Clan Piper may be travelling to Southern California, so I thought I’d ask the Dopers for advice about getting around.
We’re thinking about flying into Los Angeles, then Disneyland at Anaheim, then San Diego for the zoo and Legoland, and then back to Los Angeles.
What is the easiest way to get around?
Should we rent a car, or rely on public transit?
Any recommendations for hotels in San Diego, close to the Zoo?
Any comments or advice most welcome!
In theory, you can get to all the places you’ve mentioned via a combination of buses, trains, and light rail.
If you don’t want it to take all day, though, you should drive.
Either rent a car or uber. But really, avoid LAX if you can afford to. John Wayne airport in OC is really close to the Disney hole and soooo much easier. Or even Long beach. Or Burbank, and drive own through Hollywood to see those touristy sights too.
which will only take half the day.
IMHO renting a car is your best choice. While Los Angeles and Orange County
traffic can be a pain to drive in, most of the time it’s much quicker to drive than
to take public transportation.
Another vote for “rent a car.” I’ve been to LA a few times, and it is surprising how few places are served well by public transit. Rent a car, get a good map or use GPS, and have fun!
LA is not like Manhattan. It’s spread out all over the place. And if you’re going to San Diego, you’re going to need a car. No 2 ways about it. (Unless, if by Public Transportation you mean Uber.)
Just be prepared for traffic jams at any time during the day. It’s LA…
Get a Car and make sure to see Cardif by the Sea & Catalina Island
Public transportation? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Fly into LAX. The other options are better, but the price will be much higher. Or if you can, fly into Ontario. it’s a straight shot in from there via the 10 or 210 freeways. A rental car will be easier to get, too. Anaheim is easily accessible from major freeways in LA, so that is no problem. People like to rag on the traffic, but with a little planning you can avoid most of the problems (like stay off the 405 at all times!) From the Mouse it’s an easy cruise down the 5 to San Diego, or you can take the Coast Highway south and see some scenery.
In San Diego, you might want to stay at a hotel near the Gaslamp/Seaport Village. Again, easy access to the Zoo in Balboa Park as well as restaurants, museums, and other touristy stuff.
Public transportation? No such thing. Those are just Potemkin Village props that Hollywood built to fool out-of-towners. Seriously - rent a car.
In San Diego, there is an area known as Hotel Circle - a bunch of tourist hotels encircling the freeway. Check there for multiple options. Anything you would want to visit is a short drive away.
Rent a car, and have enough people to qualify for the Carpool lane. You’ll get around okay if you avoid the worker-bee’s “rush hours”.
Avoid LEGOLAND like the Clap! I’m serious!
See post #36 in this thread: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=755490&highlight=legoland
You need a car and GPS. Finding your way around can be tough. Uber would be fine for local excursions, but having a car for a trip to San Diego makes sense. Agree with the above about avoiding LAX. You could spend a whole day just getting out of there and back in at the end of the trip.
Interesting. I’ve been to LEGOLAND over a dozen times and no one has ever gotten sick.
Hard to do by car though. 
There are flights from Regina to Ontario, CA available on multiple airlines, so that would be a better choice than LAX if you are willing to pay twice the price in airfare and add 3 hours to your trip.
Hotel Circle in SD has a ton of places, in all price ranges, and straddles the 8, which means you can reach anyplace in the county pretty easily.
I would recommend flying into Orange County, if you aren’t planning on seeing things in LA. Disneyland then south to San Diego would be easier to get to, than flying into LAX and driving all the way down.
You can get some places by public transit. You can get every place by car. The subway is for commuters, not tourists.
Although other airports than LAX may have their advantages, beware of higher charges for many services, including plane fares. Renting the same car at different places won’t be for the same price; the farther from LAX (in terms of service), the higher the price. And make sure to reserve a car in advance. If you don’t, the price you were quoted will NOT be available at the counter. Counter rental without reservation is the “rack rate,” something no one should pay.
As others have said, as a tourist you need to rent a car.
The rail transit system is much bigger than it used to be, and it is continually expanding. It now goes to several interesting places, including Santa Monica, Universal City, etc. For specific trips it works well. I use it often. But for a general tourist it is still not comprehensive enough.
California is big and sprawly. It’s a minimum 2 hr drive from L.A. to San Diego - I would not recommend Ubering that part of the trip. The cities are big and sprawly, and the tourist destinations are far from one another. You could uber between them within L.A./OC area, but it would probably be cheaper just to rent a car.
I’ve used public transport in Los Angeles and in Orange County, but it is slow to get around, especially for the distances that the OP is travelling. So I’d join the others in recommending a rental car.
Adding to the chorus of renting a car. The only way you may, may be able to get away without a car in Southern CA is if you were only visiting D-land and nothing else. But with a trip to San Diego, forget it. You need your own wheels.
It can be challenging, but as others have stated, with some planning and patience, you can avoid the worst traffic, and having a car opens-up additional opportunities to explore other sights, of which there are many in both L.A. and San Diego. There is no way you would have that flexibility without a car.