San Francisco to San Diego
(and a lot of places in between)
Cast- Me (Cathy or also known as Mom) 39 obsessive trip planner.
DH- Brian 41. The relaxed optimist in the family.
DS- Brian Jr. 17 also called BJ. Takes after his dad.
Im going to split this trip report into 3 parts so those of you who are only interested in reading the Disneyland portion please skip directly to Part 3. This trip was our gift to our son for his upcoming high school graduation. We are WDW fanatics having been there for 11 vacations but this was our first trip to Disneyland. We decided to see as much as we could from San Francisco to San Diego since we were taking the long plane trip out. Im going to write about all of it to put it in our familys memory book and I thought maybe some folks here might include some of these places on their upcoming trips and be interested in what we did.
Day One- Thursday February 17th
We flew from Boston to San Francisco on the earliest flight we could get because we wanted to be able to see some sights once we arrived. The flight was smooth and on time but boy the San Francisco airport is spread out and between getting our luggage, the monorail to the rental car center, and then getting the rental car itself we were there at least 90 minutes after we landed. We drove straight to The Chancellor Hotel which I would happily recommend. Its got a great location on Powell Street with a cable car stop right across from the lobby. The rooms are small but a 2 room suite with 2 full baths was only $179 a night. Nicely detailed amenities including rubber duckies in the bathroom. We left our luggage and hopped on the first cable car that came by. I had to bite my tongue and not start singing the Rice-a-Roni song. It took about 30 minutes to get down to Fishermans Wharf via cable car but it was a lot of fun to go up and down those huge hills. We had promised BJ that wed get him something to eat as soon as we got to the Wharf. It was 3:30 pm but we were still biologically on east coast time and he hadnt had anything to eat all day. So our first fancy vacation meal was at . McDonalds! Oh well, it was fast and we knew theyd have something hed like. We had pre-purchased evening tour tickets to Alcatraz online and the boat departed at 4:20 pm. I didnt think it would be too crowded since it was a rainy Thursday night but it was a sell out. They only do one evening tour per night and I guess they are very popular. It was extra spooky being on Alcatraz in the dark, which was what we were hoping for. They had several extra programs going on in addition to the regular audio tour. We listened to a talk on what it was like for the families of the guards who lived on the island and also watched a demonstration of all the cell block doors being open and closed at the same time. After we got back to the Wharf we walked over to Pier 39 right next door and had dinner at Bubba Gumps. I know its a tourist chain but we enjoyed it last time we were there on business and really thought our son would like it, which he did. The service was excellent. A lot of folks seemed to be from the east coast because when they saw Brian and BJs Red Sox sweatshirts they kept stopping by to talk. After dinner we were so tired I suggested we take a cab instead of walking back to the cable cars. The cab only took about 8 minutes to get us back to our hotel and was actually cheaper than the cable cars so if you are in a rush grab a cab.
Day Two- Friday February 18th
Im an early riser and since I was still physically on east coast time I found myself sitting on the bathroom floor at 3:00 am writing postcards so that I wouldnt wake up the guys. They woke up about 4:30 am so we packed up and hit the road at 5:30 am. This was one of our big driving days so we wanted to have plenty of time to stop along the way. We took Rte. 1 south out of San Francisco in the pouring rain. When we got to about Santa Cruz the rain stopped and the sun came up. We got to Monterey 9:00 am and found a diner to have breakfast at, adequate but nothing special. We walked around Monterey for an hour or so and then it was back in the car and on to the 17 Mile Drive. We stopped at Pebble Beach so that BJ could see the 18th hole and get himself a Pebble Beach shirt to prove he had been there to his golf team buddies. Next up was a stop in Carmel were we browsed some cute shops and bought some great candy to enjoy while we drove. After we left Carmel we continued on Rte 1 south through Big Sur. From that point on the scenery was just breathtaking. We had to stop during the day for several rock slide clean ups which made us a bit nervous. I actually started to get dizzy from looking over the cliffs to the ocean. We stopped at 3:30 pm at a beach that I had read about in my Dummies for California book where the Elephant Seals sun themselves. Its just a few miles north of the Hearst Castle. What an incredible sight! There had to be at least 300 Elephant Seals on the beach. I had no idea they were as huge as they are. The babies were so cute crying and barking at each other. Our hotel for this night was the Best Western Cavalier in San Simeon. Its just a few miles from the Hearst Castle. Its a decent family place right on the ocean with nightly bonfires on the beach. We drove a few miles south to Cambria to have dinner at Lynns on Main Street. It was another recommendation from my Dummies book and it was excellent. I had a seafood potpie that was out of this world. Back at the hotel the guys actually braved the chilly evening and went swimming in the outdoor heated pool while I unpacked. We were all asleep incredibly early like 8:00 pm which helped get us acclimated to west coast time.
