Ben a while since I have been, so will be taking two weeks in california (no oil slick) in october.
Flying into SF via virgin, (no strikes) and will be staying in the Holiday inn - fishermans wharf. Will hire a soft top car there, and then drive down CA highway 1 (pacific coast highway)
Plan to break around San Simeon (hearst castle) . Any hotel recomendations in the area?
The to drive down to LA (wife wants to see Hollywood Boulevard and the Queen Mary)
I figure best bet is to stay around Santa Monica. or maybe as far out as Ventura.
Any ideas on hotels or areas round there?
Then its off to vegas
Then its back to San Fran, buit I need to break the journey (to be restful drives will be 4 hours max) That puts me in the Fresno/Visalia/Bakersfield area. Any recomendations for an overnight round there?
cheers
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Not sure, apparently you can check out but you can never leave.
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they have pink champagne on ice, why would you want to leave?
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Mirrors on the ceiling too.
Pat
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We did the SF to LA run down Highway 1 a couple of years ago. Excellent.
We stopped off at Morro Bay, a little to the south of Hearst Castle. The town is full of motels, we pre booked because it was a public holiday (Martin Luther King day - January). With hindsight this wasn't necessary, there was plenty of space. Can recommend the fish restaurant at the north end of the dock at Morro Bay.
South of Pismo Beach the scenery is less impressive - due to time constraints we took the motorway anyway.
Last edited by: Arctophile on Wed 16 Jun 10 at 19:36
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If you're hiring from Dollar you can get an Express Card for nothing from their website - this allows you to jump the queue at the desks and as we did get a decent upgrade.
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Having stood in the queue at Dollar last night for an hour, I can confirm that their staff are tranquillised with something. Not sure what. An express card would be well worth it.
I'm liking the Sat-Radio on the Ford I got given this time though..
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I liked it as well - even the BBC R1 and World Service were on it - Blue Collar Radio was more my taste.
In Orlando - you walk across the road to the Dollar Garage (passing the line at the Dollar Desk) you speak to the woman in the booth and she already had my agreement and stuff on her desk...10 minutes max.
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>> If you're hiring from Dollar you can get an Express Card for nothing from their
>> website - this allows you to jump the queue at the desks and as we
>> did get a decent upgrade.
Dollar dont do the class of car i am after (covertible sebring or mustang) at SF, and I have a hertz gold card making the price much the same as dollar
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These two itineraries cover your area of travel and should give you some ideas for your route and stopovers -
www.completenorthamerica.com/flydrivewesternclassic.htm
www.completenorthamerica.com/flydrivecnawestern.htm
Death Valley should be tolerable in October.
p.s. remember that most of the hotels around SanFran city & wharf will charge a hefty fee for parking.
Last edited by: John H on Wed 16 Jun 10 at 23:17
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>> p.s. remember that most of the hotels around SanFran city & wharf will charge a
>> hefty fee for parking.
Yeah, around 40 dollars a day. Not getting a hire car till we leave the city on day three. Will get a transfer from SFC to the hotel
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You need to contact Nsar. He goes there frequently.
We are going in a few weeks with the kids and he gave me a load of info. I have also done a load of research and found that North American Travel Service have some great deals on Hyatt Regency hotels around California.
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I have the first three nights booked, Holiday Inn, Fishermans Wharf, and I have 4 nights booked in Vegas, The Venetian Resort Hotel. I have the car booked, a Sebring / Mustang convertible. Just need to fill in the gaps.
I will check out those links, Ta
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I did the same trip a few years ago but starting in Vegas.
>Plan to break around San Simeon (hearst castle) . Any hotel recomendations in the area?
We stayed at the Best Western Cavalier Inn in San Simeon. It's right on the beach just a mile or two south of Hearst Castle. Clean and comfortable with a decent restaurant, there's plenty of other choice just down the road in Cambria though.
Don't forget to treat Mrs. Zero to lunch at Pebble Beach and visit Monterey Aquarium.
>and I have 4 nights booked in Vegas..
You'll be sick of it after two nights.
>Then its back to San Fran, buit I need to break the journey..
What about 2 nights in Vegas and then up to Death Valley and Yosemite? Maybe a budding Ansel Adams in retirement?
