First SoCal trip - need help!

[nkereina]

We are invited to a wedding in San Diego next May and, since we're coming from NY, we want to spend some time in Southern California. We're two adults, late 20s no kids, and this is our first time in the area. FWIW, I'm super into TMZ/celeb gossip and also the Real Housewives shows, so it would be cool to see some of those places or people.

General questions:
1. We plan to rent a car for the duration of our trip. Is driving really as horrific as we've heard it described? I'm talking traffic, finding our way around, etc.

2. What kind of weather should we anticipate in mid-May in Southern California?

3. What are the odds of getting tickets to a TV show in LA? How do you go about it?

Itinerary - looking for feedback on more/less time at any of the below places, and if we should add/substitute any place that I haven't listed here:

*Friday - arrive in San Diego in the morning, rehearsal dinner at night. Will be staying at a hotel somewhere convenient, not necessarily with the wedding block. Any suggestions?
*Saturday - Wedding
*Sunday - beach day in San Diego - any suggestions?
*Monday - San Diego Zoo - how much time should we allow? I'm assuming get there early?
*Monday night around dinner - drive to Anaheim/Orange County, shop at South Coast Plaza if there's time
*Tuesday - Disneyland - full day needed? do we need ADRs?
*Wednesday - California Adventure - full day needed?
*Wednesday night - drive to our hotel in Los Angeles
*Thursday - Shopping and some kind of Hollywood/Beverly Hills/Celeb homes tour. Any suggestions? Willing to do more than one. Looking at the TMZ one.
*Friday - need something to do in LA or Beverly Hills here. Is Malibu worth a trip?
*Saturday - will have time in the morning/afternoon before flying out of LAX in late afternoon. Any suggestions?

We like Universal Orlando but its not a must do for us, so does Universal Hollywood differ much? Do they do real back lot tours or anything like that?

Would love must-do restaurant suggestions in any of the above places. We like your basic casual American foods, not into fine dining.

Thanks so much in advance!!!!

 

[SMD]

The Universal tour requires theme park admission. The basic tour is a tram through the backlot and you don't get off it to see anything. WB, Paramount and Sony all over tours were you see actual sets. It's not hard to get TV tickets, but they are first come, first serve, so it can take up a big part of the day waiting in line and then the taping. There are not a lot of shows in May, since the regular TV season ends around March/April with pilots happening around then as well. During the summer it's mostly reality shows, competitions and some kids cable shows.

 

[emily94]

