Southern California for a week in October

[getbak]

Originally Posted by 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?

For the hotel, I would book something now but make sure you can cancel without penalty up until check in, that way you have the security of knowing you have something booked, but also have the option of cancelling when prices drop later.

I'd do the same with the rental car. Also, look around for coupon codes and if you have or know someone who has an Entertainment Book, they usually have lots of rental car coupons. I've always had good luck with Alamo/National (same company but two different brands). Unlike other companies, they don't assign you a specific car, they just have all the cars of a certain class in a row and you can take whichever one you want. At least, they do that at the bigger airports, I don't know if they do at SNA.


Yes to the Friends couch. That was in 2005, so I don't know if they still do it. They gave a whole speech that it was in storage for a short time and "oh they really don't want us to do this, but I guess I can take a few quick photos". My sister and her family went a couple of years after I did and they got the same speech, so I assume they still do it. If you search Google images, there sure are a lot of people sitting on that damn couch for something they "don't let all the tours do".

[DuffMan]

Oh, and another tip, no matter what it is like out when you leave your hotel for the day, and what your plan is, take a sweater with you. I had to buy a few because as soon as the sun goes down it gets a bit chilly. So even if you plan on making it home by sundown, you might go out for dinner or something.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by 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?

Research the store lists; if there is enough incentive (i.e. specific stores) to make the drive, I say go for it. For us, we'll be going back to Camarillo next time because they have a New Balance outlet which my wife loved last time (lots of discontinued models in her specific size for cheap). The Under Armour outlet (when we went to Carlsbad more recently) was okay; I snagged a long sleeve cold gear shirt for under $20 IIRC.

As for location, I don't have much to suggest as we always stay at a Starwood property (Sheraton/Westin -- family employee discount). We usually stay at the Four Points Sheraton in Culver City -- good access to LAX and Santa Monica, and across the street from a mall. Overnight parking is also not too expensive ($11 a night IIRC; it might have gone up since though).

[OutOfTheCube]

Yeah we arrived on Columbus Day when we went but that was our 'get to the hotel and collapse' day. We were talking to a guy at the pool and he said it was an absolute gongshow in Disneyland.

[GreenLantern]

Ugh glad we are missing that day, so you were at Disneyland the day after then? And it was much more managable? I am not expecting it to be the same every year but it could be close.

Big thanks for all the Santa Monica recommendations. I spent last night looking into it and it is way better than any other area I was looking at previously. I have a few hotels I am watching in the area for that 250-350 price range so I will see if they drop in price as time goes on then book. The Pacific Park looks pretty fun for a night, straight out of Lost Boys or something. If I can't get a good deal I will cut costs at the hotels around Disney to make it work in the budget, seems like it would be worth it.

[Northendzone]

have you thought about visiting compton, long beach or inglewood?

[GreenLantern]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

have you thought about visiting compton, long beach or inglewood?

Depends how suicidal I am after dealing with the crowds at Disneyland.

I will definitely at some point have NWA playing in my rental though:

NSFW!

[hah]

If you are going to Disney Land I recommend you purchase this program in advance. It is called ride max. ( http://www.ridemax.com/).

We have used it twice including New Years Eve and New Years day and were able to get on all the rides ( over 15) we wanted in both parks on the busiest days of the year with minimal wait time in the line ups. It works! You will have to arrive at the park early,

Purchase the program a week before you go,s o you can play around with your itinerary at home,it is well worth the money.

[GreenLantern]

Thanks for the recommendation, I think I saw this in one of my google searches but forgot to book mark it.

Looks like a pretty sweet app, basically we just pick the rides we want and it creates a schedule based on the lowest average wait times for that day? I like that.


One question we haven't talked about yet is the early entry, has anyone used it before? Is there any way to get it without staying in the disney hotel? (probably not but worth asking). Has anyone gone to the park on an early entry day and by the time you were allowed in it was a gong show and you punched out the first ten year old you saw?

[GreenLantern]

Early entry.. I have done some research and from what I have read everyone basically says that you shouldn't bother going to the park on an early entry day if you don't have the extra hour access. The reviews I read compared it to showing up at the park around noon on a regular day..

I know there were some people in this thread who went around the same time as us (mid Oct) so I am just curious what specific days they were there and if they noticed anything like this? The early entry days are Tues/Thurs.

Right now I am considering moving everything around so we are at the park on a Wednesday instead.. but it will require about 4-5 more hours of me driving around LA/Anaheim. Starting to think that my crowd rage at Disneyland would be more managable than my road rage on the interstate.

[brocoli]

We did Disneyland at roughly the same time that you did. The early entry (which we got with the City Pass...3 days at Disneyland/California Adventure, 1 Day at Universal Studios & 1 Day at Sea World) was a joke. Almost no rides were going and the only part that was really open was Fantasyland. So we rode the Matterhorn & the Tea Cups. The rest of the park was closed off by gates, so we couldn't even get fast passes that quickly.

It's just not worth it IMO. You are better off getting there a little early and lining up for regular entrance.

[GreenLantern]

Can anyone recommend a good hotel that is in downtown LA/near Citadel outlet mall, and a must hit restaurant/pub in the area?

Planning to skip the Camarillo drive and stick with something closer to DL.. will drive to the hotel Sunday night upon arrival, get there late, hopefully find a bar where I can have a few drinks, shop the next day then head to DL area.

[GreenLantern]

Alright so I am about 4 weeks out from the trip and this is my itinerary:

Sunday - Land in Aanheim, straight to hotel/collapse
Monday - DCA
Tuesday - DL
Wednesday - Santa Barbara Wine Tour
Thursday - Shopping at outlets
Friday - Hollywood/WB/Griffith Park
Saturday - SM farmers market/pier/venice beach

Trying to keep the nights open as it is looking pretty good that either the Dodgers or Angels (or both) will be in their respective league finals.. should have a shot at buying some tickets. Not really interested in seeing the Kings or Ducks play.. get enough hockey back home.

I am still trying to decide if it will be worth the drive or not to Santa Barbara for one day. From Anaheim it would be a 2.5ish hour drive on the free way or a 3 hour drive on the coastal scenic route.. Trying to skip LA morning traffic, the earliest we could get there would be around noon, which means at most we get an afternoon tour. However, we want to shop the Camarillo outlets so they are kind of on the way back to SM.

The other option is Malibu which is much closer, basing out of there or our SM hotel. Anyone toured either area with some advice?

[burn_this_city]

We've been to Socal a few times. Love Dana Point, La Jolla, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Coronado, and San Diego. We hated LA proper, too congested and Hollywood is overrated, same with Santa Monica Pier.

[Northendzone]

i have also heard that there is so much drama in the LBC, that it is hard being snoop d-o double g........

[socalwingfan]

Santa Barbara is awesome - but you are right, the drive is nasty. I believe you said you are staying in Santa Monica. If so, definitely take the PCH, you will be going oppsosite the traffic and should have pretty smooth sailing up to SB. The wife and I did a Wine and Hops tour in Santa Barbara a few months ago, we had a great time. If you have the time, stop at Neptune's Net for lunch it is on the PCH right at the LA./Ventura County line. Great place to eat and watch some pretty good surfing.