California Itinerary
I think that it is now long overdue that I start planning an itinerary for my trip to California later in the year. I only have a limited amount of time spread over 3 cities - San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles so want to make the best of my time while I am there.
I want to take in The Grand Canyon, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Hollywood and Universal Studios but know that there has to be other must see locations.
Does anybody have any sensible suggestions for places to see or things to do while I am away? Please feel free to drop me a line or post in the comments.
You cant possibly be a geek and not visit silicon valley…. a mindbending visit to a Frys store is a pilgrimage for geeks and geekettes alike…. there are several in the valley, and also Weird Stuff in Sunnyvale is a must, just as a historical reminder of where we’ve been…G
Thanks Gordon, I think that a trip to a gadget store sounds a must… I guess that’s (www.frys.com) I’ll look them up!
The exchange rate for the dollar/pound is really good for us Brits at the moment. I’ll just have to make sure that anything that I buy will work over here in the UK though
I live in Silicon Valley, but I’ll talk about LA and Vegas first since I’ve been a tourist in both of them. These days Universal Studios is more of a Hollywood-themed amusement park than anything else. There are usually long lines to do anything interesting, so get there early in the day if you want to see more than a couple attractions. It can be a fun trip, and every once in a while you’ll get lucky and they’ll be filming something within view of the tourist trams, but I’d recommend a Paramount Pictures walking tour if you want to see more of what really goes on at a movie/TV studio. Paramount has changed their tour rules several times, so check for the current info before you go.
If you want to see some TV/movie stars, make a dinner reservation at Mr. Chow, an upscale Chinese restaurant in Beverly Hills. The food is merely decent (and overpriced, though with the exchange rate maybe that’s no big deal) but it’s been a celebrity hangout for years. I saw a couple sitcom actors when I took my girlfriend there last year.
If you want to see the stereotypical California bodybuilders-and-volleyball scene, swing by Venice Beach. Or go to Santa Monica, which is where they filmed Baywatch.
As for Vegas, the Star Trek Experience is amusing for geek types. Walk down the strip at night and enjoy all the flashing lights and the pirate-ship show in front of Treasure Island. If you’ve never seen Cirque du Soleil, definitely treat yourself to one of their two shows (”Mystere” at Treasure Island and “O” at the Bellagio.) Book early; they always sell out well in advance. A word of warning about Vegas: All the cigarette smoke you didn’t breathe in California is waiting for you there, plus more.
And finally, up north. I’ll echo the Fry’s recommendation, with the caveat that all the Fry’s stores I know of are a good 40 minutes south of San Francisco proper. Visiting friends of mine have enjoyed driving around Silicon Valley looking at all the headquarters of tech companies (e.g., I live within 15 minutes of Sun, nVidia, Apple, Google, Yahoo, and eBay, to name a few.) Unfortunately, aside from the nerd value, as a tourist destination Silicon Valley pretty much stinks compared to San Francisco.
When you’re on your way to the Golden Gate Bridge, don’t miss the Exploratorium, a really cool interactive science and technology museum which is just a few minutes away. See the bridge first since you might end up spending hours in the museum without realizing it. San Francisco can be cold and windy or it can be warm and sunny, often both in the space of an hour, but if you want to walk across the bridge, dress for cool and damp air.
If you like East Asian food, you’ll enjoy California. Lots of Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese restaurants around here, many of them excellent. I have yet to eat any sushi in Japan that’s better than the good sushi places in California.
Hi Steve, many thanks for your time taken with your message! - Much appreciated.
The Paramount Studio tour has been added to my itinerary. Something that I hadn’t thought of was the coastline so Venice Beach & Santa Monica would also be a must see!
Now being a Techie/Geek I would love to go to Silicon Valley (somewhere else I hadn’t thought of) - if only to show of the holiday snaps to work colleagues!
I think that I need to invest in a decent map of the area, so I know what’s where!
Oh so much to see and do - I’ll have to go back gain next year!
** UPDATE - Just checked the Paramount website “Due to heightened security the Studio Tour has been suspended” - bummer! Just hope the situation will have changed when I go later in the year.