Visiting parents in Cali...any sightseeing musts?

[CarpeDiebold]

My fam moved to California(Simi valley) a few months ago and I haven't gotten a chance to really see Cali. Over xmas break, I'm going there. What do you guys recommend I do out there? Beaches and topanga are a given, but I'm looking for other cool things to do/see out there....we keep talkin about going to Yosemite, so that's one. Any others?

I'm super excited about driving down the 101, etc. maybe visiting hollywood, but i'm sure yuo california natives can give me better advice!

thanks y'all

[CarpeDiebold]

1. Noooo dont' let this die!

anyone? california peggy? bueller? anyone? anyone?

[Redstone]

2. Some offbeat and off-the beaten-path favorites of mine:

The Mojave airport.

Darwin Falls.

Mono Lake.

Cerro Gordo.

Saline Valley (4WD necessary; the locals say a weapon is advisable as well, but I never needed one.)

Kelso train station, and sand dunes (on the Kel-Baker Road)

Anza-Borrego

Trona Pinnacles.

Look 'em up or just go there. You'll be glad you did.

Redstone

[Initech]

3. The donut stand!

And I'm specifically talking about this one:

[speedoo]

4. Bay area.

If you have time to go north, there are many "must see/do" things up there. If I had two weeks to spend in Cali, I would spend the entire time up there. Southern Cali is far less attractive to me.

[ET Awful]

5. Tito's Tacos on Washington Street right under the 405 overpass

Yummmmmm :).

Once you see Topanga, drive all the way through the canyon up to Pacific Coast Highway, hang a right. Keep driving until you pass Malibu, then drive for a while longer, you'll pass Pepperdine, then drive a while longer and you'll get to County Line State Beach. Right across from the beach is a little blue shack called Neptunes Net that has the best fish and chips around :P.

[kwassa]

8. Lucy's Drive-In is better than Titos, and right next store

though I used to go to the other Lucy's on LaBrea and Pico.

Best chili verde anywhere. Never had better!

[ET Awful]

16. Yeah, but does Lucy's have 30-gallon cans full of fresh tortilla chips

:P

[kwassa]

18. Go the nicer places where they make the tortillas in front of you!

I miss the Mexican food there so much.

Out here, we only get corporate Mexican, none of the mom-and-pop places.

Great Cuban food, too. El Ricon Criollo is just up Sepulveda a couple of blocks, Versailles up on Venice, near Motor.

[ET Awful]

21. I used to live in Woodland Hills. There, Canoga Park, that whole area

hell, they had as many Mexican food places as Boston has Dunkin' Donuts :P. It was great.

[kwassa]

23. delete misplaced reply

Cross-country skiing on Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest. In California, snow is a function of altitude and one can ski in the higher elevations around LA.

Some of the finest cross-country skiing I have ever done is on Mt. Pinos, in a park on top of the mountain that is essentially flat. It is a pine forest. Off Interstate 5 in Frazier Park, where you can also rent skis. The views are incredible, out into the desert, while you are in the snow.

[kwassa]

6. My grand tour

The one I used to give visiting relatives when I lived in LA.

Drive north to Yosemite (which might be snow-bound, so you better check, first). Check that out for a couple of days. Drive west to San Francisco, ( or head north to Lake Tahoe, which is gorgesous and has great skiing) spend some time there, and then come down the spectacular coast highway from San Francisco to LA, stopping in Monterrey, Carmel, the Pfieffer state parks in Big Sur, Hearst Castle in San Simeon, Cambria, San Luis Obispbo, Santa Barbara. Could do a side trip into some wine country around there, a la "Sideways".

California is a huge state. Prepare for serious driving.

You can get great weather or terrible weather this time of year.

[Whoa_Nelly]

7. Hard to do CA in one visit, but here are some ideas :-)

If you're into architectural history,

check out one or more of the many California missions http://missions.bgmm.com/

or Hearst Castle http://www.hearstcastle.com/

Maybe go down to san Diego area and take in the Wild Animal Park http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/

and the San Diego Zoo http://www.sandiegozoo.org/ ...BABY PANDA!!

Or, Balboa Park and the botanical gardens http://www.balboapark.org/

Or, Mission Beach http://www.sandiego.gov/lifeguards/beaches/mb.shtml

or many of the other beaches http://www.sandiego.gov/lifeguards/beaches/

[hunter]

9. The Reagan Library.

A shrine to the devil.

:evilgrin:

Yosemite is a long drive from Simi. You'd probably want to stay at least three nights.

