California Family Trip Itinerary - Help Needed

[DoubleDown7]

Hello all. We have just about three weeks until our California vacation starts. During our 10 day vacation we plan on starting in San Francisco, driving south on Pacific Coast Highway and ending, of course, at DLR. If you have time please take a look at my itinerary and tell me what you think. If you have any suggestions or tips that could help make our vacation even better please share.

Friday April 22 –

Arrive at SFO mid afternoon with no real plans. We’re traveling from the east coast with two grade school kids (son – 10 years, daughter – 8 years) so they may be a little jet lagged. Our hotel is in Union Square. Any suggestions for restaurants or easy things to do this afternoon/evening would be greatly appreciated.

Saturday April 23 –

Alcatraz booked for 10:30. I’m guessing this will be a 2.5-3 hour diversion. On either Saturday or Sunday we’d like to ride the cable cars, visit Chinatown (easy enough since Union Square is close), experience Fisherman’s Wharf and see Lombard St but I have yet to plan these on specific days yet.

Sunday April 24 –

Renting bikes from Blazing Saddles. We’ll have a tandem bike for my daughter and I and my wife and son will have their own bikes. If the hills aren’t too bad I’d like to explore Golden Gate Park and maybe see the Painted Ladies but we’ll definitely be taking those bikes across the Golden Gate into Sausalito.

Monday April 25 –

Check out of our hotel early to head to Muir Woods. I’ll pick up a rental first thing in the morning. After spending a couple hours we’ll then make our way down to Monterey to experience the 17-mile drive. That evening we are staying in Monterey for one night.

Tuesday April 26 –

Heading south on the PCH. I’m thinking that this will be a long day (250 miles). We plan on starting early and ending late stopping at as many places as we can. We’re looking for those postcard views (my wife is an amateur photographer and loves landscapes). What are your favorite sites? Are there ample places to eat and gas up?

Wednesday April 27 –

We’re checking out of our Mandalay Beach hotel to head to Santa Monica. Our goal is to visit both Santa Monica and Huntington before heading to DLR. Santa Monica is 50 miles away and Huntington is another 50 miles from Santa Monica. If we were to spend a couple hours at each place what would you suggest? Also I am thinking about maybe getting a surf lessons for the kids and me at Huntington (my wife refuses; afraid of the ocean (particularly the creatures that inhabit it)). Has anyone done a two hour surf lesson? Will this be too difficult for my 8 and 10 year old?

Thursday 28 – May 1

We’re checking in to GCH on Wednesday night and spending the next three days at DLR.


Any tips or critiques y’all could give would be greatly appreciated. We are so looking forward to this. It’ll be a great family vacation.

 

[bcla]

Well - I would note that Pacific Coast Highway technically only refers to California State Route 1 from Oxnard to Orange County. If you need to ask for directions, most people will understand "Highway 1", although technically it's the Cabrillo Highway from San Francisco south to maybe San Luis Obispo.

As for food, there are some decent places. I personally like Thai, and there's two good Thai places - King of Thai Noodle and Bangkok Noodle on the same block. A good standby is Boudin at Macy's. They have clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, and have two locations in Macy's. One is at street level, although it closes early. The other is in the basement level, which also has a variety of other dining options, Jamba Juice, and Ben and Jerry's. If you're really adventurous, maybe Indo-Pak at Shalimar in the Tenderloin area. It's a little bit disorienting to go from Union Square to that place in a matter of a block, but that's San Francisco, warts and all.

I'd recommend skipping Muir Woods if you're already heading down to Monterey. I say that as someone who has brought guests there and had 2 annual passes (which used to be a spectacular bargain because it was cheaper than individual adult admission for 3). What Muir Woods has going for it is proximity to San Francisco. Since you're already heading down to Monterey, I'd recommend Big Basin Redwoods State Park, or perhaps Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and maybe even Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad. The trees are going to be taller and there should be smaller crowds. Also, the price at Muir Woods has skyrocketed and parking is a mess - even on a weekday. The railroad is awesome. It's a narrow gauge railroad built in the middle of an old growth stand of redwood.

http://www.roaringcamp.com
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=546
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=540

 

[JimMIA]

Friday April 22 –

Arrive at SFO mid afternoon with no real plans. We’re traveling from the east coast with two grade school kids (son – 10 years, daughter – 8 years) so they may be a little jet lagged. Our hotel is in Union Square. Any suggestions for restaurants or easy things to do this afternoon/evening would be greatly appreciated.

