Southern California for a week in October

[GreenLantern]

Originally Posted by strombad

Never done the WB tour, not much into that so I can't help you there but most of those tours run pretty often with enough space to fit you in. Ellen will likely be tough to get into, but I believe there are usually tickets at the door, so if you don't get them in advance just line up super early.

As for where to stay, what's the general budget per night if you don't mind me asking?

The budget is pretty flexible, right now I have 250 a night put in because I wasn't sure how high end we wanted to go/what a common rate is for different parts of LA. Hoping to not spend quite that much, but spending up to it is doable. Around 200 a night taxes in would be ideal. That is also USD.

The activities we want to do in this area are the WB tour, the Ellen taping, visit the walk of fame/that Chinese theater. These are all on her list, I really am just along for the ride this day. I want to visit the beach, which sounds like it should be Santa Monica now, and work out at Gold's near Venice.

After that it is really up in the air, maybe drink as many different types of craft beer as I can and/or see a band that would never come to Saskatoon. The closer our hotel can be to these activities, the better I guess.. which is why I was looking at the Hollywood area initially.

[trew]

A couple of thoughts:

- The more I can stay off of the big freeways, the more I enjoy a trip to California.

- Instead of Anaheim. I would consider staying in one of the beach cities just south west of the airport (Dana Point - Seal Beach areas). Best of both worlds. You can easily drive up to Anaheim but can also stay next to the ocean. I especially like Laguna Beach.

- I've had a lot of luck with priceline in California. Often getting 4* hotels for around $100/night. Stayed at the downtown Marriott last time for around that amount. It was very nice.

- I always pretty much rent cars with Avis and Budget. Avis seems to be particularly good about one way rentals.

- Also, the subway metro lines from LA up to Hollywood are very frequent and easy to navigate. Might actually be worthwhile doing a car drop off and re-pick up rather than paying downtown parking.

- If you do park downtown, don't park at your hotel, use a public lot instead. ($15 vs $30+ a day).

[GreenLantern]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

My wife and I just went to Anaheim for our honeymoon in the same week this last October.

We got lucky and had a Flames game be scheduled in the Honda Center while we were there. Don't count that out, especially with Anaheim/LA in the same division as Calgary now.

Also, this may seem like a weird recommendation but if you only have one day to spend in the Disneyland resort area, I would recommend California Adventure over Disneyland proper. It's smaller (as in closer together, comparable amount of things to do/see), the rides are much better and more exciting, and the shows are excellent. We would typically be tired of the crowds, huge amounts of walking, and mostly kid-oriented rides in Disneyland by about 3 or 4pm.

Our day in California Adventure was excellent though. The rides are awesome (a full rollercoaster, long and very well done rapids ride, tower of terror) and the shows were fantastic. We saw an hour long Aladdin musical that was terrific and the World of Color show they do every evening is a must see.

It would pain me to miss out on Splash Mountain but California Adventure was a better experience for us.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that the food in California Adventure is way better too! Plus, you can get beer.

I looked at CA, and it did seem pretty cool, but the wife is dead set on Disneyland. She is kind of a nut for Disney, and I grew up with a Mom who was a Disney nut, so even going on the Dumbo ride appeals to the inner kid in me. I agree though, if we had more than one day I definitely would want to hit CA up for the second day. I guess this is just our be a kid for a day-day.

Which hotel did you stay at if you don't mind me asking? And how were the crowds in Disneyland? Still horrible? Should I medicate to temper my crowd rage?

And yea I am really hoping to be able to see a hockey game, especially a Flames game. Which is why I have left every evening except the Spa day open so far.. Disney though I imagine we will want to see the fireworks as well. But that still leaves Monday/Thur/Fri/Sat.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by agulati

Yes the plan is to take CA-1 for most of the way. Good call on the long weekend traffic. Will need to be good about our timings. If we do two nights, 1 night in Carmel/Monterey and 1 night in Santa Barbara is what you would recommend?

Our concern is we want to give time to the drive but don't want to eat too much into our stay time in the cities.

