San Diegeo / LA route - any suggestions?

[Jaguar steve]

Planning a holiday for my daughter on the west coast this August and she'll be driving from San Diego to LA. The coastal road between the two cities is the obvious choice but is there anything I'm missing? Inland route and take a bit more time maybe? Any worthwile detours or sights on the way?

Any suggestions welcome. Cheers Chaps

[davepoth]

The coast route is really rather dull, not much to see apart from Mexicans walking north.

[Bezerk]

I've been up as far as Carlsbad which is around the halfway point before hitting the lower suburbs which form the massive LA sprawl.

There isn't much on the way. I was told La Jolla was worth seeing, but it isn't.

My advice would be drive to Carlsbad, stop for a meal, then press onto LA.

[Strangely Brown]

Personally, I wouldn't bother with the coast until north of LA. You might prefer to go inland up 15 and take a detour up to Palomar. Old Town Temecula is quite nice but other than that there is not really a lot between SD and LA apart from Pendleton and they don't really let you look around there.

[YRRunner]

Strangely Brown said:

Personally, I wouldn't bother with the coast until north of LA.

I find that comment very surprising.
PCH all the way baby. Definately stop for coffee and people watching in La Jolla (just north of SD), then have a look around Del Mar (famous racecourse), then the beautiful Orange County towns of Dana Point (great harbour shops & restaurants), Laguna Beach (simply stunning scenery and beaches, try to find Thousand Steps beach and just lig out for an hour, ask the locals where it is), Newport Beach, Balboa Island (not really an island, a bridge from Newport Beach), Fashion Island just inland of Newport Beach (also not an island but probably the worlds prettiest and most exclusive shopping district, with great restaurants), the surfer's paradise Huntington Beach (eat at Duke's on the beach and have a pint at Huntington Beach Brewing Company on 1st Street, watch the extreme surfers or better still, have a beach bbq in one of the concrete bbq pits, toast some marshmallows and watch the sun go down), Long Beach (especially Shoreline Village - great Taco's and massive schooners of beer), before heading up to the LA beach areas of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Marina Del Rey and absolutely don't miss a walk down to see the crazies at Venice Beach. Jeez, there's so much to see and do. I lived there for 10 years, still think of it every day. Dana Point, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach

[The Leaper]

Hi Mark,

Well, fancy me finding out you lived in the south of LA for a while! A friend of a friend owned a hotel at Laguna Beach so wife and I spent a week there several years ago. Landed in San Fransisco, did PCH southwards (the best way, of course) then San Diego thenand Laguna Beach. This was in late February a few years ago and a great time of year with few tourists around.

I entirely agree with your summary of the area and we seemed to do quite a bit of it.

Trust you are keeping well. Enjoy LM2012 (great shame my son and I cannot make it this year!)

regards
R.

[YRRunner]

The Leaper said:

Hi Mark,

Well, fancy me finding out you lived in the south of LA for a while! A friend of a friend owned a hotel at Laguna Beach so wife and I spent a week there several years ago. Landed in San Fransisco, did PCH southwards (the best way, of course) then San Diego thenand Laguna Beach. This was in late February a few years ago and a great time of year with few tourists around.

I entirely agree with your summary of the area and we seemed to do quite a bit of it.

Trust you are keeping well. Enjoy LM2012 (great shame my son and I cannot make it this year!)

regards
R.

Hi Roger. Yes, I started in Huntington Beach then moved south to Newport, then Laguna Beach for 4 years before moving to Maui, Hawaii for 7 years. The best period of my life. I miss it still (came back to the UK in 2000 after selling my interests there and I'm still finding it hard to acclimatise in truth). Having said that, it would have been difficult to reach Le Mans from there! Getting excited now. Can't wait. Sorry you chaps won't be there this year. All the best Roger.

[Jaguar steve]

Cheers everyone