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Pacific Coast Highway

California...it's big and diverse. 

 

My daughter graduated high school and requested a trip down the Pacific Coast Highway. The trip took about 7 months to plan and I did a lot of research because there is so much to see in the state. 

Some notes:

  • The trip started in San Francisco, so the ocean could be on our right (the closer side) when we drove to Los Angeles. 

  • There were no direct flights from Jacksonville to San Francisco, so we left from Orlando. We drove to Orlando the night before and stayed at the Hyatt Regency in the Orlando airport so we could be on time for our 8:15 am flight. 

  • Conversely, we flew into Orlando from LAX but arrived in the afternoon, so we drove directly home. 

  • We rented a mini-van for the trip since it was 4 of us with luggage.

  • The trip was from June 15-24, 2023.

 

Day One - San Francisco

 

We boarded our 8:15 am United Flight and kicked back for 5.5 hours. We arrived on time in San Francisco. The airport was easy to navigate and we boarded the AirTran Blue line to the car rental center. Despite being Gold Members at Hertz, our name was not on the Gold Member board and it was a hassle to get the car because they needed a mini-van ready. After about 40 minutes (and me not losing my cool), we were on our way to the hotel in the mini-van we requested. 

 

But first, a stop at In and Out Burger. I was not expecting much, but we were all pleasantly surprised. The fries sucked, but the burgers were good. 

 

We checked into The Lodge at the Presidio, dropped off the luggage, and explored. The first stop was Alamo Park and the Painted Ladies. Wow, those hills are steep! We also found the house used for the exterior in Fuller House (it was not one of the Painted Ladies). We visited the Disney Family Museum that was next to The Lodge. It was filled with Walt Disney history! Then it was walking around the Tunnel Tops at the Presidio and off to dinner at Sessions. We also discovered LucasFilms on the Presidio grounds and my daughter briefly contemplated moving to SF to work at LucasFilms. The Presidio is an old military post that has been converted into a recreational area. It is beautiful! The views of the Golden Gate Bridge are spectacular and it's a nice reprieve to be away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. We were off to bed early since 9 pm PST was mid-night back home.

 

Day Two - San Francisco

We were up super early for our 8 am, 8-hour tour! We booked Dylan's Tours with the Muir Woods and Alcatraz options. The tour was a little pricey, but when we drove to each site and paid for parking and admissions, the tour was a little less. I also love doing tours because you get bits and pieces of local history. Bonus, our tour guide went to high school with Tom Brady (and he had the yearbook to prove it). 

 

Some sites were seen: Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods, Palace of the Fine Arts, Sausalito, North Beach (Little Italy), Chinatown and Alcatraz

Dinner was at Boudin Bistro, home to the famous sourdough bread. 

We capped off the night with a quick trolley ride up the Powell-Hyde line. The sun was going down and freezing, so we rode 2 stops and walked back down the hill, which proved very challenging. 

I was pleasantly surprised by San Francisco. I heard mixed reviews but thought the city was beautiful and much cleaner than expected. The biggest takeaway is that most city residents do not have earthquake insurance, so their million-dollar homes are not insured if the big one comes. 

 

Day Three - Monterey

 

We left the hotel early for the 2.5-hour ride to Monterey. Luckily, the PCH was open and we witnessed the iconic cliffs. We stopped at Granola's Coffee for breakfast and took pictures at Half Moon Bay beach. The beach, including the sand, is so much different than the flat beaches of Florida. 

We arrived in Monterey and checked into the Marriott Monterey. We are loyal Marriott customers, and the hotel got great reviews, but the room layout was one of the worst I've seen. I was grumpy, but as my kids reminded me, I could do nothing about the layout - all double bedrooms were the same. 

