San Francisco to San Diego road trip (Corona, Santa Monica: rent, hotel)

[ccm123]

Great photos!

Originally Posted by shoenberg3

Lived in SF bay area for 14 years and an avid traveler. I tend to have packed itineraries so if for ME, Yosemite would be a must, but here is a more "relaxed" itinerary.

SF is going to be pretty busy, particularly since you are arriving on Friday. Here are some advice to avoid the worst of crowds though. On Friday afternoon/night, drive to Golden Gate Bridge. Make sure to hit precarious strip of the road past the bridge and the left of it (in other words, northwest). If you keep driving, you will hit many scenic vistas (these are truly world-class vistas that trump the tourist traps that are right by the bridge, IMO) and you will eventually arrive at point bonita. You can drive down to the other side of beach (Rodeo beach if I remember correctly) to check out some more beautiful scenery. If you've never seen big trees like Redwoods or Sequoias before (which are amazing if you never seen them before), make some time to hit Muir Woods which is around 20 minute drive north from Golden Gate Bridge. Then come back to the city for the night.

On Saturday, I might be tempted to forego the car altogether and just ride the Muni/Trolley/Taxi to places. You can certainly hit a slew of hot spots by just walking: the Piers, Palace of Fine Arts, Lombard Street, Chinatown, Coit Tower, Alcatraz etc. If you REALLY hate crowds and prefer nature (kind of like me), you could go to the west side of city to do some beautiful gentle hiking near Sutro Baths/Land's End. Golden Gate Park might also be worth a visit. Later on Saturday night, I would drive to Bay Bridge and make sure to stop by treasure island, which is in the middle of the bridge. Wonderful vista of the city and bridge around sunset and nighttime. By Sunday afternoon, start driving south. Stanford has a beautiful campus that is certainly worth a stop (bias here). My town San Jose is sure nice place to live but admittedly bit lacking in tourist interest. Drive the scary serpentine roads to Santa Cruz to stay for the night. I am not a downtown person but I do love the charming downtown they have there. You can wind down at some of the inexpensive spas near downtown. While in Santa Cruz, Cliff dr. to natural bridges and Boardwalk area is some places you might want to hit. Seascape resort just south of Santa Cruz, btw, is an absolutely beautiful place to stay for the night if you have the money (I think ~250 for night).

On the drive to LA, certainly stop by Monterey to check out canary row and maybe the aquarium. Visit Carmel, which really is a quaint seaside town near Monterey and visit some missions (probably the oldest historical structures in California) around there. But for me, the real attraction of the area is the coastal scenery. check out point lobos, 17-mile drive, Bixby bridge, and DEFINITELY, McWay falls (probably one of the best vistas in all of California and I've been to many). You should consider stopping by Big Sur State Park and doing some short hikes; now that I think of it, you can probably see bigger, better trees here instead of Muir Woods. Be warned though, although the coastal scenery is beautiful, the drive down highway 1 is LONG and almost tedious. OK, so you already have Hearst Castle on the list but also make sure to stop by Elephant Seal Vista Point that is few miles north of that castle.

After visiting heart castle, I would recommend leaving highway 1 (the best coastal scenery has already been seen) and going down on highway 101. Consider stopping by Solvang, which is a charming Dutch-themed town. In LA, I would add Getty Villa and Museum to your list. Venice Beach is also nice as is the general Beverly Hills Area (check out Greystone Mansion). I personally found Hollywood bit underwhelming but it might be worth going once. As for rest of LA, it is decidely less photogenic than SF but it does have better theme parks (you might have outgrown them) but, more importantly, diverse and better food. LA truly excels in its ethnic food options like Mexican and Korean (I'm not sure how open you are to Asian cuisine, but Koreatown in LA has ridiculously good food).

On the way to San Diego, since you have seen so much of the ocean already, I would be tempted to veer eastward to check out some desert scenery in palm springs, palm desert, and maybe even Joshua Tree National Park. The Palm Springs Tram is also quite impressive. I am decidedly less familiar with SD area but they certainly do have wonderful weather and great Mexican food. On the latter note, I might consider a border-crossing to Tijuana Mexico for a short while to experience something different (don't drink the tap water!).

Here are some pics that I took of some of the aforementioned places.

Untitled by HSung, on Flickr

Stanford Campus.

