Ask MetaFilter Questions About California

Disney Land Apps for Iphone

snoelle — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:53:35 GMT

I know there are some good apps for line checking at Disneyland, but what I need are specific recommendations for some good ones. I'm not real particular but just want one that works well. Give me your best ones, and thank you!

Where to go for early summer break in California?

yogalemon — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:30:35 GMT

Desperately in need of a week off to lounge by a pool in the sun and we are looking at the week of 10 June. I would prefer the beach - but everywhere coastal in California seems like it would be too chilly to spend afternoons lying in the sun, and Vegas will be way TOO warm. What are your best suggestions for a warm relaxy place up to 8 hours drive from the Bay Area?

Wishlist includes hiking and biking trails nearby, lots of variety in food, but not necessarily fine dining, options for cooler days like museums / movie theaters etc. Very grateful for any advice or suggestions, thank you Mefites!

Should I accept my nightmare commute in order to take my dream job?

brenton — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:50:08 GMT

I've been offered my dream job! But between it and me is my worst nightmare--a terrible 1hr+ commute in LA traffic. A commute like this is a deal breaker for me, but at the same time, this position is a career-maker and I really want to figure out how to make it work. Does anyone have suggestions, tricks, or creative ideas to make my commute better? Specifics and details below.

So this is the commute I'm looking at. I know Google says it's a 30 minute drive, but Google is not so hot at estimating traffic here. Plus, even a 30 minute drive really gets to me.

Ok, so why do commutes bother me so much? First, I literally get sick in cars, especially when slowing down suddenly (e.g. constant braking in traffic). It's a kind of headache and mild queasiness. I hate it, but it's not unbearable. Secondly, I really feel trapped by the 40 hour work week. I have so many other things I'd like to do with my life, and I feel like working a full 40 hours leaves me almost no time to get stuff done for myself. Putting commute time on top of that adds to the misery. Also, I get incredibly bored in traffic. I have a very active, creative mind that doesn't want to stop: in the past I've listened to online courses and audiobooks, and podcasts, but ultimately, I am left with a sense of anxiety because I can't actually actively DO anything while driving.

Solutions?

Take the metro. This makes the commute 1.5 hours, assuming I always arrive at the perfect time at the three or four various busses and trains I'd have to take. But on the other hand, I could use that time to do whatever I wanted--read, write, create...
Ride my motorcycle. This makes the commute closer to Google's estimated 30 mins, but then weather becomes an annoyance and I get rattled up by the wind and the noise on my way to work every day.
Get a better car. My current car is a noisy, clunky piece of junk that is a big part of the reason I get sick when I drive. A quieter car, (an electric?) would help things out. But my wife and I are both extremely frugal and extremely opposed to debt.
Rideshare. I don't exactly know how or if this works, but I assume there is some way to find people with the same commute and pay them to drive you. But I think this would be hard to work out, especially since I would have a somewhat unreliable schedule.
Taxi. Really expensive, but the bump in salary from taking this job would probably cover it. I don't actually know how much taxis cost though.
???

San Francisco bike questions

mikepop — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:40:19 GMT

I'll be travelling to San Francisco for a conference the last week of May and I'd like to rent a bicycle and bike around a bit. Any bike-related stuff going on then? This and other bike questions inside.

I'll be arriving early afternoon on Monday the 27th (assuming no filght delays) and flying back out late Thursday night. The conference is scheduled for Tuesday - Thursday so this leaves me most of Monday and the other evenings free. So, not a lot of free time but if there happen to be any sort of bike-related events or rides going on please let me know. I'll be staying near Union Square, but happy to travel anywhere in the city (or down to the Penninsula).

In terms of biking, I am someone who commutes about 15 miles/day year round in Maine, and I take longer rides on the weekends once the snow melts. I'm not a racer but generally have no problems riding with city traffic and getting around at a good enough pace.

I used to live (but not bike much) in San Francisco so I am familiar with the city generally and if nothing specific is going on I'll plan to ride around to some favorite places Monday and in the evenings.

Bike rental: searching brings up the two biggest bike rental places, which seem fine, but I'd happily give my money to a local bike shop instead if any do rentals.

Stores: I know many bike-related companies are based there, so are there any flagship or otherwise interesting stores or the like I should check out if I have the chance?

Any tips, warnings, etc. from local riders are greatly appreciated!

(Bonus Question: A pierogi restaurant called Stuffed was supposed to be opening in the Mission by "mid-April", but I haven't been able to find any news beyond that. Anyone know if it will be open by Memorial Day?)

California road trip details

you're a kitty! — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:37:05 GMT

Please help us arrange some details for our California road trip! Questions about places to camp near Santa Barbara, Monterey, Sonoma, the Redwoods, and more.

