Help with California trip please?

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Hi! I'm in the beginning stages of planning a CA trip for May 2022. Our group is me, DH, DD22 and her boyfriend, and DD18 and a friend. We will only have a week because DD22 doesn't have a lot of vacation yet.

Here are my early thoughts:

Fly to LAX Saturday (May 14 maybe, but I'm not sure yet)
LA Saturday and Sunday (we will arrive from NC in the morning Saturday)
We would like to see:

La Brea Tar Pits
Griffith Observatory
Hollywood sign
California Science Center
Peterson Auto Museum (maybe?)
Quick stops at Farmer's Market and Walk of Fame, girls would probably like to drive down Rodeo Drive
WB Studio Tour (Sunday morning?)

Disneyland Monday-Wednesday (drive to Anaheim Sunday night)

Wednesday night/Thursday morning? - drive to San Diego

I'd like to see the seals and sea lions at La Jolla. I'm not sure what else we will do around San Diego yet. I'd love to go to the Zoo but I don't know if the group would like to do that. I think DH will want to see the Midway and eat good food. I'm sure we will be ready to relax after DLR.

Fly out of San Diego Saturday morning.

1. Does this plan look doable? Did I allocate enough time to LA or should I add a day and take it off somewhere else? The kids have never been to California and I don't know when we will be back, so I'm trying to hit the highlights as best I can.
2. I have seen the Universal Hilton and the Loews at Hollywood and Highland mentioned, as well as the Garland, maybe? We will probably book three rooms. Is one hotel better than the other for our LA activities, or do you have a different suggestion? We don't plan to go to Universal but it's hard to judge how long it will take to get from place to place.
3. Would an AirBNB be a good choice for San Diego or should I just book three hotel rooms somewhere?
4. With six people, I was thinking we would rent a car at LAX and drop it off at San Diego. That's probably the most expensive option, but otherwise I think we would be taking double taxis/Ubers everywhere. I know we won't need it at DLR though, so I'm not sure what to do.

We are open to any suggestions of where to go, where to stay and what to eat. Thank you so much for your help!

 

[sjmac42]

1. For me 3 destinations in 7 nights would be too rushed but I have to come from Australia so I’d do 3-4 nights in LA or San Diego. You do have much shorter flights than me though so it could work but you will be on the go all the time. Maybe consider flying in on Friday night and out on Saturday afternoon/evening to give yourself an extra half day at each end of the trip?
2. LA is very spread out so wherever you stay you’re likely to be 30-40 mins from something on your itinerary, maybe an hour if traffic is terrible (as opposed to just heavy). With that in mind I’d scrap the Hilton and Garland. Nothing wrong with them but they are only close to Warner Bros and the other studios and not much else. Loews Hollywood is a good hotel but I would consider something in Beverly Grove to be a bit more “central”. Beverly Laurel and Farmers Daughter are good options within walking distance of the Farmers Market and The Grove plus there are plenty of dining options walkable nearby. The Sofitel and Elan are also good options closer to the Beverly Centre but a longer (20-25min) walk to the Farmers Market. All these also put you closer to the CA Science Centre, La Brea Tarpits, Petersen Auto Museum and have easy access to the Hollywood attractions and Griffith Park. Warner Bros would be the furthest place to get to. You can see the Hollywood sign from the Observatory, the Hollywood and Highland Mall or Lake Hollywood Park.
3. I don’t like or do AirBnB as I’d prefer not to do housework while on Holiday , they generally won’t store luggage and don’t have hotel type services. Plus Short Term rentals are limited so you’d need to check the rental is legal by citing a business licence. AirBnB do not check this for properties they have on their site.
4. A car will definitely be handy in LA, just make sure your chosen hotel can accommodate a van and you have nothing visible in the car when parking. You don’t really need a car in Anaheim but you can certainly return it in Anaheim then get another to go to San Diego, depends on the rates for the car and parking. I don’t think you have the time to utilise the public transport system in LA as it can take a long time to get from place to place and rideshares/taxi’s will be expensive for a group of 6.
For San Diego, La Jolla and the Midway Museum are great as is Coronado Beach, Balboa Park (where the zoo is), Old Town and the Gaslamp district. If you only had a couple of things you wanted to see a day trip from Anaheim is feasible, allow about 2 hours each way. Then you could fly home from SNA closer to Disneyland or LAX. Some hate day trips like that, for others it’s fine, it depends on your preferences. I’ve done it a couple of times. If you had more than a days activities in SD then I’d certainly stay there.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

