Visiting California.

[numerobis]

Hi guys, I would appreciate some suggestions from those of you that live in S.F. and L.A. or have visited California. I would be passing by these cities, staying there for a period of two weeks at the beginning of January; so, what things you recommend not to miss while visiting the West Coast.

Apart from the experience of getting to know these cities as I walk through them (I know, I know, that would be impossible in L.A.), what interesting places should I stop by, places like the SFMOMA, Getty Center, the MOCA, the Disney Concert Hall, etc…And of course what bad areas should I avoid.

I don’t know how bad the weather would be at that time but I would Looooove to visit Yosemite or Sequoia N.P. do you think it would be worth the visit? And if time and money let me I could be up to travel to visit the Grand Canyon too (I know that it is kind of far away and expensive but it is something that I would enjoy experiencing)

Also, do you think that it is possible to get a decent and safe room for less than a $100 a night in these cities (not far away from their main areas please, as I would be a pedestrian)

Thanks in advance for your help

PS: Oh, and of course I would be doing this with a restricted budget, so nothing expensive please.

 

[tyler1987]

hey well i live in so. cal. and the weather so far has been really nice, its not as cold as it tends to be this time of year. you should definetly check out the disney concert hall it's beautiful!!! and i would recommed heading out to west hollywood for the night life, umm the gay night life.

 

[numerobis]

hey well i live in so. cal. and the weather so far has been really nice, its not as cold as it tends to be this time of year. you should definetly check out the disney concert hall it's beautiful!!! and i would recommed heading out to west hollywood for the night life, umm the gay night life.

Thanks Jethillsong, I guess it will be colder in January (I tend to be a cold freak as I live in the Tropics).

Oh, and Yes of course West Hollywood, the Castro… are on the top of my places to visit .

 

[racer2438]

You must go to Yosimte, we have been there 5xs and each season is beautifull I like them all. But it is a must for shear beauty.

And I live in santa barbara and it is very beautifull here also. Kinda a bit beverly hills of the north. Alot of things to see and places to eat. Our town is a old spanish town and youll see that by all the buildings .

we have a great mission ie: The Queen of Missions is here, a cool little zoo and great water front and aalot more.

but do stop by on you why to La.

 

[numerobis]

Oh, and between LA and SF is my town on the beach, Santa Barbara - give me a shout if you decide to stop by - and you really should - John and Jackie Kennedy honeymooned here, Oprah lives here...it's paradise, nestled between the ocean and the mountains...

Santa Monica seems to be a good place to stay, although I was told that close to the airport would be too far away. Is Hollywood that bad? I thought about it as it is between all the interesting places.

If Santa Barbara is in the route I guess I could stop by for a quick look and drinks, what is interesting there? (Apart from the idyllic paradise you have described )

 

[lonnie1]

Rather than try to tell you all the places to consider in SF, I would recommend some of the gay travel guides in the bookstore. If you find a place anywhere near Union Square, you'll be in the heart of the tourist area with almost every major attraction available by public transit. Look online for hotel deals. The weather can be cold and wet at that time of year. No snow. At night high 30's, during the day high 50's. You'll love it. Yosemite and Sequoia are pretty far away and would take you a good two days. You could spend a whole 2 weeks in SF and not see all the things worth seeing.
Hope this helps.

 

[Croynan]

Re LA - correct me if I'm wrong, LA jubbers, but you do NOT want to stay downtown... and Hollywood? Hm... What I'd suggest, since I did live there and know it fairly well, is getting a motel room in Santa Monica, and from there you can take buses wherever you want - Disney Hall, the Getty (a must!), Hollywood, wherever. And when you want to relax, you'll be at the beach! I used to live in Brentwood (right next to Santa Monica), and loved being so close to it all - and yet, thank god, so far! Until you've been there, you have no conception of how spread out it is - there is no "central area".

I agree about downtown. You might be lucky around 3rd-6th Steets on Vermont. It is a strange area that pops up with good things here and there.

Disney Hall is a must see and hear. Favourite place to sit the West Terr near Doo14. There are on 3 rows - there is a slight obstruction due to the railing - no big deal. There are fifty seats in each row - you want a seat in the FIRST 25 seats, Nothing past seat 50. From there you will a complete view of the entire orch. which is in the center of the hall and you will be facing the conductor - which is most exciting to see.

At the County Museum on Wilshire Blvd an exhibition has just opened about the artist Magritte - google him and see some of his work - he his outstanding - various paitings of optical illusions.

Get over to the Beverly Hills are West of Doheny on Santa Monica Blvd. The homes in through there are really lovely as that is where many of the movie stars lived. They are not mansions, just large homes. each individually done and the landscaping is beautiful. Biking in that area would be great.

Personally i would skip Hollywood Blvd and Sunset Blvd - you will be very disappointed in how overly bad commercialized the areas are.

eM.

 

[littlemonster]

There are some reasonable places to stay in SF that aren't that expensive if you don't need deluxe accomodations - try the Travelodge on Market street - http://www.sanfranciscocentralhotel.com/ It's about halfway between downtown and the Castro (and 1 block from the GLBT center). I just did a search for January and the rate was only $50 per night (which is unheard of).

SF is very walkable - it's only 49 square miles. From the hotel suggested you can walk to Union Square, the Castro, Mission, Chinatown, etc. Having lived here for 11 years and playing tourist a lot, my favorites are touring the distinct neighborhoods. There are free walking tours available for most neighborhoods (http://www.sfcityguides.org/). Other must sees: Cable Car Museum (free, and you get to go under the street and look at the cables being pulled), a ride on a cable car (don't call 'em a trolley! they are the nations only moving historic landmark), Golden Gate Park, Twin Peaks, and a movie at the castro theatre (a guy still plays the wurlizer before every performance).

Other cool things: Alcatraz (buy your tickets in advance), Stairway Walks of San Francisco (http://www.sisterbetty.org/stairways/), Union Square, Coit Tower, SFMOMA.

The wharf is alright, but very very touristy. Not my favorite spot.

Oh, and the weather is likely to be rainy in January. Bring rain gear with you. Not overly cold, but 50's - 60's.

Hope this helps. Have a great trip and send me a PM if you have any questions.

 

[drhladnjak]

If you can only visit one park, I'd recommend Yosemite. I've never been in the winter, but I hear it's very beautiful with everything covered in snow. It will be cold compared to a tropical climate, but not unbearable (40s/50s in the day, 20s/30s at night but it can rain or snow too). Some of the passes into the park close down, but I believe the main ones on the west side are opened and plowed year round.

 

[numerobis]

Guys! Thanks so much for your recommendations; I am taking note of each one of them. So keep posting if there is something missing, I will let you know when I have everything “planned”.

Num.

 

[Kurn]

Google "Youth Hostels Los Angeles", etc., if you want to save money.
(Although I hope people will comment on this suggestion.)
It can be an excellent experience.
Some of them have private rooms.

Sequoia NP is awesome if you can find someone to take you there.
It's somewhat weather dependent.

 

[metta]

There are constantly new events going on. You may also want to see what it happening during the times that you are going to be here:

You can enter the dates you are going to be here by scrolling down the following web page and look on the right side of the page:
http://cityguide.aol.com/losangeles


Festival Guide: http://www.culturela.org/events/festivalguide/festguide.html

Discounted Tickets: http://www.goldstarevents.com/