Goin' to California

samb said:

On the San Diego tip, I spent a beautiful, chamber-of-commerce-advertisement morning at Cabrillo National Park on Point Loma. Stunning views. On the hike down to the tidal pools you pass the old rusty doors of the harbor defence gun emplacements. Make sure you call ahead and reserve a clear day !

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That's another good place. You can see a lot of the bay and surrounding areas from up there. Plus there's an old lighthouse and other historic buildings to check out. Down the hill to the west is the new lighthouse (can't access it but it looks cool) and some coastal hiking trails and tidepools.

H_Rocket mentioned North Park. That area, along with the areas immediately around it (Little Italy, HIllcrest, Bankers Hill) has a lot of stellar restaurants. And there's more microbreweries than you could ever hope to visit while you're in town. Miramar, the commercial/industrial area just north on MCAS Miramar Air Base has so many breweries at around 5 PM (quitting time) the whole area smells like brewing beer. Please don't eat at a national chain like Applebees or Olive Garden. There's too many good local places.

If you spend any time in La Jolla you'll see F-18 fighters, Ospreys and Sikorsky choppers flying over as they take off out of Miramar and fly out over the Pacific. I'm not positive but I think I've been seeing new F-35s flying over too. They've all been a lot more active since things in the Middle East started heating up.

As far as Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland: you can get in, but to ride the new Rise of the Resistance you have to reserve a boarding pass ahead of time, and you have to be in the park to do it. Yesterday they booked all passes 5 minutes after opening the park. Smuggler's Run is fun too if you like the Millennium Falcon. After all, you sit in the cockpit and fly the thing.

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies so far! keep them coming!!

Yes, I'm Canadian, so am familiar with "Mendicino Greeno" & "Purple Kush" (and others.. )

Yes, the wife is a BIG SW fan, so we will be hitting all that. She's particular about the "Aluminum Falcon".. so that'll be a first hit.. And yes, I expect tonnes of lines.. (And why we'll be ditching the parents; they can't quite keep up, being in their late 70's 'n all!)

They are all big on wine, I'm the only beer person in the group! SO, I'll be diving most / all of the time! (I love driving, so no issues!)

The only chain we plan to hit is CPK, just because we (the wife & I) were quite & pleasantly surprised when we had our first in Orlando about 10-15 yrs ago. We try to hit on eon every US trip (assuming they have one.. closest to us, currently, is in Boston) My dad will be dragging us to Guy Fieri's restaurant in Sonoma /Napa.. He loves that place!

Is the corner of Haight & Ashbury still a thing? or is it overtaken by newbie hippies?!

What about a 2nd hand camera store?

What about a good cigar store?


FYI: California exceeds Canada's population by about 5 million people..

dr wogz said:

Yes, now that I've put that Led Zep song in your head, I'm asking for "what to do? what to see?".

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The drive down PCH from the SF Bay Area to LA will take a lot longer than you would think; most people say to plan on 30mph averages. Some might say they went a lot faster . . . but why? This article covers the trip from LA to SF, but if you read it backwards it should work for you:
https://www.tripsavvy.com/road-trip-los-angeles-san-francisco-4064567

If anyone is into nature, and hasn't seen a giant redwood, there's several options, including one in Big Sur:
https://www.visitcalifornia.com/attraction/pfeiffer-big-sur-state-park

IIRC, Bixby Bridge is a perennial Insta top favorite:
https://www.visitcalifornia.com/attraction/bixby-bridge

Before you get to Malibu, there's a place called Neptune's Net that's fun to grab a bite at (but busy on weekends):
https://neptunesnet.com/

ROC has a launch in Lucerne Valley (approx. 90 miles from LA/OC) on Sat. the 9th:
https://rocstock.org/

Discount Rocketry usually attends ROC launches, and has a great new trailer full of stuff

The Griffith Observatory in LA is an alternative if you don't have the time to spend taking in the awesomeness of the California Science Center:
https://www.griffithobservatory.org/

Lots to do at Balboa Park in San Diego:
https://www.balboapark.org/

And, since you mentioned the 'Zep, they played some of their first shows in the LA area at the Whisky A Go-Go:
https://whiskyagogo.com/calendar/about/

Mike

Its a little different path South than the others have suggested. If you like the outdoors type stuff, head inland and visit Yosemite.