California recs?

[firedancer10288]

I turn 40 next year and DD turns 13 the same month, so we collectively decided we want to do a girls trip to CA. My mom and sister will be joining us. My sister is the only one of us that has been to the west coast (we all live in MD). Our plan is to fly into San Francisco and spend 10 days driving down the coast. A large reason for the trip is to visit Disneyland. We are all huge Disney fans and to WDW every other summer. Is one day enough?

Our itinerary so far is below, but I am open to other suggestions.

Also looking for recommendations of where to stay in San Francisco and LA. Trying to decide if it’s worth renting a car in SF, or doing without the first few days, then picking up a car on Sunday to start the drive south.

Friday- arrive in San Francisco

Saturday- SF Golden Gate bridge

Sunday- Fishermans wharf/Alcatraz
Drive to Monterey


Monday- Carmel by the Sea, Big Sur/pfeiffer burns state park
Drive to San Luis Obispo


Tuesday- San Luis Obispo/pismo beach
drive to LA

Wednesday- LA (Hollywood sign- Griffith observatory), Warner Bros tour

Thursday- West Hollywood/ walk of fame, Beverly Hills/rodeo drive

Friday- Disneyland

Saturday- Huntington Beach/Laguna Beach or day trip to San Diego

Sunday- Fly home

[TR]

I went to San Diego with my mom when I was, like, 9. HTH.

[msmerymac]

1 day at Disneyland is enough. I liken it to the "highlights" of Disney. Maybe 2 if you want to do California adventure.


Unfortunately, you're bypassing Santa Barbara. If not Santa Barbara, I'd recommend stopping in Solvang, which is ridiculously cute. Santa Barbara is nice though. It's right on the beach, but it has a much different vibe than San Diego. I think it's nice to experience both.

As for LA, I'd stay in either West Hollywood or Santa Monica. You can see the Hollywood sign from pretty much anywhere (a good view point is actually the California Pizza Kitchen at Hollywood and Highland, which is inside the mall attached to the Dolby Theater, and right by the Chinese Theater/Walk of Fame. You might also want to see if you can tour the El Capitan theater, which is right on the walk of fame and owned by Disney, I believe. The Hollywood Roosevelt hotel is also right on the walk of fame. It's and old hotel, supposedly haunted (by Marilyn Monroe, maybe? Dunno.) and it's where they held the first Oscars. The rooms are kind of small, but if you don't mind that, it's a cool building. Very old Hollywood. Musso and Frank's is the oldest restaurant in Hollywood and that's just a few blocks away. Also, don't try to get between Hollywood (Griffith Park, etc) and Burbank (Warner Bros) through the Cahuenga pass during rush hour. It's been a minute since I've stayed at The Standard, which is in West Hollywood/Sunset Strip, but when I did, it was trendy and the decor was cute. You also can't go wrong with Mexican food in LA, although your daughter might also like Pink's hot dogs? They're just okay, IMO, but they're iconic and... I'm not even sure what kids eat, TBH.

Santa Monica is probably 30 minutes(+, depending on time of day) from Hollywood, but you can drive down either Sunset or Santa Monica Blvd. Rodeo Drive is in between the two. Plus, when you're in Santa Monica, you can walk around to lots of restaurants, shopping, and the beach/pier.

[gastro]

Yes, get the car for SF. If you are doing Golden Gate Bridge you’ll want to be able to drive the Marin headlands and maybe do Sausalito for lunch and you’ll need a car.

I live where you are on Monday - if you need any recommendations for places to stop /eat in your drive let me know

[Deleted]

The one day at Disney may or may not be enough depending on when you go. We were there last week and the crowds were insane, so if you're trying to do both parks at once and lines are 60 minutes plus for almost everything, you'll need to really prioritize what you want to accomplish or allocate another day.  

Parking at Griffith Observatory on Saturday was terrible so I'd plan to do that early in your day.

We stayed here for one night and the location is great for your Hollywood itinerary. The room was nice and the breakfast was good. I'd stay there Wednesday night and then transfer to something else closer to Disneyland Thursday night so you don't waste limited time for the parks trying to drive in between those areas. Even without traffic (which I have to think is never the case), the drive can be about 45 minutes-ish. Given that you're planning to be in the park on a Friday I wouldn't want to be sitting in rush hour traffic trying to get there. 

