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Great places to go in CA?

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lizz

lizz

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We''re going to CA at the end of next month (flying into L.A., driving up PCH to San Francisco and back down again to L.A.), and I''m wondering if any of you have any suggestions for great places to see. We bought some travel guides, but I just wanted to hear it from people who actually live there/have visited there. We don''t have kids, it''s just hubby and I, and we''re in our late 30s (to give you an idea of things we may be interested in). Restaurants, other "must see" places, etc.? I have already figured in a trip to Fourtane''s in Carmel after Mara''s recommendation. But we have no other plans yet.
 
If you are in LA for a few days you could see a show. I hear Wicked is great, but, I don't know how much longer it will play. It's been going since last June. I've been meaning to get up there to see it.

North of San Luis Obispo is Hearst Castle, that's always a fascinating place to go.

Sounds like you have a fun trip planned! I'm sure I'll think of something else!
 
Getty Museum?

LACMA and MOCA, too. La Brea tar pits?

Rodeo Drive.

Spago is a favorite restaurant in LA. The service is very gracious, and the food is amazing.

Hollywood?

You have to see one mission in CA.

Napa is very beautiful, but I don''t know if it is this time of year.
 
We loved Hearst Castle andhad a great time staying overnight in Carmel. What a charming town that is. We went ages ago, hubby has been back to play Pebble Beach. The drive is the best. Pull over and take lots of pics!!!
 
oooh lizz how exciting that you are going to fourtane...!!! please report back and try lots of stuff on!! there are lots of great restaurants in carmel too so if you guys have lunch etc...we love portabella, it's in this little mushroom looking cool small house and it's great food and a great ambiance too. also the grill on ocean is pretty good for a bite for lunch or similar as well. we have tried a bunch of places in carmel and pretty much everywhere we have tried is good food. if you are staying in carmel overnight, highly recommend bernardus lodge, it's not cheap, but it's a divine environment and they also have a great restaurant there and it's a winery as well. it's in carmel valley so about 10 minutes drive from downtown carmel. we like to go stay overnight there (though sometimes they have 2 night mins so i don't know if they do now), and then on our way home drive into carmel valley, have lunch, shop and then drive home.

if you are driving from SF to carmel, you can take hwy 1 if you would like to see the coast...it's a long drive so be prepared, but it's pretty. you will drive through santa cruz, so you can check out the boardwalk if you want. also i would check out Half Moon Bay if you are coming from SF to carmel, you take 92 off 280 OR if you are taking 1 from SF, it's right on hwy 1...you drive through it as a small town. if you stay overnight there are lots of cute places, but there is also a fabulous, fairly new ritz carlton that i hear is great. if you stay overnight or are driving through and want to catch a bite, check out Barbara's Fish Trap or Mezza Luna. we drive up to HMB about 2ce a month for dinner, it's a fun drive and it's fun to get away to the coast there...and eat some great seafood (barbaras) or italian (mezza, and it's also where Greg and I had our first date!!).

also if you are going to be in SF, you should check out sonoma and napa which you can do on a day trip...napa is about an hour from SF if not less...sonoma is less than that. it's fun just to drive around and see the wineries, or you can go into napa and do the napa wine train which is a little chintzy but it takes you on a great tour through napa vineyards which is really fun to see them while on the train.

anyway hope that gives some ideas....have fun!!!
 
Also to see in L.A.:

Huntington Library in San Marino
Old Town Pasadena
Queen Mary in Long Beach
Catalina Island
S.S. Lane Victory in San Pedro
The Arboretum in Arcadia

In Bay Area:

Angel Island
Exploratorium
Twin Peaks (at night to see the city lights and stars if it's not foggy)
USS Hornet in Alameda
Winchester Mystery House in San Jose
Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz

That's all I can think of for now.

P.S. Wicked is only playing til the end of July.
 
Agree with Hearst Castle and the Carmel Area, also Santa Cruz

A sleeper...Gravity Hill in Sonoma County, near Rohnert Park...but you''d need a guide to get there.
 
Do you know what we did? About 4 years ago, we went to SF and drove down and over to LV and then home. I got on the internet and found a wonderful nearly 80 year old woman living near SF who was offering her services as a tour guide. We went all over SF and saw people and places I am sure no tourist has usually gone. It was a once in a lifetime experience. Her name I believe was Helen Redding. Anyway, I just started by googling. Good luck!
 
