LA Trip planning help

cronydude · Post by **cronydude** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 9:39 pm

Seeking suggestions from fellow members who live in and around LA for our upcoming trip during the second week of Oct.

Flying in and out of LA Trip duration - Sat 9 AM to Sat 7 PM (8 days)
Family of 4 with two kids - 8yrs and 10 yrs
Renting a car for the whole duration

With two kids, I am guessing Universal Studios is mandatory. Skipping Disney as we have been to Orlando one multiple times. Wife and I are outdoor lovers, so thinking of squeezing in a few beaches and Yosemite (or any other national park) for a couple of days if possible. I am thinking Yosemite (2 days), Vegas and Grand Canyon (2 days) and LA (4days) in that order. We can skip LV and GC if time spent somewhere else is more worth.

Standard list of LA musts below per google but we are open for any suggestions.

Universal Studios
Getty Center
Griffith Observatory
Santa Monica Pier
Venice beach

Any help with planning itinerary, insider tips, and suggestions are welcome and much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

kumm · Post by **kumm** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 10:06 pm

cronydude;681391Seeking suggestions from fellow members who live in and around LA for our upcoming trip during the second week of Oct. Flying in and out of LA Trip duration - Sat 9 AM to Sat 7 PM (8 days) Family of 4 with two kids - 8yrs and 10 yrs Renting a car for the whole duration With two kids, I am guessing Universal Studios is mandatory. Skipping Disney as we have been to Orlando one multiple times. Wife and I are outdoor lovers, so thinking of squeezing in a few beaches and Yosemite (or any other national park) for a couple of days if possible. I am thinking Yosemite (2 days), Vegas and Grand Canyon (2 days) and LA (4days) in that order. We can skip LV and GC if time spent somewhere else is more worth. Standard list of LA musts below per google but we are open for any suggestions. Universal Studios Getty Center Griffith Observatory Santa Monica Pier Venice beach Any help with planning itinerary, insider tips, and suggestions are welcome and much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

We watched Aladdin in Hyperion Theater which was ossum show, there was flying carpet. Now they have Frozen...I don't know how it is. In addition to the above places we visited Queen Mary and Scorpion Russian submarine in long beach. Hoover Dam is near by Las Vegas. Though not visited San Diego seaworld is recommended.

sark · Post by **sark** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 10:17 pm

If there is time, include Zion canyon too. This is closer to Vegas and we went there last time we were in Vegas (already seen GC a couple of times). My family absolutely loved the hikes and they are still talking about that being the highlight of trip to Vegas.
while in vegas don't forget to take in one of those Cirque du Soleil shows (there are several of them). Your family would love it

DrJ · Post by **DrJ** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 11:24 pm

cronydude;681391I am thinking Yosemite (2 days), Vegas and Grand Canyon (2 days) and LA (4days) in that order.

Just one small advice: don't try to squeeze in too many places or very long drives. You will get tired just getting from one place to the other. If you land in LAX, try the surrounding area and maximize time spent there. I would do Las Vegas area and that would be the max distance I'd drive. Try Hoover Dam if you find yourself there. Zion is beautiful - you can hike in the canyon water (bring water shoes). If you are outdoorsy, you may want to go to Channel Islands National Park off the coast of Santa Barbara. There are ferries that depart from Santa Monica and/or Ventura piers. It is beautiful beyond words - probably because of less foot traffic. Once you are done with Monica and Barbara, go to Ysabel and try some of her wine. Perhaps you can hike the mountains of San Diego county. Or you could try surfing down in San Diego if that's your thing. SoCal offers endless possibilities. But please don't drive 500 miles from LAX to Grand Canyon even if you are on a week-long trip. Safe travels.

cronydude · Post by **cronydude** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 12:53 am

kumm;681393We watched Aladdin in Hyperion Theater which was ossum show, there was flying carpet. Now they have Frozen...I don't know how it is. In addition to the above places we visited Queen Mary and Scorpion Russian submarine in long beach. Hoover Dam is near by Las Vegas. Though not visited San Diego seaworld is recommended.

Been to Seaworld at San Antonio multiple times, so it is off the list. Thank you for the suggestions, I will look into them.

GutsyGibbon · Post by **GutsyGibbon** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 5:33 am

If you like the beaches, I would drive up the coast to Santa Barbara. Have you considered San Simeon, Monterey, SFO and then to Yosemite? Or head up north inland to Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and then to Monterey and SFO. The giant sequoias are an awesome experience for outdoor people. If you want to experience the So.Cal desert, you could also visit Joshua Tree national park. You can then head down to San Diego. Vegas and Grand Canyon are really long road trips by themselves. If the kids are up for it, and you like road trips, make sure you get a fine road trip vehicle, and not a noisy compact. But, I feel there is a lot you can do in Calif, and save the Nevada, Arizona trips for later.

If you are thinking about San Diego and SeaWorld - please watch Blackfish on Netflix. Don't go to SeaWorld and then watch Blackfish :-) You may feel remorseful. If you going to head down to San Diego, please reply, and I can post more info.

cronydude · Post by **cronydude** » Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:55 pm

Sark - Thank you for the suggestions, decided to skip LV but will your recommendations when that trip comes up.

DrJ - Gem of an advice, well taken. The Channel Islands appear to be awesome. Although I would love to camp overnight in one of the islands, we are not sure if it works considering one needs to carry everything including water. For now, we may stick to day trips to one/two islands. Thank you for the valuable suggestions!

GutsyGibbon - Thanks for the suggestions on itineraries with beaches, wife absolutely loves them. Will ask for suggestions if we end up with SanDiego trip.

GutsyGibbon · Post by **GutsyGibbon** » Tue Sep 25, 2018 10:17 am

I just want to throw this info out there. If you are in the USA for a limited amount of time, and you are not sure if/when you will return to the USA, it may make sense to cover as many spots on the west coast as possible. For such people I recommend bus package tours. I have sent my cousins/relatives who visit me while on a short term business visa on such tours. I am sure there are many providers, but I have used this one, and they were great. 8 day tour that shows you everything for ~$400. It is a great deal, includes all the transport, and stay.
http://www.tours4fun.com/tours/los-angeles/

The bus will be filled with Chinese tourists, and the guide speaks mostly in Chinese, the English instructions would be very short.

cronydude · Post by **cronydude** » Tue Oct 02, 2018 3:12 am

Thanks GG, but I somehow not in favor those tours. I prefer leisure and flexible trips with no restrictions. But as you said they certainly work for ppl with limited time to spend. Btw, I live in Dallas and flying down to LA to spend fall break.

Here is what we have so far:
# Booked a place off Rt 10 / Santa Monica freeway close to Art District for the entire trip via Airbnb
# Booked a trip to painted caves in the Channel Islands. This will just leave us with 2/3 hours to spend on Santa Cruz Island but we will consider visiting again if we like it
# May visit Catalina Island for a day
# One day at the Universal Studios
# We may do a day trip to San Diego Legoland.

So we are left with planning for four more days, any suggestions on day trips in/around LA?

There seem to be tons of Indian restaurants around, so food doesn't appear to be a problem.

Thank you all again!