Want to take the familia to the Catalina Islands before the peak season but want to be able to enjoy the beach, what is a good time frame to go? Have two young boys.
Frankly, that would be after the peak season - in September or October. Before peak season, you will most likely have very foggy conditions.
Our family is headed to California in March--a little over a week in Los Angeles, a couple of nights in Santa Cruz, and three days in San Francisco. I have no idea what the weather is like on the California coast in March.
Can we expect more rain than sunshine or vice versa?
Thanks for any advice.
what to wearThere%26#39;s no way to predict weather this far in advance - you might have rain, or you might have very warm weather like we have now.
Check weather.com when packing, and pack layers because San Francisco is quite cool, and LA can get warm. Layers are key, here.
what to wearIn San Francisco and Santa Cruz you can usually depend upon upper 60%26#39;s, or if you are lucky, 70%26#39;s (Fahrenheit).
It may or may not be rainy. Not predictable. Be prepared with a lightweight plastic thingie. Umbrellas are a hassle for me, so I usually buy a cheap plastic thingie with a hood.
As someone else said...layer. We have had really cold weather for a few weeks. BUT. Today I am in Windsor, 50 miles north of San Francisco, and I had to take my light sweater off on my two-mile walk.
In other words, be prepared to be cold or warm, but never hot, in March. LA will be warmer.
Now, isn%26#39;t that a helpful answer? %26lt;grin%26gt;. Sorry, that is sping weather in California.
LOL. Your advice is very helpful. I live in the Vancouver area and the weather is just as unpredictable, although we can usually bet it%26#39;s going to rain (anywhere from lightly to an all-out downpour) sometime during the week. It%26#39;s rarely hot here in March though, so California had me wondering what to expect.
Considering your responses I will pack more pants than shorts and running shoes rather than open-toed sandals. Thanks for the advice! :-)
As far as LA - this week we have been wearing shorts and T%26#39;s - but next week could be cold %26amp; rainy. This time of year it is so hard to tell.
Thanks, Juxie. :-)
G%26#39;day all,
Planning to drive from Las Vegas to San Francisco via Death Valley %26amp; Yosemite in mid July.
We would be interested in your thoughts on Bishop as a halfway(ish) stopover.
What can we expect along the way - any points of interest for an Aussie family - 2 adults and 2 kids (13 %26amp; 10)?
Thanks in advance.
I would have dinner in Bishop but sleep in Lee Vining or June Lakes only because they%26#39;re closer to Yosemite. Bishop, however, has more to see and do.
Here are your DRIVING DIRECTIONS geocities.com/touringsfo/…DriveDir.html
“A Trip to Las Vegas…” is an augmenting report for Yosemite, Death Valley, etc.: geocities.com/iconoc/Articles/RoadJJ07.html The report concludes with some point-to-point driving times and distances.
Yes, Bishop will be about have way, but you%26#39;re missing a lot of great sites if you%26#39;re only driving. Yosemite NP deserves at least one full day and Death Valley is an amazing NP not to mention the drive on us395. Can%26#39;t you make is a 3 or 4 days itinerary spending the night in Lone Pine and Yosemite?
You won%26#39;t be sorry.
Tet
If you choose Lee Vining for your overnight stop, you can spend some quality time enjoying Mono Lake. This is not just any old lake, but a unique geological formation and wildlife habitat. It is also a symbol of what happens when the needs of growing cities conflict with nature, and how people can rally to save irreplaceable natural treasures.
http://www.monolake.org/
The Mono Lake Committee has a visitor center on Main Street in Lee Vining. A bit farther north is an interagency visitor center, run by agencies that own and manage national, state, and local parks in the Eastern Sierra. That visitor center has beautiful view of the lake.
Lee Vining has several choices of lodgings. None are extremely luxurious, but I%26#39;ve stayed at a few of them and they were all acceptable. Some have views of Mono Lake, or are within a walk or short ride. The most unique place to stay may be Tioga Lodge, north of town. It%26#39;s a historic place with a rustic atmosphere, gardens, a resstaurant, and views of the lake.
http://www.tiogalodgeatmonolake.com/
I%26#39;ve also stayed at the Yosemite Gateway Motel a couple of times and enjoyed it, but the last time was a couple of years ago.
www.yosemitegatewaymotel.com/default.htm
The best places to experience Mono Lake up close are just north of town at the County Park off Cemetery Road; and south of town on Navy Beach, off Hwy 120 east or 395.
