Can you look at my trip plans and let me know if there is anything to add or take out

Twinprincesses

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Jun 30, 2005
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We are going in October. A couple people that we know that live in California told me everything was too spread out and some of this stuff was not a good idea.


Saturday 13th- Visit with family members for dinner
Sunday 14th- Laguna beach with some close friends
Monday 15th- Santa Monica and Venice Beach
Tuesday 16th- Whale Watching at Dana Wharf , Dinner at Rubys
Wednesday 17th- Disney
Thursday 18th- Hollywood, Tar Pits, Observatory eat lunch at Pinks.
Friday 19th – Disney
Saturday 20th- Palm Springs tram and hiking
Sunday 21st- Disney
Monday- Home
 
Do you already have your accommodations for this trip? Where will you be staying as a "home-base". Are all of these "must-do's" or are you willing to cut some out?
 
We are staying at the grand californian from the 16th-22nd. We are flexible to where we stay the 13-16th.
 
We are staying at the grand californian from the 16th-22nd. We are flexible to where we stay the 13-16th.

Can you try to put your activities in like destinations back-to-back? For example, would you be willing to stay overnight near LA for your Santa Monica/Venice Beach/Hollywood time? It's at MINIMUM an hour from Anaheim to LA without traffic, and when does that happen? Laguna is about 45 minutes to an hour south of Anaheim and that is also right around Dana Wharf. Maybe you'd want to do those days back-to-back as well? You've got an awful lot of driving packed into this itinerary.
 

I think we will stay in either Laguna Hills, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana. Do you think one of those locations is better than another for what we will be doing.
 
I think it's to do Disney then drive to Palm Springs for a day and then do Disney again will be pretty tiring.

We did the whale watching out of Dana Wharf twice 2 summers ago. Well worth it as we saw whales each time.
 
I think I talked my husband out of Palm Springs, as neat as that tram looks I do not know if the kids will want to spend the entire day there.
 
OK here are our updated plans

Saturday 13th- Santa Monica/Venice
Sunday 14th- Hollywood, Tar pits, Observatory- Dinner at Pinks
Monday 15th- Malibu and Getty
Tuesday 16th- Tide Pools, Whale Watching at Dana Wharf , Dinner at Rubys
Wednesday 17th- Disney
Thursday 18th- Disney
Friday 19th – LA Science Center and dinner with the family
Saturday 20th- Laguna Beach, dinner with the family
Sunday 21st- Disney $100.00
Monday- Home
 
Your second one is setup really well! The drive to PS and then to Disney is tiring with the 91 & (sometimes) 10 traffic!

Have fun!!!!
 
Sunday 14th- Hollywood, Tar pits, Observatory- Dinner at Pinks

You are very close, about 10 mins, to Pink's from the Tar Pits, not the Observatory. I would either put the Observatory first or last. It's open from 10a-10p on Sundays and you're only a 15 minute drive on the street from Hollywood.

Tar Pits are open from 9:30a-5p. I'm a member but I would say that it can easily be experienced in 2 hours.

The Tar Pits are also the most Westward destination you have planned this day, I would say venture there first and maybe do Pink's for lunch, then head to Hollywood and do the Observatory last (even though it does get busy in the evening & parking becomes a slight issue, but it is better experienced at night anyway). This would involve no backtracking driving, you'd just keep moving Northeast/East. There is a pretty good cafe at the Observatory but also lots of eateries down the mountain in the Los Feliz part of town, including Louise's Trattoria (a personal favorite) but lots of other option abound.

However you choose to do Pink's though, keep in the mind their lines get looong and parking isn't extremely plentiful, so don't get plan to get there already starving.

Monday 15th- Malibu and Getty
Good day just bear in mind it's a Monday and you'll encounter some traffic heading to/from your destinations; the 405 and 10 are a little busy all day and very crazy during drivetime traffic.

Friday 19th – LA Science Center and dinner with the family

The only eating options at the Science Center (10a-5p) are a McDonald's and Taco Bell. There's a nice, new cafe at the adjacent Natural History Museum (which I would recommend you do as well). If you want to eat elsewhere, just plan ahead as there isn't much else in the area outside the museum complex and I wouldn't recommend you stay in that area to dine (not unsafe in the museum area but a bit unsavory outside it).

The Science Center is a 'suggested donation' museum and the IMAX movies are fairly cheap. The Natural History Museum (9:30a-5p) is, in my opinion, a lot nicer than the SciCenter and offers more to see. I would opt to start at the Nat and check out the SciCenter afterwards. I don't know how many are in your party, but a family membership may save you money, it's $80, because it includes membership to the Tar Pits museum.

Hope you have a great trip! :)
 














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