I presume you've never been to LA.

If you have the money LA is a big foodie town. Virbila at the LA Times is the best place to start.
http://www.latimes.com/theguide/rest...3.storygallery

Hotels- Hollywood is in big trouble so you will be able to take your pick and probably get it cheaper than you thought.

Personally i like the Huntley in Santa Monica, but only because there is were Lee Marvin threw his foe out of a window in Point Blank!
http://www.thehuntleyhotel.com/gallery/

My only issue is Sept/Oct- that's the time most likely to have the Santa Anas blowing, brings the heat all the way to the beach and fire probabaility is high.

Santa Monica is probably the best base. the temperature is significantly lower, the air is clearer, walking is almost normal. shopping is good, though Montana Ave is full of failed stores. also handy for LAX without too much noise.

How long are you going for donkeyk? This will help us plan your trip ;) (out of jealously)

Definitely... :)

I think (it was a few years ago) that the trolley tour takes you through those (and quite a few other) areas - so it can be good to get on and off the trolley at various places of interest.

We stayed at the Marriott (Seaport Village), but if we went again would pick the Hyatt (Marriott was more resorty/family oriented). There are probably some other good hotels locally... I think that a W opened up there since we were there.

Boo

It depends on if you prefer fire or floods.

A quick 2p's worth, a visit to the Getty Center in Brentwood has to be on the top of your list of places to visit. What a fantastic place it is. Santa Monica as well, you can pass a good few hours walking along the sea front from Santa Monica to Venice Beach & back. Also if its your sort of thing a morning walk up in the hills, Runyan Canyon Park is great & if its a smog free day it offers fab views of the LA Basin.

Places to stay you cant go wrong with one of the hotels on the Santa Monica sea front.

Ive just done a 2 1/2 week trip to LA first couple of weeks in May with a couple of days in San Fran. They do call the month of May May grey but i had wall to wall sunshine once the marine layer burned away come 10am. Personally i didnt take to San Fran all that well found the city itself too be far overrated than what people make it out to be, but thats only my opinion.

Would i go back to San Fran, maybe if only to explore a bit further a field, say Marin County / Napa Valley. Would i go back to LA, id go back tomorrow if i could.

So true! My Mom lives in Montecito & the fires have been pretty random over the past few months. Was visiting during the Nov 'Tea fire' & it really wasn't all that much fun ... My Moms house was right on the very edge of the mandatory evacuation zone so we had to high tail it down to the Four Seasons in Westlake b/c they allow dogs!

As to the original question ... You should definitely do San Francisco if possible, I grew up there so it has a special place in my heart ... I also like LA but it's a place you grow to like ... On the surface it's like a scab & you need to scratch it off to reveal the good stuff! As for San Diego, if it were me I'd go north rather than south ... stopping in Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Carmel/Monterey etc ... Just take warm clothing if you go North, I often find it chillier than London.

I was in LA last week for 2 weeks vacation with my family. I stayed at the beverly hilton, which has an excellent location and good room rates. My holiday was excellent and the family enjoyed it a lot.

The weather was perfect. Day time tempreture was in the mid 70s with low humidity. A friend of mine told me that LA weather is the weather of heaven ;)

:D Spoken like a native.

Historically (just my personal history, not sure of statisticians, but what do they know?) if it's going to get over 100°F in LA it's going to be in late September/early October. Growing up we had the annual goldfish-inverted-in-bowl ceremony right around then every year.

But location, location, locus... it can be hot as hell in one part of LA, with or without burning mountains, smog, Santa Ana winds... and pleasant and cool in another. Lots of little (not micro) climate zones all over the place.

Any climate inconvenience can be resolved easily by the Ford Motor Co. or GM or Chrysler/Fiat/Yugo/Whatever. By all means drive to SF via the coast, or if you really like the hot stuff, via the wine country around Paso Robles. Harvest time here and there.

Ive been thinking of doing this myself

Fly into LAX, drive up to SF then across and down to Vegas. Then either a drive to pheonix for the flight home or a flight to NY for a few days.

Although I think in two weeks this may be a little tight. So was thinking of dropping LA

My thoughts...

