Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with travel and california

SoCal Holiday Road Trip Tips?

Capostrophe — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:55:42 -0800

I'll be embarking on a two week road trip from just before Christmas until just after the new year. My plan is to drive south out of the SF Bay Area and spend most of my time in southern California, possibly with forays into Az, Nevada, and Mexico. My interests are nature, archaeology, and history, and I'm an avid photographer. Tell me about the places I shouldn't miss. I'm considering the obvious destinations: Death Valley, the Salton Sea, Pinnacles, and Joshua Tree. I also intend to spend some time in San Diego, visiting the zoo and wild animal park. Beyond that I'm eager to hear your suggestions about roads to drive, places to stay, places to stop, and places to skip.

Bonus points for forgotten little picturesque attractions, and double bonus points for practical tips on visiting Mexico for a few days.

Southern California recommendations for art/culture/history nerds

acridrabbit — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:56:29 -0800

Southern California recommendations for art/culture/history nerds in our late thirties/early forties? My husband and I are planning a trip to San Diego at the end of October. I have to be in San Diego proper on October 28, but other than that, we're free for 7 full days around that date. Here are some things about us:

- Love history, art, culture, and nature; left-wing commie pinko former punks (prefer gritty SF Mission murals to opera)
- Indifferent/hostile to movie stars, theme parks, and overpriced tourist traps
- Independent, experienced world travelers
- Not surfers or beach people, but we enjoy a good view
- No kids
- Vegans
- Non-drinkers

We have been to San Francisco before, but nowhere else in CA. We're thinking it might be fun to do an open-jaws trip - fly into San Jose and drive south, then maybe see a little of LA before arriving in San Diego and flying out. Given our timeframe and quirks, where would you recommend we visit? Hotel recommendations, restaurants (with vegan options), and sights to see all welcome.

Here are the places currently on my list:
First night: Ragged Point Inn, followed by Hearst Castle/San Simeon the next day

Driving down the coast, stopping at...
San Luis Obispo?
Solvang?
Santa Barbara?
La Jolla Canyon (hike)

Los Angeles area:
Watts Towers
Getty Center
Santa Monica?
Leucadia?
Catalina Island?

San Diego:Wild Animal Park, Balboa Park/San Diego Zoo, Gaslamp District

PS Some of these recommendations have come from the other CA travel threads, so thanks for all the previous comments!

Going to California

pwicks — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:12:48 -0800

I'm going to Los Angeles later this week. I've never been there, what should I do/see/eat? Details inside. * I've already done some looking and I know that I want to try and get to joshua tree national park (which parts of the park are worth seeing?), but I'm wondering what other things there are in the L.A. area that are outdoorsy? Good hikes? Cool Beaches? Something else?

* Also, photography is a hobby of mine, anything I shouldn't miss?

* Foodwise, what's a good Vietnamese restaurant? Other food recommendations would be good too (cheaper is better, but not required).

* Anything else in L.A. that I shouldn't miss?

Sorry to be all over the place with this, and thanks for any help you can render.

Wineries For Dummies

fishmasta — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:16:16 -0800

Seeking info on touring California wineries My dad's going to be flying out to visit me in California around the 4th of July and we had talked about visiting some wineries, which neither of us has ever done. What do we need to know? Is that time of year well suited to touring wineries? Are there any particular places we should see?

I live in LA, so it may be easier to stick to closer wineries around Santa Barbara, etc., but if it's worth the trip up to Napa that's not out of the question.

Any info/suggestions/other things to check out in the area would be appreciated. Thanks!

Visiting Los Angeles for the First Time

ColdChef — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:36:06 -0800

Visiting Los Angeles for the first time What do I need to see and do? In three weeks, I'm taking my first trip to Los Angeles (June 9-12) and I haven't really taken the time to figure out what I want to see and do while I'm there. I'm flying into the Ontario airport and renting a car. Please help me plan my adventure.

Food
While I'm usually a foodie, I am trying to make this trip as inexpensive as I can. What do you recommend for inexpensive ($10-$20 a person) dining? What do I have to eat while I'm there?

Shopping
I love bookstores. Which non-chain bookstores do I have to visit? Also: what other "shopping experiences" should I consider?

