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Old 05-30-2007, 01:29 PM
 
122 posts, read 487,280 times
Reputation: 48

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Glad to hear you chose Sonoma and can't wait to hear all about your adventure when you return.
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Old 05-30-2007, 04:55 PM
 
Location: Oxnard, CA on the way to Raleigh NC
306 posts, read 1,190,420 times
Reputation: 149
Talking And.....

Don't forget on the way to LA stop by the Santa Ynez area - the local news just did a thing on it and the vineyards are getting more and more attention. And stop by the little town of Los Olivos and stop in Mattie's. It is a restaurant and tavern and the reporter said they have some of the best wines.

If you get a chance on the way to LA stop by Ventura Harbor. It is about a two miles off the freeway. It is such a cool place for lunch or dinner. There is Andrea's Seafood, which is supposed to be the best in Ventura County. Very casual and you can take it to go and sit at the harbor and eat or go accross the street and sit on the beach. There is a good old fashioned ice cream parlor there too. I don't think you will have time but there are even paddle boats to go out in the harbor. If interested - take the Seaward exit on the 101 freeway. Turn left at the signal at the end of the off ramp, this is Harbor Blvd. Stay on Harbor Blvd for about 1-2 miles until you get to Spinnaker and turn right and guess what, You are at the harbor. There are other reastaurants there and several gift shops. Even (and yes you did not mention any kids) there is a giant merry-go-round that cost 10 cents and they even let us grown ups ride . So if you have the time it is a nice break, and waaaayyyyyy better than Dennys (yes I like them too).


Have a GREAT trip and we wanna see pics when you return

Char
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Old 05-30-2007, 05:24 PM
 
9,848 posts, read 30,213,450 times
Reputation: 10516
Thumbs up I know this is the Raleigh forum, but you have all given great advice on CA!

Quote:
Originally Posted by JustChar View Post
Don't forget on the way to LA stop by the Santa Ynez area - the local news just did a thing on it and the vineyards are getting more and more attention. And stop by the little town of Los Olivos and stop in Mattie's. It is a restaurant and tavern and the reporter said they have some of the best wines.

If you get a chance on the way to LA stop by Ventura Harbor. It is about a two miles off the freeway. It is such a cool place for lunch or dinner. There is Andrea's Seafood, which is supposed to be the best in Ventura County. Very casual and you can take it to go and sit at the harbor and eat or go accross the street and sit on the beach. There is a good old fashioned ice cream parlor there too. I don't think you will have time but there are even paddle boats to go out in the harbor. If interested - take the Seaward exit on the 101 freeway. Turn left at the signal at the end of the off ramp, this is Harbor Blvd. Stay on Harbor Blvd for about 1-2 miles until you get to Spinnaker and turn right and guess what, You are at the harbor. There are other reastaurants there and several gift shops. Even (and yes you did not mention any kids) there is a giant merry-go-round that cost 10 cents and they even let us grown ups ride . So if you have the time it is a nice break, and waaaayyyyyy better than Dennys (yes I like them too).


Have a GREAT trip and we wanna see pics when you return

Char
Thanks for the tips! Actually my wife and I hit the Santa Ynez area a few years back. Really loved the area. I seem to recall going to the Fess Parker Vinyard.

We leave in 4 days can't wait. We are finalizing our plans over the next few days. We have all of our hotels booked except for our last night in LA before we fly out of LAX.

Anybody know a good place to stay in LA conveinent to the airport? We are looking for a place under $200 / night that has a bar or lounge in the lobby so we can grab drink after our long drive down from Northern CA!

Thanks again!
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Old 05-30-2007, 05:54 PM
 
122 posts, read 487,280 times
Reputation: 48
I recommed "The Standard Hotel" in downtown L.A. This hotel is awesome, in a vibrant part of downtown and about 15 minutes to LAX. LA's downtown is going through a renaissance with nightlife and terrific restaurants. Here's a link to the hotel:

The Standard Hotels in Hollywood, Downtown L.A. and Miami Beach

Last edited by NCBOUND123; 05-30-2007 at 05:55 PM.. Reason: grammar error
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Old 05-30-2007, 08:32 PM
 
1,246 posts, read 4,178,215 times
Reputation: 1069
Oh, those pictures sure make me miss our coast house! Definitely check out the shopping in Sonoma. Lots of nice things to be found there. Take lots and lots of pictures for us to see!!!! (ocean/cliff pics are always appreciated!) Oh, have you been to Hearst Castle right off 1? Something I would highly recommend seeing if you get a chance.
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Old 05-31-2007, 04:06 PM
 
