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California Trip with 2 teen boys

abc31

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Hi,
I would like to plan a trip to California with my 2 sons, 18 &14. I know they's like to do the Hollywood attractions, so I would like to spend some time in LA, but I'd like to also explore some other areas with them. I was thinking perhaps San Francisco or San Diego. I really have no idea where to start with my trip planning. First of all, are there any timeshares that would be ideal for spending time in LA? Or am I better off renting a hotel for that portion of the trip? And does anyone have any suggestions for where else to visit with them? I'd like to take at least a 10 day trip. I'd like to spend a day or 2 by a beach, but we spend a lot of time at the beach at home, so that's not going to be the highlight of the trip for them .

Thanks,
Amy
 

presley

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You may wish to stay in a hotel while visiting Los Angeles. While the area isn't huge, the traffic is a major issue. It depends on how you feel about driving and being stuck in traffic. Since you are interested in seeing Hollywood, the hotels I'd look at are the Hilton and the Sheraton at Universal City. They are both walking distance to the front gate of Universal studios Hollywood. You would still need to drive to Hollywood Blvd, or take an Uber to avoid having to find a place to park while there.

The nearest timeshares are in Orange County. It will take you anywhere from 1/2 hour to 1 1/2 hours to visit Hollywood from these, depending on traffic at the time. They will offer day trips on a bus to some Hollywood sites and that will save you some driving. In Anaheim, Peacock Suites (only a mini kitchen), Worldmark/Wyndham Anaheim and Dolphin's Cove are close to Disneyland. If you want to be near one of the most beautiful beaches in southern California (Crystal Cove state park), you may be able to get Marriott's Newport Coast Villas in Newport Beach.

Deciding between san Francisco and san Diego will depend on what you all want to do. They are totally different. I live in San Diego county and have been to San Fran many times. So, if you want to list your interests, I can give you some more details on either of those areas.
 

Vacationsarefun

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I definitely would stay in a hotel for the LA portion of your trip. Most people who concentrate on only the most typical tourist attractions (i.e. Hollywood) are disappointed in the city. However, there are many great things to do there so I would recommend seeing a bit more of the city. Hollywood itself doesn't take very long to visit.

I would probably visit Santa Monica (beach, pier, 3rd Street Promenade etc.), Universal Studios, Hollywood & Griffith observatory, maybe a museum... It does rather depend on what you all enjoy doing.

Personally, I would stay in Southern California - there is so much to see and do that I would save myself the long trip up to San Francisco. San Diego should be fun. Or if you are looking for a more relaxing time, Palm Springs is nice.

Are your boys outdoorsy? If so, one of the National Parks could be a great option or maybe Big Bear. It does of course also depend on what time of year you will be travelling...
 

vacationhopeful

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Those 2 cities are WAY far apart ... think all day and much LONGER DRIVE than you think to San Francisco from LA. Plus San Francisco is NOT cheap (pretty and perhaps MORE interesting than San Diego).

As you have not indicted WHERE or WHY you will be travelling (flights required, 1000 miles of drive to, investigating colleges, visiting family, just to see) ... might help to get opinions.

I did San Francisco on a business trip from the East Coast. And then I drove down the coast over the weekend for a meeting in LA. In 1977.

A couple of years later (1981), my sister & husband moved north of Los Angeles from Western PA. Been to the LA at least 4 or 5 times. I still think of San Francisco as WAY nicer place to visit ... even though I have never been back from my first California trip.
 

SmithOp

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I would try for a timeshare week in southern CA, fly in to LA, then return via SF. You can book cheap LA to SF flights and spend three days there. SF doesnt have as much to interest teen boys, even if you did amusement parks there is only Great America in Santa Clara and Six Flags in Vallejo. There is ferry service to Vallejo then bus to the park, its a nice bay cruise.


Sent from my iPad using the strange new version of Tapatalk
 

DeniseM

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Personally, I think Hollywood is way over rated, and then there is the hellish traffic.

I don't think it's worth a long side-trip (6-8 hr. drive from the San Francisco area) to visit Hollywood. Hollywood is just a city - some of it very bad, and it's not like visiting a theme park, where you walk around and see everything. It requires driving in bad traffic, or perhaps a bus tour, and for the most part you are just driving by places and the driver says, oh look, that's where so-and-so lives. and that's where so-and-so was murdered.