There are lots of good suggestions so far. You can check out the wineries n the central coast/Santa Barbara area if you don't want to venture as far as Napa. The weather is cooler than napa this time of year, and they are producing some great wines, and are less commercialized than the Napa Sonoma area, so are fun to visit. Los Olivios is a really cute town off the San Marcos pass (a pretty short cut on Hwy 101 just past Santa Barbara). Eat at the Los Olivios cafe, and check out some of the tasting rooms along the main street. They filmed a lot of Sideways there.

Mid way up Hwy 1 in Big Sur is a restaurant called Nypenthe. It is one of my favorite places on earth. It sits high on one of the cliffs, surrounded by the big cypress trees with 180 degree views of the water. It feels like it is run by 50+ year old hippies who just never went home from the Joan Baez concert in the 60's.....

Drive the 17 mile drive in Carmel for some great views. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is great. They often have special exhibits. I love the Jellyfish exhibit.

Half Moon Bay is a cute little town (my old stomping grounds...) Main street is 2 blocks East of Hwy 1, and easy to miss. Turn right at Kelly Avemue off Hwy 1 and follow Main down for the mile or two to see the town part with some cute shops etc. Pasta Moon is another great restaurant at the end of Main Street. The Ritz has a very nice high end restaurant, along with a nice bar and outdoor area right on the bluffs and golf course. I think Hwy 1 is closed between Half Moon Bay and San Francisco due to a rock slide this past winter. Take Hwy 92 east and then 280 North to get into the city easily.

Have fun!
 
Thank you all for the great recommendations! I knew I could count on my fellow PS-ers!

As an aside, I loved that movie Sideways!
 
if you ido take highway 1 down from sf, i believe that the road is closed just south of pacifica at devil''s slide. take 92 to highway 1 instead.

check out the tide pools at fitzgerald''s state park just north of half moon bay.

stop in pescadero at the little store and buy yourself a loaf of incredible bread. you could also eat at duarte''s [http://www.duartestavern.com/info.htm] which has rec''d a james beard award.

there''s the light house at ano nuevo.

great places to eat in santa cruz: oswald''s, gabriella''s, restorante avanti, and in aptos cafe sparrow. all will need a reservation. if you''re looking for a good view, carniglia''s from the wharf at sunset...and if you''re there during the week happy hour is 3-5p.

take a sail on the chardonnay II for a nice view of scruz from the bay itself: http://www.chardonnay.com/

wetlands just south of watsonville for kayaking.

monterey full of california history with a self-guided walking tour.

inland a bit to san juan bautista for a very well preserved california mission and where VERTIGO was filmed by hitchcock. also, a great bakery is there.

anything south of carmel along highway 1 is worth the meander. drive slow and be very careful. avoid if foggy.

hearst''s castle is very interesting and cambria very touristy. downtown san luis obispo has some fun things going on and some good places to eat. jewelry: B. Anthony

pismo beach has changed mucho and isn''t the friendly little place it was but the state park gets you some great stretches of beach.

going north across the golden gate bridge is muir woods for redwoods, stinson beach and highway one going north is always worth the meander as well.

great cheese: http://www.marinfrenchcheese.com/home.html

in sf itself this summer: there is a great monet exhibit at the legion. a great chicano art exhibit at the deyoung.

the asian is always worth a trip as is the modern. however, it is the comic museum that is a small treasure...near the modern. a giants game at the ball park which is really a good park. i love the haight ashbury area but if you''re into shopping union street [not square] has some interesting shops. mariners museum down by the piers. if you''re lucky a tall ship might be in transit. might be nice to do a sail around the bay on the Hornblower.

ok, i''ll quit now....there really is lots to do in sf without venturing out of the city itself.

have fun.

movie zombie

ps and there is the Rodin Garden at Stanford U: "The B. Gerald Cantor Rodin Sculpture Garden, dedicated in May 1985, contains the largest public concentration of Auguste Rodin''s bronze sculpture in the world. The Gates of Hell, Rodin''s personalized vision of humanity''s fate, dominates the Garden, with 20 others large figures spaced on land located beside the Leland Stanford Jr. Museum of Art. The Rodin Sculpture Garden is open 24 hours daily. For docent tours, call (650) 723-3469."







