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Honeymooning across California
MetroidZoid
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So me and the future-wife have finally settled down on an idea for our honeymoon. From Grants Pass OR, we're gonna haul ass down I-5 to San Diego for 2 or 3 nights (looking at a ~16 hour drive, so while we plan on taking driving shifts, given how tired we are after the wedding we'll probably hang-over halfway at my sisters) . Then, for the remaining 4 days, make our way back home along (primarily) the coast, stopping wherever we choose.
Now, I'm a native Californian, but I haven't been to San Diego since I was 8, and while I know a few cool places, I know the best info comes from the locals. And also this forum. So, H/A, where are some cool spots, stores, things to do, that are must-see's, check-'em-outs, and such?
Places we shall go, places we shall see:
Balboa Park / San Diego Zoo
San Juan Capistrano
Ventura / Camarillo (my hometown ... wanna go see my childhood home
Santa Barbara (maybe Morro Bay?)
Santa Cruz
Monterey
San Francisco for a day
And unless there's much past SF, we'll probably just enjoy the coast trip up home until we hit Crescent City, then drive inland from there. Also, as we're looking at hotels and such now, the first few nights in San Diego we're going to book ahead. Past that, it'll probably be 'whenever we're ready to stop', and even if that's using the tent we're gonna pack that's okay too. So any advice on cool hotels / good deals / nice campgrounds and that sort of thing are also welcome. Or any thing we're missing in general.
Extra-credit: We're also toying with the idea of stopping around anyplace that's 'purportedly haunted', or just looks haunted, just for our own amusement. E.g, the Coronado Hotel, old (but-still-in-use) buildings off the beaten path, stuff like that. It doesn't even have to have a creepy story behind it. And google-fu has failed to show me anything helpful online regarding 'haunted California sites' ... really, when an amateur site is tossing me the "Pasadena's The Kmart on Euclid Avenue OOooooOoohh!" cookie, I think I'll pass. So yeah, throw those in too if you know 'em.
Now, I'm a native Californian, but I haven't been to San Diego since I was 8, and while I know a few cool places, I know the best info comes from the locals. And also this forum. So, H/A, where are some cool spots, stores, things to do, that are must-see's, check-'em-outs, and such?
Places we shall go, places we shall see:
Balboa Park / San Diego Zoo
San Juan Capistrano
Ventura / Camarillo (my hometown ... wanna go see my childhood home
Santa Barbara (maybe Morro Bay?)
Santa Cruz
Monterey
San Francisco for a day
And unless there's much past SF, we'll probably just enjoy the coast trip up home until we hit Crescent City, then drive inland from there. Also, as we're looking at hotels and such now, the first few nights in San Diego we're going to book ahead. Past that, it'll probably be 'whenever we're ready to stop', and even if that's using the tent we're gonna pack that's okay too. So any advice on cool hotels / good deals / nice campgrounds and that sort of thing are also welcome. Or any thing we're missing in general.
Extra-credit: We're also toying with the idea of stopping around anyplace that's 'purportedly haunted', or just looks haunted, just for our own amusement. E.g, the Coronado Hotel, old (but-still-in-use) buildings off the beaten path, stuff like that. It doesn't even have to have a creepy story behind it. And google-fu has failed to show me anything helpful online regarding 'haunted California sites' ... really, when an amateur site is tossing me the "Pasadena's The Kmart on Euclid Avenue OOooooOoohh!" cookie, I think I'll pass. So yeah, throw those in too if you know 'em.
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If you're stopping in Monterey the Aquarium is one of the best I've seen and one of those "must-do" things. A lot of people enjoy going around Carmel-by-the-Sea which is this quaint little rich town with lots of cute shops at places to eat (I can't recommend the Forge in the Forest (http://www.forgeintheforest.com/foodndrink.php) enough)... and it's right by the beach so you can do a bit of that as well.
As far as food goes, I'm just going to all out whore for Ambrosia (There's lots of camping off Highway 1 in the Monterey area. We never went while we were there but a lot of friends were often out and about camping on the weekends.
If you're stopping in Monterey the Aquarium is one of the best I've seen and one of those "must-do" things. A lot of people enjoy going around Carmel-by-the-Sea which is this quaint little rich town with lots of cute shops at places to eat... and it's right by the beach so you can do a bit of that as well.
As far as food goes, I'm just going to all out whore for Ambrosia (There's lots of camping off Highway 1 in the Monterey area. We never went while we were there but a lot of friends were often out and about camping on the weekends.
If you're stopping in Monterey the Aquarium is one of the best I've seen and one of those "must-do" things. It's right on Cannery Row so you can walk and look at the shops and galleries there as well. A lot of people enjoy going around Carmel-by-the-Sea which is this quaint little rich town with lots of cute shops, more galleries, and places to eat... and it's right by the beach so you can do a bit of that as well.
As far as food goes, I'm just going to all out whore for Ambrosia (http://ambrosiaib.com/). Hands down the best Indian food I've ever had; the husband and I went there (and brought people there) multiple times in our year and a half stint there. It's easy to get to, even if you're walking around downtown Monterey. If you don't do dinner, they have an awesome buffet for a great price and there's always delicious, delicious food.
