Naturally, if you can fly, you’d save a lot of travel time. But if you are carting around five or six people, it’s more economical to just drive Hwy 5 is a straight shot and not too painful (except for when you hit cow territory for five or ten minutes – just use your recycle air button and you’ll be fine) Besides, you’ll want your car to get around the mega city (cities) area.
OK, leave on a Saturday and get there by late afternoon or evening if you left late. You can either have dinner and settle in for the night or start touring right away if you have any time left.
Hollywood is always great for sightseeing and searching for any kind of food you can think of. Make sure to walk on the stars and visit the Chinese Mann Theater. You’ll recognize stars of every form of entertainment on the sidewalk and you’ll discover how big or little some of the big stars feet and hands are in front of the Theater. Shopping abound in this 2-3 block area. And you will see Kiss, superman and other star wannabes all over there.
Not a whole lot of time. Must think quick. You can buy a map of the stars to see where actors live (or used to live) It can be fun.
Must go over to the Beverly Hills Hotel. Love that hotel. It’s such an icon in movies. Snap those pics! Swing over to nearby Rodeo Drive and pass by those gorgeous homes as you go. Quick stop at Rodeo. See the nice shops and galleries. Maybe get a bite or two.
Then onto Venice Beach and Santa Monica Beach or Malibu. We usually swing by Venice as there are a lot of characters and street entertainers there (and inexpensive shopping) – depends on what you want. Santa Monica has the carnival rides and a nice park like area and Malibu is a little bit more exclusive and further out.
If you have time, drive in the hills to check out the homes. Like to party? There are lots of places. Whatever fits your needs. I haven’t had much time to party there when I go as we always have kids with us, so I can really offer much in that territory.
So much more in L.A., but must go to Disneyland in Anaheim. Go two days if you have time because you can go to Disneyland and California Adventure since they are right across from each other. Start early in Disneyland, swing over to California Adventure and end up back in Disneyland. It’s all great and the employees are super nice. My personal favs – Space Mountain, It’s a Small World, Tower of Terror and California Screaming. OH! And, and, well, most everything else. Make sure to get pics with Mickey, Tarzan and whoever else is out there. And see the shows and fireworks. You’d kill off two days easy and be nice and tired.
Whew! Just one more day to squeeze in. So many theme parks to go to, not to mention the other great beaches and towns. Considering the whirlwind at Disney, I tend to swing over to Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach (all on Hwy 1). Huntington is great if you like to surf, play in the waves or just want to watch the surfers and shop/eat at the great shopping area by the main pier. Newport Beach has Balboa Island (check out the boats and gorgeous homes), shopping (like Fashion Island and more) and more shopping, galleries and eating all along Hwy 1. Then there’s my favorite, Laguna Beach – heavy on the art. Cliffs, beach, shopping, eating. Las Brisas is always a great spot to stop and eat. Parking is tough – bring lots of quarters. But, for me, it’s a must. In the summer, they have a great art festival just down the road from the beach. If you can’t get there during the festival, there’s still a lot of art galleries there. Just start walking.
Sorry, but time to start heading home. Must make more time for the next trip as there was so much that we missed like Universal Studios, other studio tours, Getty Museum, lots of theme parks and more. Not even enough time to get down to San Diego and La Jolla. Must squeeze in more next time. Plus, want deter and stop over in Santa Barbara, Hearst Castle, Solvang and Monterey on the way if we find more time.
Safe and happy travels,
Article source: rbo2travel.com by Renee