Day Three- Saturday February 19th
Had breakfast at our hotel and then headed to the Hearst Castle for the first tour of the day. The place is so large that there were 4 tours offered but we decided to just do the Experience Tour which is recommended for first time visitors. We got to see a movie in their Imax theater about the building of the castle and then it was on the bus to take us up to the top of the mountain. The place was so incredible even in the pouring rain. We actually got to see an extra part of the house because the rain was coming down so hard our tour guide caught the outdoor pool viewing short. This place was one of the highlights of my trip. My guys both said they like the mansions in Newport RI better though. Around noon time we headed back on Rte 1 south to 101 south to our next stop, which was the town of Solvang, also knows as little Denmark. Its a real touristy place with windmills and streets full of little shops. We actually saw 3 couples in traditional Danish clothing dancing in front of one of the larger stores. We browsed and had a late lunch at the Red Viking. The Smorgasbord didnt appeal to us so we just had sandwiches. When we headed out of Solvang we took Rte. 154 through the San Marcos Pass. We saw some more breathtaking views and some more hairpin curves and rock slides. We connected back to 101 South and drove to Los Angeles. While we were driving BJ asked us if we thought wed see any celebrities in LA and I of course said no without hesitation. Brian said gee, I was just thinking maybe we would. I am truly the pessimist in the family and he is the optimist and he is usually right. This time he was right threefold. We arrived around 6:00 pm and checked into the Sheraton Universal. I didnt really care for this hotel and wouldnt recommend it. If I was going again Id try the Hilton next door. I confirmed at check in that we had a room with 2 beds and they sent us to a room with 1 bed. So I had to go back to the lobby and ask for another room and the person acted like I was the one who made the mistake. They also gave out incorrect opening times for Universal Studios. I ended up calling the Universal number myself to confirm the time was still what I had printed off the web. I think they should at least check the park schedule each week and have accurate information. After we dropped our bags we took the shuttle over to Citywalk and walked around in the pouring rain. We had some tasty appetizers for dinner at the Karl Strause Brewery.
Part 2 is our time in LA and San Diego
Thanks for reading,
Cathy K.
(and a lot of places in between)
Cast- Me (Cathy or also known as Mom) 39 obsessive trip planner.
DH- Brian 41. The relaxed optimist in the family.
DS- Brian Jr. 17 also called BJ. Takes after his dad.
Im going to split this trip report into 3 parts so those of you who are only interested in reading the Disneyland portion please skip directly to Part 3. This trip was our gift to our son for his upcoming high school graduation. We are WDW fanatics having been there for 11 vacations but this was our first trip to Disneyland. We decided to see as much as we could from San Francisco to San Diego since we were taking the long plane trip out. Im going to write about all of it to put it in our familys memory book and I thought maybe some folks here might include some of these places on their upcoming trips and be interested in what we did.
Day One- Thursday February 17th
We flew from Boston to San Francisco on the earliest flight we could get because we wanted to be able to see some sights once we arrived. The flight was smooth and on time but boy the San Francisco airport is spread out and between getting our luggage, the monorail to the rental car center, and then getting the rental car itself we were there at least 90 minutes after we landed. We drove straight to The Chancellor Hotel which I would happily recommend. Its got a great location on Powell Street with a cable car stop right across from the lobby. The rooms are small but a 2 room suite with 2 full baths was only $179 a night. Nicely detailed amenities including rubber duckies in the bathroom. We left our luggage and hopped on the first cable car that came by. I had to bite my tongue and not start singing the Rice-a-Roni song. It took about 30 minutes to get down to Fishermans Wharf via cable car but it was a lot of fun to go up and down those huge hills. We had promised BJ that wed get him something to eat as soon as we got to the Wharf. It was 3:30 pm but we were still biologically on east coast time and he hadnt had anything to eat all day. So our first fancy vacation meal was at . McDonalds! Oh well, it was fast and we knew theyd have something hed like. We had pre-purchased evening tour tickets to Alcatraz online and the boat departed at 4:20 pm. I didnt think it would be too crowded since it was a rainy Thursday night but it was a sell out. They only do one evening tour per night and I guess they are very popular. It was extra spooky being on Alcatraz in the dark, which was what we were hoping for. They had several extra programs going on in addition to the regular audio tour. We listened to a talk on what it was like for the families of the guards who lived on the island and also watched a demonstration of all the cell block doors being open and closed at the same time. After we got back to the Wharf we walked over to Pier 39 right next door and had dinner at Bubba Gumps. I know its a tourist chain but we enjoyed it last time we were there on business and really thought our son would like it, which he did. The service was excellent. A lot of folks seemed to be from the east coast because when they saw Brian and BJs Red Sox sweatshirts they kept stopping by to talk. After dinner we were so tired I suggested we take a cab instead of walking back to the cable cars. The cab only took about 8 minutes to get us back to our hotel and was actually cheaper than the cable cars so if you are in a rush grab a cab.