Location: Oxnard, CA on the way to Raleigh NC
306 posts, read 1,190,420 times
Reputation: 149
I stayed at the Sheraton at the LAX Airport years ago. It was nice (make sure to close your curtains before bed to avoid on coming planes headlights) and there was a restaurant and bar downstairs. Not sure on the price since it was through work. Hey I Googled and look what I found - good price - I would suggest reservations. I wasn't sure on your exact date so just guessed - anyway here you go (there are 2 Sheratons near the airport - this one is the Four Points Sheraton LAX) Rooms start at $95

FourPoints Sheraton LAX
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Old 06-01-2007, 03:32 PM
 
9,848 posts, read 30,213,450 times
Reputation: 10516
Thumbs up Thank You!

Alrighty! Thanks again to all you CA transplants and transplants to be for helping me plan our trip to Sunny California. We head out tomorrow for our big trip. I am looking forward to Driving down the 101 from Arcata to Los Angeles with a stop in Sonoma along the way!

Thanks to the mods for not moving this thread as I have found the CA folks on this board to be very helpful. I will try and post a few scenic pics when we get back.

I'm outta here!
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Old 06-02-2007, 02:42 PM
 
1,489 posts, read 5,680,564 times
Reputation: 553
Quote:
Originally Posted by JustChar View Post
Don't forget on the way to LA stop by the Santa Ynez area - the local news just did a thing on it and the vineyards are getting more and more attention. And stop by the little town of Los Olivos and stop in Mattie's. It is a restaurant and tavern and the reporter said they have some of the best wines.

If you get a chance on the way to LA stop by Ventura Harbor. It is about a two miles off the freeway. It is such a cool place for lunch or dinner. There is Andrea's Seafood, which is supposed to be the best in Ventura County. Very casual and you can take it to go and sit at the harbor and eat or go accross the street and sit on the beach. There is a good old fashioned ice cream parlor there too. I don't think you will have time but there are even paddle boats to go out in the harbor. If interested - take the Seaward exit on the 101 freeway. Turn left at the signal at the end of the off ramp, this is Harbor Blvd. Stay on Harbor Blvd for about 1-2 miles until you get to Spinnaker and turn right and guess what, You are at the harbor. There are other reastaurants there and several gift shops. Even (and yes you did not mention any kids) there is a giant merry-go-round that cost 10 cents and they even let us grown ups ride . So if you have the time it is a nice break, and waaaayyyyyy better than Dennys (yes I like them too).


Have a GREAT trip and we wanna see pics when you return

Char

Los Olivos is a great little town, and they actually filmed part of the movie Sideways there. And Fess Parker is a great winery. I was in the wine business for a long time, and spent my honeymoon in Wine Country. My wife and I actually toured Fess Parker with Fess' son Eli who runs the show.

The winery was also featured in Sideways, but was called Frass Canyon.
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Old 06-18-2007, 04:06 PM
 
9,848 posts, read 30,213,450 times
Reputation: 10516
Thanks to all of you for helping us make this such a great trip. My wife and I really enjoyed our recent trip to CA. I have posted some pics on the CA forum if you are interested in checking out the pics, here is the link to the CA thread:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/calif...tml#post907551

FYI,

We actually flew out of the Charlotte Airport because it was much cheaper by far. I'm not sure if this is always the case, but it definitely saved us a few hundred dollars. We also got to park for free since when we retunred to Charlotte it was 2am and nobody was at the long term parking gate to collect money from us. The Airport Shuttle driver told us if nobody was at the gate just drive on through!

In the future I hope to fly out of RDU since driving back at 2am wasn't the best way to end a great trip! Thanks again for all of your suggestions. California is a beautiful state, but I am happy to be back in NC!!
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Old 06-18-2007, 08:16 PM
 
1,246 posts, read 4,178,215 times
Reputation: 1069
Wonderful photos!! Didn't realize I missed Mendocino so much until I saw your photos. (sniff, sniff) Made me chuckle a bit too when I saw the photos of the Ledson winery. A friend's family owns that winery so it was funny to see the "castle" in the photos. Ahh, Cali. I do miss parts of it! Glad you had a good time and great news about the free parking!
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