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California, here we come!

photogirllizphotogirlliz Posts: 2,491
edited February 2012 in All Encompassing Trip
Joey and I are planning a quick getaway to California at the end of this month...we will be flying in to LAX. Neither of us have ever been, so we're looking for things to do and places to stay. We really like to be outdoors and are up for just about anything. Any suggestions on what we should do, where we should go, or where we should stay? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Liz
"I am myself...like you, somehow."
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  • Mamasan23Mamasan23 Posts: 16,389
    How fun!! Have you decided where you're going to stay yet? When I was in LA over the summer my sister and I stayed at the Beverly Terrace Hotel in Beverly Hills:

    http://www.yelp.com/biz/beverly-terrace-hotel-beverly-hills

    It's more affordable than you would think and is just an awesome little place! Right in the heart of everything and the people working there are amazing.

    Make sure to drive through the hills both at day and night, up Mulholland Drive!
    WI '98,  WI '99 (EV),  WI '00,  Chgo '00,  MO '00,  Champaign '03,  Chgo '03,  WI '03,  IN '03,  MI '04,  Chgo '06:N1 & 2,  WI '06,  Chgo '07,  Chgo '08 (EV:N1),  Chgo '09:N1 & 2,  Chgo '11 (EV:N1),  WI '11:N1 & 2,  Philly '12,  Wrigley '13,  Pitt '13,  Buff '13, Detroit '14, MKE '14, Wrigley '16: N1 & N2, Seattle '18 N2, Wrigley '18: N1 & N2, Fenway '18 N1, STL '22, St Paul '23 N2, Chgo '23: N1 & N2, Wrigley '24 N1 & 2
  • RKCNDYRKCNDY Posts: 31,013
    you can crash at norm's... :P
    The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

    - Christopher McCandless
  • DS1119DS1119 Posts: 33,497
    photogirlliz wrote:
    Joey and I are planning a quick getaway to California at the end of this month...we will be flying in to LAX. Neither of us have ever been, so we're looking for things to do and places to stay. We really like to be outdoors and are up for just about anything. Any suggestions on what we should do, where we should go, or where we should stay? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Thanks!
    Liz


    I have been to LA and I know the perfect spot for you. When you get there you definately want to rent a car...this is a must. Next what you will want to do is get onto I 15N. Take this road until you see this...
























    las-vegas-strip.jpg


    LA is a cess pool. I hate that city. :lol: :P
  • 8181 Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276
    avoid LAX
    81 is now off the air

    Off_Air.jpg
  • PureandEasyPureandEasy Posts: 5,815
    My boss is actually going out there next week for business, so I asked my friend in Cali pretty much the same question you are posing and this was his response - he lives Ontario, which is not too far from LA

    Anaheim is only 25 mins from Pomona, --Disneyland, Downtown Disney ( eateries, shops, bars, ESPN sports bar, House of Blues, among others. Also So Cal beaches within an hr's drive. Downtown Pomona has a modest art community on Antique Row. Also there's the newly renovated Fox Theatre in downtown Pomona (ck their calendar online).

    Pomona is also less than an hr away from LA & Hollywood, where there's all kinds of options. Let me know what she enjoys. If she wants to get outdoors there's snow on Mt Baldy and Big Bear -mtn resorts closeby.
    Don't come closer or I'll have to go
  • Mamasan23Mamasan23 Posts: 16,389
    DS1119 wrote:
    photogirlliz wrote:
    Joey and I are planning a quick getaway to California at the end of this month...we will be flying in to LAX. Neither of us have ever been, so we're looking for things to do and places to stay. We really like to be outdoors and are up for just about anything. Any suggestions on what we should do, where we should go, or where we should stay? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Thanks!
    Liz


    I have been to LA and I know the perfect spot for you. When you get there you definately want to rent a car...this is a must. Next what you will want to do is get onto I 15N. Take this road until you see this...
























    las-vegas-strip.jpg


    LA is a cess pool. I hate that city. :lol: :P

    :lol::lol::lol: Best post EVER!
    WI '98,  WI '99 (EV),  WI '00,  Chgo '00,  MO '00,  Champaign '03,  Chgo '03,  WI '03,  IN '03,  MI '04,  Chgo '06:N1 & 2,  WI '06,  Chgo '07,  Chgo '08 (EV:N1),  Chgo '09:N1 & 2,  Chgo '11 (EV:N1),  WI '11:N1 & 2,  Philly '12,  Wrigley '13,  Pitt '13,  Buff '13, Detroit '14, MKE '14, Wrigley '16: N1 & N2, Seattle '18 N2, Wrigley '18: N1 & N2, Fenway '18 N1, STL '22, St Paul '23 N2, Chgo '23: N1 & N2, Wrigley '24 N1 & 2
  • Black DiamondBlack Diamond Posts: 25,107
    No No No...

