Californians, plz read

[Captain KRM P5]

Ok gang, need some advice...

After much "discussion" (read: yelling and throwing blunt objects) with the fiance' we settled on California for our honeymoon in October. I was hoping for Tokyo, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Germany (yeah I know, a rather eclectic mix of locales) but in the end the furthest plane ride I could convince her to take was the city that's untouchable like Elliot Ness

I would like some input/advice as to whats good to do, where to go, things to see, etc when we come out there. I was hoping generally to see Disneyland, see Legoland (i am a big kid ) and go up to Hollywood and see everything that is wrong with this country.

So have at it, fill me in on the good, the bad, the ugly, the pretty.

 

[Smork]

good luck with traffic Anywhere in Southern California is usually terrible.

-Perhaps check out some local listings for huge concerts? We get alot of em.
-Check out Knotts berry farm?
-Go play at the beach
-i don't know. I've lived here for 21 years and it's still boring

 

[Captain KRM P5]

thanks for the info. is the whole vineyard/wine thing played out? i also want to rent a bad ass car when we are down there whats reasonable in that regard, lol.

the berry farm sounds fun. also, how far are the mighty redwood forests from SoCal?

 

[wicked]

yeah,about cali.I have been all over it,and other states,there isn't much to so,there is really nice beaches,and a nice mall in sandiego.if you played yur s*** right,you could come to cali,and jump on a boat for a criuse to mexico or somethin,but hangin around cali aint much fun,
you can always go sell your girl in LA,then pick up a new cali girl!

but really,even the beaches aren't very nice anymore,they are all dirty as hell.

 

[Alpinejwl]

i say you rent a Mazda so that we can cruise around Cali...that's much more fun than to go to any "park" or "land"

 

[Captain KRM P5]

 

[RODSCALIP5]

Places to go: Disney, Knotts, Magic Mountain, Catalina Island, Seaworld, Santa Monica Pier, Redondo Beach, Mission Beach, La Jolla Cove, Gaslamp in SD .

Skip: LegoLand(too expensive), Universal Studios, Hollywood, Beverly Hills,

Clubs: Go to Pacific Beach in SD, they have nice clubs down there, also the clubs in at the Gaslamp are o.k. Hollywood has some good clubs.

For your honeymoon, I would highly recommend going to Catalina and spending a couple of days out there. It is very romantic.

 

[Dexter]

California?!

0.o
o

 

[Mr. Win]

Ive heard great things about catalina island as well. Gorgeous area i think you can kayak and stuff. If you want to stay cheap and do alot you could fly into Vegas (always cheap flights) hit the grand canyon, death valley, san fransico and loop back around. just a thought.

 

[Alpinejwl]

really Captain. I would get a nice hotel near the beach (prehaps Santa Monica, or Venice), then take her to San Antonio Winery for some free wine tasting. If you have enough time, go to Getty Museum, then dinner in Pasadena. You can rent a limo ride (scenic route) for about 200 bucks, or a Helicoper ride around So Cal. (I can hook you up if you need that). If you are hitting up Nor Cal, I would drive on the PCH and watch the sunset on 17 mile drive. that's what I would do and have done b4 =p

 

[FemGearHead]

You should consider northern Cal. Muir woods is great. Napa valley offers a lot to do, with some of the best food around. San Francisco is a bit touristy, but you can always find some nice off the beaten path places.

 

[Captain KRM P5]

really Captain. I would get a nice hotel near the beach (prehaps Santa Monica, or Venice), then take her to San Antonio Winery for some free wine tasting. If you have enough time, go to Getty Museum, then dinner in Pasadena. You can rent a limo ride (scenic route) for about 200 bucks, or a Helicoper ride around So Cal. (I can hook you up if you need that). If you are hitting up Nor Cal, I would drive on the PCH and watch the sunset on 17 mile drive. that's what I would do and have done b4 =p

what is the PCH? pac coast highway? what are some nice hotels?

Ive heard great things about catalina island as well. Gorgeous area i think you can kayak and stuff. If you want to stay cheap and do alot you could fly into Vegas (always cheap flights) hit the grand canyon, death valley, san fransico and loop back around. just a thought.

eh, not a fan of vegas not at all. she loves it but it really makes my skin crawl. kayaking would be L337, as would the canyon and death valley

Places to go: Disney, Knotts, Magic Mountain, Catalina Island, Seaworld, Santa Monica Pier, Redondo Beach, Mission Beach, La Jolla Cove, Gaslamp in SD .

Skip: LegoLand(too expensive), Universal Studios, Hollywood, Beverly Hills,

Clubs: Go to Pacific Beach in SD, they have nice clubs down there, also the clubs in at the Gaslamp are o.k. Hollywood has some good clubs.