1. For me 3 destinations in 7 nights would be too rushed but I have to come from Australia so I’d do 3-4 nights in LA or San Diego. You do have much shorter flights than me though so it could work but you will be on the go all the time. Maybe consider flying in on Friday night and out on Saturday afternoon/evening to give yourself an extra half day at each end of the trip?
2. LA is very spread out so wherever you stay you’re likely to be 30-40 mins from something on your itinerary, maybe an hour if traffic is terrible (as opposed to just heavy). With that in mind I’d scrap the Hilton and Garland. Nothing wrong with them but they are only close to Warner Bros and the other studios and not much else. Loews Hollywood is a good hotel but I would consider something in Beverly Grove to be a bit more “central”. Beverly Laurel and Farmers Daughter are good options within walking distance of the Farmers Market and The Grove plus there are plenty of dining options walkable nearby. The Sofitel and Elan are also good options closer to the Beverly Centre but a longer (20-25min) walk to the Farmers Market. All these also put you closer to the CA Science Centre, La Brea Tarpits, Petersen Auto Museum and have easy access to the Hollywood attractions and Griffith Park. Warner Bros would be the furthest place to get to. You can see the Hollywood sign from the Observatory, the Hollywood and Highland Mall or Lake Hollywood Park.
3. I don’t like or do AirBnB as I’d prefer not to do housework while on Holiday , they generally won’t store luggage and don’t have hotel type services. Plus Short Term rentals are limited so you’d need to check the rental is legal by citing a business licence. AirBnB do not check this for properties they have on their site.
4. A car will definitely be handy in LA, just make sure your chosen hotel can accommodate a van and you have nothing visible in the car when parking. You don’t really need a car in Anaheim but you can certainly return it in Anaheim then get another to go to San Diego, depends on the rates for the car and parking. I don’t think you have the time to utilise the public transport system in LA as it can take a long time to get from place to place and rideshares/taxi’s will be expensive for a group of 6.
For San Diego, La Jolla and the Midway Museum are great as is Coronado Beach, Balboa Park (where the zoo is), Old Town and the Gaslamp district. If you only had a couple of things you wanted to see a day trip from Anaheim is feasible, allow about 2 hours each way. Then you could fly home from SNA closer to Disneyland or LAX. Some hate day trips like that, for others it’s fine, it depends on your preferences. I’ve done it a couple of times. If you had more than a days activities in SD then I’d certainly stay there.

Thank you so much! I do think it will be a bit rushed, but I don't know when we will be back to California. I don't want to go just for DLR, but I definitely want to go to DLR I will check out Friday flights to see if we can get there a day early - coming from the east coast, it is harder to leave in the evening and go west.

I will check out those other hotels - thank you!

I checked Costco and a weekly minivan rental is about $800 - that's not terrible. I'll keep checking once we figure out our dates for sure.

I need to do more research on San Diego - I want to end the trip there if we can so we can relax and enjoy how beautiful I know it will be

Thank you so much - I appreciate all of your input!

 

[StageTek]

Fly to LAX Saturday (May 14 maybe, but I'm not sure yet)
LA Saturday and Sunday (we will arrive from NC in the morning Saturday)
We would like to see:

La Brea Tar Pits
Griffin Observatory
Hollywood sign
California Science Center
Peterson Auto Museum (maybe?)
Quick stops at Farmer's Market and Walk of Fame, girls would probably like to drive down Rodeo Drive
WB Studio Tour (Sunday morning?)

Ever seen "National Lampoon's Vacation"? That scene where the Griswold's stop at the Grand Canyon? That will be your family with this itinerary - you'll drive up to the Observatory, get out of the car, look at the building, turn to look at the Hollywood sign and have to get back in the car an get on the road.

You can drive by the Science Center but won't have the time to go in. Even if you juggle carefully you might get 30 minutes in there. It's easy to spend three hours and not see everything.

LAX to Griffin Observatory is 80 minutes with no traffic. Then to Science Center - 40 minutes. Then to Tar Pits - 30 minutes. Then to Farmers Market - about 10. Then about 25 to Rodeo Drive. So that's about 3 hours of driving. If you figure a fast 30 minutes in each spot that's about 2 hours. Stay at the Lowes and you can see the Walk of Fame.

If you arrive at LAX first thing in the morning and rush, rush, rush, you can do it.

