San Francisco - LA - San Francisco: insiders ideas?

Are you planning on driving Hwy 1 from LA to SF? Treebones Resort in Big Sur is a great place to stay over night. Yurts on the bluff with ocean views. I believe it is now a Bed and Breakfast; but not sure.... The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the best aquariums in the world - worth an extra day - the famous Living Jellies exhibit ends mid-Sept. after several very popular years - it's beautiful! (making way for a new sea horse exhibit - should be amazing too) and the coastal walks near Asilomar and in Carmel are lovely. Santa Cruz is a fun town right off Hwy 1 north of Monterey and about 1.5 hours south of SF. In Capitola, Paradise Grill is a favorite, but not inexpensive. One of the best affordable Thai food places in Santa Cruz, Sabieng, is right on the Mission St. part of Hwy 1 that takes you through the north/westside of Santa Cruz. Across the street, is Vasillis Greek restaurant - great Mediterranean food. And a wee bit further North, off Mission/Hwy 1, is the best chinese food at O'mei Restaurant - a wee bit pricey though. If you do drive through Santa Cruz, check out a map and detour to drive along Westcliff drive from the Santa Cruz Pier to Natural Bridges (alas, if you do this, then you will not drive by the restaurants I mentioned above, but they are close) - this is a beautiful part of Santa Cruz. Hwy 1 between Santa Cruz and SF is highly recommended. Kite Surfing, long beaches, fields, Half Moon Bay, Pescadero, Pigeon Point Lighthouse, Butano state park etc - grand west coast driving.

In Los Angeles, a fun place to people gaze and find a restaurant for whatever mood your in, is on the Santa Monica 3rd St Promenade. Close to the ocean/beach of Santa Monica, several blocks of pedestrian mall with many restaurants, stores, movie theatres, bars etc. A bonus are the street performers! Venice beach/boardwalk is about 5 minutes away too and the Santa Monica Pier is a hoot as well. On near-by Montana Ave are several of the famous Sushi restaurants that get written up in entertainment magazines, I can't remember the names off-hand.

I hope that you have a great adventure!

Thanks Boone,

That are some great ideas!

I have a totally different question now:
when in Page, we would like to visit Antelope Canyon. But which part is the best: Lower or Upper. I can't really find the difference... (except for a few dollars admission fee).

and for Grand Canyon: we want to go on a heli-tour and are thinking about booking through Papillon. What are your experiences? And I am trying hard to find some kind of coupon-code to cut the costs a bit, but can't find one. Any ideas?

Hi Jos,
Antelope canyon is a place I really want to see but unfortunately haven't done so yet.
I'm not sure if there is much difference, it looks like there is an entrance fee and you can select different tours.

We used Papillon from the Grand canyon airport and chose a 45 min flight over the canyon to the north rim and loved every moment of it, a great experience and good service. We considered the combined tours but felt with our time available and the fact that nothing can land in the main canyon plus the extra cost wasn't worth it for us.
So glad that we took the flight though, the feeling of flying over the treetops and then the canyon opening up below you is one we will always remember.

I have never been to Antelope Canyon; usually I am drawn to explore slot canyons in Escalante Monument, Utah; but a hiker I met this past April in Buckskin Gulch had the following opinion about upper and lower Antelope canyons: Upper was more dramatic, the one in most of the pictures, but also much more crowded; while he felt that the lower was also quite stunning, but quieter and therefore more magical over-all for him. (The pictures he showed me on his digital were gorgeous of both! The time of day matters for the best colors, and each canyon has different hours of "prime" color/light time - with a bit of research, perhaps this will factor into your final decision of which one to explore.) I love your trip! Such a great quilt of beauty and fun city places to visit - enjoy!!!!

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I love your trip! Such a great quilt of beauty and fun city places to visit - enjoy!!!!

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Hihi, thanks, I'm flattered! I still feel like it could be better (e.g. one more day in Death Valley), but because of a lack of time, this is the best we could do. We're leaving in 9 days from now and I can't wait!

We are thinking about getting a hotel in Santa Cruz. Is there one you can recommend? We like small/personal and midprice.

Just noticed your post, - I have jsut returned

We stayed in S Fran for 4 days a few tips

Book your ticket to Alcatraz before you go , when we arrived there was a 10day wait. yes , nothing for 10 days. We booked on the evening tour and did the "lock down" , well worth a visit.
we stayed in San Fran, ( I can recommend a v good B+B )in the Asbury, Haights area. We walked the streets of a night time ( me , wife and 16 yr daughter) we did not feel threatened though it is obvious there a re few "characters " around. a good restuanrant isCha, Cha Cha, and also close by a good Italian restaurant.

you must do the streetcar ride, but a tip , dont go on the popular route, down to fishermans walk, you can wait an hour to get on a streetcar. We di the streetcar that went from Union Sq to Nob Hill, and whilst it is quieter, we walked stright onto the streetcar, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
if you go up to Golden gate bridge, you can walk along the shorline, but its a good hours steady stroll,

if you go onto the bridge, ook out for the cyclists. Plenty of tourists take out bikes and cycle across the bridge - the cycling skills are not too good though, the majority of people not having ridden a bike since they were in school.