Museums
I'm open to any suggestions on museums I should see and museums I should avoid. I'm drawn mostly to photography and smaller galleries, but I'm willing to visit the classics, too.

Entertainment
Please suggest quirky theaters (think: Alamo Drafthouse) where I should see a movie in LA. The film itself is not really as important to me at the moviegoing experience. Also: the first night I'm there, June 9th, I want to go see the Comedy Death Ray show at the UCB Theater. What should I expect? I've never been to a comedy club.

Lodging
The friend I was planning on staying with has flaked on me, leaving me without a place to sleep in Los Angeles. Please suggest 1. which part of town I should stay in 2. which parts to avoid 3. specific hotels. I'm not very picky at all. Preferably something inexpensive and secure.

And finally: What other advice can you give for someone visiting LA for the first time? Thanks.

What makes California unique?

brynna — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:04:19 -0800

How can I best prepare myself for a move out of the state? I'm a 21 year old California girl, born and raised - I've lived in the Inland Empire, Orange County, the Bay Area, Sacramento and now live in San Diego, so I consider myself PRETTY well-versed in everything California.

I'm moving to Boston in August as part of a year-long program that may turn into a permanent move.

This question is two-pronged, meant for both California natives and everyone else:

1) For the natives (or the well-versed): what are some things that are "typically" Californian that I should try to experience/do before I leave the state? Don't discount obvious answers; list everything! (i.e. fish tacos, Golden Gate Bridge, Disneyland)

2) For the non-Californians: What are some general characteristics of Californians that you have met? Cultural, linguistic, philosophical.. etc. I want to make myself aware of these things before I jump ship.

Road trip USA for Aussie noob

b33j — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:09:17 -0800

International Travel novice: What do I need to know that I don't know that I don't know? I'm Australian (from warm Queensland), meeting a friend from the Netherlands in the USA (Florida) in February 2010 for a two month road trip that will go through Canada (via Texas, California, Washington and many other places - itinerary mostly not set in stone yet) with the aim to concentrate on mutual internet friends, natural beauty and historical places. Tourist attractions (like Disneyland), not so much.

I know that I need airline tickets (but when do I book?) and a passport (what about visas?). What else do I need to know? Tips on packing (buy my winter stuff there?), on flight luggage, changing currency, paying for things over there (travellers cheques? Will my debit card work? What about my Mastercard? Will I have to pay fees for exchange of currency?). How much will it cost? How much would you set aside per day for living expenses if you were doing it cheap? What about powering my battery charger for my camera - should I be the converter here or there? Storage for my photos?

What should I have asked in this question that I didn't think to ask? Books and websites much appreciated as well as personal anecdotes.

Yuma Vacation

Mitheral — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:30:21 -0800

Driving from San Diego, CA -> Yuma, AZ in early Febuary to spend a week in Yuma and then returning to San Diego. As our flight comes in early in the morning we're thinking of hitting the San Diego Zoo or Birch Aquarium before heading to Arizona. Suggestions on places to see/go either along the route or within a couple hours drive of Yuma?

Things to do in Bakersfield

roll truck roll — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:35:06 -0800

That's it, I'm going to Bakersfield. Tell me what to do there. It bothers me that one of my favorite living musicians--the guy who wrote the song I got my username from--plays every Monday night a few hours from my home and I've never been there. Furthermore, a lot of my favorite country acts are loosely associated with Bakersfield. I really want to go see Red play, and visit the Crystal Palace, and... there's the problem. I have no idea what else to do there.

When I try to sell my friends on the idea of going down for a long weekend, they always raise their eyebrows and say, "Really?" So I need some help selling them.

I love small cities, largely because they often have awesome secrets. Where's the underground music/theatre/poetry/art scene? I'm obviously interested in music, but I'm also interested in just general farting around. Folk art festivals? Museums? I've heard talk of Basque food? Metafilter meetup?

Oh, and if you have any recommendations for a cheap place to stay that's not a Super 8, that's also great. Any charming guest houses or bed and breakfasts?

Thanks.

california-san

thinkingwoman — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:24:11 -0800

californiafilter: help us find good hotels in san francisco and san diego! we'll be doing a quick tour of california in february. we have most of our itinerary planned out, but are still looking into hotel options in the two sans. requirements below:

1. accessible to public transportation
2. less than than $150/night
3. relatively central to things that visitors want to do (in san diego it could be either beach or downtown)

(i know san diego sprawls and we might end up renting a car if we have to, but we'd like to avoid it if possible.)

of course we'd prefer interesting, unique independent bed and breakfasts, but the location and price are more important.