Day Two- Friday February 18th
Im an early riser and since I was still physically on east coast time I found myself sitting on the bathroom floor at 3:00 am writing postcards so that I wouldnt wake up the guys. They woke up about 4:30 am so we packed up and hit the road at 5:30 am. This was one of our big driving days so we wanted to have plenty of time to stop along the way. We took Rte. 1 south out of San Francisco in the pouring rain. When we got to about Santa Cruz the rain stopped and the sun came up. We got to Monterey 9:00 am and found a diner to have breakfast at, adequate but nothing special. We walked around Monterey for an hour or so and then it was back in the car and on to the 17 Mile Drive. We stopped at Pebble Beach so that BJ could see the 18th hole and get himself a Pebble Beach shirt to prove he had been there to his golf team buddies. Next up was a stop in Carmel were we browsed some cute shops and bought some great candy to enjoy while we drove. After we left Carmel we continued on Rte 1 south through Big Sur. From that point on the scenery was just breathtaking. We had to stop during the day for several rock slide clean ups which made us a bit nervous. I actually started to get dizzy from looking over the cliffs to the ocean. We stopped at 3:30 pm at a beach that I had read about in my Dummies for California book where the Elephant Seals sun themselves. Its just a few miles north of the Hearst Castle. What an incredible sight! There had to be at least 300 Elephant Seals on the beach. I had no idea they were as huge as they are. The babies were so cute crying and barking at each other. Our hotel for this night was the Best Western Cavalier in San Simeon. Its just a few miles from the Hearst Castle. Its a decent family place right on the ocean with nightly bonfires on the beach. We drove a few miles south to Cambria to have dinner at Lynns on Main Street. It was another recommendation from my Dummies book and it was excellent. I had a seafood potpie that was out of this world. Back at the hotel the guys actually braved the chilly evening and went swimming in the outdoor heated pool while I unpacked. We were all asleep incredibly early like 8:00 pm which helped get us acclimated to west coast time.
Day Three- Saturday February 19th
Had breakfast at our hotel and then headed to the Hearst Castle for the first tour of the day. The place is so large that there were 4 tours offered but we decided to just do the Experience Tour which is recommended for first time visitors. We got to see a movie in their Imax theater about the building of the castle and then it was on the bus to take us up to the top of the mountain. The place was so incredible even in the pouring rain. We actually got to see an extra part of the house because the rain was coming down so hard our tour guide caught the outdoor pool viewing short. This place was one of the highlights of my trip. My guys both said they like the mansions in Newport RI better though. Around noon time we headed back on Rte 1 south to 101 south to our next stop, which was the town of Solvang, also knows as little Denmark. Its a real touristy place with windmills and streets full of little shops. We actually saw 3 couples in traditional Danish clothing dancing in front of one of the larger stores. We browsed and had a late lunch at the Red Viking. The Smorgasbord didnt appeal to us so we just had sandwiches. When we headed out of Solvang we took Rte. 154 through the San Marcos Pass. We saw some more breathtaking views and some more hairpin curves and rock slides. We connected back to 101 South and drove to Los Angeles. While we were driving BJ asked us if we thought wed see any celebrities in LA and I of course said no without hesitation. Brian said gee, I was just thinking maybe we would. I am truly the pessimist in the family and he is the optimist and he is usually right. This time he was right threefold. We arrived around 6:00 pm and checked into the Sheraton Universal. I didnt really care for this hotel and wouldnt recommend it. If I was going again Id try the Hilton next door. I confirmed at check in that we had a room with 2 beds and they sent us to a room with 1 bed. So I had to go back to the lobby and ask for another room and the person acted like I was the one who made the mistake. They also gave out incorrect opening times for Universal Studios. I ended up calling the Universal number myself to confirm the time was still what I had printed off the web. I think they should at least check the park schedule each week and have accurate information. After we dropped our bags we took the shuttle over to Citywalk and walked around in the pouring rain. We had some tasty appetizers for dinner at the Karl Strause Brewery.
Part 2 is our time in LA and San Diego
Thanks for reading,
Cathy K.
Thanks for sharing.
