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Driving from SD to LA

luken8r

luken8r

Monkey
Mar 5, 2004
564
0
Melrose MA
Is it possible for a day trip? Im heading out to SD in March and was thinking of renting a car to drive up the coast to check it out for a day. Leave SD early morn, drive up the coast, have lunch in Santa Monica/Hollywood or some other touristy type area then head back. What does 135miles equate to in LA traffic time?
 
Brian HCM#1

Brian HCM#1

MMMMMMMMM BEER!!!!!!!!!!
Sep 7, 2001
32,119
378
Bay Area, California
luken8r said:
Is it possible for a day trip? Im heading out to SD in March and was thinking of renting a car to drive up the coast to check it out for a day. Leave SD early morn, drive up the coast, have lunch in Santa Monica/Hollywood or some other touristy type area then head back. What does 135miles equate to in LA traffic time?
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Figure 2.5-3 hours.
 
Heidi

Heidi

Der hund ist laut und braun
Aug 22, 2001
10,184
797
Bend, Oregon
Depends how far into San Diego, and how far into LA, what day it is, and what time it is. Leaving early means you'll be in traffic heading rush hour traffi in LA. YUMMY.
 
luken8r

luken8r

Monkey
Mar 5, 2004
564
0
Melrose MA
Heidi said:
Depends how far into San Diego, and how far into LA, what day it is, and what time it is. Leaving early means you'll be in traffic heading rush hour traffi in LA. YUMMY.
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I was thinking of doing this on a Sunday. We are going to be there from Thursday through Tuesday, but our only open days are Friday and Sunday. Three hours isnt too bad.
I know the PCH is really nice north of LA, but we wont be able to get that far for the time we have; are there any other scenic drives we can take to or from?
 
Ciaran

Ciaran

Fear my banana
Apr 5, 2004
9,839
15
So Cal
merrrrjig said:
You can easily do it in 1 day
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Yup. I have done it many times. For me, leaving from Ocean Beach in San Diego (by Sea World) I can get home to Pasadena (and Mt. Wilson) in about 2.5 hours. (and vice versa)
 
MikeD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
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You can do it, but you're not going to get enough of LA in that short of a time to make the trip worthwhile, IMHO. I made the trip a bunch of times to shuttle Mt Wilson...hard, but worth it...but if all I was going to do was eat lunch and go to the beach, I'd stay in SD and do it.

But if you've got a wild hare up yer butt for the trip, do it. Hit Santa Monica and/or Hollywood, drive up through the Malibu hills, grab an in-n-out on the way back.

God, now I'm hungry.
 
H

HarryCallahan

Monkey
Sep 29, 2004
229
0
SC mtns
:cool: Aim a little south. Just drive up to Orange County and hit up Laguna Beach or Newport. Both are beautiful places, you can walk on the beach, have lunch, hang out, go shopping if you are so inclined. In fact, you could easily hit both. Get off 5 at Capistrano, cruise the Coast Highway. Lunch in Laguna at any number of places; dinner in Newport at the Crabcooker or at Ruby's on the Balboa Pier. Go down to Da Wedge and (if its breaking) watch the locals surf the most insane break you'll ever see.

Or, do a dawn patrol to LA.
Seriously, leave SD at 5 am for LA.
No recommendations from me as to places, but see what you want, plan on having dinner, then driving back after. You'll still hit traffic going up, but at leat you'l have some time for some sights.
 
hooples3

hooples3

Fuggetaboutit!
Mar 14, 2005
5,245
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Brooklyn
make sure to go past the santa monica pier and go Gladstones for lunch its maybe 15 minutes past it!!! Down on the PCH.
 
luken8r

luken8r

Monkey
Mar 5, 2004
564
0
Melrose MA
Right on. We are going to be in San Diego for 5 days and wanted to take a road trip for a day. Tentative plan was to rent some small car/maybe a MX5 and head up to one of the beachs for lunch/walking around. Tool around some of the touristy areas, see some big houses, drive up the PCH to Malibu and the mountains and head back.
 
MikeD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,679
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chez moi
Well, while in San Diego, do the following:

Eat at Bombay in Hillcrest if you like Indian food. Best out there, not too steep, but a really nice place.

Go to Ocean Beach and get a burger at Hodad's on Newport near the pier. Again, best burger out there.

Just down Newport from Hodad's (away from the ocean) is Ortega's. (the first restaurant, not the tamalaria a few blocks away.) My fave mexican in all of SD. Get some fish tacos and a tamal or two...the cheese-and-jalapeno tamales are fuggin' amazing. The sangria kicks ass as well. (Due to the secret ingredient, Sierra Mist.)
 