Couple of comments about the first part of the trip.

Obviously it will take you a while to get to your hotel, get situated there, get your bearings, etc.

For that afternoon/evening, my suggestion would be to walk down to Market Street and take the F Line streetcar to the Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf area. Very cool old-fashioned streetcars (although I guess they also sometimes use regular buses). At Pier 39, there is a pretty interesting aquarium (although nothing compared to the Monterey Aquarium!), lots of tourist shops and casual dining.

And best of all for the kids, the Sea Lion colony at the very end of Pier 39. Very interesting story about how the colony formed, and a unique opportunity to experience the sights, sounds, and aroma of real wildlife up close and personal! The sea lion colony alone is worth making a special trip for.

There are better restaurants at Fisherman's Wharf -- and our favorite restaurant (possibly in the world) Scoma's, beyond Fisherman's Wharf -- but if you just want something casual, you'll have dozens of decent opportunities. For casual, bcla's suggestion of Chowdah in a sourdough bowl is an SFO must-do. Every eatery has it; they are all great!

Sunday April 24 –

Renting bikes from Blazing Saddles. We’ll have a tandem bike for my daughter and I and my wife and son will have their own bikes. If the hills aren’t too bad I’d like to explore Golden Gate Park and maybe see the Painted Ladies but we’ll definitely be taking those bikes across the Golden Gate into Sausalito.

Um...that's a hugely ambitious plan!

Just throwing a quick itinerary into Google Maps (Union Square to Sausalito to the Cliff House on the coast to Golden Gate Park, through the park, to the Painted Ladies on Steiner Street, and back to Union Square is 26.5 miles. Not saying it's not doable...but, it's 26 miles.

 

[JimMIA]

And...if you're baseball fans -- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 22-24, the San Francisco Giants host the (OMG, I may need to get airfare!) Miami Marlins at AT&T Park!

Now, our Marlins aren't really much, but...AT&T Park is one of the most unique venues in all of baseball. Really cool thing to do if you are baseball people. Or even if you just like cool experiences.

 

[bcla]

Um...that's a hugely ambitious plan!

Just throwing a quick itinerary into Google Maps (Union Square to Sausalito to the Cliff House on the coast to Golden Gate Park, through the park, to the Painted Ladies on Steiner Street, and back to Union Square is 26.5 miles. Not saying it's not doable...but, it's 26 miles.

Cliff House is a bit far. I threw in a route of Blazing Saddles at Union Square to the California Academy of Sciences, and onto the Sausalito Golden Gate Ferry terminal. It was 4 miles to the Academy of Sciences, but there will be some steep hills to get there. It's possible to ride a bus to near Golden Gate Park, although there's a max of two bikes allowed per bus, so splitting up would be necessary. A ride from there through the Presidio to Sausalito is actually pretty reasonable, although it's over 7 miles. The ride back to Union Square from the Ferry Building is pretty flat.

I'd also recommend getting Clipper (multiagency public transit) Cards for everyone. They can be used to attach a San Francisco MUNI pass, or just "Clipper Cash" value good on any transit agency that accepts it. The savings just for the Sausalito ferry ride are more than the cost of the card, and it saves the wait in line for tickets. We did a bike trip as a company outing, and cut it really close at the ferry terminal. Their fares are geared for tourists, but the Clipper Card fare is a lot cheaper. A few people in our group actually missed the last ferry and took a taxi back directly to the bike rental shop. Taxis with bike racks actually wait there.

 

[Ndusmama]

I've never done a surf lesson at Huntington but I have in San Diego and I've surfed Dana point (just south of Huntington). The big thing about the pacific and surfing in general is to make sure your kids are strong swimmers and have good arm strength.

 

[Luckymommatoo]

My kids just did their first surfing lesson, and they are 9 and 12. If you use Yelp or Trip Advisor and get a well-rated company, plus pay so each of your kids has their own instructor, they'll be fine. I'm not sure where you're from, but the Pacific is cold and (oftentimes) rough, so just make sure your kids are game. The company should have full wetsuits for the kids. With their own instructors at those ages they won't be paddling out, the instructors will kind of tow them out mostly, then turn them around, wait with them, and then "push" them into a good wave. My kids really enjoyed it, and the nine-year-old, who is generally not as athletic, ended up being a better surfer than her brother!