 

[starry_solo]

You don't have time to do all that in one day. Maybe two, but you would likely need three full days in Los Angeles to do all that.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Ever seen "National Lampoon's Vacation"? That scene where the Griswold's stop at the Grand Canyon? That will be your family with this itinerary - you'll drive up to the Observatory, get out of the car, look at the building, turn to look at the Hollywood sign and have to get back in the car an get on the road.

You can drive by the Science Center but won't have the time to go in. Even if you juggle carefully you might get 30 minutes in there. It's easy to spend three hours and not see everything.

LAX to Griffin Observatory is 80 minutes with no traffic. Then to Science Center - 40 minutes. Then to Tar Pits - 30 minutes. Then to Farmers Market - about 10. Then about 25 to Rodeo Drive. So that's about 3 hours of driving. If you figure a fast 30 minutes in each spot that's about 2 hours. Stay at the Lowes and you can see the Walk of Fame.

If you arrive at LAX first thing in the morning and rush, rush, rush, you can do it.

Ugh - I was afraid of that! We would have two days in LA - the flight I'm looking at lands at LAX at 8:30 am, but we would probably run out of steam early evening due to the time change. I had no idea everything was so far apart.

I know my daughter really wants to see the tarpits (she studied fossils in high school for Science Olympiad). My DH will want to see the Endeavor. My other daughter's boyfriend loves cars. And I know we would enjoy the WB tour

Ugh - I can't make the trip any longer unless my DD flies home early, so something has to give. I figured we need three days for DLR, right? I'll probably never convince DH to come back, so I don't want to miss anything.

Thank you - I want everyone to have fun and not be completely worn out, and I don't want to spend the week in the car. If I drive 80 minutes at home, I'll end up several counties away

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

You don't have time to do all that in one day. Maybe two, but you would likely need three full days in Los Angeles to do all that.

Thank you! We would arrive Saturday morning and most of Saturday and Sunday, but maybe that's not long enough. I thought it would be good to drive to Anaheim on Sunday due to traffic, but maybe Monday midday would be ok? Then DLR Tuesday-Thursday, which only leaves Friday and maybe some time Saturday for San Diego. I hate to fly across country and not go to San Diego too

Thank you for your input - I don't want an exhausted, unhappy family

 

[starry_solo]

Thank you! We would arrive Saturday morning and most of Saturday and Sunday, but maybe that's not long enough. I thought it would be good to drive to Anaheim on Sunday due to traffic, but maybe Monday midday would be ok? Then DLR Tuesday-Thursday, which only leaves Friday and maybe some time Saturday for San Diego. I hate to fly across country and not go to San Diego too

Thank you for your input - I don't want an exhausted, unhappy family

Just a FYI, you can see the Hollywood sign from the mall that is directly across the street from Disney's El Capitan Theatre. The Walk of Fame is there too, as is Grauman's Chinese Theatre (now called TCL Chinese Theatres). It's on both sides of Hollywood Blvd.

Griffith Observatory is pretty; we used to go there often, but it is up a windy windy road. I still get queasy thinking about it. There is public transportation available, so you don't have to look for parking. See:
https://griffithobservatory.org/visit/getting-here/
As I recall, the stop is a few blocks away from Hollywood & Highland.

Are La Brea Tarpits and California Science Center must-see? They are only about 10 miles apart, so it wouldn't seem like it's too bad, but LA traffic is yuck.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Just a FYI, you can see the Hollywood sign from the mall that is directly across the street from Disney's El Capitan Theatre. The Walk of Fame is there too, as is Grauman's Chinese Theatre (now called TCL Chinese Theatres). It's on both sides of Hollywood Blvd.

Griffith Observatory is pretty; we used to go there often, but it is up a windy windy road. I still get queasy thinking about it. There is public transportation available, so you don't have to look for parking. See:
https://griffithobservatory.org/visit/getting-here/
As I recall, the stop is a few blocks away from Hollywood & Highland.

Are La Brea Tarpits and California Science Center must-see? They are only about 10 miles apart, so it wouldn't seem like it's too bad, but LA traffic is yuck.

Maybe Griffith Observatory isn't a must do. I think the kids will want to see the Hollywood they envision, which is why I think they will want to see the Walk of Fame and Rodeo Drive, at least briefly.

The tarpits are a must see for my daughter - she has studied them and I can't imagine going to LA and not seeing them. She went to Asheville NC with some friends and went digging for trilobites DH loves space and would like to see the Endeavor (at least if he remembers that it is there). I need to recalibrate my thinking - ten miles apart in NC is ten minutes apart.

