West Coast Worries

[jdouds]

Williams mum I see you are spending a lot of time in nappa are, have you considered a night or 2 in yosemite. It's a four hour drive away

[Beth_Disney]

Originally Posted by Bozza

10 days to go and still just the two nights booked in Monterey but some plans are starting to crystalise a bit...

10/08 - fly out to SF. Hire car, drive South a wee bit to somewhere like San Jose. Book a hotel here for the night.
11/08 - head to Cupertino to see Apple HQ and buy a new MacBook Pro. Drive to Santa Cruz for the boardwalk, fair and lunch. Head to Monterey. Stay in Monterey for the night.
12/08 - Whale watching and Aquarium. Stay in Monterey for the night.
13/08 - Head down the PCH, stopping where we fancy. Stay in Solvang for the night in an AirBnB.
14/08 - Head to Santa Barbara, stop for lunch and a mooch. Then head to Hollywood. Stay in an AirBnB for the night.
15/08 - Griffith Observatory and Hollywood sights. Same AirBnB for the night.
16/08 - Universal Studios. Same AirBnB for the night.
17/08 - California Science Centre to see the shuttle. Disneyland Hotel for the night.
18/08 - 21/08 - Disneyland and Disneyland Hotel.
22/08 - last look at DL. Head off somewhere. Night: TBA
23/08 - 24/08: TBA
25/08 - 28/08: San Francisco sights.
29/08: fly home

So, nights would be:

1 night: San Jose-ish
2 nights: Monterey
1 night: Solvang
3 nights: Hollywood
5 nights: Disneyland
3 nights: TBA
4 nights: San Francisco

Need to get on and book hotels, AirBnBs, park tickets, tours and car tomorrow!

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Have you booked anywhere in Hollywood yet? I looked at AirBnB’s and was a bit hesitant so booked The Tangerine in Burbank. Nice hotel and great location for tourist areas such as Warner Bros, Griffith Park, Universal Studios, Walk of Fame.

[Bozza]

Originally Posted by Beth_Disney

Have you booked anywhere in Hollywood yet? I looked at AirBnB’s and was a bit hesitant so booked The Tangerine in Burbank. Nice hotel and great location for tourist areas such as Warner Bros, Griffith Park, Universal Studios, Walk of Fame.

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The progress we have made since I last wrote is:

- Alcatraz booked for when we are back in SF.
- Monterey whale watching tour (we'll do the aquarium too, but looks like nothing to gain by booking tickets now)
- 1 * night in a nice-looking AirBnB in a Wyndham resort in Solvang on our way down the PCH.

Nothing booked for Burbank/Hollywood yet, it's next on my list. We have seen a few nice AirBnBs that are walkable to the main Hollywood sights and are in developments with a pool etc. The other option I quite liked the look of was the Marriott Burbank Airport.

A week to go - no rush yet!

[Beth_Disney]

Originally Posted by Bozza

The progress we have made since I last wrote is:

- Alcatraz booked for when we are back in SF.
- Monterey whale watching tour (we'll do the aquarium too, but looks like nothing to gain by booking tickets now)
- 1 * night in a nice-looking AirBnB in a Wyndham resort in Solvang on our way down the PCH.

Nothing booked for Burbank/Hollywood yet, it's next on my list. We have seen a few nice AirBnBs that are walkable to the main Hollywood sights and are in developments with a pool etc. The other option I quite liked the look of was the Marriott Burbank Airport.

A week to go - no rush yet!

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Yeah, no rush yet You’ll be booking whilst at the airport again!

Google street view is your friend with Hollywood/Burbank bookings. What might look like a close walk might not be possible due to the layout of the roads or desirable due to the area. We drove or used Uber a lot in LA.

When I actually saw the lovely looking apartment I’d booked and cancelled with AirBnB I was so pleased that I’d checked it out more thoroughly. The areas around the Walk of Fame can be quite seedy and intimidating and that’s why I liked the laid back feel of Burbank.