For your honeymoon, I would highly recommend going to Catalina and spending a couple of days out there. It is very romantic.

most helpful indeed, many thanx. i am not a clubber per se but i know she sure is. i will have to check out catalina as well it sounds nice.

 

[anarchistchiken]

Some advice for California? Stay the **** away form LA. About the single most un-rmantic place ever. Disneyland is always fun, but avoid hig traffic times like all summer and christmas time. I would say go to Catalina if you really just have to go to LA, but ideally just fly there and get on a boat and take a cruise, or go to Seattle or San Fransisco or somewhere else. I lived in La for 4 years, and I'll never willingly go back. But maybe that's just me.

 

[Matthew]

Dont come ANYWHERE near mid-norcal (on the coast). the weather sucks, its always foggy, and cold (unless you like highs of 60-65 plus fog and wind), and stupidly expensive.

frankly, i hate this place and cant wait to move. i hear that san diego etc are gorgeous but never been except to drive through. im saying monterey (which is listed as top 100 places to go before you die or something) is like pissing your money away. once yo get up to santa cruz area its pretty nice weather, though not much to do unless you surf, until you get back up to san fran which i think is an umpressive town (with the same bad weather and fog).

 

[jrodhotrod]

There is lots of great stuff to do in California, but something that would be awesome for a honeymoon is a cruise that runs up and down the California coast if you can afford it.

I took my wife on a 7 day cruise down the mexican riviera and it was awesome. October is late in the season but there are still some cruise lines offering pacific coast cruises that start in Seattle and work there way down the coast and end in Southern California or San Francisco (depending on duration).

Cruising is the ultimate way to go for a honeymoon. It is so nice to not have to worry about anything, get totally pamepered with top rate food, entertainment, and activities on shore and on board. We were both exhausted on the first day of our honeymoon and ended up sleeping most of the time, with a cruise there was no rush to go anywhere or see anything so we could just sleep

IF you don't want to go the cruise route there are awesome things all over the state.

Many of these have been mentioned:

SoCal:

San Diego Area: (Old Town, Sea World, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, Legoland, Tijuana Mexico, Balboa Park) Awesome weather year round.

Los Angeles Vicinty: So many things to do here but the people and traffic are plentiful. Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Disney's California Adventure (if you choose to stay at the disneyland resort area get a hopper pass and do both parks it's worth it.), Six Flags Magic Mountain (Awesome roller coaster park), Universal Studios, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, TV Studios (show tapings are always fun and usually free), etc.. etc...

Misc. Southern California: Death Valley, Palm Springs

Northern California: San Fancisco Bay Area, Lots to do here, Alcatraz, fishermans wharf, palace of fine arts, museums, awesome roads for driving, Wine Country to the north, Silicon Valley area to the south with Paramount's Great America theme park, visit Jared and other Mazda members (he he), Winchester Mystery House, San Jose Sharks hockey should be in swing by October, Concerts, Santa Cruz beach, Beach Boardwalk, Coastal Redwoods, Pacific Coast Highway, Big Sur, Coastal Redwoods, Yosemite, Monterey Bay Area (Aquarium is world class)

And there are a zillion and one other things to do around here. That is one reason that I LOVE California.

And for the record, I live in the Silicon Valley Area of the Bay Area and love it, the only place I have been where I think I might rather live is the San Diego area. But that's about it.

 

[nicpic]

If you are going out to California, why don't you go to Washington. There are beautiful mountians and if you go around the Pugit Sound, there are great scenes and things to do. If you really want sonething to do go into Seatle to the market.

 

[Captain KRM P5]

keep the good suggestions coming folks

 

[Notorious]

You'll love california. The san diego area, especailly north san diego is extremely beautiful. I work in carlsbad (same city as legoland) and live in oceanside, next town north. If you go to legoland let me know, as I think I can get a discount from my work. The beaches in carlsbad/encinitas/cardiff by the sea is wonderful. Speaking of cardiff, have a nice dinner at charlies by the sea or beach house. The restaurant is right on the beach with the most beautiful view ever.

For the bar scene there are a lot of option. If you are for all out partying its pacific beach in san diego. Lots of great bars. For a more upscale experience the gaslamp is great. Also cardiff and carlsbad have some pretty good bars that have more of the laid back crowds. Really depends what you are into. Or you could be like me, hit them all up. Orange county also has some great clubs, depending when you go you could hit up one of the big ones.

Also you have to hit up the pacific coast highway. Start in San Diego and head up up to LA. It's one of the most amazing drives and there is so much culture on the way. Honestly there is so much to do around here, quite a few people I know who are married in so cal also have their honeymoon in so cal.

 

[Captain KRM P5]

MOCC needs to found a travel agency

 

[Notorious]

BTW, October is actually a great time to come down. Generally the weather is a little bit cooler, and the beaches are much less crowded compared to the summer months.