One place people overlook is La Purisima Mission

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=598

especially in comparison to something like Santa Barbara mission, or San Juan Capistrano.

Certainly drive out to the desert if you haven't been before.

Red Rock Canyon is an interesting place

http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=631

If you can, get out to one of the islands, either Catalina or Anacapa. Catalina has a city, Anacapa is wild. Take your pick.

[Initech]

15. The Nixon Library is a few blocks from my house...

:puke:

[trackfan]

10. Take the back road from Simi to Ventura

The one that goes throught Somis.

[SW FL Dem]

13. The 118 - just don't take it during rush hour

I did that drive twice a day for many years.

[ellisonz]

11. Here's 3:

1. Getty Museum
2. Manhattan Beach Pier
3. Huntington Library

[SW FL Dem]

12. I used to live just west of Simi. What kinds of things are you interested

in doing? The beaches will be nice, but the water will be freezing!!! Take a drive up the 101 to Santa Barbara for the day, there are some great restaurants and it is just a gorgeous city. I love the zoo there. If the weather is good you should also go through the canyons to Malibu (Topanga may not be the best from Simi- Kanan Dune or Las Virgenes are probably better). Simi is only 55 minutes or so from downtown LA and Hollywood. You can do the touristy thing and visit Universal studios or City Walk.

I am so jealous, I love that part of the country. I posted this in an earlier thread, but if you are a meat eater, you should check out one of my family's favorite places, Wood Ranch BBQ in Moorpark (just west of Simi). Their tri tip and ribs are really good! I am getting hungry just writing this.

[Xithras]

14. Understand that Yosemite is 300 miles from Simi Valley.

And we're not talking 300 freeway miles here. Nearly a third of that distance will be curvy two lane road with steep grades, hairpin turns, switchbacks, and SNOW. Yosemite is in the High Sierra's, and visiting the Sierra's in the winter is a cold, snowy experience.

On the upside, there's practically nobody there in the winter so you'll pretty much have the park to yourself. On the downside, none of the waterfalls will be flowing and most of the trails are NOT cleared during the winter do there's less to do. Also, be aware that midwinter storms often shut the highways down in and out of the park, so be prepared for the possibility that you could get stuck there for a few days (car camping is not permitted, so if you get stuck you're renting at the Ahwahnee or Yosemite Lodge...an expensive proposition either way). Also, many of the tourist facilities are closed, so the entire park is served by one tiny store and no real restaraunts.

Yosemite in December can be beautiful, and winter is one of my favorite times to visit. Still, it's important to understand the realities...it's not a very tourist friendly time of the year to be visiting.

[XemaSab]

17. And prepare for the road to be totally closed

Take chains, too.

[kwassa]

20. Are chains still required in California in the mountains?

That used to be the case.

Most people back east don't use them.

[XemaSab]

22. I think so

I'd bring them, at any rate.

I never had to use them in a year of living in the mountains, but it was pretty close a few times, and if you're planning to go to Yosemite they are required through much of the winter.

[Xithras]

25. Yes, and it's a big ticket if you don't

They don't salt the roads here and you can't use spiked tires, so chains or cables are really your only options. It's important to have them if it's snowed anyway since the road "clearing" in the park is really bad. I've been in the Valley many times in the winter where the road was simply defined as the shallow spot between the snowbanks. Even when it's not actively snowing, they don't clear down to the pavement and often leave a bit of snow on the roadway.

Of course, it's also possible that it will be clear, dry, and uneventful. The floor of Yosemite Valley is only about 4000 feet and usually only gets snow if particularly cold storms come through and drop the snow levels a ways. I'd been to the valley a few times in winter when the walls and peaks surrounding it were blanketed in snow, but the valley floor itself was clear and dry.

[hunter]

19. I love Yosemite in the winter, but you do have to be flexible.

What you do there may depend upon the weather. Bring tire chains and money to pay somebody who knows how to put chains on. (It's an awful awful job if the weather is bad and you don't know what you are doing.)

[kwassa]

24. A fun winter activity pretty close to Simi Valley

Cross-country skiing on Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest. In California, snow is a function of altitude and one can ski in the higher elevations around LA.

Some of the finest cross-country skiing I have ever done is on Mt. Pinos, in a park on top of the mountain that is essentially flat. It is a pine forest. Off Interstate 5 in Frazier Park, where you can also rent skis. The views are incredible, out into the desert, while you are in the snow.