 

We set out to explore Old Fisherman's Wharf and check in for the Monterey Bay Whale Watch tour. We had time to eat, so we grabbed a quick lunch at Old Fisherman's Grotto and prayed we kept the lunch down on the boat. The whale watching was awesome. The mamas and babies were diving and feeding, which was something to see. No breaching and no killer whales, but lots of humpback whales feeding. The kids felt 3 hours was too long and got bored. We then headed to Cannery Row for dinner at the Whaling Station Steakhouse. We were not impressed with Cannery Row or the dinner. Monterey is different from the cute little beach time I was expecting. It was very commercialized, crowded, dirty and covered in bird poop.

 

Day Four - Pismo Beach

 

We couldn't wait to leave Monterey and head down to Pismo Beach. The PCH was closed between Monterey and San Simeon, so we took Interior 101 and drove through the Salinas Valley. It was absolutely stunning! The farms and vineyards went on for miles and miles. We found Driscoll strawberry farm and Andy Boy lettuce.

We stopped in the charming town of Cambria and had a delicious breakfast of muffins and coffee at Cambria Coffee Roasting Company. Then we visited Moonstone Beach and took in the stunning scenery. Next up was Elephant Seal Vista Point at Hearst-San Simeon State Park. We could have spent hours here watching the seals. Next up was a tour of the grand ballrooms at Hearst Castle. The property took publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst 28 years to build and sits on 80,000 acres. There is an active grass-fed cattle ranch on the property and their top buyer is Whole Foods. 

Lunch was at The Cow Tipper at Oceanpoint Ranch, where the trip's greatest discovery was made - the tri-tip steak sandwich. The cut is flavorful and lean and delicious. 

We stopped at Morro Rock on the way to the hotel.  The rock is a volcanic plug in the chain of Nine Sisters rocks that run from San Luis Obispo to Morro Bay. We then headed to our hotel, Vespera, at Pismo Beach. The hotel was next to the Pismo Beach pier, so we did some people-watching and walked the boardwalk. We sat by the firepits and relaxed until we were frozen and went inside. The weather was a chilly 55 degrees. The hotel had laundry, so we spent a fun-filled night doing laundry and watching tv. 

 

Day Five - Pismo Beach 

 

After many an early morning start, we all slept until 8 am! We headed to Surfside Donuts to experience some California donuts - we ate the whole box before we got a picture. They were that good. 

 

Then we headed to Grover Beach and the Oceano Dunes State Park for a Hummer tour of the dunes. This is the only beach in CA that allows vehicular traffic and tons of people come to ride ATVs, Hummers and RV camps on the beach. I sat this one out because of a shoulder injury, but the rest of the family said it was the best part of the trip. We booked the tour through Pacific Adventure Tours and they were great! 

 

We all dipped our feet into the Pacific Ocean for the first time and then sat on the beach for a few hours in sweatshirts because it was so cold. Dinner was at Hoagie's and then we watched the sunset and chilled by the fire at the hotel. 

 

Day 6 - Solvang

 

We slept in again and had donuts again for breakfast. We then headed down the coast to the mountain town of Solvang. But first, we needed to stop in Ostrichland USA! I dislike anything with a beak, so the family was surprised when they saw this on the itinerary. It was so much fun! Ostrichland started as a farm that sold ostrich eggs (yes, that's a thing) but was sold and the current owner turned it into a sanctuary and attraction. The kids feed the ostriches and emus - those suckers were aggressive! 

 

We arrived in the town of Solvang and we all immediately fell in love. It is the cutest town with Danish architecture and has the best pastries. We immediately ate a second sugary breakfast at Olsen's, one of the oldest bakeries. We then visited the Beckmen Vineyards and the Brander Vineyards. We stayed at The Landsby Hotel and had a complimentary wine tasting with our stay. Many vineyards have tasting rooms in the town, and you could spend all day walking the town and having flights! Lunch was at Fitzpatrick's Tavern, and I ate the best Reuben ever! Then we had to try Morgensen's, another original bakery, to see how it compared to Olsen's. They were both delicious. It was an early night and we went back to the hotel and chilled in the gorgeous lobby. The hotel was the best of our stay and the least expensive. 