IMG_8032 by v1rtu0so, on Flickr

Elephant seal viewpoint

IMG_7700 by v1rtu0so, on Flickr

Chinatown, SF

IMG_9242 by tommynjane, on Flickr

Point Bonita lighthouse

IMG_9364 by tommynjane, on Flickr

Lands End

IMG_7556-1 by tommynjane, on Flickr

Natural Bridges, Santa Cruz

IMG_7779 Panoramass by tommynjane, on Flickr

Vista point (northwest of bridge)

IMG_7821 by tommynjane, on Flickr

Palace of Fine Arts, SF

IMG_4498 by tommynjane, on Flickr

McWay Falls

IMG_5500 by tommynjane, on Flickr

Bay Brdige from Treasure Island

IMG_4063 by tommynjane, on Flickr

Santa Cruz downtown

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by shoenberg3

Here are some pics that I took of some of the aforementioned places.

Untitled by HSung, on Flickr

Stanford Campus.

IMG_8032 by v1rtu0so, on Flickr

Elephant seal viewpoint

IMG_7700 by v1rtu0so, on Flickr

Chinatown, SF

IMG_9242 by tommynjane, on Flickr

Point Bonita lighthouse

IMG_9364 by tommynjane, on Flickr

Lands End

IMG_7556-1 by tommynjane, on Flickr

Natural Bridges, Santa Cruz

IMG_7779 Panoramass by tommynjane, on Flickr

Vista point (northwest of bridge)

IMG_7821 by tommynjane, on Flickr

Palace of Fine Arts, SF

IMG_4498 by tommynjane, on Flickr

McWay Falls

IMG_5500 by tommynjane, on Flickr

Bay Brdige from Treasure Island

IMG_4063 by tommynjane, on Flickr

Santa Cruz downtown

Beautiful pictures! I had always heard the Santa Cruz was run down, but it doesn't look like it from your pictures!

Would it be dumb to fly into SFO on Friday afternoon, drive to Pacifica and stay in a beachfront hotel there, and take public transportation/taxi downtown Friday night and Saturday to see everything down there? Like I said, we won't be there for nightlife so it's not like we care about staying in the midst of all of the activity. We live in the suburbs and we like the suburbs, so staying in the suburbs doesn't bother us at all as long as it doesn't make it too complicated to get where we want to go.

[freepelican]

Santa Cruz has run down portions but certainly not all of it is like that. I would not recommend the boardwalk for your husband. It's a carnival atmosphere. Natural Bridges and the hibernating Monarchs are definitely worth a stop though. If you hit downtown Santa Cruz, expect to spend at least half a day because you'll get caught up in all the cool shops. If you like books, don't miss Logos!!!

I do not understand why you'd want to stay in a Pacific hotel and then take a bus to Santa Cruz or did you mean San Francisco? Personally, I'd want a car for the whole trip so I could stop where I wanted, and you will want to stop, trust me. Pacifica is not the most desirable place either... it's okay but there are certainly way better spots to stay.

It looks like shoenberg is suggesting to visit areas north of the Golden Gate Bridge, i.e. Marin County, like I did. The parks and scenery there are truly exceptional. If it were me, I think I'd opt to stay somewhere in Marin County with a view or right in San Francisco and explore Marin for a whole day. Maybe stay a second night in or near San Fran and then head down the coast taking your time until you hit your Hearst Castle destination. South of this point is not as spectacular. It is pretty but a bit of a let down from what you'll see from Marin County to south Monterey County. Plus, Hwy 1 does not hug the coast as closely and to get to the various beaches and sights, it takes much longer side trips.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by luzianne

Would it be dumb to fly into SFO on Friday afternoon, drive to Pacifica and stay in a beachfront hotel there, and take public transportation/taxi downtown Friday night and Saturday to see everything down there? Like I said, we won't be there for nightlife so it's not like we care about staying in the midst of all of the activity. .

This is a good idea except skip the taxi part. The Pacifica ocean views are great. The beachfront hotels are by Rockaway Beach & the Holiday Inn Express is probably the most reputable. The only good way to do public transportation is to drive to a Bart station from Pacifica or elsewhere on the peninsula. Then take the Bart train to either Powell Station(center of tourist activity) or Embarcadero station(check out the Ferry building views and shops).

