle rides and some not so gentle rides – one is a robot hand (Knights Tournament) that you ride in and choose your level of torture from 1 (gentle) to 5 (thrown around upside down). The indicated wait times seemed to be overestimated but there were still long waits.
San Diego Wild Animal Park - 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/index.html
We received two free general admission passes for the Wild Animal Park from a relative. We bought two Journey into Africa bus tickets (with a 2 for 1 coupon) for $10 and a Best Value ticket for our daughter that included entry, the bus and unlimited carousel rides. We followed the Kilimanjaro Safari Walk trail through the park and took the Journey into Africa bus tour which recently replaced the train tour. We were all impressed with the wide expanse the animals have to roam in and the large number and variety of animals. We caught the end of the elephant show and saw a serval (small African cat) up close in an animal encounter we happened upon. My daughter liked the giraffes, going on the bus, the petting kral (deer instead of the usual goats at petting zoos) and the carousel – she went on it twice! We didn’t fully cover the Heart of Africa and Condor Ridge sections.
Crystal Cove State Park - Pacific Coast Highway between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach
http://www.crystalcovestatepark.com/
We discovered this park last year – it’s just off Pacific Coast Highway at Newport Coast Drive. You have to pay to park ($10) and there are several nice trails down to the beach. If you time it right (when the tide is on the way out), there are lots of tide pools to explore although be careful because the rocks can be quite slippery. We saw lots of small crabs and fish. A favorite of my daughter’s.
Laguna Beach
This is one of our favorite places to walk around – there are quaint shops, art galleries and restaurants. And a nice beach to walk on, usually with people playing volleyball. There is also a nice playground for kids.
Balboa Island and Peninsula
This is another favorite place to walk around. Jamboree Road goes right onto Balboa Island across a little bridge. We usually make an immediate right into an alley and go over two streets to find a parking spot. The island has lots of great houses to look at and a main street with shops and restaurants. There is path all around the outside of the island. There is a car and pedestrian ferry ($1 a person each way) at Agate Avenue to take across to the peninsula where there is a fun zone and boats to Catalina. Further up is the Balboa Pier with the original Ruby’s restaurant at the end. There is a nice beach and a playground, although my daughter was more interested in collecting shells.
Rose Parade Float Viewing – Post Parade
http://www.tournamentofroses.com/events/showcase.asp
We’ve gone to Pasadena to view the floats being made but this year we went to view the floats after the parade. What a treat – you can get within a foot of the magnificent floats! We listened to an informative podcast describing the floats on the drive up and parked in a special park and ride at the Community Education Center in Pasadena. We bought tickets right there for the shuttle ($3 per person) and entry to the float viewing ($10 per person). The shuttle took us directly to the start of the float viewing area and we walked about two miles with lots of other people oohing and aahing at the beautiful floats. We will definitely do this again!
Santa Barbara
My husband and I were able to escape for a few days to Santa Barbara (thanks mom and dad!).
Getty Villa - 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades
http://www.getty.edu/
On the way up to Santa Barbara, we stopped at the Getty Villa in Malibu because someone had given us tickets they couldn’t use. The tickets are free (parking was $8) but need to be requested in advance for a specific date and time. We arrived an hour earlier than our timeslot but were let in with no problem. The Villa is a beautiful recreation of a Roman country house with lots of ancient artifacts and replicas. We took the Architecture and Gardens Tour which lasted about forty minutes and was quite informative.
We stayed at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort - 633 East Cabrillo Boulevard
After requesting advice from this forum, we ended up booking Fess Parker’s Doubletree Inn. The rate was $250 per night for a king room with a mountain view. Upon check-in, we accepted an offer to upgrade to a handicap friendly (“a few grab bars and larger doorways”) king room with a garden view. However, the room had a parking lot view and a shower head at our shoulders. A phone call to the front desk indicated that the only alternative was the original room we had booked – which was fine with us but not clear why the other room was offered as an upgrade. Also, they had the usual $9.95 per day internet access charge which we begrudgingly paid but then had trouble with high speed access. Upon checkout, my husband explained how the stay wasn’t up to our expectations (and how we’ve had similar less than wonderful experiences at our last three Doubletree/Embassy Suites stays). Not sure I’d stay there again – the hotel was a huge complex and not conveniently located to State Street (the main drag).
State Street is the center of the downtown shopping and restaurant area. There is an electric trolley that runs the length of State Street and another one that runs along the waterfront – both are 25 cents per ride.
We ate at:
The Palace Grill – 8 East Cota Street
http://www.palacegrill.com/
A very popular (and deservingly so) Cajun/Creole restaurant with great martinis served in mason jars.
Ruby’s on State Street – 734 State Street
Cajun Kitchen – 901 Chapala St
http://www.cajunkitchensb.com/
We had breakfast at both of these restaurants – and they were both great! I had melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon roll French toast at Ruby’s.
Santa Barbara Brewing Company - 501 State Street
http://www.sbbrewco.com/index.shtml
We had dinner here but weren’t so impressed – the food was average.
Cold Spring Tavern – 5995 Stagecoach Road, Santa Barbara - highway 154, The San Marcos Pass, about a 15 or 20 minute drive from Santa Barbara
http://www.coldspringtavern.com/
I discovered this place in a magazine and what a find – it’s an old stagecoach stop on a pass – we thought we were lost trying to find it and then stumbled upon cars lining the streets all around it. We actually had a thirty minute wait at 2 in the afternoon!
Hope this info is helpful to someone in planning a trip to Southern California or Santa Barbara!
Jan 5th, 2008, 12:49 PM
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Thanks for the comments. Glad someone has read my trip report!
As for the Legoland tickets, my mom saw the deal at one of the local grocery stores back in July - it was for child/senior tickets only - but I dont' think for residents only. A friend of mine who lives in SoCal and works for the school district said she was able to get 2 for 1 on Legoland tickets through work - again, not sure of the particulars.
As for the Legoland tickets, my mom saw the deal at one of the local grocery stores back in July - it was for child/senior tickets only - but I dont' think for residents only. A friend of mine who lives in SoCal and works for the school district said she was able to get 2 for 1 on Legoland tickets through work - again, not sure of the particulars.
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