Tourist advice
 

To escape the long grim dark winter here(UK)I have booked a ticket to the sun and sea (California). I arrive in San Diego on Christma eve and have booked myself into the Hilton Gaslamp quarter for 3 nights. What shall I do until the 31st afternoon when I dept San Diego back to London? I wont have a car so will have to stick to trains and buses. Is it worth going to LA and seeing Hollywood/Beverly hills? can you get around and see the sites without a car? should I go down towards Mexico for a few days? Tijuana looks great in the movies. I would like to stay in Hiltons as I am very near the 100k points needed for the Diamond level. A lively seaside resort with a Hilton and lots of babes and bars would be good! Any advice and/or recommendations will be most appreciated. Cheers. Al

Well, I think you are in quite a predicament! Being without a car if you wish to leave San Diego will be quite challenging. Amtrak does offer some service between San Diego and Los Angeles through Orange County... but if you wish to go anywhere other than the station you will pretty much need a car, so the same problem exists.
Within San Diego, I think there is plenty to fill three days time. The holiday season means that a lot may be closing up early or opening late... but the nightlife should definitely still be around as the New Year draws closer.
As for Mexico... I think most Americans would say avoid TJ at all cost. It is not as dangerous as it used to be, granted... but if you are of legal US drinking age (21), then there is really not much to be done there... bar cheap medicine and gambling. If you wish to go further into the country... I think you would have a great time as Mexico truly has some breathtaking scenery... but the time limits and lack of transport will haunt you twice as badly South of the border as north.
So... in short. I would say stay in San Diego. If you change your mind an rent a car, drive out for the day to some beaches... but I doubt they would be too crowded... or take the 2 hour or so drive to LA and hit the highlights. (Are there any??)
Good luck, safe travels, and welcome in advance to the state of the "Governator"!

Thank you drewsnav. Bit of downer this car thing...its not that I don't want to drive I can't... for a little while longer...well about another year or so!!! Do you think there is enough to do in San Diago for the duration of my stay? I really want to see Hearst castle and spend a day in La Jolla cove so thats a bit of time out of town. Some time laying out in the sun with a book and beer would be good so I may book into the Hilton Harbor island for a few days. Regards Al

Don't know what you are hoping for, but here's the bad news. Let me apologize first for being the wet blanket.

San Diego is a beautiful city, but it is probably going to be cold and rainy over the holidays. You mentioned beaches and babes and I think you will be disappointed in that regard this time of year.

Without a car, you will have to take Amtrak or a commuter flight to get from San Diego to LA. IF you do go to LA, you will definitely need to rent a car.

Hearst Castle is about 3 1/2 hours north of LA by car. So add 2 - 2/12 from San Diego. Check Amtrak's schedule to see if they even serve San Simeon (closest town). I believe they do, but better to check.

Best advice is to stay in and around San Diego. Gaslamp is good for nightlife. There is also Sea World, the Zoo and the Wild Animal Park if thats of any interest. TJ is dirty and the only thing to do is drink really, but you could get there easily enough.

San Diego has much better public transit than LA so you should be ok in and around the city. Good luck. Hope I don't sound like too much of a downer, but better to arrive with more realistic expectations.

(Edited due to atrocious spelling)


[This message has been edited by kef0913 (edited Dec 15, 2003).]

oops. Duplicate

[This message has been edited by kef0913 (edited Dec 14, 2003).]

Why don't you call the hotel directly and speak to the concierge. They may know of local tour companies which offer day trips to LA, or perhaps you could hire a car/driver for the day to take you to the specific sights you want to see. It seems like with the limited time you'll have in SD, a private driver is the most efficient way to go.

Bear in mind that the traffic from San Diego to LA is horrible during the week -- even between Christmas & New Year's, since everybody's hitting the after-Christmas sales. Your best bet is to get a very early start in the morning, before the traffic gets unbearable.

No babes, rain, cold...may as well stay here.
If I get the train up to LA then get a taxi over to Beverly hill (the Hilton has rooms for about $200 per nignt)will I be able to see/walk around the local area, go down to the beach, shop etc without the use of a car? SS255 getting a car and a driver for the day sounds good - how much do you think it will cost? Thanks for your time. Al

I'm not sure how much a private driver will cost, but when you factor in the cost of the train ticket + cab fare from downtown LA to Beverly Hills, it may end up being a wash.

The Beverly Hilton is in walking distance to Beverly Hills (shops, restaurants) and Century City (mall, movie theatres), West Hollywood (nightlife), and that's pretty much it. I believe the hotel has a free shuttle for within a few miles. They are also across the street from a city bus line, with direct service to Santa Monica (i.e. the beach). From Santa Monica, you can walk to Venice Beach, which is worth checking out just because of the funkiness of the Venice Beach community.

You would definitely need a car to get from the Beverly Hilton to Hollywood (Walk of Fame, etc.), but the hotel may be able to arrange something for you. Taking the bus would require changing lines & would take far too long.

Alin, my recommendation is next time post here before you book a trip to California & we can give you heads up!

California is NOT a state you want to be in w/o a car. With a car you could do a lot of the things on your list; without, more difficult, but not impossible.

kef0913 is pretty accurate on his summary, as is ss255. And if you want beach in LA, consider Doubletree in Santa Monica.

Weather can go either way this time of year. It could be cold & chilly (but certainly not UK cold & chilly) & possibly rainy. And it's all relative - we're wearing sweaters out here & folk from colder climes are wearing shorts. But if you wanted consistent warm this time of year, Hawaii is the way to go.

