BuildingMyBento

Sounds like a good idea, jackal.

Pondering if I should go to TJ for some seafood, too.

ranles

Sounds like you're up for some adventure:

Rent car. Drive toward Downtown LA and stop at Tommy's Original World Famous Hamburgers...2575 Beverly Blvd, LA 90057. They are open 24/7. The have been in business there since 1946. The earliest I can remember eating there was in 1961. Sloppy, mess burgers or hot dogs, soda.

Next head for Dana Point in South Orange county. danawharf.com Choose 1/2 day fishing (starts at 6:30am, should be there 45 minutes early) or less time and money, go for Whale/Dolphin watching. It is not prime whale season, but they are still getting sightings...see website. Have a late lunch.

From there drive to SAN, return car and shuttle to Airport...exhausted.

My car rentals from LAX to SD county are a bit more as I drop them off in Escondido, where I live.

returnoftheyeti

Leaving tomorrow, Sunday, at 7 am to drive from San Diego to Pasadena.
What is the best route to take, considering we are going to want to stop along the way for restrooms, coffee, etc, so easy on/off exit ramps are nice?

Should I take 5 through Irvine or 15?

DELee

Fastest will be up through the I5 assuming no major road closures. It is also more scenic if you and your party prefer ocean views. Also, in San Diego County (before you get to the north part of Oceanside and Camp Pendleton), there will be plenty of offramps to stop for coffee, breakfast. There's also a rest stop pair within Camp Pendleton (Aliso Creek) on the I5.

Once you're in Los Angeles County, you'd have at least 30 miles more after leaving the I15 to drive to cut northwest in order to get to Pasadena. The I5 and other freeways (I110) put you right in Old Town Pasadena.

David

FlyinHawaiian

Agreed; the fastest route on an early Sunday morning will likely by the 5 North to the 605 North in Seal Beach to the 210 West in Monrovia to Pasadena. Alternatively, you can take the 5 North to the 110 North, the latter being a somewhat twisty and narrow parkway that dead-ends into Old Town Pasadena.

Besides being more scenic, there's far more places to stop taking the 5 over the 15.

returnoftheyeti

Thanks all. Headed out now.

EmailKid

I will vouch for Tommy's. Stumbled across original location when I lived in LA moons ago.

Still try to stop by if I am in town @:-)

Seafood in TJ

Given the time, not a good idea. It can take three hours to cross back unless something has changed in six months since I've been there. Or if you have SENTRY card.

StartinSanDiego

If you want to go to TJ, the best bet is park on the US side and walk over. The line to get back to the States (in a car) from TJ is USUALLY 3 hours, sometimes longer. The wait discourages me from any trip shorter than 4 days. TJ is a better choice for cheap trinkets and Mexican blankets than seafood. TJ is not known for seafood, and the tacos are just as good in 100's of places north of the border. Look for a small, off the beaten path place that's crowded, especially a place in the lower income area of town.

Joshua Tree is terrific. If you're coming from the low desert (Palm Springs area, I-10), there are lots of hotels in Indio, Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs, before you go "up the hill" to Joshua Tree. You should be able to make the drive from LAX to Joshua Tree in 3 hours or so, especially if you can get in a car pool lane through the city. A traffic app is worthwhile, just in case there's some sort of accident on the route that you should avoid.

It's not close or on the way from LAX to SAN, though. Anza Borrego Desert, Julian or Palomar Mountain would be a little bit closer to the route, and still scenic.

calwatch

For future reference, to get to the Greyhound station is somewhat convoluted. Although it is about a mile and a half south of Amtrak at LA Union Station there is no direct bus to get there. The cheapest way would be to take the Green Line shuttle to the Green Line, then the Blue Line, and at Metro Center exit the station and take the 60, 62 or 760 at 7th and Flower and get off at the Greyhound station.

mlshanks

True... But you do better (and get offered plenty of one change routes) using LA Metro's Trip planner. https://www.metro.net/riding/trip-planner/ There are a number that involve one 50 cent DASH ride, and one $1.75 bus fare.

Alternatively, if you don't have an available Internet device to check the fastest route yourself, ask at the METRO kiosk in the East Rotunda of LA Union Station, and they will help you.

USA_flyer

We're looking at our options to get from LAX to San Diego, as I see it I have 3.

1. Pony up for the airfare at $600 roundtrip for 3 people all in.

2. Surfliner going from union station to San Diego $200 For all 3 tickets plus $70 each way from LAX to Union Station. $340 all in. Downside is the LA traffic to and from the train station.

3. 60k air miles and $20.

I am leaning towards burning some air miles. What would you do and is there an option I haven't thought about?

Jaimito Cartero

Eastbay1K

Have you considered (and priced) a one way car rental? Or is that out of the equation?

guv1976

Why not just rent a car and drive? (Looks like Eastbay 1K beat me to the punch!)

If you decide to redeem frequent-flyer miles and can find "SAAver" seats on American, note that the roundtrip would cost just 11,000 Iberia Plus Avios per person, versus 15,000 AA miles, or 15,000 BA Avios. But IB Plus redemptions on AA are not changeable or refundable.

azepine00

also depends on you destination in SD, timing (traffic patterns) and your limitations/preferences
ow rental is usually under 100 and can be much less, uber should be 150-ish ow if dont want to drive; can prob find some sedan transfer ow for 250
if amtrak - uber should not be 70 lax to union station unless some nasty surge pricing; or just do flyaway bus to union station at $7 pp;
noone flies that unless attached to some other segment; if timing is convenient and you are at lax anyway i would consider 7500 pp ow avios redemption perhaps in one direction since it's flexible to cancel