Thanks so much! Unfortunately we've decided to fly from SF to LV as we do not have that much time. Will definitely save what you wrote for my next trip.It's... a bit thin. The electric bike and scooter companies all got booted out of San Francisco late last year; you can now rent scooters, but the bikes are limited to the Ford GoBike network (which is very short on electric bikes). Brace yourself for a quads workout.
Visitacion... yeah no, don't do this. It's pretty meh, the public transport is lacking... why bother?
Daly City's fine but it's deeply boring and suburban, and about 30-40 minutes from the city on BART.
If you're going to go that far down the peninsula, you might as well go a little further down to Burlingame or San Mateo. Check out the airport hotels—you might be able to snag a bargain there—or look for an AirBnB close to a Caltrain station.
This is totally doable... couple of things to note, though.
1) Even though June is summer, the top of Yosemite may still be snowed in. It's been a HUGE snow season this year, so the Tioga Pass Road that gets you from one side of Yosemite to the other might be still closed.
2) Death Valley in June is going to be an absolute b'stard. It's literally the hottest place in the world, and June is the height of summer. You may not want to do this.
So you have two questions to ask
1) Is the Tioga Pass open?
2) Do I really want to do Death Valley?
If the Tioga Pass is open, and you do want to do Death Valley, here's the map.
If the Tioga Pass is open, and you decide not to do Death Valley, you can head across the White Mountains instead, and see the bristlecone pines! This is a pretty awesome drive. Here's the map.
If the Tioga Pass is closed, you're going to have to head south to Bakersfield, then turn east. From here, it's a straight shot to Barstow and then to Vegas across some of the bleakest terrain you'll ever drive; alternatively, you can drive from Bakersfield to Death Valley, then pop out at the little hamlet of Amargosa Valley and take US-95 straight down into Vegas.
Either way, you should leave a couple of days for this drive. If you're stopping in Death Valley, stay at the Furnace Creek Ranch; if you're taking the White Mountains route, stay in the little town of Bishop at the Bishop Creekside Inn; if you're heading south through Bakersfield and skipping Death Valley, you can just blast all the way through to Vegas in a day.
1) Yes.
2) Yes. Driving in San Francisco blows, and I say that as someone who does it every day.
3) Mmm... nah, the drive out the back of Yosemite is amazing. Do it.
Looking at something like this. Appreciate any inputs!
Day 1:
Arrive in SF late night
Will be staying at an Airbnb in Bayview District
Day 2 to 4: San Francisco
Food market at Ferry building
Farmers Market
- Frog Hollow Farm desserts
- Argentinean empanadas
- Humphry Slocombe - ice cream
- Cowgirl Sidekick - cheese sandwich
- Prather Meat Co. - hotdog
- Hog island oyster company
Lombard Street
Ghiradelli Square
Fisherman Wharf
Crissy field (Golden gate bridge view)
Union Square
Alcatraz
Day 5: San Francisco
Great Mall of San Francisco
Gilroy Outlets
Day 6: San Francisco – Las Vegas
SFO - LAS on United
Linq Hotel and Casino
Catch a show...will probably look for last minute tickets?
Day 7:
Explore LV strip
Eat:
In n Out
Hash House A Go Go
Moin Ami Gabi
Day 8: Chill day
Buffet/pool/strip/outlet
Day 9: Drive to Antelope/Grand Canyon
Day 10: Drive to LA
- The Mormon Rocks
- Get off exit 153a near D Street, take old Route 66 up from Victorville to Barstow
- Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch, Oro Grande
- Eddieworld for gas
- Peggy Sue 50’s Diner, Yermo
- Seven Magic Mountains, South Las Vegas (check if open on 15th)
- Red Rock Canyon
Bestia for dinner in LA... Booked a month ahead and 9.15pm is the earliest table they have across 5 days
Day 11: Hollywood
Hollywood sign and go to Griffith Observatory
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Farmer’s Market + The Grove
Melrose Avenue
Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills
Eat:
Spago
Pink’s Hot Dog
In n Out
The Griddle Café
Yamashiro
Day 12: Downtown LA
Bradbury building
The Last Bookstore
Grand Central Market
- Oyster bar
- Eggslut
Angel’s flight
Walt Disney Centre complimentary tour
Eat:
Langer’s Deli
Ave 26 Tacos
BCD Tofu House
Howlin Ray’s
Triniti
Day 13: West LA
Santa Monica
- Arrive before 10am for parking. $12 whole day
- The Pier
- Third Street Promenade
Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Venice Canals District
Venice Beach Boardwalk
Eat:
C&O Trattoria
Sugarfish by Sushi Nozawa
Sidecar Doughnuts
Afters Ice Cream
Salt & Straw Ice Cream
Chi Spacca
Petit Troisde
Day 14:
Desert Hill Outlet
Day 15:
Back to SG
Questions
For Day 5...is it worth just renting the car then dropping it off at Day 6 at the airport? Or is it more worthwhile exploring public transport/uber?
For Day 11/12/13, should I be driving the car all the way or just park at a single location and explore by foot?
Any recommendations on where has the best buffet in Vegas? I'm hearing Sterling or Wicked Spoon.
Where should I base myself in aka? West Hollywood? Am I right to say it wouldn’t make too big a difference if it’s West Hollywood or Downtown if I’m driving?
Please also recommend any other food places you might think are worth checking out!
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