California Crusin'

From Vegas to San Diego

• Mojave Desert

• Joshua Tree Park

• Route 66 in Ambroy California

• Palm Springs (cool place for lunch and shops. There are some tours and a lot of hiking. Original LA or Hollywood for the stars in the early years. Lots of famous homes there). We ate at a restaurant called the FARM. It was delicious. We did not spend much time here, but I would go back and plan some hikes.

Pacific Coast Highway (GPS will want to take you on the interstate you have to choose the PCH route)

• Oceanside California - neat little beach town

• Carlsbad California - another beach town

• Del Mar - We loved it!

• La Jolla - Sea lions and Sunset Cliffs are the best places. The town is really great too with lots of shops and restaurants. We wanted to spend more time here. Beautiful mansions on the beaches. Several famous beaches in this area.

• Torrey Pines Golf Course - open to the public. You can go in the pro shop and look onto the course. There is a restaurant there too.

• Coronado Island - this was our favorite place by far!!! Visit or stay at the Hotel Del Coronado. The beach is gorgeous. We stayed at Loew's on Coronado. Lots of great little shops and restaurants. You can drive or bike through all of the neighborhoods by the beach to see amazing homes.

• Ocean Beach - Old hippy beach town. they are famous for their crooked Christmas tree on the pier. Kind of nasty but vintage Cali I think.

San Diego

• Gas Lamp District: lots of restaurants, shops, and bars. Night life (or so we were told). Cool area with lots of history. We had breakfast at Gas Lamp Breakfast Club. It was delicious!!! I think they has trolley tours through this area.

• Old Town: This was one of our favorite places. First Hispanic settlement in the US (you are on the border by just a few miles with Tijuana). Lots of history and things to see. Be sure to eat at the Old Town Mexican Cafe and get the carnitas with homemade tortillas. You can watch the ladies make the tortillas. Totally authentic. I have never had anything so good!!!

• Balboa Park: This is where the famous San Diego Zoo is. We did not go but it is a huge attraction. There are also a lot of museums inside the park area. the carousel was one of my favorite things to see. The oldest one in the country. Be sure to walk across the street to the gardens it is really neat.

I would recommend staying on Coronado at Del Coronado or Loews Hotel or there are some good hotels in the Gas lamp district too. Most of San Diego is not where you would want to spend the night.

We planned to drive over to LA and Hollywood but did not have time this trip. There is so much to do in the area. Have fun!!