West Coast Road Trip

Just gorgeous. Parking's not easy, but the beach is worth it.

Rode them all over the city. Fun & a good way to see all the neighborhoods. A little pricey though.

We liked being down by the water, loved the markets & cafes, didn't love the crowds.

Buy tickets ahead of time, by phone or online. We called the day we arrived in San Francisco, and couldn't get anything.

Lovely area to walk.

The signs can be a little hard to follow, but this is an interesting & fun way to see the city.

This is a little bit corporate, a little bit upscale, but there was something we really liked about the area.

Great restaurants, millions of stores, lovely skinny little streets. Cleaner than NYC's Chinatown.

Stopped here for a couple of hours on our 2-day drive from San Fran to LA. A little hard to get to from Route 1. But gorgeous, worth the time if you haven't seen redwoods before (or even if you have).

This hugs the coast and goes through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach. Skip it if you're in a rush, worth seeing if you're lazily wandering. Mansions, golf courses, ocean, ocean, ocean.

Delicious food in a casual setting on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Everything we ate was fantastic, and the setting is totally relaxing & inspiring. A must-visit.

Perfectly fine for one night. I'd give it 3 stars. Big room, with separate living room. Pool, bar, Internet access in lobby. Not right on the beach--on a motel strip a few miles inland.

We spent the morning here, went on the shortest tour. Interesting info & the castle is just amazing, as is the setting high on a hill. You feel a little like cattle, everything is very controlled, but it's worth seeing.

We only stopped along the beach here for a few minutes, but loved it. Would like to return.

Stopped here for lunch and a walk on the beach on the way to LA. Beautiful beach.

When we got to the LA area, we drove around Malibu & the Canyons & onto Mulholland. Huge homes, amazing landscape.

Really exceptional food. Pricey, but worth it. Right on the beach in Malibu.

Nice place for a fierce game of air hockey followed by a sunset cocktail.

I'm not sure if this is the company we used, but we got a tour with 3 other couples (8 of us in the car) for about $50 each. It ws so much comfier than those open-air, double-decker buses. Totally silly & fun way to spend a hot day.

Good place for a view & a picnic in the trees.

We spent a whole morning driving through the Hollywood Hills in search of the best view of the sign. That's what vacations are for, right? Wasting time and not regretting it...

In the meantime, we saw beautiful homes & got lovely views of the valley.

Maybe worth a walk through to see your favorite stars' names, but not that exciting & doesn't take that long.

Surreal, but worth a walk.

Beautiful drives through these neighborhoods. So different from the East Coast.

After a few days in LA, we flew to Seattle & stayed here for two nights for a friend's wedding. Lovely lobby w/ games & fireplace & sunroom. Good but expensive restaurant. No TVs in rooms, shared bathrooms in hall. Incredibly beautiful setting on deepest lake in WA state.

I've been here lots of times, but it's still totally fun each time. Restaurants, shops, art, clothes, excellent views of Puget Sound.

Lovely little cafes and restaurants. Eat or drink on the sidewalk, enjoy the smells & the vibe.

You have to go here if you ever were or knew a hippie. Now there's a Gap on the famous corner of Haight & Ashbury, but it's a pilgrimage, man.

Great cafes, nice parks, tons of little shops, center of SF gay life.

An interesting mix of Latino families & businesses and young, apparently homeless (mostly white) junkies. Excellent food at low prices, beautiful murals. Just expect to be panhandled by the addicts.

We were not impressed. It was the last night of our vacation & when we checked in & went up to our room, SOMEONE WAS ALREADY IN THE ROOM, IN THE SHOWER! Let me repeat: even though our key worked, the room was occupied. Scary. We went back downstairs, staff was not apologetic. Gave us a different room, which was shabby & dark like the rest of the hotel. Clean but very worn & depressing. TERRIBLE STAFF, both on check-in & check-out. We'll never stay there again.