If you like pubs The Crown and Anchor (http://www.crownandanchor.net/) is also a really fun place to go.
I don't know much about the hotels and such in the area... it wasn't really something we had to worry about while there. I had really, really wanted to do a weekend at the awesome looking Tickle Pink In for our anniversary but timing and money didn't work out at the time. I've heard it's awesome though.
for our third (maybe fourth? doesn't matter) anniversary, my boyfriend and i went camping up the coast to hearst castle and the redwoods, and it was wonderful.
I will also second Hurst Castle. That place was awesome! Also ditto on the Monterrey Bay Aquarium.
If you want a fancy restaurant, try Chaminade. If you want something more affordable but still quite nice and romantic, try The Crepe Place. You must get ice cream from Mariannes before you go.
Check out Natural Bridges. It's always beautiful. It's particularly beautiful when the monarch butterflies migrate to the eucalyptus grove - Google it to figure out when they expect the butterflies to be there this year. It's usually late Fall.
Purportedly haunted: The Mystery Spot. It's mostly an optical illusion, but if you like that sort of thing you might get a kick out of it.
San Jose, purportedly haunted: Winchester Mystery House.
San Mateo (halfway between SJ and SF): Check out a place called Pasta Primavera. It's an affordable Italian restaurant that makes a great date spot. They make this sauce with sun-dried tomatos that is the most addictive thing ever.
If you're not going to do San Jose or San Mateo, drive from Santa Cruz to San Francisco along coastal Highway 1 during the daytime. It's incredibly gorgeous. Don't do this if it's dark or raining, though - it's a windy road and if you're unfamiliar with it it can be a little nerve-wracking at night.
San Francisco: my favorite tourist spots are the Exploratorium (a science museum where you can play with the exhibits), MoMa, and the California Academy of Sciences. If you have money to blow, make reservations now for a restaurant called The French Laundry. It's unspeakably expensive but literally world-famous - it's easily the most famous gourmet restaurant on the west coast. If you want a nice dinner without dropping hundreds of dollars, try Sheba Piano Lounge on Fillmore. They do Ethiopian, with a lot of more conservative entrees for the squeamish, they have a full bar, and they often have live music.
If you're driving north from SF, you might as well hit some Napa wineries and do some wine tasting.
One last thing. If you're not scared to be naked around other naked people, there's a hot tub place in Santa Cruz called Kiva, and a similar but larger spa resort in Napa county called Harbin Hot Springs. Either location is awesome for a relaxing soak, but be forewarned as they are both clothing-optional.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Going up the 101 (Highway 1), you can stop in Buellton/Solvang for a spell, there are some neat shops and restaurants (I HIGHLY recommend Pea Soup Andersen's).
The aforementioned Monterey Bay Aquarium is fantastic, as is Cannery Row for shopping/sightseeing.
The Santa Cruz Boardwalk is also neat to visit, even in the off season. Mystery Spot is in that area as well.
For spooky/hanted, try the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. The tour is brilliant.
Futher up past San Francisco, be sure to hit Trees of Mystery, and the Sea Lion Caves. Both extremely tourist-trapy, but fantastic.
I was like 7 years old though.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Interestingly enough about the Trees of Mystery ... that's like a mile or two outside Crescent City, which is about 3ish hours from home. When we go to the coast we usually take the Brookings route, but on our last trip (on which I proposed
The funny thing about that is the road back home goes through another great stand of redwoods, and it's all free! We have just as much fun parking on the side of the road and just getting near-lost in the woods.
I'm making notes of all these restaurants ... as far as expenses go, we're probably going to go cheaper rather than splurge, but you never know with us.
3DS FC: 4699-5714-8940 Playing Pokemon, add me! Ho, SATAN!
As far as just seeing iconic California, are you considering cutting inland? May want to get up into the Sierras, see Halfdome, and there have just got to be some "abandoned" haunted towns up there. Also, Lake Tahoe is just fun, but can be expensive.
Question: you're going to drive from Oregon to San Diego, then turn around and go back up stopping at places on the way back? Sounds rough. Might I recommend that you come down making stops via either the inland or coastal route, hit SD, then go back up on the other route, stopping as you go. Doesn't seem like a good idea to me to start your honeymoon that exhausted.
We're gonna pass on the east side of California, that'd be a whole 'nother trip in itself. And we're not worried about the drive ... that's how we usually take road-trips. Bee-line to the key destination, fool around on the way back because we're never in a hurry to get home. Giving us 4 days to get back to Oregon just gives us more time.
I'm kind of itcing to go to Winchester, but it'll probably be one of those 'we'll see' by the time we get around to San Jose ... time-wise, money wise, etc.
3DS FC: 4699-5714-8940 Playing Pokemon, add me! Ho, SATAN!
It was interesting and there were some pretty sights, but honestly, I didn't think it was an amazing "MUST DO, HOLY CRAP, THIS IS AWESOME" type of deal. I would probably never go again on my own but if we ever lived in the area and someone came to visit and just absolutely had to see it, I would.