Nevada/California

[Mr_Taz]

OK guys need your help, but it's not Florida.. but it is Disney :)

Basic plan (subject to change) is to fly to Las Vegas, spend a few days there, travel to San Francisco, then LA, then San Diego.

Questions I have are...

1) Should we fly LA to SF, looks like a long drive.

2) Has anyone been here, is it worth going to? - http://www.sixflags.com/parks/marineworld/index.asp

3) Mrs Taz has been to LA before & didn't really like it, so we're only going there for the parks. Coming from SF, in which order distance wise would be best to do Disneyland, US and Six Flags in bearing in mind we'll be then off south to San Diego.

4) Is crossing the border to Mexico for the day more trouble than it's worth?

Thanks,

Jonathan

[tiggermeister]

1) Should we fly LA to SF, looks like a long drive.

FAIR BIT OF SCENIC VIEWS IF YOU DRIVE

2) Has anyone been here, is it worth going to? - http://www.sixflags.com/parks/marineworld/index.asp

WELL WORTH DOING IF YOUR A COASTER FREAK...

3) Mrs Taz has been to LA before & didn't really like it, so we're only going there for the parks. Coming from SF, in which order distance wise would be best to do Disneyland, US and Six Flags in bearing in mind we'll be then off south to San Diego.

END UP IN ANAHEIM, TIS CLOSER TO SAN DIEGO

4) Is crossing the border to Mexico for the day more trouble than it's worth?

MAY BE WRONG, BUT YOU MAY REQUIRE A MULTIPLE ENTRY VISA not applicable to New Mexico tho


Hope these help you out

[sumacdo]

Hi Taz

I've done all of that and got the T shirt, and am doing all again next month.

The drive from Vegas to Anaheim is really nice but about 260ish miles. We've done it in about 4 1/2 hours but if you've got kids then you need to make a fair few stops.

Anaheim to San Diego will take about an hour, and you'll pass right by Legoland. SD is a lovely place, and SeaWorld is there. If you want to go over to Tijuana, you'll need to park up at the border station and take the bus over - hire car companies tend not to let you take the car over unless you take out extra insurance. Tijuana is a bit of a culture shock but you have to see it, and anyway the Margueritas are good.
On the way back to Anaheim there are some nice coastal towns, San Juan Capstrano is interesting.

Anaheim to San Fran is about 400 miles and will take the full day to drive. You can take the Pacific Coast Highway up there and see Carmel and Monterey on the way. If you like driving then drive, otherwise fly up and pick up another car up there. parking in San Fran is a real mare.

If you are going to do a lot of driving then make sure you upgrade to a bigger car. Driving along some of those highways with gigantic trucks everywhere can feel a tad intimidating in a little compact, so bigger is definitely better.

[sumacdo]

<Coming from SF, in which order distance wise would be best to do Disneyland, US and Six Flags in bearing in mind we'll be then off south to San Diego.>

From San Fran you will reach 6 Flags first. Spend the night somewhere and then head onto Universal next morning. Then move onto Anaheim where Disney is. then head straight down to San Diego.

Like Tigger said though, you will see some fantastic scenery while you're driving.

[jjcollins]

4) Is crossing the border to Mexico for the day more trouble than it's worth?


I'd give it a big miss - lots of bad stories coming out of the US of Kidnapping in Mexican border towns :eek:



jj....... :nonono:

[JaneSi]

I've driven LA to SF. What a spectacular drive. We stayed at a motel type place overnight in Pismo Beach. So we did in two days. You might find you get cheaper car hire if you drive this way. Most car hirers drive north to south on a one way rental and all the cars end up in LA. It's possible that if you call round the companies asking if they have any cars to be driven back to SF you may get reduced rates!

[Mr_Taz]

Thanks everyone :)

Just wondering that it might be best to do things in reverse order, fly to San Diego, then go north to LA, SF then Las Vegas. Any thoughts?

I'd give it a big miss - lots of bad stories coming out of the US of Kidnapping in Mexican border towns

It's OK JJ, I'm sure Ulsterscot could break me out :D

Jonathan

[jjcollins]

It's OK JJ, I'm sure Ulsterscot could break me out


Yip the Magnificent Seven Ride again :D :D

Ulsterscot - Steven - Issac - Mike - Kimber - Bob - Myself and just incase we get into Diffs we'll take Marie with us :D



jj...... :D

[Mr_Taz]

LOL at JJ :D

I see that Area 51 is 90 miles North of Vegas, worth a visit or will we get shot? ;)

Jonathan

[loopydiamond]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mr_Taz
[B]Thanks everyone :)

Just wondering that it might be best to do things in reverse order, fly to San Diego, then go north to LA, SF then Las Vegas. Any thoughts?


worth remembering that you cant fly non stop to San Diego now...

