grzpdlr

Lived in LA for thirty years now and love it but, for a tourist, I'm afraid you'll find the money can flow like water here if you do all the tourist stuff. However there are alternatives, Venice Beach on a Sat. or Sun. is a blast and free. Griffith Park Observatory just re-opened and is worth a look. The Getty Museum is simply awsome and not expensive , also the LA County Museum is World Class and next to the Brea Tarpits. Eat breakfast at Farmers Mkt. and you'll probably spot some celebs. Olivera St downtown is the oldest St in LA and IMO the best Mexican food in town. Hollywood and Vine is a great walk, just looking at all the "stars" on the sidewalks.

Don't "freak out" with the traffic, just go with it, put on your turn signal and people will actually let you over. Get a GPS or borrow mine.

Most of all, enjoy all that sunshine, I LOVE LA!

deruwe2002

I would recommend checking out the Wild Animal Park. Its a great place for a family, plus its a beautiful drive through the valley to get there. As far as vehicles, whatever you feel the family would be most comfortable in. I'm from the country and had no problems adjusting to driving a big truck in So Cal, but parking does become a problem, especially in LA and San Diego. What all of us here tell our families back home when they ask about So Cal, its a great place for a short vacation, but it sucks to live here. Enjoy it, let us know where ya went and how it was.

gerry

While down in the San Diego Area I would look up Lego Land for the 11 year old.. A friend takes his kids 8 and 12 every year on an amusement park trip on .Super bowl Sunday.. (park is deserted) and every year they want to go back to Lego Land...

Sea world is one of my favorites.. Universal city is good.. Disney land.. Well you HAVE to go there just to experience it and so the kids can say they went..

Venice Beach is interesting (Lived there for a few years) and you will probably like it. Parking is really bad so get there REALLY EARLY!!!! and hang out till all the performers get started.. While you are in the area Santa Monica pier during the day and 3rd street promenade in the evening..

If your CTD is a 4X4 just be aware that most areas here have structured parking and the limit is 6'8" so your stock 4X4 won't fit...

Gerry

t_george77

Another freebie while you are in downtown SD is the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (Boot Camp). It was built in the late 1800's and it's on the national historic something or other. And it always brings a smile to my face watching the recruits running around getting yelled at by the DI's.

West Coast

Take the truck..... I just went to San Fran with the family. Then went down to Santa Cruz and back up to Mavericks for a little surfing. Then Highway 1 back to San Fran up to Reno. The entire trip I kept thinking how I could put the "Diesel-nator Smoke-generator" on the wifes Porshe Cayenne. Man the Porshe is extremely fast.....but where is the smoke?????

Have a safe trip..... My wife and I where born in Cali. I love the coast....!!!

Dave

Baja

What do you want out of the trip? For the kid, there is a lot to do and see, what was suggested in earlier posts is all good and fun. This state is huge with LOTS to offer. If you want to slow down from the hectic city fare, drive north, north of LA. Things change dramatically. Take 101 up to Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obisbo. Without question, take Hwy 1 to Big Sur, and if the weather is nice it will be unforgettable. Check out Butano State Park, home to a climax forest of Redwoods. Hard to describe the feeling you get from walking through a place like that. San Diego/LA will seem like they were in another galaxy. You can make a loop out of the trip, because once you get north in the SF Bay area, head east to home. Have a fun trip, California is a great place!

Cowhand

If you're planning on Disneyland, wait until June or later. Splash Mountain is down for rehab, railroad is down for rehab, Tom Sawyer's Island is closed for rehab, and Finding Nemo submarine ride won't be open until June. There is also some kind of new Toy Story attraction going in at California Adventure.

It'll all be done by June, but then you have to fight the summer vacation crowd. I've already seen them stop selling admission tickets twice since Jan 1....too full, no more room to cram in any more people.