Expert: Steve Summers - 5/3/2009

Question
Hi, i am planning to go on a vacation to California for about a week sometime in July. The problem is, there are 3 places that i am choosing from. 1) Los Angeles 2) Sanfrancisco 3) San Diego. I'm not sure which one to choose. I am going with a couple of friends of mine, and we're all in the 20's. I, myself am 20. I want to go visit theme parks such as disney, six flags, sea world as well as relaxing at a beach. I also wouldn't mind going on those adventures sporty things like Kayaking, things you don't do everyday. One more thing i would like to know is where is there like science museums? I also like to walk the streets at night, so if there is like night life maybe you could tell me. I need your advice. Please help me.

Danny

Answer
Hi Danny,

That's a bit of a tough question. I believe the phrase "You can't have it all" pretty much sums it up. Each of those cities has some of what you want, but not all.

If your primary reason for going it theme parks, then choose LA. It is close enough to San Diego so that you can take a nice day trip to visit Sea World. But LA is the theme park capital. Also, you have many beaches to choose from. However, the down side to LA is that you don't have much of an opportunity for kayaking. There's some in Santa Monica Bay, but it isn't the same experience that you would get in say, San Francisco or Monterey. There just isn't that much wildlife in our local waters unless you go out to Catalina. Biking along the beach is a fun activity in LA. Also, LA isn't much for walking. It's SUCH a big place, you have to be very careful about where you stay. West Hollywood, Hollywood, and Santa Monica have some pretty good nightlife, but you have to make sure you're staying in the right area. Staying by LAX, for example, is not a good choice if you want some nightlife. For that, you proably want to stay around Hollywood & Highland. You have two good science museums: The LA Science Center in Exposition Park, and the Discovery Zone in Santa Ana.

San Francisco doesn't have much in the way of theme parks, but has great nightlife and is GREAT for walking around and using public transit. (There is a Marriott's Great Adventure theme park in Santa Clara, about 50 miles south of SF). You can go kayaking in San Francisco, but it is SO much better at Monterey, which would be a good day trip. We went kayaking last summer there, and had a GREAT time. It's a marine sanctuary, and you are supposed to stay at least 50 feet from any animals (we even had to sign a waiver). However, we met a playful seal who didn't read or sign the waiver, and he had a lot of fun nibbling our paddles, pushing our kayaks, and doing everything except climbing in. San Franciso is chock full of history and museums, and the Exploratorium and Steinhart Aquarium in Golden Gate Park being two excellent examples. For a bit of adventure, you can also walk/bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. There is even a company on Fisherman's Wharf that will rent you bikes to do just that. SF really has no good beaches to speak of, and the water is the coldest there.

San Diego has Legoland (mostly for kids), Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, and the Wild Animal Park. Not exactly much in the way of theme parks, but they do have some pretty good areas for nightlife, like the gaslamp district. For adventures, you can rent a bike, go kayaking in Mission Bay, or even rent a sailboat (SD is great for sailing). San Diego Wild Animal Park also has a zipline, which you cannot find anywhere else in California. San Diego has some very nice beaches, and the nicest are in La Jolla. San Diego has an Air & Space Museum, although it's not as impressive as the one in LA or SF, IMHO. For all things San Diego, I usually direct people to www.loacalwally.com, the San Diego guru.

Like I said, those are some tough choices. I must admit that I am biased towards LA, but I think that it is your best choice for all the things you are trying to do.

Have fun!