[sumacdo]

The nearest you'll get to Area 51 is a small town called Rachel, Nevada. Prob about an hour and a halfs drive from Vegas, go north east and then turn left onto the Extraterrestrial Highway (yep you read that right, thats what its called).

There is a place near the gunnery range at the military base, where you can get a good look (if you happen to have a telescopic sight that is) but security apparently appear out of nowhere and move you on! I've never been here but spoke to quite a few people in Vegas who tried it.

By the way, BA stopped the only direct flight to San Diego - shame really cos it was much better than flying to LA.

[grahamfields]

The best way to drive the pacific highway is north to south (SF to LA) that way you are on the ocean side of the road, the views are better & easier to stop.
With regards to Tijuana, we took the trolly down from San Diego which was a nice ride & it avoids leaving your car on the boarder. I would say you have to do Tijuana once, the shops are pretty interesting on the main drag but I would not stray outside of the tourist areas. Watch out for the donkeys painted as Zebras which seem to be on every corner ...no they really are there for photo oppertunities, no I didn't have one to many margaritas!!
No multiple visas needed, but you may get a long line coming back into the USA.
Graham.

[Mazzy]

Have a look at this for Area 51: http://www.adventurephototours.com/area51.htm

Love the road signs. :D

Jonathan, we are reading all the books under the sun on California as we are planning a trip in a couple of years. We intend to fly more than drive, and will be looking at booking with a company who give you free stopovers - someone mentioned American Vacations or United Vacations, sorry can't remember at the mo - but this might work out better than driving if you are like us and don't want to spend too much time on the road. We will be driving the bit from San Fran to Monterey though, to see the coastal views, and then maybe get a flight from Monterey to LA or LV, depending on how the itinerary works out.

Do you have a date for the trip yet, or are you just browsing? ;)

[Isaac]

Hi Jonathan, we flew into Las Vegas picked up a Mini Van spent a week in Vegas then drove to Anahiem. After three days at Disneyland we moved on to Carlsbad a small seaside town north of San Diego. Used the train most times we visited San Diego lots to see and do and also some good places to eat. We spent 10 days in Carlsbad before travelling to LA international to leave the car. Personally we felt that what we did was enough and felt we would leave LA to San Francisco to another visit. Sometimes less can be better. Nice part of the world and nowhere as hot as Florida in the summer months.

Whatever you decide I hope you enjoy it. Agree with JJ give Mexico a miss, mind you the thought of mounting a raid to spring you has a certain appeal.

Isaac.

[Mr_Taz]

Thanks everyone, Dibb comes up trumps again. :cool:

We're aiming from the 1st two weeks in September, it's our traditional holiday slot.

Just realised that the most senisble thing to do is probably fly into SF, drive down to LA, then to SD and then up to LV and fly out from there, cuts out the 2 day drive from LV to SF.

Now.. who does Pink Mustangs to rent in California? ;)

Edited to add - anyone been here - http://www.knotts.com ?

Jonathan

[grahamfields]

Went last year to Knotts, it is very much a coaster oriented theme park apart from one gentle flume ride and a rather bizzar indian show. . So if you are not into thrill rides I would give it a miss. We found it very tacky compared to Disney.
Graham

[sumacdo]

I went to Knotts last year and really liked it, it was a refreshing change to Disney. The Ghostrider roller coaster was fantastic and the Perilous Plunge - well lets just say we got very, very wet.
Not a bad day out at all and because all the American kids were still at school - no queueing to get on anything.

If you call in at a local supermarket before you go, you'll probably find some money off coupons for Knotts.

But if you really are into white knuckle stuff then 6 Flags is the place for you.

[ju_itfc]

We went to Six Flags Marine World last year when in San Francisco.

Make sure you do the ferry shuttle from Fishermans Wharf over to Vallejo and get the courtesy bus from the ferry depot to the park. It's a great ride and better than going by car IMHO.

As for the park itself, typical Six Flags. Mega roller coasters abound, very few actually operating. I would check the schedule for ride closures so as to avoid disappointment. The same thing happened at Six Flags Magic Mountain, the 2 new rides, new for 2002.....both not working. Rubbish.

Don't expect Disney and you might enjoy it. The woody coaster is one of the best I've been on by the way.

Julian

p.s. LA to SF isn't far, we did SF to Vegas last year. As an alternative take a look on expedia, I was seeing flights from LAX to Oakland (a short ferry hop from SF) for £42pp the other day. O can't remember who it was with but if you just do the search it should bring them up.

