What to do when on vacation in California?

[S.o.a.r.]

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

We passed outside the Warner Brothers studio lot last time in LA but never though about the studio tour; should really try and make it this time!

[Leave a Whisper]

Depends on your tastes
Disneyland
Knotts Berry Farm
Magic Mountain
Sea World
Lego Land
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Winchester Mystery Mansion
California Mystery Spot
La Brea Tarpits
Lake Tahoe is so beautiful
San Francisco
Hollywood and all its sights
Santa Monica Pier
Ripley's Museum
Calico Ghost Town
Silverwood Lake
Big Bear
Mammoth
L.A Zoo
L.A. Museum of Natural History
Solvang
Queen Mary and Spruce Goose
Old Sacramento
Dana Point Harbor
Aquarium of the Pacific
Carmel-by-the Sea

[xeevee]

Pier 39 in San Fran is a lot of fun.  I would also recommend Alcatraz.  And if you can get a bus in between San Fran and LA go the ocean road way.  It's longer but so worth it.  Just amazing.  Plus there is a bit where there are just beaches and beaches of Elephant Seals.  (BTW, LA and San Fran are closer than San Diego and San Fran.  Basically driving wise it's like 2 and a half hours in good traffic (though that doesn't exist in LA) between LA and San Diego, and then another 6 in good traffic between LA and San Fran).

As a San Diego Resident my two go to places are Old Town and Balboa park.  Definitely my must see San Diego bits.  The zoo is great and there are actually 2 of them depending on what you like.  A safari park and the regular zoo which has the Pandas.

I see you put down Sea World.  If you actually like animals, I would suggest not going there.  It's pretty bleak.  The enclosures are really inadequate for any of the animals kept there.  And I'm not just saying that as a black fish thing.  I'm a zoologist and when I went there in 2010 I vowed never to return. 

Coronado Hotel is lovely, and you have to go across the Bridge Ron Burgundy's dog was kicked off of in Anchorman.  So you will be in a glass case of emotion.

If you are into Harry Potter at all then you should definitely go to Whimsic Alley in LA.  It's just up from La Brea tar pits which are also definitely worth a see.

And if you can get into the desert at all, do so.  Joshua Tree is very famous.  Oh and try and see the red woods too.

[shelvesofwhimsy]

I live in SF so I have a lot of good places to visit! Japan Town is great for food and shopping, Fishermans warf, Union Square. Santa Cruz is also really nice

[S.o.a.r.]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to offer me suggestions and advice on my upcoming trip! Like mentioned earlier, I'll write all the places/attractions down on my list and prioritize them. It really comes down to time and money.

And we've now talked about doing a quick stop in New York on our way to San Francisco, so that we can finally cross NYC off our list.

[lunar_scythe]

Just want to point out, LA and San Diego are an hour or two apart, San Fransisco is by San Jose, not San Diego.   the mall you are remembering may be the Great Mall, in Milpitas(close to San Jose) or the Union Square area in San Francisco?  Its not a mall, exactly, but there are huge stores there!

Post Merge: July 22, 2014, 02:22:44 PM

[S.o.a.r.]

Just want to point out, LA and San Diego are an hour or two apart, San Fransisco is by San Jose, not San Diego.   the mall you are remembering may be the Great Mall, in Milpitas(close to San Jose) or the Union Square area in San Francisco?  Its not a mall, exactly, but there are huge stores there!

Post Merge: July 22, 2014, 02:22:44 PM

Yeah, for some weird reason I got it in my head that it was SD, SF and LA. Instead it's of course SF, LA and SD. My co-worker pointed that out for me when I talked about our travel agenda, so now we might land in SD first and work our way up to SF instead.

And regarding the mall; none of those names sounds familiar but then again my memory is obviously not very reliable...