[firedancer10288]

Oct 18, 2019 15:23:30 GMT -5 gastro said:

Yes, get the car for SF. If you are doing Golden Gate Bridge you’ll want to be able to drive the Marin headlands and maybe do Sausalito for lunch and you’ll need a car.

I live where you are on Monday - if you need any recommendations for places to stop /eat in your drive let me know.

So another option we are throwing around is staying in Sausalito instead of SF, then doing a day in Napa and a day in SF.  I'm finding hotels in SF are ridiculously expensive.  Airbnb isn't any better, and I have no idea what neighborhoods to look at.

Monday's itinerary is all my doing.  Besides DL, its the part of the trip I'm most excited for.

[firedancer10288]

Oct 18, 2019 15:34:43 GMT -5 @princessbubbleyum said:

The one day at Disney may or may not be enough depending on when you go. We were there last week and the crowds were insane, so if you're trying to do both parks at once and lines are 60 minutes plus for almost everything, you'll need to really prioritize what you want to accomplish or allocate another day.  

Parking at Griffith Observatory on Saturday was terrible so I'd plan to do that early in your day.

We stayed here for one night and the location is great for your Hollywood itinerary. The room was nice and the breakfast was good. I'd stay there Wednesday night and then transfer to something else closer to Disneyland Thursday night so you don't waste limited time for the parks trying to drive in between those areas. Even without traffic (which I have to think is never the case), the drive can be about 45 minutes-ish. Given that you're planning to be in the park on a Friday I wouldn't want to be sitting in rush hour traffic trying to get there. 

This is all great info!  Thank you!  I know LA traffic is insane, so its good to know where we should stay.

My plan for Disney is to hit a few of the classics, then spend time at Galaxy's Edge (it will be our first time since we won't be back to WDW until 2021) and Pixar Pier.  

[firedancer10288]

Oct 18, 2019 15:22:17 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Unfortunately, you're bypassing Santa Barbara. If not Santa Barbara, I'd recommend stopping in Solvang, which is ridiculously cute. Santa Barbara is nice though. It's right on the beach, but it has a much different vibe than San Diego. I think it's nice to experience both.

We plan to at least stop in Santa Barbara on our way to LA. Unfortunately with a packed schedule, we won't have time to stay everywhere we want to.  Hoping this isn't a once in a lifetime trip, and we will make it back to the west coast another time to check out everything we miss this time around.

[Deleted]

Oct 18, 2019 16:19:09 GMT -5 firedancer10288 said:

Oct 18, 2019 15:34:43 GMT -5 @princessbubbleyum said:

The one day at Disney may or may not be enough depending on when you go. We were there last week and the crowds were insane, so if you're trying to do both parks at once and lines are 60 minutes plus for almost everything, you'll need to really prioritize what you want to accomplish or allocate another day.  

Parking at Griffith Observatory on Saturday was terrible so I'd plan to do that early in your day.

We stayed here for one night and the location is great for your Hollywood itinerary. The room was nice and the breakfast was good. I'd stay there Wednesday night and then transfer to something else closer to Disneyland Thursday night so you don't waste limited time for the parks trying to drive in between those areas. Even without traffic (which I have to think is never the case), the drive can be about 45 minutes-ish. Given that you're planning to be in the park on a Friday I wouldn't want to be sitting in rush hour traffic trying to get there. 

This is all great info!  Thank you!  I know LA traffic is insane, so its good to know where we should stay.

My plan for Disney is to hit a few of the classics, then spend time at Galaxy's Edge (it will be our first time since we won't be back to WDW until 2021) and Pixar Pier.  

I'd reverse your order for classics and then GE. The land is not part of magic hour and Smuggler's run (and probably Rise of the Resitance when it opens in January) aren't on fastpass. We got in line about 15 minutes before rope drop and the line stretched back past Dumbo. Thankfully it moved quickly and became more of a herd than a line, and we were able to make it through the MF by 8:45 (park opened at 8:00). Soon thereafter the lines were always at the 75-minute mark. I'd try to get through all of Galaxy's Edge in the morning and then use fast passes to make it through everything else. 

Also, keep in mind that Radiator Racers is usually an insanely long line and even within a few minutes of the park opening, the fast passes will be booked into early afternoon. So if that's on your list, I'd figure out a way to either take care of it early or get a fastpass for it or it can eat up a ridiculous amount of time.

