California Travel Forum

We are going to be renting a house near W. Locust Ave. and S.Pepper St. and by looking at mapquest it looks like it is a walkable distance as long as we can go fairly direct. The plan is to go south on Pepper St, turn left to go east on Ball Rd, cross Ball Rd. and proceed south on S. West Place, cut through the parking lot and catch the Disney tram at the southeast corner of the parking garage. If anybody who has a local knowledge of this area would like to comment or suggest a better walking route, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks

Hi

We will be visiting Big Sur in Sep and from there will be driving to Las Vegas.

Looking for suggestions of where to stay for one night on the way to Vegas - a town 3-4 hours from Big Sur area would be ideal.

Would prefer to avoid any larger towns/cities. As long as there is a hotel/motel with clean rooms, and somewhere close by for dinner we will be happy.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

Sue

hi
planning a trip to la and i have a friend staying in CA90020, what is this area like and any good hotels near by.
sometimes i can not trust my friends opinions on things hence the question here
cheers

Is there a shuttle to get to the Crown Plaza Beverly Hills? or how can I get there from LAX?
Thanks :)

My husband's 30th birthday is coming up and we are planning to do a family vacation in Tahoe. There will be 9 adults and 2 children. We are renting a few campers and we don't know where is a better place to visit in September, North or South Tahoe. We want to do water activities, tours, etc... Any advice?

I am travelling to California July 27th for 3 weeks.
I wanted to know if i should book tickets online before hand or on the day?

All the usuals - Alcatraz tour, Universlal Studios,etc

All Tips apprieciated

Thank you!

Friendly Canadian here again. I really appreciate all of the helpful hints from this forum. You people rock! We have decided to stay at Cow Hollow (Thanks USanFrancisco!) and use that as our base of operations. We have also extended our stay to 5 days because of all of the things we want to do! One of them is an Alcatraz tour. Silly me, I thought it would be a simple thing to book, but it turns out there are a TONNE (metric) of different companies, and I would really like to pick the best one. Would appreciate any guidance.

Cheers,
The Barron Family

I've only worked in LA proper but taking family to Oxnard, Santa Barbara, etc. I read about the great beaches....family friendly? Would love some feedback....thanks.

What's the best airport gateway to reach the park? Best area to stay inside the park? Shoud we stay in one place for three days or move to different areas in the park each night?

Hi Everyone

This will be my first visit to US from Australia and my travelling partner whom I was supposed to meet up with cannot be contacted!! My tickets are already booked so I was hoping to get some advice off locals or fellow travellers as it loks like I will be travelling alone now. What are the must-sees of LA and where is it safe and affordable for a young female travelling alone to stay and travel? Would also be interested in meeting and travelling with other travellers as I will be visiting for three weeks. I need to make my way to New Orleans from LA in a period of 8 days. I have been assured that staying in hostels is cheap and a great way to meet other people. Any suggestions?

We are taking the train to San Clemente tomarrow morning Sunday. What is there to do within walking distance of the train station. I know about old town area and the mission, is there more? The last time I was there was 35 years ago.

Thank you

My husband, 18 year-old daughter and I are spending two nights in Lee Vining on our way home to Oregon after climbing Mt. Whitney. We will be there the nights of July 30 and 31. We will arrive in Lee Vining before noon on July 30 so we really only have 11/2 days. We thought we would explore east Yosemite on the first day and then maybe go to Yosemite Valley the second day. It would be great to get some advise about what hikes we could do in the short period of time we have. Also, we would like to avoid driving our car in Yosemite and use the shuttles instead. Thanks for any help you could give us.

This is not a question, rather an update for those of you who are considering coming up the coast.

We are in Cayucos right now. There is no trace of smoke. There was none in Santa Maria or SLO when we went through.

We will be up as far as San Simeon in the next day or so. I'll post further news then.

Hi, I will be visiting LA soon and was wondering if it is easy to get around if I stayed at the Westin Bonaventure. I enjoy shopping so is it easy to get to a Factory Outlet? I am not driving so what are the options. How do I get to Venice Beach? Thanks.

Before i change my £ into $ I was wandering what the exchange rate in California is?

I'm planning a trip from Oceanside to Van Nuys in the near future and understand I can do this by rail. Do I use Amtrak or Metrolink - or which is preferable? I'm a senior. EK.

I came across a photography artist in Ghirardelli(sp?) Square. He was one of the street vendors in mid June. He had amazing photographs that had been blurred of San Francisco landmarks. The photos sold for $20 or so and they were beautiful. I had a business card but can't find it now. Does anyone have any information on him?

My family is driving down to SF from Vancouver, BC in early August, and although we have read about a billion books on 'What to do/see/stay/eat/etc..." (the stack threatens to collapse the night table) we would really love some good local advice... feel free to plan the whole trip!