 

Day 8 - Los Angeles

We hit the ground running after coffee from Starbucks. The first stop was the Warner Brothers Studio tour, which was freakin' amazing. We did the Classic Tour, but I wish we would have done the Deluxe because there was so much to see. This is the oldest studio in LA (it's really in Burbank) and home to Stage 24, where Friends was filmed for 10 seasons. My daughter about lost her mind seeing the Gilmore Girls and All American sets. During the tour, the guide asked about our favorite shows, and my kids said All American. We got to see the set but couldn't take pictures because it's currently filming, so no spoilers. We took a picture on the Central Perk couch and the famous Friends fountain (the couch is now fiberglass and not soft).

 

Next up was Giffin Observatory. We parked at The Greek Theatre and took the DASH for a quick ride to the observatory. The views are stunning and I can see why people live here. You can forget about the traffic, earthquakes and crowds in the mountains overlooking the valley.

We then headed to downtown Santa Monica for dinner at Fritto Misto. Hands down the best, biggest and cheapest meal of the trip. We walked back to the hotel and it was very interesting. Downtown Santa Monica is shady. We all fell into bed again and might have fallen asleep before the sun went down.

 

Day 7 - Los Angeles

 

We left early for the final leg of the trip to LA. We left early to head down the PCH, stopping in Santa Barbara for a quick cup of coffee at Handlebar Coffee Roaster and snapping pictures by the water. The road was long and winding but beautiful. This stretch of the highway had many people in RVs camping alongside the road. 

We arrived in Malibu and wow! The houses are on the beach and look like nothing from the road. The garages are small, but occasionally, you catch a glimpse of the front of the house on the beach. I wish I had researched what celebrities live on the PCH because it would have been fun to snap a picture. 

We drove straight to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The history and memorabilia were amazing. We then headed to the Hollywood sign and all were surprised by the steep and narrow roads. Like Malibu, the houses don't look much from the road, but if you catch a glimpse of what's behind the gate and bushes, wow! 

We then drove down Sunset Blvd. and took in some sights, including the people. We headed back to the Hilton Suites in Santa Monica to check into the room and then walked to the Santa Monica Pier. It was too crowded for me, so we did the photo op in front of the sign and ate dinner at The Lobster on the pier. 

We were all exhausted and I think we fell asleep before the sun went down. 

Day 9 - Los Angeles

 

We couldn't leave LA without doing a cheesy Hollywood tour. I was unsure as we approached the surf shop in Santa Monica, where we had to meet the Surf City Tour van. The shop looked shady, but at this point, it's just Santa Monica that looks shady. Surf City got great reviews and many people were waiting, so my fingers were crossed.

It was a great tour. We saw so much and the tour guide was great. She was funny, threw in random facts and pulled up in front of Al Pacino's house just as we were pulling in. We got a picture of his elbow and his son (who was driving) did wave to my son. My son, of course, had no idea who Al Pacino was (parent fail). Stops included Rodeo Drive, the Beverly Hills sign, the Farmer's Market, scenic overlooks, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and many celebrity homes.

After the 5.5-hour tour, we walked around the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade. It's a celebrity hangout, but sadly, we didn't see any. We ate at The Whaler, the sister restaurant to the famous Venice Whaler. The restaurant had a laid-back vibe and the food was yummy.

 

It was our last night, which meant packing and trying to fit all our clothes into the suitcases. It was a great trip, but we were all ready to go home. 

A few notes and things I would change:

  • I would deal with connecting flights. We were all not fans of leaving from Orlando as we didn't get a good night's sleep at the hotel the night before we left and had a 2-hour drive home once we came back.

  • Stay one more day in San Francisco to explore Chinatown and Little Italy.

  • Skip the overnight in Monterey (we were really not fans).

  • Stay in Cambria and drive to Pismo for the dunes tour.

  • Rent a beach house in Malibu and not stay in Santa Monica or LA. Way too crowded and the hotel was not worth the money.

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