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San Diego to San Francisco in 7 Days (1 Viewer)

Ron Swanson

Ron Swanson

Footballguy
Planning a drive up the PCH in September.  Plan to hit:

Venice Boardwalk

Santa Barbara

San Luis Obispo/Elephant Seal Rookery and Hearst Castle

Monterey - Aquarium worthwhile?

San Francisco

Napa Valley

Sonoma

Anything else to suggest?  Is a drive over to Lake Tahoe worth it?  

Oildale?

 
You're going straight from San Diego to Venice?  Missing a lot of nice scenery between there.  Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach to name a couple...

Going with family?  Solo?  Buddies?  I know of good beer up and down the coast....

 
if i was a Floridian, i would be hella more interested in the Sierra than the opposite ocean. SD is just Fla without heat, rain, face tattoos & pop-up pharmacies. other cities interesting, but the White Mountains, Bridgeport (flyfishing), gold country, Yosemite, Emerald Bay, this, Napa, Sur whole bettah

 
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Yea, without knowing your interests it is hard to allocate time to each task. If you like wine you might want to spend 2-3 days up in Napa, if you don't it can easily be a day trip from SF. If you have kids it could be worth spending a few hours in Monterrey driving between SLO and SF, but if it is adults only I would only do it if you really like fish (worth stopping anyway, just kind of pricey and crowded). I can see it taking 4 days or 14 days just depending on what level of interest you have at things at each stop. 

 
wikkidpissah said:
if i was a Floridian, i would be hella more interested in the Sierra than the opposite ocean. SD is just Fla without heat, rain, face tattoos & pop-up pharmacies. other cities interesting, but the White Mountains, Bridgeport (flyfishing), gold country, Yosemite, Emerald Bay, this, Napa, Sur whole bettah
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Texan.  But living in FL.

It will be my wife and I.  We both like beer.  I'm an IPA/APA guy and she loves stouts and porters.  Hops are her mortal enemy. Neither of us are big sours fans but I'm open to greatness in any category.

She loves wine.  I tolerate it.

I love fish(ing) so I'm more of a bait shop than aquarium guy.  But we're going to be in San Diego a few days before this trip so may do some reef fishing.

 
Ron Swanson said:
Texan.  But living in FL.

It will be my wife and I.  We both like beer.  I'm an IPA/APA guy and she loves stouts and porters.  Hops are her mortal enemy. Neither of us are big sours fans but I'm open to greatness in any category.

She loves wine.  I tolerate it.

I love fish(ing) so I'm more of a bait shop than aquarium guy.  But we're going to be in San Diego a few days before this trip so may do some reef fishing.
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i don't follow beer but i remember, 50 years ago when i did my hippie runaway to San Francisco, it being the first place i encountered stouts & porters (Anchor) outside Irish pubs at a time when half of Boston's pubs didnt have one on tap. dont know if that means anything

also not an expert on fishing, but flyfishing Hot Creek or the EWalker on the Sierra's eastern slope is one of my favorite kinds of alcoholis....i mean, angling

 
Great looking trip.

I think the aquarium is worthwhile and would recommend spending a little time around cannery row, and Carmel. maybe big sur.

While I enjoy Napa, you may get more out of the Russian River and Healdsburg, and deviate less from 101.

4 hrs from the Bay Area to Lake Tahoe... it is very nice but your call if you want to add 8 hours of driving.

There are several threads on San Francisco ... pick and choose what sounds good to you.

edit: you may want to head over to Bodega Bay, Tomales Bay, Medocino/Ft. Bragg.  :shrug:

 
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We did 10 days between Napa, SF, and Monterrey. If we tried to do anymore I think it'd have been rushed. We intend to go back and do San Diego to Obispo sometime later though.

So I'd think about doing half of what you're thinking then save the rest for another trip. 

 
I don't  have as much experience as others here but Sonoma is gorgeous- loved Healdsburg and the Russian River area. This sounds like a nice trip! The beers in San Diego are world class, Sonoma has some incredible beer too - and ofcourse the wine. 

 
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Ron Swanson said:
Planning a drive up the PCH in September.  Plan to hit:

Venice Boardwalk

Santa Barbara

San Luis Obispo/Elephant Seal Rookery and Hearst Castle

Monterey - Aquarium worthwhile?

San Francisco

Napa Valley

Sonoma

Anything else to suggest?  Is a drive over to Lake Tahoe worth it?  

Oildale?
Click to expand...
Make sure to add Big Sur in there, we only did part of the drive this year but that was by far the highlight. 

 
Ron Swanson said:
Texan.  But living in FL.

It will be my wife and I.  We both like beer.  I'm an IPA/APA guy and she loves stouts and porters.  Hops are her mortal enemy. Neither of us are big sours fans but I'm open to greatness in any category.

She loves wine.  I tolerate it.

I love fish(ing) so I'm more of a bait shop than aquarium guy.  But we're going to be in San Diego a few days before this trip so may do some reef fishing.
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Stop in Half Moon Bay Brewery on the way up for lunch and a beer. 

 
Ron Swanson said:
Texan.  But living in FL.

