Advice for 5 nights in LA (previously: SFO or LAX in Nov/Dec?)
Just a quick question about SFO vs. LAX as a vacation destination: which one would you recommend in Nov/Dec? Would of course rent a car and stay probably a week. Travelling solo and not interested in sunbathing etc. Not looking for Venice Beach or alikes. :) More into walking, driving by car and doing public transportation to museums, nice sites and seeing also some less usual things. Heck, even going to Goodwill is fun for me. :D
I'm most likely doing 'Frisco, but never been to either - yet, so happy for any quick thoughts from ya'll. :) |
If you really want to rent a car, then SF is probably not practical due to difficulty of driving on hills and expensive parking. Both cities are large and have plenty of museums and random things to see. SF is more walkable although LA has some walkable areas as well.
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If you do decide to do SF, please don't call it "Frisco!" Agree that a rental car is usually a negative inside the city of San Francisco. It's helpful, maybe essential, if you're going elsewhere in the bay area.
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Bay Area Native Here
Originally Posted by Flying Yazata
(Post 30627379)
Just a quick question about SFO vs. LAX as a vacation destination: which one would you recommend in Nov/Dec? Would of course rent a car and stay probably a week. Travelling solo and not interested in sunbathing etc. Not looking for Venice Beach or alikes. :) More into walking, driving by car and doing public transportation to museums, nice sites and seeing also some less usual things. Heck, even going to Goodwill is fun for me. :D
I'm most likely doing 'Frisco, but never been to either - yet, so happy for any quick thoughts from ya'll. :) Transit is easier in SF, but just be aware that it’s not exactly a comfortable way to ride. Buses and trains are pretty poorly maintained and are very dirty. If you’re traveling in or near the core area, it’s likely you’ll have a homeless person or mentally unstable person on the bus part of the way. Schedules, depending on the particular line, are more honored in the breach. But I would still guess that at least availability is better than LA. weather wise at that time of the year, LA wins hands down. Based solely on the weather, I’d pick LA in winter and summer. Spring and fall, I’d pick SF. |
Okay, many thanks for all your input! :) Will do - no more 'Frisco. ;) The fare I was looking for was pulled, so not going to CA this time. However will keep in mind the advice, once a suitable fare pops up again.
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I would note that the weather has gotten more fickle nowadays - this used to be rainy season, but you can more likely count on SoCal to have consistently nicer weather (assuming there are no forest fires raging). SF is the more compact city, but depending on where you park yourself in LA, you can make use non-road base mass transit (e.g. the light rail between Santa Monica and downtown LA) to get around. It's really a matter of preference.
As for the folks recommending not renting a car - I almost always do when I come visit the Bay Area, including when I stay in the heart of downtown SF. It's expensive, but I much prefer the convenience for getting around, even within the city. |
Originally Posted by RichardInSF
(Post 30632765)
If you do decide to do SF, please don't call it "Frisco!" Agree that a rental car is usually a negative inside the city of San Francisco. It's helpful, maybe essential, if you're going elsewhere in the bay area.
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If you want to visit Sf, you can lyft/rideshare to get around and avoid parking expenses. It’s really a great walking city - just 7x7 square miles! Granted I drive all over Sf but at night I’ll lyft a lot. |
Well, it's typical for my travels that things change as I discover new airfares. So it's going to be CA after all. 5 nights in LA, arriving on Black Friday. :)
I'm looking to rent a car (most likely from Sixt, based on the current rates for Hertz) as I'll probably cruise around a bit. Most likely wouldn't plan renting, if it would've been SFO. Based on your responses, it's not all too convenient to have a car there. Any recommendations for where to stay with a rental car as your bless and burden? I.e. which area/s would you recommend? You're also free to suggest why I should skip a rental in LA. Mainly thinking about traffic and how long driving takes. I have Best Western Platinum status, so I did look up their options, but there's so many options to choose from and it's not easy to evaluate the hotel locations as a first timer in LA. Accor Hotels doesn't have any plausible options for me, but I'm open to grab something with Booking.com. I also have Gold with Radisson, but there's much less options than with all BW brands combined. |
Moderator's Action
The thread has been renamed and moved at the OP's request.
TWA884 California moderator |
While it may be an old thread, a lot of the information posted there is still valid:
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Originally Posted by Flying Yazata
(Post 30717900)
Mainly thinking about traffic and how long driving takes.
Pick a couple areas that you want to visit and get a hotel near one or more of them. What previous posters have said about walking in LA is true - there are many walkable areas, but you have to drive or use transit to get from one to another. There are tons of museums (allegedly 800+, according to the propaganda brochure at a conference I attended here), there's hiking in the mountains, there's a lot of good theater (big and small), and just about anything you could possibly be interested in except for subzero weather. |
Originally Posted by Flying Yazata
(Post 30717900)
Mainly thinking about traffic and how long driving takes. I have Best Western Platinum status, so I did look up their options, but there's so many options to choose from and it's not easy to evaluate the hotel locations as a first timer in LA. Accor Hotels doesn't have any plausible options for me, but I'm open to grab something with Booking.com. I also have Gold with Radisson, but there's much less options than with all BW brands combined.
Failing that, I used Best Western Plus at 5005 Century Boulevard on a recent trip. Yes it's near the airport but rates are reasonable and the rooms are clean and the breakfast is really good. |
On a clear / clear-ish day, drive up to Santa Barbara for a day trip. It is under 2 hours w/o traffic, a great walking downtown and beach area (without being the sort of beach you're trying to avoid), and one of the more picturesque cities in the USA.
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Originally Posted by USA_flyer
(Post 30723153)
Have a look at Priceline's name your own price feature if it's just the two of you. It might be possible to bag a great hotel for cheap.
Originally Posted by USA_flyer
(Post 30723153)
Failing that, I used Best Western Plus at 5005 Century Boulevard on a recent trip. Yes it's near the airport but rates are reasonable and the rooms are clean and the breakfast is really good.
Originally Posted by Eastbay1K
(Post 30723602)
On a clear / clear-ish day, drive up to Santa Barbara for a day trip. It is under 2 hours w/o traffic, a great walking downtown and beach area (without being the sort of beach you're trying to avoid), and one of the more picturesque cities in the USA.
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