 

[bcla]

I mentioned Clipper, the interagency public transit fare card. It's kind of a do everything system, from just having a cash value that's valid on any system that accepts it to loading daily/monthly/3-day/7-day passes for different transit agencies. It's also possible to get a child's version that automatically takes care of youth discounts. There are a lot of places that sell them ($3 for adults, free for kids) including Bay Area Walgreen's. Possibly the most convenient location would be at the Powell Street cable car turnaround, which also sells cable car tickets. I believe they can handle youth cards, which require an application. Just for the transit agencies that go through San Francisco, Clipper can be used on Golden Gate Transit, BART, San Francisco MUNI, AC Transit, Golden Gate Ferry, San Francisco Bay Ferry, Caltrain, SamTrans, WestCat, and Marin Transit. The Muir Woods shuttles are operated by Marin Transit.

https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/index.do

If you had something like four of them I'd recommend marking each one with a Sharpie. The cards used to be free, but they started charging the $3 because some people would buy them and then dispose of them because they were allowed to carry a negative balance of less than maybe $2.

I noted the fare discounts on Golden Gate Ferry. The Sausalito ferry (really operated more as a tourist than a commute ferry) is an $11.25 adult cash fare, and the ticket machines often have lines. The fare if you use Clipper is $6. It's different than the Larkspur ferry (which has a great view of San Quentin Prison) where there's less of a spread ($10.50 cash and $7 Clipper). I don't believe there's a youth fare discount for using Clipper, but they can bypass the ticket machine line.

http://goldengateferry.org/fareprograms/

You can attach a 1/3/4-day MUNI passport to a Clipper card, and that's valid on cable cars. I believe the one-day passport is automatically triggered if you use MUNI enough in one day where it's more than the cost of the passport. The other versions I believe you'd need to attach to a card at a MUNI fare machine at one of the MUNI stations. You won't be able to do it on a bus or streetcar. MUNI actually stands for the San Francisco Municipal Railway, which is kind of odd since most of their service is by bus. But they also operate the F-line streetcars, MUNI Metro light rail (underground and street-level) service, and California, Powell/Mason, and Powell/Hyde cable car lines.

Also - there's a huge pain trying to get back via the Golden Gate Bridge. They only have electronic tolling now in the southbound direction, but it's free to go northbound. Your rental car agency might have a setup, but I understand that it's often something like a $25 charge just to use it and possible daily fees. If you can avoid driving across the Golden Gate Bridge, you can avoid it. That was one reason why I'd recommend skipping driving to Muir Woods. Again, there's nothing particularly special about Muir Woods other than the location.

 

[DoubleDown7]

Thank you so much for all these awesome tips.

Um...that's a hugely ambitious plan!

Just throwing a quick itinerary into Google Maps (Union Square to Sausalito to the Cliff House on the coast to Golden Gate Park, through the park, to the Painted Ladies on Steiner Street, and back to Union Square is 26.5 miles. Not saying it's not doable...but, it's 26 miles.

I think I need to clarify our bike trip. We plan on renting out of the Fisherman's Wharf shop and not Union Square. Fisherman's Wharf is the only shop to carry the tandems. So my thought was to travel to the foot of the bridge and head south through Presidio and Golden Gate Park stopping at the Painted Ladies. At that point we'd turn around and go across the bridge into Sausalito taking the ferry back. Is that still too much? Is there anything in particular we should see through Presidio and the Golden Gate Park? Also how strenuous do you think this would be?

I'd recommend skipping Muir Woods if you're already heading down to Monterey. I say that as someone who has brought guests there and had 2 annual passes (which used to be a spectacular bargain because it was cheaper than individual adult admission for 3). What Muir Woods has going for it is proximity to San Francisco. Since you're already heading down to Monterey, I'd recommend Big Basin Redwoods State Park, or perhaps Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and maybe even Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad. The trees are going to be taller and there should be smaller crowds. Also, the price at Muir Woods has skyrocketed and parking is a mess - even on a weekday. The railroad is awesome. It's a narrow gauge railroad built in the middle of an old growth stand of redwood.

Thank you so much for the suggestion. I didn't realize there were options on the way. I think we'll do Big Basin. This will probably save us some valuable time.

The big thing about the pacific and surfing in general is to make sure your kids are strong swimmers and have good arm strength.

My kids just did their first surfing lesson, and they are 9 and 12. If you use Yelp or Trip Advisor and get a well-rated company, plus pay so each of your kids has their own instructor, they'll be fine. I'm not sure where you're from, but the Pacific is cold and (oftentimes) rough, so just make sure your kids are game. The company should have full wetsuits for the kids. With their own instructors at those ages they won't be paddling out, the instructors will kind of tow them out mostly, then turn them around, wait with them, and then "push" them into a good wave. My kids really enjoyed it, and the nine-year-old, who is generally not as athletic, ended up being a better surfer than her brother!