Things to do in Calofornia

Green With You — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:44:24 -0800

I have a free day in California I wasn't expecting. What can one man do today in, oh, 12 hours? I'm staying in Corona, but I'm willing to travel around and spend some money (up to $200 for argument's sake). I know next to nothing about California except a vague idea that a lot of movies are made here, earth quakes, and the Governator. I made the mistake of not coming up with stuff to do earlier. In all fairness I expected to be working constantly while visiting California, but the building I was working at is closed today which I found out rather unexpectedly.

I can think of a few things. Go to a mall, museum, zoo, the ocean. That sort of thing. But what mall, museum, or zoo? Which beach to I head to? What are some other things that I'm not thinking of? Is LA worth driving to? And what things should someone absolutely try to do on their first visit to California?

Your U.S. election is for our entertainment and L.A. is the capital of entertainment

bering — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:07:00 -0800

So this turned in to a trip to L.A. instead, but the premise is the same: A friend and I are coming over on holiday for two weeks (from this Sunday the 26th until Thursday the 6th of November) to catch the festivities surrounding the election of Obama for president. So this time the questions are more concrete:

1. Where to stay?
I'm currently scouring Couchsurfing, but other suggestions of not-too-expensive hotels or hostels where one can meet people are very welcome. We're looking for a place centrally located where there is something going on.

2. How to meet people
We've signed up at the Obama campaign website and received an invite for some HQ opening, but we're also considering just volunteering. Do we just go to the office and join or do we need to do something else? Will there be anything do to (since CA is not exactly a swing state)?

3. How to get around?
Since this is L.A. we probably need a car. Any recommendations for good places/companies to rent with? We're looking for cheap cheap.

4. What to do?
Any other suggestions for places to party and meet people are very welcome.

San Jose. 6 hours. No car. What do you do? WHAT. DO. YOU. DO?

gc — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:04:44 -0800

Potential six-hour downtime in San Jose, CA. Conditions apply... It looks like I'll be stuck in San Jose for around six hours next Friday. The conditions are that I almost surely won't have a car, and will be relying on VTA bus and light rail to get around. I'm up for the whole spectrum of activities, from doing touristy things, to having sitting around time at a coffee shop or bookstore. Lunch will probably need to happen sometime in this time range (starting around 11am. I need to be at the airport shortly before 6pm).

I'm aware of this old thread, but most of the options in that thread involve car-travel.

Help troubleshoot and enhance my move / road trip from Lawrence, Kansas to Eugene, Oregon.

Derive the Hamiltonian of... — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:27:01 -0800

Help me troubleshoot and enhance my roadtrip / move to Eugene, Oregon. I will soon depart Lawrence, KS for adventures that will eventually leave me in Eugene to begin graduate studies with UO. I'm going to outline the planned itinerary in the hopes that the hive mind can suggest areas to visit at our planned stops, beautiful or interesting routes to take between them, and interesting pit stops to make. Also, warnings of potential trouble spots or situations will be greatly appreciated. The Participants:

A mated pair of chemical engineers and myself. We all love the outdoors, interesting technology, interesting architecture/engineering (especially anything energy efficient, otherwise green, or enormous), anything that will increase our nerdlore, and any delicious food of almost any variety. We're all in very good shape, although my 270 lb ass will not be running up any mountains.

The Vehicle:

A 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit, so no unimproved roads.

Itinerary:

Day 1:

Leave Kansas and pick up two friends at Denver International, thus officially beginning the road trip. Drive to Great Sand Dunes National Park and set up camp. We're thinking about stopping at Garden of the Gods on the way down. I'm kinda torn between driving down on 29 so that we can see Garden of the Gods and driving out on 70 and then down on 24/285 to get some awesome mountain highway action in.

Day 2:

A hurried attempt at acclimation for days 3 to 4. Play around on the Dunes and see other interesting things in the area. So far, besides the Dunes, I know of Zapata falls, although I cannot remember the exact location.

