Expert: Steve Summers - 5/16/2008

Question
As someone who was born and raised in L.A., I'm embarrased to say that I've
never done the California Coast trip. Although I live in Toronto, Canada now,
my wife, son (10 years) and two daughters (8 and 3 years) visit the Los
Angeles area at least once a year but the extent of our entertainment includes
amusement parks, etc.

We're planning a trip to L.A. once again, for the end of June, this coming year.
While there, during the second week of July, we would like to very much take
this exciting trip from San Francisco to L.A. While doing a bit of research on
what to do on this trip, I came across one of your responses to a family, very
similar to mine, for their trip in Feb of 2007.

Using your itinerary and some points from others we found on the internet, I
was hoping you could help tighten up my possible trip schedule (see below).
I've included some notes so that I could help you help me as best as you
could. Let me know if any of it doesn't make sense or if you have better ideas.
I'm looking for your expertise, and your ideas.

There is no need to include restaurant/eating tips as we only eat Kosher food.
We'll probably do a lot of supermarket visits, as well as bring our own food.
Hotel ideas would be great, although, chances are we'll end up using Hotwire
or Priceline to find economical deals on 3 or 4 star hotels.

So here it goes, and thank you so much for your help.

SUNDAY MORNING: Leave Los Angeles, by car, and drive the shorter way to
San Francisco. Its a 6 hour drive, so an interesting rest stop would probably
be beneficial. Some place we could let the kids run, scream and eat lunch.

SUNDAY LATE AFTERNOON: Arrive in San Francisco (SF). As I'm not sure what
time we are going to get to SF, I'm not sure what we'll be able to accomplish
at this time. "Monday Morning" includes all the items that I think we'd like to
visit and experience. Have any good ideas for this short period?

SUNDAY & MONDAY NIGHT: Sleep in San Francisco

MONDAY - TUESDAY MORNING: So here is what I've got on my list. Again, not
sure if all these things are realistic, kid friendly or if there are even more
places. I'm looking for your help on this. Alcatraz (some site said we need 4
hours), Hyde and Lombard Street, Cable Car Ride, Golden Gate Bridge, Muir
Woods, Harbor Cruise.
TUESDAY MORNING would give us a chance to finish of SF.

TUESDAY AFTERNOON: Drive to Monterey/Carmel. After our two hour drive
we would visit the Dennis the Menace Playground in Estelli Park and let the
kids go wild.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Sleep in Monterey

WEDNESDAY MORNING: Visit the "best aquarium anywhere", The Monterey Bay
Aquarium. How long do I need?

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON:  Take the drive down the coast to Pismo Beach.
Stop at Piedras Blancas Beach for lunch. The elephant seals sounded like fun.
Any other good stops?

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Sleep at the Oxford Suites, as you suggested.

THURSDAY MORNING: Enjoy the pier, weather, beach, pool, etc.

The big question is, what does it pay to do at this point of the trip. We'd be
happy to drive back to L.A. Thursday night or continue on to Santa Barbara.
My worry is that Friday morning will be the same as Thursday. No? Any good
ideas?

We'll probably do Disney or Universal during our first week in L.A. so, while it
may be a fun way to end the trip, its unnecessary.

Hope to hear from you soon and much thanks one again.  

Answer
Hi Michael,

Nice trip, let me see if I can give you the benefit of my experience. Usually, we do this trip on a long weekend, and only hit about half the stops.

Suggestion: Why not start your trip on a Saturday evening. The trip up I-5 is booooring! Nothing really for kids to do. Kettleman City is the approximate halfway point, but it's only really a truck stop, and nothing really to look at. The highlight of the trip up may very well be the stink of the cattle ranches and dairies along the way. There are a couple potent ones that you can't miss, even in the dark. If you leave around 6, you can make a quick stop in Gorman, then continue from there. You can make it to SF in about 6 hours, because there's nothing to do but drive, and the road is straight. That really gives you an extra day, which I can easily fill in:

