Things todo, places to see... Xmas Las Vegas, LA and San Francisco

[Doggie]

Hello everyone, been away for a while... If I remember correctly GTP has a strong west coast US memberlist? Would there be any of you giving some insight to me and my gf?

On 22th of December we are taking a 25 hour flight (...with two lay-overs) to Vegas. On the next day we will rent a car and drive to "somewhere" (=hotel not yet decided) to LA or maybe Pasadena. One night there and onward to San Francisco. Basicly we have the car for 6-7 days and we shall return to Vegas for new Years eve.

Now, Fellow GTP members. Recommend me places to visit. I know all the "top ten to visit" spots, like Alcatraz and such, so I'm asking for "local" knowledge. I'm thinking in the lines of a good comic book store, or a local Burger King with a nasty fish tank... small things. You know.

Also all info of "what not to do" is also welcome... I consider myself as a seasoned traveller, but any new info is always welcome.

 

[nk4e]

Fishermans Warf ( pier 23?) in San Francisco. Compton, LA ( j/k)

 

[FrancisBenjamin]

as far as LA goes...

for food check out "Pinks hot dog" place, if you like sushi try "Toshi Sushi" on ventura blvd.

if you want to see a good view... go to mulholland drive canyon.

Dockweiler beach is a really nice place, you can have a bonfire and watch the planes fly by... (santa monica sucks)

there are plenty of other things, i will post up as i remember them.

 

[opelgt1969]

Area 51 OK for real here I'm not from the west coast but have been there. Two things I wish I had seen are the "Grand Canyon" and the "Redwood Forest" going west you will want to stop at "Hover Dam" very interesting tour maybe someone else could let you know how long it takes now as when I went it was pre-911 when you could still drive across the dam as the "new" road across the river was still being built. I'm thinking around 2 hours for the tour. You could do this from Vegas one day also, I'm thinking 1-2 hour drive there.

 

[Mrs. Famine]

Vegas - visit the car museum in the Imperial Palace. Take a trip up the Stratosphere, and have something to eat in Lucky's Diner on the casino floor. There's a sizeable theme park at the rear of Circus Circus with some half decent rides if that's your "thang"
Each casino has a "feature" - by far the best is the Bellagio and the fountains. A free show every half hour initially, then every 15 minutes when it gets dark (the best shows are on the hour). There's also a random volcano feature as well which is worth a look, again best when it's dark. Try and get to Fremont Street in the evening, if only to see the TV screen which stretches for an entire block above your head

San Francisco - Go and have a look at Lombard Street, and Nob Hill. Visit Pier 31 (Fisherman's Wharf), also take a trip around the city on the trams. Castro is an interesting district, mainly because it is famous for gay culture but there are some lovely random coffee shops there. I will mention Alcatraz, it is a "touristy" thing but well worth a visit. Make sure you wrap up as it will be cold

LA - can't help you there, I've never been

I would advise buying yourself a "rough guide" off ebay, they give you insights into some of the more random and less touristy places to visit in all the major towns and cities around the world.

 

[LizMcQueen]

I left Las Vegas three years ago, but I guess it would not change much.
First choose the hotel according to your tastes, you go with your girlfriend... I think The Venetian would be a good choice.
In the Strip there are plenty of things to visit/watch (and many of them for free):
CSI (MGM), Eiffel Tower (Paris), Fountains (Bellagio), Volcano (Mirage), Lake of Dreams (Wynn), Runway Shows (Fashion Show Mall), attractions at the top of the Stratosphere Tower, Gameworks and M&M's World (Strip), The Auto Collections (Imperial Palace), Gallery Art (Bellagio), Sharks (Mandalay Bay), Dolphins (Mirage)... and a thousand more.
There are always good shows in hotels, concerts, musicals, magic, comedy, art exhibitions, sporting events...
You can try something different visiting a natural park, an excursion to the Death Valley, Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead... will be interesting and educational.
How about a trip by plane/helicopter over The Strip and the Grand Canyon?

