US west coast road trip itinerary.
Discussion
To be fair I think the best way to experience LA is to stay in the valley or on the coast and commute in to do stuff...staying downtown would get old pretty fast. I think thats why some people come away with a negative view of the city, as I do hear it quite a bit.
Parts of LA i've experienced that I wasn't personally keen on was Hollywood walk of fame area...it's touristy and sketchy and not a great representation of what LA has to offer, I also think Santa Monica is pretty overrated. But both worth seeing once I guess.
The only time i've ever felt a bit unsafe is using the metro, unless you are with a local I wouldn't recommend it...and it helps to know where the go and no-go areas are during the day and night across the city as a whole.
LA is really a collection of small cities/towns all joined together rather than one city, you can pick and choose to your preferences to get the best experience.
Parts of LA i've experienced that I wasn't personally keen on was Hollywood walk of fame area...it's touristy and sketchy and not a great representation of what LA has to offer, I also think Santa Monica is pretty overrated. But both worth seeing once I guess.
The only time i've ever felt a bit unsafe is using the metro, unless you are with a local I wouldn't recommend it...and it helps to know where the go and no-go areas are during the day and night across the city as a whole.
LA is really a collection of small cities/towns all joined together rather than one city, you can pick and choose to your preferences to get the best experience.
Yeah I hasten to add that just because I wasn't a fan of LA doesnt mean I think others shouldn't go there. I'm glad I went and we had some nice experiences there, but I wouldn't rush back. I'm still contemplating moving out there for work but I'd probably live somewhere like Ventura. In a place as friendly and polite as California, I just found LA a little more cut-throat in that it has the kind of grit that you would expect of an English city. Even the 'nicer' places tend to be surrounded by incredible poverty and homelessness. I found Malibu a little odd too; there's nothing really there and most of the beachfront apartments look ready to collapse, but then they'll have a Ferrari F12 or Bentley on the drive.
The only two places I felt I had to watch my back on that whole road-trip was a ghetto in Oakland and in downtown LA.
As I say though, it didn't help that we were in Yosemite the day before which is an absolute paradise and we'd spent the night in Morro Bay which is incredibly charming. By comparison the LA I saw felt more like Afghanistan than Dubai. It's hard to call the whole of Afghanistan a dive, but I wouldnt rush back there either!
The only two places I felt I had to watch my back on that whole road-trip was a ghetto in Oakland and in downtown LA.
As I say though, it didn't help that we were in Yosemite the day before which is an absolute paradise and we'd spent the night in Morro Bay which is incredibly charming. By comparison the LA I saw felt more like Afghanistan than Dubai. It's hard to call the whole of Afghanistan a dive, but I wouldnt rush back there either!
Pillskii said:
- day 5 drive down PCH. Thinking an air bnb in Morro bay or one of the small towns on the coast.
filthypig said:
You definitely won’t need a car in SF. Parking is very expensive.
Recommendations of hotels...
SF hotel - The Huntington on Nob Hill.
To counter those points we stayed at Becks Motor Lodge where parking was free. It right on the historic tram line on Market Street too. Only used the car briefly whilst there, to do a loop / explore around the bay bridges and visit a Walmart in RichmondRecommendations of hotels...
SF hotel - The Huntington on Nob Hill.
(Get a 'Clipper' card for Oyster type travel around the city)
I probably did this wrong compared to what others have been saying, but we did way more than you in two weeks!
Before photobucket did its thing I had a very good thread with all details we did.
Anyway, we had a car for the whole holiday paying parking where ever (yes expensive I agree) - my wife is also a Disney fan hence the stay at anahaim.
Anyway - we did this:
Actually just found it - hope link works https://www.ukcorsa-d.com/forum/showthread.php?343...
Before photobucket did its thing I had a very good thread with all details we did.
Anyway, we had a car for the whole holiday paying parking where ever (yes expensive I agree) - my wife is also a Disney fan hence the stay at anahaim.
Anyway - we did this:
Actually just found it - hope link works https://www.ukcorsa-d.com/forum/showthread.php?343...
gazza5 said:
I probably did this wrong compared to what others have been saying, but we did way more than you in two weeks!
Before photobucket did its thing I had a very good thread with all details we did.
Anyway, we had a car for the whole holiday paying parking where ever (yes expensive I agree) - my wife is also a Disney fan hence the stay at anahaim.
Anyway - we did this:
Actually just found it - hope link works https://www.ukcorsa-d.com/forum/showthread.php?343...
Great pics and write up. Done everything you did, in fact got back just over a week ago.Before photobucket did its thing I had a very good thread with all details we did.
Anyway, we had a car for the whole holiday paying parking where ever (yes expensive I agree) - my wife is also a Disney fan hence the stay at anahaim.
Anyway - we did this:
Actually just found it - hope link works https://www.ukcorsa-d.com/forum/showthread.php?343...
Fly into SF in June for another road trip. Got four weeks and going as far as Moab, then winding back to SF.
David Beer said:
Great pics and write up. Done everything you did, in fact got back just over a week ago.
Fly into SF in June for another road trip. Got four weeks and going as far as Moab, then winding back to SF.
Was in Moab in October, fantastic place. Make sure to hike to Delicate Drch later in the day to be present when the sun gets low. Fly into SF in June for another road trip. Got four weeks and going as far as Moab, then winding back to SF.
TheTrash said:
Was in Moab in October, fantastic place. Make sure to hike to Delicate Drch later in the day to be present when the sun gets low.
Done Moab maybe 15 times, done that arch and many others. Always camp at willows flat in Islands in the sky, prefer that to Arches. Fave place in Moab, Zaks. But then again the micro brewery !David Beer said:
TheTrash said:
Was in Moab in October, fantastic place. Make sure to hike to Delicate Drch later in the day to be present when the sun gets low.
Done Moab maybe 15 times, done that arch and many others. Always camp at willows flat in Islands in the sky, prefer that to Arches. Fave place in Moab, Zaks. But then again the micro brewery !arfur said:
Was in Moab last summer staying in a RV park in the centre .. lovely place and so much to see and do on your doorstep. Really enjoyed the area !
Stayed at that park in a motor home on three occasions, before heading up to islands in the sky, quite different !This summer i stayed in Moab at the new Home Suites in mid June for one night. Did white water rafting, balloon ride, Hummer slick rock and a few other activities. Back this June !
Edited by David Beer on Wednesday 30th January 18:56
Bobo W said:
We're going at Easter - flying into Phoenix - driving to Vegas via Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Bryce Canyon then taking internal flight SF and driving to LA via Monterey, Cambria and Santa Barbara
Been lucky to have done all on your itinerary, you will have a great timeGassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff