What to do when on vacation in California?

[Hervoyel]

Highway 1

This is my #1 vote as well - do the drive, enjoy the ocean, and when you see something interesting on the side of the road, stop and check it out! 

[S.o.a.r.]

Sadly we (me and my friend) won't be driving; we'll be relying on busses and walking mostly when in LA/SF/SD. But when we do our big state roadtrip in the future, we'll make sure to do the whole car experience and scenic route. I will definitely add all these suggestions to my list and then closer to the travel date decide which places are the most important for us to visit.

[pallas]

I would totally ride the bike path in Santa Monica to Venice and beyond depending how strong a rider you are, it might get bit cold but if you are from Sweden you will be fine 

Sadly the metro to the sea won't be finished but the mass transit has improved and keep in mind that some individual city have there own bus lines, i.e. culver city and santa monica.  Universal is fun and there are also tv tapings that are all free you just need to get tix some like Ellen or the Price is Right need months but others can done day of.  The Getty is free and there are busses that take you there. 

The mall in Santa Monica has been remodeled and has a top floor open patio area with a food court and sit down restaurants where you can see the ocean, it's also part of the 3rd street promenade.  Avoid bubba gumps on the SM pier (overpriced and the food was pretty bland). 

Frank and Sons was kinda of let down for me, it's far away and mostly cards, comics and action figs (didn't see any ponies). 

Have a blast, I love it here.  Also Nov/Dec is the high shopping season and stores are sometimes super busy.   

[gemini_pony]

Sadly we (me and my friend) won't be driving; we'll be relying on busses and walking mostly when in LA/SF/SD. But when we do our big state roadtrip in the future, we'll make sure to do the whole car experience and scenic route. I will definitely add all these suggestions to my list and then closer to the travel date decide which places are the most important for us to visit.

Let me know if you do stop by Long Beach! I am always up for meeting a fellow pony lover.

[Stitch]

I second the LEGOLAND and Balboa Park suggestions for San Diego. Also, if you would like to meet up with some Southern California MLP fans while you are in the area you can join the SoCal Bronies meetup page.

[flyawayraven]

Sadly we (me and my friend) won't be driving; we'll be relying on busses and walking mostly when in LA/SF/SD. But when we do our big state roadtrip in the future, we'll make sure to do the whole car experience and scenic route. I will definitely add all these suggestions to my list and then closer to the travel date decide which places are the most important for us to visit.

Eep! Okay if that is the case you're going to need to book tickets on a Greyhound or some other long-distance bus to get from SD/LA to SF (or vice versa). I think Amtrak also runs rail service from the Bay Area down to Southern California. I mention this because it's an 8 hour car ride between SF and the southern part of the state! :O

As for stuff to do in San Francisco, people have already made some great suggestions! Fisherman's Wharf is a fun place to hang out for a day (it is pretty heavily a tourist area, though). You can catch a cable car from there and ride it into Powell Street and hit the shopping (be warned the shopping on Powell is pretty pricey). The cable car should also pass by Lombard Street which is always fun to gawke at (it's the world's most twisty road!).

I forget which local bus does it, but if you can get out to Cliff House and Ocean Beach, I really recommend it! Both are part of the National Park Service so I know at least for Ocean Beach, there's no park entrance fee. Cliff House might charge you a fee to see the exhibits but it's free to visit the overlook. They are right on the coastline of the Pacific and it's so lovely and peaceful by the waves. You might even see a few seals! However, be warned that towards sunset it will get really foggy out there.

Speaking of fog, here are two super important things about SF: 1) It's a very hilly city so bring good walking shoes. Some hills are incredibly steep, like the one in Chinatown. 2) Even in the warmer months, it gets cold once the sun goes down! This time of year it's averaging around 60 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and staying around 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night. The time of year you're planning to visit it's not unheard of for it to dip down to freezing at night, but it tends to be about 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. You should also bring some rain gear, as November/December is when we get our rain. There will also be the wind and fog, so definitely bring some trousers and jackets. You won't need them in Southern California, but you will need them in San Francisco!

I hope you and your friend have a wonderful vacation!

Edit: One more thing! If you want to see Alcatraz, you MUST book in advance. It is nearly impossible to walk in and get tickets as the tours fill up very quickly.

[teresat]

Okay i must admit, this list of suggestions from everyone is great even for a Californian! Thanks all!

[pallas]

Not sure what your budget is but there are also commuter flights between the major cities, virgin, southwest and jet blue are coming to mind. 

