Help Req Please Planning West Coast Trip

"Richardjlavender" <richardjlavender.DeleteThis@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040116154115.04604.00000116@mb-m10.aol.com...
 > Hi Guys - I really need some help here!
 >
 > I am arriving in/out of LA from the UK mid April for 14 days and want to
see as
 > much of the west coast as possible by car.
 >
 > In my head....!!.... it would be nice to see a bit of LA, SanFran, A
National
 > Park, Death Valley, Las Vagas & The Grand Canyon - In that order?
 >
 > Can anyone help me estimate how much time I will need getting to and from
the
 > following sights, how long I should stay at each one and where is the best
mid
 > priced places are to stay? & accom websites to help? I have heard that at
some
 > popular attractions it's best to book now such as the grand canyon.
 >
 > I might be being a little ambitious with my wish list above, please let me
know
 > if I am and what I should cut out on a standard see a bit of everything
 > vacation (we have no kids)
 >
 > A lot to ask I know, and I have bought a guide book but it's all just
swimming
 > on the pages ..theres so much to see there. It's such a long way to
travel, I
 > will probably only do it once and want to get as much out of it as can.
 >
 > Many thanks in advance for any help
 >
 > Richard

My suggestion would be to drive up the coast to SF, then back down thru
Yosemite Park to LA (or the other way around). Then take a flight from LA
to Las Vegas, and from Las Vegas take a tour to the Grand Canyon. Flights
from LA to Las Vegas are comparatively inexpensive, and it saves you the
driving time (4 -5 hours each way).

 >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help Req Please Planning West Coast Trip 

You need to know that the city and county of Los Angeles are very
large, densely populated, and often jammed with traffic. Getting from
place to place can take a lot of time and stress you out.

What do you plan to do in LA? If you are seeing friends, they can help
you plan those two days. But you need to determine what you want to
see in LA.

Disneyland? That's in Orange County and a 1-2 hour drive, depending on
your starting point and the time of day.

Do you want to see Universal Studios? Hollywood? Beaches? Zoos? Art
Museums? Science Museums? Sports? Gardens? Shop? People Watch? Fine
dining? Hiking? Or just relax?

You can do most of these things in both SF and LA. You might decide
that Muir Woods, north of SF and across the Golden Gate bridge has
enough redwoods for you. Who knows? You won't find redwoods in LA.

I grew up in LA and now live in San Diego. But I and others can give
you suggestions and pointers, but it's hard to guide you when we don't
know where you're going.

DKM

PS: I don't know Arizona very well, but if you go to the Grand Canyon,
you might find the Painted Desert, Monument Valley, Sedona, and other
sites will make up for skipping Death Valley? Surely other readers can
help here.





On 16 Jan 2004 20:41:15 GMT, richardjlavender.RemoveThis@aol.com
(Richardjlavender) wrote:

 >Hi Guys - I really need some help here!
 >
 >I am arriving in/out of LA from the UK mid April for 14 days and want to see as
 >much of the west coast as possible by car.
 >
 >In my head....!!.... it would be nice to see a bit of LA, SanFran, A National
 >Park, Death Valley, Las Vagas & The Grand Canyon - In that order?
 >
 >Can anyone help me estimate how much time I will need getting to and from the
 >following sights, how long I should stay at each one and where is the best mid
 >priced places are to stay? & accom websites to help? I have heard that at some
 >popular attractions it's best to book now such as the grand canyon.
 >
 >I might be being a little ambitious with my wish list above, please let me know
 >if I am and what I should cut out on a standard see a bit of everything
 >vacation (we have no kids)
 >
 >A lot to ask I know, and I have bought a guide book but it's all just swimming
 >on the pages ..theres so much to see there. It's such a long way to travel, I
 >will probably only do it once and want to get as much out of it as can.
 >
 >Many thanks in advance for any help
 >
 >Richard
 >
 >


To contact me directly, send EMAIL to (single letters all)
DEE KAY EMM AT CEE TEE ESS D0T CEE OH EMM<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help Req Please Planning West Coast Trip 

Thanks Doug

I don't unfortunately have any friends in LA - a complete stranger in town!

To be honest, I guess for a short stay of a couple of days I just want to see
the sights which LA it is internationally famous for. Hollywood Beverly Hills,
get a snap of the Hollywood sign etc. Bit of clothes shopping bit of walking
around, Not Disney or theme parks. More time in years to come on another trip
should show me other things to visit in LA.

The ideal of ideals would be to stay in a mid range hotel near the beach which
is not too hard find from the Airport after an 11 hour flight… that journey
between car hire desk and hotel reception stresses me out more than anything
else in the first few days…including bad traffic!

I have already decided to skip Death Valley and stay a minimum of one night in
Las Vegas.

So many thanks for you help

Richard
 >> Stay informed about: Help Req Please Planning West Coast Trip 

Don't spend too much time in LA. Just get in and out quickly.