We drove from SF to LA via PCH with a one night stop in Cambria; we ended up running out of daylight before we actually got there because we had walked around in Monterey, had lunch, did the 17 Mile Drive, and then kept stopping along the way for photos and such. The next day we did a tour at Hearst Castle before heading to Santa Monica/LA. Feel free to PM me with any q's

[strombad]

If you want my honest advice, stay in/around Santa Monica. Try and nab a good deal, but it's really the perfect location for your beach and Hollywood days. It can be pricey, but you should be able to hit under 250 on a good website. From Santa Monica, you can easily hit that beach, Venice, and Hollywood EASY.

Plus SM is beautiful, I would even recommend walking around that area in some off time, and if your wife likes shopping then be prepared to drop some dollar bills. It's not Rodeo Drive bad, so don't worry, but there's lots of cool shops and nice places to eat.

As for your worry about Disney crowds, you're going on a weekday in October, I promise you will be just fine. You're actually going on one of the best times to go.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

The outlet mall I was looking at is:

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=20

It is about a 2 hour drive from Anaheim along the coast, or a bit under 1.5 if we go directly through LA.. haven't decided that yet, would like to see as much of the coast as possible.

Seems far, but from my research it appears to be the best with the most amount of stores we want to hit compared to the others, again I would love any feedback here for people that have shopped the area. I was originally planning to stay in LA the first night and cut half our of the drive out.. but I don't like having all of our luggage/personal belongings on us and left in the car all day while we travel around.

We've been to this outlet mall twice -- lots of stores; a little quieter as it's out in Camarillo. Last time we went to Citadel outlets (http://www.citadeloutlets.com/), which was comparable (probably a little smaller; also busier as it's closer to the greater LA area).

We just took the major freeways to go to Camarillo, so the drive wasn't much to speak of; if you do take the extra time to take Highway 1 (through Malibu), it might be worth it, but otherwise I would only go to Camarillo if there are certain stores you want to hit (especially if you're staying closer to Anaheim; we were in Santa Monica so the drive wasn't nearly as bad). If you just want a general outlet mall shopping experience, Citadel will probably suffice.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by strombad

If you want my honest advice, stay in/around Santa Monica. Try and nab a good deal, but it's really the perfect location for your beach and Hollywood days. It can be pricey, but you should be able to hit under 250 on a good website. From Santa Monica, you can easily hit that beach, Venice, and Hollywood EASY.

Plus SM is beautiful, I would even recommend walking around that area in some off time, and if your wife likes shopping then be prepared to drop some dollar bills. It's not Rodeo Drive bad, so don't worry, but there's lots of cool shops and nice places to eat.

If you drive 10 minutes, you can change that to pocket change.... and the food is better... (UCLA area)

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

I looked at CA, and it did seem pretty cool, but the wife is dead set on Disneyland. She is kind of a nut for Disney, and I grew up with a Mom who was a Disney nut, so even going on the Dumbo ride appeals to the inner kid in me. I agree though, if we had more than one day I definitely would want to hit CA up for the second day. I guess this is just our be a kid for a day-day.

Which hotel did you stay at if you don't mind me asking? And how were the crowds in Disneyland? Still horrible? Should I medicate to temper my crowd rage?

And yea I am really hoping to be able to see a hockey game, especially a Flames game. Which is why I have left every evening except the Spa day open so far.. Disney though I imagine we will want to see the fireworks as well. But that still leaves Monday/Thur/Fri/Sat.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Anaheim & Resorts. It was serviceable -- just a generic level, normal clean hotel. Our hotel budget wasn't quite as high as yours though. Only about a ten minute walk to the park though, which was great since we didn't rent a vehicle.

The crowds in Disneyland had a huge range. During the week it wasn't too bad if you planned it right. At the park they have these things called 'Fast Pass' now. Basically a little booth for each ride where you scan your park ticket and it spits out a ticket for the ride with a time about an hour or two later, say between 3:00 - 3:30PM. You can return to the ride at that time and get in to the Fast Pass line which basically bypasses the whole line-up. Splash Mountain was always a 60+ minute line-up, but with the Fast Pass you cut that down to less than 10. If you get good at it you can plan your day around your Fast Passes.

All this went out the window on our last day on the Saturday though. Just a complete clustercuss of people. I think we got on maybe 2 of the bigger rides and 3 of the smaller ones before we gave up. The bad thing is that the fireworks/Fantasia show are only on Saturday night.

[trew]

Originally Posted by agulati

Yes the plan is to take CA-1 for most of the way. Good call on the long weekend traffic. Will need to be good about our timings. If we do two nights, 1 night in Carmel/Monterey and 1 night in Santa Barbara is what you would recommend?

