Southern California Trip Advice

[Antithesis]

Originally Posted by Inferno

Oh trust me. I know we're going to waste alot of time but I wouldnt be the one driving. At first we had a car in the package but my dad canceled it. He hates driving in Calgary too and hates the fact I'm trying to move there for when they would come to visit me. I dont think it's so much of a problem of getting lost. He just hates having to change lanes in heavy traffic so much at his age.

I wonder, then, if it is possible for you to break the vacation up into different stages ... when you are in Disneyland, stay at the Anaheim hotel, but when you want to be doing things in LA, find a hotel there. The public transit within the city is better, the subway will get you many places you want to go. Anaheim is a good 60-90 minutes (or more depending on traffic) from LA.

[macker]

Originally Posted by AC

Dear god no.

I was just in San Diego last month, and the zoo is amazing. The Calgary zoo is crap in comparison.

It took my girlfriend and I 8 hours to see everything, and we wound up going back a second day just to see our favourites again.

Seaworld was cool as well... but if I had to pick between the two, the zoo is an easy choice.

If you have limited time and want to see the most unique park I would still go with Seaworld. I guess I was expecting more from the San Diego Zoo after all the hype but found it to be a very caged up Zoo and very few natural habitat exhibits. I think the Canadian wild section of the Calgary Zoo is great for this very reason. Anyways when we were there most of the animals seemed like they had heat stroke so maybe that had something to do with it and it is a very large park to lug around kids if you don't want to be shipped around or wait to be shipped around...

[Antithesis]

Oh, I have another option to propose. You could fly me out there and pay for my expenses and I will be your driver. You can even call me Jeeves if you'd like.

[dre]

Originally Posted by macker

If you have limited time and want to see the most unique park I would still go with Seaworld. I guess I was expecting more from the San Diego Zoo after all the hype but found it to be a very caged up Zoo and very few natural habitat exhibits. I think the Canadian wild section of the Calgary Zoo is great for this very reason. Anyways when we were there most of the animals seemed like they had heat stroke so maybe that had something to do with it and it is a very large park to lug around kids if you don't want to be shipped around or wait to be shipped around...

You are right macker, and that zoo is all hills. With kids, it can be a challenge.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Antithesis

I wonder, then, if it is possible for you to break the vacation up into different stages ... when you are in Disneyland, stay at the Anaheim hotel, but when you want to be doing things in LA, find a hotel there. The public transit within the city is better, the subway will get you many places you want to go. Anaheim is a good 60-90 minutes (or more depending on traffic) from LA.

That's the way I would have did it but when my dad booked it he did the same hotel for all 6 nights.

One thing I also forgot to mention and I dont know if it really makes a difference in time and cost is by 'bus' I mean 'tour bus'. There's going to be days where we just do whatever but alot of the places we go to are going to be based around tours.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

P.S. Driving the interstate might seem daunting, but it's a lot easier than the Deerfoot here in Calgary (not sure what the equivalent would be in Manitoba). People usually stay near the speed limit; no idiots weaving in and out of traffic doing 50 km/h over the limit like you'll see here

Bottom line, if you are going to merge onto a highway, MERGE! Don't sit at the end of your lane then try and go 0 to 65mph. One thing I appreciate about driving down here is people actually know how to merge onto highways.

The answer is yes, cars know you want to merge and they will accommodate. If you want to ride the right lane and you see a car about to merge, they are gonna merge whether you like it or not. Don't act surprised if they force their way in then freak out that they budged ahead of you.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Inferno

One thing I also forgot to mention and I dont know if it really makes a difference in time and cost is by 'bus' I mean 'tour bus'. There's going to be days where we just do whatever but alot of the places we go to are going to be based around tours.

The tour buses are generally good for getting you from Anaheim to the major tourist attractions in the area. Obviously, you have a lot less freedom in planning your time because you're stuck on their schedule. Since it's not your decision, there really isn't any point in trying to convince you to rent a car.

You're staying within walking distance of Disneyland, which is good, so you'll be able to come and go there as you please. Depending on which way your room faces, you might be able to watch the fireworks from your room.


You should probably read this thread about traveling from Anaheim to the Staples Center: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...alifornia.html

Getting to the game shouldn't be too hard, but getting back might be a hassle because the last train from LA to Anaheim leaves just after 10.

[red sky]

Huntington Beach has already been mentioned, funny story, when I was there I actually the whole bottle, it was fantastic!

[Cowperson]

I love buzzing around southern California. You really need a car. Drive as fast as everyone else and the world slows down. It's people who drive slow with the world whizzing by them who get scared.

Take the old folks to the Freak Show on Venice Beach man!!!



And we spent some quiet days in San Clemente, not too far from San Diego, in the Spring.

Cowperson