My best friend and I want to go on a vacation together. We’re both currently 18, but we still need time to save for the trip so it will be another year or so before we take the trip. We live on Long Island in New York and want to experience a dramatically different landscape and we think California is just the ticket.
I have already done some research and have picked out a few spots I definitely want to check out, but several questions remain about how much time I should dedicate to each destination and the economics of the whole endeavor – we’re both students and are on a relatively tight budget. I know we wont be able to do everything I’ve picked and I’d like some advice on what to do and what to skip. We’d like to balance serene natural experiences with exciting city adventures. As far as nightlife goes, we not into dance clubs and would prefer live music venues. Some suggestions for each city listed would be greatly appreciated. We love rock and alternative music. I also have an obsession with french fries. If you know of any great places for french fries along our journey please share them with me. When we go to the national parks we would camp but when in the bigger cities we could also use some suggestions for cool hotels that arent too pricey.
Here are the places I would like to visit.
San Diego
Torrey Pines State Reserve
Los Angeles
Channel Islands National Park
Hearst Castle
Big Sur
Monterey
Santa Cruz
San Francisco
Point Reyes National Seashore
Yosemite
Lake Tahoe
Mendocino
Arcata
Redwood National Park
In the daytime we would like to check out parks, zoos, art galleries and museums, as well as architectural landmarks and interesting neighborhoods. Any points of interest that you could contribute for any of these destinations would be greatly appreciated, I’m just trying to gather as much information as possible.