please advise!

[momjkm]

I posted this but I think in the wrong place.... it orig was in the theme park area... but I need more general help....

please help!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi all... need some opinions on my trip to Southern California this summer. It will be just me and my 17 yr old dd. Graduation gift My tentative plan is to fly into San Diego on a Wednesday or Thursday, rent a car and stay in the area until Saturday AM. On Saturday AM, drive north to LA/Hollywood Area... do Chinese theatre, walk of fame ect in that area on Saturday. Stay overnight, and do Universal on Sunday. Drive to Anaheim early Monday AM and stay there, do disney Mon-Thursday and on Friday AM, drive to coast for 3 nights, flying home on Monday AM.

I am flying into San Diego as it is cheaper to fly into that LAX and rental car is cheaper. But don't have my heart set on seeing San Diego.. the only thing I know at this point is I would want to see the zoo. With a 17yr old girl, would 2 days there be enough?

Would I be better off flying into LAX since I DO want to spend more time in that area?

2nd question: I plan on being in Hollywood are on weekend to minimize time in traffic. Is this a good plan? Or would it be worth it to get a hotel in Anaheim and just go back/forth those 2 days? (ie go from San Diego to LA on Sat AM, spend day there and then to Anaheim Saturday night and do a tour from Anaheim to Universal on Sunday or Monday?)

If I stayed in Hollywood an extra day, what time would be good to head out to Anaheim to minimize traffic on a monday in July?

I don't mind driving but want to minimize it as much as possible---

Please don't be shy--tell me what I need to know, avoid...ect...
thanks so MUCH!
Jill

 

[Miss Peach]

Hi!

Unless you really want to go to SD, and I do not know how much you would be saving by flying there and renting car there, I would skip it.

Beware of staying in Hollywood, it ranges from sleazy to scary.

The Chinese theater area is bad, keep your wits about you!

Plan to go to Farmers Market and the Grove if you are in Hollywood.

High traffic times on the freeway between L A and Anaheim will be before 10 am and after 1 pm, try to drive in the 10-1 window.

Enjoy your trip,

Cathy

 

[StageTek]

Traffic is unpredictable. If there is an accident the day you travel
the traffic will be terrible. If not the difference will be at the most
10 to 15 minutes. Maybe 20.

No matter which day you choose or which hour you choose to leave
Los Angeles area for Anaheim it will take you between 40 minutes
and 55 minutes - assuming normal, non accident, conditions.

I do it often. I have left LA at 6AM and 8AM and 9AM and 10AM and
11AM and... well you get the idea. Sometimes the traffic between
Hollywood and downtown is a nightmare and then from downtown
to Anaheim it's 65 all the way. I've left Hollywood at 7AM on a
Monday and it takes an hour. The next Monday at 7AM it takes 35
minutes.

My advice, from a Hollywood local who travels to DLR regularly, is
it not even think about the traffic. You can't save much more than
15 minutes no matter what plans you try.

I do understand - there is always the hope that there is some little
trick than can shave 10/15 minutes off the drive. But there really
isn't.

 

[katesorad]

San Diego is really pretty boring. Unless you're saving hundreds of dollars flying into SD, I'd skip it completely.

If you are, however, saving hundreds of dollars by flying into San Diego, there are some things that you can do. There is, of course, the San Diego Zoo. In my opinion, it's not as great as people give it credit for being. It's hard to walk (lots of hills), and kind of confusing. If you do the zoo, opt for the bus tour that takes you through the park. It costs a bit extra, but I'd say that it's worth it. There are museums in Balboa Park, which is where the zoo is located, that you can walk to. They aren't amazing museums, but the Air & Space Museum may be worth going to if you enjoy learning about that kind of thing. That's the only museum that I find worth going to.

While you're in San Diego, you can tour the Midway Museum and visit the old Point Loma Lighthouse. Both of which aren't too expensive and will give you kind of an idea of what San Diego is about.. military. Nothing too exciting, in my opinion.

 

[cirquelovers]

I posted this but I think in the wrong place.... it orig was in the theme park area... but I need more general help....

please help!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi all... need some opinions on my trip to Southern California this summer. It will be just me and my 17 yr old dd. Graduation gift My tentative plan is to fly into San Diego on a Wednesday or Thursday, rent a car and stay in the area until Saturday AM. On Saturday AM, drive north to LA/Hollywood Area... do Chinese theatre, walk of fame ect in that area on Saturday. Stay overnight, and do Universal on Sunday. Drive to Anaheim early Monday AM and stay there, do disney Mon-Thursday and on Friday AM, drive to coast for 3 nights, flying home on Monday AM.

I am flying into San Diego as it is cheaper to fly into that LAX and rental car is cheaper. But don't have my heart set on seeing San Diego.. the only thing I know at this point is I would want to see the zoo. With a 17yr old girl, would 2 days there be enough?

Would I be better off flying into LAX since I DO want to spend more time in that area?

2nd question: I plan on being in Hollywood are on weekend to minimize time in traffic. Is this a good plan? Or would it be worth it to get a hotel in Anaheim and just go back/forth those 2 days? (ie go from San Diego to LA on Sat AM, spend day there and then to Anaheim Saturday night and do a tour from Anaheim to Universal on Sunday or Monday?)

If I stayed in Hollywood an extra day, what time would be good to head out to Anaheim to minimize traffic on a monday in July?

I don't mind driving but want to minimize it as much as possible---

Please don't be shy--tell me what I need to know, avoid...ect...
thanks so MUCH!
Jill

I would rather fly into San Diego than LAX anyday but I strongly dislike LAX. My preferred airport is SNA/John Wayne, as it is smaller and less of a hassle, when I'm going to Disneyland. We have flown into San Diego and toured Southern California and found it convenient enough, especially if you plan on spending a little time down there.

We enjoyed the zoo, widlife animal park and lots of shopping. There are some great malls just north of San Diego but you'd have to ask a local on here,as I have no idea where I was!! There is a beautiful hotel out on a little island, connected by a bridge though. The beaches are beautiful down there. My boy loved touring the aircraft carrier and the Duck boat tour. There are many interesting museums out by the zoo and the park itself is huge!

The last time we went to Universal we chose to stay in a hotel in the area and found it to be very convenient. That way we could be at the park at opening and enjoy the day without fighting traffic to get there. As I recall our hotel had a shuttle that took you to the park.

I don't have any advice for Hollywood, I found it kind of dirty and a little scary but thankfully my husband was with us. There are central parking lots that make it easy to tour around. There are hundreds of pan handlers down there and lots of strange people dressed up as characters that want money for a pic with them. i found them creepy and kind of pushy sometimes. I don't know if doing Hollywood on the weekend would make it less traffic as that seems to be when they have concerts down at the Hollywood Bowl and I remember that being a nightmare, traffic wise. I am not a local though so honestly have no idea just what I've experienced.

Wow, that was a lot longer than I expected, hope it helped a little.

I'm a Jill too, so I just had to chime in!