 
Author: JulieN
You have to see one mission in CA.

Napa is very beautiful, but I don''t know if it is this time of year.
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If you make it to the wine country, I recommend Sonoma Valley over Napa.

Small charming town with lots of history, great restaurants, and lots of wineries.

This is a great time of year to visit...just before the harvest.

There''s a mission there, too!
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oh calistoga is great too, it''s about 30 min past napa but they have the natural hot springs and cute places to stay. my parents love it there. it can get a bit warm.

and if you do go to san juan batista (which you could drive up 101 from san jose towards san juan then cross over 152 (or 156?) to monterey/carmel after that) there is a FAB mexican place that we go to all the time...we were just there last weekend called Jardines de San Juan...you can sit outside and there is sometimes music and they used to have chickens and roosters roaming around but last time they were gone (!?)...and the mission in San Juan is great...definitely one of our favorites.

you will have to throw all these suggestions into a hat and choose, there are so many cool places to visit!! are you here for a month? hehe.
 
so many things to do ;)

i highly recommend sonoma/napa area. i was just there last weekend and it is beautiful this time of year, just really hot mid-day. there are so many wineries it''s crazy. my favorite places to to visit are chateau domaine carneros http://www.domaine.com/pages/winery/thechateau.html (not too far from downtown sonoma) and then to go into downtown sonoma where all of the shops/restaurants are.

you just HAVE to drive around SF! doesn''t matter what you plan on doing, there is so much to do and see inevitably you will end up having the BEST time
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i agree with mara, if you drive down the coast then stop at half moon bay. it''s so beautiful there this time of year. i was there a few weekends ago and we went horseback riding on the beach. it was amazing! Here''s the info:
Sea Horse Ranch & Friendly Acres, 1828 Cabrillo Highway, Half Moon Bay, California 94019, United States Tel: 650-726-2362
also, the ritz in HMB is AMAZING.

santa cruz is fun, and really close to monterey and carmel. the boardwalk is a fun old-fashioned boardwalk with one of the oldest coasters around. the shops and restaurants on pacific ave. are great!

monterey and carmel are a must!!! they are very close (separated by 17 mile drive which you MUST do) so you can hit up both in the same day. my husband proposed to me in the carmel end of 17 mile drive. so romantic
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south, try and stop by either hearst castle (san simeon area) and san luis opispo.

further south, hit up santa barbara and the surrounding wine country. you can always take a trip to the hitching post 2 in buellton north of sb (i know it''s silly but if you''ve seen the movie sideways even if you didn''t like it you have to stop by and eat...they have awesome steak).

as for LA, that''s a whole diff beast and I will let the so.cal ps-ers make suggestions. being from the north, my faves when i go down there are def the Getty, the promenade in santa monica, sunset blvd hollywood, and of course, bev hills area.

HAVE FUN!!!!
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btw, the bay area has been having very bad smog days and asking people to NOT drive around lots. while in sf, it could be frustrating. take public transportation if you can and taxis really aren''t that pricey compared to parking....we paid $2/per 20 minutes yesterday down by the civic center.... also, when i''m in a large city in europe, i usually do one of the bus tour type things just to get the lay of the land. never done it in sf but it might be worth it to just like i said get the lay of the land and then concentrate on things or areas you think you''re interested in. driving in sf can be very very frustrating but finding parking even more so.

movie zombie

ps those no driving advisories have been accompanied by FREE public transit. don''t know how long that will continue.
 
don''t come to Sacramento
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ain''t nothing here but 112* temp.
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If you are going to see a mission, it would be a shame if you missed Mission San Juan Capistrano. It really is the loveliest mission, the gardens are beautiful, it''s the best of all the missions I''ve been to. It would be south of LA, but well worth the trip. I don''t care for Mission San Juan Bautista myself, but that may be because my parents constantly dragged me there as a kid. Mission Dolores is right in San Francisco on 16th St. If you''re taking a day trip to Sonoma, there is a mission in the town square there too.

And you MUST go to the Getty museum. It is truly a breathtaking experience. Be sure to go to the "old" one, the Getty Villa in Malibu, not the new one in LA.

You might want to stop in Solvang. It''s hokey and touristy, but I''ve always found we hit Solvang just at the time we want a break, you can go into a cafe and they bring you a giant plate of pastries.