Julie

"Peter L" <peterl68.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bu9pmt$foc2g$1@ID-110472.news.uni-berlin.de...
 >
 > "Richardjlavender" <richardjlavender.RemoveThis@aol.com> wrote in message
 > news:20040116154115.04604.00000116@mb-m10.aol.com...
  > > Hi Guys - I really need some help here!
  > >
  > > I am arriving in/out of LA from the UK mid April for 14 days and want to
 > see as
  > > much of the west coast as possible by car.
  > >
  > > In my head....!!.... it would be nice to see a bit of LA, SanFran, A
 > National
  > > Park, Death Valley, Las Vagas & The Grand Canyon - In that order?
  > >
  > > Can anyone help me estimate how much time I will need getting to and
from
 > the
  > > following sights, how long I should stay at each one and where is the
best
 > mid
  > > priced places are to stay? & accom websites to help? I have heard that
at
 > some
  > > popular attractions it's best to book now such as the grand canyon.
  > >
  > > I might be being a little ambitious with my wish list above, please let
me
 > know
  > > if I am and what I should cut out on a standard see a bit of everything
  > > vacation (we have no kids)
  > >
  > > A lot to ask I know, and I have bought a guide book but it's all just
 > swimming
  > > on the pages ..theres so much to see there. It's such a long way to
 > travel, I
  > > will probably only do it once and want to get as much out of it as can.
  > >
  > > Many thanks in advance for any help
  > >
  > > Richard
 >
 > My suggestion would be to drive up the coast to SF, then back down thru
 > Yosemite Park to LA (or the other way around). Then take a flight from LA
 > to Las Vegas, and from Las Vegas take a tour to the Grand Canyon. Flights
 > from LA to Las Vegas are comparatively inexpensive, and it saves you the
 > driving time (4 -5 hours each way).
 >
  > >
  > >
  > >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help Req Please Planning West Coast Trip 

In article <20040117054434.12748.00000194 DeleteThis @mb-m29.aol.com>,
richardjlavender DeleteThis @aol.com (Richardjlavender) wrote:

 > Thanks Doug
 >
 > I don't unfortunately have any friends in LA - a complete stranger in town!
 >
 > To be honest, I guess for a short stay of a couple of days I just want to see
 > the sights which LA it is internationally famous for. Hollywood Beverly Hills,
 > get a snap of the Hollywood sign etc. Bit of clothes shopping bit of walking
 > around, Not Disney or theme parks. More time in years to come on another trip
 > should show me other things to visit in LA.
 >
 > The ideal of ideals would be to stay in a mid range hotel near the beach which
 > is not too hard find from the Airport after an 11 hour flight… that journey
 > between car hire desk and hotel reception stresses me out more than anything
 > else in the first few days…including bad traffic!

The area around Santa Monica and Venice Beach is nice. When I go to Los
Angeles, I almost always stay in the Best Western Mansion Inn in Venice
Beach. Its a nice hotel with nice people only a brief walk to the beach.
I don't have contact info for you, but its easy to look up via the web.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help Req Please Planning West Coast Trip 

In article <20040116154115.04604.00000116.RemoveThis@mb-m10.aol.com>,
richardjlavender.RemoveThis@aol.com (Richardjlavender) wrote:

 > Hi Guys - I really need some help here!
 >
 > I am arriving in/out of LA from the UK mid April for 14 days and want to see
 > as
 > much of the west coast as possible by car.
 >
 > In my head....!!.... it would be nice to see a bit of LA, SanFran, A National
 > Park, Death Valley, Las Vagas & The Grand Canyon - In that order?

Check a map. You would probably make better use of your time by heading
north to south. Start at San Fran, then drive south along the coast to
Los Angeles and than the Grand Canyon. Then head east to Las Vegas.
There are numerous national parks in California so decide which one you
want to visit, then place it in the proper order in your itinerary based
on its location.

 > Can anyone help me estimate how much time I will need getting to and from the
 > following sights, how long I should stay at each one and where is the best
 > mid priced places are to stay? & accom websites to help? I have heard that at
 > some popular attractions it's best to book now such as the grand canyon.

What you want to do can be done in two weeks. There are tons of web
sites. Just do a google search and you'll find lots of them. I am a
fairly frequent Las Vegas visitor and one of my favorites for that area
is <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.cheapovegas.com" target="_blank">http://www.cheapovegas.com</a>

 > I might be being a little ambitious with my wish list above, please let me
 > know if I am and what I should cut out on a standard see a bit of everything
 > vacation (we have no kids)

Two weeks is reasonable, depending how much time you want to spend in
each area. Keep in mind that you will be doing an enormous amount of
driving. Its ten hours just between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon
with very little to see between the two. Its five hours between Las
Vegas and Los Angeles, probably more due to road construction. You will
also want to alocate at least two days driving from San Fran to LA
because there is a lot to see and do along the way. If you are in good
health, be sure to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fran.

 > A lot to ask I know, and I have bought a guide book but it's all just
 > swimming on the pages ..theres so much to see there. It's such a long way
 > to travel, I will probably only do it once and want to get as much out
 > of it as can.

Your guidebook will have info on the different sites. Some do require
advance tickets such as San Simeon and Alcatraz, but most do not.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help Req Please Planning West Coast Trip 

Richard,

I would think you would enjoy the beaches and sunsets (and the drive)
between Malibu and Santa Monica (or Venice as someone else has
mentioned).

