Anonymous wrote:How does SF compare to San Diego or Seattle?

I live in SF and just went to Seattle in November. We don't have a car and didn't rent one in Seattle so we stayed in the very touristy areas, and had a GREAT time. We spent three days in Seattle and felt like we saw a solid portion of the city. Without a car, three days was a good amount of time there.

I think San Diego is better for younger kids, and San Francisco is better for teenagers. I'd lean toward San Diego for a 6th grader (Seaworld, Zoo, Legoland, even drive up to Disney for the day).

Anonymous wrote:I think it absolutely does not matter for the first quick trip. We've been up and down the coast, spending a month at a time travelling and we barely covered a small part. If you just want to put a check mark in your travel book then do any of the big cities/national parks based on your preference (desert, ocean, forest, "city", etc).

This was not helpful. Please be specific, which areas were your favorites?

San Diego gets my vote!

San Diego!!!

I think it absolutely does not matter for the first quick trip. We've been up and down the coast, spending a month at a time travelling and we barely covered a small part. If you just want to put a check mark in your travel book then do any of the big cities/national parks based on your preference (desert, ocean, forest, "city", etc).

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Southern CA and lived there till I was in my early 30's. A word of warning about driving down PCH--if your child gets car sick easily, it can be miserable.

I'm terrified of heights and get carsick...driving down parts of PCH esp. in Malibu was nightmarish for me.

I grew up in Southern CA and lived there till I was in my early 30's. A word of warning about driving down PCH--if your child gets car sick easily, it can be miserable.

I'd go to San Diego/La Jolla/Corona del Mar area....or I'd hit the San Juan island area in Washington, outside of Seattle, and watch the whales.

OR, I'd fly into San Francisco and drive down the PCH (check to see if it's all open; one part was closed off last year) to Los Angeles; stay in Santa Monica and fly out of LAX.

I live in LA, fwiw.