Day 3:

Get up very early, drive to the Mt. Blanca/Ellingwood trailhead, and pack in to Lake Como. Set up camp and enjoy the lake, trees, and canyon walls. I should mention that I've done the Blanca/Ellingwood combo before and that we are all experienced hikers. I'm not enthusiastic about doing this two days after getting to altitude, but this is the portion of the trip I'm most sure of. One question; on my previous trip, we were in Jeeps and easily made it to the beginning of the serious incline before we got out and started hiking. Are there spots on the sandy, car-navigable part of the road where I will be able to pull over and park without going into the bushes and rocks? 14ers.com seems to indicate so, but I want to be sure that I'm not going to have to park within sight of the highway.

Day 4;

Summit Blanca and Ellingwood, head back to the vehicle, and drive off into the midday sun. Head out to Black Canyon of the Gunnison and make camp. For the drive to Gunnison, we're currently set for doing 285 to 114 to 50, but 149 looks really fun and twisty.

Day 5:

See what we can in Gunnison during the early morning, drive to Arches National Park, see what we can in a few hours, and drive to Great Basin National Park to camp for the night. This is a very rushed portion of the trip, but we want to have several days in SanFran later on and are constrained by plane tickets.

Day 6:

Drive from Great Basin to Grass Valley, CA, where we will apparently be hanging out at some awesome bathing holes near some awesome waterfalls.

Day 7:

Drive from Grass Valley to San Francisco and crash with friends. We will be staying at an apartment in what my friend calls the McBaker Heights neighborhood, although I'm not sure whether that name is colloquial. The intersection of Baker and Golden Gate gives you a general area. My understanding is that the area requires some sort of special neighborhood permit and has no off-street parking, so I need to figure out a safe arrangement for parking my car. Non-exorbitant garage parking would probably be fine. We'll reach SF on a Saturday afternoon, so I'm hoping to avoid doomtraffic.

Days 8 – 9:

San Francisco! Oh, what shall we see?!? Our friends in the city have plans already, but suggestions would be great. Bonus points for godlike sushi and any other kind of interesting ethnic food.

Day 10:

Drive up the coast to Redwood National Park. We're not sure about the route yet, although we would love some awesome coastal highway action. We also aren't sure of what portion of the massive park to camp in.

Day 11:

Drive to Crater Lake, check it out, drive to Eugene and crash at the co-op I'll be living in. Any suggestions for awesome places to eat dinner or night scenes to check out?

Day 12:

Get the other two to Portland for a 10 am flight.

What to do during our SDCC hangover?

bodgy — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:49:45 -0800

In San Diego for 2 days, hate zoos and most museums. Willing to travel. What should we do? My husband and I are going to San Diego Comic Con and got tickets that fly out from LA MONDAY night rather than our intended SUNDAY night. So we have all day Monday and, as we're usually done with SDCC after Saturday, we can also have all day Sunday to do something.

This is not our first trip to SDCC but we usually feel we only see the convention center and the gaslamp quarter. But we're not Zoo people, museum people, or Seaworld people.

We love going places where we can take scenic and cool photographs, or just have good experiences and see unique things. Are there some things in San Diego we should do?

If not in San Diego, we'll have a rental car and need to go back to LA by Monday night, so should we drive somewhere? We can't think of anything really fun in LA. We've seen the Tar Pits, Hollywood, Venice Beach, filming of the Tonight Show etc. so unless LA has some hidden treasures we'd like things outside of LA...

Thanks!

California dreamin'

fcoury — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:22:49 -0800

I will be doing a very anticipated trip to California for the first time. Please advice with good tips! Hi,

I am going to the US on September, and I would like all advice I can get on planning my trip.

It will have two "parts":

On the first part, I will be visiting the IBM team I work with on Boulder, Colorado. I'd like tips for what should be seen on the whereabouts of Boulder and Denver. I will stay there for about 5 to 6 days only and will work 8h a day for 5 days.

After that period, I will be catching a flight to California. Here I have two questions: what would be the cheaper way to fly from Colorado to California? On what city should I start?

My idea for the second part is to have a roadtrip, stopping in must-see cities, staying for the night, then leaving in the morning. I want to drive all the way from California to Las Vegas. I will have 15 to 20 days on that part of the trip. Is that feasible?

