First timer needs help

[nmmom95]

Hi! We will be going to to the west coast for the first time in less than two weeks! We are flying into Vegas for one day, driving to San Diego for 4 days and then on to Anaheim for 4 days. We already know that we want to go to the San Diego Zoo, the Midway Museum (WWII buffs in the family), Old Town and the Gaslamp Quarter. In Anaheim, we are going to DL/DCA for 2 days, and sightseeing in LA and the surrounding area for 2 days. We have one dining reservation at Steakhouse55 for my son's birthday.

Since our plan is very loose, I am looking for recommendations for anything. A restaurant in or out of DL, a tour, a must-visit beach/attraction that you loved.

In DL, we are staying at VGC. It will be me, DH, DS15, and DS10. Any and all opinions or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[sonnyjane]

What are you planning to see in LA? I'd imagine you only need one day for that. I was really disappointed in "Hollywood"/LA. We did the Walk of Fame, the theater, And a quick look at Rodeo Drive/Beverly Hills. Took an hour or two to see the sites and 3+ hours to drive there and back lol.

Also, since you're staying at VGC, I'd look into extending your tickets to at least 3-day hoppers so you can use them at night after you've gone around LA.

 

[nmmom95]

That's exactly what we wanted to see in LA, along with maybe a WB studio tour. That's a great suggestion for the tickets. The park is open until midnight, so we could head there at night. Thanks!

ETA:

I see that you are from San Diego. Are there any restaurants you could suggest? We are not very picky eaters and there are no food allergies.

 

[sonnyjane]

That's exactly what we wanted to see in LA, along with maybe a WB studio tour. That's a great suggestion for the tickets. The park is open until midnight, so we could head there at night. Thanks!

ETA:

I see that you are from San Diego. Are there any restaurants you could suggest? We are not very picky eaters and there are no food allergies.

Where is your hotel? Lots of good restaurants here, especially downtown. And make sure you get Mexican while in Old Town. Old Town Mexican Cafe would be my suggestion there.

 

[nmmom95]

Thanks, again! I just looked at their menu and it looks great! We are staying on the bay near the marina.

 

[Sherry E]

Does your son enjoy cars (not Cars, the Pixar movie, but actual automobiles?)? If so, you could visit the Petersen Auto Museum in L.A., which is very close to LACMA (home of the giant rock and the crazy street light installation) and the Tar Pits, as well as being very close to the Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax and The Grove (where the show Extra is often taped). And those are all within minutes of Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, basically. I suggest eating at some of the mom & pop counter service places at the Farmers Market, as there is a lot of good food to be had, even if they don't look like much on the outside -- some of the businesses have been run by the same families for decades, and then newer places like The Gumbo Pot are extremely popular!

There are a lot of cool things to do in L.A. or SoCal in general if you have time -- both tourist-oriented things and off-the-beaten-track things -- but to do them you'd be better off with at least a few days. There's the Observatory, the zoo, the Getty, Venice, Santa Monica Pier, Disney Concert Hall, Newport Beach, Catalina, etc.

I think your tour is a good idea, although I think a Disney tour would be fun! Are you totally glued to the idea of a WB tour? I ask because fellow DIS'er Bret/mvf-m11c just did a tour at the Disney Studios and posted a lot of photos and info about it. If you are interested in taking a look at his TR, I can look for the first post about the tour and give you the link to it.

A lot of people feel that Hollywood Blvd. itself is a bit on the seedy side. That is true to a large degree (and always has been), but there are interesting things to see, such as the Chinese Theater and the Disney properties (El Capitan and the Studio Store/Soda Fountain). I guess it's one of those places you have to experience at least once if you've never seen it, but if there were other things to do instead of Hollywood it wouldn't be a bad idea to skip it.

 

[CaptainEIEIO]

Heres a great way to get around San Diego while you are there;

http://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego/

You can get on and off the busses at stops and a pass gets you rides all day.

Another fun thing to do in San Diego is Ride the Seals. It will take you out and show you seals "hence the name"

http://www.sealtours.com/index.asp

And if your into haunts don't miss the Whaley House in Old Towne San Diego.

Another option my family uses alot is the Southern California City Pass. Its a great way to save money and gets you into Sea World San Diego for a day, Universal Studios Hollywood for a day and 3 days with park hopper into Disneyland/California Adventure. You can even add on the San Diego Zoo to it if you want for a little extra money. Its a great bargain and it works great.

http://www.citypass.com/southern-ca..._content=1465029734&utm_campaign=none&mkwid=e

No matter what you decide to do here's hoping you have a great time.

 

[nmmom95]

Thank you Sherry and Captain! Those are exactly the type of things I was looking for. I've bookmarked everything you both suggested so I can show my family.

I was thinking about a DL tour, as well. I found trip reports from mvf-m11c, so I am going to settle down and start reading!

 

[DisneyT123]

Personally, I would see DL/DCA for 3 days and look at the surrounding sights for 1 day.

 

[Dagney1]

We did the San Diego / DL trip in June. We did the VIP tour and it was very $$, but we did see most if not everything in one day. Our guide was so very nice and it would have been impossible (even with fastpasses) to see 1/4 of what we did without the tour. I was stunned based on my experience with DW at the crowds on a Wednesday at DL. Bring your patience. Cars the ride fastpass were gone by 10am (park opened at 9). Our VIP guide let us in the fastpass line. We rode (Cars, another car's ride with the tractor, Goofy rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, California Screamin, Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Splash Mountain, and Priates) on a 6 hour tour. We ate lunch as well.

As far as San Diego goes, at the zoo - take the bus tour first. You will see most of the animals without hiking. Then go to the pandas. On a Saturday - it was a 45 minute wait. We saw koalas from the bus and we didn't feel the need to hike back.

We also loved Coronado island - the Hotel Del Coronado. The kids found live sand dollars and star fish on the rocks in the mornings and the hotel is very cool. We did a family surfing lesson that was a blast. We went sea kyaking in La Jolia (about 30 minutes north of San Diego). That was pretty neat. We went into a cave, and saw seals. There is also a fantastic hike at Torrey Pines State Rec Area in La Jolia. Breathtaking views as you hike about a mile down to the beach. Downtown La Jolia has a cool restaurant (highly recommended from our neighbors) and we loved too George's at the Cove. We ate at the bar on the roof and overlooked a cove of seals and tidepools.


Good lock with your trip!

 

[nmmom95]

DisneyT, I think we are going to buy the 3 day tickets so that we can at least go at night.

Dagney, it sounds like you had a great trip!

Thanks for the suggestions!