Our concern is we want to give time to the drive but don't want to eat too much into our stay time in the cities.

It only takes half a day to drive the Big Sur Coast (even with stops), so a day in Monterey and Santa Barbara will leave lots of time.

- I stayed in Pacific Grove last trip to Monterey. There you can find a place right next to the scenic drive by pebble beach. (Amazing walking and bike riding!). It is only about a 20 minute walk into Monterey as well.

- If you have time and daylight left, you might want to take the back way into Santa Barbara through Solvang. Solvang is touristy (sort of a Danish themed resort town with windmills and kitsch). Fun to spend an hour and perhaps grab a pastry or two. The drive through Las Padres is perhaps a bit more scenic than the 101 from Buelton to Santa Barbara. (If it is dark, just take the 101 as it is multi-lane,)

- If you want to do some wine tasting, then a stop off at Los Olivos is well worthwhile. (Dozen + tasting rooms in a three street village, pretty much on the way to Santa Barbara from highway 1). The Santa Barbara Urban wine trail is also a great wine tasting outing. (It's just a walking map going from the beach side area of Santa Barbara up to the central shopping area and back). For nightlife: Corks and Crowns beer/wine bar is a lively spot with a pretty fun, all-ages, crowd.

[troutman]

October - Dodgers or Angels might be in the playoffs then.

Beaches - I like Hermosa Beach the most for bars and restaurants

Science - Griffith Observatory, or Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Live Music - Sunset Strip

Records - Amoeba (world's largest)

Conan - TBS

[GreenLantern]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

We've been to this outlet mall twice -- lots of stores; a little quieter as it's out in Camarillo. Last time we went to Citadel outlets (http://www.citadeloutlets.com/), which was comparable (probably a little smaller; also busier as it's closer to the greater LA area).

We just took the major freeways to go to Camarillo, so the drive wasn't much to speak of; if you do take the extra time to take Highway 1 (through Malibu), it might be worth it, but otherwise I would only go to Camarillo if there are certain stores you want to hit (especially if you're staying closer to Anaheim; we were in Santa Monica so the drive wasn't nearly as bad). If you just want a general outlet mall shopping experience, Citadel will probably suffice.

Ya I am not sure about the extra driving time or not, I have in my mind it will be a nice coastal drive as it pretty much hugs the coast the entire way there until you turn north to the outlet mall.. but in actuality it will probably be a traffic nightmare no matter which way we go.

I agree it is a far drive just for an outlet mall, it is basically going to eat up an entire day.. might be better to shuffle things around and do that drive when we are actually in the SM area. One thing that worried me about Disneyland that Monday is Columbus Day in the states, which I don't think is a public holiday in California, but I think I googled that all the kids are out of school that day.

So I figured it could be a lot more crowded that day than we want to deal with.

How did you find the prices compared between the two outlet malls for the stores that they do share? Pretty similar? I am a fan of a quieter crowd.. and if that drive is in fact enjoyable then it is a good excuse to do it.

[GreenLantern]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Anaheim & Resorts. It was serviceable -- just a generic level, normal clean hotel. Our hotel budget wasn't quite as high as yours though. Only about a ten minute walk to the park though, which was great since we didn't rent a vehicle.

The crowds in Disneyland had a huge range. During the week it wasn't too bad if you planned it right. At the park they have these things called 'Fast Pass' now. Basically a little booth for each ride where you scan your park ticket and it spits out a ticket for the ride with a time about an hour or two later, say between 3:00 - 3:30PM. You can return to the ride at that time and get in to the Fast Pass line which basically bypasses the whole line-up. Splash Mountain was always a 60+ minute line-up, but with the Fast Pass you cut that down to less than 10. If you get good at it you can plan your day around your Fast Passes.

All this went out the window on our last day on the Saturday though. Just a complete clustercuss of people. I think we got on maybe 2 of the bigger rides and 3 of the smaller ones before we gave up. The bad thing is that the fireworks/Fantasia show are only on Saturday night.

I have done some research on this fast pass concept, and the partner has used it in Disney World a few times over the past few years when she visited her folks down in Florida. So she is familiar with it which will be an asset.

