California for my 40th - where to go?

[Pigmum86]

It’s my 40th next July. I was thinking of maybe going to California with my partner (no children to worry about).
I like vintage/thrift shops, celebrity stuff, vegan food and history. I also watched a lot of baywatch when I was young haha so thought would be cool to see where it was filmed?

where's the best area to go for all this? Or maybe not California at all? Would I be disappointed?

I also have drivers licence if that helps.

We enjoyed a split with Laguna beach, LA ( stayed at Montrose in West Hollywood which is fab shabby chic) and Santa Barbara - have done this combo 3 times now!!

Years ago DH & I did a road trip from San Francisco to Las Vegas. Stops included San Francisco, Carmel, San Louis Obispo, Santa Monica, Anaheim, Flagstaff & Vegas.
We drove via Big Sur (but unfortunately the fog was so heavy we saw none of the stunning scenery!!).

If I was doing it now I'd also want to visit Napa, Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Forset.
I also really want to visit Beverly Hills (but that's just because I love the Real Housewives of BHs, it's my guilty pleasure 😅).

Not sure if any of those really fit what your look for but you could google and see if they entice you.

LA to San Francisco road trip along Big Sur. Gorgeous mix of cities and small towns. 3-4 days each in LA and San Francisco and 3-4 days or so for the road trip - Santa Barbara is lovely

I would consider road tripping from LA to San Francisco then looping back through Yosemite perhaps Death Valley or vice versa. You can fly into La, San Francisco or even Las Vegas depending on timings, cost of flights and cost of rental cars, things do vary a lot in the USA

Have a couple of nights in Palm Springs maybe? It’s a gorgeous place with great food & shopping. Also the roads are named after Hollywood stars - it’s all very glam with a 50’s vibe. Think it might be a bit hot in July tho - we went in November.

San Francisco is pretty seedy now sadly.

I think you’d like Carmel, Monterey and possibly Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara for the sea and the celebs.
Palm Springs for the loveliest vegan shop/cafe I ever went to.
South Lake Tahoe for a proper American mountain town with nice weather and amazing walks (and from there, pop into Silver City to see a real preserved gold rush town).

@Pigmum86We have been to California 3 times because we don’t rush things. Certainly would not do some of the trips mentioned here as they are purely road trips and miss out so much!

Id decide what makes you tick. We haven’t been to Yosemite but have been north of SF which is great. So you could visit SF, Yosemite and the wine country plus a trip north of SF to see giant redwoods.

Alternatively, drive north to south on Highway 1 from SF to LA. This puts the ocean views on your right. There’s fabulous things to see and do on this route including whale watching, glorious beaches and towns, superb views and historic missions. Plus lunch at Pebble Beach Golf Club was great and the views at Nepenthe at the Bix Bridge are fantastic. Money no object - Post Ranch Inn!

LA has some iconic buildings and Malibu and Santa Monica are great places to base yourself. Will Rogers beach was the location for some filming I think. Then fly home from LAX.

If you prefer a beach holiday, try LA beach cities and go south to San Diego. We found this area less interesting and stayed at La Jolla. Look at Joshua Tree Park for an extra. I’d avoid Nevada and Las Vegas. It’s gross. LA has the Hollywood Museum and the Getty Centre is just a brilliant building. Most of LA is ugh!

I would strongly suggest you build in mooching time and research vintage shops and vegan restaurants. We actually enjoyed driving round some areas of LA! Bel Aire and Mulholland Drive were great. You need to avoid central LA and tourist traps.

Carmel is somewhere I will never forget, very beautiful. Santa Barbara also up there x

One of my favourite places was Balboa Island along that coastline.

We stayed at a lovely ranch near Santa Barbara where there was no wifi, just horses and incredible food. A morning ride where they cook you breakfast in the mountains and a peaceful evening ride before dinner. Loads of other things to do too. It’s a nice detour for 4-ish days.

Carmel, Santa Barbara, Napa and Lake Tahoe. I like San Francisco too, but like any city there are good parts and bad parts. I have been to LA twice with work and I absolutely hated it, but maybe that's just me.

San Diego ticks a lot of your boxes. Very cool, young and hip, def lots of vegan stuff. Great beaches and amazing climate.

Oh forgot to mention San Diego, yes I agree.

@OhDear111 I agree with you about LA- we’ve always had a great time but are very rigid and stick to staying in a nice place in West Hollywood, potter at laurel canyon stores , drive around house spotting in Beverley hills, bel air, I enjoy Westfield in Beverley hills, love the food hall at the Grove, like a Santa Monica pier trip , drive along to Malibu coast etc - a lot of LA isn’t nice , but there is fun to be had - I always love the big ‘what’s on this season’ hoardings and a Mel’s diner breakfast!!

@TheWeekOnTheDalymountSeat We really liked Carmel. Relaxed for a few days there.

@Namechangedasouting987 SD is a bit one dimensional though. The highway one scenery is so much nicer!

@Arlanymor You have to look for the best of LA. A work visit does not give much time but Santa Monica really is good and the Getty Centre is one of the best buildings we’ve ever visited. It’s like SF - pick the best.

Yeah I guess that's true - I worked like a dog for a horrible person while I was there so it has probably jaded my view somewhat!

Agree about Laurel Canyon. We like a potter about too - remembering Mama Cass!