san francisco to San Diego in June?

"Hatunen" wrote in message
news
On Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:00:03 -0800, "CalifBill"
wrote:

... Solvang is
a Danish Community not to far off of Hwy 1 and lots of good food and Dutch
architecture.

Solvang is off US-101 and a fair distance away from Hwy 1. It can
be done from Hwy 1, but I don't personally think it's worth the
sidetrip. And it has Danish, not Dutch, architecture.




Some dutch also. And is not a long drive from 1. It is worth the sidetrip
for the pastries.

very good tips,

I am loving the ideas of seeing the big redwood trees and the city of San
Francisco for a few days.

Monterey and the aquarium and also to check out that dennis the menace park

San Simeon to see those seals and maybe hearst castle. (looking to stay at
the oceanfront best western here for 2 nights)

If the kids are cooperative and we can make it we might try to drive in 1
day from san simeon and be based in Santa Monica (thank-you wild one) that
looks like a great area.

After a few days there we will take 1 or 2 days to head a little further
south to hit legoland. Than back to LA or long beach for the flight back to
New England.

My other question would be do you think it would be too tough to find hotels
while I am in these areas so to spend more or less time as we wish in
certain area. The only area that looks small and not too populated is San
simeon that i might need to book in advance. Also for the 3 or so nights in
Santa Monica any must see sights, I have a son interested in theatre so any
good hollywood tours would be great.






"Wild One" Wild wrote in message
...

"Hatunen" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:54:43 -0500, "Christine"
wrote:

Hello, we are a family of 5 with 3 kids ages 11, 8 and 3. We have never
been to the west coast and would love to plan a trip there this June for
2
weeks. Ideally we'd like to fly into San Fran and fly out of L.A. My
children really want to go to legoland and that is all they want to see.
Disneyland would not be a top choice for me, we've had enough of
disneyworld
in Florida. I want to see the beautiful pacific coast and maybe some LA
or
Hollywood spots. Any suggestions on things to do for this coastal trip,
towns to stop in or scenic drives and also major travel hangups I might
face
in June? Thank you very much for your time in advance.

The kids will probably enjoy the Boardwalk at Santa Cruz, an
amusement park on the beach there. Also walk out on the adjacent
Municipal Pier, which has several rewtaurants and a bunch of lazy
sea lions just waiting for you to drop some fish to them.

They'll like the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, a bit pricey
but quite worth it.

There is a Dennis the Menace playground in a city park in
Monterey that seems to be fun for kids (actually, I kind of like
it myself).

Be careful driving donw the coast highway; June is a time of
potentially heavy fogs along the coast.

--
One thing to think about it make sure none of your kids get travel sick!
Ive had friends do the PCH only to have most of the trip spoilt by thier
kids been travel sick. Its not the straightest of roads!

do you think it would be too tough to find hotels

I'd recommend reserving all your hotel rooms in advance. It'll save
time and help make sure you get places that really suit your budget
and preferences. And you can always cancel your reservations if your
plans change (just be sure to write down their phone numbers,
cancellation policies, etc).

Tripadvisor.com is a good resource for comparing hotels, or use a good
guidebook of the area for recommendations.

James

"Christine" wrote in message
...
very good tips,

I am loving the ideas of seeing the big redwood trees and the city of San
Francisco for a few days.

Monterey and the aquarium and also to check out that dennis the menace
park

San Simeon to see those seals and maybe hearst castle. (looking to stay at
the oceanfront best western here for 2 nights)

If the kids are cooperative and we can make it we might try to drive in 1
day from san simeon and be based in Santa Monica (thank-you wild one) that
looks like a great area.

After a few days there we will take 1 or 2 days to head a little further
south to hit legoland. Than back to LA or long beach for the flight back
to New England.

My other question would be do you think it would be too tough to find
hotels while I am in these areas so to spend more or less time as we wish
in certain area. The only area that looks small and not too populated is
San simeon that i might need to book in advance. Also for the 3 or so
nights in Santa Monica any must see sights, I have a son interested in
theatre so any good hollywood tours would be great.

