DigOutYourSoul Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Has anyone done the pacific coast, looking for some tips and any general things to do. Current plan in terms of booking: Return Flights EDI - NYC 3 Nights NYC Return flight NYC - LAX 4/5 Nights LA, pick up a car a couple of days in (maybe just from LAX depending on hotel/air bnb parking). Drive LA - San Fran, stopping overnight somewhere on the coast. 2 nights in San Fran, 3 Nights in Vegas (driving San Fran - Vegas through Yosemite National Park) Return Flight LAX - NYC - EDI. Any comments or advice from anyone who's done it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigOutYourSoul Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 When are you going? Probably looking at summer 2018 as we've got Mexico booked for next summer. How come? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScarf Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Compton is nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingTON Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Haven't driven the route but LA is a bit of a bin IMO: wouldn't spend more than two days there myself. If you're into studio tours etc. then it'd be more interesting though. I'd add San Diego to the itinerary, which is a much better place to be and about two hours drive south. Santa Barbara is a sensible stop on the coast road north: if you continue on through Big Sur in one day, Monterey is particularly nice, Santa Cruz. too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigOutYourSoul Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 6 minutes ago, vikingTON said: Haven't driven the route but LA is a bit of a bin IMO: wouldn't spend more than two days there myself. If you're into studio tours etc. then it'd be more interesting though. I'd add San Diego to the itinerary, which is a much better place to be and about two hours drive south. Santa Barbara is a sensible stop on the coast road north: if you continue on through Big Sur in one day, Monterey is particularly nice, Santa Cruz. too. I think we'd probably do a theme park in LA as well so that's probably the extra day, looking at staying in Santa Monica at the moment. The other option is to fly NYC - San Diego and begin there, flights are slightly more expensive. Places on the coast road i'd like to stop are Carmel-by-sea, Monterey and maybe a beach or two on the way up, sand dollar beach looks nice. Maybe less time in LA and more time on the coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigOutYourSoul Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 2 minutes ago, kilbowie2002 said: Just san fran isnt too warm winter time didnt realise it was so far off! Yeah, been warned about this, will probably be July time so hopefully okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doulikefish Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Bin the 4/5 days in La its a shithole once you do the tourist sites,id get down to san diego and try to drive through the napa valley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thistle Bonnet Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 I have driven The Pacific Highway from Seattle to San Diego,though not in a single journey...it's a fantastic Road Trip. I am more a fan of Big Country America than its Cities...I have family in LA but would still struggle to fill 2 days there...San Diego & Santa Babara are smaller & more attractive places...San Luis Obispo, Monterey & Santa Cruz are good places to stop at on the road up to San Francisco...Panther Beach just north of Santa Cruz is a great "hidden" beach. San Francisco has a genuine atmosphere, more compact than most American Cities, with the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the Cable Cars, hilly streets & Fisherman's Wharf...but with a lot of homeless veterans wandering the streets not that far from tourist/business areas. Strange climate - Mark Twain's famous line about his coldest winter being a summer in San Francisco. Sausilito across the Bay and the towns in the Napa Valley Wine Growing Area to the north of San Francisco are relaxed & civilised places. Towns in the Central Valley ending in "o" - Sacremento, Fresno, Modesto - are dull Yosemite National Park is well worth the drive up there and just north of the Eastern Exit, Bodie is America's best Ghost Town, a mining town, high up in the Sierra Nevada. Longish drive to Las Vegas through Death Valley - a detour to see the truly daft Scotty's Castle might have been worthwhile but I see it is closed until 2019. Many people love Las Vegas but one day there has always been enough for me. Visit the Grand Canyon - to use an overused American word, it is awesome - photos don't do it justice. Vegas Hotel Prices are significantly lower Sundays to Thursdays - you can pick up top of the range accommodation in the Casino Hotels at relatively low rates. I would imagine it may be unpleasantly hot & busy in a lot of these places if you are going in Summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S7C Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 LA is shithole. San Diego and San Francisco are far nicer. I prefer the Pacific NW myself. Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspy Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Cannon beach, Oregon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumigoo Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Agree with others that LA is a bit of a hole. I enjoy going to Universal and have done the VIP tour a couple of times, it is fantastic. Other than that LA only really has (in terms of good stuff to see in a day) Griffith Observatory, Venice Beach, Santa Monica Pier. Getting to a Galaxy game is always a decent night. The traffic in LA is fucking horrific. Personally I prefer doing the Pacific Coast southbound but that is only because you drive on the coast side and it is easier to stop as all the viewing points are on that side of the road. It might only be a small thing but being able to look out your window to your right and there are no obstructions is nice. Santa Barbara is really nice, as is Carmel and Monterey. I would recommend