1. If you are unfamiliar with driving in California, I'd say its pretty bad... Be sure to bring change to feed the meters. (My mom grew up in CA, me in NV, and she brought me to CA to learn how to drive haha!! )
2. Beautiful weather! During the day will be warm, but nice if there is a breeze. After the sun goes down, it will get cool, especially if you're near the water, i.e. San Diego, Santa Monica, etc.
3. I've never gone about doing this but here is a great list!

~~~~~~

San Diego Beach - La Jolla Shores for sure! It is beautiful! but get there early, there is limited parking.

San Diego Zoo - I think you'll need close to the whole day at the zoo and definitely get there early. There is a lot to see and probably one of the best zoos in America! Albert's is a great dining experience there!

OC - If you're around the Newport Beach area, I would highly suggest Fashion Island for shopping and dinner.

Disneyland - Definitely full day at Disneyland! Since you'll be there in May it will probably be busy because colleges are getting out for summer, Memorial Day, etc. Try to plan out the best you can, what rides/restaurants/shows/etc. For ADRs it depends where you want to eat. If you want Blue Bayou, Big Thunder Ranch BBQ, or even Plaza Inn an ADR will definitely be needed.

CA Adventure - I would also say a full day here! Again for the reasons stated for DL. ADRs would be needed at Carthay Circle and Wine Country Trattoria. Also plan ahead if you want to see World of Color!

Hollywood - TMZ does an awesome Hollywood tour! The tour guides are hilarious and you'll probably spot a celeb or two on it! The tour guides are hilarious and it was a great way to spend the afternoon.

LA/Beverly Hills/Malibu - Walking around Rodeo Drive is always fun and so cool to look in all the pricey shops! The Paley Center for Media is located in Beverly Hills and is a TV/movie museum. Just check what day you want to go, they have some strange days they are closed. Malibu is fun but a drive. I like the Malibu Country Mart - another great place to spot a celeb or two

LAX Area - Venice Beach is close to LAX and kind of a freak show but a nice place to burn a couple hours. The famous Randy's Doughnuts is right by LAX!

I've never been to Universal Orlando but have to Universal Hollywood so I can't say how much they differ. They backlot tour is fun but has not changed in years, like I would guess 10-15 years like PP said, you do have to have an admission ticket to get on the tour. Check out the website and see if it would be worth it! The Universal City Walk is free and fun to hangout, shop, or have dinner!

The Farm is American food and has two locations, one in Beverly Hills and one at LA Live (Downtown by the Staples Center)
Barney's Beanery is a famous dive bar and has been around for decades! They have a ton of locations, the ones closet to LA are West Hollywood (the original), Santa Monica @ the 3rd St. Promenade, and Westwood.

 

[Itinkso]

San Diego: Hotels in the Gaslamp Quarter, Mission Bay, La Jolla, and Del Mar are very nice. Where is the wedding?

San Diego Zoo: plan on all day to do all the trails and the bus tour. It's an amazing zoo. They have a digital photo package for only $55... a great deal!

 

[Purrkins]

Driving is fine. Do people really think we drive like Mad Max out here? I mean, I do, but...

May could be overcast in the mornings and then burn off into sun. Best to bring light layers that you can shed/add as needed.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Driving is fine. Do people really think we drive like Mad Max out here?

The belief is that driving in LA is bumper to bummer for hours on end, starting to plan a DL vacation for the first time and my main concern in touring Hollywood and LA is traffic.

 

[ashleyynichole89]

As far as driving goes just know there is almost always going to be traffic.

I agree with needing an entire day for the zoo. We got there at 10 and left at 6 and didn't really get to see everything.

I haven't been to Universal hollywood in awhile but I know orlando has more thrill rides and HP. Personally I think you're better off without doing it.

 

[ashleyynichole89]

The belief is that driving in LA is bumper to bummer for hours on end, starting to plan a DL vacation for the first time and my main concern in touring Hollywood and LA is traffic.

Traffic is pretty bad but it isn't always bumper to bumper. Most of the time it's just moving slowly. Don't let people scare you!

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Are there routes to avoid the freeways even if they take you longer? I am the kind of person who would rather take a big detour and the rude take longer if it avoids driving at a crawl.

 

[JayhawkFans]

I am subscribing to this thread as we are first timers planning a trip (in January) and have many of the exact same questions.

 

[chttyangel]

General questions: 1. We plan to rent a car for the duration of our trip. Is driving really as horrific as we've heard it described? I'm talking traffic, finding our way around, etc.!

I grew up in CA and I find going to other states hard to drive; crazy turn pikes, toll roads? The roads are busy during rush hour but basically it is like any big city. Just have a good GPS.

2. What kind of weather should we anticipate in mid-May in Southern California?

You should have great weather in May.

3. What are the odds of getting tickets to a TV show in LA? How do you go about it?