I am really into getting to know the American way of life, like small cities, eating at BBQ, Hamburger and Dinner places on the roadside, besides maybe stopping on a amusement or theme park along the way. I am thinking about Six Flags or something like that. Any tips on that?

Also, please consider I am 29 years old and I am on a budget. I'd like to spend some time on budget hotels and motels but I would also spend some nights on good hotels that are worth the money.

Any tips or at least pointers to places on the internet where I can find further advice would be awesome.

This land is your land...

Melismata — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:55:06 -0800

Where should we go on our California trip? My friend from Mountain View and I (the visiting Bostonian) want to go on a long weekend driving trip. Where should we go? The two most promising destinations are Lake Tahoe or Yosemite (can't go much farther than that on a long weekend). The things that appeal to me most are:

driving around pretty scenery;

historical houses and museums (antiquing a plus, if any);

would like to cross the border to Nevada so I can add it to my list of states visited.

Based on the above, Lake Tahoe looks the most promising, but only because of limited web descriptions. I have never been to this part of California, and would love some great ideas on where to go. Thank you!

What should we see and do from 4/24 to 5/2 between Sacramento and Los Angeles?

Mr. Gunn — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:59:28 -0800

What should we see and do from 4/24 to 5/2 between Sacramento and Los Angeles? We'll be in Sacramento on the 24th, and we don't have to be in LA until May 2nd. What should we spend our time doing? I've seen this thread and this one, and would like to solicit recommendations for seasonal events occurring during our time frame. We particularly like food related attractions, and we are already going to be visiting the wine country around Sacramento, but please feel free to suggest anything at all.

I'm goin' to California

DWRoelands — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:45:37 -0800

TravelFilter: Help me plan a driving trip from Sacramento, CA to Eugene, OR. Difficulty: Two children, six and four. I'm flying into Sacramento in the middle of April and will be driving up to Eugene to visit relatives. I've allowed three-ish days for the drive and I'm looking for suggestions of places to stop and things to see along the way. I've had no luck finding a good resource for this sort of information.

I'd love to make the trip as enriching and educational as possible for my spawn (six year old boy and a four year old girl). This is their first real trip away from the East Coast.

No idea is too eccentric or quirky. :)

What to expect for the Coachella Festival?

FatherDagon — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:59:16 -0800

Things to expect for Coachella Festival in April? I'm heading to Cali for Coachella this year, and was wondering what sorts of things I could expect for the festival specifically, and for the area in general.

-What's weather usually like there? I've been told hot/dry desert conditions are the norm, what's the area like at the end of April?

-What's the festival usually like for food/drink and the like? Should I be expecting 12 dollar burgers and 8 dollar bottles of water, and bring my own supplies accordingly? The rules page says no outside food/water, but medium backpacks are allowed - is it feasible to smuggle in bottles if prices are ridiculous?

-How's the layout of the fest usually set up? Size of the grounds, number of stages, etc.

-Any other less-than-obvious things I might want to know about?

Do you know the way to San Jose?

nax — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:18:27 -0800

San Jose California last 3 days of Feb. About a third to half that time will be blocked off to visit with relatives and see our daughter in her touring show. What else should we do? Head up the bay to SF, or is there cool stuff in town? (We'll be staying perforce in an airport hotel, no help for it-- should we rent a car, or is public trans good?)

IMHO, IANAL AOKAY.

coolhappysteve — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 22:23:50 -0800

LegalFilter: My foolish friend received a misdemeanor in CA for trespassing and apparently needs to be booked and appear in court. She's set to fly to NY for school in three weeks - is she allowed to leave the state? Imprecise and non-legal advice are welcome if you're up front about it. This is more of a "WTF do I do?" point in the situation than any sort of legal action she's taking.

(If you're curious, she scaled cliffs and climbed through a barbed-wire fence here for kicks.)

I roam around and round and round and round and round.

miss lynnster — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:45:24 -0800

Possible girl & her dog roadtrip retreat over the holidays. Nothing too expensive. Suggestions? Over the past five years, my Christmas holidays have always been spent either working grueling overtime hours, taking care of my mom or hiding out in the company of other people's (more functional) families. I'm in the process of officially turning over a new leaf and am in a mood to really enjoy my holidays and do something special for MYSELF this year. Just today I was wandering through an Asian supermarket and I started to daydream about travel... so I know I'm craving a getaway. It's too late for me to book the kind of trip I'd really love to take, but I'm considering that maybe I just need to clear my head in unfamiliar surroundings, relax and be free of all stress and pressure.