[Rio]

We spent 4 weeks based in Anaheim last year (Hyatt Regency Hotel...beautiful)and my friend (she's a native of california) drove us to a little place in Arizona called Williams along Route 66 and we went to the Grand Canyon which was totally amazing.
She then drove us to Vegas stopping off at Hoover Dam on the way, we did this trip over 5 days and it was fantastic. The scenery is just amazing, at some parts it was just us and the tumbleweed, not a car or building in sight, just miles and miles of road.
Anaheim we love and we have visited Knotts which we enjoy, don't forget to buy some jam, but to be honest, don't waste your time queueing for Ma Knotts famous chicken, we had been told by the coach driver not to miss it (the word gullible(?) comes to mind!!)and we waited an hour and a half for a table and it was nothing special.
We took a coach trip (Coach USA) to Tijuana and had our photo taken with the donkey/zebra with the sombreros plonked on our heads and then I tried to take a photo with my camera and this man started screaming at me and trying to grab the camera. We also found the men very slimy trying to entice us into their shops (though we got 2 Gucci watches and a Rolex for $55!!!).
Emily was 14 at the time and was scared to death, also theres a lot of children begging and if you give to 1 another 20 are hiding round the corner.
Very cheap for buying prescription drugs I believe, there are a lot of chemist type shops. Silver and leather are cheap and little Mexican sombreros are cheap presents to take back.
Love Rio

[philtucker]

Mr Taz

We actually did the trip that you are doing last summer (but in a different order.

It was without a doubt the best holiday we have ever had.

We flew to and stayed in LA, then a few days in San Diego (went across the border to Tijuana), drove to Vegas for a few days and then back to Santa Monica for a few days on the beach.

In LA we stayed in Buena Park near Knotts. This is a short drive (10 minutes) to Disney. I would advise a visit to Knotts - some of the rides are great (the accelerator and perilous plunge spring to mind).

The drive to San Diego was a couple of hours and quite easy. SD was a fab place. Sea World was excellent. Very easy to take a trolley to Mexico. Takes you to the border and you walk across. 15 - 20 minutes and you are in the centre of Tijuana. My wife really did not like it (young children begging and very persistent shop keepers etc). I though quite enjoyed the experience.

The drive from SD to Vegas was quite long but we stopped off at Barstow on the way. Barstow is really a large discount shopping mall. I bought a load of top of the range Reebok trainers for less than £20.00 a pair. Total drive time was about 6 hours but really did not seem like it. Stick on the cruise control and turn on the radio and the time did actually fly.

Vegas is completely mad.

Back to Santa Monica and we loved staying on the beach. Universal in LA was also really worth a visit. I would also suggest a bus tour of LA (star homes etc) as being good fun.

Our trip was two and a half weeks and we all came back completely knackered. I think that trying to do SF, SD and Vegas would have been too much for us.

I have friends who say that SF is brilliant but worth a week or so in its own right. One for us for next year.

Any questions that you may have I would be delighted to answer.

[Rio]

One thing about visiting Tijuana is that we can say we've been to Mexico!!!!...lol
When we were crossing the border on the way back, we had to get off the coach and walk through, but the man wouldn't stamp our passports for us!!
Love Rio

[Claire_L]

Definitely travelling North to South at Big Sur gives you the best views.
Claire :wink

[AEllis]

If you travel north to south (SF to LA) you're closer to the drop - and I thought it was really scary going south to north!

I loved Monterey and would really recommend a night if you have time. We stayed in a really lovely hotel which is built over the harbour so when you look out of your window you can't see any other building just the sea and sea otters. Absolutly breathtaking.

Alison

[Mr_Taz]

Again thanks for everyones input, hope to have the basic itinery finished in the next 2 days and will post it for more feedback then :)

One more thing, Disneyland seems quite small, can you do it in a day or is that rushing things too much?

Thanks,

Jonathan

[orangebreezer]

Did a similar trip in 96 when we got married. Flew into LA and spent first night. Drove to San Fran (suppose to be San Diego but my navigation skills needed a bit of fine tunning ):blush: Hubby blew out tyres in San Fran trying to copy local driving over tram tracks after about an hour of screaming and shouting we got tyre changed and found a nice little town outside San Fran called Castro Valley. Spent a couple of nights there, then drove to Las Vegas, got married, spent a couple of days and drove to San Diego, did Sea World, zoo and shopping, then drove back up to Anihiem and did Disney, also did a day trip to Universal and Hollywood. It was a fantastic holiday and I am currently working on hubby to get him to agree to redo next year.

[Mr_Taz]

Flights are booked :)

Fly out on 8th September and back on 23rd September, have a rough idea of what we're doing but it post an itinerary when I have a better idea.

