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Title pretty much says it all. My wife has never been to California, so I want to take her. I want to fly in to San Francisco, spend a few days doing basic stuff and then drive down to Los Angelos on the PCH. I've never done this before. How many days do you think we should budget for the road trip part? Any recommendations on "must sees". We're a little light on time probably about 9 days total including time in SF and LA. So if you have any insight, please share! I know I should do Big Sur. My mom grew up in Santa Cruz and wants me to go there (I have never been) but I don't know if that's just her representing her home town or really a worthwhile adventure.
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Apr 12, 2018 04:01
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 04:59 |
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Aren't stretches of it closed due to rockslides and fires and poo poo?
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Apr 12, 2018 04:57
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Go to Hearst Castle
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Apr 12, 2018 05:50
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I think the road is open again, but who knows if it will be since they seem to have mudslides and whatever that destroy parts of the road regularly, with ridiculously long ways around as the only solution. I’ve done that trip a couple times and found 4 days between LA and SF to be enough, but add more if you want to hike. Moro Beach is neat, and there’s a massive elephant Seal Colony near Hearst Castle that’s worth a half hour stop. Santa Barbara is also a nice place to hang out depending on where you were in LA. If you were in Santa Monica or something then it’s not appreciably different, but it’s a great stop if you were in, say, Anaheim.
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Apr 12, 2018 07:09
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How much driving do you want to do? Three or four days on the road is a good amount. You want to hit muir woods while you're in SF, the moss beach tide pools at low tide, santa cruz (pacific ave/boardwalk), big sur/monterey/17 mile drive, the elephant seals, pismo beach is beautiful, SLO is optional, Santa Barbara/Isla Vista/State street, lunch at malibu seafood/venice, then kick around LA like hollwood/sunset blvd, beverly hills/rodeo and whatever other stuff you want to get into. If you give yourself enough time, it's really easy to play it by ear and find cool things/hotels as you go.
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Apr 12, 2018 07:32
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I moved to Pennsylvania a year and a half ago but I'm from just north of San Francisco, so I can give a suggestion for that area at least. Have you been to SF before? If you guys like Japanese culture/food at all, for a really fun date I suggest checking out the Japantown Mall and the surrounding area on Webster/Post St. There is a parking garage attached to the mall with pretty decent rates. It's a two-story shopping center with every cute/kitschy thing you can think of, including purikura photobooths (makes for a great trip souvenir), dessert/savory crepes and ice cream, small arcade, restaurants, the Kinokuniya bookstore (really awesome imports - upstairs is more for novels and magazines, downstairs is for anime and video game books), the On the Bridge bar (my favorite), karaoke places, Daiso store (my other favorite - find every home good or snack food you need for $1 - $3), shops for car accessories, lingerie, makeup, stationery goods, anime, gift shops, a bakery... and tons more restaurants nearby. There is also the New People building across the street, another multi-level spot with a movie theater (only open certain days), a cute tea shop, and brand name lolita clothing (Baby, the Stars Shine Bright). If you can't tell, I really like this place. There are hotels nearby also for about $100/night if the rates haven't changed. Otherwise, I've never been to Big Sur and barely spent any time from LA, but a relative of mine lives in Big Sur and she swears by it. She's lived there for over a decade. It has gotten more tourist-y as the years go by, but apparently it is *the* place to go if you are looking for majestic views and hidden coves. Due to what I have seen and heard about it, I have been meaning to fly back and finally check it out for myself, even if that's the only place I have time to check out on my trip. Please go for me! Santa Cruz was kinda cool the time I did go, but there's a huge drug problem and you will see people overdosing right in front of city hall at night. It's a little hosed up. Also dangerous in certain areas (though that's the same with any place). I hear there are really cool black metal renegade shows in the forest though. p.s. also Disneyland?
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Apr 12, 2018 19:12
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Yeah I've been to SF before, for techbro conference stuff. I was thinking of 3 days of driving but that might not be enough! Hearst castle is really that cool? My first impulse is tacky but if there are seals and people say it's legit cool then sure let's do this. Thanks all, I'm going to research some of these places  Oh, and I live in Atlanta, so Disney is out because Disneyworld is just a short drive away. Though I have fond memories of being in Disneyland as a kid (we vacationed in Southern California as a Nevada family).