[sonrisa]

Oct 18, 2019 16:15:58 GMT -5 firedancer10288 said:

Oct 18, 2019 15:23:30 GMT -5 gastro said:

Yes, get the car for SF. If you are doing Golden Gate Bridge you’ll want to be able to drive the Marin headlands and maybe do Sausalito for lunch and you’ll need a car.

I live where you are on Monday - if you need any recommendations for places to stop /eat in your drive let me know.

So another option we are throwing around is staying in Sausalito instead of SF, then doing a day in Napa and a day in SF.  I'm finding hotels in SF are ridiculously expensive.  Airbnb isn't any better, and I have no idea what neighborhoods to look at.

Monday's itinerary is all my doing.  Besides DL, its the part of the trip I'm most excited for.

What month are you coming? My SF/north bay suggestions vary by season

If you are considering staying in Marin, what is your price point, and how many rooms are you thinking (1 or 2)?  What food do you like?

Stay at the Madonna Inn when you are in San Luis Obispo. Kitsch extreme. www.madonnainn.com

[sonrisa]

Check the calendars and go to Disneyland on a day when annual passes are blocked. Otherwise it's a mess.

Also - if you are big disney fans, you may be interested in the disney family museum (disney as a person and disney history). It's in SF in the Presidio and near the golden gate bridge.

[firedancer10288]

Oct 18, 2019 18:05:08 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Oct 18, 2019 16:15:58 GMT -5 firedancer10288 said:

So another option we are throwing around is staying in Sausalito instead of SF, then doing a day in Napa and a day in SF.  I'm finding hotels in SF are ridiculously expensive.  Airbnb isn't any better, and I have no idea what neighborhoods to look at.

Monday's itinerary is all my doing.  Besides DL, its the part of the trip I'm most excited for.

What month are you coming? My SF/north bay suggestions vary by season

If you are considering staying in Marin, what is your price point, and how many rooms are you thinking (1 or 2)?  What food do you like?

Stay at the Madonna Inn when you are in San Luis Obispo. Kitsch extreme. www.madonnainn.com

We will be there the second week of August. Hoping to keep it under $300/night for 1 room. If we had to split into 2 rooms that would cut into the budget.

A stop at the Madonna Inn is definitely on the list, but we already have another hotel booked for that part of the trip.

[alleinesein]

Oct 18, 2019 16:19:09 GMT -5 firedancer10288 said:

Oct 18, 2019 15:34:43 GMT -5 @princessbubbleyum said:

The one day at Disney may or may not be enough depending on when you go. We were there last week and the crowds were insane, so if you're trying to do both parks at once and lines are 60 minutes plus for almost everything, you'll need to really prioritize what you want to accomplish or allocate another day.  

Parking at Griffith Observatory on Saturday was terrible so I'd plan to do that early in your day.

We stayed here for one night and the location is great for your Hollywood itinerary. The room was nice and the breakfast was good. I'd stay there Wednesday night and then transfer to something else closer to Disneyland Thursday night so you don't waste limited time for the parks trying to drive in between those areas. Even without traffic (which I have to think is never the case), the drive can be about 45 minutes-ish. Given that you're planning to be in the park on a Friday I wouldn't want to be sitting in rush hour traffic trying to get there. 

This is all great info!  Thank you!  I know LA traffic is insane, so its good to know where we should stay.

My plan for Disney is to hit a few of the classics, then spend time at Galaxy's Edge (it will be our first time since we won't be back to WDW until 2021) and Pixar Pier.  

Depending on when you visit, you will need to allocate 2 days for Disney if you really want to hit both parks.  GE and Pixar Pier are in different parks so you will need a park hopper.  1 day is not enough if you have never been.  While you can hit the highlights in one day, you will need to go open to close and be willing to do a lot of walking (more than what you do at WDW) and be strategic about how you do the park.  

[gardengal]

If you’re a Disney person, I’d do at least 2 days in DL. I’m from FL & grew up going to WDW but wouldn’t call myself a “Disney person” and I loved DL so hard core over WDW. And I loved CA Adventure almost more than DL itself. Like, I’d go back to DL/CA Adv over WDW in a hot minute even though I love Epcot.

Obviously, you’ll have a great time whatever you choose but if you can make 2 days work & you’re really into Disney, I think you’d be glad.

[moonriver]

Oct 18, 2019 18:54:50 GMT -5 firedancer10288 said:

Oct 18, 2019 18:05:08 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

What month are you coming? My SF/north bay suggestions vary by season

If you are considering staying in Marin, what is your price point, and how many rooms are you thinking (1 or 2)?  What food do you like?

