Questions about CA touring

[300rag]

I'm looking at things to see on my own without going on a ship excursion. I'm starting and ending in LA, with stops in Santa Barbara (7:00 -17:00), Monterey (7:00 - 16:00), SF over-night (14:00 day 1 - 20:00 day 2), Catalina Island, and San Diego(7:00 - 23:30). Suggestions? Anyone here taken the 17 mile drive at Pebble Beach? I'm there in November on a port stop and was considering renting a car and doing this loop. And @tbm3fan , I am considering the Hornet tour while in SF. How much time should I realistically allow for this? There is a ferry from the pier in SF, correct?

 

[The Goose]

I'm looking at things to see on my own without going on a ship excursion. I'm starting and ending in LA, with stops in Santa Barbara (7:00 -17:00), Monterey (7:00 - 16:00), SF over-night (14:00 day 1 - 20:00 day 2), Catalina Island, and San Diego(7:00 - 23:30). Suggestions? Anyone here taken the 17 mile drive at Pebble Beach? I'm there in November on a port stop and was considering renting a car and doing this loop. And @tbm3fan , I am considering the Hornet tour while in SF. How much time should I realistically allow for this? There is a ferry from the pier in SF, correct?

Sure picked some nice spots. If you’ve never been you should hit the Peterson Auto Museum in LA. Right up the street is Trejos Tacos it’s pretty cool. On the way thru town you got the Tar pits the farmers market at the grove (super crowded) and then you got the sunset strip and various LA Hollywood stuff. China towns a mess right now but Olvera Street or Little Tokyo are still pretty cool. If you’re on sunset at night hit Roscoes chicken and waffles on Gower St. If you have time to kill see something cool at the Dome. Cinerama Dome is one of the biggest movie screens anywhere in the USA or maybe catch a show at the whiskey a go go.

There are some cool cruise nights. You got Bobs big boy Friday night in Burbank every weekend. There is random stuff all over town all the time.

Santa Barbara get off on canbrillo blvd and take it to state street. That’s the main drag. They’ve destroyed a ton of the old town down by the pier. Best place to eat is up on San Marcos pass cold springs tavern. It’s outside town but worth the short trip for dinner. It’s beautiful up there. Don’t forget to see the Santa Barbara mission definitely a cool stop.

Monterey is cool but we like Pacific Grove and Carmel a little more. It’s all touching each other so it’s hard to miss any of it.

17 mile drive is ok. It’s pretty but it’s also pretty crowded. A super cool drive is hwy 1 south not too far down to big sur Pt Reyes or the falls at Julia Phiefer Burns. Be sure to stop at get pics at the new Bixby bridge ( the old one was fatally damaged in the big slide). It looks pretty much the same. Another super cool drive is Carmel Valley Rd. This is daytime only as it’s treacherous as hell at night. It’s curvey goes past beautiful homes and into the Forrest with the hanging Spanish moss is pretty creepy. It’s state Route G16 on the Salinas side. Lots of great places to go up there. One of the best is the forge in the forest in Carmel. Book a table outside for dinner it’s worth it...

SF ? sorry but you’re on your own in that town LoL!!! I grew up there in the 60/70’s in the Bay Area and it’s ruined for me now. The ships and the sub on pier 39 are worth seeing. Sourdough and clam chowder might get me back there for a minute on the way thru to Sears Point for the vintage races. But we never stay in town anymore. The St Francis Hotel is beautiful and it’s right next to china town which is a must do. It’s still pretty nice. SD and Catalina aren’t really my deal. My brother camps on the island and we mostly get to SD only for funerals nowadays.

Have fun you picked one of the best times to see stuff out here. Tourist season is over by then and the weather is still pretty dang good.

 

[The Goose]

Forgot to mention if you have any specific questions about places go ahead and ask. There are a bunch of us out here that can tell you if something that seems cool is really a tiger trap.

 

[300rag]

Forgot to mention if you have any specific questions about places go ahead and ask. There are a bunch of us out here that can tell you if something that seems cool is really a tiger trap.

Thanks, but as you can see, my time in any of these ports is quite limited, with the exception of SF and San Diego. By the time I'm off the ship and needing to be back 1 hour before cast-off, I really have to time my stuff just right, or I'll be paying to get myself to the next port. I am trying to decide whether to come to LA a couple of days early. or stay a couple of days at the end. If I come early I get a Saturday and Sunday there, if I stay at the end it's a Wednesday/Thursday.

 

[Dobalovr]

Good thing we didn’t stay onboard our ship as it made its way north to Vancouver. 40mph headwinds 20ft waves stopped in SF Santa Barbara and Astoria and the weather sucks ...then again the foot of wet snow last night wasn’t all that fun either

 

[The Goose]

Thanks, but as you can see, my time in any of these ports is quite limited, with the exception of SF and San Diego. By the time I'm off the ship and needing to be back 1 hour before cast-off, I really have to time my stuff just right, or I'll be paying to get myself to the next port. I am trying to decide whether to come to LA a couple of days early. or stay a couple of days at the end. If I come early I get a Saturday and Sunday there, if I stay at the end it's a Wednesday/Thursday.

