California road trip - comments and ideas please!

[East Coaster]

We're off to California in early September - hotels all booked and lots of thoughts about what to dobut would welcome any comments or ideas from you guys!
Day 1- arrive SFO mid afternoon - cab to Pier 2620 hotel. Nothing really planned for rest of that day - will play it by ear depending on how we feel
Day 2-Dylan's famous tour booked - read so many good reviews - really looking forward to this
Day 3 - hoping to get Alcatraz evening tour tickets - got the 90 day date on my calendar! Nothing else really planned for that day - thinking a trip to the ferry building, a wander round fishermans wharf etc
Day 4 - no plans - all ideas welcome!
Day 5- cab to SFO to collect car then off to Yosemite - Tenaya Lodge - thinking of a bit of a pool afternoon - no pool in SF!
Day 6 - undecided about what tour to do - glacier point tour - one way and hike down? Or TL do their own tour - more expensive but it's a Saturday so busy and DH wouldn't have to drive?
Day 7 - leave TL and have a leisurely day driving across the Tioga Pass to Mammoth lakes where we've got one night booked. Thinking we'll stop numerous times on the wary
Day 8 - leave ML and drive via Death Valley to Las Vegas - straight to the Venetian for the next 3 nights
Days 9-10 LV - thinking most of this will be wandering, looking at the hotels - maybe a bit of shopping! Want to see Grand Canyon but unsure yet whether to do small plane or helicopter
Day 11 - leave LV to drive to Palm Springs - Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort - some pool time here but will def squeeze in the Aerial Tramway - staying here 2 nights
Day 13 - drive to San Diego for the final 2 nights - in the Omni San Diego - again undecided but will probably see USS Midway - not sure about the zoo?
Final day - drive to LAX for flight home!

Got a few ideas about restaurants in all places but would appreciate any pointers, tips etc!
Thanks lots!

[landandword17]

Don't worry about no pool in SF. It's not a pool weather city. It will be quite chilly and foggy most likely.

There's a free shuttle in Yosemite. You could park in the valley and do your own tour on the shuttle, getting on and off wherever you want.

The Westin in Palm Springs is a bit outside the main town where most of the restaurants are. Not sure if you'll want to drive in for dinner but we loved Spencer's for dinner. Pinnochio for breakfast/brunch which would be on your way to the tram. And Elmer's does a great breakfast too.

[cornishfrogboy]

Nice plan. I can help/ offer information on a couple of bit, but not all.


Day 2-Dylan's famous tour booked - read so many good reviews - really looking forward to this
This tour, picked up from Columbus is great, if its the cycle to Sausolito, drop the bikes then minibus to Muir Woods one. While waiting to pick up, Lombard St Zigzags are just a few hundred yds away. I suggest a walk to it without the bikes. It is steep to approach, but well worth it.

Day 4 - no plans - all ideas welcome!
A Cable car on the Powell line, up to the Union Sq area is an awesome experience in itsel. In Union Sq, there is a Cheesecake factory above Macy's

Day 5- cab to SFO to collect car then off to Yosemite - Tenaya Lodge - thinking of a bit of a pool afternoon - no pool in SF!
It is a pain to get to SFO and pricey. We picked up our car from Budget in Howard St, which is just a couple of blocks from the Bay Bridge and stress free driving. i believe they are also Avis. Either way, we had a very good experience with this car hire.

Day 13 - drive to San Diego for the final 2 nights - in the Omni San Diego - again undecided but will probably see USS Midway - not sure about the zoo?
San Diego is great. The Midway is worth around 3 hrs (and I am aircraft mad). Right next to it is Hornblower Cruises. They do 2 x really good river cruises and allowed us to do North then South straight away. Really good, with a really good commentary. The bar from Topgun is close by, shabby, but with good food!

Final day - drive to LAX for flight home!
Do not underestimate LA traffic. It is horrendous.

It may help you to read my trip report, California N to South at Easter. There is plenty that matches your current plan and is all on the one thread, compiled live.

Hope it helps!

[East Coaster]

Thanks Landandword17! Particularly for the restaurant recommendations in PS - have to admit we've focussed on the first 3 destinations so far so that's really helpful! DH not a big drinker so he won't mind driving into PS if there's some nice restaurants there

[East Coaster]

That's brilliant - thanks for this Cornishfrogboy! Will def look at changing the pick up point for the car in SF. The cable car to Union Square sounds great too - definitely planning on trying Cheesecake Factory this trip. In 7 Florida visits we've never tried it!

[jdouds]

Hi in San Fran would recommend hire bikes and cycle to bridge easy flat ground and not to far, cycle over bridge to sausilito and come back on ferry. Sausilito is a beautiful coastal village with nice restaurants and shops and well worth a couple of hours and maybe do Alcatraz that night. We also did city electric bike tour which we really enjoyed. For yosemite we would suggest check in to your hotel ( or go to park)and then go and do the the valley floor tour. Great for a little history and to get your bearings. We found this invaluable and as you don't have much time there should be good. We drove to glacier point as it is at 10,000 feet and even fit people will feel some strain. The other popular trek is up to venal falls which we did one morning and is fantastic, main tip go early as it gets very busy mid morning, take plenty of water.
We drove to vegas via tioga pass in 1 day, left at 10 and with several stops got there 4.30

[tocpe321]

Happy planning.

This is a mini trip report I did which may help with information.


https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho... php?t=1046701

[East Coaster]

Thanks jdouds and Tocpe321. Timing for the drive to LV not too bad at all - better than I thought! We're going to Sausalito on Dylan's Tour but if we don't get a lot of time there we may well go back! Looks a lovely little town

[buryboy]

In San Diego we did the old town trolley tour trolleytours/san-diego

Gives a really good flavour of the city and coranado as you are pushed for time

We also did Seaworld , and did a whale watching trip which was great and a really daft cheap price via groupon groupon/biz/san-dieg...hern-san-diego

[Frankie & gang]

Originally Posted by East Coaster

Thanks jdouds and Tocpe321. Timing for the drive to LV not too bad at all - better than I thought! We're going to Sausalito on Dylan's Tour but if we don't get a lot of time there we may well go back! Looks a lovely little town

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We did the Dylan’s famous tour last Aug - it’s brilliant. To give us extra time in Sausalito the tour guide stopped at a deli before we got there. We then had time to sit & eat our picnic, have a wander, little shop & buy an ice cream.
Have a great time, your trip sounds great.
We also stayed at The Venetian, amazing hotel, we loved it.