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#21
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California / Las Vegas Information
wrote in message ... Hello We are two Aussie girls travelling to the US in early January. We will be flying into LAX and want to visit tourist areas of Los Angeles, Hollywood, Anaheim and San Diego. We want to visit the theme parks and zoos such as Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knott's Berry Farm, Seaworld, San Diego Zoo and Wild Life Park. We also want to see the famous Hollywood sign, the Stars Walk of Fame (or whatever it is called), Rodeo Drive and a shopping trip to Tijuana, Mexico. Can someone please help us with the following questions: 1. how long should we be spending in each destination? First - what are you gonna do ? One day at each park, but depending upon what else you like, you could spend 2 weeks just in LA. I loved San Diego and could spend a week there too. ( I'll add some pointers below.You should search for trip reports here about items on your list too). I'm sure you know, but January here is THE coldest month, so you will NOT be able to easily drive to and enjoy some of the mountains ( which you could do from ~ May to October ). 2. what is the weather like in CA - I've read it's 20C, however does it rain a lot? I'm hoping it's similar to Qld, Aus in winter - "beautiful one day, perfect the next". It's a BIG state: http://www.weather.com/common/drilld...ml?from=search 3. would you recommend hiring a car or catching public transport? 4. are there any other destinations that we should see while in CA? You're kidding, right ? Here's a few hundred: http://www.caldrive.com/guide.html http://travel2.nytimes.com/top/featu...nia/index.html http://www.earthflix.com/stories/bigsur.php http://www.laughingplace.com/default.asp http://thingsyoushoulddo.blogspot.com/ http://www.travelersdigest.com/california_2.htm click on map http://www.weather.com/activities/driving/scenicdrives/ pick your choice http://www.visitcalifornia.com/state...r_homepage.jsp http://www.nationalgeographic.com/de...National_Park/ http://www.bestofcaliforniatv.com/ge.../story_262.php http://www.seeing-stars.com/Location...ocations.shtml http://www.budgettravelonline.com/bt...ada/index.html http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguid...QsuNGoPIgnFmoL If you have the time for the drive: this is the most beautiful part of the state (country?) http://jrabold.net/bigsur/intro.htm Also - and more important - where NOT to go: Los Angeles Warnings or Dangers http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel...es-TG-C-1.html Get a final list of places then map them out so you're not backtracking and THEN ask how long for each on your list. We also want to visit Las Vegas to experience the lights and sights and take a trip to the Grand Canyon. How long should we stay in Las Vegas for? We obviously want to see the Strip and catch a show (any recommendations?). What else is there to do in Vegas that you would recommend? Comedians ? Acrobatics? Dancers ? Here's a few pointers: http://www.visitlasvegas.com/vegas/play/shows/index.jsp http://www.vegastripping.com/trippies2005/ http://www.ilovevegas.com/ http://www.bigempire.com/vegas/images/stmap.gif Check in " alt.vacation.las-vegas" newsgroup as january approaches : lots of info - updated daily.Browse a bit then ask specific questions - about shows , grand canyon trips etc. Check he http://www.reviewjournal.com/neon/ and you'll see them categorized by show type. They have ongoing shows that are there for years and then headliners for 1,2,3 nights. As January nears - revisit there and choose your dates from the drop-downs to see what headliners are in town during that period. What type of show ? I love the Cirque de Soleil shows - but you might want to see Folies Bergere : http://www.tropicanalv.com/ent_folies.asp : click on " show video". It's the longest running show in town. As for the Grand Cnayon, when you get there, you'll see tours in all the hotels, on all the flyers/busses etc. Do you want a bus trip or to fly over it... etc lots of options - not tough to find the info when you get there. All up, we are spending 5-6 weeks in the US and want to see as much as we can but not to the point where we are exhausted from our trip. Just a thought , BUT in 5 or 6 weeks you could see a LOT of the US. Have you considered something such as this: http://www.oneworld.com/ow/air-trave...-north-america. Pick where in the US you'd like to go and skip the driving. It would definitely be more efficient. THEN you could go to : San Francisco , then NY, then Miami, then LA, then San Diego etc. If you haven't bought airfare I would think it over. Where do you REALLY want to visit and forget the traveltime restrictions. I know 2 people that do this every few years. In fact one of them is in Africa right now via NY ( for the US Open tennis matches) then Italy (for the soccer finals). The only thing is - after you decide WHERE you want to go then you must estimate the travel dates between cities. If this is the only time you're gonna do it, I would consider flying around the US: it's a pretty big country compared to Australia. Thnk about it. Bobb We need all the help we can get - travel brochures and travel agents just don't have 'all' the answers - I've learnt that local input is the key ! Thank you very much in advance !!! |