So my 10 year old son is a good, strong swimmer but my 8 year old daughter is definitely in the learning stage. It looks like one of the surf schools allow you to hire another instructor for $40 so I'm guessing maybe I should spring for that. That way the two instructors can focus on helping the kids while the three of us are out there. Thoughts? Or do you think we should maybe stick to boogie boards? And as far as the tempature it shouldn't be a problem for the kids. We live in New Hampshire and go to the beach in Maine where we're lucky to see ocean temps in the (low) 60's in the middle of the summer.

Thanks again for helping me plan this!

 

[Luckymommatoo]

Re: surfing. I'd call the particular surf school and ask them what they think about your daughter. But if your daughter is comfortable boogie boarding I'd at least consider giving
surfing a try. You should also ask them about tides. Our school did not want to do the lessons at high tide, as the surf was too strong for kids then, so it may depend on how flexible you are. See what they say.

We did exactly what you said -- dad plus two kids, and we had two instructors. FWIW, my kids could easily touch the whole time (although we were in Coronado, not Huntington) and went under when they wiped out, but didn't need to actually swim at any point. And given that they were leashed to their boards, that would've been difficult. (Okay, well at one point my DD's leash snapped off from the board, so she did swim after her board, but it was her choice -- she could've easily just stood there instead.)

And yes, I think the water last week when my family surfed was just about 60 degrees. They said the wetsuits were very good and helped a lot -- none of the three complained about the cold.

 

[Purrkins]

Kids would love the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Point Lobos State Park south of Monterey will give you those postcard photos you crave.

 

[bcla]

I think I need to clarify our bike trip. We plan on renting out of the Fisherman's Wharf shop and not Union Square. Fisherman's Wharf is the only shop to carry the tandems. So my thought was to travel to the foot of the bridge and head south through Presidio and Golden Gate Park stopping at the Painted Ladies. At that point we'd turn around and go across the bridge into Sausalito taking the ferry back. Is that still too much? Is there anything in particular we should see through Presidio and the Golden Gate Park? Also how strenuous do you think this would be?

Thank you so much for the suggestion. I didn't realize there were options on the way. I think we'll do Big Basin. This will probably save us some valuable time.

I mapped out your proposed path. Google Maps is estimating a bit under 19 miles and 2 hours by bike. The elevation gain starts somewhere around the Presidio and you will be going up and down a lot. Going uphill can be really tough in a tandem if one rider is stronger than the other - I've seen people try. If the riders have a balanced effort it can be easier. Also - the order you specified means getting to the Golden Gate Bridge and then leaving and returning back.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bla...a55c52936!2m2!1d-122.4783103!2d37.8566279!3e1

You can save a bunch of miles by doing it in a different order. I only include the California Academy of Sciences as a reference point since it's a central location in Golden Gate Park. Have a look at this and see what you think.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bla...a55c52936!2m2!1d-122.4783103!2d37.8566279!3e1

As far as redwoods go, I'm not quite thinking like Ronald Reagan who famously said "a tree is a tree, how many more do you need to look at?" However, I would say that Muir Woods has an interesting history, but it's not the best place to view redwoods. It's history is that it's the only large stand of old growth redwood left in the Bay Area after more accessible areas were logged to rebuild after the 1906 earthquake. It was in a place that at the time was hard to get to, and thus survived being logged in time to be declared a national monument. However, there's no tree there taller than 300 ft. It gets a lot of visitors who are visiting San Francisco but may not have the time to visit other areas. The biggest examples are up and down the coast - especially the trees approaching 400 ft up along Humboldt or Del Norte Counties. Redwood National Park would be worth a visit (it's on my bucket list) but it's hundreds of miles away from San Francisco. I haven't been to Big Basin, but I've been told it's spectacular. I think they only have a parking charge and no entrance fees.

 

[Ndusmama]

I would completely agree with luckymommatoo, two instructors would be ideal. Call surf school and see suggestions for daughter. Coronado waves are calmer than Huntington. But still more active than the Maine beaches I've been too. And the Atlantic in Maine actually felt warmer to me than the pacific gets. But it's been 10 years since I lived in Maine.

 

[SMD]

Union Square is right on the edge of the area that is more oriented towards business than tourists. You might want to pack snacks you can eat in your hotel as you'll be lucky to find a restaurant open late, especially if you experience a flight delay.