 

[starry_solo]

Maybe Griffith Observatory isn't a must do. I think the kids will want to see the Hollywood they envision, which is why I think they will want to see the Walk of Fame and Rodeo Drive, at least briefly.

The tarpits are a must see for my daughter - she has studied them and I can't imagine going to LA and not seeing them. She went to Asheville NC with some friends and went digging for trilobites DH loves space and would like to see the Endeavor (at least if he remembers that it is there). I need to recalibrate my thinking - ten miles apart in NC is ten minutes apart.

La Brea Tar Pits is about four miles away from Hollywood and Highland (H&H) so that is doable. It depends on how long you want to stay at each. consider staying at the Loews Hollywood Hotel or BLVD hotel that is near H&H the day you fly in.

That way you can do the walk of fame and the Hollywood sign that same night… that is, assuming you don’t want to do a hike and just want to see it from another location.

then the next day you can do the La Brea Tar Pits and CA science center. Make sure to check their website to see if they require reservations.

 

[sjmac42]

The real outlier in your itinerary in LA is Warner Bros. Studio tour so if you dropped that it would free up a few hours for other sights.
80 mins from LAX to Griffith Observatory, well you’d have to be really really unlucky for it to take that long unless you count luggage collection and the shuttle to the rental car lot. In any case, I’d go to the hotel first to drop your luggage, not drive around with it in the car.
Based on spending 2 nights in LA and getting an early start for Anaheim on Monday I’d drop the luggage and do the Hollywood sights like walk of fame (pretty quick to do), visit Griffith Observatory then the Farmers market in the evening. Next day to La Brea Tarpits, Petersen Auto Museum then the CA Science Centre and back via Rodeo Drive. If you choose to stay in Beverly Grove, the Farmers market is right there plus La Brea and Petersen are really close. If staying in Hollywood, the walk of fame is right there and it’s slightly (10 mins or so) closer to Griffith Observatory

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

La Brea Tar Pits is about four miles away from Hollywood and Highland (H&H) so that is doable. It depends on how long you want to stay at each. consider staying at the Loews Hollywood Hotel or BLVD hotel that is near H&H the day you fly in.

That way you can do the walk of fame and the Hollywood sign that same night… that is, assuming you don’t want to do a hike and just want to see it from another location.

then the next day you can do the La Brea Tar Pits and CA science center. Make sure to check their website to see if they require reservations.

Thank you! Having an 18 year old and a 22 year old, I know part of the trip will involve Instagrammable locations in Hollywood like the sign and the walk of fame But I don't think they will need to stay long at each place. Being able to see the sign from Loews or H&H will help.

I guess I need to ask the family what they want to do most and maybe consider dropping San Diego if we won't have time.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

The real outlier in your itinerary in LA is Warner Bros. Studio tour so if you dropped that it would free up a few hours for other sights.
80 mins from LAX to Griffith Observatory, well you’d have to be really really unlucky for it to take that long unless you count luggage collection and the shuttle to the rental car lot. In any case, I’d go to the hotel first to drop your luggage, not drive around with it in the car.
Based on spending 2 nights in LA and getting an early start for Anaheim on Monday I’d drop the luggage and do the Hollywood sights like walk of fame (pretty quick to do), visit Griffith Observatory then the Farmers market in the evening. Next day to La Brea Tarpits, Petersen Auto Museum then the CA Science Centre and back via Rodeo Drive. If you choose to stay in Beverly Grove, the Farmers market is right there plus La Brea and Petersen are really close. If staying in Hollywood, the walk of fame is right there and it’s slightly (10 mins or so) closer to Griffith Observatory

I've heard the WB Studio Tour is really good, and we have some pretty big Harry Potter fans going. But I think I need to have everyone rank their favorites and see how to fit in as much as possible. They might surprise me with their choices!

Thank you!

 

[sjmac42]

I've heard the WB Studio Tour is really good, and we have some pretty big Harry Potter fans going. But I think I need to have everyone rank their favorites and see how to fit in as much as possible. They might surprise me with their choices!

