San Francisco for One Day
The Painted Ladies
It was not ideal but we found ourselves with only one day and one night in San Francisco.
We were on our way from Los Angeles to Vancouver with friends who hadn’t been to San Francisco before but who wanted a glimpse of the city.
It was a January afternoon and we had driven from Carmel. There wasn’t much light left but we were hoping to visit the Muir Woods, about 20 kms north of San Francisco, before checking into our hotel in the city.
Carmel: Highway One – Los Angeles to San Francisco
Neptune Pool, Hearst Castle
Given the choice of flying between Los Angeles and San Francisco, or driving the famous Highway One, the decision was easy. Highway One is one of the most scenic coastal drives in the US.
While it is preferable to drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles (you will be on the right side of the road to stop and enjoy the views), our itinerary was such that we drove north – it was still spectacular – and we got to stay in beautiful Carmel.
This drive really warrants a couple of days to see the sights, however we had one day to drive from Los Angeles to Carmel for an overnight stop.
To give you an idea of timing, it is about 550 kms between LA and Carmel, or nearly seven hours driving time.
Starting the drive in Santa Monica the road follows the coast. It was frustrating to whizz through Malibu and by-pass Santa Barbara but we were heading for Hearst Castle, a four-and-a-half hour drive away. (more…)
Los Angeles – LA for Three Days
Sunset at Venice Beach, Los Angeles
On an extended trip to the US, we spent four nights and three days in Los Angeles. There wasn’t too much idle time, however it was the beginning of our trip and we thought we were fresh enough to see a lot in a short time.
After much research we chose to stay at the Elan Hotel in West Hollywood based on price and location. While our room was small (there were four of us sharing a room), the staff were friendly, continental breakfast was good and each afternoon there was complimentary wine and cheese.
We had a car and planned to visit Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Universal Studios, Venice Beach/Santa Monica and Disneyland. With the exception of Disneyland, our accommodation was very close to all we wanted to see. The only downside was that we found the valet parking expensive and a little inconvenient so we chose to park on the street. If you do park on the street, take note of the parking restrictions. (more…)
Sedona, Arizona
A visit to Sedona was an unexpected bonus after a road trip to the Grand Canyon in Winter.
As part of a three week trip to the US, we drove from Las Vegas to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for a couple of nights (about a six hour drive). Rather than going back the same way, we decided to drive on to Phoenix via Sedona, to catch our flights from Phoenix airport.
Sedona is a small town in Arizona surrounded by spectacular rock formations where you can experience beautiful landscapes, Native American history and New Age spiritualism.
The drive from the Grand Canyon to Phoenix via Sedona takes around 4 hours 30 minutes, with Sedona at about the half-way point, however give yourself plenty of time. We found this drive a much more scenic route than between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. The highlight of the drive was the section between Flagstaff and Sedona – through Oak Creek Canyon. (more…)
The Grand Canyon in Winter
Grand Canyon
In December 2009 we did a trip to the United States with our first stop in Las Vegas.
From Las Vegas it was an easy drive of about 270 miles (5 hours) to the Grand Canyon (scenic rim) – a highlight of our trip.
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