West Coast Vacation

[normsw]

10 days is not enough; Calif. is too big. Maybe south as far as Santa Barbara (that's the best part of S. Cal anyway except for San Diego) and enjoy Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, Morrow Bay and San Luis Obispo along the way. You will eat up HOURS AND HOURS of precious time on clogged freeways south of Santa Barbara and end up stressed out. Fly into San Diego and rent a car to see that area. End of suggestion.

[Pier]

Originally Posted by jerseyprincess

My husband and I are planning a trip for Feb to the West Coast. It will be for 10 days. We are flying to Oregon and going to Portland and Seattle for 2 days. After that, we want to drive through California. I know we are limited to about 8 days, so I would like to know what would be the "highlight" points to see. We definately want to do San Francisco, maybe Napa, and then I guess So Cal??? We wanna do the Hollywood thing, Los Angeles, maybe Huntington Beach. We are really up for anything: NOT into zoos, Disneyland or this Legoland I keep seeing. Any suggestions? Anything really beautiful? I just want to get the most out of my quick trip. Any help would be appreciated!

You will drive drive 634 miles for about 9 hours 54 minutes to get from Portland to San Francisco -- without any snow on I-5 in Oregon.

You will not get any better eateries in San Francisco than you can get in Portland, Seattle, Philly or Boston. In Portland, you will get better local brewed ales.

You will find uptight urbanites going about their lives in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento -- perhaps the four worst places to visit in California. Most folks here sit stalled in traffic, robbing banks, dealing crack, gang banging.

Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach Mahattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach -- these are lifeless places filled with 20 to 40 something soulless upscale drunks and druggies. You can go in Manhattan NYC for the same.

Napa, Sonoma wine valleys have the buzz name and the freaky hippies turned megamillionaires, with the imported from France chef sprinkled here and there.

Disneyland, Legoland, Universal City Walk, Hollywood Walk of Fame, 3rd Street Promenade -- these places leave you empty, begging you to lie to your friends and kin about the swell time you had visiting them. Deep down, you will know that the TV commericals fake them better than real life.

Santa Cruz gives you the hokey Lost Boys mixed with the Jersey Shore brought back.

Authentic California

You find authentic California, soul filling, life awakening California in these places:

[1] the big parks -- Redwood, Lava Beds, Lassen Volcanic, Point Reyes, Pinnacles, Channel Islands, Carrizo Plain, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Anza Borrego

[2] the seashore towns -- Capitola, Seaside, Sand City, Monterey, Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove, Carmel, Cambria, Morro Bay, Avila Beach, Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, San Luis Obispo, Goleta, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Ventura

[3] the tucked away towns -- Ojai, Solvang

[4] the better vineyard dales with world-known Chardonneys and Pinot Noirs -- Santa Ynez Valley, Arroyo Grande Valley, Edna Valley

[5] the small parks -- Humbolt Redwoods, Big Sur, JP Burns, Morro Bay, Gaviota, San Buenaventura, Point Magu

[6] the sunset piers -- Capitola Wharf, Monterey Wharf, Cayucos Pier, Harford Pier at Avila Beach, Pismo Beach Pier, San Simeon Pier, Goleta Pier, Sterns Wharf, Ventura Pier, Port Hueneme Pier

[7] authentic driving on the US 1, US 395 and CA 99 and NEVER on the Interstates -- I5, I405, I10, I210, I110, I15, I215

[8] skiing -- Mt. Shasta, Tahoe, Mammoth, Big Bear

Where to Go If You Want

If you want to gamble, go to Las Vegas, Laughlin, Reno. California Casinos amount to nothing more than slots.

If you want entertainment, go to Las Vegas, Manhattan (NYC).

California and Casadia: Too Big to See in One Trip

The states of California and Oregon are big, far bigger than you imagine. Washington spans a great area.

You would help yourself better if you split your trip into two trips, each spanning at least two full weeks.

A better trip would focus upon the Puget sound -- Vancouver, Victoria on Vancouver Island, some lesser islands, Seattle, Mt. Baker, Whistler skiing -- and Portland, Columbia Gorges, Oregon Coast, Mt. Hood skiing.

A better trip would focus upon the authentic Californa I wrote about above.

[howefortunate]

I have lived in California all of my life. The most beautiful areas in my opinion are :

1. Yosemite National Park - The huge granite mountains are totally awesome.
2. Lake Tahoe - This is a gorgeous, clear lake located in a beautiful setting high in the Sierras.
3. Carmel/Monterey Area - lovely coastal scenery and good wineries, too.
4. Napa - great wines (Visit Plan Your Own Napa Valley Wine Tour for information on wineries).
5. San Diego - a lovely coastal city with spectacular sunsets, miles of beaches, and lots of things to do. (Romantic Things to Do in San Diego)

[calif]

I think the original post was in 2006. I bet she already has come and gone.

[Sambazon]

As for the highway-1 suggestion, be careful when you're heading southbound from Monterey towards San Luis Obispo County. Getting from Monterey to San Simeon in SLO County (where Hearst Castle is located) is about 90 miles....about 2 hours of driving on a beautiful scenic, yet VERY narrow windy road.