BTW, everyone knows the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign, the other side (the first part) is important too:

 

[Radracing]

From LA to SF try to stay close to the coastal towns like Santa Monica, Santa Barbara on highway 1 and work your way up to San Francisco on highway 101 to Monterey take the 17 mile drive there then if you have time head over to Santa Cruz. There are lots of Bed and breakfast along there too so if you like what you see spend a night there and start fresh for the rest of the drive up north to San Francisco. On the way back to Vegas I would head Northeast to Lake Tahoe then work your way down to Yosemite and back to Vegas. But if time is an issue just head back to Vegas straight from San Francisco and then you can decide if you have time for the Grand Canyon or at least the Hover Dam.

Oh, while your in San Francisco if you have the time and maybe I'm free at that same time give me a call. I'm in Alameda about 25 minutes away from San Francisco we might have some time to do some GT5 races. 💡

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/group.php?groupid=74

 

[Alex.]

How ironic Radacing, after driving from Santa Monica along H1 I'm in Santa Barbara and in a couple of days head to SF. A lovely town.

 

[Reims_]

Theres a NASCAR themed restaurant in Vegas near the Venetian iirc, big American burgers are huge (and cheap). Theme park rides on the top of the stratosphere are awesome 👍

San Fran, there's a strip club on market street that gave me free entry because I asked for a 'travelers discount' 👍


Also there's a spy shop near fisho's warf that's pretty cool too. http://www.internationalspyshop.com/

 

[Solid Lifters]

What are your interests? Cars, sports, paintings, history, animals, night life (dancing, clubing, etc) crazy adventures, etc. For the LA scene, I'm your man. I've listed the places most likely you'll be interested. General places to visit, food and beaches.

General Places to Visit (including museums, theme parks and zoos):

This web link has pretty much the fun places to visit ready for you to browse through.
http://www.garyisse.com/article-224.htm

Food:

Burgers: In 'N Out, Fatburger, Original Tommy's, Apple Pan, Jim's Burgers and Legends
Pizza: Round Table, Numero Uno, Lampost, Casa Bianca and Sabatino's
Chili Dogs: Original Tommy's, Pinks, Carney's, Big D and Art's.
Mexican: La Cabinita, La Paloma, La Babita, La Huasteca, La Casita, Baja Sonora, Mi India Bonita, Tacos Baja Ensenada, El Parian and Tere's Mexican Grill

Bob's Big Boy in Burbank is a MUST GO place on Friday nights, if you're a car fan. If not, you can skip. In 'N Out is the originator of the 'typical' California style cheeseburger. That's with lettuce, tomato and a tangy sauce. Original Tommy's has the best chili and is a SoCal icon. Both these places are traditional and original SoCal eateries. I'd include Pinks in there, too. If you can't find a decent Mexican resturant in LA, you don't like Mexican food. Don't hesitate to try the 'taco trucks' that are parked in popular places. The food is top grade and excellent!


Beaches:

Corona Del Mar (romantic)
The Wedge (surf)
Huntington Pier (surf)
Santa Monica Pier (amusement park/family)
Dockweiler Beach (party w/ bonfires)
El Matador Beach (romantic)
Redondo Beach (amusement park/family)
Manhattan Beach (tourist pit)
Venice Beach (tourist pit)
Paradise Cove (romantic)
Dana Point (romantic)
Zuma Beach (surf)

Just do image searches for the following, and you'll find what you like. Corona Del Mar is my favorite. Took many dates at sunset there. Beautiful beach.

 

[Alex.]

Malibu Lagoon State Beach = Surfing

 

[nk4e]

From what I hear also, you have to be careful which Taco trucks you go to. IT might not be meat or thats just a myth.

Theres a NASCAR themed restaurant in Vegas near the Venetian iirc, big American burgers are huge (and cheap). Theme park rides on the top of the stratosphere are awesome

I believe that is the Sahara. They have a burrito challenge. It has tons of stuff on it and if you can't eat it, they will charge you 20 dollars and take your picture.
Vegas, bring your own food or eat at a buffet. There are 24hours Panda Express, Walgreens and Mcdonalds but it is really busy at night.

