College tour + Disneyland - Help me plan?

[rantnnravin]

Hello West Coasters!

DD16 is interested in attending CalArts (yes we know it's selective and competitive - we've got that part covered) , so I was wanting to combine a preliminary trip to scout out the college and the area with a trip to Disneyland next summer. We had never been to the left coast, so will likely need a lot of hand-holding in the coming months.

We usually take our family vacation at the end of August - is this a good time to think about going to DL? Is earlier in the summer better or worse?

I know CalArts is in Valencia and DL is in Anaheim. I'm guessing we would have to rent a car?
Even though Valencia appears to be NE of LA, is LA like DC - in that we might get easily lost driving around it?
Does anyone have any suggestions of where to fly into?
Should we stay at DL area the whole time?

Any and all suggestions are welcome. I need to build an itinerary and I'm starting from scratch.

Thanks in advance all.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

I know CalArts is in Valencia and DL is in Anaheim. I'm guessing we would have to rent a car?

Yes, you should probably rent a car. It's about 60 miles or so in between Valencia and Anaheim.

Even though Valencia appears to be NE of LA, is LA like DC - in that we might get easily lost driving around it?

Valencia is not a big place, it's north of LA, mainly known for having Six Flags Magic Mountain. CalArts is right off of I-5 (as is Disneyland), so I don't think you will get lost as long as you have your GPS. Just get on I-5 and go North.

Does anyone have any suggestions of where to fly into?

Your choices are LAX, Long Beach, Burbank, Orange County (John Wayne). If you're renting a car, I would just go wherever you can get the best deal. I personally like Long Beach airport, but it's small and may not have a large selection of flights. But in terms of distance to DLR, it's Orange County < Long Beach << LAX < Burbank.

ETA: Distance from the airports to CalArts would be the exact opposite (Burbank is the closest). If you wanted to land and go directly to CalArts, the Burbank would be the best.

Should we stay at DL area the whole time?

Depends on how much time you are going to spend at CalArts. If you're only going to spend 1 day there, I would probably just stay near Disneyland and drive there and back (just be sure to avoid AM and PM rush hours). If you want to stay there multiple days, or if you want to see other things like Magic Mountain, then you could consider finding a hotel up there.

 

[bcla]

Valencia is not a big place, it's north of LA, mainly known for having Six Flags Magic Mountain. CalArts is right off of I-5 (as is Disneyland), so I don't think you will get lost as long as you have your GPS. Just get on I-5 and go North.

Magic Mountain is just a bit outside of Valencia, but they use a Valencia mailing address. Valencia is of course just a neighborhood of Santa Clarita, but a lot of people still think of the areas (Valencia, Newhall, etc), before the merger into Santa Clarita.

 

[rantnnravin]

Yes, you should probably rent a car. It's about 60 miles or so in between Valencia and Anaheim.



Valencia is not a big place, it's north of LA, mainly known for having Six Flags Magic Mountain. CalArts is right off of I-5 (as is Disneyland), so I don't think you will get lost as long as you have your GPS. Just get on I-5 and go North.



Your choices are LAX, Long Beach, Burbank, Orange County (John Wayne). If you're renting a car, I would just go wherever you can get the best deal. I personally like Long Beach airport, but it's small and may not have a large selection of flights. But in terms of distance to DLR, it's Orange County < Long Beach << LAX < Burbank.

ETA: Distance from the airports to CalArts would be the exact opposite (Burbank is the closest). If you wanted to land and go directly to CalArts, the Burbank would be the best.



Depends on how much time you are going to spend at CalArts. If you're only going to spend 1 day there, I would probably just stay near Disneyland and drive there and back (just be sure to avoid AM and PM rush hours). If you want to stay there multiple days, or if you want to see other things like Magic Mountain, then you could consider finding a hotel up there.

THANK YOU!!!!!
It's so hard to wrap my head around the area and how to get from Point A to Point B, etc.
This gives me a ton of info to springboard from.