It will be my wife and I.  We both like beer.  I'm an IPA/APA guy and she loves stouts and porters.  Hops are her mortal enemy. Neither of us are big sours fans but I'm open to greatness in any category.

She loves wine.  I tolerate it.

I love fish(ing) so I'm more of a bait shop than aquarium guy.  But we're going to be in San Diego a few days before this trip so may do some reef fishing.
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FBG @Inhiding owns a brewery in Cambria which is not too far north of SLO.  It’s also a pretty neat little town.  Lots of shops and cafes etc.

 
If you like (more) perfect weather, an artsy town and a hippie vibe, don’t blow past Santa Cruz. It’s worth a stop. And also worth checking to see if any interesting bands will be playing at the Catalyst while you are there. It’s a small music venue with lots of history.

 
pecorino said:
If you like (more) perfect weather, an artsy town and a hippie vibe, don’t blow past Santa Cruz. It’s worth a stop. And also worth checking to see if any interesting bands will be playing at the Catalyst while you are there. It’s a small music venue with lots of history.
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Too many damn vampires.

 
Ron Swanson said:
Planning a drive up the PCH in September.  Plan to hit:

Venice Boardwalk

Santa Barbara

San Luis Obispo/Elephant Seal Rookery and Hearst Castle

Monterey - Aquarium worthwhile?

San Francisco

Napa Valley

Sonoma

Anything else to suggest?  Is a drive over to Lake Tahoe worth it?  

Oildale?
Click to expand...
Are you planning spending a night in the LA area?  There is soo much to see there.  If you do decide to do that and are willing to spend a bit of cash for a unique but fun experience---I took my family on a LA city tour through a company that only does them with vintage convertible Cadillacs.   It was a ton of fun and a huge hit with the family.  Driving in LA is a brutal chore with the traffic.  You have to focus on the traffic/road so much that you pretty much are guaranteed to miss seeing some of the cities fantastic sites.  Having a tour guide drive you around in a vintage Cadillac convertible makes it so that you can just focus on enjoying yourselves.   The tour I ended up taking was something like 4-5 hours long and it costed somewhere in the range of $500-600.  I enjoyed it so much that I gave the driver a $150 tip.  I think this is the company that I used--but I am not certain as I did it several years ago.  My family still talks about the tour and how it was years later.  

http://oldiescars.com/

 
Ron Swanson said:
Texan.  But living in FL.

It will be my wife and I.  We both like beer.  I'm an IPA/APA guy and she loves stouts and porters.  Hops are her mortal enemy. Neither of us are big sours fans but I'm open to greatness in any category.

She loves wine.  I tolerate it.

I love fish(ing) so I'm more of a bait shop than aquarium guy.  But we're going to be in San Diego a few days before this trip so may do some reef fishing.
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San Diego has amazing beer. 

 
Ron Swanson said:
Is a drive over to Lake Tahoe worth it?
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Born and raised in San Diego and went to college in Santa Cruz.  The drive up PHC is amazing and something everyone should do once in their life for sure, you’ll have a blast.  

For your Tahoe question... IMO it one of the most beautiful places you will ever see.  And the drive through Yosemite from the west to get there is stunning. Wife and I got married in Tahoe and will be celebrating our 10yr anniversary there this summer.   If you can make it work with your timeline you will not regret it.  

 
OrtonToOlsen said:
Too many damn vampires.
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Just by the boardwalk.  And one of those vampires went on to save the world about a dozen times over so he wasn’t that bad.  Think he recently survived everyone in the government getting killed now he’s in charge.  

 
Ron Swanson said:
Texan.  But living in FL.

It will be my wife and I.  We both like beer.  I'm an IPA/APA guy and she loves stouts and porters.  Hops are her mortal enemy. Neither of us are big sours fans but I'm open to greatness in any category.

She loves wine.  I tolerate it.

I love fish(ing) so I'm more of a bait shop than aquarium guy.  But we're going to be in San Diego a few days before this trip so may do some reef fishing.
Click to expand...
Everywhere you’ve described is flat, so I’d go to the mountains. Yosemite is prettier than Tahoe.

 
Fly into San Diego, drive up and spend six nights in Los Banos (just off the 5), catch your flight out of SFO the morning of.  :thumbup:

 
Seven days San Diego to SF is going to be very difficult, unless you have a list of specific sites you'd like to check the box on. 

With only a week, I would drive up the coast.  San Diego, Newport/Huntingon Beach, Ventura/Santa Barbara, Pismo/SLO, Hearst Castle, Big Sur/Monterey/Carmel, Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay, SF just off the top of my head.  That drive is great and can be done in a week.

 
Terminalxylem said:
Everywhere you’ve described is flat, so I’d go to the mountains. Yosemite is prettier than Tahoe.
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And less crowded.

Big Sur is a must see.  The way the mountains roll right into the beach is amazing.  You’re camping in the mountains, but the beach is 20 yards away.

I would skip Tahoe just based on time.  It’s going to be tough to squeeze in.  If you want to cut inland a bit and hit the mountains pop out to Yosemite.

