SF - Lax road trip ideas

[SteveUK]

One for you colonial types. Specifcally the American ones.

I've got 4 days, a convertible mustang, Mrs Steve UK and a shit load of cash. 4 night SFO-LAX. Planning Monterrey, somewhere in big Sur, San Luis Obispo and San Diego. Backtrack to LA on last day.

Is this remotely doable or desirable, or am I missing some essential stops? . We basically like drinking in shit bars and not being in LA.


Many thanks

[Burnaby49]

Trip is certainly doable but somewhat hurried.

No shit bars in San Luis Obispo. I've been there recently and it's essentially a sedate tourist town. Thinking it over there was one bar I didn't go into because it was full of noisy drunken young people. It may have been a shit bar. But that was about all that I saw.

The whole California coast has gone upper end and lost its shit dive bars. You need Cleveland or St. Louis for that.

[JohnPCapitalist]

One for you colonial types. Specifcally the American ones.

I've got 4 days, a convertible mustang, Mrs Steve UK and a shit load of cash. 4 night SFO-LAX. Planning Monterrey, somewhere in big Sur, San Luis Obispo and San Diego. Backtrack to LA on last day.

Is this remotely doable or desirable, or am I missing some essential stops? . We basically like drinking in shit bars and not being in LA.

Many thanks

1. Make sure you visit an In-N-Out Burger along the way. It's the quintessential California drive-through hamburger stand experience (a bit more modern than some of the old places from the 1950s that still exist in original form, but the quality of the food and service make up for it). I recommend the Double-Double burger, but without onions -- they are very fresh and very raw, and your breath will remind you how fresh they are for the remainder of the day. Fries ("chips" for Brits) "Animal Style" are a particular treat as is the pink lemonade.

2. Check to see if the bridge in Big Sur on Highway 1 has been reopened -- it was destroyed in a mudslide a while back and it's a major engineering project to refinish. The mountains are steep and it's a 200+ mile detour.

3. Take in the Hearst Castle if the road is indeed open. Stunning in every respect.

4. Stay at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. Remarkable "vernacular architecture." Every room is uniquely decorated. Not cheap but definitely worth it. Check out the men's room in the basement of the main building; one of the biggest draws of the whole place, and one that women frequently wander in to check out as well.

5. Spend time in Santa Barbara. Taqueria Super Rica is a beloved authentic taco stand. Julia Child was a fan, as is David Crosby and many other famous locals. The lines are long so get there before they open. Shops in the quaint downtown are really fun as well.

6. Solvang, a town founded by Danish immigrants, is quite charming. It's the gateway to the Santa Ynez valley, the wine country made famous by the movie "Sideways." Solvang is one of the few towns in the western US founded by a sizable immigrant population from a single European country, whereas that's much more common in the US midwest and East.

[obadiah]

The Waterfront bar in San Diego if you get that far. Classic dive bar.

[SteveUK]

Many thanks for the tips folks.... The road was closed last time and I had to detour on some shite mountain pass that nearly killed me, but runkurs are it'll be good for October....

[AndyK]

This might be difficult to stomach (accidental pun), but California is WINE country.

Admittedly, there might be a decent selection of craft breweries and their products, but it's WINE country.

Just don't drink white zinfandel. It's the Budweiser of wines.

[LaVidaRoja]

White Zinfandel - wine for people who don't like wine

[Burnaby49]

In other words Trader Joe customers. Trader Joe has a new product, canned wine in beer can size. Actually not a bad idea except the one I bought, red blends, was pretty bad. One specific name in their selection rather than just generic blends was White Zinfandel.

[SteveUK]

Well, I've been sat in the airport for approximately 2.5 bottles of wine. Thanks for all the tips, will see how many I can tick off starting tomorrow.