    You want to get one of these ...

    2007VictoryRedHummerH2_4copy.jpg

    And pick up Norm :mrgreen:
    GoiMTvP.gif
  • PureandEasyPureandEasy Posts: 5,815
    I would definitely rule out Hollywood Blvd., now that place is a cess pool

    I couldn't believe how filthy it was when I went there and that was years ago
    Don't come closer or I'll have to go
  • DS1119DS1119 Posts: 33,497
    Mamasan23 wrote:
    DS1119 wrote:
    photogirlliz wrote:
    Joey and I are planning a quick getaway to California at the end of this month...we will be flying in to LAX. Neither of us have ever been, so we're looking for things to do and places to stay. We really like to be outdoors and are up for just about anything. Any suggestions on what we should do, where we should go, or where we should stay? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Thanks!
    Liz


    I have been to LA and I know the perfect spot for you. When you get there you definately want to rent a car...this is a must. Next what you will want to do is get onto I 15N. Take this road until you see this...
























    las-vegas-strip.jpg


    LA is a cess pool. I hate that city. :lol: :P

    :lol::lol::lol: Best post EVER!


    And hit the In 'n Out behind the Luxor. :lol:
  • photogirllizphotogirlliz Posts: 2,491
    DS1119 wrote:
    photogirlliz wrote:
    Joey and I are planning a quick getaway to California at the end of this month...we will be flying in to LAX. Neither of us have ever been, so we're looking for things to do and places to stay. We really like to be outdoors and are up for just about anything. Any suggestions on what we should do, where we should go, or where we should stay? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Thanks!
    Liz


    I have been to LA and I know the perfect spot for you. When you get there you definately want to rent a car...this is a must. Next what you will want to do is get onto I 15N. Take this road until you see this...

    LA is a cess pool. I hate that city. :lol: :P
    I should clarify...we don't plan on spending much time in LA at all (we were actually thinking about Vegas first). We are only flying into LAX because we found cheap tickets. We will definitely be renting a car because we hoped to spend some time near the water, maybe a National Park, and the Anzo Borrego Desert. However, since we've never been there, we weren't sure if there were any must-do activities or must-see things.
    "I am myself...like you, somehow."
  • photogirllizphotogirlliz Posts: 2,491
    Mamasan23 wrote:
    How fun!! Have you decided where you're going to stay yet?
    We haven't decided where we are staying yet...we have looked at some beach-front vacation rentals, some condos, and even a yurt in the woods near Santa Barbara :lol:

    Like I said, we're open for anything.
    "I am myself...like you, somehow."
  • F Me In The BrainF Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 31,591
    Liz,
    Let me know what you both thought you might do as part of the visit (did you always want to see the Hollywood sign, go down Rodeo Drive, have a drink on Sunset or run on the beach where Hasselhoff used to roam and George Michael has sexual encounters in the restroom?) and how long you are staying. (How long is a quick trip?)
    I am happy to send you all sorts of info to assist.
    Have lived in LA since 92 and while I agree much of this sprawling city IS a wasteland, there are also a ton of cool things to see, do, etc...you will have a good time.

    Big hint -- ignore anything that says 'it is only 20 miles away' -- in LA you need to calculate by time not by distance. I have had a slew of people I know plan trips out here only to realize that there was only time to do 1/2 of what they mapped out.

    Another question is budget -- are you looking to do the activities on a tight budget or are you open to expenses?

    If you just want to 'see' the city and then do something really cool I would say spend an afternoon getting a taste of the city and then drive up to Yosemite. A long drive -- 5 hours -- but it is staggeringly beautiful and for my 2 cents much better than seeing desert or ocean.
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
  • F Me In The BrainF Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 31,591
    PureandEasy wrote:
    My boss is actually going out there next week for business, so I asked my friend in Cali pretty much the same question you are posing and this was his response - he lives Ontario, which is not too far from LA

    Anaheim is only 25 mins from Pomona, --Disneyland, Downtown Disney ( eateries, shops, bars, ESPN sports bar, House of Blues, among others. Also So Cal beaches within an hr's drive. Downtown Pomona has a modest art community on Antique Row. Also there's the newly renovated Fox Theatre in downtown Pomona (ck their calendar online).

    Pomona is also less than an hr away from LA & Hollywood, where there's all kinds of options. Let me know what she enjoys. If she wants to get outdoors there's snow on Mt Baldy and Big Bear -mtn resorts closeby.