From Pacifica it is easiest for tourists to take Highway 1 to the D street exit(just before the merge with the 280). This exit leads one directly into the Colma Bart station. A case could be made for going directly to Daly City Bart but this location may be difficult for visitors to find.

On Friday eve. you could cover some of the downtown part of SF,that is north of Market street and east of Van Ness. I would take the Bart to Embarcadero station. Explore the Ferry Building and shops. Take the F trolley car or walk along the waterfront to Pier 39 & Fisherman's Wharf. This area may be too touristy but it has the great SF views. From there walk up Columbus Ave through North Beach then on to Chinatown. Continue on through Union Square and take the return trip from Powell station.

On Saturday get up very early(to avoid crowds) and explore the western part of SF by car. Possible highlights include the view from Twin Peaks, Golden Gate Park,the Golden Gate Bridge,Legion of Honor,Land's End Trails etc. etc. By late afternoon you might want to head south on the 280 for your next destination.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by freepelican

It looks like shoenberg is suggesting to visit areas north of the Golden Gate Bridge, i.e. Marin County, like I did. The parks and scenery there are truly exceptional. If it were me, I think I'd opt to stay somewhere in Marin County with a view or right in San Francisco and explore Marin for a whole day.

I live in SF and avoid Marin county like the plague. I think the small advantage of nice scenery is not worth the huge disadvantages of driving on crowded & narrow two lane roads and dealing with Golden Gate Bridge traffic jams.

[shoenberg3]

Originally Posted by luzianne

Beautiful pictures! I had always heard the Santa Cruz was run down, but it doesn't look like it from your pictures!

Would it be dumb to fly into SFO on Friday afternoon, drive to Pacifica and stay in a beachfront hotel there, and take public transportation/taxi downtown Friday night and Saturday to see everything down there? Like I said, we won't be there for nightlife so it's not like we care about staying in the midst of all of the activity. We live in the suburbs and we like the suburbs, so staying in the suburbs doesn't bother us at all as long as it doesn't make it too complicated to get where we want to go.

To see Marin County and other sights like Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Park etc. you'd definitely want a car to drive. What you could do is try to find a quieter place to stay over night like Daly City, Sunset District SF, or perhaps north of the bridge in Tiburon (beautiful but expensive).

THe poster above me to avoid Marin County liek a plague due to roads and traffic. Yes the roads are kinda scary at times and the traffic can get bad, but I really think you should still visit due to the scenery. In any case, the traffic isn't really THAT bad (esp. on a Friday I think; I would think it would be busier in parts of SF city proper) and the precarious, serpentine roads I think are part of the attraction.

http://www.timandmadie.com/wp-conten...zelmanRoad.jpg

This is probably the scariest part of the drive (one-way portion); see, it's not that bad unless the driver is too distracted by the vistas !

[freepelican]

Originally Posted by capoeira

I live in SF and avoid Marin county like the plague. I think the small advantage of nice scenery is not worth the huge disadvantages of driving on crowded & narrow two lane roads and dealing with Golden Gate Bridge traffic jams.

Respectfully, the difference may be that you live there. A tourist, especially one from another state, may have a different perspective. I'd personally rather drive there than pretty much anywhere in southern California which can be a nightmare.

[shoenberg3]

Indeed, if you have to avoid Marin County due to traffic, then, by that logic, most of LA would be also off-limits!

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by shoenberg3

Indeed, if you have to avoid Marin County due to traffic, then, by that logic, most of LA would be also off-limits!

Interestingly, when I drove in LA before a year ago it was much better than I expected. I expected it to be scary due to a lot of high speed traffic. Instead, we were pretty much crawling so no danger of any high speed crashes or anything! I guess I expected a lot of traffic and everyone going fast. And I really found the other drivers to be courteous, which I also didn't expect. Maybe it was an anomaly, but around LA I saw people letting traffic merge, taking turns, every other car. In Kansas City, people would be freaking out if traffic were crawling like that, but everyone seemed to take it in stride in CA. The only negative experience I had driving was a lane-splitting motorcycle that pulled RIGHT in front of my passenger side front bumper. Good thing traffic was crawling. If I had been going 10 mph I would have hit him before I even saw him.

[shoenberg3]

Yup. Don't worry too much about traffic in LA and SF, perhaps except for rush hour traffic esp. in LA on weekdays (now THAT might really trap you). There might some slow-downs time to time but nothing too terrible.