Don't tie yourself down driving from one place to another on a fixed route/schedule. Buy a good US travellers guide (I can recommend Frommers) and decide where you're going to go the next day over dinner and a beer.
Have a good trip, you'll love it!
Kevin...
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Yes you have to do Yosemite if you're in San Fran and you've hired a car. There are trees there that are so big that they've tunnelled through them and you can drive a car through. They warn you not to keep food in the car because the bears can rip the doors off to get to it but I don't know if that has ever really happened. Perhaps it's something you can try out and let us know...?
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He'll be in a convertible so it will be like eating the contents of an open sardine tin - so sadly he won't be able to report back but we might see it in the news or YouTube.
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Why on earth would you drive through a tree? Isn't it simpler just to go around it? Drive through restaurants OK, trees though?
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"Why on earth would you drive through a tree? Isn't it simpler just to go around it?"
I dunno, but they have 'em and I've driven through 'em. Americans... It must be quite an effort to tunnel through a tree. You can't dynamite it.
In the Natural History museum in New York there is a cross section of a tree on display, supposedly the largest ever known, and it's polished like a table top. It's diameter is several metres, really amazing.
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You're a mine of useful information BBD. Bet Zero wishes he was taking you along too.
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Can you imagine anything gayer than me and Zero touring California together in a convertible?
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Anyway, shouldn't you be lying on the beach by now Nick?
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>> Can you imagine anything gayer than me and Zero touring California together in a convertible?
As long as you dress up as thelma or louise.
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>> We stayed at the Best Western Cavalier Inn in San Simeon. It's right on the
>> beach just a mile or two south of Hearst Castle. Clean and comfortable with a
>> decent restaurant, there's plenty of other choice just down the road in Cambria though.
>>
>> Don't forget to treat Mrs. Zero to lunch at Pebble Beach and visit Monterey Aquarium.
Ta
>> >and I have 4 nights booked in Vegas..
>>
>> You'll be sick of it after two nights.
Its 4 nights, three days. At least two of the days will be taken up with helicopter flight to the grand canyon, and a drive to hoover dam.
>> What about 2 nights in Vegas and then up to Death Valley and Yosemite? Maybe
>> a budding Ansel Adams in retirement?
I think I will do one night north of death valley, and one night in Yosimite on the way back. I have done both but the wife hasnt.
I am grizzly enough.
>> Don't tie yourself down driving from one place to another on a fixed route/schedule. Buy
>> a good US travellers guide (I can recommend Frommers) and decide where you're going to
>> go the next day over dinner and a beer.
The wife is very much not a "lets drive in this direction, see where we end up in 4 hours and stay there" type of person. (like me) She wants to know there is a cold G&T on the table at 18:00, a limoncello after dinner and a nice warm bath at 10:30 type of person
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Carmel provided good choice but expensive accommodation when we drove the Coastal Highway - hang on tho, things may have changed. I have just remembered that was 38 years ago!
17 mile Drive - Pebble Beach - Monterey Big Sur beaches all worth a visit. But what are they like today?
In 1983 Yosemite was impressive in January ( we were cut off for 2 days over NYE) but I just wonder if it is too crowded at peak times?
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When I read the title thread, I thought Obama had stumbled upon this site and wanted our help on withdrawing his troops from Afghanistan...
;-)
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Easy, you cover them all in the oil the british have dumped on their beaches, and smuggle them out at night
seeeeemples
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An interest in museums?
www.antiqueradiomuseum.org/radiomuseum.htm
or just view it online. Some interesting old kit.
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Great site!
He hasnt got that lovely sunburst bakelight Ecko radio tho has he!
you been to Bletchly for the computer museum (as well as the other stuff there) or Amberly chalk pits for the radio museum there?
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If you can, go via northern Arizona (you'll be nearly that far if you do the Grand Canyon / Hoover Dam etc). It's absolutely beautiful, and the temperature is bearable in the mountains around August/September time.
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>> If you can, go via northern Arizona (you'll be nearly that far if you do
>> the Grand Canyon / Hoover Dam etc). It's absolutely beautiful, and the temperature is bearable
>> in the mountains around August/September time.
Yes I did that last time I was there, drove down from Flagstaff, where it was a nice 18c to Phoenix, where we stepped out of the airconned car into a 40c oven.