    Ontario/Pomona are fine places to base if you are driving elsewhere and on a really tight budget. Otherwise they are not LA, provide no feel for what LA is like and I would advise against this on a first trip in. If you are going skiing it is a better idea however due to proximity.
    Not sure how to best express for anyone not familiar with LA how 'not LA' the Inland Empire is. Very different. [That could be a selling point for many actually :lol: but if you are just having a quick trip in you should really get a taste for the town.]
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
  • iluvcatsiluvcats Posts: 5,153
    I know Californians (like my step brother!) The furthest south I have been is San Jose, sorry I can't help.
    I went to the beach before at Capitola. It was nice. I went to Santa Cruz (the beach) in 1989 and then they had that really bad earthquake :( I've been to Carmel before when my sister lived near Moffett Field.
    9/98, 9/00 - DC, 4/03 - Pitt., 7/03 - Bristow, 10/04 - Reading, 10/05 - Philly, 5/06 - DC, 6/06 - Pitt., 6/08 - Va Beach, 6/08 - DC, 5/10 - Bristow, 10/13 B'more
    8/08 - Ed solo in DC, 6/09 Ed in B'more,
    10/10 - Brad in B'more
  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,225
    What are the dates? There is usually some sort of live music thing going one here.
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • PureandEasyPureandEasy Posts: 5,815
    Cosmo wrote:
    What are the dates? There is usually some sort of live music thing going one here.

    and if you go with Cosmo, your odds of meeting the band increase by 1000% :lol:

    he meets EVERYBODY :D
    Don't come closer or I'll have to go
  • photogirllizphotogirlliz Posts: 2,491
    Cosmo wrote:
    What are the dates? There is usually some sort of live music thing going one here.
    Feb 28 or 29th through March 4. Just 4-5 nights.
    "I am myself...like you, somehow."
  • F Me In The BrainF Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 31,591
    photogirlliz wrote:
    Cosmo wrote:
    What are the dates? There is usually some sort of live music thing going one here.
    Feb 28 or 29th through March 4. Just 4-5 nights.

    For sure time to go to Yosemite....you should see Venice Beach (freak show of freak shows, straight up fascinating shit) and San Diego is absolutely beautiful. If you are into art check out the Getty, you will want to make an appointment. If you like old-school Greek Statues type of art go to the 'old' Getty in Malibu and you will get beach & art in the same trip.

    My advice would be to land at LAX, drive to hollywierd, stay somewhere there and go out on the town. Next AM, drive over to Venice, see the ocean, drive up PCH for a ways....if time allows visit the Getty. Then drive up to Yosemite and spend a few days soaking it in. (A little cold this time of year.)
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
  • photogirllizphotogirlliz Posts: 2,491
    F Me In The Brain wrote:
    photogirlliz wrote:
    Cosmo wrote:
    What are the dates? There is usually some sort of live music thing going one here.
    Feb 28 or 29th through March 4. Just 4-5 nights.

    For sure time to go to Yosemite....you should see Venice Beach (freak show of freak shows, straight up fascinating shit) and San Diego is absolutely beautiful. If you are into art check out the Getty, you will want to make an appointment. If you like old-school Greek Statues type of art go to the 'old' Getty in Malibu and you will get beach & art in the same trip.

    My advice would be to land at LAX, drive to hollywierd, stay somewhere there and go out on the town. Next AM, drive over to Venice, see the ocean, drive up PCH for a ways....if time allows visit the Getty. Then drive up to Yosemite and spend a few days soaking it in. (A little cold this time of year.)
    So if we landed on Wed. eve (29th) and had to leave LA Sunday (4th), do you think that's enough time?
    "I am myself...like you, somehow."
  • F Me In The BrainF Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 31,591
    photogirlliz wrote:
    So if we landed on Wed. eve (29th) and had to leave LA Sunday (4th), do you think that's enough time?

    Yes, I do....depends on the times of your flights, if you are late to arrive Wed and early to leave on Sunday that cuts in some. That being said, if you are OK with spending time driving in the car, even 2 days of Yosemite would be pretty awesome. I grew up in VT and am familiar with some pretty cool natural spots -- been to most of the states in the US by now. For my vote, if Nature is your thing, it is tough to top Yosemite.