I'd say no, even to the San Simeon area. There are accomodations further
south in the Cambia - Morro Bay - San Luis Obispo area. The San Luis Obispo
area puts you about 45-60 minutes from Hearst Castle, more or less the same
distance time-wise from Paso Robles on hwy 101.

Here's a hint - look at the rest areas and at common eating stops (Dennys,
MacDonalds, IHOP, Burger King, etc) along the highways for travel booklets
in stand alone newstand like containers. These booklets contain coupons you
can use for discounts at various motels...some are excellent bargains,
others less so. And most for are Sunday through Thursday only, excluding
special event times in the respective areas. Alternatives would be the
websites of the two prominent such booklet companies -

http://www.travelcouponguide.com/ (for coupon info, click the Hotel Coupons
icon

http://www.travelerdiscountguide.com/ (for coupon info, click the
Roomsaver icon )

Second hint - given it looks as though you are going through the Big Sur
area from Monterey to San Simeon, make sure your gas tank is full when you
leave the Sand City - Monterey - Carmel area. There is gas in Big Sur, but
it is pricey. The next relatively inexpensive gas along hwy 1 south of the
Monterey area is Morro Bay.

On Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:42:21 GMT, "Wild One" Wild
wrote:


"Hatunen" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:54:43 -0500, "Christine"
wrote:

Hello, we are a family of 5 with 3 kids ages 11, 8 and 3. We have never
been to the west coast and would love to plan a trip there this June for 2
weeks. Ideally we'd like to fly into San Fran and fly out of L.A. My
children really want to go to legoland and that is all they want to see.
Disneyland would not be a top choice for me, we've had enough of
disneyworld
in Florida. I want to see the beautiful pacific coast and maybe some LA
or
Hollywood spots. Any suggestions on things to do for this coastal trip,
towns to stop in or scenic drives and also major travel hangups I might
face
in June? Thank you very much for your time in advance.

The kids will probably enjoy the Boardwalk at Santa Cruz, an
amusement park on the beach there. Also walk out on the adjacent
Municipal Pier, which has several rewtaurants and a bunch of lazy
sea lions just waiting for you to drop some fish to them.

They'll like the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, a bit pricey
but quite worth it.

There is a Dennis the Menace playground in a city park in
Monterey that seems to be fun for kids (actually, I kind of like
it myself).

Be careful driving donw the coast highway; June is a time of
potentially heavy fogs along the coast.

--
One thing to think about it make sure none of your kids get travel sick! Ive
had friends do the PCH only to have most of the trip spoilt by thier kids
been travel sick. Its not the straightest of roads!

As I posted before, the portion of Hwy 1 through Big Sur is NOT
PCH. Per the California Streets and Highways code:

635.

(c) State Highway Route 1 from south of San Juan Capistrano to
near El Rio shall be known and designated as the "Pacific Coast
Highway."

El Rio is basically Oxnard. The northern part of Hwy 1 is
officially the Cabrillo Highway, a name not generally known to
those who don't live near it.

If you are in central California or northern California you will
not see any signage indicating Pacific Coast Highway, as you do
in many places in southern California. If you ask directions you
will be told PCH is in southern California, or if the answerer
takes pity on you, he might tell you you must mean Hwy 1 and
direct you to it.



--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

It seems to me I heard somewhere that Calif Bill wrote in article
:


"Hatunen" wrote in message
news
On Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:00:03 -0800, "CalifBill"
wrote:

... Solvang is
a Danish Community not to far off of Hwy 1 and lots of good food and Dutch
architecture.

Solvang is off US-101 and a fair distance away from Hwy 1. It can
be done from Hwy 1, but I don't personally think it's worth the
sidetrip. And it has Danish, not Dutch, architecture.

Some dutch also. And is not a long drive from 1. It is worth the sidetrip
for the pastries.

The dutch architecture must be a new edition. It was all emphatically
Danish the last time we were there, including the pastries. :-)
--
Don Kirkman

just be careful going south on whatever the named road is that all
just call the pac coast highway....

you are as close as you will ever want to be to falling off the side
of the coast, and the idiots in the rented rv's come screaming around
corners towards you.....

It seems to me I heard somewhere that Christine wrote in article
:

Hello, we are a family of 5 with 3 kids ages 11, 8 and 3. We have never
been to the west coast and would love to plan a trip there this June for 2
weeks. Ideally we'd like to fly into San Fran and fly out of L.A. My
children really want to go to legoland and that is all they want to see.
Disneyland would not be a top choice for me, we've had enough of disneyworld
in Florida. I want to see the beautiful pacific coast and maybe some LA or
Hollywood spots. Any suggestions on things to do for this coastal trip,
towns to stop in or scenic drives and also major travel hangups I might face
in June? Thank you very much for your time in advance.

Just to pick up on some points I haven't seen mentioned yet:

Legoland is a fair distance from Los Angeles, well on the way to San
Diego, so you need to include that knowledge in your planning. It's
still close enough that flying out of LA is doable.

There are several State parks suitable for picnicking and hiking in the
Big Sur area south of Monterey and Carmel.

There are some small redwoood groves in some of those parks, but they
don't compare with Muir Woods north of San Francisco.

The Hearst Castle requires, IIRC, advance reservations. Visitors park
down below and ride a bus to the castle. There used to be, and maybe
still are, separate tours, each of which goes to different parts of the
castle; any is worthwhile.

You've gotten enough suggestions for a two month trip; be sure to factor
in travel time as well as lines at some attractions--you can eat up a
lot of your available time if you overbook. :-)
--
Don Kirkman

be sure to factor in travel time as well
as lines at some attractions

Yep, and factor in stops for food, gas, rest rooms, etc.

And if you're traveling with 3 young kids, there may be days when you
go back to the hotel for a couple hours in the afternoon for naps,
especially if any of the kids aren't feeling well. For that reason
it's handy to have a hotel that's very close to where you'll be
sightseeing that day (rather than a hotel that's cheaper but a 20
minute drive away).

James

"Christine" wrote in message
...
very good tips,

I am loving the ideas of seeing the big redwood trees and the city of San
Francisco for a few days.

Monterey and the aquarium and also to check out that dennis the menace
park

San Simeon to see those seals and maybe hearst castle. (looking to stay at
the oceanfront best western here for 2 nights)

If the kids are cooperative and we can make it we might try to drive in 1

What do you mean by: IF the kids are cooperative? Can you say "big thick
leather belt"?



day from san simeon and be based in Santa Monica (thank-you wild one) that
looks like a great area.

After a few days there we will take 1 or 2 days to head a little further
south to hit legoland. Than back to LA or long beach for the flight back
to New England.

My other question would be do you think it would be too tough to find
hotels while I am in these areas so to spend more or less time as we wish
in certain area. The only area that looks small and not too populated is
San simeon that i might need to book in advance. Also for the 3 or so
nights in Santa Monica any must see sights, I have a son interested in
theatre so any good hollywood tours would be great.






"Wild One" Wild wrote in message
...

"Hatunen" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:54:43 -0500, "Christine"
wrote:

Hello, we are a family of 5 with 3 kids ages 11, 8 and 3. We have never
been to the west coast and would love to plan a trip there this June for
2
weeks. Ideally we'd like to fly into San Fran and fly out of L.A. My
children really want to go to legoland and that is all they want to see.
Disneyland would not be a top choice for me, we've had enough of
disneyworld
in Florida. I want to see the beautiful pacific coast and maybe some LA
or
Hollywood spots. Any suggestions on things to do for this coastal
trip,
towns to stop in or scenic drives and also major travel hangups I might
face
in June? Thank you very much for your time in advance.

The kids will probably enjoy the Boardwalk at Santa Cruz, an
amusement park on the beach there. Also walk out on the adjacent
Municipal Pier, which has several rewtaurants and a bunch of lazy
sea lions just waiting for you to drop some fish to them.

They'll like the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, a bit pricey
but quite worth it.

There is a Dennis the Menace playground in a city park in
Monterey that seems to be fun for kids (actually, I kind of like
it myself).

Be careful driving donw the coast highway; June is a time of
potentially heavy fogs along the coast.

--
One thing to think about it make sure none of your kids get travel sick!
Ive had friends do the PCH only to have most of the trip spoilt by thier
kids been travel sick. Its not the straightest of roads!