I second Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz . . . I am all in favor of adding some cheesy attractions to the usual museum/historical sights/shopping events.

Did anyone mention Alcatraz Island?

Or if you love nature, just north of San Francisco, on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, in Marin County, you should really go to Muir Woods (Redwood forest). I love Muir woods.
 
Kaleigh... you liked Hearst Castle huh?

That''s weird I was SO excited to go there... but have to admit that except for the indoor mosaic pool I was completely underwelmed and a little... well, appalled.

My favorite places in CA are Lake Tahoe, Napa (St. Helena, Sonoma) and Carmel and ... crap, what''s it called? Up in Marin really GREEN area. Mill Valley? Don''t recall the name of it but it''s lovely and peaceful up there.
 
lol i am the biggest dork ever because when i was in college in santa cruz i went looking for the mystery spot and couldn''t find it! i thought THAT was the big mystery. duh!
 
I second the Santa Monica Promenade. Also, rent a bike and cruise along the Santa Monica Pier & up to Venice Beach - cheesy but fun!

Edited to add - another cheesy but fun thing - tour Warner Bros. Studios.
 
Date: 7/22/2006 10:29:39 AM
Author: lop
There are lots of good suggestions so far. You can check out the wineries n the central coast/Santa Barbara area if you don''t want to venture as far as Napa. The weather is cooler than napa this time of year, and they are producing some great wines, and are less commercialized than the Napa Sonoma area, so are fun to visit. Los Olivios is a really cute town off the San Marcos pass (a pretty short cut on Hwy 101 just past Santa Barbara). Eat at the Los Olivios cafe, and check out some of the tasting rooms along the main street. They filmed a lot of Sideways there.

Mid way up Hwy 1 in Big Sur is a restaurant called Nypenthe. It is one of my favorite places on earth. It sits high on one of the cliffs, surrounded by the big cypress trees with 180 degree views of the water. It feels like it is run by 50+ year old hippies who just never went home from the Joan Baez concert in the 60''s.....

Drive the 17 mile drive in Carmel for some great views. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is great. They often have special exhibits. I love the Jellyfish exhibit.

Half Moon Bay is a cute little town (my old stomping grounds...) Main street is 2 blocks East of Hwy 1, and easy to miss. Turn right at Kelly Avemue off Hwy 1 and follow Main down for the mile or two to see the town part with some cute shops etc. Pasta Moon is another great restaurant at the end of Main Street. The Ritz has a very nice high end restaurant, along with a nice bar and outdoor area right on the bluffs and golf course. I think Hwy 1 is closed between Half Moon Bay and San Francisco due to a rock slide this past winter. Take Hwy 92 east and then 280 North to get into the city easily.

Have fun!
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Oh I totally second this... it''s a great location the food is good and it''s a must go!
 
"check out the tide pools at fitzgerald''s state park just north of half moon bay." Also must see. The Ritz is very nice... but my favorite place in Half Moon Bay is the haunted Distillery for coffee and ocean views and Barbara''s Fish Trap for food-- nice CA style seafood-- very fresh an reasonably priced casual place for lunch. It''s a local favorite.

If you are going to go up to Napa/sonoma area there is a fabulous restuarant around there... it''s actually by Domain Chandon-- french, expensive and amazing. Don''t recall the name but the chef is famous. Will find out for you if you like. French Laundry I think is the name of one of the restuarants by him-- and there is a lovely second restuarant too.


Oh and Berkley is fun. I love the rockridge/ college ave area.

If you want to go to China town and have INCREDIBLE peking duck there is a whole in the wall called King Tin I highly recommend. Dim Sum in San Fran is a Must experience IMO. My favorite dim sum place is... don''t recall the name. but could walk there blindfolded. It''s Crystal something. I think.
 
haha gypsy, don''t know that i''d call barbara''s reasonably priced...it seems like the last few times we went the prices were higher...but it is yummy food and right on the water and very casual and relaxed.

french laundry is in yountville i think and they take ressies like 2 years in advance! so if you do go up there lizz, try to get a ressie or else i don''t know that they take walk ins?!?!
 
liz, I don''t want to hijack your thread,

but what is the most romantic hotel in the Carmel area?

Post Ranch Inn would be my first choice, but unless they lower the rates a bit....

What else is in that area, on the beach?
 
