Take me out to the ball game!
May 7, 2018 11:00 AM Subscribe
We will be visiting Palm Springs this weekend. We are Twins fans and just realized they will be in Anaheim during our stay. We want to attend the game on Sunday the 13th, which is the only option that doesn't result in us driving back to Palm Springs in the wee hours of the morning. We have some itinerary ideas and would like a local's insight. What can we fit in?
A visit to the beach, maybe Newport or Huntington, would be nice just to be able to see and dip my toes in the Pacific for the first time since it's so close. We'd also like to visit either some park area (Chino Hills?) or some other place of interest while we're there, preferably nature/zoo/science related.
The game is at 1pm so that's the only schedule mandate we have. I did a broad view of parking and it looks easy to get to and park, but potentially getting out and away from the stadium could be slow going (as it would be at any stadium). Options could be to visit the beach in the morning, then the game, then Chino Hills on the way back to Palm Springs, or vice versa which would afford a chance to watch the sunset on the coast.
Given traffic, is this a terrible idea to fit three things in like this, even though it's a Sunday? Assuming the game ends around 4pm, is this enough time to get a decent enough visit out of either the beach or a park before sunset, at which point we'd probably start wandering back to Palm Springs with dinner somewhere in between? What's traffic like on a Sunday? Is Google's estimate of 2.5 hours between PS and Anaheim realistic?
Assume:
- We have a car
- We can leave Palm Springs relatively early if it means fitting something in
- It would be nice to arrive back in Palm Springs by midnight
- Accommodations in Palm Springs are fixed and no flexibility to change Sat or Sun nights to somewhere nearer Anaheim
Please tell us if our plans are crazy, and/or suggest alternative itineraries to get the most out of our day in the area while still checking the ballpark off our list. Dinner ideas in the area and anywhere in between are also welcome.
Thanks!
A visit to the beach, maybe Newport or Huntington, would be nice just to be able to see and dip my toes in the Pacific for the first time since it's so close. We'd also like to visit either some park area (Chino Hills?) or some other place of interest while we're there, preferably nature/zoo/science related.
The game is at 1pm so that's the only schedule mandate we have. I did a broad view of parking and it looks easy to get to and park, but potentially getting out and away from the stadium could be slow going (as it would be at any stadium). Options could be to visit the beach in the morning, then the game, then Chino Hills on the way back to Palm Springs, or vice versa which would afford a chance to watch the sunset on the coast.
Given traffic, is this a terrible idea to fit three things in like this, even though it's a Sunday? Assuming the game ends around 4pm, is this enough time to get a decent enough visit out of either the beach or a park before sunset, at which point we'd probably start wandering back to Palm Springs with dinner somewhere in between? What's traffic like on a Sunday? Is Google's estimate of 2.5 hours between PS and Anaheim realistic?
Assume:
- We have a car
- We can leave Palm Springs relatively early if it means fitting something in
- It would be nice to arrive back in Palm Springs by midnight
- Accommodations in Palm Springs are fixed and no flexibility to change Sat or Sun nights to somewhere nearer Anaheim
Please tell us if our plans are crazy, and/or suggest alternative itineraries to get the most out of our day in the area while still checking the ballpark off our list. Dinner ideas in the area and anywhere in between are also welcome.
Thanks!
The earlier you can get on the road from Palm Springs, the better. Traffic gets increasingly worse throughout the day. The 2.5 hour drive time seems reasonable to me, but as Lyn Never says, it could take longer. Peak traffic time on weekend seems to be 11 AM to about 4 PM.
My recommendation would be to spend the morning at Crystal Cover State Park in Newport Beach. The beach there is lovely, with easy parking and lots of hiking/walking trails. The state park goes up from the beach and quickly enters the canyons backcountry, which covers the California Chapparal biome that you would see in Chino Hills. I don't think of Chino Hills State Park as particularly amazing or must-see. You could also stop off at California Citrus State Historic Park in Riverside, which has a lot of test orange groves and a museum detailing the citrus industry in Southern California.
If you wanted to break up the trip at dinner time, there's good food in Riverside or Redlands.
posted by topophilia at 11:31 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
My recommendation would be to spend the morning at Crystal Cover State Park in Newport Beach. The beach there is lovely, with easy parking and lots of hiking/walking trails. The state park goes up from the beach and quickly enters the canyons backcountry, which covers the California Chapparal biome that you would see in Chino Hills. I don't think of Chino Hills State Park as particularly amazing or must-see. You could also stop off at California Citrus State Historic Park in Riverside, which has a lot of test orange groves and a museum detailing the citrus industry in Southern California.
If you wanted to break up the trip at dinner time, there's good food in Riverside or Redlands.
posted by topophilia at 11:31 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
From the way you phrased a few things, I assume you're flying in for the weekend. What airport are you flying in to? To me, the weekend sounds like an awful lot of driving (and some rather ugly, trafficky driving at that), but this could work depending on where your start/end hubs are.
posted by queensissy at 12:46 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by queensissy at 12:46 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
"some other place of interest while we're there, preferably nature/zoo/science related."
