Southern Cali advice?

LOL! I am so excited. A friend of mine offered to take me to visit her family in CA. I guess that they live on the water, around San Diego. Weeee!!

One thing, though, I have never been on a plane. I know, I know.. I have also never been further from home, than.. Ohio.

Any advice on what to do or not to do there? I know that we have some plans to go dune buggying around Yuma, and she wants to go to LA for a day. I am just so excited, and so nervous, because it will be like going to another planet for me! I really don't like western NY that much, and hell, when I went to Columbus, I wanted to stay! So who knows when I see Cali, lol. My husband is going too.. he has been allllllll over as a roadie in the past. He said that he would not be against moving anywhere; neither would I. Any advice, also, on dealing with my first flight? I am sort of nervous (we recently had that tragic plane crash in our area, in Clarence, that was all over the media.) But I figure, if I drive myself daily on roads at 75 mph, in a tin-can Jeep, then flying HAS to be safer than that.. and I do that daily. :)

I am sort of OK in Spanish speaking and understanding. Not fluent. I can usually understand more than I can respond, but I know basic stuff.
I really cannot wait to have some authentic Mexican food. I am fiending for some good guacamole. :D So how is it? Am I never going to want to go home??

Also, how is the weather in summer? Is it really that horribly hot, or tolerable? Anything and everything that you can think of, please do tell!

You have to go to the San Diego zoo and Sea World. look online for discount tickets. Really nice city!

When are you going?

Reptile Super Show in San Diego June 27 & 28!

Have a great trip!

About the spanish thing...we still speak English here in CA, I can't really think of anywhere where you would NEED to speak Spanish :P. Unless you drive in Mexico, but it's quite dangerous right now and I wouldn't suggest it. San Diego is an awesome place, but it's pretty expensive. I've heard the Gas Lamp District is pretty cool. If you go to LA, walk down Sunset, and I guess just do all the touristy things - star walk, etc. I live in Irvine, which is almost a beach town. Laguna Beach is very nice, and the main street has a ton of art galleries. Newport Beach is awesome too, it's got bars/little resteraunts on the water, totally different feel. If you have time to drive up North, there's a mall tyoe thing called Fashion Island - you can see the ocean from certain points, and they have this place called Sprinkles which makes the BEST cupcakes. They're kind of pricey though, but taaasty.

OH, and you'll probably find that most of the stuff you hear about CA from non-CA residents is actually pretty far from the truth.

Cool you should hit some of us up while in Los Angeles.

Jen, you should have a great time. San Diego is a beautiful city and the weather is to die for. I came to Cali 22 years ago for two weeks and never bothered to go back. Flying on a plane is safer than riding a horse or driving in a car. Dont worry, relax and have a good time:gj:

hahahahah

Ive lived in cali for 23 years......


....I know maybe two sentences of Spanish that are acutally useful.....

I have lived in cali my whole life(a whopping 15 years).. lol... you dont need spanish... you dont even need spanish if you go to mexico anymore... lol... There is a lot to do so it really depends on what you want to do... If you stay closer to the beaches it will be cooler.. and no its not terribly hot unless you are going tot he Inland Empire...

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

hahahahah

Ive lived in cali for 23 years......


....I know maybe two sentences of Spanish that are acutally useful.....

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Laurie couldnt even order a taco in Spanish:rofl:

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Originally Posted by West Coast Jungle

Laurie couldnt even order a taco in Spanish:rofl:

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Hahahahaha

Thanks! We have a lot of things planned; we want to go to see a few races (my friend's aunt works at one of the tracks, not sure which one.) I just want to soak on a beach somewhere for a week though, hehe.
My friend went for a week last year; she did not want to come back! I just think that I might stick out like a sore thumb with my white skin. I should tan a little before I go to prevent horrific sunburn, I guess. :)
We are going in the summer sometime when her cousin has off work.

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

I just think that I might stick out like a sore thumb with my white skin.

