Oppo: How to L.A.?

"Fred (FreddsterExprs)" (freddsterexprs) 02/22/2016 at 15:08 • Filed to: None

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Evening everyone, quick question for everyone who’s been to California/L.A. and S.F. in particular: what’s the best way to get around as a visitor and what locations/activities are really cool and worth checking out?

Here’s the deal: I’m going to L.A. and San Francisco with three buddies of mine. We’ll be spending about 4 days in L.A. and 4-5 in SanFran (do people say that?). I don’t want to drive around in San Francisco as I heard the traffic is horrible and the city center isn’t as spread out as L.A.

So my plan was to pick up a rental (Sixt is quite cheap for my age, a Buick LaCrosse would run me 500$), use it to get around L.A. and then take a day’s worth of driving north to the Bay Area (PCH I guess?), ditch the car in S.F. Would that be smart or is it better to just Uber and Taxi around L.A.? I only heard bad things about public transport, so that seems to be out of the question.

And now the second part of the question: any tips on cool stuff to check out in these two cities?

Dodge Charger/Porsche 917 mashup render for your troubles.

Berang > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 15:21

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ding ding ding

(but seriously, SF has a really comprehensive public transport system, just buy the day pass or week pass/whatever and it’ll get you anywhere)

Frank Grimes > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 15:33

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Eat lots of Banh Mi and Blondies pizza. If you drive across the golden gate there is cool beaches and a nuclear missle site where NIKE missles were stationed. the fort by the golden gate is pretty cool. awesome views and oldness about.

JDIGGS > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 15:49

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You got it right bro! I’d say rent a car in la definitely, only reason to uber it is if you are unsure of your exact destinations etc.... e.g. because it’s huge and spread out you really need to know where you are going or you can get lost, or stuck in nightmarish traffic. I don’t really think an uber driver is going to be any better at navigating traffic in LA frankly as it’s often unavoidable. SF no car and you’ll be fine between uber and the other public transpo. The only issue I see here is if you are trying to see sites? Basically sf has a ton of great restaurants and cool things to do. That being said it’s not HUGE and there are many amazing places just outside of sf where a car would totally benefit. If you are thinking of going to some nature like pt reyes or muir woods definitely get a car. If you are just looking to hang in urban sf no car.

Matt@ShiftCulture > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 15:53

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Did this trip last year - in a LaCrosse as well.

Car was fine for L.A., but maybe a little too big. Petersen is an obvious go-to since they finished the renovations. Downtown area/arts district/Little Tokyo are all good areas. Griffith Observatory is nice as well, but it’s the run through Topanga Canyon that made it memorable. Mulholland is good, but Topanga is better. The LaCrosse can handle the turns, but the transmission sucks for any enthusiastic driving.

PCH takes a long time, I split it into two days with a stop in San Luis Obispo. I-5 is quicker but infinitely more boring, I’d say PCH is worth it especially if you can swap drivers. LaCrosse is terrifying at times with very tight blind corners.

S.F. (don’t say SanFran) is an interesting place. Parking is insanely expensive, so I took the BART in. Used Lyft (Uber would work as well) to get around. The whole north end is nice (Fisherman’s Wharf through to Baker Beach), but make sure to get over to Sausalito or Oakland for the outside view of the city.

L.A. > S.F. - but the trip was great, simply far too much to do in both cities.

Expensive HTC Potato for your time:

JRapp: now as good as new again > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 15:58

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I’ve done many road trips from Portland to San Fransisco and LA, and driving there isn’t nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be. The worst is the stop and go rush hours. Just stay away from highways from 3 to 7 pm and you’ll be fine.

The only thing to recommend about SF is to not drive a manual downtown. Sure you can do it, but it won’t be fun - too many hill starts. Lombard street you do have to drive through though. It’s boring to just look. Parking is a pain at Coit tower, so you may be better off finding alternate forms of transport up there.

Oh, and pay attention to one-way streets in SF. It’s not as bad as Portland, but there’s still many of them.

macanamera > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 15:59

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In N Out Burger

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Berang 02/22/2016 at 16:01

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Do these things drive around regulary or just on special routes/occasions? I really need to catch one of those trams!

