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View Full Version : Driving SF-LA w/ 6month who hates the car- where to stop on the way?



lilye13
08-14-2007, 11:32 AM
Hi all,
We have a family event to attend on Sept 1 in Sherman Oaks and DD 6 months isn't fond of car rides...she's okay for a while and then she just wails and shrieks etc etc like we are poking her with pins or something. My DS 4 years is fine except when she start crying then he starts yelling etc....oh it is such a joy. This will be our first LONG car ride, we made it to Santa Cruz from Palo Alto a few weekends ago but hey, the ride back from the supermarket last night was hell! So we doubt we can make the trip in one shot. Just wondering if there is anyplace(s) someone would recommend we can stop on the way to break the trip up. and we may have to stay overnight somewhere on the way also . Any suggestions - ? We also just moved back to the area ( from AZ)so we haven't made the trip down to LA in over 5 years! Help:>

cmdnewton
08-17-2007, 03:40 PM
Are you taking the 101 or the 5? The 5 might be shorter, but there are definitely less places to stop on the way.

gisele
08-17-2007, 04:53 PM
We just did the drive down to LA and back last week (From San Jose). My DS is 4 and my DD is 8 months. We did the drive with minimal stops to get there as fast as possible. I made sandwiches and we ate in the car on the drive down. We made two bathroom stops on the way down, and one stop on the way back. The 4 year old watched DVDs on a portable player to pass the time or napped. I think we left around 11am and arrived in Rosemead at 5pm. We cut through Pasadena to avoid traffic. I would leave early so you arrive in LA before the traffic gets really bad. I believe 5 would be faster than 101.

There aren't really places to stay if you take 5, except maybe around Harris Ranch, but that is less than halfway to LA. There are lots of options with 101, but that drive is a few hours more, with more traffic.

Another suggestion is to do the trip when your DD is sleeping - even if that means at night (hey, no traffic too).

Good Luck!

lilye13
08-18-2007, 11:39 AM
We've been toying with the idea of actually stopping and staying over somewhere half way then the drive can be a bit more broken up. Someone suggested San Luis Obispo but I know nothing. We werethinking of heading out after the rush on Thrusday 8/30 and then stopping at Gilroy...you know gotta stock up on some outlet deals, grab a snack and then head on but then I'm not sure where we would stop next...I understand it's only about 3 hours to San Luis Obispo. And then head out the next day after checking out what ever is interesting in the area.
Does this sound crazy?
( oh What a coincidence our sons are both Nicholas!)

gisele
08-21-2007, 12:16 PM
San Luis Obispo is a nice place to stop, although it is a little less than halfway (you probably have another 4 hours to go). There is a nice Mission to visit and the downtown area has a lot of shopping and restaurants. It's a nice place to walk around. It is only 3 hours there. If you wanted to go down a little further maybe stay around Pismo Beach. After that, there's pretty much nothing until you get Santa Barbara. BTW, there's also good outlet shopping at Camarillo right off 101, which is just south of Santa Barbara.

BTW, we stayed at the Apple Farm Inn in San Luis Obispo. It is right off 101 and drivable close to downtown. There's a restaurant on site that has pretty good prices and ENORMOUS portions - definitely share!

How funny we both have Nicholases the same age! And our girls are close in age!

SnuggleBuggles
08-22-2007, 02:10 PM
We went from SF down to LA with a few stops along the way as part of our vacation. We took Hwy 1 from Monterey to near Cambria. Stayed in a great beach side Best Western (the Cavalier). It was probably 45-60 minutes away from San Luis Obispo (but verify that as it could be closer!!). Just wanted to recommend that as a possibility.

I am usually a fan of just getting the drive done ASAP and we typically will do a 10 hour drive for vacation in one stretch since no one really looks forward to getting back in the car the 2nd day in my family. I found that once we really get going it's not so bad. Snacks, movies, podcasts, music... You will need to make more frequent stops with a baby though for feeding and diapering but I would probably only stop as those needs dictate. If everyone is doing well just press on is my motto. :)

beth

lilye13
08-22-2007, 03:43 PM
Thanks!
I forgot about Camarillo- ( can return the things I don't want from Gilroy!:>) We are looking into getting a different car seat for DD and some kind of CD/MP3 player w/ headphones for DS. We'll see how it goes. I read a little about Apple Farm and the Thrusday evening farmer's market. And there is some zoo also. I was jsut htinking of a stopover but now it may have some other things to offer. I'll keep researching! If you don't mind me aksing-what area of San Jose are you living in? - Just moved here ( palo ALto) for the usmmer and are going to have to find another place to live and are exploring other areas. You can email @ [email protected] if you like.
thanks again!

lilye13
08-22-2007, 03:46 PM
I so want to suck it up and keep going but after the drama on our last car ride about 30 minutes it jsut seems like we will be pushing it. If I could avoid making a resevation we may go that way but not sure if that is too risky. I does sound like there is some nice stuff to do if we do stop and of course the beach is always a plus! I will check out the Best Western and see where it's at and all. Thanks for the suggestion!

klyama
01-21-2008, 02:05 AM
San Luis Obispo is a great place to stop. We've travel there all the time. It's about 3 hours to LA from there. If you're looking for an unusual place to stay, try the Madonna Inn (make sure you have reservations). Each room has a theme and some are pretty crazy. Definitely worth staying one time for the experience. Some other considerations: Pismo Beach or Santa Barbara. All these places have lots of things to do, great restaurants, and a range of accomodations to suit all budgets. Camarillo, Oxnard, and Ventura are also good, but are much closer to LA so they won't really be splitting your trip in half.

If you're looking for something different, try Solvang. It's a little Danish town complete with windmills and wooden shoes. You might have seen glimpses of it in the movie "Sideways."

Good luck and happy travels.