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mandarin.mint · 11-07-2008, 10:13 AM

There's great kayaking in San Diego. .. try Mission Beach or La Jolla. Going up a little north between SD and LA are Dana Point, Capistrano beach and the famous Laguna Beach. There is also kayaking in Long Beach (in Orange County), and the place where you rent the kayaks will give you a map and guide, and you get to kayak through Naples and you also get to touch moon jellies (small white jellyfish). There is also an Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach if you want to check it out. Other great beaches are Newport and Huntington Beach . . . both are very beautiful, but Newport will probably be cleaner and nicer than Huntington Beach.

In LA. . .one of the most famous piers is Santa Monica (close to a big shopping district in 3rd street Promenade). Venice beach is also very famous. . .you can probably go surfing or hang out at the beach and then at night you can hit the bars and clubs on Abbott Kinney.

If you want to travel up even further north, Santa Barbara is wonderful. . .great wineries in the area and wonderful beaches. Up even further north on highway 1, Seal beach and Pebble Beach is great to stop by. . .wonderful golf courses, but a very rich and expensive area to spend the day/night in. If you go even further north (by this time you're pretty close to San Jose), Carmel-by-the-Sea (17 mile drive is a stretch of beach scenery along the cost) and Monterey Bay are great places to visit. . .you can check out the famous aquarium in Monterey (sea otters), and also see Santa Cruz if you wish to. Santa Cruz has a pier a lot like Santa Monica, but it might be closed during the winter (I'm not sure what time you're going to your trip in California).

Of course if you travel all the way up to Monterey Bay/Santa Cruz area, then you might as well visit San Francisco for shopping and the famous Golden Gate Bridge/Park.

And if you plan to hit a lot of those places, I recommend that you drive. . .the scenic spots along California's highway is beautiful. Also, you're driving on a cliff most of the time with a mountain on your right and your ocean on the left. . .so the entire time you're close to the ocean. There are also lots of scenic stopping points where you can pull into a shoulder and take pictures of the wonderful scenery.

Have fun!

11-07-2008, 10:13 AM	#4 (permalink)
mandarin.mint Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 3	Re: Things to do in California There's great kayaking in San Diego. .. try Mission Beach or La Jolla. Going up a little north between SD and LA are Dana Point, Capistrano beach and the famous Laguna Beach. There is also kayaking in Long Beach (in Orange County), and the place where you rent the kayaks will give you a map and guide, and you get to kayak through Naples and you also get to touch moon jellies (small white jellyfish). There is also an Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach if you want to check it out. Other great beaches are Newport and Huntington Beach . . . both are very beautiful, but Newport will probably be cleaner and nicer than Huntington Beach. In LA. . .one of the most famous piers is Santa Monica (close to a big shopping district in 3rd street Promenade). Venice beach is also very famous. . .you can probably go surfing or hang out at the beach and then at night you can hit the bars and clubs on Abbott Kinney. If you want to travel up even further north, Santa Barbara is wonderful. . .great wineries in the area and wonderful beaches. Up even further north on highway 1, Seal beach and Pebble Beach is great to stop by. . .wonderful golf courses, but a very rich and expensive area to spend the day/night in. If you go even further north (by this time you're pretty close to San Jose), Carmel-by-the-Sea (17 mile drive is a stretch of beach scenery along the cost) and Monterey Bay are great places to visit. . .you can check out the famous aquarium in Monterey (sea otters), and also see Santa Cruz if you wish to. Santa Cruz has a pier a lot like Santa Monica, but it might be closed during the winter (I'm not sure what time you're going to your trip in California). Of course if you travel all the way up to Monterey Bay/Santa Cruz area, then you might as well visit San Francisco for shopping and the famous Golden Gate Bridge/Park. And if you plan to hit a lot of those places, I recommend that you drive. . .the scenic spots along California's highway is beautiful. Also, you're driving on a cliff most of the time with a mountain on your right and your ocean on the left. . .so the entire time you're close to the ocean. There are also lots of scenic stopping points where you can pull into a shoulder and take pictures of the wonderful scenery. Have fun!