I wouldn't do the 17 mile drive south and then head back in to Monterey. I'd do whatever you were planning to do in Monterey, then do the drive and stay in Carmel.

Also, surf lessons tend to be offered in the morning for the best conditions. Doing several hours in SM, then driving for an hour to do a surf lesson in HB when the conditions won't be best and kids have been doing things all day already and then leaving to go to DLR after an hour or 2 surfing doesn't seem like the best plan.

 

[DoubleDown7]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Based on everything I've updated my itinerary: Big Basin instead of Muir and I think we'll skip surfing. We'll also stay in Santa Barbara instead of Mandalay Beach. That'll shorten our long day, beginning at Monterey and going south, by 30 miles. The next day we'll spend half the day in Santa Barbara and the afternoon in Santa Monica before heading to GCH. I've removed a stop at Huntington since we're spending time in Santa Barbara.

You can save a bunch of miles by doing it in a different order. I only include the California Academy of Sciences as a reference point since it's a central location in Golden Gate Park. Have a look at this and see what you think.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Blazing+Saddles+Electric+Bikes+&+Rentals,+2555+Powell+Street,+San+Francisco,+CA+94133/Alamo+Square,+San+Francisco,+CA/California+Academy+of+Sciences,+55+Music+Concourse+Drive,+San+Francisco,+CA+94118/Golden+Gate+Bridge,+California/Sausalito+Ferry+Terminal,+Sausalito,+CA/@37.8133611,-122.5180581,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m32!4m31!1m5!1m1!1s0x808580fcb20825c9:0xa145e32a14382a5c!2m2!1d-122.4131174!2d37.8081386!1m5!1m1!1s0x808580a54519d8b9:0x5fbde9a56471fe48!2m2!1d-122.4346334!2d37.7763422!1m5!1m1!1s0x80858743acfb4421:0x1b8487cfc077cab9!2m2!1d-122.4660947!2d37.7698646!1m5!1m1!1s0x808586deffffffc3:0xcded139783705509!2m2!1d-122.4782551!2d37.8199286!1m5!1m1!1s0x80858445076e4793:0x7f17552a55c52936!2m2!1d-122.4783103!2d37.8566279!3e1

BCLA...do you think the route you suggested above is a safe one? Are cars zooming by? I'm just concerned about the kids (especially my son who will have his own bike; I'm riding tandem with my daughter).

And finally any suggestions for the family at Santa Barbara and Santa Monica? We don't have to do anything elaborate. We're even happy just walking around and exploring the towns we are in.

Thanks again everybody. 16 days and counting!

 

[bcla]

BCLA...do you think the route you suggested above is a safe one? Are cars zooming by? I'm just concerned about the kids (especially my son who will have his own bike; I'm riding tandem with my daughter).

If you want to get to Alamo Square via bike, you're going to have to deal with motor vehicles, or even tougher, buses. The map wouldn't have to be followed exactly.

If you're concerned with traffic, a route straight from Fishermans Wharf to Sausalito would have less traffic. Perhaps if you want to see the Painted Ladies, you might stop by quickly when you have a car. San Francisco frankly isn't all that bike friendly, although they're trying.

 

[Ndusmama]

The Santa Monica pier is great! As for the beach around it you could rent a bike for the day there to explore. It's a very easy ride. Be prepared for some really interesting characters. I forget where you are coming from, or if you even said, but some of the people can be a culture shock and lead to many discussions with kids. Not to discourage you from the beach area.

 

[DoubleDown7]

The Santa Monica pier is great! As for the beach around it you could rent a bike for the day there to explore. It's a very easy ride. Be prepared for some really interesting characters. I forget where you are coming from, or if you even said, but some of the people can be a culture shock and lead to many discussions with kids. Not to discourage you from the beach area.

HAHAHA...we've seen our fair share of interesting characters. We live in New Hampshire but the kids are frequent travelers to Boston and NYC. I know CA can be a different world though compared to the Northeast. Either way is the pier and surrounding area safe and cleanish?

 

[Ndusmama]

Since they are big tourist destinations, and popular places they have a good police and security presence. Are they clean? Depends on your definition. I always find it relatively clean. And coming from New Hampshire and living free you should be fine.

 

[SMD]

I second the Santa Barbara pier suggestion. Also, if you're at all interested in the CA missions, the SB one is one of the nicest. SB also has a small but good zoo. If you're not going to any other zoos on the trip, that might be something to consider.