Hi - myself and a friend have decided to head over to the states next summer (2005) - ps: we live in Ireland. We were planning on heading to San Fran - renting a car - then heading off on Route 1 to eventaully end up in San Diego. We would appreciate any help/tips for this trip. We would like to know which cities/places to stop off on the way, where are the best places for nightlife, etc etc...How much time should we set aside for a decent trip to see most of the best spots along that drive. Also - any chance anybody could give us a tip on renting a car?? is it cheaper to keep it for a certain length of time etc....which are the best companies and so on. Also - are there any places to stay away from. We hope to see a lot of LA - but don't know much about the city - any help there would be great also. I know we are asking for a lot of info - but any advice would be great.

Thanks in advance.
Pete & Gary.