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Apr 13, 2018 04:07
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The seals are like 5 seconds off highway 1 so there’s no reason not to stop even if you hate animals. Hearst castle takes a half day (and i think you need to reserve in advance?) and yeah it’s pretty tacky and whether you enjoy it or not is more of a YMMV kind of thing. I like weird remote mansions so I liked it but I’m sure it’s not everyone’s thing. If you’re more into nature then skip it and do a hike somewhere instead.
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Apr 13, 2018 12:11
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Ok so it looks like hwy 1 is closed from 10 miles north of Ragged Point to one mile north of Ragged Point so it looks like it'll be a day trip in SF down to Big Sur and from there I guess drive the interstate to Los Angeles  ?
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Apr 18, 2018 03:38
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Maybe visit/stay in Solvang for a night which is a Dutch village about 2 1/2 - 3 hrs northwest of Los Angeles.
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Apr 18, 2018 05:50
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TheReverend posted:Ok so it looks like hwy 1 is closed from 10 miles north of Ragged Point to one mile north of Ragged Point so it looks like it'll be a day trip in SF down to Big Sur and from there I guess drive the interstate to Los Angeles What? Just go inland for that section through Paso Robles and SLO. It's like half an hour out of the way.
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Apr 18, 2018 08:30
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When are you going? It looks like the full highway is currently slated to reopen in "late summer", and 2 of the 3 places that were wiped out last year have been fixed and reopened already. Though there's always the not-remote risk that another stretch of it will be randomly destroyed between now and when you go.
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Apr 18, 2018 09:34
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I am going first week of July.
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Apr 18, 2018 13:48
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muckswirler posted:kick around LA like hollwood/sunset blvd, beverly hills/rodeo and whatever other stuff you want to get into. If you give yourself enough time, it's really easy to play it by ear and find cool things/hotels as you go. Oh god, please don't do this. How many days do you have for LA? If you already have accommodations, where? And most importantly, what do you and your wife enjoy doing and eating? Hollywood sucks, Beverly Hills is super niche (and ridiculously expensive) but LA is awesome. It's also gigantic and easy to have a bad time as a tourist without some planning. You don't want to spend your time here stuck in traffic, right?
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Apr 21, 2018 00:10
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The new intercontinental hotel in downtown for a few days. Huntington Beach for another day later on. I think we just want to see the typical stuff first timers do. Griffith observatory/ Hollywood sign. Star walk. Santa Monica / Venice Beach. Tar pits! But yeah any other ideas lay it on me.
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Apr 21, 2018 14:42
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Yeah we're big eaters man, if you got some amazing places for things that are must dos, I'll do em . We eat a wide variety of things. She's Hispanic, I'm white trash, and we live in a really diverse section of metro Atlanta so were eating just about anything. Ethilnic Malaysian to farm to table hippie new American. I won't eat some seafood but she will.
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Apr 21, 2018 14:47
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Okay, that location rules. Are you planning on taking advantage of the subway? You should, and I'm stoked that you have it as an easy option. It almost even justifies Hollywood! Do the stars if you must, and if that's your thing check out the Chinese theater. But I would just say, absolutely do not eat anything along Hollywood Blvd. I can give you some drinking tips, but even the most beautiful bar I've ever been to out there had poo poo food. Gorgeous location, great bartenders, food not even worth happy hour pricing. Anyway, downtown is my jam and I'll shoot you a PM in a bit.
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Apr 21, 2018 18:49
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Thanks man! I get anxious about my hotel choices sometimes. Glad it's cool!
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Apr 22, 2018 01:00
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make sure you drive into LA at night so you can listen to the Drive soundtrack and pretend you're about to be the driver for a cool heist. bonus points if you drive past downtown.
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Apr 23, 2018 06:10
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If it's not too late, I'm seconding Pismo dunes.
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Jun 18, 2018 22:54
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