 
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We just did this in the opposite direction - flew into SF and did Yosemite NP, Sequoia NP, Monterey, drove down the PCH, over to Joshua Tree NP, and then to San Diego.  We did it in 10 days.  I thought the best thing along the PCH was Point Lobos State Park (about 15 minutes south of Monterey).  Easy walking trails and great views.

ETA:  Yes, the Monterey Aquarium is absolutely worth it.  We (wife, 14 yr old daughter) spent about 5 hours there.

 
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Surfliner.  Uber or Lyft in between.  Way more chill than driving and figuring out when there's not traffic and ####.  Relax the whole way.

 
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ICLight said:
We just did this in the opposite direction - flew into SF and did Yosemite NP, Sequoia NP, Monterey, drove down the PCH, over to Joshua Tree NP, and then to San Diego.  We did it in 10 days.  I thought the best thing along the PCH was Point Lobos State Park (about 15 minutes south of Monterey).  Easy walking trails and great views.

ETA:  Yes, the Monterey Aquarium is absolutely worth it.  We (wife, 14 yr old daughter) spent about 5 hours there.
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Echo

 
Ron Swanson said:
Planning a drive up the PCH in September.  Plan to hit:

Venice Boardwalk

Santa Barbara

San Luis Obispo/Elephant Seal Rookery and Hearst Castle

Monterey - Aquarium worthwhile?

San Francisco

Napa Valley

Sonoma

Anything else to suggest?  Is a drive over to Lake Tahoe worth it?  

Oildale?
Click to expand...
Did something close to the same years ago.  Look into staying at the Madonna Inn in Sal Luis Obispo.   Very cool place...

 
Try to time your trip for Thursday night Farmers Market in SLO - great time. Madonna is vey cool - but you could find something on the Ocean in Pismo as well. Madonna is inland in SLO.

Check out Jade Cove not too far from Big Sur. Might find some Jade laying around.

 
@Ron Swanson - i'm a Sonoma local and work at a winery. let me know if you want to stop in and i'd be happy to host you. September is right at the beginning of harvest, so there will be a lot more action in the vineyards/wineries than in mid-summer....it's the best time to visit.

as for beers: taking into consideration your varying preferences, Russian River Brewing Company is probably your best bet. they have a wide selection of offerings for both you and your wife. they just opened a new taproom/brewery in Windsor (near Healdsburg) where you can take a tour as well. if you're up that way, you might as well stop in at Bear Republic Brew Co. Sonoma Springs is the local brewery in with a really solid lineup.

if you need wine reccos in Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Napa, or Sonoma, just hit me up and i'll be glad to help.

 
Dunno it it's an option, as I don't live in SD anymore and heard it may be closed, but I'd avoid PCH and use highway 1, hugging the coast all the way. Amazing trip. Wife and I did it in 2006 and had an amazing time.

Santa Barbara,  SLO, San Simeon, Hearst castle amazing, tons of great wineries and scenery. 

 
ffldrew said:
Try to time your trip for Thursday night Farmers Market in SLO - great time. Madonna is vey cool - but you could find something on the Ocean in Pismo* as well. Madonna is inland in SLO.

Check out Jade Cove not too far from Big Sur. Might find some Jade laying around.
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My sister has a trailer at Pismo Coast Village* if anyone needs a hook-up.  

*Fresno/Bakersfield by the Sea

 
Ron Swanson said:
Texan.  But living in FL.

It will be my wife and I.  We both like beer.  I'm an IPA/APA guy and she loves stouts and porters.  Hops are her mortal enemy. Neither of us are big sours fans but I'm open to greatness in any category.

She loves wine.  I tolerate it.

I love fish(ing) so I'm more of a bait shop than aquarium guy.  But we're going to be in San Diego a few days before this trip so may do some reef fishing.
Click to expand...
Russian River Brewery is one of the meccas for beer drinkers.  Highly recommended

 
Pro tip: For the Monterey Bay Aquarium, peruse the Monterey CL where annual pass members will "rent" out their passes for the day.  I think it was ~$15 per person doing it this way the last time we went.  I went into their office building and traded my license and cash for the passes and did the return exchange a few hours later.  Easy breezy.

 
You're doing it wrong. San Fran to San Diego is the way to go. 2 days to blow through the north and four days to end in the south. 😃

Plus one day flex . 

 
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stlrams said:
Did something close to the same years ago.  Look into staying at the Madonna Inn in Sal Luis Obispo.   Very cool place...
Click to expand...


ffldrew said:
Try to time your trip for Thursday night Farmers Market in SLO - great time. Madonna is vey cool - but you could find something on the Ocean in Pismo as well. Madonna is inland in SLO.

Check out Jade Cove not too far from Big Sur. Might find some Jade laying around.
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I went to school in SLO and Madonna Inn is ok.  I don't think its as great as some make it out to be.  If you are staying in SLO then you do need to do it on a Thursday and go to the Farmer's market.  They have a lot of good food from the various restaurants that have booths and they close off a couple roads down the middle of town and the weather should be great for the time you are going. 

 
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