US Westcoast recommendations

[FloRolf]

Hello people! 

 

I am planning a ~14 Day Roadtrip around the US Westcoast with my GF next year. The idea is to start in San Francisco and then drive over LA to Las Vegas and fly back from there. 

 

Now the thing is, all the stuff you find online is tourist crap and I want to get some natives first hand experience here. 

 

1. What are places worth visiting? 

2. What are places not worth visiting? 

3. Any hotels recommendations? 

4. Transportation in the big cities (don't want to waste half the vacation in traffic :D) 

5. Others? 

6. Tips and tricks? 

 

 

For example we are thinking about visiting Grand Canyon while in Vegas but it's like a 5h drive so it kills an entire day, is that worth it? 

 

 

Thaaaaanks! 

[dizmo]

Might help if you listed some of the things you're interested in. Someone that likes beaches and being outside is different than someone who wants to go to museums who again is different than a person who's all about nightlife who is yet again different than someone who mostly wants to experience foods.

 

If you're going down the coast (which I can't recommend enough), then Hearst Castle is worth a stop. The architecture is nuts.

[FloRolf]

1 minute ago, dizmo said:

Might help if you listed some of the things you're interested in. Someone that likes beaches and being outside is different than someone who wants to go to museums who again is different than a person who's all about nightlife who is yet again different than someone who mostly wants to experience foods.

 

If you're going down the coast (which I can't recommend enough), then Hearst Castle is worth a stop. The architecture is nuts.

Yes that's true. 

 

Except Nightlife we are pretty much into everything though so just fire away what you got

Beaches, Parks, museums are also fine as I am a big science guy, shopping, food, you name it. 

 

Never heard of Hearst Castle but it's noted!

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Just an FYI if you plan on renting a car in San Francisco... or just parking in there in general... 

 

[FloRolf]

21 hours ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Just an FYI if you plan on renting a car in San Francisco... or just parking in there in general... 

 

Sheesh! Thanks for sharing mate! Unless the situation changes in the next half year we will definetly look out for other options. 

[airborne spoon]

If they ever finish the repairs on HWY 1 its worth the drive if its open (just looked its finally open again, hopefully there wont be another washout or anything and the road will stay open until you come down). If you dont take the 1 then be prepared for some boredom hwy 5 is flat and there isn't shit to see along that route and the 99 is all farmland and the biggest raisin farm. But if you take the 101 there is a bit more to see, still not much but at least there is more. Definitely need to take the 1

 

Also big Sur and Monterey, Santa Cruise are great. In Santa cruse the boardwalk is great and the Giant dipper is one of the oldest wooden coasters and has been in a great many of movies, and its a fun ride. Monterey has the best aquarium I have ever been to and I've been to a bunch of them all over the place. If you like Start Trek its where they filmed part of The Voyage Home aquarium bits, and cannery row has a lot of history in it.

 

LA sucks but the touristy crap is still cool to those that aren't from around the area. Like the walk of fame and Chinese theater. You can also stop at Santa Monica Pier which is the end of route 66. When you leave the area you can also take 66 up until you get to Barstow then the 66 goes off with the 40 and you're going to Vegas to you need the 15. But there is some cool stuff along the way.

 

Barstow is home to the original Del Taco, its the one on Main St. Also there is the biggest In-N-Out in the chain as well, its about 2.5 times the size of a normal one.

 

Depends on your likes but on the road to Vegas you will pass one of the lamest excuses for "art" know as seven magic mountains basically its a bunch of giant neon boulders stacked on top of each other. You have to take exit 12 to Jean and follow the frontage road for a couple miles and you'll see it on the right hard to miss.

 

And Vegas is Vegas same old stuff but Fremont St is always great, the Mob Museum is awesome and their speakeasy downstairs is very nice, the drinks are pricey but they are very good and strong. Also the worlds largest gold nugget is at the hotel for its namesake its cool to take a gander at that big ass chunk of gold. People call me nuts but i really like to go to the dinner show at the Excalibur. Its fun and the food is always great. I only live a couple hours away so I go there every couple months (pre-rona) and do it. Been a while so I'm not sure if its opened back up or not.