#22
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California / Las Vegas Information
On Thu, 21 Sep 2006 14:44:47 -0400, JN wrote:
1. I would play it by ear since you are there for a few weeks, see what the weather is like first before deciding. 2. Not too sure, don't live there just visit every year. I have never gone in jan though. 3. Get a car for sure, LA and area is very large. 4. I enjoy driving up the coast on hwy 1 up to pismo beach and big sur area. las Vegas: I am not a gambler so I found after 24 hours I was done there. The canyon is a few hours away and definitely worth the trip. If you are coming all that way over and going to LV anyways a few more hours won't hurt. Just remember it is a good 5-6 hour trip from LA to LV (beach to strip) so take that into consideration when planning days. There are lots of shows, shopping and food there, other than that I am not sure what else to do there have fun I think with five to six weeks, that it would be a shame to limit oneself to Southern California and miss the drive up the coast past Big Sur and the marvelous city of San Francisco, which is totally different from the freeway criss crossed LA and can be walked and enjoyed without hopping in and out of a car. On the way up the coast, Santa Barbara is a gem of a small city with a walkable downtown and a beautiful setting. But then I am not a fan of LA overall, and I would find more than one or two attractions such as theme parks quite enough. The San Diego Zoo is marvelous and many believe far superior to the Wild Animal Park. You could easily spend a day at that world class zoo. There is a distinct difference between Southern and more Northern California and with a visit of the length noted it is possible to experience both in a leisurely fashion. wrote: Hello We are two Aussie girls travelling to the US in early January. We will be flying into LAX and want to visit tourist areas of Los Angeles, Hollywood, Anaheim and San Diego. We want to visit the theme parks and zoos such as Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knott's Berry Farm, Seaworld, San Diego Zoo and Wild Life Park. We also want to see the famous Hollywood sign, the Stars Walk of Fame (or whatever it is called), Rodeo Drive and a shopping trip to Tijuana, Mexico. Can someone please help us with the following questions: 1. how long should we be spending in each destination? 2. what is the weather like in CA - I've read it's 20C, however does it rain a lot? I'm hoping it's similar to Qld, Aus in winter - "beautiful one day, perfect the next". 3. would you recommend hiring a car or catching public transport? 4. are there any other destinations that we should see while in CA? We also want to visit Las Vegas to experience the lights and sights and take a trip to the Grand Canyon. How long should we stay in Las Vegas for? We obviously want to see the Strip and catch a show (any recommendations?). What else is there to do in Vegas that you would recommend? All up, we are spending 5-6 weeks in the US and want to see as much as we can but not to the point where we are exhausted from our trip. We need all the help we can get - travel brochures and travel agents just don't have 'all' the answers - I've learnt that local input is the key ! Thank you very much in advance !!! |
#23
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California / Las Vegas Information
January is a great time to visit LA and Las Vegas. It's not so great
for the Grand Canyon. Depending on where you are in the LA area, 70F to 80F days are common in January. And the air tends to be cleaner... sometimes you can even see the mountains! September tends to have some of the hottest days of the year. In September, 90F to 100F highs are common and the record high where I grew up (10 miles east of downtown LA) was 112 one September. BTW, Southern Califnrnia has more people than the whole of Australia. LA County alone has roughly half the population of Australia. |
#24
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California / Las Vegas Information
Icono Clast wrote:
wrote: and San Diego. I forgot to mention the Giant Dipper (called "Earthquake" for a while) at Mission Bay. It was deteriorating badly when the American Coaster Enthusiasts managed to get it restored and operating. The front seat of the original train (identical to those in Santa Cruz before it's first set of replacement trains, and San Francisco 'til the last ride) is on display. It's a good, not great, ride. -- __________________________________________________ ______________ A roller-coaster freak in San Francisco. http://geocities.com/dancefest/ --- http://geocities.com/iconoc/ ICQ: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/19098103 ------- IClast at Gmail com -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
#25
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California / Las Vegas Information
It seems to me I heard somewhere that PTravel wrote in article
: wrote in message ... Hi Everyone Thank you for all your help and assistance so far. We have gained some very useful information and destinations. We are both over 21, so no problems with checking out the casinos in Vegas. Sounds like hiring a car is the best option - just got to remember to drive on the "wrong" side of the road :-) My sister loves theme parks and thrill rides (not my cup of tea), although I've been wanting to visit Disneyland since a was a little kid. The film tours (Warner Bros, etc) sound interesting as does checking out a sporting event and, of course, plenty of shopping!!!! - although Tijuana is off the itinerary (travel agent recommended it). On the way down to Anaheim, there is a very large outlet mall that has many dozens of designer stores. I can't recall the name at the moment, but I'm sure someone else will know it. You should be able to satisfy some of your shopping cravings there. You're probably thinking of the Citadel, in the city of Commerce alongside I-5 about midway between downtown LA and Disneyland. It is an old retired tire factory built a predecessor of Uniroyal, in the age of imaginative architects, and was designed like an Assyrian or Babylonian fortress. I've never been, so I can't comment on the shopping. -- Don Kirkman |
#26
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California / Las Vegas Information
"Don Kirkman" wrote in message ... It seems to me I heard somewhere that PTravel wrote in article : wrote in message ... Hi Everyone Thank you for all your help and assistance so far. We have gained some very useful information and destinations. We are both over 21, so no problems with checking out the casinos in Vegas. Sounds like hiring a car is the best option - just got to remember to drive on the "wrong" side of the road :-) My sister loves theme parks and thrill rides (not my cup of tea), although I've been wanting to visit Disneyland since a was a little kid. The film tours (Warner Bros, etc) sound interesting as does checking out a sporting event and, of course, plenty of shopping!!!! - although Tijuana is off the itinerary (travel agent recommended it). On the way down to Anaheim, there is a very large outlet mall that has many dozens of designer stores. I can't recall the name at the moment, but I'm sure someone else will know it. You should be able to satisfy some of your shopping cravings there. You're probably thinking of the Citadel, in the city of Commerce alongside I-5 about midway between downtown LA and Disneyland. It is an old retired tire factory built a predecessor of Uniroyal, in the age of imaginative architects, and was designed like an Assyrian or Babylonian fortress. I've never been, so I can't comment on the shopping. That's the one! Thanks, Don. -- Don Kirkman |
#27
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California / Las Vegas Information
In article ,
Don Kirkman wrote: You're probably thinking of the Citadel, in the city of Commerce alongside I-5 about midway between downtown LA and Disneyland. It is an old retired tire factory built a predecessor of Uniroyal, in the age of imaginative architects, and was designed like an Assyrian or Babylonian fortress. I've never been, so I can't comment on the shopping. Don, do you mean it looked like that when it was a tire factory? I just drove by it the other day and didn't recall ever having seen it before. I thought it was a not-quite-finished outlet mall. (A friend guessed Sumerian, but your guesses are probably better!) Patty |
#28
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California / Las Vegas Information
It seems to me I heard somewhere that Patty Winter wrote in article
: In article , Don Kirkman wrote: You're probably thinking of the Citadel, in the city of Commerce alongside I-5 about midway between downtown LA and Disneyland. It is an old retired tire factory built a predecessor of Uniroyal, in the age of imaginative architects, and was designed like an Assyrian or Babylonian fortress. I've never been, so I can't comment on the shopping. Don, do you mean it looked like that when it was a tire factory? I just drove by it the other day and didn't recall ever having seen it before. I thought it was a not-quite-finished outlet mall. (A friend guessed Sumerian, but your guesses are probably better!) Yep; I used to commute past it twice a day after it stopped making tires but long before the major remake into a mall. The 1930s, especially, was a time of adventurous architecture. For instance, few people know there is (was?) a Coca Cola bottling plant in the shape of an ocean liner closer to downtown Los Angeles. Most references call the Citadel "Assyrian". -- Don Kirkman |
#30
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California / Las Vegas Information
Don Kirkman wrote:
The 1930s, especially, was a time of adventurous architecture. For instance, few people know there is (was?) a Coca Cola bottling plant in the shape of an ocean liner closer I remember seeing that! It's no longer there? Where was it? -- __________________________________________________ ______________ In Los Angeles, "short distances" ARE miles! http://geocities.com/dancefest/ --- http://geocities.com/iconoc/ ICQ: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/19098103 ------- IClast at Gmail com -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
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