JRapp: now as good as new again > Frank Grimes 02/22/2016 at 16:02

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Yea the old missile site is pretty cool. Some great views of the city from there.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Matt@ShiftCulture 02/22/2016 at 16:03

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Fantastic, thanks! This is really helpful.

Yeah, we’re three people over 21, and extra drivers don’t cost a single dollar at Sixt, so we’d be swapping on long drives. How’s the luggage compartment of the LaCrosse - Can you fit three suitcases? That’s what I’m worried about.

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 16:05

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I’ll be doing this trip in June, but planning on renting a convertible because why the hell not?

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > JDIGGS 02/22/2016 at 16:06

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I figured I’d use Google Maps and Waze to combat notorious L.A. traffic - it can’t be that bad, can it? And what I love about having a rental is having the flexibility to just throw in your stuff and not have to carry your bags or whatever around. Also, it seems more convenient if you see something interesting and just want to take a quick stop.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > macanamera 02/22/2016 at 16:07

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That’s on the list. I’m drooling already.

Berang > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 16:07

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The cable cars only operate on three short routes downtown, but they run all day. It’s fun if you’re going where they’re going.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 02/22/2016 at 16:08

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I thought about it as well, but I’m with three friends and we’ll all have proper suitcases - no convertible can fit that, right? Maybe a Rolls Royce Drophead...

yamahog > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 16:21

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it can’t be that bad, can it?

hahahahahahhahahahhahahahahhahahhaa

I thought the same thing when I moved to LA after growing up in New York.

It’s actually that bad. Like “stuck in traffic for an hour in a cab after leaving the bar at 1 or 2am” bad.

My honest recommendation would be to avoid downtown LA as much as possible. Maybe check out Malibu (canyons yes), Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, etc. And no one calls it SanFran.

macanamera > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 16:33

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Make sure to get the burger animal style, but not the fries. They get soggy.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > macanamera 02/22/2016 at 16:39

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What’s animal style? Extra cheese? Never heard of that. But it sounds fantastic and unhealthy.

blacktruck18 > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 16:47

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When we went to SF I got a rental that I drove to and from the airport and that was it. Definitely not worth the money. Just cab around, it’s easier and you can be drunk the whole time.

Saracen > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 16:51

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Animal style= grilled onions, mustard fried into the patty, and extra spread (which is delicious).

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 16:57

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In SF bay area...never call it San Fran..call it SF. Oakland Hills is a very fun series of road. Not as fun as the canyon roads in Socal but be wary of cyclists. Weekdays in the morning is minimal. Sundays and Saturday afternoon s are filled with cyclists. Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma has open drift (you need Snell helmet) and open drag strip on Wednesdays. There are some illict Street racing but check the BayAreaRacing idiots on social media first. There is a huge c&c in SF at the beginning of the month. There is a cruise to it but I’d have to refer you. SF sucks for driving but still go drive there. Make sure you bring plenty of quarters for parking. In and out is a thing.

DasWauto > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 17:10

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This is relevant to my interests. Probably going to LA with some friends in May so I’m bookmarking this.

Matt@ShiftCulture > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 17:20

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I’m pretty sure it can. If it can’t do three across, it can do it pyramid-style. Can always stop by a Buick dealer to test it out though.

Also:

-Traffic in LA is bad thanks to stoplights, but the worst is Century City and Los Feliz.

-Yelp for food

-Point Dume at sunset

-Big Sur easy to drive past

-Bixby Bridge is awesome

-Avoid Tenderloin in SF

-Pork Belly doughnuts at The Sycamore (and Korean BBQ... and the Shrimp Quesadilla at El Farolito... okay, the food is better in SF than LA).

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 17:49

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Do not call it “San Fran”. Bitches shank for less.