Wed & thurs you have the town and restaurants to yourself. No weekend crowds or traffic to fight with. If it’s the Saturday of the fall fling in Van Nuys then you know what I’d do... Sorry I didn’t realize the daily time constraint. In that case don’t trust mass transit in LA. Lyft is your friend here. My buddy took a couple hour train trip to cross the town worked out to less than walking speed. He missed most of the boat show.

I still think 7 to 5 and 7 to 4 gives you plenty of time to tear it up in SB & Monterey. They’re both not very big and you can lap the whole areas (SB or Monterey), in less than an hour. The trip down to big sur including the 17 mile drive is the ticket once you get to Monterey. Skip Carmel Valley Rd that’s only if you have plenty of time & a cool rental car to goof off. Baja Cantina is the car guy spot in Carmel Valley.

I meant Pt Lobos not Reyes sorry, we were just talking about Pt Reyes if we went up north by SF. PT Lobos is a beautiful coastal preserve right outside 17 mile drive. If you do it all in car you can hit cannery row pac grove Carmel or Fisherman’s wharf for lunch and still bomb down the coast in your conv rental mustang. Look at the distances it’s really not too bad. Keep in mind the 17 mile drive is a major time killer. It’s big houses, traffic jams, illegal squirrel feeding opportunities, the pebble beach golf course and lots & lots of mansions. You see the 10cent version of it if you drive the coast road thru pacific grove.

Last said, If you’ve never been on the PCH seriously consider jumping ship in SB and day tripping up to Carmel. You won’t forget or regret taking that drive. It’s an easy drive we do it Santa Clarita to the Monterey historic races all the time. We leave SC at 630 hit Laguna Seca about lunch. (Add two and a half hours to the trip starting from way down here in Santa Clarita. SB to Carmel is a beautiful cakewalk drive. ). Hotels are $$$$$$$ during the races so we day trip it. Usually home by midnight including stopping for dinner in SB and taking our own sweet time.

 

[The Goose]

Good thing we didn’t stay onboard our ship as it made its way north to Vancouver. 40mph headwinds 20ft waves stopped in SF Santa Barbara and Astoria and the weather sucks ...then again the foot of wet snow last night wasn’t all that fun either

I’ve never been on a cruise ship. Can you feel 20 ft waves ? I figure it could get rough in stuff like that.

 

[300rag]

Wed & thurs you have the town and restaurants to yourself. No weekend crowds or traffic to fight with. If it’s the Saturday of the fall fling in Van Nuys then you know what I’d do... Sorry I didn’t realize the daily time constraint. In that case don’t trust mass transit in LA. Lyft is your friend here. My buddy took a couple hour train trip to cross the town worked out to less than walking speed. He missed most of the boat show.

I still think 7 to 5 and 7 to 4 gives you plenty of time to tear it up in SB & Monterey. They’re both not very big and you can lap the whole areas (SB or Monterey), in less than an hour. The trip down to big sur including the 17 mile drive is the ticket once you get to Monterey. Skip Carmel Valley Rd that’s only if you have plenty of time & a cool rental car to goof off. Baja Cantina is the car guy spot in Carmel Valley.

I meant Pt Lobos not Reyes sorry, we were just talking about Pt Reyes if we went up north by SF. PT Lobos is a beautiful coastal preserve right outside 17 mile drive. If you do it all in car you can hit cannery row pac grove Carmel or Fisherman’s wharf for lunch and still bomb down the coast in your conv rental mustang. Look at the distances it’s really not too bad. Keep in mind the 17 mile drive is a major time killer. It’s big houses, traffic jams, illegal squirrel feeding opportunities, the pebble beach golf course and lots & lots of mansions. You see the 10cent version of it if you drive the coast road thru pacific grove.

Last said, If you’ve never been on the PCH seriously consider jumping ship in SB and day tripping up to Carmel. You won’t forget or regret taking that drive. It’s an easy drive we do it Santa Clarita to the Monterey historic races all the time. We leave SC at 630 hit Laguna Seca about lunch. (Add two and a half hours to the trip starting from way down here in Santa Clarita. SB to Carmel is a beautiful cakewalk drive. ). Hotels are $$$$$$$ during the races so we day trip it. Usually home by midnight including stopping for dinner in SB and taking our own sweet time.

Looks like I'm 2 weeks late for fall fling.

 

[The Goose]

Here’s the bixby bridge south of Carmel. Phiefer falls (that’s what my dad called it. If you look it up it’s really mcway falls ), used to be a secret spot but since the tree covered cliff fell off you can see it from the PCH. Well worth the drive, one of the best parts of the PCH... mcway would be your turn around and head back point.

 

[The Goose]

Looks like I'm 2 weeks late for fall fling.