We are a family of 4, including our 11 year old son and 8 year old daughter. We want to spend 3 - 4 days in SF before driving north again (possibly the Calf. coast or inland until Oregon and then coast up) I have heard horror stories about $48 parking fees at hotels, and wonder if it wouldn't be better to stay at some quiet place out of town (Santa Rosa area?) and drive in each day to 'do stuff'.

This site has been great for Tips and Traps, but wondering about Driving around town vs public transportation. Is parking available easily at a few key spots where we can walk around, or should we park once and use the buses/cable cars?

I know I am asking a lot, but will gladly trade info for Vancouver. I will be filling out a profile for Vancouver to help travelers to my city. Born and raised here and extremely proud of our city. From mountains to water, I have been there and done that.

Hope to get some great advice from equally proud San Franciscans!

Cheers,
The Barron Family

Comming to San Francisco in Sep.08, will probably stay at the Hotel 480 near Union Sq. Question: Weather in Sep., I want to rent a car for least 1 day for the scenic drive to pt.lobos. Have read driving/parking in SF is terrible any advice on car rental,hotel & drive would be helpful.I would turn car in same day so parking would not be a problem. Also dose the fog lift at certian times so we can see the sights or dose it last all day? Thank you

We live in San Diego and will be flying into SF to visit Napa and Sonoma this fall and then fly to Seattle. I hope to buy some wine (not all from the same winery. Any suggestions on how to get the wine back to San Diego? Many thanks in advance!

hi
my husband and I are from th U.K. and are touring your fab state in september. We arrive into lax but want to head straight out away from major cities and are heading out straight to Santa Barbara. ( 1-2 days)Ideally we would like a hotel on the beach with fine dining overlooking the sea? We looked at The Simpson House Inn but it appears to be away from the sea can any one advise us on a suitable place. Most appreciative of any thoughts

I would like to know the driving distance and time between Anaheim, CA, and Monterey, CA.
I would like to pickup highway 1 from San Luis Obispo and follow the coast to Monterey.

Thanks to those who reply.

Any information on transportation to and from a 49ers game would be helpful, we will be staying at fisherman's wharf. is cab travel the easiest and safest.

I am coming from Fresno and will have about 1 1/2 days to spend in Sequoia/King's Canyon. My hotel is in Three Rivers near the Sequoia entrance. I had some questions.

In this short time, is it worthwhile to visit Grant's Grove (particularly since my hotel is near Sequoia)? I figure I can take 180 from Fresno, visit Grant's Grove, and then head through the park to Three Rivers. Or is it better just to head to Sequoia first from Fresno (is 99-198 the fastest way?) and just concentrate on Sequoia/Giant Forest, skipping King's Canyon and Grant's Grove.

I have seen the light show at Griffith Park. It is great. Would you allow a 56 passenger Motor coach to take a group in? I can not remember is the road is wide enough to handel a vehicle that large?

A few friends and I will be driving from San Francisco in mid-October and are planning to visit Yosemite. Everyone seems to be in agree that we should visit the valley. I know there are a ton of hiking trails in Yosemite. Are there guided nature walks or any river rafting trips we can do? I would love any advice on how to book these either through a tour company or the park. If there are additional activities you think we should do I'd appreciate your advice on them as well. Thanks!

Coming to town for the L.A. Gift show this week July 18-20th. Will be staying at the D.T. Standard Hotel. I know the upstairs bar is very hip but I'd like to know if there are any gay friendly hang-outs Downtown close?
I'm a gay friendly girl from the northwest but not gay myself.
I'd rather find out the information here because I find that virtual tourists are the best for giving direct information.
I'd like a place where the boys are friendly, hot and fun.
thanks.

Hi

We're on vacation in August and are keen to see live music - with our 17 & 19 year old kids. Jazz, Rock, Country - we have broad tastes!

Any recommendations of where we might go?

Thanks in anticipation!

Mike

I have spent a whole day on the computer going through wineries in Napa and Sonoma and they all have Tours and Wine Tasting. Given 4 days, it's impossible to tour all of them. I'll appreciate some recommendations on the wineries that are a 'must see' for scenery, 'must try' for their wine and food pairings and 'must tour' for their beauty. Are the tours necessary? Are we able to visit the wineries without booking a tour but still be able to enjoy it. Of course, there are some wineries that are well worth paying for a tour. Also, my last question... my boyfriend is not a huge fan of wine...do the wineries mind if I pay for a tasting for myself but I shared the wine with him or are they really strict?

When we visit San Diego next month where is the best place to park from the morning - being there all day and to include going to the Padres match in evening?