How easy is it to drive?

Myself and husband are staying at Peacock suites for 5 nights in Sept 2008. Originally we are not planning to hire a car but just how easy is it to drive way to places like San Diego- Carlsbad etc?

Being from England just a bit worried about being on wrong side of road and getting lost etc.

How good is public transport in downtown Anaheim and are there any bars-restaurants within walking distance of Peacock Suites?

Karen

How easy is it to drive?

You%26#39;ll do fine driving from Anaheim down to Carlsbad and San Diego. Just remember that our freeways are much bigger and wider than the dual carriageways in England. Once you get on the 5 Freeway South it%26#39;s a straight shot to Carlsbad (and on to San Diego). There are carpool lanes that you can get use also.

Our traffic signs and symbols are a little different than yours, but you%26#39;ll easily recognize or understand them. One important thing to remember when driving in California - the pedestrian ALWAYS has the right of way. If someone is crossing the street or walks in front of you, you must give way. This was the scariest part of being in the UK for me. I almost got KILLED trying to cross the street.

Driving locally, we don%26#39;t have roundabouts at our intersections. Regular traffic lights and stop signs. Which makes getting on and off the freeways much less frightening than in England.

It%26#39;s hard to drive down the wrong side of the street when there is usually a divider down the middle. :)

Enjoy.

How easy is it to drive?

traffic il la itself is very heavy but there are motorways everywhere so as long as you have good directions you can get around ok

once out of the la connurbation it is pretty easy

san diego is a really nice place and the zoo and wild animal park are well worth a visit

given a free hand my advice would be to visit san diego rather than la - to get the most out of your la trip plan in detail where you want to go each day and make sure you know how to get from place to place

we where there from Oz Dec 23 to Jan 9, hires a car and 1st thing we did was buy a navigator you can rent there but worked cheaper to buy one, if yo already have one you can buy the maps but definitely a worthwhile investment, we drove around LA, Venice Beach, SD , to Los Vegas, to Lake Arrowhead and didnt have much of a problem also it enables the passenger to see more instead of watching for signs all the time.

Not sue where Peacock Suites are but I recommend you go to the Cheesescake factory, good meals, good prices and service have a great time we did.

Freeway driving on the other side of the road is easy. Street driving is where the hazard lies especially after making a turn. You have the good fortune of a passenger who will help you to stay where you ought.

For the rest, though, take al ook at this commentary:

geocities.com/iconoc/Articles/LAdrive.html

We stayed at the Peacock Suites about 3 years ago, and I do not recall a restaurant or bar being nearby. If I recall, we drove to a fast food place (such as Taco Bell) to grab quick meals or ate in the parks. It seemed like it was a bit removed from the Disneyland area where alot of food places are located. And it did not have it%26#39;s own restaurant at teh time we were there.....

Driving on the %26#39;wrong%26#39;side is a breeze after an hour or two of intense concentration. Your best asset is a good navigator, ie. it%26#39;s so much easier when it%26#39;s a team effort.

And you experience so much more driving yourself around, plus it gives you the opportunity to linger at, or move on quickly from places as they take your fancy or otherwise.

Another day trip we like is driving to Long Beach to see the Queen Mary (www.queenmary.com) and then on to Santa Monica; lovely place and, according to my wife, great shopping.

Don%26#39;t know the Peacock, so can%26#39;t help you there.