Happy planning

[MichelleT]

I would agree with Beth, we only managed to fit one night in for LA but stayed at the Tangerine last week, we used Uber for walk of fame/Chinese theatre etc only $10. The following day the hotel stored our luggage while we went to universal studios - again used Uber $6 each way. The staff were very friendly and provided lovely pastries for breakfast. Lots of restaurants within easy walking distance, I would definately recommend it.

We visited solvang on our way from the Madonna Inn to Burbank, it’s a lovely little town which I wish we could have spent more time there, if we return to the west coast that will be a definate stopover for us.

[Twilight Nerd]

We stopped over in Solvang on 4th July and loved it so quaint. We did the Segway tour here which was fab.

[Vinniecat]

Bozza when you started this thread I got the impression that you were wishing you were going to Florida rather than the west coast. Now that you are back I was wondering what you thought of the holiday ; did you miss Florida whilst you were there? Also will you be doing a trip report?

[Bozza]

Originally Posted by Vinniecat

Bozza when you started this thread I got the impression that you were wishing you were going to Florida rather than the west coast. Now that you are back I was wondering what you thought of the holiday ; did you miss Florida whilst you were there? Also will you be doing a trip report?

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I've posted bits and pieces on various threads since we've been back but, yes, we had a great time thanks.

It all feels a bit of a blur now. I booked some bits of the holiday at the airport hotel the night before we flied and other bits whilst we were out there. For example, we made a late decision to drop the car off at Disneyland and I booked flights back to San Francisco instead.

In brief what we did was...

Day 1
- Flew to SFO.
- Picked up car at SFO, drove down to Palo Alto.
- Stayed the night in a Marriott (I think).

Day 2
- Went to the Googleplex, had a look around, rode around on Google bikes.
- Went to Apple Park, had a look around and bought some stuff.
- Drove down to Santa Cruz with the intention of lunch and a few rides. However traffic was dreadful and there was no parking so we kicked on to Monterey.
- Went on a whale-watching boat trip in Monterey, which was fantastic.
- Stayed the night in the most expensive Days Inn ever.

Day 3
- Went to Monterey Bay Aquarium, also fantastic.
- Generally mooched around Monterey.
- Stayed the night in the same Days Inn.

Day 4
- Drove down the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping here and there for the views and photos etc.
- Stopped at San Simeon to see the elephant seals.
- Drove to Solvang - lovely little Danish town.
- Stayed in a Wyndham resort (booked on AirBnB but was massive apartment style place)

Day 5
- Quick mooch around Solvang
- Drove to Santa Barbara - spent a few hours on the pier, took a water taxi over the harbour, had some great sushi for lunch.
- Drove to LA.
- Met an "internet friend" who took us to Santa Monica. Had a paddle in the Pacific, went on the pier, did a few rides and had dinner with the friend.
- Stayed the night in the Hilton North LA/Glendale (booked via Hotwire, but was 99.9% sure we were getting this hotel, and we did). Later extended the 3 nights to 5.

Day 6
- Griffith Park/Observatory - fantastic.
- Hollywood Boulevard and walk of fame etc.
- Same Hilton for the night.

Day 7
- Universal Studios
- Same Hilton

Day 8
- California Science Center to see the shuttle and other exhibits
- Wander around the LA Coliseum and LA City FC stadium
- Same Hilton

Day 9
- Friend took us out for the day round some alternative sites of LA. Saw some great things.
- Same Hilton

Days 10-13
- Drove to Disneyland, dropped car off at Paradise Pier.
- Disneyland parks
- Stayed at Disneyland Hotel

Day 14
- First part of the day at Disneyland
- Uber to friend's at Hermosa Beach
- Drank too much (including in a bar that features in La La Land)
- Stayed at friend's in HB.

Day 15
- Hungover for much of the day.
- Then on the beach - watched sunset over the lifeguard towers.
- Stayed at friend's in HB.

Day 16 - 20
- Flew from Long Beach to SFO
- Days seeing the SF sights
- Stayed in Hilton Union Square (booked on Hotwire again, but knew I'd get this hotel)

We still have so much to see in California and will go back sooner rather than later, although I now have enough miles again for virgin Premium flights to Orlando so that's our likely destination in 2019.