I also found a Disneyland guide at Costco for 10 bucks and impulse bought it. It has a lot of great information, and a lot of stuff that is common sense. Overall I think it will be worth the money just to help figure out which rides are worth going on for us. It has hotel recommendations and what not but those recommendations are based totally on Disneyland, not on other activities in the area, features the hotel offers etc.. So I find it hard to go off of their ratings, especially when it conflicts with a lot of things TripAdvisor and ppl in this thread have already said.

That sucks about the fireworks, I guess I was just assuming it would be a nightly thing.. so we will definitely miss that.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

Ya I am not sure about the extra driving time or not, I have in my mind it will be a nice coastal drive as it pretty much hugs the coast the entire way there until you turn north to the outlet mall.. but in actuality it will probably be a traffic nightmare no matter which way we go.

I agree it is a far drive just for an outlet mall, it is basically going to eat up an entire day.. might be better to shuffle things around and do that drive when we are actually in the SM area. One thing that worried me about Disneyland that Monday is Columbus Day in the states, which I don't think is a public holiday in California, but I think I googled that all the kids are out of school that day.

So I figured it could be a lot more crowded that day than we want to deal with.

How did you find the prices compared between the two outlet malls for the stores that they do share? Pretty similar? I am a fan of a quieter crowd.. and if that drive is in fact enjoyable then it is a good excuse to do it.

US outlet malls are a little different than what you see in Canada in that "brand name" products are specifically made for outlet malls (with a cheaper price tag, but sometimes slightly lower quality as well). Therefore, the "deals" you get at one outlet store in one mall are likely the same as you get in the same outlet store in another mall. Some stores will have the more "typical" outlet mall stuff (stuff that has been returned, one-offs, etc), but the stores I go to (Nike, Reebok, Adidas, mens clothing etc) aren't normally like this. Which stores are on your list to go to?

It's funny you mention Columbus day -- normally the outlet malls (at least the chain that owns the one in Camarillo; not sure about the Citadel one) will have the best sales around major holidays (including the Columbus Day weekend -- Friday to Monday). Also, sign up for the online "VIP" club beforehand -- you can usually get extra coupons/discount books for free.

As for driving -- as I mentioned in an earlier post, we drove from SF to LA via Highway 1, which goes through Malibu. To be honest, I don't remember much about the latter part of the drive (i.e. south of the Santa Barbara area) or that it was particularly scenic (nothing like Big Sur anyways); Malibu was kind of cool to see some of the expensive houses up on the hill. Also, I didn't find the traffic to be bad at all. Only once or twice (in the 3-4 times we've been to LA) the freeway got backed up (normally during the early evening as people head home from work). Even with high volumes, it's amazing how 4-6 lanes can keep the traffic moving. Maybe we just got lucky though.

[Ace]

If you are set on staying in hollywood, then this place has an awesome view (stayed here about 8 years ago):

http://www.hollywoodhillshotel.com/hhh/hhh.shtml

After half a dozen or so trips to the LA area I also second staying in Santa Monica, or since your going off-season you may even look at some of the beach front houses in Malibu (on VRBO). We stayed at one in December for about 70% off their listed rate just because it was better to have some income then to have the place sit empty (you just need to negotiate and see who bites).

I did your trip once before (stayed 3 nights here, 2 nights there, 4 nights somewhere else), and since then I learned for me it's better to just camp in one spot. By the time you check out move to the new spot and check in you've wasted 3 or 4 hours. You could have just as easily commuted to your destination in that time. But we don't pack light so it may be easier for you to jump around.

Enjoy!

[getbak]

I have stayed at that Hilton in Anaheim. It's one of the older hotels in the area and it's also one of the biggest in the area, which has its good and bad points. I believe parking also cost extra, so take that into account when comparing rates because most of the hotels don't charge for parking.

For weeknights in October, you should be able to get a good rate at either the Disneyland or Paradise Pier hotels, which are Disney owned. The Grand Californian is really nice, but also really expensive. You might have to wait until the end of summer before they discount the rates for October.


For the shopping day, I would not want to drive all the way to the other side of LA to go to an outlet mall. Have you checked out the one in Carlsbad? http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=66

I don't know which specific stores you're looking for, but it seems like all Premium Outlet locations are generally the same. If you're going from Anaheim, this location should be a lot quicker to get to and back.


