Expert: Steve Summers - 2/3/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hello.  I was wondering if you could look over my itinerary and let me know what your expert opinion is. . . myself, hubby, two kids (8 and 10) and my brother are traveling.  

Friday March 5-Monday March 8:  Fly to San Francisco arrive late (from Boston) and staying at Sheraton Fisherman Wharf (via hotwire) until Monday morning.

Monday morning (wake up early) drive down coast to Monterey.  Staying at Embassy Suites.  Planning on doing the aquarium that day and exploring. We were debating over making a trip to Big Basin to see the Redwood Trees?? is it worth it? or would it kill our schedule?

Tuesday morning (wake up early) drive to Hearst Castle take tour.  Various stops at scenary along the way.  We would LOVE to see elephant seals?? where when??  

then tuesday night we want to either stay at San Luis Osibo OR make the long drive and push to Carlsbad (where we plan on going to LegoLand).  THis is the leg of the trip where I am questioning on what to do.  We really want to see LA but do not really desire to sleep there.  So I need your help with what to do on tuesday and wednesday nights .  . . .

OPTION #1:
Tuesday wake up in Monterey, drive to hearst castle, drive to San Luis Osibo, stay overnight.
Wednesday wake up drive to LA, explore, drive to Carlsbad sleep.
Thursday go to legoland and then aftewards drive to san diego.
Friday morn wake up go to San Diego Zoo, sleep in san diego
Sat morn wake up explore san diego fly home at 9:30pm.

OPTION #2
Tuesday morning wake up in monterey drive to hearst castle.  
After hearst castle, get to highway 5 and drive down to LA, spend night Tuesday night in LA
Wed morning wake up explore LA, drive to Carlsbad wed night sleep and go to legoland on thursday and after drive to San Diego.  

DO you think we should alot more or less time anywhere on this trip?  

We are ending our trip in San Diego. We want to spend at least two nights there.  So Thursday night, Friday night and then saturday night we are flying home.  So we figure we would have two full days in san diego (friday and saturday as we are not flying out until 9:30 at night).

ANSWER: Hi Allison,

Wow, so many possibilities.

The first part is rather easy for me... You basically have to choose between more time at Monterey Bay Aquarium, or more time at the trees. To me, the aquarium is MUCH more interesting. You'll want to see the feedings, such as the otters, the kelp forest, and the outer bay. And Cannery Row has tons of possibilities. The seafood there is great.

On Tuesday, you'll need to wake up early. There's a lot to see on highway 1. The scenery is spectacular, including some very cool lighthouses. The elephant seals are not hard to find. They are at Piedras Blancas beach, on the right side of the highway. Just look for the signs. It's about 15 minutes before you get to San Simeon. In the spring, you should be able to see the pups.

Hearst Castle is very cool, but may be boring for the kids. I've hesitated to take my youngest (8YO) there because she would be bored. You might have to negotiate with the kids, saying that this is for the adults, and the trade off is that they get to go to Legoland.

This is the tricky part. Going over to I-5 only saves you 10 miles, and the coast is SO pretty around Pismo and Santa Barbara. Pushing through is difficult, becaust the drive from Monterey to San Simeon is a bit taxing. Here are a couple options for Tuesday:

Quality Suites, SLO: Great little hotel with suites. Seperate bedroom. Breakfast included. And right down the street is a Splash Cafe, which has excellent clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls. We introduced our youngest to "white soup" back in 2008 when she was 7, and she really liked it. I think they also have chicken strips.

Oxford Suites, Pismo Beach: So much like the Quality Suites, it's hard to tell them apart. It has suites, a nice pool and jacuzzi, and free breakfast. And once again, you have a Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach, near the pier.

Holiday Inn Express, Carpinteria: This is another of our favorite beach towns. The Spot is the local favorite for burgers & Mexican food, on Linden Ave. Cabo's has the best Mexican baja-style food in town. The HI Express is a nice step above the Motel 6, and has a nice little pool and jacuzzi. And it's about 2 hours closer to LA than SLO.

If you want to push it and spend the night in LA, I recommend the Best Western hotel on Riverside Drive in Burbank, right on the border of Toluca Lake. It's in a safe area, right across from the Disney Channel Building (walk over and take a peek into the Radio Disney Studios on the first floor of 3800 Alameda Ave). It's a VERY short drive from Universal Studios.

Exploring LA: You can park in the park and ride lot at Lankershim and the 101 freeway, and either take the shuttle up the hill to Universal City Walk (right outside Universal Studios), or take the Red Line Subway one stop to Hollywood & Highland. Either way, the parking is free, which is more than I can say about Universal Studios or Hollywood & Highland. While there, you can check out the extensive Hollywood & Highland complex, see the Chinese Theater forecourt, Walk of Fame, and even catch a Disney movie at the El Capitan Theater. It's all right there. If you only have a short time to see LA, you should check out those two places.

I would give LA a little more time. Perhaps you could even spend a day at Disneyland and stay at the Howard Johnson (REALLY cool pool) or the Candy Cane Inn. Both are walking distance to Disneyland. I don't know if that's a budget-buster or you've already been there, but that's usually a highlight of most trips. That still give you 2 days in San Diego. And midweek at Disneyland is not crowded at all, that time of year.

Sounds like a VERY fun trip. Have fun!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your informative response.  Alot of great tips that have been very helpful!  One more question, would you stay at Quality Suites in San Luis Osibo or Orxford Suites in Pismo Beach. . . I guess what I am asking is which is the better location for just an evening.  we'd want to check in around 4:00 and go grab some dinner and do some sightseeing in that area.  Is there one that is better than the other?  

Also, as far as the Big Basin Park we have decided to scratch that and go to Muir Woods up in San Francisco.

Answer
Hi Allison,

Good idea on Muir Woods. I agree that's the best option.

The nice part about SLO/Pismo is that they are only 10 minutes apart. I think that I would choose Oxford Suites in Pismo, since it's just a little closer to the beach. You'll still need to drive into town, since the hotel is seperated from Main St by a canyon. Best way to go to town is to hop on 101 there at 4th, and go one exit north to Price Street. Follow Price Street, then turn left on Pomeroy. This is the main drag for Pismo, so find a parking space. Splash Cafe is famous for its clam chowder in a sourdough bowl. Our other favorite place is Pismo Fish & Chips, a couple blocks east on Cypress. The Pismo Pier is beautiful, and you can let the kids run around on the beach awhile (there's even a swing set to the left of the pier). There's a cute little store on the corner of Pomeroy and Dolliver, where they make fresh taffy. If you're lucky, you can see them run the wrapping machine. There are a lot of surf shops, as well. This is just a cute little beach town. Enjoy.

Have fun!