 

If you've never been to the grand canyon it is well worth a day trip to go out and see it, amazing sunrise and sunsets but mid-day is ok too. The hover dam is another great spot, again i dono if they have opened back up for tours with the rona crap but its a very informative tour and i loved it every time I've gone there.

 

Hotels in Vegas they are all close enough to the same just pick one that's the cheapest on the strip or Fremont if you stay on the strip when you check in do the 'Vegas sandwich" (layer 1 ID card, layer 2 $20, Layer 3 credit card, when passing it off to the front desk ask if there is any complementary upgrades available) works about 70% of the time for me.

 

There is prob a bunch of crap I'm not thinking of because its early and I'm tired but this is my home and I know a few things about a few things.

[FloRolf]

On 11/16/2021 at 6:59 PM, airborne spoon said:

If they ever finish the repairs on HWY 1 its worth the drive if its open (just looked its finally open again, hopefully there wont be another washout or anything and the road will stay open until you come down). If you dont take the 1 then be prepared for some boredom hwy 5 is flat and there isn't shit to see along that route and the 99 is all farmland and the biggest raisin farm. But if you take the 101 there is a bit more to see, still not much but at least there is more. Definitely need to take the 1

 

Also big Sur and Monterey, Santa Cruise are great. In Santa cruse the boardwalk is great and the Giant dipper is one of the oldest wooden coasters and has been in a great many of movies, and its a fun ride. Monterey has the best aquarium I have ever been to and I've been to a bunch of them all over the place. If you like Start Trek its where they filmed part of The Voyage Home aquarium bits, and cannery row has a lot of history in it.

 

LA sucks but the touristy crap is still cool to those that aren't from around the area. Like the walk of fame and Chinese theater. You can also stop at Santa Monica Pier which is the end of route 66. When you leave the area you can also take 66 up until you get to Barstow then the 66 goes off with the 40 and you're going to Vegas to you need the 15. But there is some cool stuff along the way.

 

Barstow is home to the original Del Taco, its the one on Main St. Also there is the biggest In-N-Out in the chain as well, its about 2.5 times the size of a normal one.

 

Depends on your likes but on the road to Vegas you will pass one of the lamest excuses for "art" know as seven magic mountains basically its a bunch of giant neon boulders stacked on top of each other. You have to take exit 12 to Jean and follow the frontage road for a couple miles and you'll see it on the right hard to miss.

 

And Vegas is Vegas same old stuff but Fremont St is always great, the Mob Museum is awesome and their speakeasy downstairs is very nice, the drinks are pricey but they are very good and strong. Also the worlds largest gold nugget is at the hotel for its namesake its cool to take a gander at that big ass chunk of gold. People call me nuts but i really like to go to the dinner show at the Excalibur. Its fun and the food is always great. I only live a couple hours away so I go there every couple months (pre-rona) and do it. Been a while so I'm not sure if its opened back up or not.

 

If you've never been to the grand canyon it is well worth a day trip to go out and see it, amazing sunrise and sunsets but mid-day is ok too. The hover dam is another great spot, again i dono if they have opened back up for tours with the rona crap but its a very informative tour and i loved it every time I've gone there.

 

Hotels in Vegas they are all close enough to the same just pick one that's the cheapest on the strip or Fremont if you stay on the strip when you check in do the 'Vegas sandwich" (layer 1 ID card, layer 2 $20, Layer 3 credit card, when passing it off to the front desk ask if there is any complementary upgrades available) works about 70% of the time for me.

 

There is prob a bunch of crap I'm not thinking of because its early and I'm tired but this is my home and I know a few things about a few things.

Hey sorry for the late reply but thaaaank you so much! 

I will probably get back to you once we finalize things

 

Totally didn't know about the aquarium and hover dam, so that's on the agenda now!