For Disneyland, if you're going mid-week in October, you shouldn't have any problem being able to see everything you want. Use Fastpass on the rides that have it (FYI, you don't have to return exactly during the return window, they just care if the start time has passed, so don't rush through the park thinking you have to get there before it expires).


I did the WB Tour. It's really good, and you see a lot more behind the scenes stuff than you do at Universal. You travel in a small group and get to walk around the back stages and sets.

I've done two tv tapings. I went to an episode of Two and a Half Men at the WB lot. It was interesting to see what goes into to shooting a sitcom. Charlie Sheen was still married to Denise Richards at the time, so she was on the set, and still hot. There aren't that many shows that still shoot in front of an audience any more, so the choices are limited. I think most of them shoot on Friday nights.

I also went to a taping of the Jimmy Kimmel show. He's right on Hollywood Blvd in a little old theatre. For that one, I was down there on business, so I was alone and they had one seat right in the front row they needed to fill, so I had the perfect view (and my fat head got on national tv). Too bad there were no hot women on that night, just Fred Willard and Seth MacFarlane, but Jimmy was still dating Sarah Silverman at the time, so she was there and she's cute.

I don't know how Ellen does her tickets, but with both of those shows, you had to show up 2 or 3 hours before the taping was scheduled to start just to stand in line. The night I went to Kimmel, the Batman Begins premiere was taking place at the Chinese Theatre across the street, so I got to see Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and others all arriving on the red carpet. So, that was at least something to look at while waiting.

For the Half Man taping, it was at the WB lot. You have to park in an office building a mile away; you check in there and they put you on a bus to the studio; then, you go through security at the studio, then stand around waiting to be let in to the sound stage.

It's interesting to see everything behind the scenes, but it can take out a big chunk of your day.

[GreenLantern]

Originally Posted by Ace

I did your trip once before (stayed 3 nights here, 2 nights there, 4 nights somewhere else), and since then I learned for me it's better to just camp in one spot. By the time you check out move to the new spot and check in you've wasted 3 or 4 hours. You could have just as easily commuted to your destination in that time. But we don't pack light so it may be easier for you to jump around.

Enjoy!

Yea I agree the moving around is poopy, but I like to drink beer and don't want to make her drive at night in LA, she is bad enough during daylight in Saskatoon.. lol.

[GreenLantern]

Wow I just typed out a big response and it didn't post that is weird...

It was along the lines of:

-I want to visit Under Armour
-Her store list was like 40 long
-I will be playing a lot of Clash of Clans
-I gave her a list of outlet malls she chose Camarillo
-I Know there were specific stores at that outlet she wanted to go to that weren't at any others
-figured it is a good excuse to drive on the coast
-I agree that driving through LA sucks, and I appreciate that Carlsbad find, but the store list is quite small compared to the other outlet
-SO far the cheapest rate I can get for Disney is like 380 a night
-Their prices will definitely drop closer to Oct, but the ocd planner in me really struggles with leaving that detail in limbo until then
-Did you get to sit on the Friends couch in your WB tour? That is the one detail I have to get right.

The more I am looking into Santa Monica the more I like it. Bit more expensive but hotels get cheaper the further away we get.. is there any area between SM and Hollywood that is too sketchy to stay in?

[strombad]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

The more I am looking into Santa Monica the more I like it. Bit more expensive but hotels get cheaper the further away we get.. is there any area between SM and Hollywood that is too sketchy to stay in?

Not really. Avoid Hollywood, but between that and SM you've only really got West LA and Beverly Hills.

Both are plenty nice enough. Again, I can't recommend SM enough, but West LA is probably a bit cheaper I THINK. Beverly Hills is.... Beverly Hills.

As much as you'll hate it, just wait and check priceline or a few other sites over the next few months. You'll get a great deal by June.

[strombad]

It certainly always has people, but weekdays on non-holidays in October are almost always a slam dunk.

I've been week day in off season, and it isn't even comparable to anything during the on season.

[GreenLantern]

Interesting website, thanks for that. It appears as though my fear of Columbus day is justified.. and the day after was 'alright'. I can deal with an alright day I think.

That weekend is probably really bad because of the 20k person vegetable convention going on, apparently its the 2nd biggest one of the year for that convention center. We will be long gone by then though.

Americans are generally very polite and well behaved people though.... right? Right?!?