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I take it you dont notice how pale I am......five mins away from the beach.....HAHAHAH

I moved to LA 2 years ago and honestly, now knowing what all is out here, I don't think I could ever move back home. I'll always stick to my roots but everytime I visit home now it seems quite dull. The thing that stuck out to me most is the beaches here are different... I'm from the South and used to warm Florida beaches with clear water and white sand. The water here is cold! I LOVE walking up and down Santa Monica and Venice with my big boas around me:) I still haven't seen all there is to see and might never will. I still rely on local friends to take me to all the hot spots. Like for instance I went to the Griffith Park Observatory for the first time last night - absolutely beeeeautiful view of the city lights at night, I highly recommend it. And I agree with Reaxion, I wouldn't cross the border when you're in San Diego. It's close and tempting but not too safe right now, I've heard of a lot of bad things happening to tourists. Good luck and have crazy fun:gj: And don't worry, the plane ride will be over before you know it.

You need a passport to go into Meheeco anyways

Oh and about the plane accident you mentioned, it's the same thing here with the Metrolink crash that happened last year. At the time I worked 5 minutes away at a restaurant and went to give the firefighters and policemen a bunch of pizzas... It was horrible, I still can't get the images out of my mind. But unfortunately it seems like it takes something tragic like that to happen in order to make things safer again. So no worries about that, it's fine now if you decide to ride it. And I think I've always heard some statistic like "you're more likely to be struck by lightning than to be in a plane crash"?:)

Thank you. I am admittedly nervous about flying, just because it is so unlike anything I have ever done before. But it helps to read your reassurances.
I am a country girl. I grew up in the inner city, and ended up hating it, and now I love living in the woods basically. So I guess that I can adapt to different environments, hehe. I am just afraid of not wanting to leave. My husband has been to southern cali, and loved it, and would not be hard to convince to live there, hehe. As long as he could find a hiring tattoo shop. I would be happy shoveling horse poop if I could live someplace that does not get 5 feet of snow!

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

You need a passport to go into Meheeco anyways

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Yeah; don't have one of those yet. Mexico kinda frightens me, just because of my fear of getting tossed into a foreign prison, or being stolen by a human trafficking ring, lol. I can't legally tote a gun in Cali, I know. That scares me, but I plan on sticking close with my peeps that I am going with.
You ARE pale dude! You and I have the same skin tone, lol! I can blind people temporarily with the glare from my white skin.

I haven't been in San Diego that long, but I'm sure you'll love it out here! The weather is amazing, never too hot, unless you go way inland. As for some stuff to do in San Diego, Balboa Park is always worth a visit. It has tons of beautiful gardens to see, a bunch of museums and the San Diego Zoo too! La Jolla Cove is also fantastic, the beaches out there are the best, but the water is crazy cold (at least to my Southern-used-to-the-Atlantic skin). The Gaslamp is fun too if you like to shop.

And as someone mentioned earlier, the Reptile Super Show is in June if you can plan around it!

San Diego is awesome, So Cal is a treat for most people who aren't used to the area.

Summer will be HOT. San Diego, not so hot... It's near the ocean, so it'll be cooler.. Think low 80s.

You can find plenty of geniune Mexican food without needing to speak Spanish.

Flying in an airplane is never an easy thing for a first timer. Bring lots to entertain you!

Cali is great. I don't think you'll want to leave :)

Go see some real mountains.

Tell them its your first time on a plane and get yourself a set of those cool wings.