I'm sure I'll be back with tons of questions, but you have been immensely helpful.

 

[rantnnravin]

Magic Mountain is just a bit outside of Valencia, but they use a Valencia mailing address. Valencia is of course just a neighborhood of Santa Clarita, but a lot of people still think of the areas (Valencia, Newhall, etc), before the merger into Santa Clarita.

Trying to wrap my head around this - I'm guessing this is like Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan are all "New York City" or is it more like Harlem, SoHo, and Hell's Kitchen are all New York City?

I hadn't considered a Magic Mountain visit, but being an Encino Man fan, we might have to go there just to pay homage - LOL

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

Trying to wrap my head around this - I'm guessing this is like Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan are all "New York City" or is it more like Harlem, SoHo, and Hell's Kitchen are all New York City?

I hadn't considered a Magic Mountain visit, but being an Encino Man fan, we might have to go there just to pay homage - LOL

Happy to help! Yeah, I don't really understand it either, as I've really only been there to go to Magic Mountain, otherwise I just drive through it. Santa Clarita is certainly not NYC, lol. Don't waste your brain power. I certainly didn't, and I lived in Orange County for 5 years, lol . Your daughter can figure it out when she goes to school there and report back to us .

 

[bcla]

Trying to wrap my head around this - I'm guessing this is like Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan are all "New York City" or is it more like Harlem, SoHo, and Hell's Kitchen are all New York City?

I hadn't considered a Magic Mountain visit, but being an Encino Man fan, we might have to go there just to pay homage - LOL

A little bit more complicated. There's nowhere near the population density. It was a merger of the unincorporated communities of Valencia, Newhall, Saugus, and Canyon Country. It's not quite like NYC which is made up of mostly islands. They've also had over 30 annexations since incorporation.

http://www.santa-clarita.com/city-hall/departments/community-development/city-profile

Last month we stopped in Santa Clarita to get gas. There's massive sprawl there. I went to Costco, but that was way off of I-5. We've stopped there on the way home from Disneyland, and there's definitely a disconnect between the name of the city as a whole and the place that most people claim as their home. Maybe like people who live in the city limits of Los Angeles, but think of themselves as from Brentwood, Hollywood, Bel Air, San Fernando, Pacific Palisades, etc. The sense of place seems to be more about the neighborhood than the city, even though Santa Clarita is hardly a huge city by population.

For some reason, Magic Mountain is completely outside of the city limits. It might be a case where Six Flags prefers it to be that way.

 

[rantnnravin]

A little bit more complicated. There's nowhere near the population density. It was a merger of the unincorporated communities of Valencia, Newhall, Saugus, and Canyon Country. It's not quite like NYC which is made up of mostly islands. They've also had over 30 annexations since incorporation.

http://www.santa-clarita.com/city-hall/departments/community-development/city-profile

Last month we stopped in Santa Clarita to get gas. There's massive sprawl there. I went to Costco, but that was way off of I-5. We've stopped there on the way home from Disneyland, and there's definitely a disconnect between the name of the city as a whole and the place that most people claim as their home. Maybe like people who live in the city limits of Los Angeles, but think of themselves as from Brentwood, Hollywood, Bel Air, San Fernando, Pacific Palisades, etc. The sense of place seems to be more about the neighborhood than the city, even though Santa Clarita is hardly a huge city by population.

For some reason, Magic Mountain is completely outside of the city limits. It might be a case where Six Flags prefers it to be that way.

You make NYC sound so exotic - LOL.
Is the freeway really as bad as the movies make it out to be? (I hope it's not like make a wrong turn and you're no longer in Brooklyn, you're in East New York .) I hate driving places as it is.
Or is it just super congested like the L.I.E. (3 lanes + 2 on the service road for 5 million people trying to commute to the city because there is no substantive public transportation on Long Island) or the Cross-Bronx Expwy (45mins to get 3 miles)?

New Questions:
Is there a "best" time to visit DL? We are limited to a summer visit due to my teaching schedule, and August is my preferred month.
When do the kids usually go back to school in Cali?
Is Universal nearby? Is it worth a trip there if we've been to the one in Orlando?

