<font color=navy>Here's another vote not to go to TJ - I took my cousins from Spain there and they couldn't understand why Mexico didn't build up their border towns to attract the American tourists and $$. I second the vote on the other cities, as well as Guadalajara or Mexico City.
Catalina is a nice visit if you have plenty of time to spend in Los Angeles, or if you want the experience of spending time in a boat, and being on an island. The beach isn't anything special - it's okay, but there are better beaches on the mainland. The shops are okay and so are the restaurants, but you really need more time and $$ to enjoy the island.
I would recommend driving to some local spots that are just as interesting, and much easier to reach.
If you come in the spring (early March), then a drive to Anza Borrego is nice, but it literally takes all day. You drive down the coast to Oceanside (have breakfast), cut in on the 78, and drive through countryside, passing some Indian reservations, until you get to Julian, which is up in the mountains. After visiting Julian and having some delicious apple pie and visiting some of the shops and their little museum, continue east and down the mountain to the desert, where you come to Anza Borrego State Park. There is a nature center there, and you can take a one mile nature hike that looks like it's going to nowhere, but you end up at an oasis with palm trees and a pretty good sized stream (for the desert). It's big enough to wade in, and a nice place to picnic. The hike points out various plants, etc., and metates - holes in the rocks where the Indians used to grind their acorns into meal. After you spend some time at Anza, continue east until you hit the Salton Sea, and then go north towards Palm Springs. You can have a late supper there, and then head back to your hotel. Like I said, this takes us all day.
You can visit Los Angeles - there is a lot to see - there are a lot of museums - history, science, art - the Ghetty Center, up on a small mountain overlooking LA (& close to UCLA). There's the La Brea Tarpits, which I think is a wonder in itself, and has a museum behind it that showcases the animals they got out of the tarpits - saber toothed lions, dire wolves, woolly mammoths, etc. Two blocks away is Rodeo Drive - you can drive through Beverly Hills and take a walk through the shops on Rodeo Drive - have lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Just a short distance away is Farmers Market, and in the same general area is the Mann Chinese Theater (across the street is El Capitan which belongs to Disney), Hollywood with the stars on the street, Sunset and Vine, etc. (just keep in mind that Hollywood has a lot of "strange" people there - though that has never stopped us from going). You can go on Sunset Blvd. and drive west all the way to the ocean and have dinner at Gladstones - if you time it right, you can eat and watch the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. On the same day, you can visit Olvera Street - the street where Los Angeles began - full name of Los Angeles is: La ciudad de Nuestra Senora de los Angeles de Porciancula (The City of Our Lady of the Angels of Porciancula - Porciancula is the name of the river that used to be there when LA first began and long ago covered by the city itself).
You can also have dinner at Tony's on the pier in Redondo Beach and watch the sunset, and afterwards go to the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, about 5-10 minutes away - Jay Leno practices his routines there on Mondays (if he still does that).
Back in Hollywood, on Sunset, they have the Comedy Club - lots of fun. It's been awhile since I've been there - but I have seen some good talent.
You can spend the day at Newport Beach, rent bicycles, and ride around there, taking the ferry to Balboa Island. The beach is nice at Newport (15 mins or so from Disneyland Resort). And if you want, you can go down south a little more to Laguna Beach, which is an artsy type community. You can go further to Mission Viejo and visit San Juan Capistrano - a beautiful mission left over from the days when the Spanish ruled the land.
You can go north up to Santa Barbara - another beautiful city, with a historical downtown that you can visit on foot. Nearby is the beautiful Santa Barbara Mission. And if you want to make a full day of it, go past San Luis Obispo and visit Solvang (a danish community).
If you like the mountains, you can go up to Big Bear Lake, and visit the little town there, and ride a boat on the lake, or do some hiking.... or you can go to Lake Arrowhead, although it's harder to get to the lake itself because there are so many private homes there.
San Diego is another beautiful town with so much to see. Balboa Park is so interesting - the San Diego Zoo is there, as well as a lot of museums, plus the grounds are gorgeous. There is also Old Town and the Boardwalk down by the ocean. Also, there is Coronado Island - you can go over the bridge or take the ferry, and visit the Coronado Hotel.
There is lots to do - you just need to figure out what you would like to do most.
If you want to see a beautiful place in Mexico, think in some other place like: Puerto Vallarta, Guanajuato, Taxco or CanCun (in another trip ,of course).I think Tijuana is the worst part of our country...just my 2 cts...