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if you go onto the bridge, ook out for the cyclists. Plenty of tourists take out bikes and cycle across the bridge - the cycling skills are not too good though, the majority of people not having ridden a bike since they were in school.

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Well, as we're from cyclist-heaven (Netherlands), we're used to cycling a lot and under all kinds of circumstances. So I guess we'll manage to avoid crashes :)

We've already arranged a hotel in SF, just of Union Square, so no need for the B&B, but the streetcar-idea (Union Square ot Nob Hill) suits us just fine. Tickets to Alcatraz have also been bought, luckily!

Did you also visit other places during this trip and can you recommend anything there?

If you're planning to visit the beach when you're in L.A. I recommend Zuma Beach in Malibu. Sometimes you see dolphins playing in the waves and you might run into a celebrity who lives in that area. Manhattan Beach in the South Bay is also nice and clean and not as rocky as Zuma. Santa Monica is one of the dirtier beaches, but it's nice for people watching because it has a great pier. Personally I would avoid Venice Beach -- it's a tourist trap full of souvenir vendors.

As for other things you might want to consider doing, a great authentic Mexican restaurant is Guelaguetza on the corner of Palms and Sepulveda. Cheap, unpretentious, but the food is mouthwatering.

We have some world class museums like the Getty, the L.A. County Museum of Art (my favorite), and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

For shopping and people watching, hit up the Grove on 3rd and Fairfax or the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Both places are open air and nice to hang out at.

But I would definitely try to catch at least one live show or taping. Spaceland is a hipster club in Silver Lake. There are also a ton of comedy clubs.

Hope that helps :)

Oh, one more thing: Vasquez Rocks, which is about an hour north of L.A., is a little known place full of these enormous oddly shaped rock formations. It's often used as a backdrop for movies, TV shows and commercials. You've probably seen it a million times. Nice place to have a picnic after a short hike.

DEFINITELY go to the haight!!! it seems like you are shortchanging SF however. it needs about 2-3 days to soak it all up. it truly is a rich city.

check out the haight, which lies right next to golden gate park, which should also be on your list. the park is always filled with live music and social gatherings and lots of hippies. its all very close together and easy to walk between spots. the haight has a great peaceful vibe and adorable shops. wonderful restaurants though no names pop up.

as for LA: where are you staying? the city is SO big that where you stay really affects what you can do. I recommend staying near the beach because for me, thats the only worthwhile part of the city. DEFINITELY visit Venice. It is not to be missed. Long boardwalk of artists, street performers, and vendors. Also my favorite beach for swimming and surfing.

For a romantic dinner, visit Cantelini's Salerno Beach restaurant in Playa del Rey, a 15 minute drive south of Venice. It could be the most cozy, romantic restaurant I've ever been to, and THE MOST delicious cuisine! They give you the hugest glasses of wine also. My favorite dishes include lobster ravioli, and chicken piccata which comes with a delicious alfredo pasta. Its also not that expensive. Sundays and Thursdays they have live jazz. Plus its right on the beach!

The drive up the coast to SF is the BEST thing I have ever done. Stop off at El Matador Beach in Malibu. You have to descend a steep staircase to get there, but the view is truly worth it. Its my favorite beach in Malibu. Its easy to miss but dont miss it because its the best beach!

Halfway up to SF stop in Montana de Oro near San Luis Obispo. Again, the best views I have ever seen on this route. Large rock formations and caverns along the beach to explore.

Woo!!! Good luck!!

I've been compiling a list of photo locations in the Bay Area, but you could
also use it as a travel guide.

If you like to eat dungeness crab, there's a Vietnamese restaurant in
the Richmond District that does it pretty well. PPQ Dungeness Island
on Clement and 26th Ave.

Another local hot spot for seafood is Swan Seafood Depot on Polk, but
everyone sits at the counter and it's small so you may have to wait in
line.

SF has some good breakfast places. Brenda's a few blocks north of
the Civic Center. Mama's in North Beach and Dottie's True Blue Cafe
are also very good. Dottie's isn't in the greatest neighborhood though.

To find Bay Area restarurants check out this local PBS show, "Check
Please Bay Area"