Travel tips?

Hi Californian guys and girls!

Me and three friends (4 guys age 32-35) are planning a trip to the US in sept. We are aiming for something that looks like SF->LA->Vegas.

And I was wondering if you guys could give some tips for sights/places/bars/whatever that is not covered in the traditional Stuff You Have To See In California brochures. (I did a lot of that last summer. :) )

Special is good, wierd and strange even better. :)

/dbmk

In the S.F. Bay area:

http://www.sfbg.com/nudebeaches/

and

http://folsomstreetfair.org/fair-info.php

http://www.calacademy.org/index.php

This is going to be one cool museum when it's all finished. It's in Golden Gate Park. Lots of other great things to do and see there as well.

As far as visiting the rest of SF, I'd say to stay away from the 'tourist areas' such as Pier 39. It's ok, but really has little to do with SF and is mostly filled with crappy souvenir shops. SF is a 'neighborhood' city with a number of distinct areas that are worth checking out if you like that sort of thing. The Castro and the Haight are two of the best known, but SOMA (South Of MArket) and the Mission are also very fun.

If you give me an idea of the type of things you like to do on vacation I can get more specific. Hope this helps.

:hi:

Thanks, LeftCoast.

The pix I've seen are absolutely amazing.

I will prob get back to you when I get some feedback from the others on this. :)

Things SF specializes in are food, shopping and a moderate amount of interesting night life. Also architecture, art and scenery. :)

:shrug:

I know more about rural areas than cities.

Point Reyes and west Marin (north of San Francisco) are really cool, and if you have time, Sonoma is cool too. You may as well hit up Napa (wine country) while you're at it.

If you haven't been south along the coast, I'd suggest taking Highway 1 south and just tooling around in the towns along the way. Having recently been a resident of Santa Barbara, you can probably kill a few happy days there, but it's expen$ive. You can take a boat out to the Channel Islands for about 50 bucks round trip.

Joshua Tree National Park is really different... might be hot as hell though. If you want WIERD, to the south of Joshua Tree the Salton Sea is about as WIERD as it gets... it'll be gross that time of year, for sure, but it'll bring the WIERD.

Death Valley is going to be GRUESOME in September. Probably worth a drive through though, just for the spectacle.

On your way back from Vegas to San Francisco, Highway 395 goes up the east side of the Sierra Nevada. 395 runs through Owens Valley, past Mt. Whitney, along Mono Lake, and through Reno, and is generally DAMN scenic along its whole length. It's definitely off the beaten path, then you can cut over to SF through Tahoe, Yosemite, or several other passes. If you want to keep going north, Mt. Lassen is an active volcano. It's not spewing lava or anything, but there are boiling mudpots and other scenic features.

Good times. :D

Excellent suggestions.

I think we will go from SF to Vegas. And Yosemite is on the plan.

Was on a trip like it last year, but the other guys haven't been there before (one of them has been to LA) so we are going to see that standard stuff, I think. Just wanted to find out if there was something not so standard around as well. :)

And yeah, I am going to insist that they experience Death Valley. :>

Thanks again!

to travel going and coming back, plus some time to be there.

And, you'll NEVER regret doing it. :)

Stopped here and there - but definately a place I would spend some more time at, at some point. Spectacular place.

I think our plan would be to go from SF to Vegas in a week or so, stopping by the national parks and the likes on the way.

the undreground gardens are very cool and it gets you out of the heat for a bit .

My best advice is to not stop in Fresno , it's to head east into the mountains from
there . Some great lakes east of Fresno .

MT. Diablo state park has some great Hiking perfect for a day trip from the City .
Great views of the entire Bay area plus the Delta and Sacramento on a clear day .
lots of John Muir historical sites in the East bay .

At the Base is my local stomping ground. A few local fav's

Diggers Diner on Willow Pass Road in Concord has the BEST BURGERS and Great service
with a local feel ..

Concord Also has one last Drive-In Movie Theater's .. Also a local must . Just saw
Iron man and Narnia last week :)

"You Pick" farmland in Brentwood Ca. is one of my favorite things to do . It's cherry
season now .

be sure to check out parts of Marin, Napa, and Sonoma.

Also, our little Town of Tiburon. There is no place like it on the planet.

I also know a great driver who can take you on a thoroughly entertaining (and not too horribly expensive) tour of San Francisco.

Good burger places is definately high on the list. :)

Was in Burgermeister on Columbus Av. in SF last year. Excellent burgers and fantastic milkshakes. Recommended by the Michelin guide, no less.

I am new to this site. The travel tips is very intresting for us. It will helpful to all the people. Most of them donot know how to travel this tips will helpful to them.
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quorra
Addiction Recovery California

You have to cut East across the big valley to Yosemite (~3 hours), then out the south gate to continue down to LA
(~4 hours), but it really is worth it. Other than that, I'd say stop at any local fruit stand you come across along the way - there are many - and pick up local papers to see what's up. Save your bucks for Vegas, you might need them :evilgrin: . Have a great visit.

You definitely need to check out the Mystery Spot (http://www.mysteryspot.com) if you are looking for good, weird and strange. There's also the Hearst Castle along Highway 1 between Monterey & San Luis Obispo. There's also the Calico Ghost Town in Yermo, which is on the way to Vegas from LA.

Tips for Vegas: The strip is outrageously expensive for everything/anything. If you're going clubbing, call ahead and make reservations and ask about VIP/Front of Line/No Cover Charge specials. The atmosphere down at Fremont Street (Downtown) is a little more rough around the edges, but you can definitely stretch your dollar much more and it seems the payouts are a little better.

All just my own opinion, but take it for what it's worth! :)

Have a great time! :beer:

:)

it's about 30-40 miles south of Yosemite in the very
same sierra mountains but much less crowded . This is
a trail head to and halfway point of the John Muir
trail .. Way off the beaten path but worth it .

http://www.florence-lake.com/index.html

I also love our North Coast and the redwoods .
there are lots of state parks along highway 1 .

Just south of Las Vegas is a city called Laughlin
and it's known as the little Las Vegas . It sits
alongside the Colorado River and is hotter than
blue-blazes there .