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I have a transitor radio made in Bulawayo that should have a better home.
Sadly my ex neighbour died a couple of weeks ago. She was in the Japan section at Bletchly. I must visit it.
I plan a few more visits to Amberly. on my last brief visit I spent a lot of time in the wheelwrights. So much to see.
Just local to me
www.malden-dsme.co.uk/public/index.html
Great group who do lots for charity and now have built rolling stock to take a wheelchair..
I had a a detailed guided tour of the Hampton Court Junction Signal box that they have built and are equiping. They are having exact replicas of some parts made to keep it as authentic as possible.I also had a visit to their 16 Roundhouse locomotive shed.
The track diagram shows how complex and extensive it is.
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>I think I will do one night north of death valley, and one night in Yosimite on the way back.
I forgot to mention:
If you're heading for Yosemite keep an eye on the weather forecast and have an alternative plan. Some of the passes can be closed due to snowfall as early as October and you might need to take a long detour to get back to SF.
The lower valley is open all year round but if there's any snow you might be asked if you have snow chains.
Kevin...
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good point. I got caught out in the first october snowfall int he Alps like that.
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Excuse slight thread drift. Going from the experience of my partner who is presently in Canada, take two types of cash, £s and $s, and two credit/debit cards preferably from different issuers. She took one debit card and it was rejected AND blocked the first time she tried to use it! Expensive calls to "Push 7 to talk to an Advisor" type call centres ensued although it was fixed pdq.
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good advice, planned to anyway. Also going to phone the card issuers prior to departure to tell them I wil be abroad.
I will have Amex $ travelers cheques, Dollars in cash, and 4 credit cards - two visa / two mastercard,
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>> Also going to phone the card issuers prior to departure to tell them I wil be abroad.
My bank has a section in online banking to list when you're away. Likewise the credit card. Both are Barclays.
When I've forgotten to tell them the debit card was to be used overseas the cash machine refused money. Within minutes a call on the mobile to check the last transactions were indeed me. Now if I didn't have the mobile with me and on though....
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Piece on Radio 4 'Moneybox' on Saturday about problems with cards being stopped abroad. May be worth listening again??
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Good advice re CC from both VISA & Mastercard.
I have had problems when one or other of the systems is down rather than a card locked response.
I gave up using TCs in the USA and South ASfrica . Far too much hassle and time wasting, presenting passport etc etc. I even had a bank between New York and Buffalo saying they had never seen a TC.
Re back up for holiday. My approach is to chuck all the key information - CC details / help numbers , important phone numbers, medical info, my surgeries no plus passport scans into a doc and email it to myself on Hotmail or similar. I can then hopefully retrieve it in most places if I need to.
If I get mugged for everything then I have some hope of a fall back plan B.
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I do similar with my email account to store important details. I make sure they are in a zip file and that file is encrypted.
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Some thoughts from a "repatriation doctor"
Good advice to all.
tinyurl.com/2ay5d2b
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My Tesco Finest CC gets stopped almost every time I go away, despite me always calling them first. There is a reverse charge call number on the back for when you are abroad, but I couldn't work out how to dial an international operator last time I was in the US so I used the work mobile instead :-)
Had one incident in a fag shop in Belgium where the assistant just said "card refused, have you got another?" so I gave her one (Visa, silly boys). Just as we ended the transaction my phone rang and it was Tesco's checking up whether it was me trying to use the card. They've always been good at unblocking it quickly.
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>I gave up using TCs in the USA and South ASfrica ...
I agree Henry, TCs are pretty much a waste of time in the US.
Casinos will take anything but Hotels/Motels want plastic. Restaurants, bars, shops and gas stations want greenbacks or plastic. The only places that will usually accept TCs are banks, credit unions or 4/5 star hotels (if you are a guest paying by CC). Some places, particularly gas stations, are also fussy about $100 bills. Remember that many of them are also pre-pay so you'll need to insert a card into the pump or go inside and ask for $30 on pump No.2 before you can fill up.
On another note:
If you have an evening spare in SF and have any interest in the Beat Generation - Kerouac, Cassady and the other 1950s proponents of LSD and sexual 'freedom' - visit Vesuvio on Columbus Avenue. It still attracts a certain section of SF society.
Kevin...
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US vacation - advice needed. - Runfer D'Hills