 

[Reims_]

I found a fast food joint that was embarrassingly bad in Vegas, Carl Jnr or Karl Jnr or something. Never heard of that place before but I only went there once. Terrible food lol

Also I couldn't order from the drive thru speaker at McDonalds near the MGM Grand because of my "foreign accent".

I'm Australian

 

[nk4e]

I found a fast food joint that was embarrassingly bad in Vegas, Carl Jnr or Karl Jnr or something. Never heard of that place before but I only went there once. Terrible food lol

Also I couldn't order from the drive thru speaker at McDonalds near the MGM Grand because of my "foreign accent".

I'm Australian

Nothing wrong with that. The tourist(s) that usually passes by my town and ask for directions either know their way around because of a map or speak passable English. I always go inside because its either very humid or the drive thru is packed.
Casino Water- 3.00USD

 

[Reims_]

Yeah but it's not like I speak french or something. They just couldn't understand an Australian accent. Weird.

 

[Solid Lifters]

Carl's Jr is a mega-fastfood resturant with what I call 'McDonald's' grade food. Their best burger is the Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger. They have other burgers, that I don't care for. Don't go there much, anymore. My boys currently get their burger fix from my homemade Big Max.

The taco trucks in LA are very clean and have GREAT quality food. If you see a mix race of people standing in line, go there. If you see only Mexicans in line, avoid it. They usually only go for the cheap, low quality stuff.

 

[nk4e]

I believe the burrito at Sahara's

 

[opelgt1969]

Yeah but it's not like I speak french or something. They just couldn't understand an Australian accent. Weird.

You have to remember that your in the US of A you have to speak spanish

 

[nk4e]

You have to remember that your in the US of A you have to speak spanish

or Ebonics

 

[Doggie]

Sorry all for doing a "hit and run" asking a question, and then vanishing for a month... ...but it's been a crazy month at work, and I wanted to take my time to answer all properly.

as far as LA goes...

for food check out "Pinks hot dog" place, if you like sushi try "Toshi Sushi" on ventura blvd. ...snip

While in Vegas we are staying at Planet Hollywood which seems to have a "Pink´s". Same Franchise maybe? Stumbled on to this while googling. Looks like a killer

snip... Two things I wish I had seen are the "Grand Canyon" and the "Redwood Forest" going west you will want to stop at "Hover Dam" very interesting tour ...snip

Grand Canyon and Hover Dam we have on our todo list. Redwood Forest was news to us, thx for the tip. Have to do some googling and try to fit it in.

Vegas - visit the car museum in the Imperial Palace. Take a trip up the Stratosphere, and have something to eat in Lucky's Diner on the casino floor. There's a sizeable theme park at the rear of Circus Circus with some half decent rides if that's your "thang"
Each casino has a "feature" - by far the best is the Bellagio and the fountains. A free show every half hour initially, then every 15 minutes when it gets dark (the best shows are on the hour). There's also a random volcano feature as well which is worth a look, again best when it's dark. Try and get to Fremont Street in the evening, if only to see the TV screen which stretches for an entire block above your head

San Francisco - Go and have a look at Lombard Street, and Nob Hill. Visit Pier 31 (Fisherman's Wharf), also take a trip around the city on the trams. Castro is an interesting district, mainly because it is famous for gay culture but there are some lovely random coffee shops there. I will mention Alcatraz, it is a "touristy" thing but well worth a visit. Make sure you wrap up as it will be cold

LA - can't help you there, I've never been

I would advise buying yourself a "rough guide" off ebay, they give you insights into some of the more random and less touristy places to visit in all the major towns and cities around the world.

No snipping here, solid info and a sincere thank you sir. The car museum sound most promising to me, I´d probably go there for just for this XJ220

snip...
First choose the hotel according to your tastes, you go with your girlfriend... I think The Venetian would be a good choice.
In the Strip there are plenty of things to visit/watch (and many of them for free):
CSI (MGM), Eiffel Tower (Paris), Fountains (Bellagio), Volcano (Mirage), Lake of Dreams (Wynn), Runway Shows (Fashion Show Mall), attractions at the top of the Stratosphere Tower, Gameworks and M&M's World (Strip), The Auto Collections (Imperial Palace), Gallery Art (Bellagio), Sharks (Mandalay Bay), Dolphins (Mirage)... and a thousand more.
There are always good shows in hotels, concerts, musicals, magic, comedy, art exhibitions, sporting events...
You can try something different visiting a natural park, an excursion to the Death Valley, Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead... will be interesting and educational.
How about a trip by plane/helicopter over The Strip and the Grand Canyon?

BTW, everyone knows the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign, the other side (the first part) is important too:

Yep, we had the Venetian as a choice, but got a little better deal to stay at Planet Hollywood. We enjoy good food and dining so PH with plenty of restaurants seems like a good deal. You mention so many places to visit, We'll have take time to check which to visit.

The drive carefully probably is a good thing to remember. I remember having read from somewhere that most pedestrian accidents at Las Vegas are pedestrian tourists, watching sites, getting hit by driving tourists, which are also watching sites. The irony just blows my mind... But, I think I'll do ok. I'm a pretty safe driver and quite proud of my skills to quickly learn how to drive like the locals. Cities conquered by me and a rental: Paris, Madrid, Mexico City and Acapulco. And also a 25 hour driving marathon from Stockholm to Nice. (with the help of two friends)

From LA to SF try to stay close to the coastal towns like Santa Monica, Santa Barbara on highway 1 and work your way up to San Francisco on highway 101 to Monterey take the 17 mile drive there then if you have time head over to Santa Cruz. There are lots of Bed and breakfast along there too so if you like what you see spend a night there and start fresh for the rest of the drive up north to San Francisco. On the way back to Vegas I would head Northeast to Lake Tahoe then work your way down to Yosemite and back to Vegas. But if time is an issue just head back to Vegas straight from San Francisco and then you can decide if you have time for the Grand Canyon or at least the Hover Dam.

Oh, while your in San Francisco if you have the time and maybe I'm free at that same time give me a call. I'm in Alameda about 25 minutes away from San Francisco we might have some time to do some GT5 races. 💡

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/group.php?groupid=74

We have no Hotels booked for the road trip part yet, so we'll look in to taking the "upper" route back. And yes we'll take the coastal route from LA to SF. I'll take you on your offer of GT5 races and since we'll be at SF on 25th you'll probably feed us Christmas dinner too? Seriously, thanks for the offer, but my skills at GT have vanished many years ago, as I replaced my Playstation with Xbox...

Theres a NASCAR themed restaurant in Vegas near the Venetian iirc, big American burgers are huge (and cheap). Theme park rides on the top of the stratosphere are awesome 👍

San Fran, there's a strip club on market street that gave me free entry because I asked for a 'travelers discount' 👍


Also there's a spy shop near fisho's warf that's pretty cool too. http://www.internationalspyshop.com/

The strip club thing made my girlfriend chuckle, so she seems to be up for it The spyshop looks like my cup of tee, so I´ll try to check it out. Seems like a good place to get souvenirs for home, and problems at all the four airports for our return trip

What are your interests? Cars, sports, paintings, history, animals, night life (dancing, clubing, etc) crazy adventures, etc. For the LA scene, I'm your man. I've listed the places most likely you'll be interested. General places to visit, food and beaches.