You’ll want a car in the Bay Area for at least 2-3 of those days. Do two hotels - one in the suburbs with free parking for the first period, then one deep in downtown for the second (and you’ll be fine with public transit). You’ll want the car to go places like Santa Cruz, Monterey, Marin county, and much of the East Bay.In Los Angeles, you need a car. The infrastructure is designed around the personal automobile and there really isn’t any practical way to get around it without one.Drive Highway 1/PCH up through the Lost Coast. Drive 17 mile drive. If you have an interesting car, consider a detour up Highway 33 through Ojai (this is where a lot of car videos you’ve probably seen are filmed).

Ideas for Los Angeles:
- Consider doing a loop on Mulholland Highway, Angeles Crest Highway, Ortega Highway, and Palomar Mountain, all of which are famous filming locations and roads.
- I’m fond of the La Brea Tar Pits (on Wilshire west of downtown), which is just an impossibly weird thing to find in a major city. If you like art, it’s next to the LACMA.
- Visit the Korean Friendship Bell (great view, famous landmark, used as a filming location in many movies).
- Go to the Ronald Reagan Library (Simi Valley) and/or Richard Nixon Library (Yorba Linda).
- Eat at In-N-Out (I see this was mentioned).
- Eat at Burger Lounge (one of the earliest SoCal gormet burger places).
- Find a Kogi taco truck and eat a Short Rib Taco.
- Eat real tacos in general.

Ideas for the San Francisco area:
- Monterey Bay Aquarium & Laguna Seca Raceway in/near Monterey.
- Albany Bulb in Albany, near Berkeley.
- Muir Woods in Marin County.
- Charles M Schulz (Peanuts) Museum & Luther Burbank Gardens in Santa Rosa.
- Santa Rosa in general is a unique center of the universe with numerous very famous past and present residents, as well as notable dining options.
- Eat a real San Francisco burrito.
- Visit the California Academy of Sciences.
- Visit the Presidio.
- Visit Alcatraz.

I could go on forever. There’s a lot to see and do in both places and many points between the two.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > macanamera 02/22/2016 at 17:51

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I always get a #1 or #2 animal style with light/regular spread, fries well done, animal style, with no spread... I eat the fries first...

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 17:53

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It means mustard-grill the burger, grilled onions, pickles, and extra spread. On fries, it means a slice of cheese, grilled onions, and spread. I don’t like the spread on fries and don’t like quite so much on my burger (in both cases, it makes them soggy), hence my order above.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 17:57

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Outside rush hours and the curve in the 405, it’s not that bad most of the time. Los Angeles traffic is not for the faint of heart, though. People drive close and fast there, so you need to break out the serious driving skills. It’s terrible for country bumpkins and people from places where speeds top out at 50-60. Average traffic speeds in the metro area are ~75-80mph.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 18:01

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Extra drivers don’t cost anything in CA. It’s a state law. Just specify who might be driving. However, you could get underage renter rates if anyone is under 25.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > JRapp: now as good as new again 02/22/2016 at 18:09

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I was about to add Lombard Street, but the traffic for it is so stupid... Thanks for mentioning it!

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 02/22/2016 at 18:16

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Added important notes:

I’m from SoCal, so I call roads “the #”, which is standard usage there. Sometimes we call things “the X” (where X is a name, but this is rare). “Take the # to X”. In NorCal (SF), people omit any qualifier on freeway names/numbers. “Take # to X”. These are both in contrast to conventions used in other states, where “I-#” or “Highway #” is the accepted form.

Additionally, all exits are named in SoCal with sequential exit numbers; mileage-based exit numbers are a retrofit due to Federal highway standards.

Also, do not call San Francisco, “frisco”, unless you genuinely want to die. You’ll make enemies in SoCal if you use “hella”, which is used exclusively in NorCal (in fact, there are a number of these slang “words” you should never use in SoCal).

JRapp: now as good as new again > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 02/22/2016 at 18:18

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I never had issues visiting it, granted it’s generally been middle of the day, middle of the week. Driven more or less right up to it and down the other side with maybe only 3-4 cars waiting ahead of me going up to it. The only issue has been pedestrians wanting to take pictures from the middle of the road.

And for reference both a full size Chevy van and the OG QX56 fit down it no problems, not to mention an Audi A6.