You’re right, it’s terrific . But so are many many other things in LA, making a list of priorities will help.
I also think it’s not a bad idea to consider dropping San Diego as you’re missing plenty in LA including Santa Monica, Malibu, Grand Central Market, the rest of Griffith Park, Koreatown, the other museums at Exposition Park (near CA Science Centre), Universal Studios, the Getty Centre, Getty Villa and some great shopping to name just a few. Might be better than short changing and rushing the 2 cities although as I said, a day trip to SD from Anaheim is doable.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

You’re right, it’s terrific . But so are many many other things in LA, making a list of priorities will help.
I also think it’s not a bad idea to consider dropping San Diego as you’re missing plenty in LA including Santa Monica, Malibu, Grand Central Market, the rest of Griffith Park, Koreatown, the other museums at Exposition Park (near CA Science Centre), Universal Studios, the Getty Centre, Getty Villa and some great shopping to name just a few. Might be better than short changing and rushing the 2 cities although as I said, a day trip to SD from Anaheim is doable.

Yeah, I'm not even sure what we would want to do in San Diego - I have just always wanted to visit. Maybe we do a day trip. And I assumed the kids wouldn't care about the beaches since we live close to a NC beach, but maybe they want some beach time.

The only non-negotiable part is DLR - I have been trying to get there for years

 

[StageTek]

A couple of hours at the Tar Pits and museum is usually enough. Then two more at the Science Center. Drop the trip to the Observatory and take a couple of hours at the Peterson. If you stay at Lowes you can see the Hollywood sign and the Walk of fame at the end of your day. It's a short walk to the Chinese Theater, too.

Getting into LAX at 8:30AM means by the time you're in the car and on the road it will be close to 11AM. Rodeo Drive is abut 30 minutes away. If you're serious that just a drive down without stopping is fine for the girls then you can head to Farmer's Market for lunch right after. Figure getting there by 12:30

Then to the Peterson which is less than a mile away. The Tar Pits are within walking distance so you could split up.

Meet up again at 3PM and go to the Science Center which is about 40 minutes away. They close at 5PM so you won't have much time there so you'll see very little, but your DH will see Endeavor. No time to explore the whole exhibit, though. If you don't want to split up then drop Science Center.

You can always drop each visit to half an hour and add the Observatory and better Instagrammable Hollywood sign.

Then back to Hollywood which will take about 45 minutes. From the Lowes those who aren’t exhausted can head down to the Walk of Fame.

Quite a whirlwind day! And we haven't even gotten to Sunday...

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

A couple of hours at the Tar Pits and museum is usually enough. Then two more at the Science Center. Drop the trip to the Observatory and take a couple of hours at the Peterson. If you stay at Lowes you can see the Hollywood sign and the Walk of fame at the end of your day. It's a short walk to the Chinese Theater, too.

Getting into LAX at 8:30AM means by the time you're in the car and on the road it will be close to 11AM. Rodeo Drive is abut 30 minutes away. If you're serious that just a drive down without stopping is fine for the girls then you can head to Farmer's Market for lunch right after. Figure getting there by 12:30

Then to the Peterson which is less than a mile away. The Tar Pits are within walking distance so you could split up.

Meet up again at 3PM and go to the Science Center which is about 40 minutes away. They close at 5PM so you won't have much time there so you'll see very little, but your DH will see Endeavor. No time to explore the whole exhibit, though. If you don't want to split up then drop Science Center.

You can always drop each visit to half an hour and add the Observatory and better Instagrammable Hollywood sign.

Then back to Hollywood which will take about 45 minutes. From the Lowes those who aren’t exhausted can head down to the Walk of Fame.

Quite a whirlwind day! And we haven't even gotten to Sunday...

Thank you! And we'll arrive at DLR Monday well-rested, I see

I need to figure out everyone's priorities. We have been to Kennedy Space Center, so maybe DH won't care about seeing the Endeavor. Or maybe he wants to spend the whole day

I love the idea of having lunch at the Farmer's Market then splitting up to Peterson and the tarpits. It's hard not to try to do everything, but I don't want everyone grumpy.

 

[DisneyTexan]

One additional suggestion for planning: consider using Uber / Lyft if the group is splitting up or if you are only traveling a short distance. Driving the rental car a couple miles, finding the attraction, parking (maybe with a fee), etc will eventually make you crazy in L.A.

Uber and Lyft are both widely availably in L.A.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

One additional suggestion for planning: consider using Uber / Lyft if the group is splitting up or if you are only traveling a short distance. Driving the rental car a couple miles, finding the attraction, parking (maybe with a fee), etc will eventually make you crazy in L.A.

Uber and Lyft are both widely availably in L.A.

That's an excellent idea - thank you!

 

[starry_solo]

That's an excellent idea - thank you!

Except the rental car is the place for luggage...