I'll be traveling with two dear friends (late-twenties, two girls and a guy). We're mostly planning to camp to save money, but if you can suggest REALLY COOL other options we might consider spending more for one night. We'd rather not have to hike in unless there's a truly extraordinary campsite; we have decent equipment and are in pretty good shape, but aren't extraordinarily outdoorsy. Mostly we want to see the beauty of California and build campfires and drink beers and talk in the evenings.

I've seen the related questions on here, but we've got some slightly different requirements. We've already got some days planned out, but the days I'm still trying to arrange look like this:

Day 1: Drive from Sacramento to somewhere in Napa or Sonoma for wine tours. Camp there, or one of us can be designated driver and head up to (broadly speaking) the Mendocino area and camp along the coast. We'd like to do some tidepooling if possible sometime the next day.
• Good campsites in Napa or Sonoma, where we can easily get to vineyards?
OR
• Good campsites along the coast (as close to the cliffs/beaches as possible).

Day 2: Drive up to the Redwoods, and camp there.
• Do we need to go all the way up to Redwoods National Park to get the full Avenue-of-the-Giants effect?
• Good campsites in the area? If we can camp in the proper redwoods that would be ideal.

From there we drive down to the bay area for a few nights, but afterwards:

Day 3: Monterey (aquarium and town).
• Good places to camp near Monterey or Carmel? Someone suggested Limekiln, any opinions?

Day 4: Drive south along the cost, to Morro Bay or farther down to the Santa Barbara area. We'd like to at least get a glimpse of Southern California without descending into the LA madness.
• We're considering the El Capitan Valley tent cabins or the campsites close to the beach; any other suggestions?

Extra questions:
• We would love to actually camp ON the beach at some point (and would go out of our way to do so), but I haven't been able to find any campsites that offer this option. Did I miss something?

Thank you!

Los Angeles... Hotel recommendations for E3

jimmereeno — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:16:35 GMT

So, I'm running a bit late in making my hotel reservation for E3 and the nicer down-town Los Angeles hotels are booked. Any recommendations on where to look if I expand my search radius? I will need to be on-site at the convention center, so I suppose that car-free would be best... but open to suggestions. (I'd prefer not to be by the airport). Cost isn't a major factor, but probably wouldn't go as high as the Four Seasons for example. thoughts? I'll have a day or so available for touristy stuff, so those suggestions are welcome as well. thank you!

Urgent care walk in clinic in Los Angeles

moammargaret — Tue, 07 May 2013 21:37:52 GMT

Looking for a non-sketchy, reputable urgent care walk-in clinic near downtown LA. Need a cortisone shot and painkiller. Thanks!

Visitors to L.A: Was traffic better or worse than you expected?

Room 641-A — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 02:14:43 GMT

I reply to a fair number of L.A. travel questions here and many of the answers (including mine) often contain dire warnings about traffic. This happens even if traffic isn't directly related to the question being asked. So, visitors to our fair city, how bad was the traffic really, and what information/advice can I give to newbie LA tourists who drive?

I'm mostly interested in first-time visitors who came to the area with a preconceived notion of what traffic is like here, especially if that notion came from an Angeleno rather than, say, a movie.

Again, I'm asking this in order to give better answers, not to start a traffic complaint log about L.A. or anywhere else.

Thanks!

Where to store luggage near the Farmer's Market in San Francisco?

turtlefu — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:33:53 GMT

I am flying into SFO tomorrow morning but unable to access the condo I am staying at until the late afternoon. I'd like to go to the farmer's market but I do not want wheel my luggage around. Where would be a good place to store it for the day?

Cycling routes from Pescadero to Caltrain in Silicon Valley?

Borborygmus — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:30:43 GMT

I'm planning a cycling trip to San Francisco to the Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Pescadero in July. I think I have a pretty good idea of how to get there by just following Highway 1, but I'm not sure how to get back. Instead of going back the way I came, I'd like to ride from Pescadero over the Santa Cruz mountains to Silicon Valley and catch the CalTrain into the city. Can anyone suggest a route? The shorter the better, so the station is not important! I know it'll be a climb.

Five or six hours in downtown San Francisco.

methinks — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 03:05:12 GMT

What is your ideal San Francisco spring afternoon for the uninitiated? (more inside)

I've seen much of the region over the years but can't claim to really know the city. This will be my wife's first visit.

We'll have five or six hours on a Saturday, midday. I'd like her to experience the character of the city, without spreading the time too terribly thin. Standard tourist checklist optional. We won't have a car and expect to leave the city via Larkspur ferry.

Castro? Marina? North Beach? The Wharf? Other?

Other considerations?

TIA!

When should I fly into LAX?

jenfullmoon — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:08:55 GMT

LAX is the closest airport to where I am staying (near USC). Planning on flying in on a Saturday (Mother's Day weekend) and leaving Tuesday. What time should I time my flight to arrive so as to not be in traffic for hours?

This is prompted by seeing this question with the commentary about the traffic.