Sunday morning-Monday: San Francisco. Where are you staying? We really like to stay by the Pier 39 area, and have found the Radisson to be very comfortable, and a good location. See Pier 39. There is a place, and there are many locations, called the Boudin (bo-DEEN) Bakery. They have EXCELLENT sourdough bread, and I believe it's kosher. With kids, you also need to visit Ghirardellis Square, and see the chocolate making equipment there. I don't know if it's kosher, but the hot fudge sundaes here are to die for. There is also the Cannery nearby, with cool shops. Take your trip to Alcatraz. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge (we usually do this by driving across to the Marin County side. I drive back, and everyone else walks across.) It's much more awe inspiring this way, and you get a much better sense of this magnificent wonder. (Don't worry about me, I've walked the bridge dozens of times). Let the kids get a souvenir here. Nearby is the Exploratorium, a science museum in the Palace of Fine Arts. There are also museums and the Steinhart aquarium at Golden Gate Park, Coit Tower, and Muir Woods as you mentioned. Kids will also remember "the crooked street", aka Lombard Street. I always told my kids the flowers were for all the people who died trying to drive down the world's steepest street, who didn't make it all the way. That should definitely be enough for 1.5 days. Remember to dress warmly. Mark Twain once said that the coldest winter he ever experienced was a summer in San Francisco. It's true. The cold waters of the Pacific Ocean get stirred up this time of year, and meet the warm air from the San Joaquin Valley, making the famous San Francisco fog.

Monday afternoon: Drive down to Monterey. Visit Dennis the Menace Playground. Do a little bit of browsing on Cannery Row. There are plenty of shops to visit, including a killer kite shop.

Tuesday morning: Get to the aquarium early and plan to spend most of the day. There really is a lot to see, especially when the fish and animals are fed. Get an annual pass for the family, you will only pay a couple bucks more, and you don't have to wait in the long lines. And you get a discount on souvenirs. Take a walk along the coast to Lover's Point, or go back for another run at Estelli Park. It's worth it.

Wednesday morning: The coastal road through Big Sur is not to be missed, even if the kids are asleep in the car. For decades, everything had to be brought in here by boat. The road, built in the 1920's by convict labor, is an engineering marvel. Stop for a snack at the Big Sur store. Go out back and play in Big Sur Creek. Then hit the road and enjoy the view. The elephant seals at Piedras Blancas are a nice diversion for a few minutes. Hearst Castle makes for a very nice rest stop. I think the kids may be too young for a tour, though. (Once I took the baby to San Simeon Beach while my wife and older kids went on the tour. It really is amazing). Then on to San Luis Obispo and Pismo. You might have time to wander around Pismo Pier and beach for awhile. Check out the clam chowder at Splash cafe, I think it's kosher. At least the chowder they sell as Costco is.

Thursday morning: Enjoy some time around Pismo, then drive to Santa Barbara. In Santa Barbara, there are two nice parks: One on Cabrillo, across the street from the beach (Palm Park), and the other on Santa Barbara Street about a mile from the beach (Alameda Park). After a nice break there, I think you should stay in Carpinteria, the world's safest beach. This is a cute little beach town that has a campground. Just go down to the end of Palm Avenue and get a day pass. Holiday Inn Express is one of the nicer hotels in town, and it has a nice little breakfast to boot. There is an old-fashioned candy store on Linden Avenue called Robitaille's, which the kids will love. And the beach is wonderful. If you go south/east into the campground area, there are some great tidepools to explore.

Optional: As you come down 101, take a side trip to Solvang, a CUTE little Danish town. The kids can play in Hans Christian Anderson park, and you can also browse through the little shops in the town. There are some toy stores that the kids will like.

Another option: Santa Barbara Mission. All the 4th graders in California have to do a report on a mission. When the Spaniards colonized the west coast of North America, they built a series of missions and presidios up the coast, each about a day's ride from the other. The road between them was "El Camino Real", or the King's Highway. Highway 101 follows part of that route. In any case, the Santa Barbara Mission is one of the most beautiful. If you want to make it a homework assignment, have your son read "Island of the Blue Dolphin". It's an account of the last native woman who lived on San Nicholas Island. She was eventually found and brought to the mainland. She eventually died, and was buried in the graveyard at the SB mission.

After a day or so in SB/Carpinteria, you should be ready to drive the last 100 miles back to LA. It's always a most interesting trip, if not spectacularly beautiful.