For your closer to Palm Springs day, Living Desert.Gets two thumbs up from me and I'm not even the zoo person in our family.
Seconding other's comment that you're on vacation, do you really want all that driving?
posted by notned at 1:37 PM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
For your closer to Palm Springs day, Living Desert.Gets two thumbs up from me and I'm not even the zoo person in our family.
Seconding other's comment that you're on vacation, do you really want all that driving?
posted by notned at 1:37 PM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for the responses so far. To answer a few questions:
For Reasons, we're driving into Palm Springs from Phoenix several days beforehand. Sunday will be our last full day in the area.
We have plans around the Palm Springs area for each day (Living Desert is on the short list!), but Sunday was kinda open, and we (I) personally don't mind driving. (We commute an hour each way every day, so we're used to it.) The second half of our journey has relatively little driving planned so it's not like we'll be driving a ton the whole time.
Plus, we have a bucket list to eventually see the Twins in (or at least visit) every MLB ballpark, and since I personally have little desire to experience any more of LA, I figured this was an excellent opportunity to check a park off the list.
Yes, I hate traffic, but I won't let that stop me from seeing my team!
posted by SquidLips at 6:24 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
For Reasons, we're driving into Palm Springs from Phoenix several days beforehand. Sunday will be our last full day in the area.
We have plans around the Palm Springs area for each day (Living Desert is on the short list!), but Sunday was kinda open, and we (I) personally don't mind driving. (We commute an hour each way every day, so we're used to it.) The second half of our journey has relatively little driving planned so it's not like we'll be driving a ton the whole time.
Plus, we have a bucket list to eventually see the Twins in (or at least visit) every MLB ballpark, and since I personally have little desire to experience any more of LA, I figured this was an excellent opportunity to check a park off the list.
Yes, I hate traffic, but I won't let that stop me from seeing my team!
posted by SquidLips at 6:24 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Crystal Cover State Park
That was intended to be Crystal Cove, I am certain.
My wife's family is in Laguna Beach and we have made it to one day game at Anaheim. Personally, I would just have the game as my objective and slough the stretch goals. If you get going from Palm Springs early enough to get brunch at the coast (on a Sunday, mind) you'll likely want to head back to the park an hour or an hour and a half before game time to account for parking, getting lost, etc.
That sounds like a hell of a lot of driving to me, 5 to 8 hours in the car depending on if you add stuff. But hey! Go for it.
posted by mwhybark at 8:24 PM on May 7, 2018
That was intended to be Crystal Cove, I am certain.
My wife's family is in Laguna Beach and we have made it to one day game at Anaheim. Personally, I would just have the game as my objective and slough the stretch goals. If you get going from Palm Springs early enough to get brunch at the coast (on a Sunday, mind) you'll likely want to head back to the park an hour or an hour and a half before game time to account for parking, getting lost, etc.
That sounds like a hell of a lot of driving to me, 5 to 8 hours in the car depending on if you add stuff. But hey! Go for it.
posted by mwhybark at 8:24 PM on May 7, 2018
And maybe look at using Waze, if you have a smartphone? It has transformed my driving experience in LA and OC when visiting. Less time sitting in unmoving rivers of cars, no uncertainty about arrival times, just a complete stress reliever.
posted by mwhybark at 8:27 PM on May 7, 2018
posted by mwhybark at 8:27 PM on May 7, 2018
I just realized this weekend is Mother's day. No brunch, avoid the coast, buy tickets in advance if you really want to go to the game, give yourself at least 4 hours and grab fast food or grocery store deli to tailgate in the parking lot.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:55 AM on May 8, 2018
posted by Lyn Never at 9:55 AM on May 8, 2018
Lyn's likely right - the coastal geography is such that US-1, PCH, can clog pretty thoroughly on a sunny holiday weekend. Traffic will be predominantly southbound in the morning hours you are contemplating.
If you left at 7:30, you could be at Crystal Cove by anywhere from 9:30 to 10:30, and loop back up through Del Mar and Newport Beach to eat someplace between 10:30 or 11 and head back to the park by 11:45. So maybe. Traffic and how busy the restaurants will be will be your governing variables. If you can leave earlier and get to a restaurant by 9:30 I would say this could work.
There are places to eat nearish to the Park (and to Disney) but of course they aren't coastally situated. If it were a night game and you were able to overnight I'd even suggest Disneyland first! although that could be pretty exhausing. Well, have fun and enjoy the game - hope you luck into an Ohtani start, or not, as is your preference!
posted by mwhybark at 10:18 AM on May 8, 2018
If you left at 7:30, you could be at Crystal Cove by anywhere from 9:30 to 10:30, and loop back up through Del Mar and Newport Beach to eat someplace between 10:30 or 11 and head back to the park by 11:45. So maybe. Traffic and how busy the restaurants will be will be your governing variables. If you can leave earlier and get to a restaurant by 9:30 I would say this could work.