Santa Monica isn't far from Beverly Hills. You would probably enjoy
driving Sunset Blvd between the coast and Beverly Hills. There are
beautiful homes in this area, though you probably should turn off the
main street (which is a moderately high-traffic non-freeway street)
where you can drive more slowly without annoying the other drivers.

Wilshire Blvd will also take you into Beverly Hills, but it is more
commercial. Go Sunset toward Beverly Hills and return via Wilshire (or
vice versa)?

The Hollywood sign is farther east, not far from the Hollywood Bowl.
To my surprise I see that it has its own website:
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.hollywoodsign.org/" target="_blank">http://www.hollywoodsign.org/</a>

For (window?) shopping in Beverly Hills, go to Rodeo Drive. Here's
another website:
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.seeing-stars.com/ImagePages/SaksPhoto.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.seeing-stars.com/ImagePages/SaksPhoto.shtml</a>
This page shows where Winona Ryder was arrested for shoplifting, but
follow some of the other links for Rodeo Drive and other shopping
sites.

Melrose might be more to your budget and more modern/hip. Maybe other
readers can point you in the right direction.

The LA Times and LA Weekly and LA Reader (is it still in business?)
will have lots of listings for events, culture, restaurant reviews,
movies, etc. For a visitor, the Thursday and Sunday LA Times would be
best. The other two are free weekly newspapers, published Thursday?

For an offbeat site to see, visit Watts Towers. Read the guidebooks to
see if it would interest you. It's not too far from Santa
Monica/Beverly Hills, but a bit off-track also.
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Watts_Towers.html" target="_blank">http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Watts_Towers.html</a>

DKM


On 17 Jan 2004 10:44:34 GMT, richardjlavender.RemoveThis@aol.com
(Richardjlavender) wrote:
<snip>

 >To be honest, I guess for a short stay of a couple of days I just want to see
 >the sights which LA it is internationally famous for. Hollywood Beverly Hills,
 >get a snap of the Hollywood sign etc. Bit of clothes shopping bit of walking
 >around, Not Disney or theme parks. More time in years to come on another trip
 >should show me other things to visit in LA.
 >
 >The ideal of ideals would be to stay in a mid range hotel near the beach which
 >is not too hard find from the Airport after an 11 hour flight… that journey
 >between car hire desk and hotel reception stresses me out more than anything
 >else in the first few days…including bad traffic!
 >
 >I have already decided to skip Death Valley and stay a minimum of one night in
 >Las Vegas.
 >
 >So many thanks for you help
 >
 >Richard


To contact me directly, send EMAIL to (single letters all)
DEE KAY EMM AT CEE TEE ESS D0T CEE OH EMM<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help Req Please Planning West Coast Trip 

In article <hepm009b496ipshpc5rj4th6fm0nbil2jl.RemoveThis@4ax.com>,
Doug McClure <DeeKayEmm.RemoveThis@CeeTeeEss.com> wrote:
 >
 >For (window?) shopping in Beverly Hills, go to Rodeo Drive.

Speaking of Beverly Hills, I went there recently to watch a
film at the Museum of Television and Radio. They have a bunch
of carrels where you can sit and view any of their thousands
of tapes. Unfortunately, their catalog isn't available online,
but if there's something particular you're interested in, I'm
sure you could call and find out whether they have it. Their
website, btw, is <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.mtr.org." target="_blank">www.mtr.org.</a>


Patty<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help Req Please Planning West Coast Trip 

Sounds like a good idea to me!
I have done that trip a few years back, see my website for some ideas maybe.
I did SF, Yosemite, Death Valley, Vegas San Diego and LA in just over two
weeks.
I didn't see all I wanted in that time but got a pretty good look at most of
it.
If I had to skip any part due to time constraint it would be LA, just like
any large sprawling metropolis.
Spend more time in Grand canyon or SF. IMHO

Steve
London UK
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.usatouring.co.uk" target="_blank">www.usatouring.co.uk</a>


"Richardjlavender" <richardjlavender.TakeThisOut@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040116154115.04604.00000116@mb-m10.aol.com...
 > Hi Guys - I really need some help here!
 >
 > I am arriving in/out of LA from the UK mid April for 14 days and want to
see as
 > much of the west coast as possible by car.
 >
 > In my head....!!.... it would be nice to see a bit of LA, SanFran, A
National
 > Park, Death Valley, Las Vagas & The Grand Canyon - In that order?
 >
 > Can anyone help me estimate how much time I will need getting to and from
the
 > following sights, how long I should stay at each one and where is the best
mid
 > priced places are to stay? & accom websites to help? I have heard that at
some
 > popular attractions it's best to book now such as the grand canyon.
 >
 > I might be being a little ambitious with my wish list above, please let me
know
 > if I am and what I should cut out on a standard see a bit of everything
 > vacation (we have no kids)
 >
 > A lot to ask I know, and I have bought a guide book but it's all just
swimming
 > on the pages ..theres so much to see there. It's such a long way to
travel, I
 > will probably only do it once and want to get as much out of it as can.
 >
 > Many thanks in advance for any help
 >
 > Richard
 >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help Req Please Planning West Coast Trip