Ciaran

Ciaran

Fear my banana
Apr 5, 2004
9,839
15
So Cal
MikeD said:
Well, while in San Diego, do the following:

Eat at Bombay in Hillcrest if you like Indian food. Best out there, not too steep, but a really nice place.

Go to Ocean Beach and get a burger at Hodad's on Newport near the pier. Again, best burger out there.

Just down Newport from Hodad's (away from the ocean) is Ortega's. (the first restaurant, not the tamalaria a few blocks away.) My fave mexican in all of SD. Get some fish tacos and a tamal or two...the cheese-and-jalapeno tamales are fuggin' amazing. The sangria kicks ass as well. (Due to the secret ingredient, Sierra Mist.)
Click to expand...
I second the vote for Ortegas.

And if you end up in Ocean Beach in SD send me a PM. My in-laws live there. I'll meet you for a burger and buy you a beer!
 
lovebunny

lovebunny

can i lick your balls?
Dec 14, 2003
7,310
209
San Diego, California, United States
MikeD said:
Well, while in San Diego, do the following:

Eat at Bombay in Hillcrest if you like Indian food. Best out there, not too steep, but a really nice place.

Go to Ocean Beach and get a burger at Hodad's on Newport near the pier. Again, best burger out there.

Just down Newport from Hodad's (away from the ocean) is Ortega's. (the first restaurant, not the tamalaria a few blocks away.) My fave mexican in all of SD. Get some fish tacos and a tamal or two...the cheese-and-jalapeno tamales are fuggin' amazing. The sangria kicks ass as well. (Due to the secret ingredient, Sierra Mist.)
Click to expand...
this man speaks the truth. hodads is the best burger you can get and ortegas is the jesus of mexican food. i think im gonna go get some of both tomorrow. hodads for breakfast and ortegas for lunch...yeeeaaah. then some in n out for dinner. ooooo. im gonna make tomorrow my clog my arteries day
 
luken8r

luken8r

Monkey
Mar 5, 2004
564
0
Melrose MA
Hows the public transportation in San Diego? Do they have a subway? I need a good way to get from the airport to the hotel without spending a ton on a cab
 
luken8r

luken8r

Monkey
Mar 5, 2004
564
0
Melrose MA
We are at the Westin on Broadway. Im looking over the SD public trans website and it sure does suck. I think the hotel is in the middle of all the action so we will be walking most everywhere, just not from the airport.
We were in San Fran last spring and walked most everywhere, from our hotel in Union Square over the hills to Fishermans Wharf and there abouts so I cant imagine SD to be any worse for walking than that trip was. Our only destination in the city, other than the ball park (the reason for the trip :D), is the Zoo and that doenst look to be too far, maybe 2 miles or so from the hotel
 
I

irishMonkey

Chimp
Jun 17, 2005
82
0
Los Olivos
I live 30 minuets north of santa barbara and my dad travels to LA in one day there and back at least twice a weak. He onece made it to San Fransisco and back in one day. They drive so much. It used to take me and hour and a half to get to school. By the time we got home it was dark. it was a private school so we had a lot of homework and i couldnt do it in the car because i get car sick.
 
MikeD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,679
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chez moi
luken8r said:
Hows the public transportation in San Diego? Do they have a subway? I need a good way to get from the airport to the hotel without spending a ton on a cab
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HAHAHHHHAAAHAHAHAHAaaahhhaaahhhaaa. ah, haaaahhha.....aahahahahahAHHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!
 
MikeD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,679
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chez moi
If you're downtown, a cab to the airport isn't goint to cost you all that much. It's not far.
 
rooftest

rooftest

Monkey
Jul 10, 2005
611
0
OC, CA
MikeD said:
HAHAHHHHAAAHAHAHAHAaaahhhaaahhhaaa. ah, haaaahhha.....aahahahahahAHHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!
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You beat me to it. Subway? HA!

Are you at the Westin in downtown? There's no way that's within walking distance of the zoo. Since you're staying at the Westin, you can spring for a couple more days with the rental car.
 
luken8r

luken8r

Monkey
Mar 5, 2004
564
0
Melrose MA
rooftest said:
You beat me to it. Subway? HA!

Are you at the Westin in downtown? There's no way that's within walking distance of the zoo. Since you're staying at the Westin, you can spring for a couple more days with the rental car.
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as far as i can tell its 2 miles from door to door. unless its not exactly walking roads, without sidewalks, thats plenty do-able

why get a car if you dont need one?
 
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