Simply AVOID Los Angeles! Problem solved... ;)

How odd to ask this question in a forum read primarily by people in the U.K. ;)

Maybe. Before the weather patterns became erratic, LA had a fairly predictable Indian Summer, in which temperatures in September could easily reach 38-40 C, and even hotter in the San Fernando Valley. September is also fire season.

Again, when weather was predictable here, the rainy (and cloudy) season in LA was late January, early February. LA also experiences "June Gloom," a heavy overcast from the marine layer in the morning.

It is important to remember that LA's climate is, essentially, that of a desert. Regardless of when you come, it will be cool in the evening.

I'd recommend these only if the OP has a fairly lengthy stay. Neither ride is particularly interesting (the drive to Santa Barbara goes through Malibu, but there's little to see).

I completely disagree with respect to the Getty. There are two Getty museums in LA. The one in the Santa Monica mountains has an interesting campus and is reached by a people mover from the parking lot. It has a very unimpressive collection and is frequented by families with children who treat the place like Disneyland. The other Getty is in Malibu. It's a very pleasant setting in a Palladian villa with an interesting collection of Renaissance art. Both Getty museums have limited parking, for which reservations are required.

In my opinion, the best collection in LA is to be found at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). It's permanent collection includes some very nice impressionists, and there is always an interesting temporary exhibition or two, and frequently of world-class quality.

No, there is not. San Diego is a nice city and has its attractions, but it's hardly a primary destination for someone visiting Los Angeles unless you have a particular affinity for water sports -- skiing, boating, etc.

I agree with this -- the views from the Observatory are truly stunning.

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! San Francisco is a very unique city, and without comparison in the U.S. Though European in feel, it is uniquely American. It is very compact and easy to visit. It features great restaurants, great museums, and more than a little truly eccentric entertainment opportunities: The former prison of Alcatraz is a great visit and includes a boat ride through the harbor. Beach Blanket Babylon is a theatrical must-see and a San Francisco tradition. Entire neighborhoods of 19th century Victorian houses -- the traditional San Francisco "Painted Ladies" remain (I own one). Napa Valley -- "Wine Country" -- is an easy hour drive away, featuring hundreds of vineyards, all within a 10 or 20 minute drive, and all of which offer tastings and tours. It's also one of the most beautiful parts of California.

I'd recommend the 101, rather than the 1. I'd also recommend stopping in San Simeon, where the OP can visit Hearst Castle, the home of early 20th century media magnate, and a truly fascinating place to visit.

Agree completely!

Ummm . . . perhaps. Though crime isn't a significant issue in either city, beyond the usual tourist concerns, convertibles are ready targets. I used to drive an MGB in Los Angeles and became a regular customer at the body shop to have the top replaced when it was slashed to gain entry to the car. Also, the OP should remember that LA (and San Francisco) are at a much more southern latitude than the U.K. -- the sun is a lot stronger. I say this as someone who has had melanoma. LA, in particular, has many cool, breezy, sunny days. It may feel comfortable, but that sun is still baking you with UV and causing genetic damage to all those melanocytes. Regardless of the time of year, you should wear a good sunscreen. As for me, I would never have a convertible again here. ;)

Do it the other way around. Fly into SF, drive down to LA, and then drive to Las Vegas. Las Vegas is an easy and (usually, depending on the day of the week and the time of day) pleasant 4 hour drive from LA through vast and open desert (you actually drive through the corner of Death Valley). The drive from San Francisco is too long to do in a single day.

Why not go somewhere more congenial, with better infrastructure and less casual violence? If you want to be on the sea-side, Beirut, perhaps?

I am of the same view having come in and out of LAX many times from Australia. My perfect time to visit would be "the twelfth of never"

Orac

Having been a tourist there on two occasions spanning over 10 nights and bar swimming, not indulged in a second of water sports, I'd say the complete opposite. I can't wait to get back again as there's still a lot I want to do. For me LAX's primary purpose is the closest gateway to San Diego!

I guess it depends what you're into and your age. I could easily spend a day at Sea World, a day at the Zoo, a day in Balboa park, a day walking around down town/ old town etc, a day at each of the main beach cities, which are all very different (we had 3 great, fun filled yet lazy days at Ocean Beach alone), catch a game at Petco Park, spend an afternoon at the USS Midway museum.