I know I flew into Oakland and took the metro to downtown SF for Mac world one year and there is mass transit to LAX though it doesn't go directly to terminal it does take you to hubs where you can get on the airport shuttles to terminals.  I take the Santa Monica bus instead of bugging friends for a ride or spending 30 bucks on a cab.  I have taken Amtrack but find it confusing since the stops can sometimes be in the middle of nowhere and the prices not that cheap compared to flying or renting a car.

Also if you are into space travel the space shuttle is at the Cal Science Museum and I have been meaning to check that out myself for ages.

[S.o.a.r.]

pallas: The Santa Monica mall sounds amazing! I didn't stop by there on my last visit to LA (2008) but will certainly make it there this time! Going on a bike ride sounds like a fun and cheap way to explore the surroundings! Also hoping to buy tickets to "The Talk" - I love that show! <3

gemini_pony: Oh definitely! It would be awesome finally meet another MLP collector!

Stitch: We might skip LEGOLAND seeing as how we have the original/bigger one over in Denmark, but thanks for the suggestion! And I will absolutely join the SoCal Bronies page! It would be so much fun to meet other people that don't give you weird looks for collecting "toys"

flyawayraven: At the moment, we're planning on flying between the cities. Might take a Greyhound buss between San Diego and San Francisco (I think they're closer than SF and LA?) but mostly we're relying on airplanes during this trip. And I actually rode the Powell Street cable car last time I visited San Francisco (2006) so I'll be doing all the same attractions again as well as plenty of new ones hopefully. And last time I lived in Albany for 3 months (August-November) and remember how chilly it was when the fog came in, but I enjoy cold weather better than hot weather so that's why SF is perfect for me! Unlike when I brought knitted sweaters to Los Angeles in November of 2008. Epic fail! Also, I've been to Alcatraz before and I booked the tickets only a few days ahead; will that work this time too?

[flyawayraven]

pallas: The Santa Monica mall sounds amazing! I didn't stop by there on my last visit to LA (2008) but will certainly make it there this time! Going on a bike ride sounds like a fun and cheap way to explore the surroundings! Also hoping to buy tickets to "The Talk" - I love that show! <3

gemini_pony: Oh definitely! It would be awesome finally meet another MLP collector!

Stitch: We might skip LEGOLAND seeing as how we have the original/bigger one over in Denmark, but thanks for the suggestion! And I will absolutely join the SoCal Bronies page! It would be so much fun to meet other people that don't give you weird looks for collecting "toys"

flyawayraven: At the moment, we're planning on flying between the cities. Might take a Greyhound buss between San Diego and San Francisco (I think they're closer than SF and LA?) but mostly we're relying on airplanes during this trip. And I actually rode the Powell Street cable car last time I visited San Francisco (2006) so I'll be doing all the same attractions again as well as plenty of new ones hopefully. And last time I lived in Albany for 3 months (August-November) and remember how chilly it was when the fog came in, but I enjoy cold weather better than hot weather so that's why SF is perfect for me! Unlike when I brought knitted sweaters to Los Angeles in November of 2008. Epic fail! Also, I've been to Alcatraz before and I booked the tickets only a few days ahead; will that work this time too?

Flying works too! It's certainly a lot faster that way. :p

I think in November/December you should be fine to book a day or two in advance. Most people aren't too keen on a boat ride in a cold drizzle!

[Flitter]

I'm trying to think of things that go on in San Francisco that time of year. You've already got some great suggestions for places to visit!
The Dicken's Fair is fun if you are into holiday type stuff.

[flyawayraven]

Oh you know what? After Thanksgiving they set up an outdside ice skating rink in Union Square!

I forget what the prices are and you can only skate for a set amount of time, but it's always seemed like fun to me.

[S.o.a.r.]

Oh you know what? After Thanksgiving they set up an outdside ice skating rink in Union Square!

I forget what the prices are and you can only skate for a set amount of time, but it's always seemed like fun to me.

I'm a terrible skater but it would be kind of awesome to know I at least got to skate in Union Square!

[flyawayraven]

Oh you know what? After Thanksgiving they set up an outdside ice skating rink in Union Square!

I forget what the prices are and you can only skate for a set amount of time, but it's always seemed like fun to me.

I'm a terrible skater but it would be kind of awesome to know I at least got to skate in Union Square!

Me too that's why I've never done it. :p

[OLumeVaSti]

When I went to LA I regretted not doing the Warner Brothers Studio Tour.