Thanks everyone so far for your responses. Hopefully I'll be the "Cali Queen" by the time we go.

 

[bcla]

You make NYC sound so exotic - LOL.
Is the freeway really as bad as the movies make it out to be? (I hope it's not like make a wrong turn and you're no longer in Brooklyn, you're in East New York .) I hate driving places as it is.
Or is it just super congested like the L.I.E. (3 lanes + 2 on the service road for 5 million people trying to commute to the city because there is no substantive public transportation on Long Island) or the Cross-Bronx Expwy (45mins to get 3 miles)?

I don't think of NYC as exotic. However, it seems a bit bigger than any city really needs to be. Manhattan is obviously an island. There are human-defined boundaries to the other boroughs, but they're also bounded by water.

 

[rantnnravin]

I don't think of NYC as exotic. However, it seems a bit bigger than any city really needs to be. Manhattan is obviously an island. There are human-defined boundaries to the other boroughs, but they're also bounded by water.

I live on Long Island trust me, paying to go over all those bridges makes it far from exotic. We just don't think of it as "islands"

 

[bcla]

I live on Long Island trust me, paying to go over all those bridges makes it far from exotic. We just don't think of it as "islands"

I was just getting at the idea that these parts of Santa Clarita were more of less loosely defined neighborhoods that voted to become a city together. It's really just a remote outpost of Los Angeles County, although not quite Palmdale/Lancaster. Most residents strongly identify with the neighborhood rather than the city.

 

[rantnnravin]

Ok - makes much more sense now - thanks. This will give me a better understanding of how "locals" think - so more helpful than you realize.
I'm so used to vacationing within the Disney bubble, that venturing out into the "Wild West" - gets me a little nervous. It almost seems like visiting cities like Philly, DC, and Boston are easier - they're park and go, whereas this seems like drive and find to me.
Maybe I should skip trying to have a "Stoney time at the Mountain"

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

Is Universal nearby? Is it worth a trip there if we've been to the one in Orlando?

It's about 40 miles north of Disneyland, just north of LA. It's actually right on the way between Valencia and Disneyland, you could easily go there if you are interested. It's been years since I've been there, and I hardly remember anything about it, so I can't give you much advice on it.

When do the kids usually go back to school in Cali?

Usually sometime mid-to-late August depending on the school district.

Ok - makes much more sense now - thanks. This will give me a better understanding of how "locals" think - so more helpful than you realize.
I'm so used to vacationing within the Disney bubble, that venturing out into the "Wild West" - gets me a little nervous. It almost seems like visiting cities like Philly, DC, and Boston are easier - they're park and go, whereas this seems like drive and find to me.
Maybe I should skip trying to have a "Stoney time at the Mountain"

It's certainly very different. People are very dependent on cars in Southern California and basically drive everywhere. There's no central downtown LA necessarily (well there is technically a downtown LA, but it's not really a super popular place to hang out). Just make sure to avoid rush hour at all costs. What is normally a 30 minute drive can easily become 2+ hours. But as long as you have a smartphone with GPS, you'll be fine. The area around Disneyland isn't super dangerous or anything, and if you are just going to Valencia/Universal/Disneyland, you'll mostly be on the highway anyway.

 

[rantnnravin]

It's about 40 miles north of Disneyland, just north of LA. It's actually right on the way between Valencia and Disneyland, you could easily go there if you are interested. It's been years since I've been there, and I hardly remember anything about it, so I can't give you much advice on it.


Usually sometime mid-to-late August depending on the school district.



It's certainly very different. People are very dependent on cars in Southern California and basically drive everywhere. There's no central downtown LA necessarily (well there is technically a downtown LA, but it's not really a super popular place to hang out). Just make sure to avoid rush hour at all costs. What is normally a 30 minute drive can easily become 2+ hours. But as long as you have a smartphone with GPS, you'll be fine. The area around Disneyland isn't super dangerous or anything, and if you are just going to Valencia/Universal/Disneyland, you'll mostly be on the highway anyway.

