I have a conference in Vegas in a weeks time. After the conference I plan to rent a car, have my wife fly down and head west for 4 or 5 days.
So far, we are thinking of staying in San Diego or a few miles north at Del Mar or even further up the coast near Prismo Beach (near Santa Maria).
Would appreciate any comments or suggestions. Not looking for much more than walking on a beach (as our beaches here are under 3 feet of snow).
Getting out on the water would be nice too. I assume there is whale watching and harbour tours etc?
Thanks again,
Chris
Pismo Beach is nice. It's a smallish town. Very tourist driven. Most of the time, it is cloudy and gray due to the maritime cloud cover. It is near the central coast wine country of Buellton and Solvang (which is definitely worth the trip - have you seen the movie Sideways??). It has a nice pier and a few shops and restaurants. Beach is ok - but not great. It's a pretty good haul because there is no easy way around Los Angeles and you have to pass through Santa Barbara as well. By the way, Santa Barbara is very nice.
If you want a "real" taste of Southern California, head to Santa Monica and Venice Beach. You'll get a full dose of beach culture there and there is a walkway/bicycle/skateboard path that goes for many, many miles in that area. If you want to see a guy roller blading in drag, this might be your opportunity.
I very much enjoy the San Diego area from Coronado Island all the way up to Oceanside. La Jolla is a great place to walk around if you want something a bit upscale. On Coronado Island (which is really an isthmus) there are all kinds of things to do from walking beaches, renting bicycles, bars, micro-brews, restaurants and the old Hotel Del Coronado which is amazing.
They do have whale watching out of San Diego and my favorite is Sail San Diego - they use 40 foot Catalina sailboats and take only 6 people on each boat. You aren't crammed onto a boat with 200 of your closest friends. Link:
http://www.sailsandiego.com/
Del Mar (north of San Diego but south of Oceanside) is also a cool little town with shops, restaurants, etc. One of my favorite seafood restaurants in the area is Poseidon. Right next door to Poseidon is another very good restaurant (but I can't remember its name right now). Too many great places to even list.
Newport Beach is also very cool. It's a great place to explore and great beaches.
I have also had a good time in Long Beach - the Queen Mary is docked there and you can grab a ferry out to Catalina Island for the day if you REALLY want to do some walking!
Asking what to do is Southern California is a tough question. Every spot you mentioned has something fun and interesting to offer if you look for it. I've been up and down the coast on a motorcycle a couple of times and in cars many times.
