California Vacation

quote:

Originally posted by baz100:
Hi all,
It's my 50th birthday and our 10th anniversary coming up this year and my girlfriend and myself fancy a driving vacation in California.
We are thinking Los angeles to San Francisco (or vice-versa) with some time in the Napa Valley. We are thinking on about taking 14 - 16 day, sometime during the period July/September.
Does anyone have any suggestions , advice or experiences to help with our planning
Thanks
Barrie

Wow! California has a lot of things to see, from Disneyland to Yosemite. You need to be here for at least a year to see what you want to see. However, below are some of my recommendations:

o Catalina Island - Only 22 miles from the mainland, an hour ferry ride from Long Beach.
o Hearst Castle at San Simeon.
o Lake Tahoe - The biggest and pristine lake in North America.
o Old Sacramento - It is located along the beautiful Sacramento River. There are a number of historical attractions and museums set within the time of the California Gold Rush and the Transcontinental Railroad.

If you plan to drive, I would recommend driving along the scenic highway 1 from LA to SF. It is so beautiful.

In general, I am not so keen on LA but it has some nice attractions, I like San Diego and North California better.
Enjoy your vacation here in CA and almost forgot to say - Californian cuisine and wine are among the best in the world.

Last summer we did 2 nights Las Vegas, flew to San Fran had a car for 8 days during which we did LA (very brief drive in saw La Brea tar pits and few sights. We did the Big Bur, visited Monteray, Santa Barbara, across to Yosemite , Lake Tahoe, Reno NV back across to Sacramento into Napa Valley and back to San Fran for 4 nights.
We loved SF could have missed out SF or perhaps had a couple of days and had a city type tour.
Yosemite is a must IMO.

Agree with all above. Yosemite, Big Sur and Lake Tahoe especially. Make sure you are able to do some hikes around Yosemite and Tahoe.

Marin County north of the Golden Gate Bridge us a really nice area, too. Lunch on the waterfront in Sausalito, a hike in Jon Muir Woods, a walk across the bridge and a ferry ride the other direction. All good. If you are into mountain biking, ride Mt Tamalpais, the spiritual home of the sport.

Oh, Monterey Bay aquarium is cool too. The whole Steinbeck "Cannery Row" thing is quite a manufactured tourist area these days, but a decent way to kill an afternoon. If the swell is running, go to Half-moon Bay (Mavericks) and see the crazies being "towed-in" on monster waves.

Get to see the film Sideways to see the wine country just north of Los Angeles.

quote:

Originally posted by winkyincanada:
Agree with all above. Yosemite, Big Sur and Lake Tahoe especially. Make sure you are able to do some hikes around Yosemite and Tahoe.

Marin County north of the Golden Gate Bridge us a really nice area, too. Lunch on the waterfront in Sausalito, a hike in Jon Muir Woods, a walk across the bridge and a ferry ride the other direction. All good. If you are into mountain biking, ride Mt Tamalpais, the spiritual home of the sport.

Great recommendation, I'm not so keen on LA and would plan to spend more time in the SF area. The above and a day or two in Nappa make for a great trip.

If you need a rest or can't face driving an idea might be to set aside a few days for for a train trip. Amtrak Route Planner (requires flash)

If you happen to visit Napa, check out the one of the best restaurants in the US - The French Laundry (I know it is a funny name). It is not cheap and the waiting time is around 2 months, but check it out if you are looking for a romantic dinner once in a lifetime.

A fantastic part of the world with loads to see but just be careful of speed limits. Long, straight, wide roads are so tempting for somebody used to European speed limits but my one and only speeding violation happened somewhere between Bakersfield and Fresno on the way from LA to San Francisco. We lived about 60 miles south of LA but if I were going back I'd spend more time in the San Francisco area.