DKerstan > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 18:20

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As a few others have mentioned, traffic in LA is terrible during commuter hours, but is manageable. Some places to check out, Little Tokyo, Peterson Automotive Museum, Venice Beach/Santa Monica Pier, Downtown Pasadena, Griffith Observatory, Pinks Hot Dogs. In SF Coit tower, Union Square, China Town, Golden Gate Park, and the cable car museum. You can also rent bikes and ride across the Golden Gate bridge into Sausalito then take the ferry back into SF, Alcatraz is also worth checking out, but be sure to buy tickets in advance. Both cities have numerous museum that are worth checking out. Also every Sunday in Woodland Hills (just north of LA) there is Super Car Sunday and in SF the first Saturday of each Month they hold a Cars and Coffee on Treasure Island.

JRapp: now as good as new again > JRapp: now as good as new again 02/22/2016 at 18:25

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Oh, and I forgot to mention, if you’re leaving this Battery area, go around the back way through the one-lane tunnel. The wife snapped this bad ass picture out the window.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > JRapp: now as good as new again 02/22/2016 at 18:25

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Yeah, there’s nothing difficult about driving it like the horror stories claim. It just seems like every time I get there it’s a traffic jam for 1-2 blocks on Lombard and ~1 block in each direction on Hyde.

DKerstan > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 02/22/2016 at 18:25

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As a NorCal native living in SoCal this is spot on. (both the locations and lingo)

Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief > yamahog 02/22/2016 at 19:39

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San Fran is okay. Frisco, not okay. And +1 for the LA traffic being a shit show. Basically trying to drive anywhere from 3-7:00PM is a waste of time. You’ll get there the same time if you leave at 7:00 as you would if you left at 4:00. How much am I exaggerating? Traffic causes cars to overheat. Tempers flare up too. Best to avoid it if possible.

Also, PCH will take forever. Try PCH to 101N. Don’t take 5. It’s the fastest, but it’s horrible. 101 has food and sights, no truck stops or big mountain to go over.

Alcatraz is pretty cool. Buy your tickets in advance. You likely won’t be able to buy them while here as they sell out. The Mission is cool. The upper Haight is pretty cool too. Check up Club Deluxe. My good freind owns it. Kezar Pub is the greatest sports bar in CA. If you like vietnamese food, the Pho in the Inner Sunset is amazing. Kevin’s at 19th and Irving is especially good. Public transit sucks. Take Uber or Lyft.

Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief > JRapp: now as good as new again 02/22/2016 at 19:42

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Just don’t come shooting out on the federal park side! There’s a freaking ranger with nothing to do and he writes tickets all damn day. Mind the speed limit and Rodeo Beach is really rad. There’s also the Potato Patch shoals offshore and if there’s a massive swell running (unlikely in Spring) you can see huge dinosaur sized waves breaking far offshore.

yamahog > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 02/22/2016 at 20:37

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I live in Michigan now but OP will appreciate the advice :)

Mythlin > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/22/2016 at 21:37

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I lived in San Franscisco for a year and LA for most of my life. In LA go to the observatory and visit Venice(it’s not the cleanest but the boardwalk is nice), Hollywood hills, mulholland. In S.F. First go to twin peaks amazing view, coit tower, baker beach, cross the golden bridge and see Sausalito. Probably still use a car if parking at the hotel isn’t insanely expensive. Take PCH but he prepared for a drive that is 2x as long as the 5.

Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief > yamahog 02/22/2016 at 23:39

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I started that response to give you props and then just kept going.

Cannabis. It’s what’s for breakfast.

190octane > yamahog 02/23/2016 at 01:16

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This was my thought also, the hahahahahahahhahhhaaa part.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 02/23/2016 at 06:52

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This is fantastic, thank you so much.

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/23/2016 at 08:24

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True, with 4 people it will be hard. Will just be the wife and I, so we are gonna do it California style.

Went to Santa Monica and S.F. for a day each last year (road tripping from MI to Cali on Rt. 66), so we wanted to go back to those places this year as we didn’t get to spend much time. They are both awesome though, and if you like seafood, I highly recommend Sotto Mare in S.F.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/23/2016 at 08:50

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No problem. If there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask.