Ack. I just pressed backspace instead of enter and I just lost a long entry that I typed up. Ok, let’s try one more time.
Big Sur: I love Big Sur. It’s a great drive and if you’re there, check out the Big Sur Bakery. They have fantastic pastries you can take to go and their breakfast is great as well. I’ve never been there late enough to have dinner, but I’ve heard good things about it as well. It’s very charming and they try to use locally sourced foods. Try their 9-grain pancakes with local berries.
I’ll third or fourth La Super Rica in Santa Barbara. Check out the wineries in the area.
Los Angeles: I’ll second the Getty. I don’t think you need to make reservations anymore (only if you’re heading to the Getty Villa), but they do get crowded during popular events. During the summer, they usually have extended hours with free music and a bar once a week or so. Check their calendar for events, but note that it gets crowded and if you’re driving, parking can be a madhouse.
If you’re heading to either the LA Tarpits or LACMA, Fairfax Ave is pretty close by. Canter’s Deli is open 24 hours and serves a great pastrami on rye. Animal is a few storefronts down and is a fairly trendy restaurant serving lots of interesting meat-based fares. Golden State is across the street and is a gastropub that specializes in Californian beer with a kickass burger. Parking however, is a big pain.
That’s the Piedras Blancas rookery, well south of the one I mentioned in post #15. You missed that one as it is north of Monterey on 1 ;). However it is not as obvious from the road - you have to walk a mile or two to the beach/bluffs from the parking area.
Ano Nuevo used to be the only major mainland rookery from the 1960’s ( the others are mostly offshore ), but an ever expanding ( rebounding ) population has led to a re-colonization of what were probably former breeding grounds. I believe PB has only been a going concern since the early 1990’s, but the resident population has expanded fairly rapidly.
Most people get one of those 2-day passes for both Disneyland and California Adventure and just stay in Orange County over night. (But I think you have to have CA ID to get that.)
WOW - lots of good info here - you guys are awesome. I just searched the forums for San Diego because my wife and I are taking our 4 kids there next month and I was looking for recommendations on where to go/what to see, etc. Not sure if I should start a new post for this, but it’s pretty closely related to the OP (except we’re not planning to head north of, say, Santa Barbara). Anyway, here’s my info:
We’ll likely be renting a house somewhere between LA and SD (like Oceanside or San Clemente), or splitting our time between the cities. We’re flexible enough on location, so we’re waiting for last-minute booking deals.
We’re there from Apr 20th through the 30th.
Kids are Aged 12 and 10 (girls) and 8 and 6 (boys)
We will have a minivan (that’s probably obvious).
Last year we did Disney in Orlando, so we’re not planning on hitting Disneyland - is it different enough from the Florida park that that would be a mistake?
Currently on the to-do list:
San Diego Zoo (also, perhaps, the Safari Park)
Legoland
Whale Watching in SD
La Brea Tar Pits
Grauman’s Chinese Theater/Walk of Fame
Padres game at Petco Park
A few days of beach time
So, what are we missing that is not to be missed? Also, the missus is concerned that it won’t be beach weather (I’m thinking the ocean temp in SD will be tolerable for the kids, but any first hand accounts from residents would be very much appreciated!)
Aren’t you going to the Cabrillo Monument? If not, it should be on the top of your list, as mentioned above, especially if you have kids. Go on a clear day, and allow time to go through the museum. The exhibits explain the Spanish exploration of the the California coast, and other things. The old lighthouse is there, and you can go in to see displays of how the lighthouse keeper and his family lived.
If you plan on doing your whale watching from there, I suppose you can, but it’s pretty limited with binoculars. It’s better to take a cruise for that.
And if you’re planning on going all the way to L.A., I wouldn’t do that just to see the Chinese theater and Hollywood Blvd. L.A. is a trip unto itself, and really, it’s 10 times more interesting than San Diego. San Diego is pretty, but kind of provincial. (I say that as a native.)