Originally posted by Skip:
Start in Oregon and drive south. It is more scenic on the right side of the road. Lots to see. Redwoods, Mendocino, Point Reyes, Wine Country, Mt. Tam and the Marin Headlands, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Stanford, San Jose Tech Museum, Pacifica, Half Moon Bay, Pescadaro, Santa Cruz and the Pier, Monterey Aquarium, Carmel, Big Sur, High dollar luxury spas, Capitola, Pinot Noir Country in the Central Valley, Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, and a ton to see in Los Angeles, including some of the best live music in the US.

I have done it all, in pieces of up to a week long. I don't think I would enjoy it over 14 days. You could also do Tahoe and Yosemite but they are a long way off. I also like the Central Valley, for the scale of the agriculture.

Keep the ideas coming folks, they're very helpful, I'll start some internet searching tonight based on what I'm getting from you.

Skip, your comment Hi Dollar Spas looks absolutely true, the cost in the US versus the European equivalents is much higher, but from the few times I've been in the US it seems to be a pattern I have seen repeated - loads of cheap and cheerful stuff, but the moment you move up to something of reasonable quality (Hotels, resaurants etc ) the prices increase out of all proportion to what you get, but then again, I am probably only finding the well known and therefore expensive places and I am certain that there are some great places offering excellent VFM which you lot can hopefully point me to.
Thanks again
Barrie

*

Hi Skip,

erm, did I say something wrong, or just state the obvious ?

Barrie

Baz

Driving route 1 from LA to SF and plaaning strategic stops such as Santa Barbara, San Simeon / Hurst and Big Sur / Carmel is great for sightseeing and leisurely driving.

A seperate driving adventure is to go to Yosemite as a start. If so, stay the night near the park and get up early to go in, to beat the crowds - they sometimes limit entry later in the day due to numbers visiting the Valley floor.

After the valley floor drive up Tioga Pass road which should be open by your visit time. This takes in Tolumne Meadows and comes out just below Mono. Mono Lake is worth seeing, especially at sunset or sunrise if you can get up early enough.

From there you can drive north to Tahoe coming in from the Nevada side where you can gamble your money away. On the way an interesting side trip is to visit Bodie, a mining ghost town.

Drive all the way round Lake Tahoe as it is all scenic. Then come back down to the central valley either via Sacremento or possibly leave from the south end of the lake and use route 4 to drop down and visit Sonora and Jamestown.

e-mail me ( address in profile) if you want to chat some more.

regards
Geoff

Barrie, having lived in California (San Francisco) as well as visiting there often, I have lots of advice.

First, September is probably the best month weather-wise, especially in terms of the ocean, especially in Northern California. Summer can be foggy near the ocean (which is not necessarily a bad thing ... I find fog cozy), later autumn and winter get rainy.

If you're a nature boy like me, forget about the Hearst Castle, Carmel, and the more touristy places (Fisherman's Wharf in SF, etc.). My strongest recommendation if you really want mind blowing nature is to fly into SF, grab a car, and drive north. You can hit Napa for a bit of wine country, but your goal should be Redwood National Park in the northernmost part of coastal California. Because of its relative remoteness it's among the least visited of all national parks in the US, which means no crowds! But it's not really that hard to get to; about a five or six hour drive north of SF and a drive well worth taking for its magnificent beauty. Do it in two days so that you can stop anywhere you want, take plenty scenic detours (Point Reyes National Seashore, Mendicino, The Avenue of the Giants, etc.) and not have to drive in the dark.

Imagine a veritable cathedral of the tallest tress in the world in a misty fern laden fairyland forest. You'd likely encounter protected herds of Roosevelt elk, who will give you a nonchalant glance and then continue chewing their cud. Just don't get too close, though, especially in September ... rutting season. My wife and I were hanging out once on Gold Bluffs Beach, sitting on a driftwood stump watching a content herd of elk cows and their calves, watched over by a majestic bull. All was well until we noticed that the bull was getting agitated, but not by us ... it was another bull down the beach threatening to make a move on the cows. We realized we were smack dab between them, and that we should probably get the hell out as quickly as possible.

If you instead drive north from LA, or south from SF, like I said, forget about Carmel ... older folks playing golf (and when I say "older," I'm not much older than you), overpriced digs and eats), Hearst Castle, etc. and go for Big Sur, a place of pure magic. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Partington Cove, dramatic beaches, and much more. There are some very pricey inns (Ventana) ... forget about those and try for Deetjens Big Sur Inn. Not exactly cheap, but some of the smaller rooms are less expensive and very cozy, romantic. Restaurant is funky great.

Also in Big Sur, do not miss the Henry Miller Memorial Library, a great tribute to the iconoclast author and painter. If you're so inclined, to get you in the mood you can read Miller's wonderful nonfiction book about his enchanted life there: Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch, one of his finest books in my opinion (The Colossus of Maroussi, about his travels in the Grecian islands, is perhaps his best non-fiction book, truly great literature but reads very naturally, not at all stuffy).

In western California there's Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, where the world's fattest redwoods reside (as opposed to the world's tallest coastal redwoods, although Sequoias are plenty tall and the coastal redwoods are plenty fat!) In September, because of the higher elevation, weather is a bit cooler but the summer crowds are gone.

And, finally, there's Yosemite, which I've never visited but it's on my list ... a great mecca of natural splendor. Same advice on the elevation/weather applies.

I'll arbitrarily stop here, although I could go on and on. If you love the magnificence of the natural world, please consider what I've suggested here ... you can always visit Hearst Castle, or Fisherman's Wharf, or Grauman's Chinese Theater in LA next time!

Feel free to ask for additional info, and have a great trip!

All best,
Fred

I agree with Fred about the Fisherman's Wharf. There is nothing there but if you happen to be there, do not forget the Alcatraz Island, the infamous federal penitentiary.

I like the beautiful vicinity of Hearst Castle. Although I do not like Carmel itself, I think it is a pretentious but the 17-mile drive in Carmel is so scenic, it will be unforgettable once you are there.

Btw, along the highway 1, somewhere near Redwood but on the side of the Pacific, there is a very nice, queer, old fishing village. You need to look for it, even the locals do not know about it.

We had a superb meal at the end of Pier 39?, also along the wharf there are some interesting boats and paraphernalia. OK lots of tourists but so has London's Oxford street or Buck house.
We gave Hearst Castle type stuff a miss as American millionaires etc have no resonance for us, and generally rich Americans have awfully bad taste.

I quite enjoyed Pier 39 too - some of the old hippy types trying to cadge a few cents were pretty amusing and I enjoyed watching the Sea Lions.

We drove up from Las Vegas & stayed in SF for a few days. This worked well because there were some very good tours to be had - Napa and Sonoma valleys of course so you could sample their product and not worry about having to drive, and Yosemite which to my mind is an essential destination.

I loved SF - wandering round the streets and meeting some great characters in the various restaurants and bars.

Quite agree Tony SF has become one of our favourite cities. Apart from an enjoyable trip by BART to JohnMs, we did not "do" the other side of the bay. "Always leave them wanting" as they say, a good reason to go back.

Just to clarify ... I don't mean to dis SF outright, it's a great city ... I used to live there! Love it.

However, I'd suggest the Cliff House instead of Fisherman's Wharf ... incredible views of Seal Rock from its windows as you sip an Irish coffee. And then you can explore the ruins of the Sutro Baths right next door ... just don't turn your back on the ocean (always good advice on any beach).

Also, don't miss Golden Gate Park, North Beach (especially City Lights Bookstore), and, for local color, the Castro district.

I had just wanted to propose a different kind of itinerary for nature lovers. But one could easily spend a few days or so in SF and then head north to the redwoods as I suggested.

All best,
Fred

yosemite is really a must. Muir woods and Marin are easy access to SF and worth checking out. if you venture down the peninsula towards Santa Cruz you can discover lesser now Redwood parks such as Big Basin. I would skip LA. Big Sur, Santa Cruz, Big Basin, SF, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe should give you a very good taste of California. I would try and shift your trip to later in Sept. to avoid crowds and catch the best weather.

What Winky, Fred and csl said, assuming you're outdoorsy types.

There are plenty of state parks along the coast which allow camping.

oh I agree SF is wonderful I'll fill you in on the LA area later. My favorite SF day is a walk down to Fisherman's wharf and take a ferry ride across the bay to Sausalito, I did this with a friend, walked that little town and had a great meal at a restaurant on the water, split a bottle of wine and great fish, perfect day and then Ferry back. Be sure to have jackets and sweaters the SF bay can be incredibly cold in summer.

Golden Gate park is a treasure to walk. Great science museum I"ve not seen yet done by Piano and there's an arboretum that's to die for near by. Old gardener here, I love plants it's a nice change from Art Museums.

Another day drive across the Golden Gate and up to Mt Tamalpias and take a walk, even if it's foggy it is spiritual. Then take highway 1 north to Bodega Bay (Hitchcocks the Birds filmed there) or Jenner and inland into Guerneville and visit the Coastal Redwoods. Pronounced Gurnvil. Stop by some of those wide spots in the road to view the ocean and a state park just south of Jenner. Watch out for those waves, they can suddenly rise up and sweep someone out, the Russian River comes out there. This is a most spectacular days drive. I spent a year in '83 in a little town there, gorgeous country.

As others have said Yosemite is probably the most spiritual place in America at least. Have cash if you're diving back south on the GG Bridge, it's expensive.

OK SoCal, Flying in to LA and getting out is a bit wild, I hate it. Try flying in to San Diego you come in close over hills and residence area. They have a great park that was a Worlds Fair, Kept the buildings and added on. Lots of little museums galleries and a wonderful shade house with orchids. The zoo that backs up to it is world renown. The downtown has incredible highrises and kept the small old brick buiding district, Find a place called Dicks for seafood, fun place for beer and gobs of shrimp.

Drive north to La Jolla (la hoya), expensive but as it's name it's a jewel. Great cove there, famous in the past for movie stars out of the limelight, think Gregory Peck. There is a small state park north on Highway 1 called Torrey Pines wonderful trails on the bluffs over the ocean. I sat with a friend and had a wonderful long talk on a bench and a school of dolphins came by and a whale surfaced quite a ways out. The Pines are rare to that area, quite wonderful. Drive north to Del Mar and Solano beach and Encinitas. Stop by a roadside taco stand, take in the beach Culture. There's also a nice Self Realization Garden in the town. Enjoy the slow traffic, beach people, surfers, and droves of bike riders.

Highway 1 north to Cardiff then go inland to the 5 freeway. Driving north on 5 is a marine base that has saved a HUGE tract of land the way CA used to be. Then after San Clemente take Beach Cities Exit and drop back into highway 1.

Dana Point and a harbor and marine museum dedicated to Henry Dana. The Next town is Laguna Bch. I lived there for 7 years in my 20s-30+. wonderful coves to explore, it was well known as an artist's community from turn of the Century. Walk the down town area, walk the streets above it and look at the cottages that have quaint gardens, some remodels and a few spectacular modern wood and glass homes. Lots of art galleries and a nice Heisler park on the north end on the bluffs above the ocean. Park on north side of Coast Highway and walk down and explore Hiesler and the neighborhood to the north which is where I lived and gardened. Find the stairs to beach at end of Wave St. Wonderful cove.

Continue up Coast Highway thru Newport, keep an eye out for exotic cars, it's full of Astin Martins, Ferrais, Lamborghinis, Lotus. Porches are just soooo common. Huntington Beach (the flat lands, huge beaches and surfers, and Long Beach which is quite a large city, check out Belmont Shores, walk the strip pop into a couple great food places.


Well More on LA tomorrow, I'm tired and want to listen to vinyl.