Stay at the Madonna Inn when you are in San Luis Obispo. Kitsch extreme. www.madonnainn.com

We will be there the second week of August. Hoping to keep it under $300/night for 1 room. If we had to split into 2 rooms that would cut into the budget.

A stop at the Madonna Inn is definitely on the list, but we already have another hotel booked for that part of the trip.

I stayed here (several years ago, however...) and it was charming and decently priced if I remember correctly. Not the type of place I typically stay at, but it was perfect for what we needed and while I don’t know SF very well it seemed to be a fine location (I’m sure others might say it’s in a sketchy area but we had zero issues).
www.goldengatehotel.com/

[origami]

We just went to SF and stayed here:

www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sfosi-sheraton-fishermans-wharf-hotel/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2

It’s walking distance to the Alcatraz ferry and to a lookout point where you can see the bridge. Parking is very expensive so unless you’re leaving the city for the whole day I wouldn’t rent a car until you leave. There’s a car rental place just down the street from the hotel. We took Lyfts/walked and it was fine.

[goldengirlz]

Oct 18, 2019 22:01:55 GMT -5 moonriver said:

Oct 18, 2019 18:54:50 GMT -5 firedancer10288 said:

We will be there the second week of August. Hoping to keep it under $300/night for 1 room. If we had to split into 2 rooms that would cut into the budget.

A stop at the Madonna Inn is definitely on the list, but we already have another hotel booked for that part of the trip.

I stayed here (several years ago, however...) and it was charming and decently priced if I remember correctly. Not the type of place I typically stay at, but it was perfect for what we needed and while I don’t know SF very well it seemed to be a fine location (I’m sure others might say it’s in a sketchy area but we had zero issues).
www.goldengatehotel.com/

This is the place I always recommend when someone is looking for a centrally located, more affordable option. The area is fine. You’re just a few blocks north of Union Square.

I would not rent a car in SF if you’re not planning to leave the city. Parking alone will make it cost prohibitive.

[livinitup]

Three years ago, we did one park and one day at Disneyland and it was definitely fun & enough. We picked a hotel across the park with a big pool and had a ball. We also arrived the afternoon before, got our tickets, used the pool and in the morning, walked over at the park opening (love a good rope drop!) and hit a few big rides before the lines got long. Left late in the afternoon for a hotel swim and returned at night for the nighttime fun. Great day!

[nicolewi]

I've only been to that area once, but I just want to throw in that the Monterrey Bay Aquarium is really awesome and was one of my favorite things from the trip. But I love aquariums/water stuff. I think it would be great for your daughter. Also, my friend and I stopped on the way back at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. We didn't ride anything, but I thought it was fun to walk around and look at stuff, and we had dinner on the pier. Might be fun for you, but local people would have a better idea of whether that's worth it or not.

[gastro]

Oct 18, 2019 16:15:58 GMT -5 firedancer10288 said:

Oct 18, 2019 15:23:30 GMT -5 gastro said:

Yes, get the car for SF. If you are doing Golden Gate Bridge you’ll want to be able to drive the Marin headlands and maybe do Sausalito for lunch and you’ll need a car.

I live where you are on Monday - if you need any recommendations for places to stop /eat in your drive let me know.

So another option we are throwing around is staying in Sausalito instead of SF, then doing a day in Napa and a day in SF.  I'm finding hotels in SF are ridiculously expensive.  Airbnb isn't any better, and I have no idea what neighborhoods to look at.

Monday's itinerary is all my doing.  Besides DL, its the part of the trip I'm most excited for.

Monterey - aquarium, walking/biking along coastal trail to lovers point in Pacific Grove and further on to Pebble Beach. Lighthouse in Pacific Grove (check hours they are limited).
Captain + Stoker (coffee), Alta Bakery (good coffee, light breakfast or lunch

Lunch at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach (save receipt for 17 Mile drive for reimbursement). Can walk down to beach from Spanish Bay.

Coastal part of 17 Mile drive to Carmel.

Carmel - main ocean Beach or drive around to River beach. Let me know if you want restaurant recs - the great spots are $$

Carmel Valley - earthbound organic farmstand for lunch - nice for kids to walk around the gardens there, head further into valley for wine tasting. Corkscrew or cafe rustica are good spots to eat for lunch/dinner. Garland park on the way has beautiful hiking.