the Aquarium if you like that sort of thing and the 17-mile drive is good (especially if you like golf as you get to see the iconic 18th green at Pebble Beach). Santa Cruz is a nice day for a walk on the boardwalk and along the beach (plus the seafood is very good). San Francisco is my favourite city in the world, make sure you do go to a Giants game and walk all the way along the Embarcadero as well as Coit Tower. Alcatraz is excellent. There is so much I can say so nearer the time I can give you a few great restaurant recommendations and little things to do and see. As for Vegas it is some drive from San Fran, you can get a dirt cheap flight from SFO and then hire a car in Vegas to go to G.Canyon, Death Valley etc. If time isn't an issue and you are driving west then I cannot recommend Lake Tahoe highly enough. You can then go south through Yosemite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Stop in Palo Alto and come visit me. Highlight of the trip IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Henry Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 On 20/10/2016 at 15:40, DigOutYourSoul said: Has anyone done the pacific coast, looking for some tips and any general things to do. Current plan in terms of booking: Return Flights EDI - NYC 3 Nights NYC Return flight NYC - LAX 4/5 Nights LA, pick up a car a couple of days in (maybe just from LAX depending on hotel/air bnb parking). Drive LA - San Fran, stopping overnight somewhere on the coast. 2 nights in San Fran, 3 Nights in Vegas (driving San Fran - Vegas through Yosemite National Park) Return Flight LAX - NYC - EDI. Any comments or advice from anyone who's done it? Honestly, I think you're trying to cram in too much into your West Coast leg. I'd cut one of those cities out completely. Or, perhaps better, leave NYC out completely and fly into SF, then drive North up to Portland, Oregon. It might be the most beautiful drive in America. I'm very much a Bay Area guy, so I'd stay well away from LA and even Vegas. And remember, California is way, way bigger than it looks on a map at first glance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S7C Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 4 nights in LA is too much. 2 was enough for me and I hated the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Seriously I'd say to do more investigation if your not sure. I've driven the LA to SF road about 10 times and I hate it. The drive on the I5 is horrible. If you still want to do it, go at the weekend. The road is busy Mon-Fri and you'll be stuck behind a 150 mile line of traffic doing a maximum of 50mph. At best it'll take 8 hours and if you hit the Bay Area at 4pm-7pm probably closer to 10. Not that I want to put you off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigOutYourSoul Posted July 18, 2017 Author Share Posted July 18, 2017 Bringing this thread back from the dead now that we're actually looking to book something. Currently looking at next July for 18 nights 4/7 - 21-7. Mock planned route below: https://www.mapquest.com/directions/from/us/ca/san-francisco/to/us/ca/carmel-by-the-sea/to/us/ca/san-simeon/to/us/ca/santa-barbara/to/us/ca/santa-monica/to/us/ca/huntington-beach/to/us/ca/big-bear-lake/to/us/ca/barstow/92311-9587/2821-lenwood-rd-34.850002,-117.083024/to/us/california/the-mad-greek-304342701/to/us/nv/las-vegas Free to hear any comments or advice, places to stay, see or stop along the way. Current plan roughly is as follows: 4 nights in SF, 1 night in Monterrey/Carmel, 1 night in Santa Barbara, 3 nights in Santa Monica (beach, universal and other Hollywood/Tourist stuff), 1 night down in huntington beach/ lagnua beach, 3 nights in Vegas and 3 nights on the East Coast. We may scrap the east coast depending on flight costs and stay somewhere for a couple of extra nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S7C Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 Looks like a good itinerary. Think I spent 2 days in the Monterrey area last time I was there but it's definitely doable in 1. Don't like the LA area all that much but 3 nights should be enough to see the sights and Santa Monica's a nice enough area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSU Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 I'd stick to Route 1 rather than 101. Takes a bit longer, but you're going to want to be driving right at the ocean, and you're going to want to go through Big Sur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bob Mahelp Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 4 hours ago, DigOutYourSoul said: Bringing this thread back from the dead now that we're actually looking to book something. Currently looking at next July for 18 nights 4/7 - 21-7. Mock planned route below: https://www.mapquest.com/directions/from/us/ca/san-francisco/to/us/ca/carmel-by-the-sea/to/us/ca/san-simeon/to/us/ca/santa-barbara/to/us/ca/santa-monica/to/us/ca/huntington-beach/to/us/ca/big-bear-lake/to/us/ca/barstow/92311-9587/2821-lenwood-rd-34.850002,-117.083024/to/us/california/the-mad-greek-304342701/to/us/nv/las-vegas Free to hear any comments or advice, places to stay, see or stop along the way. Current plan roughly is as follows: 4 nights in SF, 1 night in Monterrey/Carmel, 1 night in Santa Barbara, 3 nights in Santa Monica (beach, universal and other Hollywood/Tourist stuff), 1 night down in huntington beach/ lagnua beach, 3 nights in Vegas and 3 nights on the East Coast. We may scrap the east coast depending on flight costs and stay somewhere for a couple of extra nights. Looks good. Wise choice to spend more time in San Francisco than LA. Loved Palm Springs, but it may not be on your route. If you're taking the I-15 to Vegas, remember and come off at the exit for Zzyzx and take a photo with the sign. Not often in your life you'll get the chance to visit a place called Zzyzx. Embrace it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 Looks a good trip. Big Sur is indeed awesome but part of Highway 1 is closed due to a mudslide and may still be closed next year. Check that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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