I am flying in Saturday and would prefer to leave as late as I can swing it, i.e afternoon/night because there are things I'd like to be doing in my town during the day before I leave. I'll need to book a shuttle to and from the airport there. I'm assuming it's going to take hours and hours and hours to get to and from the hotel anyway, but how should I time booking my flights? I don't really have to be there at any specific time to worry about, but apparently I need to worry about this with traffic anyway.

Options for arriving Saturday are 8:30 a.m., 9:50 a.m., 11:35 a.m., 3:35 p.m., 5:45 p.m., and 8:20 p.m.

I am less rigid on when I fly back on Tuesday, other than check out is at 11 so I need to get out of there before then. Options for leaving are 6:30 a.m., 9:25 a.m., 12:30 p.m..

I'd also appreciate shuttle recommendations if anyone has them! My hotel doesn't have one.

What are the best schedules for ac transit?

crazy with stars — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:58:22 GMT

Google maps and 511 were inaccurate for oakland's ac transit this morning. What service should I use for an accurate schedule?

I was trying to catch the 1 or 1r north this morning at 49th and telegraph around 8:45am. According to google and 511 there should have been buses around 845 850 and 900, but the first bus came at 910. I have to take the same bus back this afternoon, and I'm trying to avoid another half hour wait outside.

1. Are the google and 511 schedules outdated? If so, where should I go for up-to-date schedules?
2. If those schedules are up-to-date, how in the future can I avoid waiting for a bus that never comes? Are the real-time arrivals reliable, for example? Should I give up on ac transit and just use bart, even if it involves more walking?

Items to bring in a carry-on bag for a trip to Los Angeles

mtphoto — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 17:17:02 GMT

I'm visiting L.A. for a week this month. What should I bring in my carry-on bag?

This is my first trip to Los Angeles and I'll be staying in the Hollywood and North Hollywood areas and renting a car.

What items should I bring in my carry-on on bag that I might not otherwise think to bring? I'm from Montana, so southern California is a completely new experience for me. I'm a guy, if that makes any difference in the item recommendations.

So far, I'm planning to bring these items:
sunscreen
swim suit
a GPS for the rental car
android media device (not a phone)
two pairs of shorts and 2-3 pairs of pants
softshell jacket
iPod
notebook

maybe bring these items:
Frommer's guide to Los Angeles (for any last minute ideas)
Kindle

Critique my California Road Trip/San Francisco Visit Itinerary!

hungrybruno — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:06:48 GMT

In one short month Mr. Bruno and I are traveling to California (from Boston) for a long overdue vacation. I am hoping you can help me make it even more awesome (it's been years since we got to travel without a family visit or a wedding to attend, so it's already pretty awesome). I have seen this thread, and used it to plan parts of this trip, and would like some specific feed back as well as general recommendations, if you've got 'em. Accomodations and number of nights are set, but activities are not. Things we like: eating, walking/not-too-long hikes (especially in parks/gardens), people watching, unusual museums/unique visitor attractions, farmer's markets, bookstores, unique food shops. Most of our vacations are just walking around, poking into places that look interesting, and eating.

Here is our tentative itinerary, it is long and I am full of questions:

We arrive late into LAX, and are planning to pick up a car at the airport and drive to our hotel in Santa Monica.

We're staying on Main St. & Ocean Park Blvd. Any good breakfast/dinner restaurant recommendations, preferably in walking distance (up to a mile)? Good places to get fish tacos? Planning to spend Saturday on/near the beach instead of going into LA proper. Sunday morning the farmer's market is right near our hotel, then I thought we would maybe drive Mulholland on our way out of town (even though it's out of the way). Will there be a good spot to take cheese-ball selfies with the hollywood sign in the background?

From Santa Monica, we head north up the PCH for 2 nights in Santa Barbara. Anything we shouldn't miss in between? In Santa Barbara we're staying on State St, a few blocks from the beach. Things we want to do: poke around the boardwalk/pier, visit the Botanic Garden. Is the Chumash painted cave worth a visit?

Our next stop is 1 night at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. What should we do/see in SLO? Where should we eat?

We plan to leave SLO earlyish so we can stop and see the elephant seals, but is a stop at Hearst Castle worth the time/expense? We have two nights in Monterey, and we plan to go to the aquarium. Is there anything else we shouldn't miss in Monterey/Carmel?

The last part of our trip is 5 nights in San Francisco; we've got an apartment in North Beach. We plan to arrive mid-day, drop off our bags, then drive back down to the airport and BART back into town. (Unfortunately, returning the car in the city adds $100 to the reservation). I've got more restaurant recommendations than I have actual meals to figure out, but we do have to fill the time between meals one way or another. Could we spend a whole day at GG park or Presidio and not get bored? What about SFMOMA? I've heard about Omnivore Books, but are there other fun book or kitchen-y stores we shouldn't miss? What are some good streets for strolling along that will give us a sense of a given neighborhood (this goes for any of these cities)?

Thank you all so much for your input, and for reading this whole mess.