That’s a bummer. It’s a pretty good show...

 

[Dobalovr]

3meter waves would be rough. The ship would deploy its stabilizers but the passengers would be feeling it and probably not enjoying it.

 

[300rag]

I’ve never been on a cruise ship. Can you feel 20 ft waves ? I figure it could get rough in stuff like that.

This was about 8-10 foot waves

 

[MrMoparCHP]

Rent a car in Monterey and drive south on Highway 1, well worth it and better time spent than 17 Mile Drive.


Alan

 

[ImpJay]

I’ve never been on a cruise ship. Can you feel 20 ft waves ? I figure it could get rough in stuff like that.

It wouldn´t take waves that high to feel them afterwards. As a kid when I closed my eyes even two-three days after a cruise the feeling of swaying back and forth come back.

 

[The Goose]

It wouldn´t take waves that high to feel them afterwards. As a kid when I closed my eyes even two-three days after a cruise the feeling of swaying back and forth come back.

I’ve ridden on yachts speed boats and fishers (like the boat in jaws) and it seams worst at night in rough stuff. I just wonder in a 15-20? story high Cruise ship if you’d feel it. Kinda like a hi-rise swaying in the wind in Vegas. No thanks.

 

[300rag]

I’ve ridden on yachts speed boats and fishers (like the boat in jaws) and it seams worst at night in rough stuff. I just wonder in a 15-20? story high Cruise ship if you’d feel it. Kinda like a hi-rise swaying in the wind in Vegas. No thanks.

The higher up you are, and the farther away from midship, the more you feel the effects. When it gets really bouncy I head to the casino which is more often than not closer to midship and on a lower deck.

 

[stubs300]

Back to the subject! You'll have to sell your house, the wife, and the kids to afford the gas just to drive around like you want to. At $4 and higher, you'll thank me later for the tip. Good Luck

 

[tbm3fan]

I'm looking at things to see on my own without going on a ship excursion. I'm starting and ending in LA, with stops in Santa Barbara (7:00 -17:00), Monterey (7:00 - 16:00), SF over-night (14:00 day 1 - 20:00 day 2), Catalina Island, and San Diego(7:00 - 23:30). Suggestions? Anyone here taken the 17 mile drive at Pebble Beach? I'm there in November on a port stop and was considering renting a car and doing this loop. And @tbm3fan , I am considering the Hornet tour while in SF. How much time should I realistically allow for this? There is a ferry from the pier in SF, correct?

The 17 mile drive is nothing spectacular in my opinion. You drive around past houses on one side and the ocean on the other. This area is not Point Lobos by any stretch of the imagination. Point Lobos is more than worth a walk around. I would only do the 17 Mile drive if you had spare time and had done everything else. In fact the only thing I remember about the 17 Mile Drive is one spot with a bunch of rocks that was swarming with squirrels looking for handouts. I guess great for lovers of squirrels as there were tons of them.

Touring the Hornet can be an all day thing for some which means 10:00-17:00 hours. Just touring the Island and the No.1 Engine Room would take almost 1 1/2 hours since they are docent led only. A tour around 3rd Deck is also only docent led which covers a lot. You can roam the flight deck. hanger deck and 2nd deck on your own. However, those who want to know what is what would go around those areas with docents to learn. If I took someone around it could take 2 days given my access to areas the docents don't ever go to. There is no longer a ferry from SF over to the Hornet location as there was years ago. Not enough people for that particular one. There is a ferry from SF to Alameda up the road some.

 

[300rag]

The 17 mile drive is nothing spectacular in my opinion. You drive around past houses on one side and the ocean on the other. This area is not Point Lobos by any stretch of the imagination. Point Lobos is more than worth a walk around. I would only do the 17 Mile drive if you had spare time and had done everything else. In fact the only thing I remember about the 17 Mile Drive is one spot with a bunch of rocks that was swarming with squirrels looking for handouts. I guess great for lovers of squirrels as there were tons of them.

Touring the Hornet can be an all day thing for some which means 10:00-17:00 hours. Just touring the Island and the No.1 Engine Room would take almost 1 1/2 hours since they are docent led only. A tour around 3rd Deck is also only docent led which covers a lot. You can roam the flight deck. hanger deck and 2nd deck on your own. However, those who want to know what is what would go around those areas with docents to learn. If I took someone around it could take 2 days given my access to areas the docents don't ever go to. There is no longer a ferry from SF over to the Hornet location as there was years ago. Not enough people for that particular one. There is a ferry from SF to Alameda up the road some.
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Thanks. I'll have to look into the ferry schedules a bit. I need to be back at pier 27 by about 18:30.

 

[tbm3fan]

I should mention days vary as docents vary. You didn't say what day in November. Saturday and Sunday tend to be busier and so more docents. Tuesday is a minimum day and generally not open for guests. Wednesdays there aren't many docents so getting down to machinery areas may or may not happen.