A couple of my friends want to go on a road trip for like a week or two in June. We were considering a trip to Cali. and was wondering if any of you knows a place in Cali that would be badass to visit. Or a good beach to go to. Oh and the cost. Money is hard to come by.
When you say "badass" do you mean historic? Natural beauty? Girls? Nightlife? California is a long way to drive with a ton of stuff to see along the way but unless you just drive to California and back I don't think you can do it in a week or even two very well. My wife, dog and I went on a road-trip that direction a few years back in November and here is what we did: Houston - Carlsbad, NM (drove all fricken' day): Spent some time at Carlsbad Caverns which were almost completely deserted that time of year. IMO, they were very cool. Carlsbad, NM - Roswell, NM - Santa Fe, NM: Checked out the UFO museum on the way to Santa Fe which was free to get in and still not worth the price of admission. Spent a couple of nights in Santa Fe and checked out a ton of art galleries during the day. Very nice place to visit. Santa Fe, NM - Flagstaff, AZ: Stopped at the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Parks along the way as well as that big crater which we stumbled upon. We used Flagstaff as a base to get to the Grand Canyon. Drove home through Sedona to Los Cruces and then back to Houston. If you kept on going you could hit Vegas or even some of those great parks in Utah but it will take longer then a "week or two".
Well thats what we're planning on doing. Just driving to Cali and visiting some places there. and by badass i mean natural beauty and nightlife. Oh and i live in Utah.
(A transplanted to Cali guy's mildy expert opinion). If you're to look on a map, anywhere from Santa Monica down to Newport Beach you really can't go wrong far as beaches go. Most offer a blend of beautiful beach, surrounding things to do and places to go at night. Laguna Beach/Newport Beach are the trendy spots. Manhattan Beach/Hermosa Beach are very good (my friends favorite area). Venice Beach and Santa Monica have the street performers, gym at the beach and all the stereotypical things you see on TV. Lots to do in Santa Monica pier, a bunch of shopping and night spots. If its straight where all the hot b****es and eye candy pile in, probably Huntington Beach along Main Street. Can't recommend any cheaping lodging cuz I havent had to do that for a while. I'd think its worth the cost to be closer to the action and avoid as much traffic as possible, though traffic's unavoidable for the most part... If money's hard to come by, dont visit Vegas on the way or you'll burn through all of it before you get to Cali.
I encourage everyone who has not been to go to Sequoia National Park and look at the big trees. With the pollution from the valley and climate change, a number of biologists are predicting an eventual collapse of their niche ecosystem. Go see them while they're still alive. You will be awed.
LaJolla, CA (near San Diego) is sweet... so is Coronado Beach... Go straight out I-10 all the way to around Tuscon, AZ, then pick up I-8 West to San Diego... takes you through El Centro valley, then straight over about a 5000 ft. elevation (at it's highest) mountain range... on the other side is San Diego. A good 24 hour drive from Houston, mind you. Then just take the PCH from Huntington Beach on up through Long Beach... Huntington is "Surf City USA (like the song), and you'll pass Venice Beach -where "Muscle Beach" is found, and of course the old Queen Mary ship (supposedly haunted) and Howard Hughes' famous "Spruce Goose" are in Long Beach... Then head inland to see the L.A. Coliseum, Hollywood, etc... head into Pasadena and see the Rose Bowl... go right up close to the Hollywood sign before you leave the area... Come back out the Santa Monica to... where else... Santa Monica Beach... check out the pier there... then keep heading up the PCH to the Malibu area... and so on, until you reach the Bay Area. There are tons of sights in CA... the most of which are on the coast itself, if you're a beach goer... but take a jacket, especially after dark. San Fransisco has tons to do... Golden Gate -the museums there in GG Park are very good... Head up and see Berkley... make sure and visit the Oakland Coliseum... Fisherman's Wharf in SF... Coit Tower... Lombard Street... Take in some red woods north of the Napa Valley wine country... Or just stay in SoCal and there's enough to do for a month. Your pick, but those are some "freebies" I recommend... there is probably admission to the museums, but besides the obvious theme parks (Sea World in San D, Disney in Anaheim, Knott's Berry Farms, Universal Studios, Six Flags, etc. all around L.A.) there is still very much to do in the way of sight seeing for the cost of gas, food, and lodging. Have fun!