I was thinking of just hopping in the car and heading out on an aimless wandering adventure with my puppy in tow... but since it'll be the holidays I don't want to end up finding myself sleeping in the car when I can't find a hotel room or something. So even though it's against my nature a bit, I guess I should probably make some kind of a basic game plan at the very least.

I am in San Francisco and I used to take constant road trips from LA but I've only done a few from here. I've gone to wine country, gone through Tahoe through to Virginia City and up to Reno. I have never headed North up towards Portland or anything, but everything South of here I've seen A LOT of... so I don't want to head South. I don't know how the snow will be, but I even thought of taking myself snowboarding (which I used to love and haven't done in years). I drive a Miata and it's not good for driving anyplace that's too rugged though. My dog's never been in the snow so that might be fun for her. We've been hiking around Bay area trails on a regular basis lately and she just LOVES it. (Good exercise for me too.) I love discovering local treasures in cool little hidden towns, but I also love cities. I just like exploring!

So tell me... If I DO decide to go a holiday roadtrip with my pup, where should I wander? Any ideas? Keep in mind that I'm not necessarily looking for fancy, pricey pampering stuff... this is mostly about the getaway, the clearing of my brain and the recharging of my drained batteries.

Help me plan a December trip to Yosemite

wintersweet — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:36:27 -0800

I want to do something memorable for my 30th birthday, so my current plan is to head to Yosemite--I've never been there. However, my birthday is in December, so that's when we're going to go. Most of the Yosemite-in-winter advice online and in guidebooks seems to be outdated, and the official Yosemite website just doesn't seem that useful to me. Please give me your personal recommendations on what to do, where to stay, etc., particularly those based on recent experience. We'll be leaving from Fremont, California (SF Bay Area) and I'll be driving an AWD car (I'll buy chains, since I know they may be required, but I do have some ice/snow driving experience). And yes, I also checked previous posts here without much luck for my specific questions.

Details:

1) 2 nights is probably all we can manage, as one person needs to get back to work.
1a) Leaving December 15th or 16th and returning December 17th or 18th.
2) 4-5 people, all of whom don't mind staying in one room or suite, but only 2 of whom will be sharing a bed.
2a) Electrical outlet near one bed is absolutely necessary for medical reasons.
2b) A place with character and comfort would be nice, but the only important things are location, cleanliness, and especially LOW COST (we've got ... one librarian, two unemployed ESL teachers, one part-time ESL teacher, and one part-time math college teacher, so our budgets are small).
3) Food: we're concerned about cost but we still want kind of tasty food, and one of us is a vegetarian.
4) We range from "extremely out of shape but fairly persistent" to "more or less in shape," but none of us are athletes or experienced winter hikers.
5) At least one person wants to snowshoe and one person wants to ski or snowboard, but any equipment will have to be rented (and all but one of us live in the SF Bay Area, so we don't have Serious Cold Weather clothing). I assume Badger Pass is our best bet here.
6) Seeing the most beautiful winter landscapes at Yosemite is really our #1 priority.

What I need:
1) Where to stay--current lead contender is an $89 3-bed suite at the Best Western in Oakhurst.
2) Where to eat
3) What specifically to do (e.g., not "snowshoeing" but "the ranger-led snowshoeing trip that leaves from XYZ) and see
4) How you'd get there
5) Any other tips and suggestions for enjoying a winter trip there

Despite the restrictions I really do think we're going to have a good time. :) Thank you so much for your suggestions!

where can I stay in Santa Barbara?

drjimmy11 — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 20:09:26 -0800

where can I stay in Santa Barbara? I'm taking next week off work and I'm thinking of getting out of L.A. I've never been to Santa Barbara, and I'd like to go, chill somewhere quiet-ish, and do some writing.

So I'm looking for a hotel that's nice, not absurdly expensive (would be nice to keep it under $150 a night), and will have a room on short notice. If the hotel has a cool restaurant/bar in it, that would be a bonus. Near a quiet beach would be great as well.

(I did read the other S.B. related questions, but didn't see hotels addressed in detail) thanks!