G%26#39;day All,
SwingCha, great info - very detailed and I will look at June Lake or Lee Vining as an overnight spot - just a little concerned about too many mile in one day.
Tet14 - more time... if only we had more, but San Francisco and the coast road back to LA are the priorities.
Frisco_Roadrunner - great info on Mono Lake - we will try to include this as a stop.
I will be going to a convention in Anaheim, staying 3/29 to 4/5 at Marriott or Hilton (can%26#39;t remember which one) next to convention center. I read some of the reviews. How bad can it be?
I have never been to the Marriott but I have stayed at the Hilton on Convention Way several times. Last fall being the most recent. They were undergoing some rennovations and replacing mattresses. But our floor was fine. Our room was not one of the refurbished ones, but still spacious and clean. The pool area is large with several jacuzzis and a pool side bar. The lobby is especially pretty at Christmas time. I wouldn%26#39;t rate this Hilton as one of the best Hiltons that I%26#39;ve been too... but then not the worst either. It%26#39;s just a middle of the road Hilton. I prefer the Anaheim Hilton Suites which is just down the road. For a lower room rate you get a suite and nicer all around experience.
Thanks! Appreciate your comments.
Hi DWRN, I will also be there for the AORN congress! We will be staying at the Peacock Suites in a one bedroom suite with 3 queen beds for lots less money then the cheapest room I could find at Hilton or Marriott and I like the idea of having a microwave and refrigerator in our suite. Send me a PM if you would like to discuss more about Anaheim with another RN.
Hi. My husband and I will be in Burbank this weekend and would like to do a day trip on Saturday. We have it narrowed down to Santa Barabara or Laguna Beach. Which one would have a easier drive on Saturday? We will have a car. Sunday is an option too but we are taking a red eye flight that night and need to be at LAX by 9:30 p.m., so I%26#39;m not sure if the drive to/from Santa Barbara or Laguna Beach is doable on Sunday? Thanks for your help.
This is a holiday weekend, I%26#39;m not sure if you%26#39;ll encounter traffic, but Laguna Beach is closer. And it%26#39;s something to consider for Sunday, not Saturday, since you could just head straight to LAX and avoid having to go all the way back to Burbank.
You can go to Laguna and go straight to LAX afterwards. It%26#39;s a lot closer to LAX than Santa Barbara. But it really depends on what you%26#39;re interested in doing. If you want to go wine tasting, then Santa Barbara is better. If you go to Laguna, you can also go to Newport Beach nearby.
Laguna Beach may be closer, but Santa Barbara is easier to get to especially from Burbank. The drive down the 5 to Laguna Beach is ugly. The 101 is a much more pleasant drive.
I vote for Santa Barbara, too, based on the ease and relative beauty of the drive. Well, once you get into the Agoura Hills, at any rate. Especially once you hit Oxnard and you%26#39;re driving along the coast.
Their concern is getting to LAX after their day trip. Getting from Santa Barbara to LAX can be a nightmare too. That was the point.
Go to Santa Barbara on Saturday and to Laguna Beach on Sunday! You only live once!
SmartCookie, if I%26#39;m reading the OP right, they%26#39;d like to do a day trip on Saturday. Their flight back from LAX is on Sunday, a redeye leaving in the evening at 9:30 PM. So all of Saturday is free without time constraints; only on Sunday would they be restricted. That%26#39;s why I recommended Santa Barbara on Saturday. I agree that it would be a horrid drive to make on Sunday; that would be a better day to choose to do Laguna.
Hi Team,
After many changes, here is a refined version of my September itinery :
Day 0 - Arrive LAX (From Australia)
Days 1-3 Anaheim (DL)
Days 4-7 SF
Days 8-11 NYC
Day 9 WDC
Day 10 NYC
Day 11 NF (Fly)
Days 12-14 NYC
Days 15-17 LV
Days 18-20 GC, MV
Days 21-22 LA
Day 23 Depart LAX (For Australia)
I guess our aim is to get a breif grasp/feel of some of the popular icons in America in limited time.
We still have plenty of time for planning and have gone through 15 versions of our itinery thus far.
Your thoughts/recs from both a detailed and overall perspective??
Wife, 9yo daughter and I
Kangarooo!
On Day 11.....where is ';NF';?
Niagra Falls - Sorry
Your trip will be very tiresome...all those flights...from one city to another...
Some thoughts:
Days 1-3 Anaheim (DL)
Maybe you could drive up to Santa Monica on the 3rd day.