General Places to Visit (including museums, theme parks and zoos):

This web link has pretty much the fun places to visit ready for you to browse through.
http://www.garyisse.com/article-224.htm

Food:

Burgers: In 'N Out, Fatburger, Original Tommy's, Apple Pan, Jim's Burgers and Legends
Pizza: Round Table, Numero Uno, Lampost, Casa Bianca and Sabatino's
Chili Dogs: Original Tommy's, Pinks, Carney's, Big D and Art's.
Mexican: La Cabinita, La Paloma, La Babita, La Huasteca, La Casita, Baja Sonora, Mi India Bonita, Tacos Baja Ensenada, El Parian and Tere's Mexican Grill

Bob's Big Boy in Burbank is a MUST GO place on Friday nights, if you're a car fan. If not, you can skip. In 'N Out is the originator of the 'typical' California style cheeseburger. That's with lettuce, tomato and a tangy sauce. Original Tommy's has the best chili and is a SoCal icon. Both these places are traditional and original SoCal eateries. I'd include Pinks in there, too. If you can't find a decent Mexican resturant in LA, you don't like Mexican food. Don't hesitate to try the 'taco trucks' that are parked in popular places. The food is top grade and excellent!


Beaches:

Corona Del Mar (romantic)
The Wedge (surf)
Huntington Pier (surf)
Santa Monica Pier (amusement park/family)
Dockweiler Beach (party w/ bonfires)
El Matador Beach (romantic)
Redondo Beach (amusement park/family)
Manhattan Beach (tourist pit)
Venice Beach (tourist pit)
Paradise Cove (romantic)
Dana Point (romantic)
Zuma Beach (surf)

Just do image searches for the following, and you'll find what you like. Corona Del Mar is my favorite. Took many dates at sunset there. Beautiful beach.

Again a huge amount of info, and thank you for it. Especially your list on restaurants. Will I get a patch or trophy of some kind if I try them all? Or just 20 pounds of new waist line?

 

[Doggie]

Reserved if I find out that I forgot someone from the mega reply...

...and a question. Back here in Finland we have these cheap gsm/3G deals for monthly internet usage. If I bring my laptop with me, would I be able to pick up a prepaid sim card or usb modem with data access at Las Vegas? Something that would work with my laptop at Vegas, LA, SF and the roads connecting them?

 

[DaSixSixOne]

I live in LA and would suggest that you certainly hit the Santa Monica area and then drive up along Pacific Coast Highway (the PCH) up into Malibu and visit a great beachside restaurant called Paradise Cove. From there, continue to ride up the PCH and in 4-5 hours, you'll end up in near Monterey, the home of Laguna Seca so you should definitely check that out. Also, along the PCH and before Laguna Seca, Hearst Castle is a beautiful sight to see. Safe travels!

 

[Icarus25]

Grand Canyon and Hover Dam we have on our todo list. Redwood Forest was news to us, thx for the tip. Have to do some googling and try to fit it in.

You get to see the completed bridge at Hoover Dam. It was maybe half done when I was there about 18 months ago.

 

[Famine]

No snipping here, solid info and a sincere thank you sir.

That's no sir, that's my wife!

If you search the Rumble Strip for "Famine Family Holiday", one thread is Las Vegas and one is San Francisco/Vegas (via a roadtrip across the Mojave in a convertible Mustang) and New York - you can snip out the last 5 days of that one. We got married in San Francisco too

 

[Doggie]

That's no sir, that's my wife!

If you search the Rumble Strip for "Famine Family Holiday", one thread is Las Vegas and one is San Francisco/Vegas (via a roadtrip across the Mojave in a convertible Mustang) and New York - you can snip out the last 5 days of that one. We got married in San Francisco too

Ooops, the Mrs Fa. on the avatar should have been a giveaway

Getting married is something we might do also, but we have no exact plans about it... I've popped the question allready and neither of us want a big (=expensive) wedding so we just might wake up one morning Vegas as a hangover married couple ...and checking your threads now.

 

[Famine]

Ours was quite a small wedding - 16 guests - and we used a company that rents out boats and does all the catering and organisation. So we got married in San Francisco bay, then had four hours of cruising around it - up to the Golden Gate and Alcatraz - as the sun set behind the city It was cheaper, flights included, than getting married over here...

Vegas is a viable alternative We considered a second wedding there, but chose not to.