    Can check out the online stuff -- and last time I went there it was April and beautiful so I am unsure about March weather.
    http://www.nationalparks.org/discover-parks/index.cfm?fa=viewPark&pid=YOSE

    Send me a PM when you have an idea of what your plan is and I am happy to try and see if I can help fill in any gaps or offer any suggestions based on what the two of you want to do.
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
  • photogirllizphotogirlliz Posts: 2,491
    F Me In The Brain wrote:
    photogirlliz wrote:
    So if we landed on Wed. eve (29th) and had to leave LA Sunday (4th), do you think that's enough time?

    Yes, I do....depends on the times of your flights, if you are late to arrive Wed and early to leave on Sunday that cuts in some. That being said, if you are OK with spending time driving in the car, even 2 days of Yosemite would be pretty awesome. I grew up in VT and am familiar with some pretty cool natural spots -- been to most of the states in the US by now. For my vote, if Nature is your thing, it is tough to top Yosemite.

    Can check out the online stuff -- and last time I went there it was April and beautiful so I am unsure about March weather.
    http://www.nationalparks.org/discover-parks/index.cfm?fa=viewPark&pid=YOSE

    Send me a PM when you have an idea of what your plan is and I am happy to try and see if I can help fill in any gaps or offer any suggestions based on what the two of you want to do.
    Great! Thanks so much for all the suggestions and help! I really appreciate it!
    "I am myself...like you, somehow."
  • mikalinamikalina Posts: 7,206
    Hi Liz,

    I hope you and Joey have a wonderful time in California. I'm not going to be much help with your destination plans, but anything you do Northern California should be lots of fun for you both.

    Make sure you get to visit the Wine Country.... :mrgreen:
    ********************************************************************************************* image
  • PJPixiePJPixie Posts: 3,026
    Been here in LA my whole life :) Lots of music going on ALL THE TIME, lots to see, lots to do. Personally, I wouldn't push to get to Yosemite. You need quite a few days there, just there. I'd stay local to LA and see everything.

    Make sure you go to In-N-Out :)

    I'll look for bands to see, like someone above said, if you go with Cosmo, chances are you'll run into Dave Grohl or Joshua Homme :D
    The best use of Life is Love.
    The best expression of Love is Time.
    The best time to Love is Now.


    I'm never as good as when you're there.........
  • afroannnieafroannnie Posts: 12,995
    photogirlliz wrote:
    Joey and I are planning a quick getaway to California at the end of this month...we will be flying in to LAX. Neither of us have ever been, so we're looking for things to do and places to stay. We really like to be outdoors and are up for just about anything. Any suggestions on what we should do, where we should go, or where we should stay? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Thanks!
    Liz

    Have fun and enjoy your trip! :D
    Show #13 was a lucky one for me....
  • photogirllizphotogirlliz Posts: 2,491
    PJPixie wrote:
    Been here in LA my whole life :) Lots of music going on ALL THE TIME, lots to see, lots to do. Personally, I wouldn't push to get to Yosemite. You need quite a few days there, just there. I'd stay local to LA and see everything.

    Make sure you go to In-N-Out :)

    I'll look for bands to see, like someone above said, if you go with Cosmo, chances are you'll run into Dave Grohl or Joshua Homme :D
    :lol: Thanks for the advice! If you find any good bands to see let us know!
    "I am myself...like you, somehow."
  • musicismylife78musicismylife78 Posts: 6,116
    im jealous, and love the oc reference.
  • photogirllizphotogirlliz Posts: 2,491
    musicismylife78 wrote:
    im jealous, and love the oc reference.
    :lol:;)
    "I am myself...like you, somehow."
  • photogirllizphotogirlliz Posts: 2,491
    Do any of you California people know the best place to search for beach house/bungalow rentals? We'd like something on or close to the water. Any help is appreciated!
    "I am myself...like you, somehow."
  • PJPixiePJPixie Posts: 3,026
    photogirlliz wrote:
    Do any of you California people know the best place to search for beach house/bungalow rentals? We'd like something on or close to the water. Any help is appreciated!


    Are you looking for LA County Beaches or Orange County or Maybe San Diego?

    I think Laguna is beautiful, south of LA, closer to San Diego..............but LA BEACHES, that's where all the cool kids (hipsters) hang out. So i guess it depends what atmosphere, near the water, you're looking for.
    The best use of Life is Love.
    The best expression of Love is Time.
    The best time to Love is Now.


    I'm never as good as when you're there.........
  • RKCNDYRKCNDY Posts: 31,013
    photogirlliz wrote:
    Do any of you California people know the best place to search for beach house/bungalow rentals? We'd like something on or close to the water. Any help is appreciated!

    http://www.vrbo.com/

    they are rented by the owner, so you don't pay property management company fees.
    I've also had really good luck with just typing in 'rental house in (name of city)'
    The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

    - Christopher McCandless
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