I would stay longer in L.A. at the beginning of your trip and do all the sightseeing and skip the days in the end. You should stay at least Santa Monica, the Hollywood area, Beverly Hills and your daughter would love the Universal Studios!
Be aware that you will be travelling between different times zones in the US and I personally would start with all the West coast places first and then change to the East coast.
L.A., Sf and LV, GC, MV, then NY.
Days 4-7 SF
The amount of days for SF seems ok.
Days 8-11 NYC
Day 9 WDC
Day 10 NYC
Day 11 NF (Fly)
Days 12-14 NYC
Does Day 9 WDC mean that you will fly to WDC for a day trip?
These days would be very tiresome as you will have full days of sightseeing in NY and then far fly in day trips to other areas.
I would spend the days exploring NY in a row and then do the trips.
Or maybe even skip WDC or the NF and spend more time in NY where is so much to see. Maybe go to the Hamptons instead.
Days 15-17 LV
OK.
Days 18-20 GC, MV
ok. Could also be done with just one night inbetween if you do not want to do some hiking in GC.
...and another thought:
Have you ever thought of renting a car and driving up from L.A. to SF along the coastal Highway No.1 - this route is amazing and can be done within 2-3 days.
Then you could also drive from SF to LV as you will then pass through the amazing Death Valley.
great thoughts! Thanks
What are ';Hamptons';?
Is it worth dropping WDC and NF for the extra time in NYC?
We were thinking of cathcing an Amtrack train from DC to NYC (and nto flying).
I was going to spend one day driving south from SF to Big Sur and back to SF. Is this OK?
I was also planning on flying to LV and then driving out to GC and then onto Monument Valley over a 2-3 day period.
Tryign to minimise amount of driving for the kid - gets bored quickly...
K
The Hamptons are beach towns at the very end of Long Island ,which is outside of NYC.
I understnad that being from Australia, you want to get as much in as possible but I don%26#39;t like all the going back and forth from NYC to WDC andthen back and on again to NF and then back etc. Can%26#39;t you just stay in NYC until you are finished and then go to NF,WDC and then fly to LV without all this going back and forth??
Great point.
I will rejig my itinery to suit a more flowing plan.
Isn%26#39;t Long Beach near Sand Diego on West Coast?
How about this for itinery:
LAX to NYC
NYC to BUF
BUF to DCA
DCA to LV
LV to SF
SF to LAX
?
K
My mistake - Long Beach is on West COast..
MUCH better flow!!! Yes Long BEACH is on the west coast BUT just to confuse you there is also a town called Long BEACH on the EAST coast in the area called Long ISLAND. DON%26#39;T try to figure it out!!!
Kanga,
How far do you intend to drive down the Big Sur Coast on the day you are planning it as a day trip from San Francisco? That could end up being a very full day.
Does anyone know the cheapest way for us to get from Marina Del Rey to Knotts Berry Farm? We are a family of five.
Thanks.
LAX - Knotts Berry FarmI like challenging questions like this.
Let%26#39;s see....
The problem is not: ';what%26#39;s the CHEAPEST WAY';; the problem is: ';How to transfer between these areas at all?';
Forget public transit.
Here are the options:
1. Hire a car (which will probably be one of the cheapest options and certainly the most direct -- maybe $75 including gasoline and insurance. Transfer time -- about an hour. You could drop the car off when you get there and you%26#39;re done.
2, Transfer to LAX by taxi ($15 -- 15 minutes). Take the Disneyland Express Bus $61 each way for everyone in your family (when purchased online as a return (round trip -- the ride is about 40 minutes once the coach finishes picking up passengers throughout the airport): http://graylineanaheim.com/airport_info.cfm
So, that%26#39;s $76 so far. Then, you can take the #460 metro bus from Disneyland to Knotts. ($1.25 per person = $6.25 -- about 30 minutes). So, that%26#39;s $82.25 and about 1-1/2 hours.
3. There%26#39;s an ';all public transit'; route -- the Metro #358 bus from southeastern Marina del Rey to a section south of downtown L.A. where you connect with the Metro #460 bus but that route takes 2 hours and 15 minutes (if it isn%26#39;t running late) at a cost of only $3.70 per person but it is likely that you would have to take a taxi to the starting point in Marina del Rey. These are ';city buses'; that have no provision for luggage storage and stop frequently. You are not even guaranteed a seat!
LAX - Knotts Berry FarmPerfect! Well done and thank you!