The beach off highway one before point lobos is tempting but avoid - it's got a nasty rip current with rogue waves.

Heading down one towards big Sur - point lobos is a must but they close the entrance to cars usually by 9:30 or 10am and you will have to hike in if you aren't one of the first cars in the morning.

Hiking on the coast at Garapata is a nice alternative if you can't get into point lobos.

Big Sur - Julia pfeiffer state beach (turn not marked on the road - if you come to big Sur bakery (a must!) you've gone to far). Nepenthe for the views.

[firedancer10288]

Oct 19, 2019 12:22:37 GMT -5 nicolewi said:

I've only been to that area once, but I just want to throw in that the Monterrey Bay Aquarium is really awesome and was one of my favorite things from the trip. But I love aquariums/water stuff. I think it would be great for your daughter. Also, my friend and I stopped on the way back at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. We didn't ride anything, but I thought it was fun to walk around and look at stuff, and we had dinner on the pier. Might be fun for you, but local people would have a better idea of whether that's worth it or not.

I keep hearing great things about the aquarium, but we live near Baltimore, so we’ve got a nice aquarium. Unfortunately I don’t want to waste a whole day on an aquarium even though DD would enjoy it.

[calmcosmo]

That is WAY too much Los Angeles in my opinion. You are bypassing some of the best parts of California for the tourist traps. While I'll admit I am the furthest thing from a "Disney Person" (so take my opinion with that grain of salt), I can honestly say that 4 days in the LA area is too much.

Where does your flight home reside? If it's LAX I would skip San Diego this time and do an entire trip there one day. San Diego is more than a day trip and is far enough from Los Angeles (especially with traffic) that I would just do San Fran to LA. This will give you more time between SF and LA.

I think your itinerary from Friday to Tuesday is fine. You don't need a whole day to do the Golden Gate Bridge. Are you planning to walk it? Or is that just a placeholder for exploring that day:?

I think you need two days to get from SLO to LA. I would personally stretch that portion of your trip and stop in Santa Barbara, Ojai, or Solvang. Take in some of the AMAZING wineries - many are kid friendly. Especially ones like J Dusi and Sunstone. I used to take my kids on picnics to wineries in Solvang or Santa Ynes all the time. They run around, play lawn games, and you get to enjoy and relax and try amazing local wine. Santa Barbara is also a great town for kids. The trolley is super fun and there is an INCREDIBLE wooden playground (Kid's World at Alameda Park). Get ice cream, do some tasting rooms, go down and rent bikes and bike the boardwalk. There are also some incredible beaches along that area - Carpenteria is great.

As for LA ... West Hollywood is a dump. I have never wanted to spend more than an hour in that part of Los Angeles. The best way to see the Hollywood sign is to hike to it and you can do that from several locations in LA (including Griffith - but that is a longer option). I think if you go to Griffith you will get your fill of the sign (and your pics). I also think Rodeo is a "drive thru, yay expensive mall, see ya" kind of place. So I think you could potentially combine Wednesday and Thursday.

So my advice: MORE WINE! LESS TRAFFIC AND LOS ANGELES TOURIST TRAPS!

[firedancer10288]

Yes, I realize the whole trip is “tourist trap.” That’s kinda the vibe we are going for, coming from the east coast 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think we are going to combine SF into one day and spend the other day north of SF (but not as far as Napa) to do wine.

We could potentially do an overnight in somewhere like Santa Barbara on the way to LA, but again not knowing the area, we have no idea how long it’s going to take to get one place to another. Tv and movies have you believe it takes hours to go a few miles on the freeway, so is the walk of fame/Hollywood sign/Beverly hills really doable in one day? I figure the Warner Bros tour is at least half a day and that’s something we all want to do.

[christy082]

It's been years since I went to SF, but here's my advice. Get Alcatraz tickets way in advance, especially for the night tour,as they sell out. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is phenomenal - I highly recommend it. We saw whales in the ocean from their outside viewing deck!

[poe]

We just did Disneyland this summer. We did a four day park hopper. We usually do three days but we were worried that we would need an extra day with Galaxy’s Edge opening. We would have been fine with a three day. I think you can do Disney in two days. You may miss out on some of the rides but if you get the max pass you probably will be fine.

My brother lives in L.A. so the next four days we did L.A. I agree with a poster above that said that’s too much L.A. By day three I was over L.A. I personally would skip Rodeo Drive.