Weather could also be warm & sunny. But if you've got thoughts of Baywatch beaches, that's certainly not happening this time of year. You should see some folk playing volleyball, rollerblading, etc, but unless it's unseasonably warm, only folk on the beaches in bathing suits or by the pool will be the tourists. (you could take a surfing lesson, but you'd definitely need a wetsuit, which they probably would provide - water cold this time of year, but surfers out every day).

Right now think temps are 61F in day; low 50s in the eve.

Even though you're constrained by lack of car, public transportation, group tours (for lack of better word, but getting you to some destinations etc), and possibly limo/driver, should mean you still have a nice stay. Don't despair.

I strongly recommend you contact the concierge via fax or phone at both the Gaslamp Hilton & Bev Hills Hilton, lay out what you want to do, your lack of transport predictament, & ask them to help you figure out what to do on which day, how to get there, etc, etc.

BTW - if you do rent limos, take trains, etc, remember that the GPB kicks the US $$ butt, so things will be relatively cheap for you (think it's $1.70US to 1GPB right now - drat, given my 2 upcoming trips to UK).

Enjoy your stay - our weather on a bad day still beats UK winter weather on a good day! Cheers.

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Sharon

[This message has been edited by SkiAdcock (edited Dec 16, 2003).]

Aaaw, thanks. And so are you Sharon with your more nuanced weather assessment.

An excellent suggestion.

Another suggestion would be to take Amtrak to downtown L.A. Union Station and stay at the Checkers (a Hilton property). You can get rates from Expedia.com for the incredibly cheap rate of about $100 a night (The Hilton.com site has them closer to $200). This won't be the most picturesque option, but will be the most convenient to get to LA and for local transport, as Amtrak, Metrorail and Metrolink all connect in Union Station.

Hiring a towncar to take you around will probably run you in the $55/hour range. Depending on your budget this might be worth it for you.

All of what I am suggesting takes you out of the "beach vacation" mode, but might be more enjoyable for the time of year.


Yeah I've got one coming up too that will be considerably more expensive with the dollar tanking. Drat!

Best of luck

Keith



[This message has been edited by kef0913 (edited Dec 16, 2003).]

Alin, it probably won't last but we've got "Santa Ana" conditions right now - ie, it's warm & more like you think SoCal probably is - I live at the beach & it's 75F http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...um/biggrin.gif. Having said that, it could go back to 61/low 50s this weekend or stay - be prepared for both. Have a great time, & do report back on how everything went. Cheers.

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Sharon

Keith I quite like the look of the Hilton checkers, it seems - from my newly aquired guidebook - to be well positioned and within reach of good tourist sites via the red and blue metro lines and bus service. My plan is to spend the first 3 days in San Diego then take the train to LA for 2 nights in the Checkers. I fancy a day in Tijuana - the 'family holiday' thread has whet my appetite for a sortie down that way.

Sharon next time I will seek advice first. Absolutely no thought or reserch went into this trip, last Sunday morning I was walking down Putney Hill (SW London) to get the papers and some milk. It was cold, wet, grey, Chelsea had been beaten 2-1 by Bolton on Saturday..all was not well with me. Sod it, I need sun.. within 20 minutes of getting home(I forgot the milk but did get a 6 pack of beer)I was the proud owner of an air-ticket on UA 931 to San Diego for a snip at 350 UK£. Its good that the sun is out now..75f will do nicely. All the best to you all. Kind regards. Al

Sounds like a fun trip, Al. The Checkers hotel is a wonderful hotel: I used to work in the building next to it and it's quite elegant. Haven't been in it since Hilton took it over, but I can't imagine it has changed drastically. A word or three of advice: Don't be at the Checkers over a weekend. Downtown Los Angeles is dead over the weekend. Really. If, however, you must be there on a Saturday (don't), I have a phenomenal suggestion for you: go to www.laconservancy.org and click on their "walking tours" section. This non-profit group leads walking tours every saturday moirning at 10 leaving from the Biltmore Hotel (across the street from Checkers) that will show you a side of LA that you won't get ANYWHERE else (they have access to certain areas that the general public doesn't get). In particular, I recommend the Broadway Theater Tour (I've been on it a half dozen times -- simply fabulous), and the Art Deco Tour. Try to make a reservation, but if they say the tour is full, just go to the Olive side lobby at 10 a.m. and try to catch a tour anyway. Well worth the $8 fee.

Also of note within walking distance of Checkers is the Bradbury Building, the Central Market, and Olvera Street.

Finally, enjoy Tijuana. Don't walk, take the trolley...the lines coming back for walking across make you stand for ever amidst the carbon monoxide fumes of the cars waiting to cross back as well.

Thank you Don, I was planning to spend Saturday and Sunday in LA but have now changed to Monday and Tuesday, I will go to TJ on Saturday and Sunday.

PS. Sunny and mild here today.

sailaway75 stayed at checkers recently & said good things about the hotel - and reconfirmed that that's nada around/to do, so you will be most likely taking blue/red lines everywhere, and downtown la is NOT near the beach, but you can get to it somehow. i'd still contact the various concierges & lay out what you want to do, lack of transportation problem & get their input. btw - weather still holding, but something to keep in mind. our weather on a bad day is still better than uk weather on a good day in the winter http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...um/biggrin.gif. sorry to hear about the chelsea loss. have a good trip. cheers.

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Sharon