What to see in LA to San Diego area?
 

We are planning a 10 day trip to the LA area next week. What are some must see & do things. We would also like to go down to San Diego. I have alwys been fascinated with ships, are there any ports where we can actually board one for a tour? Will the traffic be much of a hassle? We are from a small midwest town & not used to big traffic jams. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!

By all means visit San Diego. It is a great place. The Navy usually has one or 2 ships tied up at the Broadway Street pier. They have "open house" on them on the weekends. If you like ships then take a harbor tour. You will see scores of Navy Ships from submarines to aircraft carriers. You also may see a cruise ship in port. San Diego has a beautiful waterfront that is very people friendly. You will really enjoy it.

Ten days will be plenty of time to get used to the LA traffic. Just remember that nobody walks in LA. To put you in the mood rent LA story with Steve Martin. It makes fun at some of the very LA habits. <BR> <BR>LA is different in every neighborhood and it is also Huge. Your hotel concierge will give you an idea of how long it will take to get around. You can take a ferry to Catalina Island if the city gets to you. Also Santa Monica is quite nice for restaraunts and shopping. The new Getty Museum is supposed to be fantastic and the LA county museum is a great one also. Alovera street in downtown LA is the historic center of town and has a Hispanic tourism section. The LA County Zoo is not nice. I'm in Seattle and ours is much nicer. If you're going to the beach think about Hermosa, Redondo, and Manhattan Beach. They have small village areas and good access to the strand which is a walking/cycling/biking path that runs all the way down the coast and provides public access. There are nice pubs and restaraunts in all three towns. My sister has lived in Manhattan Beach for 8 years and I visit often.

Unless you have something that's high priority to see, such as the Getty or Universal Studios, just skip LA and come down to Orange County! It's much, much nicer. Shopping, beaches and sailboats, amusement parks, beautiful coastline, especially at Laguna Beach where there are art galleries, etc. Then it's about 1 1/2 hour drive down to SD which is great also!

Sorry, I can't agree with Dayle about skipping L.A. You know the saying "Great place to visit. wouldn't want to live there?" Well, that's L.A. in a nutshell. But you're visiting L.A., not moving there permanently. Especially if you're from a small town, the L.A. experience is one you won't want to miss. Go out to Santa Monica and do some shopping on the 3rd Street Promenade. Walk a couple of blocks to the Pier and then down to the beach and just people watch. Or be real L.A. and rent rollerblades and zoom along the boardwalk with all the beautiful people. Or just enjoy the ocean, sun and wind. Head back to the east side and grab a latté at one of the scene coffeehouses on Beverly or 3rd Street. Drive north to Hollywood and pick up a couple of CDs on Sunset Blvd. at Tower Records. L.A. can be a lot of fun for tourists. (You just wouldn't want to live there.) Have fun.

Avoid driving during the "going to work" and "leaving work" hours and traffic should be tolerable. <BR> <BR>Do consider driving down Pacific Coast Highway through Orange County on your way to SD. There are some nice views and cute places to stop.

Spent 2 weeks a couple of years ago in the LA area and loved it (although I wouldn't want to live there!) Would recommend: Venice beach, Santa Monica Pier, Queen Mary, Universal Studios, Beverly Hills tour - or drive yourself,Sunset Blvd, drive down to SD, go to Seaworld, go to the docks, walk the township. We also drove down to Mexico for a day of border shopping and then spent the last 3 days in Orange County doing the Disney thing. Fantastic fun all round. Enjoy