California

Joanne87

Hey everyone,
I'm planning a holiday to CA this summer. Hoping to stay for about a month so will be doing lots of traveling around. I'm planning on staying in San Francisco, LA and maybe San Diego for a while. But I don't drive so I'm wondering if it's easy and cheap to get to and from these places without a car.
And also, can anybody recommend a good website for renting a house or apartment for about a month? In case I decide to stay in one area. It's all very vague atm!!
Thanks in advance for any help!
Joanne.

mydarkstar

Oh you're so lucky being able to spend a whole month in California, if only I could take that much time off. I did a bit of travelling in California 2 years ago, didnt find we needed a car at all. The trains were quite reasonably priced, an absolute bargain compared to Irish Rail when you consider the distances involved.

We were only there for 2weeks but managed to fit in some time in Orange County, Yosemite Park and San Francisco, then the OC again. If you visit the Amtrak website it'll give you an idea what travelling costs are involved. The journey's are part bus and part train, so you'll need to allow yourself plenty of time but I found them all enjoyable and if you're there for a month you'll be able to fit in plenty .... I'm so jealous! One bit of advice though - if you do decide to take the train from San Francisco to LA you should try book the Starlight Express. There's lots of trains running from SF to LA but they tend to do the journey inland (nothing much to see out the window really). Taking the Starlight Express will reduce your options of train times but it goes along the coast through Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz etc and it's a much prettier option, gorgeous views of the ocean.

Not sure if you're thinking more of a city-holiday but if you're interested in getting back to nature then Yosemite Park is a great way to spend a few days or a week.

Enjoy your holiday, California's fantastic. I'll be visiting again myself this year.

Joanne87

Thanks a mil! Will have a look at amtrak so. Can't wait to go!

mydarkstar

Dont forget to visit Disneyland while you're out there. I'm not big into theme parks but we'd a great day there - lots of unashamedly childish fun! Newport Harbour is a lovely relaxing way to spend the day. And I can't recommend San Francisco highly enough, man I loved the sealions in the Bay

Depending on where you plan to visit a car could come in handy, but like I said you can plan a great holiday around Amtrak and bus links from there. I'll be hiring a car this year when I go to San Diego but thats more because I wanna head back to the mountains again, possibly Big Bear Lake (near San Bernardino I think).

Enjoy yourself!!

cooperguy

Im going to CA from May until August this year. Hoping to base myself in Huntington beach. Any advice for trips I can take would be great. Im definatly heading to LA/Hollywood, and Las Vegas. Will be hoping to do San Diego and maybe Mexico. If anybody can give me any advice on those locations or any other places you can think of for me to visit would be great. I will be doing it on a relativly tight budget though. Im on a J1 and hope to work in Huntingon beach aswell so I can afford some of these trips:D

jezza

Disneyland/California Adventure
Knott's Berry Farm
Soak City Waterpark
Universal Studios Themepark
Warner Brothers Studios Tour
Hollywood (Hollywood Blvd., Mann's Chinese theatre, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel)
Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills/Bel-Air, Rodeo Drive, famous hotels, restgaurants, sightseeing tours
Melrose Ave. (shopping, Pink's Hot dogs)
Santa Monica (pier, promenade, Shutters hotel)/Maibu
Taping of a television show
Venice Beach
The Getty Center museum
Museum of Television and Radio
The Simon Wiesenthal Center (Holocaust Museum)
Sony Studios/Culver City
Long beach aquarium

I definitally recommend palm springs, its just beautiful.

dr.bollocko

I really disliked San Diego. If you love the beach that is one thing, but there are a lot of beaches. The city centre is kinda grim and the rest is just suburb for ever and ever and ever and ever. Also I wouldnt bother with Santa Cruz, again, not much to the place apart from the beach and the endless parade of californian soy-milk latte drinkin neo-hippie douches. Aside from that, California, what a place! Good luck and have a great time. San Francisco all the way! Hope you dont end up in LA bus station at 3am on saturday morning like I did, but at the same time, one helluvansperience.

lost_for_words

This crowd were reccommended to me when I was in California. I didn't use them because I rented a car but it seems really cheap and anything is better than Greyhound.

df1985

i was in san diego in august last summer at the end of my j1.the most laidback city ever! it really is a beachtown, we spent most of our days lazing on the beach drinking beer.if your around san diego mexico for a night out is one thing that you have to experience.dodgy is an understatement but they have irish night in one of the clubs in tijuana-its mayhem, you'd think you were back home, especially as anhran na bhfiann is played a couple of times a night!! just be careful going to and from the border.-plenty of bad stories but luckily none in our group.san diego zoo does live up to the name of best zoo in the world and is worth a look.seaworld is good too.
L.A is easy to get to by the train.theres no real centre to it.spreads out all over the place, hollywood is a tacky rundown kip! but i suppose you have to say you've been there.beverley hills is the other end of the scale.money, money money! santa monica was the highlight.great beach, nice buzz about the place and the pier is fun.theres loads of theme parks around L.A.but the best one is easily six flags magic mountain. you have to go on "X" and goliath.disney is for kids, knotts berry farm is good though. for me though overall L.A is a dump-too big, spread out, **** public transport, polluted and dangerous.out of all the big cities ive been in its bottom of the list by a LONG way.
vegas has to be done, we rented a car though.free drink once you keep gambling, just go on the cheap slots and get hammered! we went to the club in caesars one of the nights we were there. DRESS UP!! and dont go up in groups. nicky hilton, one of the backstreet boys and a load of rappers were there the night we were there-its really geaed towards the megarich.if you havent booked a table you cant sit down!! was good craic though.go on the rides on top of the stratosphere, you'll wet your pants!
i was in san fran back in 03, great city.stayed just off union square so we were bang in the centre.there was a lot of homeless people, but we didnt feel unsafe and theyre actually friendly, to the point we felt guilty if we didnt give them a few cents! alcatraz is a must, go see the bridge.theres 2 big hills in the city(cant rememeber what there called-there near the gay area.theres a great view at the top.and if you can go across the bridge and spend the day in a little town called sausalito.see how the other half live!)

as for a website about renting a place for a month sublet.com has loads or craigslist.org. loads of windups on craigslist though but you can get lucky.