Mara.. haven't been to Barbara's Fish Trap is about a year so your information would be much more reliable that mine.
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French Laundry I've been to once, but it was as someone's guest-- so I wouldn't know about the reservations. Right in Yountville (thanks!) is their 'cafe' restuarant where reservations are recommended, but can be made the day of... and for lunch you can sometimes just pop in. Food is excellent. We've been there... three or four times. It's also french food, and also expensive (although reasonable compared to FL's prices) but totally worth it. Saffron Mussels are just flat out to die for. Has indoor/ outdoor seating and it's very picturesque. Great raw bar and cocktails too. There is a french pastry shop right in the same cropping of buildings that has yummy little sandwiches and pastries too. If you want to go to somewhere in the area... pop in, make a reservation at the 'cafe,' grab a sandwich, some tea and pastries at the pastry shop... go to the vineyards around there... then go back for your reservation. Really is a great place to go when you want to feel pampered and well.. outside ofyour daily life.

Carmel-- Highlands Inn has a nice location. We stayed there once and the accomodations were very romantic-- jacuzzi tub and all that. The last time we were there we didn't stay though, we were just checking it out as a possible wedding venue and it was looking a little run down-- though they may have updated since this was oh... 2 1/2 years ago.
 
Date: 7/23/2006 2:52:58 AM
Author: Mara
lol i am the biggest dork ever because when i was in college in santa cruz i went looking for the mystery spot and couldn''t find it! i thought THAT was the big mystery. duh!
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It''s right along 17
 
Date: 7/23/2006 12:22:24 PM
Author: Gypsy
''check out the tide pools at fitzgerald''s state park just north of half moon bay.'' Also must see. The Ritz is very nice... but my favorite place in Half Moon Bay is the haunted Distillery for coffee and ocean views and Barbara''s Fish Trap for food-- nice CA style seafood-- very fresh an reasonably priced casual place for lunch. It''s a local favorite.

If you are going to go up to Napa/sonoma area there is a fabulous restuarant around there... it''s actually by Domain Chandon-- french, expensive and amazing. Don''t recall the name but the chef is famous. Will find out for you if you like. French Laundry I think is the name of one of the restuarants by him-- and there is a lovely second restuarant too.


Oh and Berkley is fun. I love the rockridge/ college ave area.

If you want to go to China town and have INCREDIBLE peking duck there is a whole in the wall called King Tin I highly recommend. Dim Sum in San Fran is a Must experience IMO. My favorite dim sum place is... don''t recall the name. but could walk there blindfolded. It''s Crystal something. I think.
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If you land in Berkeley you must go to Chez Panisse. Dinner downstairs might not be doable, but the cafe upstairs also has excellent food. Also, for casual go to Fat Apples on Martin Luther King Drive, and if you want ethnic cuisine, Plearn on University Ave. If you want Pizza, Zachary''s on Solano (there is also a Zachary''s on College). Oh, and for pastry in the morning please go to Nabolom bakery. The rockridge/college area Gypsy mentions is actually Oakland . . .
 
Nabolom bakery is just off of College in the Elmwood district of Berkeley. I owned a gorgeous 1910 brown shingle home there once upon a time and a day doesn''t pass when I don''t regret selling that home.
 
portoar...i knew i was close to it (i kept seeing signs) but i could not find it, even after 30 minutes of driving with a friend. this was about 10 years ago and we were both thinking okay is THIS the mystery? not finding it? hee hee. anyway..it was pretty funny.

gypsy, i didn''t know that about the FL cafe...how YUMMY, i LOVE LOVE mussels at restaurants and saffron mussels sounds DIVINE. YUM. we may have to venture out there next time and see if we can find it.
 
Go see a ballgame at Dodger stadium! It got somewhat of a facelift during the offseason and it didn''t lose it''s "charm".

FAB Restaurants:

Napa: Bistro Don Giovanni
Cambria: Black Cat Bistro
Santa Ynez/Buellton: I second orangevixen''s recommendation for the Hitching Post
Santa Barbara: La Super Rica Taqueria (total hole in the wall, but has the BEST MEXICAN FOOD EVER!)
L.A: Josie''s in Santa Monica, Kinkaid''s in Redondo Beach

Last but not least, is Santa Barbara Winery. It''s in the heart of SB, in a business area (so not "pretty") but it''s a great stop!
 
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