Tickets are fairly easy to get. I use on-camera audience. Check out their webpage; also they are on Facebook. They have regular tickets thou that don't guarantee you a seat, you wait in line and hope they need you, and priority tickets that do. All tickets are free and the requirements are on them. They have ones on their site for Price is Right, Dancing with the Stars, and many more. Some are easier to get then others thou.

Itinerary - looking for feedback on more/less time at any of the below places, and if we should add/substitute any place that I haven't listed here: *Friday - arrive in San Diego in the morning, rehearsal dinner at night. Will be staying at a hotel somewhere convenient, not necessarily with the wedding block. Any suggestions? *Saturday - Wedding *Sunday - beach day in San Diego - any suggestions? *Monday - San Diego Zoo - how much time should we allow? I'm assuming get there early? *Monday night around dinner - drive to Anaheim/Orange County, shop at South Coast Plaza if there's time *Tuesday - Disneyland - full day needed? do we need ADRs? *Wednesday - California Adventure - full day needed? *Wednesday night - drive to our hotel in Los Angeles *Thursday - Shopping and some kind of Hollywood/Beverly Hills/Celeb homes tour. Any suggestions? Willing to do more than one. Looking at the TMZ one. *Friday - need something to do in LA or Beverly Hills here. Is Malibu worth a trip? *Saturday - will have time in the morning/afternoon before flying out of LAX in late afternoon. Any suggestions? We like Universal Orlando but its not a must do for us, so does Universal Hollywood differ much? Do they do real back lot tours or anything like that? Would love must-do restaurant suggestions in any of the above places. We like your basic casual American foods, not into fine dining. Thanks so much in advance!!!!

Couple of notes;

San Diego- Check out Coronado..the beaches are beautiful and the hotel is amazing. It's $$ so have never stayed there but just walking the grounds is great. Also check out the Gas Lamp District; tons of places to eat, bars, live music. Perfect place for adults to have some fun. There is a trolley that will actually take you to gas lamp, old town, Coronado, etc. You pay one fee and ride the loop. Google "Corvette Diner"; it's a great little 50/60/70 theme diner. Great food and so fun. The zoo will take most of the day. It is located in Babola Park and there are some other fun things there. There is also a Wild Animal Park they own between there and LA.

Disney- Are you get park hoppers? You could easily spend 2-3 days between DL and DCA. ADRs are needed for some restaurants but you can only make them 60 days out.

Universal Studios- The Florida park blows the CA park out of the water in my opinion. I would skip.

Other- Malibu is nice but any thought to Newport Beach? The beach is beautiful, you can rent body boards, quirky shops and some rides. Hollywood is fun to visit and lots to see but dirty. Venice Beach has great people watching. Long Beach has an amazing aquarium if you like that sort of thing. Most people visiting CA love to stop at In/Out Burger.

Let me know if you have questions.

 

[Belle612]

My brother went to the University of San Diego and just graduated last May so I have visited many times - there are so many things to do and it is a beautiful city!

If you are in need of a hotel in SD, for my brother's graduation we stayed at the Best Western Plus Island Palms Hotel & Marina - it was an absolutely beautiful location (Shelter Island), and the rooms were all updated, clean and overall just really lovely. The price was very reasonable as well and it was a short drive to all the attractions in SD. If you want to splurge a bit more and be right on the ocean, we have also stayed at the Pacific Terrace hotel, which is a boutique hotel right on Pacific Beach in SD, absolutely beautiful rooms, and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean.

As for restaurants, every time we visit SD we always go to dinner at World Famous on Pacific Beach - its a casual seafood restaurant and everything has always been delicious and it's right on the water so you get great views as well. Old Town San Diego is also a really great place to visit, and if you like Tex Mex food there are a lot of those restaurants there. For the zoo you will definitely need at least a half day, and I recommend checking out Balboa Park as well - its beautiful! As some other posters have mentioned, Coronado Island is also a must visit.

For Disneyland, I would say 2-3 could easily be spent there. Even though there are only two parks there is still a ton to do. For casual restaurants, I would definitely recommend the Wine Country Trattoria in California Adventure, you can make reservations 60 days out.

I can't help too much with LA, as I have only been there once about 8 years ago.

Have an amazing time! My family loves SoCal, and having Disneyland there is an awesome bonus!

 

[Sherry E]

During your Los Angeles time, I would suggest spending a good few hours at The Grove and the Original Farmers Market (which are next door to each other). Not only are there many, many food options (both table service and counter service), TMZ often catches celebrities shopping or eating at these places. I've seen a couple of B-List actors (I live right down the street from FM and The Grove) roaming around, but TMZ seems to hang out there all the time (undercover) and catches celebrities wandering through, going to the movies, eating, etc.