There are places to eat nearish to the Park (and to Disney) but of course they aren't coastally situated. If it were a night game and you were able to overnight I'd even suggest Disneyland first! although that could be pretty exhausing. Well, have fun and enjoy the game - hope you luck into an Ohtani start, or not, as is your preference!
posted by mwhybark at 10:18 AM on May 8, 2018
If it were me, I'd do the beach first thing in the morning, then -maybe- zoo/science museum; then early lunch in old town Orange, then the game, then drive back to Palm Springs.
Take the toll roads (241, then 133) south from the 91 west, and go down to Laguna Beach. You can pay the toll online, within 5 days. It'll save you a ton of time. After the beach, come back up the 133 to the 5 north; then take the 57 north to Angel Stadium on either Orangewood or Katella.
Skip Chino Hills park — it's kinda lame. If you want a zoo, there's the Santa Ana Zoo off the 5 a few minutes away, which is small, but the animals are well-cared for. If you want science… there's the Discovery Science museum in Santa Ana, also off the 5, but it's aimed more at kids.
If the game ends at 4, you'll be about another 30-45 minutes from the beach, depending on which beach you go to. I'd do beach before the game; less traffic, and less chance of the fog rolling in, preventing you from seeing the sunset.
Sunday's Mother's Day, so avoid any chain restaurant like the plague for brunch or lunch. I'm biased, having lived in Orange for 17 years, but go to the older part of Orange, near the traffic circle (Chapman and Glassell are the cross-streets). It's only one exit south of Anaheim stadium, and you can take Katella east from the stadium to Glassell, then go south until you hit the traffic circle. Felix's is a Cuban hole-in-the-wall that's good, but there's lots of other interesting non-chain places to eat, including a good BBQ place and a converted gas station that's now a diner. Avoid the restaurants on Katella that are near the stadium and the Pond; they're so close to Disneyland, that they'll be overpriced and infested with tourists.
Traffic near Angel Stadium isn't too bad until you're nearly there, and even then, only on the slow lanes on the 57, as people are getting off to go to the stadium. Traffic heading east will be fine at night; you'll be going against traffic.
On your way back to Palm Springs, stop at the Mission Inn in Riverside, for something to eat or drink. It's pretty cool and worth seeing.
posted by culfinglin at 9:40 PM on May 11, 2018
Take the toll roads (241, then 133) south from the 91 west, and go down to Laguna Beach. You can pay the toll online, within 5 days. It'll save you a ton of time. After the beach, come back up the 133 to the 5 north; then take the 57 north to Angel Stadium on either Orangewood or Katella.
Skip Chino Hills park — it's kinda lame. If you want a zoo, there's the Santa Ana Zoo off the 5 a few minutes away, which is small, but the animals are well-cared for. If you want science… there's the Discovery Science museum in Santa Ana, also off the 5, but it's aimed more at kids.
If the game ends at 4, you'll be about another 30-45 minutes from the beach, depending on which beach you go to. I'd do beach before the game; less traffic, and less chance of the fog rolling in, preventing you from seeing the sunset.
Sunday's Mother's Day, so avoid any chain restaurant like the plague for brunch or lunch. I'm biased, having lived in Orange for 17 years, but go to the older part of Orange, near the traffic circle (Chapman and Glassell are the cross-streets). It's only one exit south of Anaheim stadium, and you can take Katella east from the stadium to Glassell, then go south until you hit the traffic circle. Felix's is a Cuban hole-in-the-wall that's good, but there's lots of other interesting non-chain places to eat, including a good BBQ place and a converted gas station that's now a diner. Avoid the restaurants on Katella that are near the stadium and the Pond; they're so close to Disneyland, that they'll be overpriced and infested with tourists.
Traffic near Angel Stadium isn't too bad until you're nearly there, and even then, only on the slow lanes on the 57, as people are getting off to go to the stadium. Traffic heading east will be fine at night; you'll be going against traffic.
On your way back to Palm Springs, stop at the Mission Inn in Riverside, for something to eat or drink. It's pretty cool and worth seeing.
posted by culfinglin at 9:40 PM on May 11, 2018
Ooh, my Cali fam is Cuban (LA, OC, Laguna), you bet imma investigate Felix's next time! Thanks for the tip!
posted by mwhybark at 9:46 PM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by mwhybark at 9:46 PM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
It went great! We got to Crystal Cove in just over two hours, hit the beach and got to the game on time. The Twins lost (boo) and the trip back was also just over two hours.
posted by soelo at 9:13 AM on May 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by soelo at 9:13 AM on May 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
« Older Behavior Tracking App (For Kids) | Is this fountain real or CGI in the Wonderfalls... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
2.5 hours is nominal, you might want to plan for 3.5.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:24 AM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]