Son_of_Perdition
Senior Member
DISCLAIMER: I mean to offend no one and any dislikes posted are my perception of what I've seen. Here is my 3rd personal review.
California - Likes: The Redwoods (to experience something spiritual, drive the 'Avenue of the Giants'), Wine Country, The Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf eating sourdough bread or dining at Pier 35, taking the trolley car to China town, the botanical gardens in SF, Yosemite NP, Highway 1 to Hearst Castle, taking the kids to Knott's Berry Farm (their favorite) and scaring the pants off them at the Wax Museum, doing Legoland (my personal favorite), the Wild Animal Park - Escondido, Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. Dislikes: Driving or parking in SF. even going to China town, paying $7 to drive alongside the 12 ft high privacy fences hoping to get a glimpse of a multi-million dollar celebrity mansion - Carmel, driving through Pebble Beach Country Club knowing you couldn't afford a round there even if they let you, eating an $8 sliced turkey on organic bread & washing it down with a $3 can of Coke along highway 1, Paying $5+ for gas when everywhere else it's $4, Disneyland (sorry, too expensive,$8 corn dogs get real), same goes for California Adventures, driving anywhere in L.A., trying to find Legoland via mapquest when you only use Carlsbad as your destination address (arriving at the exact center of Carlsbad that is a cul-de-sac on top of some hill), driving up the steep switchbacks on the west entrance of Yosemite in a oversized 3/4 ton extended cab pickup, driving miles along the freeways to Pasadena thinking you are going to the US's biggest flea market at the Rose Bowl only to find you have paid $5 to park at an Arizona St / UCLA football game and have no ticket or hot dog for your tailgate party.
My first visit to CA I was 2 - no memories, 2nd trip was in 1955. We couldn't go to Disneyland which had just opened, father said we would come back when it wasn't so crowded. 25 years later my next 4 trips were with children, grandchildren (2 times) and finally 2 great grand kids. On the trip in '55 did get to do Tijuana and Mexicali not too much worry about drug cartels then. Other side trips, we drove the 20 miles of road dips in the Mohave desert, everyone ended up sick to their stomachs. Calico (gold mining ghost town and tourist attraction). Driving over a snow packed mountain pass west of 4-corners with all the inexperienced winter drivers sliding off the road going too fast. Stopping at a flea market with my son and grandson right in the heart of East LA. carloads of gang members were having a social gathering when we came out, my son got himself a nice knockoff fake-leather jacket though.
One of my CA trips with 3 of my grandchildren had dire warnings to start that I chose to ignore. Leaving early in the morning entering I-15 we were bombarded by a flock of seagulls and one in particular was having bowel problems. Being the procrastinator that I am I figured I could get a quick car wash along the way. Never happened so we made the entire trip with nasty looking white blotches from the front bumper to the rear tailgate. While on the same trip I was taking my youngest grandson to the restroom at SeaWorld, another seagull decided we were a prime target we were still wearing the yellow rain jackets we had purchased and it made it easier to see us. Then a day later while my wife and I were taking a much needed rest on a bench in Knott's Berry Farm one of the many birds high up in the trees needed to relieve itself, yep right on my head and shoulder. Each of the grandchildren like to bring it up at any family gathering.
California - Likes: The Redwoods (to experience something spiritual, drive the 'Avenue of the Giants'), Wine Country, The Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf eating sourdough bread or dining at Pier 35, taking the trolley car to China town, the botanical gardens in SF, Yosemite NP, Highway 1 to Hearst Castle, taking the kids to Knott's Berry Farm (their favorite) and scaring the pants off them at the Wax Museum, doing Legoland (my personal favorite), the Wild Animal Park - Escondido, Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. Dislikes: Driving or parking in SF. even going to China town, paying $7 to drive alongside the 12 ft high privacy fences hoping to get a glimpse of a multi-million dollar celebrity mansion - Carmel, driving through Pebble Beach Country Club knowing you couldn't afford a round there even if they let you, eating an $8 sliced turkey on organic bread & washing it down with a $3 can of Coke along highway 1, Paying $5+ for gas when everywhere else it's $4, Disneyland (sorry, too expensive,$8 corn dogs get real), same goes for California Adventures, driving anywhere in L.A., trying to find Legoland via mapquest when you only use Carlsbad as your destination address (arriving at the exact center of Carlsbad that is a cul-de-sac on top of some hill), driving up the steep switchbacks on the west entrance of Yosemite in a oversized 3/4 ton extended cab pickup, driving miles along the freeways to Pasadena thinking you are going to the US's biggest flea market at the Rose Bowl only to find you have paid $5 to park at an Arizona St / UCLA football game and have no ticket or hot dog for your tailgate party.
My first visit to CA I was 2 - no memories, 2nd trip was in 1955. We couldn't go to Disneyland which had just opened, father said we would come back when it wasn't so crowded. 25 years later my next 4 trips were with children, grandchildren (2 times) and finally 2 great grand kids. On the trip in '55 did get to do Tijuana and Mexicali not too much worry about drug cartels then. Other side trips, we drove the 20 miles of road dips in the Mohave desert, everyone ended up sick to their stomachs. Calico (gold mining ghost town and tourist attraction). Driving over a snow packed mountain pass west of 4-corners with all the inexperienced winter drivers sliding off the road going too fast. Stopping at a flea market with my son and grandson right in the heart of East LA. carloads of gang members were having a social gathering when we came out, my son got himself a nice knockoff fake-leather jacket though.
One of my CA trips with 3 of my grandchildren had dire warnings to start that I chose to ignore. Leaving early in the morning entering I-15 we were bombarded by a flock of seagulls and one in particular was having bowel problems. Being the procrastinator that I am I figured I could get a quick car wash along the way. Never happened so we made the entire trip with nasty looking white blotches from the front bumper to the rear tailgate. While on the same trip I was taking my youngest grandson to the restroom at SeaWorld, another seagull decided we were a prime target we were still wearing the yellow rain jackets we had purchased and it made it easier to see us. Then a day later while my wife and I were taking a much needed rest on a bench in Knott's Berry Farm one of the many birds high up in the trees needed to relieve itself, yep right on my head and shoulder. Each of the grandchildren like to bring it up at any family gathering.