Thanks for everyone's help :)

Jonathan

[Claire_L]

Originally posted by Mr_Taz
Flights are booked :)

Fly out on 8th September and back on 23rd September, have a rough idea of what we're doing but it post an itinerary when I have a better idea.

Thanks for everyone's help :)

Jonathan

:thumb: :D You will love it :)

Claire :wink

[lesliejohn]

heh ,
a bit late but a bit more info may help.
we did san fransico then a flight to vegas then flew from vegas to la,transferred down to anaheim, the flights were literally up drink down that quick.
not sure if it has been mentioned but i think the company is called coachways usa/ameica something like that, any hooo they did a day trip to sea world in san diego for a few good hours then back on the coach and over the border to tijjuana, a bit like barter town and hard sale, which i do not particularly like, but you do have to feel for them it is a real eye opener.
just a quick story whilst waiting outside our hotel for the coach i was chatting away to a american family ,the man was jovial and interested in our days plans all smiles and tips for sea world .
face went from a smile to a frown and serious face when told about the second part, he was a border guard, his advice was enjoy it but be aware of what is going on around you.
had no trouble getting back into the us.
les..

[TiggerTails]

Monterery is a good stop off point. Between Carmel and Pacific Grove.............Monterey Bay Aquarium is a MUST DO!!

[Pino_Spetzberg]

Originally posted by Mr_Taz
I see that Area 51 is 90 miles North of Vegas, worth a visit or will we get shot? ;)


Posted by sumacdo
" The nearest you'll get to Area 51 is a small town called Rachel, Nevada. Prob about an hour and a halfs drive from Vegas, go north east and then turn left onto the Extraterrestrial Highway (yep you read that right, thats what its called).

There is a place near the gunnery range at the military base, where you can get a good look (if you happen to have a telescopic sight that is) but security apparently appear out of nowhere and move you on! I've never been here but spoke to quite a few people in Vegas who tried it. "

We visited Rachel, it is quite far with little to commend it unless you are a sci-fi geek ( wife - not me ! ).
The Little Ale 'Inn is an ordinary roadside diner but has many interesting pics on the wall, sells a good range of t-shirts, novelties and maps of Area 51 - Groom Lake. These maps are useless for identifying where they reverse engineer alien technology but are handy for locating the best vantage points and how to recognise different security patrols.
The car park features a sign for flying saucer self-parking and there is a signed plaque from the Independence Day movie crew.
The white mailbox / black mailbox UFO society runs night time viewing trips -the huge sky around there is ink black and the stars are superbly clear. Stunning.
If you travel too far towards Groom Lake you can expect to be stopped by a security patrol. We were stopped on the desert highway by a black military helicopter - it landed - we were asked a few questions and told we should go back to Las Vegas. We felt a bit silly really.

I wouldn't bother visiting Tijuana - the queue to re-enter the US took many hours - a waste of time for what we saw. You need to buy special insurance for your hire car as you won't be covered in Mexico otherwise. Some hire companies really don't want their cars taken across the border at all - the cars have a tendency to be hijacked - the US plates easily identify tourists.

[Mr_Taz]

Originally posted by Pino_Spetzberg
Posted by sumacdo
We were stopped on the desert highway by a black military helicopter - it landed - we were asked a few questions and told we should go back to Las Vegas. We felt a bit silly really..

So it's true about Black Helicopters, they do exist :)

Jonathan

[jue]

Jonathan
We are visiting the west coast in just over 4 weeks, and are a little excited :jump:
It's the 3rd time I've been, 2 nd time for everyone else.
We are spending 3 days with friends who live in Orange County, then diving to SD for 5 days, we are then driving back to LA for the rest of our 2 week stay. So a round trip in and out of LA.
Plans so far are a Dodgers baseball game on the 10th August...booked on line, but got to pick up tickets at the stadium on the day.
We plan to spend the day at Coronado beach in SD, which is spectaular, visiting SD zoo and Sea world (DD a complete whale and dolphin freak since being age 3, now 17, she is thinking about one of their 'special package tours' ).
We are also going to Six flags... all of us are roller coaster freaks, and definately will do a stars homes tours.
Definately are shopping there and DD wants to do some star spotting at Fred Segals, can't wait. :jump:
Here's a link to our trip reports from our last trip....conbines a stay at WDW too.

http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14567

Hope you enjoy your holiday as much as us.

[Mr_Taz]

Another quick question, dress codes.

In Florida as you know everyone goes around in shorts everywhere, I was just wondering in SF/LV are you expected to wear trousers for eating in restaurants/going to shows?

Jonathan