Again thank you. That sounds like it might be the beginning of a plan

 

[bcla]

I don't know what to say about Universal Studios Hollywood other than it's a fun experience, and there is the tram tour of an actual movie studio backlot.

 

[SMD]

If you're considering CalArts I would only fly into LAX or BUR so that you get a feel for how far the airports are. Eventually your daughter will come home for winter or summer break and you want to gauge the process. If you end at DLR, then consider returning from LAX, LGB or SNA. You may also be able to use Metrolink from BUR, but I don't know that it's worth it. The schedules tend benefit commuters and the rest of the day is pretty hard to plan around.

 

[rantnnravin]

If you're considering CalArts I would only fly into LAX or BUR so that you get a feel for how far the airports are. Eventually your daughter will come home for winter or summer break and you want to gauge the process. If you end at DLR, then consider returning from LAX, LGB or SNA. You may also be able to use Metrolink from BUR, but I don't know that it's worth it. The schedules tend benefit commuters and the rest of the day is pretty hard to plan around.

Thank you so much! That's an excellent perspective. When we go to FL, we usually fly out of Islip, which is a small regional airport that's 10min from our home. Is Burbank similar? Thinking of my daughter flying in and out of LAX gives me palpitations . (Of course I say this at the same time she's attending a class at Parson's in NYC - lol )

 

[bcla]

Thank you so much! That's an excellent perspective. When we go to FL, we usually fly out of Islip, which is a small regional airport that's 10min from our home. Is Burbank similar? Thinking of my daughter flying in and out of LAX gives me palpitations . (Of course I say this at the same time she's attending a class at Parson's in NYC - lol )

Burbank has more flights to hub airports, and is served by lots of regional carriers like Alaska, Delta Connection, American Eagle, and United Express. Southwest has flights to/from all the major airports in Northern California.

I looked at Islip, and it mostly seems to have mostly flights to airports in Florida, Baltimore, and Philly. I looked up Southwest ISP-BUR, and it's one plane to Orlando then Denver, followed by a connecting flight to Burbank. Scheduled time is over 10 hours.

JetBlue flies JFK to Burbank.

 

[rantnnravin]

Burbank has more flights to hub airports, and is served by lots of regional carriers like Alaska, Delta Connection, American Eagle, and United Express. Southwest has flights to/from all the major airports in Northern California.

I looked at Islip, and it mostly seems to have mostly flights to airports in Florida, Baltimore, and Philly. I looked up Southwest ISP-BUR, and it's one plane to Orlando then Denver, followed by a connecting flight to Burbank. Scheduled time is over 10 hours.

JetBlue flies JFK to Burbank.

Yeah - it's little and easy to navigate, with only 3 carriers. I was just wondering if Burbank was similar. No matter how we slice it, we'll either have to fly with a stop or take the train to JFK. (I refuse to fly into/out of La Guardia.)

 

[bcla]

Yeah - it's little and easy to navigate, with only 3 carriers. I was just wondering if Burbank was similar. No matter how we slice it, we'll either have to fly with a stop or take the train to JFK. (I refuse to fly into/out of La Guardia.)

Burbank certainly has a small airport, but I noted that it has a variety of different airlines and destinations. I have relatives who lived in the San Gabriel Valley, and they preferred BUR over LAX because it was closer to home and a lot easier to navigate. John Wayne Airport (SNA) is similar. I doubt you can fly Islip to Burbank with one stop. Google Flights shows everything with 2 or 3 stops. There are no flights from Islip to the major hubs like Salt Lake City, Denver, Dallas, etc. If Southwest had a direct flight to Dallas-Love Field it could be pretty easy.

The Metrolink (heavy rail) system actually runs service throughout the day on the Antelope Valley line. The Burbank station also serves Amtrak.

http://www.metrolinktrains.com/schedules/line/name/Antelope Valley/service_id/1142.html