You should actually come in June, the san diego reptile super show is going to be here, You could meet all us so cal bp.netters and see what all the funs about

my girlfriend went there last summer she went to the beach with her mother, she ALWAYS tans here in NY or even in AZ but she went to san diego and burnt like a lobster! ive always wanted to go t ocali, but just like you i dont leave NY. i havent been farther then PA or CT lol. never been to NJ ever in my 20 years of life! lol i need to get out more have fun and take pictures :)

Jen

Here is what I would check out if I were you top of the list has to be the zoo. I have some friend who got a back stage tour of the reptile house by knocking and asking for one so worth doing that. You should check out Balboa park there are also museums in balboa park that you might want to see. The USS Midway is anchored in the bay and is a floating museum. then right down the road from there is the The Embarcadero which has sea port village its worth walking the Embarcadero and seeing everything if you are down there looking at the midway. Also the gas lamp quarter down town has bars clubs and restaurants. Go check out mission beach, and the beaches of La Jolla. There is also the wild animal park and sea world. I need to jump off but I will suggest some more stuff soon.

Chuck






http://www.balboapark.org/
http://www.midway.org/site/pp.asp?c=...rGpF&b=3038957
http://www.gaslamp.org/

Thanks! I knew that you all would be helpful. :D

I am nervous about the flight, but lately, I have been getting over a few fears that I had, and I am enjoying life more because of it. I am not going to let a fear of flying, ruin a chance at an awesome vacation!

Know of any good tattoo shops that you'd recommend in the area?

Any advice on Mexico? :D

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

Any advice on Mexico? :D

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Don't drive your own car...

It may get stolen across the border, and getting it back is a HUGE pain.

Be prepared to be solicited often by little children selling Gum.

Be prepared to spend a lot of money on tourist traps if you don't speak Spanish.

Go with someone who has been there before and speaks Spanish.

Hide some money somewhere where you would normally not have it. Pickpockets abound in Tiajuana.

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Originally Posted by kc261

Go see some real mountains.

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x 2!!!

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

Don't drive your own car...

It may get stolen across the border, and getting it back is a HUGE pain.

Be prepared to be solicited often by little children selling Gum.

Be prepared to spend a lot of money on tourist traps if you don't speak Spanish.

Go with someone who has been there before and speaks Spanish.

Hide some money somewhere where you would normally not have it. Pickpockets abound in Tiajuana.

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Thanks. It's good to read something that's not saying not to go at all. most of my friends insist that we shouldn't go down there. They are also people who live in Buffalo and have never been to Mexico. I like to rely on real advice from people that actually live near there, or have been there. But my friend, who we are going with, spent several months of last year living down there volunteering, and knows people in ensenada, and is also fluent in spanish. I wouldn't consider going without her! But I also plan on not toting a purse and maybe keeping my money in my underwear? LOL that could be funny if I actually want to buy something, and if we go skinny dipping, that won't work. We plan on renting a car; I would think that they have insurance on cars that you can take over the border? It might all be a non-issue anyway, if we can't get our passports udpated in time; not sure of the wait on that. But Cali is a definite!

There are some real bad drug wars happening on the Mexican border and I would avoid it. Both the Mexican and American forces are sending more troops to the border and murders/executions everyday, not a good sign.

There is plenty to do in Cali;)

We have decided to center the 1st part of our vaca, in LA/Venice Beach, and the second half, we are spending at my friend's uncle's house in Yuma dunebuggying! Any LA advice? Where to go and where to stay away from? i want to avoid lame touristy things, but Universal Studios does look fun, and my friend has a friend who works there, as well as a few local friends who can act as tourguides.

If you want to stay away from touristy places....VENICE BEACH is DEFINITELY not the right place LOL. But it is fun

well that seems touristy in a good way. :) I want to see all of the little shops and artists. And tattoo shops!!

No tattoos in Venice........dirty dirty DIRTY

yikes. my hubby and i can definately pick out a shoddy tattoo shop right away. he will blatantly complain about poor talent and uncleanliness; maybe i should prepare for a fist fight! lol

If I go the rest of my life without ever coming close to stepping foot within LA city limits again, it will be a life well-lived.

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

If I go the rest of my life without ever coming close to stepping foot within LA city limits again, it will be a life well-lived.

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Me too!!!!!

and Im only 45 mins away!!!! LOL

why? I am fron rural NY. I am dying of boredom here. I need to go someplace exciting..