If they want the Hollywood experience, I think teens will like Universal Studios better.

I'd do some in-depth research about Hollywood and see if it's really worth the time and expense.

*California has cool beaches, and cold ocean water, even in the heart of summer - you will probably find it cold, compared to the East Coast beaches in the summer.
 
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BJRSanDiego

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I think that a significant factor is the time of the year when you plan to travel to California.

If it is in the winter, I would skip the beach. Also May and June are kind of notorious for having a marine coastal fog ("May gray" and "June gloom"). In that case, going to Palm Springs or Palm Desert would provide you with the highest chance of great warm weather.
 

Vacationsarefun

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I do agree about Hollywood. While I do love LA and think it has an amazing variety of attractions, you really have to think out what you want to do there ahead of time as everything is so wide-spread. You can't just walk from one thing to another like you can in San Francisco or New York.

Hollywood probably won't take more than a couple of hours at the most. If the boys are really interested I would combine it with some other stuff (maybe a tour of movie stars' homes, shopping at the Grove etc.).
 

falmouth3

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If you decide to visit LA, your boys may be interested in getting tickets for one of their favorite TV game or talk shows. When I went at that age of 15, I was able to get tickets for the show that featured Paul Revere and the Raiders. They filmed several shows that day and we got to see several of the recording artists of the era, in addition to PRR.
 

abc31

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Thank you all so much for your responses. Since you all seem to agree that there really isn't a whole lot to do in Hollywood, maybe I will just book a hotel for a night or 2 and a timeshare somewhere else. I like the idea of trying to get them into see the taping of a show. We have been to Universal Orlando a couple of times. Is it pretty much the same in California? I wouldn't say my kids are all that outdoorsey, so I'm not sure if they would enjoy hiking through a National Park. Thank you for the suggestions on hotels and timeshares. I will check them all out.
 

Icc5

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Depends what you own

We are from California. If you have points that let you book a few days in different areas I would book to stay in San Diego first choice, then Oceanside,then Anaheim. That lets you see most of Southern California. You can get around most of the traffic around L.A. with good planning though you will always hit heavy areas. If you go to S.F. a few days is all you need at most. We don't really care for S.F. but also live near it and have been there many times showing relatives around.
If you use weeks then San Diego would be our #1 choice.
 

presley

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Thank you all so much for your responses. Since you all seem to agree that there really isn't a whole lot to do in Hollywood, maybe I will just book a hotel for a night or 2 and a timeshare somewhere else. I like the idea of trying to get them into see the taping of a show. We have been to Universal Orlando a couple of times. Is it pretty much the same in California? I wouldn't say my kids are all that outdoorsey, so I'm not sure if they would enjoy hiking through a National Park. Thank you for the suggestions on hotels and timeshares. I will check them all out.

Check out the show tapings ahead of time. The only ones I've seen have been for 18+.

I haven't been to Universal Orlando. There are always things being filmed at the Hollywood location, but that doesn't mean you'll ever see any of that going on. Lots of closed sets.

You said your kids aren't outdoorsy. What types of things do they like to do?
 

Karen G

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San Diego might be a good option for your family. If your kids are interested in the military they might enjoy going through the Midway. There are a number of interesting things to see and do in Balboa Park including the Air & Space Museum.

If you were to book a timeshare along the coast such as in Oceanside or Carlsbad, you could take the Coaster train to get to San Diego and not have to drive.

If your kids are into baseball maybe you could go to a baseball game.
 

Passepartout

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San Diego might be a good option for your family. If your kids are interested in the military they might enjoy going through the Midway. There are a number of interesting things to see and do in Balboa Park including the Air & Space Museum.

If you were to book a timeshare along the coast such as in Oceanside or Carlsbad, you could take the Coaster train to get to San Diego and not have to drive.

If your kids are into baseball maybe you could go to a baseball game.

I agree with this. San Diego- for me- is FAR more enjoyable than L.A. Balboa Park- with it's Air & Space Museum and Car Museum & Natural History Museum is a treasure. The local Mexican food and culture is great, and for teen boys, the military presence around the harbor is extremely interesting. There are timeshares, but also several hotels with kitchenette units that work well for families on a budget.

Jim
 
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