[devonpow]

I know you have heard it before but another plug for Santa Barbara - it’s my home town so OF COURSE it’s the best. It’s gorgeous and also a great place for kids. The sea center out on Stearns Wharf, the Santa Barbara mission, they have a great newish science/interactive museum - MOXI - it’s seriously a great place to visit.

Also on the drive I’ll throw in stops at Hearst Castle, the Winchester Mystery House, and the Madonna Inn. All stops I LOVED as a kid in California coast road trips

[calmcosmo]

Oct 20, 2019 8:47:38 GMT -5 firedancer10288 said:

Yes, I realize the whole trip is “tourist trap.” That’s kinda the vibe we are going for, coming from the east coast 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think we are going to combine SF into one day and spend the other day north of SF (but not as far as Napa) to do wine.

We could potentially do an overnight in somewhere like Santa Barbara on the way to LA, but again not knowing the area, we have no idea how long it’s going to take to get one place to another. Tv and movies have you believe it takes hours to go a few miles on the freeway, so is the walk of fame/Hollywood sign/Beverly hills really doable in one day? I figure the Warner Bros tour is at least half a day and that’s something we all want to do.

I grew up on the east coast so I get wanting to see all of the touristy things. I guess you need to decide if you want spoon fed entertainment (Disney, Warner Bros, Hollywood) or if you want to take the time for the natural beauty. California - especially the stretch you'll be driving - is INSANELY beautiful and 100% different than anything on the east coast. I personally think the natural beauty between San Fran and Santa Barbara trump anything Los Angeles ticketed events can even come close to. 

For Disney - if you just want to do Disneyland one day is plenty. If you want to do California Adventure I would put aside two days. If you are "Disney people" I think you could give up the day in Laguna/Huntington Beach for California Adventure.

You have got A LOT packed into a very short amount of time. You could easily spend three weeks doing this trip and still miss a ton. Of your whole trip my favorite part is the section between Monterrey and Santa Barbara. You will love it!

[goldengirlz]

Oct 20, 2019 8:47:38 GMT -5 firedancer10288 said:

Yes, I realize the whole trip is “tourist trap.” That’s kinda the vibe we are going for, coming from the east coast 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think we are going to combine SF into one day and spend the other day north of SF (but not as far as Napa) to do wine.

We could potentially do an overnight in somewhere like Santa Barbara on the way to LA, but again not knowing the area, we have no idea how long it’s going to take to get one place to another. Tv and movies have you believe it takes hours to go a few miles on the freeway, so is the walk of fame/Hollywood sign/Beverly hills really doable in one day? I figure the Warner Bros tour is at least half a day and that’s something we all want to do.

Napa is only about an hour or so past SF and the first stop to really drink wine. If you wanted hiking or views, there’s plenty of that right over the bridge, but I don’t know if I would go wine tasting in Marin County when you can drive another half hour for truly great wine. (Someone from the North Bay can correct me if I’m wrong.)

[Deleted]

Some feedback...

You don’t need a whole day for the Golden Gate Bridge. You can easily
Do Alcatraz and the GG bridge in one day.

IMO, fisherman’s wharf is WAY overrated and kinda just gross. It doesn’t speak to the real SF/Bay Area. I have never understood why people want to go to fisherman’s wharf when there are so many better things to do.

I’m from SB so I’m biased but I fully agree with others who say less time in LA and more time seeing other parts is CA. I’ve lived in LA, Sb, slo, and also SF. West Hollywood is... an hour or two? Rodeo drive is just a bunch of shops, with tourists wandering around saying “what was the big deal again?” Haha.

Slo/pismo is fun but I don’t know about a whole day. I’d continue to SB and spend the time there. There are so many awesome things to do for kids and adults alike. If you do stay in SLO, check out splash cafe and high street deli!! Yummmmm.

I wouldn’t drive all the way to San Diego or even laguna for the day... I’d add a stop in the center of CA instead (like SB).

You can do Disneyland in a day but you’ll be exhausted! If you want to do everything (or most) you’ll be going from 8 am to midnight. Also the lines can get really long so plan your day with the maxpass well. Honestly, I’d consider flipping your itinerary and start with Disney.

[Deleted]

Also, it’s a LOT of driving. That alone is exhausting bc if you don’t time it right, you’ll spend hours in traffic. Another reason to ditch the SD idea and stay between sf and La. you are right... it can take an hour to go just s few miles in La.