PCH trip, Portland to San Diego things to see and do...?

ford fanatic

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Wife and I along with our nine year old daughter are flying into Portland, OR the end of March and driving down the coast to San Diego. We have 14 days to make the trip, looking for cool spots to check out on our way. Doesn't have to be car related but I do plan on stopping in at Saleen headquarters in Corona. We have all of our rooms booked and a pretty good itinerary, we're just tweaking things a bit now based on possible road closures and other things we may not want to miss.

Top things on the list are the redwoods, Alcatraz, Big Sur, San Diego Zoo and many various beaches/lighthouses along the way.

Oh, and I know, **** California before anyone says it lol. While I don't agree with any of their political views this has been a bucket list trip for us for a few years. I'll probably never go back...
 

TK1299

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Wife and I took that ride from Seattle to San Francisco. My favorite stop was Astoria, Oregon and see the Goonies filming locations. The hill where the restaurant was in the movie has spectacular views.

Also, the Redwood forest was pretty neat too. Those trees are yuuuge in person.

That’s about all I remember
 

ford fanatic

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Big Sur is a MUST
Monterey - 17 Mile Drive along Pebble Beach
Carmel by the Sea...too many things to mention.

frankly...one of the most BEAUTIFUL drives in the entire World
Monterey is one of our stops for the night. Carmel by the sea is on our list too. Thanks.
Wife and I took that ride from Seattle to San Francisco. My favorite stop was Astoria, Oregon and see the Goonies filming locations. The hill where the restaurant was in the movie has spectacular views.

Also, the Redwood forest was pretty neat too. Those trees are yuuuge in person.

That’s about all I remember
The Goonies location was on our list but we scratched it as it is 2 hours north of where we start.
 

VegasMichael

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Skip Hearst Castle. I overrate it because you have to take more than one paid tour in order to see everything.

The aquarium in Monterey is cool, especially the jellyfish display.

Fisherman's Wharf in SF is nice because you can visit the various food stalls and eat your way from one end to the other.

The drive from Rt. 1 along 46 to Paso Robles is very scenic. Some nice wineries along there if you're into vino.
 

CobraBob

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A north to south PCH road trip will definitely be one you'll never forget. Malibu is interesting. Consider driving over to Balboa Island in Newport Beach. There's a short bridge to get to the (small island) and it's scenic and interesting. You can park anywhere and walk the island. There's a walkway by the beautiful home fronts. When we were there a few years ago, the residents were very friendly and seemed to like to interact with the visitors. Here are a few pics. A lot of beautiful, and expensive, homes there.

My wife and I are visiting San Diego in August, and driving up to the Long Beach area for a one day trip, having breakfast at Joe's in Redondo Beach (for my favorite John Wayne Special) for breakfast, and then having lunch at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Enjoy that awesome drive down the coast. It's an experience you won't forget, for sure. The coast is beautiful. Well, most of it. LOL.

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CobraBob

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Yep, it is! My wife and I will be touring the USS Midway Museum in August. We're supposed to also (hopefully) tour a CVN carrier in port. Can't wait!
 

Detroit Iron

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That sounds like a great trip. There is simply too much to see in a short period of time. I would highly recommend Astoria and Cannon Beach and work your way down the Oregon coast. We stayed in Astoria for our honeymoon and loved it. Definitely stop in Monterey. Do some wine tasting in Paso Robles. Spyglass Inn in Pismo Beach is awesome. Stop in Santa Barbara (State St. and Stern's Wharf). Palos Verdes peninsula in LA, scenic beauty is off the charts. Have lunch at Trump gold course or Terrenea Resort (highly recommend Nelson's). Battleship Iowa tour in San Pedro. Captain Jack's in Sunset Beach if you like seafood, my favorite restaurant ever. Coastal Orange County is awesome. Huntington/Newport/Laguna are worth seeing. San Clemente pier is a good stop too. Lots to do in San Diego.

Some cool car stuff. Petersen museum in LA. The Shelby museum is in OC.
 

ford fanatic

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That sounds like a great trip. There is simply too much to see in a short period of time. I would highly recommend Astoria and Cannon Beach and work your way down the Oregon coast. We stayed in Astoria for our honeymoon and loved it. Definitely stop in Monterey. Do some wine tasting in Paso Robles. Spyglass Inn in Pismo Beach is awesome. Stop in Santa Barbara (State St. and Stern's Wharf). Palos Verdes peninsula in LA, scenic beauty is off the charts. Have lunch at Trump gold course or Terrenea Resort (highly recommend Nelson's). Battleship Iowa tour in San Pedro. Captain Jack's in Sunset Beach if you like seafood, my favorite restaurant ever. Coastal Orange County is awesome. Huntington/Newport/Laguna are worth seeing. San Clemente pier is a good stop too. Lots to do in San Diego.

Some cool car stuff. Petersen museum in LA. The Shelby museum is in OC.
We know, that's why we're trying to narrow it down lol. We'd love to take more time to do it but our kids already going to miss some school time.

Lots of good suggestions here, thanks.
 

CobraBob

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That sounds like a great trip. There is simply too much to see in a short period of time. I would highly recommend Astoria and Cannon Beach and work your way down the Oregon coast. We stayed in Astoria for our honeymoon and loved it. Definitely stop in Monterey. Do some wine tasting in Paso Robles. Spyglass Inn in Pismo Beach is awesome. Stop in Santa Barbara (State St. and Stern's Wharf). Palos Verdes peninsula in LA, scenic beauty is off the charts. Have lunch at Trump gold course or Terrenea Resort (highly recommend Nelson's). Battleship Iowa tour in San Pedro. Captain Jack's in Sunset Beach if you like seafood, my favorite restaurant ever. Coastal Orange County is awesome. Huntington/Newport/Laguna are worth seeing. San Clemente pier is a good stop too. Lots to do in San Diego.

Some cool car stuff. Petersen museum in LA. The Shelby museum is in OC.
Peterson's Car Museum in L.A. is definitely worth a visit. I've been there.
 

B7BlownSnake

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These have been said, and I second them: Balboa Island in Newport Beach, San Clemente and Huntington Beach have nice beaches, Peterson Museum in LA, and while you're there stop by Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills if you want to do some expensive shopping.
 

CobraBob

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One spot in Hermosa Beach (on Pacific Coast Highway) that was always a must-see back in the mid-90s when my wife and I vacationed in Redondo Beach was the Beach Boys Cafe. Just a really cool, fun food spot. But it's now closed. The Kokomo Platter was my favorite. When my wife and I drive up to Long Beach from San Diego in August we would have definitely had lunch there.

So instead, we'll have lunch at Trump's National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes. That's going to be a blast. The view of the Pacific from his restaurant is unbelievable. You should definitely make a point of having lunch there. The food is excellent. Prices average. (y) I recommend you make a reservation if you go.

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