California Road Trip

[PaddyHarrington]

Hi all

I am getting married in September of this year and will be going to California and Las Vegas for our honeymoon for a 3 week driving holiday.
Any advice on must do,must see,must eat places ?

The plan is to fly into Los Angeles and spend 3-4 days there then drive up to San Fran then drive to Las Vegas all in the space of 3 weeks..
Anyone live in any of those places or have done this road trip any advice or help would be greatly appreciated..

Thanks

[zeg]

The drive along the Pacific Coast Highway between LA and SF is breathtaking and beautiful. Take that route and plan to start early and spend all day driving. It's a lot slower than the inland interstate (I-5) route, but nicer in every way, especially for a honeymoon. There are some little towns on the way, you might want to stop and stay the night but I'm not sure of names.

There are some areas around Santa Barbara that are worth visiting. This is a couple hours from LA along the PCH route, so you could think about jaunting over and visiting Solvang and the Santa Barbara area wine country. There's a nice restaurant in Los Olivos that's worth hitting if you get over there (Los Olivos Cafe). It was featured in the movie Sideways, but it's worth it even if you don't care about the movie connection. Exceptional wines there, as everywhere in the region.

Other thought would be that it's sort of roundabout to fly to LA, then drive to SF, then drive back south to LV. I'd suggest considering flying in to SF and driving south to LA, then northeast to LV. There's no good direct route between SF and LV so you'll end up doing a lot of back tracking.

[Clambake]

I'll second the comments about the Pacific Coast Highway (called "PCH"), especially between the Monterey area down through Big Sur - there truly isn't a more stunning drive anywhere in the world. As Zeg mentioned, you probably would be better to fly to SF and drive south, and then it is an easy 4 hour drive from LA to Vegas. Another benefit to doing the drive in this direction is that you'll be on the ocean side of the highway, making it easier to enjoy the stunning ocean views through Big Sur - instead of looking through the oncoming traffic at the sites, you're peering right over the guardrails, a much better view.

Some other miscellaneous thoughts. I think one can easily stretch out the drive from SF to LA to well over a week, as there are so many great places to see, stay, and eat along the way. It can be done in 6 hours driving down Interstate 5 for the most boring experience of your life, or can take a week enjoying spectacular scenery, great inns and restaurants, and many "must see attractions" along the way, and is a truly romantic way to spend the week. Stay at least a couple nights in Carmel and enjoy the delighfully quaint and romantic town and Monterey area. The Monterey Aquarium is a fun stop, and it is enjoyable to do the 19 mile drive, stopping at Pebble Beach (perhaps for lunch, and their Club XXIX Restaurant for dinner is amazing albiet expensive), and Spanish Bay also has some good restaurants; hang out by the outside bar at sunset and enjoy the bagpiper. One of my favorite restaurants anyewhere in Carmel is "Casanova", a cute restaurant in an old house (but added on to a few times) with great European food and a killer wine list, including a lot of very good half bottles so you can try a number of different wines with dinner. If you go there, ask for a tour of their wine cellar, which is under the house and dug out by the owners and friends. Over 50 thousand bottles, with some amazing treasures tucked into the nooks and crannies. Take your time driving south along the coast, and perhaps stop for a night in the San Simeon area and go see Hearst Castle. Morro Bay is another nice place to stop overnight; one of its highlights are a number of restaurants right along the docks in the harbor that literally take the fish catch off the boat straight into the kitchen; not fancy dining, but really great seafood.

Zeg's suggestions about the Santa Barbara wine country is also great; the Fess Parker Inn in Los Olivos is nice, and their restaurant also does some wonderful gourmet meals. Santa Barbara itself is also a nice town, and might be a good overnight stop. But one of my favorite getwaway places is in Ojai just south of Santa Barbara and about 90 minutes north of LA. The Ojai Valley Inn is a great place to stay, and again has a great restaurant on property (I've had a couple phenomenal meals there), and the town of Ojai is cute and has some nice shops and galleries. And if your fiance is willing, the Ojai Valley Inn also has a very nice golf course.

Once you get to LA, there are almost too many options to mention, and it really depends on your interests. If you like the beach, I really like Shutters hotel in Santa Monica (I used to live nearby), and within walking or very short driving distance are a many great dining options and attractions. Malibu is just a short drive up the beach, Beverly Hills about 10 minutes inland, the Getty Museum is 10 minutes away - again, too much to mention in LA.

You've also picked a great time for the visit - September is probably the best weather month we have in California, with nice sunny skies, likely zero chance of rain. And the tourists have started to thin out a bit, so PCH is a more enjoyable drive in Big Sur (and everywhere else). Have a great trip!

[jdjanda]

Places to see and things to do in Northern Cal
Napa
South Lake Tahoe via Hwy 50
Monterey (Pebble Beach)
Cross the golden gate bridge
Stop for lunch on Fisherman's Wharf (chowder in a bread bowl)
Eat a Pastrami sandwich at Togos
Ride a cable car
Drive by Google and Intel
Marin county

[Fraser]

Some good suggestions by zeg and clambake. If you're going to do the roundabout LA -> San Francisco -> Las Vegas routing then definitely check out Yosemite National Park.

One little thing from me, someone who goes to San Francisco every couple of months...don't call it 'San Fran', the locals hate it. Almost as much as Frisco!

[PaddyHarrington]

Thanks for the tips guys.
The reason I was gonna drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas via San Fran ...oooppss Sorry I meant San Francisco! was to drive through Yosemite then down through Death Valley,is it worth going this route or would I be better from Los Angeles to Las Vegas?

[laquintaboy82]

Actually a better drive would be drive from san fran to vegas and then to los angeles lol the veiws are absolutley stunning

[zeg]

Thanks for the tips guys.

Yosemite is gorgeous and if you like the desert, I say go for it. Be absolutely sure you can trust your car, though.

If you happen to pass through the Owens Valley on your way (on the California side of the border), look out for my radio telescope! It's a few miles off the highway near Big Pine, but it's about 10 stories tall and easily visible.

[jdjanda]

Thanks for the tips guys.

If you are planning late September early October then you will need to watch the weather snow could greatly alter your plans. Your best route would be to fly into LA, drive up the coast to San Fran, then to Yosemite, onto Vegas and return to LA. You are talking about a lot of miles to cover.

[sacm3bill]

I highly recommend a night or 2 in Cambria as a possible layover. It's just north of San Luis Obispo, about halfway between LA and SF. Besides the town itself which has several great restaurants, the area includes Hearst Castle, the elephant seal beach in San Simeon, wine tasting, and the Morro Bay muni course - called the poor man's Pebble Beach for its stunning views at a $40 rate. The lodging in Cambria is very affordable as well (unlike Carmel, which is outrageous.)