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britfagging it up in the us
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In n out burger
Go to the beach and watch someone catch a baby shark by accident. c: That's what I did.
go: away
avoid: people
To be serious, I'd suggest Yosemite even if that's not so much "down" from san fran and more "right"
Avoid the really big restaurants and the ones you find in back alleys, in terms of food. Alternatively just eat at a fast food place every day to get a full american experience. Californians say that in and out burger is a place you should eat at.
Seconding highway 1. Would suggest renting a convertible or sports car cause this road is really twisty. Seconding In n Out. Avoid the "great" central valley at all costs. Yosemite, Lassen, Kings Canyon (closed cause fire) Sequoia national parks are really pretty. The mountains in general in california are very pretty. There's still no snow yet so you can go anywhere. Lake Tahoe is a nice place to gamble (if you cross the border into nevada) and also a scenic destination. Mount Tam in the bay is a great place to hike. Down south, San Diego has great beaches and surfing. If you have time Catalina Island is pretty. As for food there is lots of sushi/asian/mexican. You'll find nice places to eat and they're usually easy to get to. Traffic is bad in the bay area and los angeles. Another place to visit in southern california is joshua tree national park, I've heard it's gorgeous and not too crowded. Enjoy!
EDIT: Please visit Mount Shasta. It's literally the most beautiful mountain in the world.
EDIT: Please visit Mount Shasta. It's literally the most beautiful mountain in the world.
Seconding the redwoods, it's beautiful there. You just get this feeling when you look straight up through the canopy, I don't even know how to describe it. And you might find a banana slug.
thirding the redwoods, i went there on vacation once and it was great
why?
Gay bars are awesome even for straight guys.
a.) If you're even somewhat good looking, you'll get bought drinks. Like a lot of drinks.
b.) Pretty much every gay bar I've been to in the city has plenty of straight girls, enough of which who, after the whole "I'm just gonna DANCE and not gonna get hit on and it's GREAT!!" thing for an hour are super open to it
c.) Real talk: gay bars have a way more infectious fun vibe than lots of standard bars.
Some of my best outings have been at gay bars / clubs here. Not saying this to be difficult but I'm assuming if I, as a straight man, had great times at gay bars in NYC, that gay bars in Cali are probably similar and cookie might have a good time as well.
Or he might not. Who knows.
Gay bars are awesome even for straight guys.
a.) If you're even somewhat good looking, you'll get bought drinks. Like a lot of drinks.
b.) Pretty much every gay bar I've been to in the city has plenty of straight girls, enough of which who, after the whole "I'm just gonna DANCE and not gonna get hit on and it's GREAT!!" thing for an hour are super open to it
c.) Real talk: gay bars have a way more infectious fun vibe than lots of standard bars.
Some of my best outings have been at gay bars / clubs here. Not saying this to be difficult but I'm assuming if I, as a straight man, had great times at gay bars in NYC, that gay bars in Cali are probably similar and cookie might have a good time as well.
Or he might not. Who knows.
Definitely hit up the State and National parks, from talking to international students here at uni the US's national parks are something very little else in the world has a lot of and in as good as shape as we keep them. Yosemite gets pretty crowded but it's worth going, and the Redwoods are just phenomenal. Any other national or probs most state parks are worth hitting up.
I don't remember what highway/freeway we were on, but it went through and past a lot of orchards, which is something pretty unique to Cali, and they usually sell fruit straight from the orchard on the roadside or the entry to their driveways, and the fruit is extraordinary when it's that fresh. The plums we had were 3x the size of the ones we get in the grocery store here in Wisco and just so good.
San Fran will be cold this time of year, especially if it's a foggy day (it was only 54 F in July when I was there) so bring warm stuff if you aren't already.
I think Hollywood is worth a day trip, we didn't do any of the bus tours or anything so I don't think we really got around to seeing everything but it's not like it wasn't worth the trip.
Places to eat: In n Out Burger, any one of Church's/Popeyes/KFC, Hooters (overrated overall but it might be different in Cali), any of Pizza Hut/Dominos/Giovanni's
Things to eat: Clam Chowder bread bowls since you're in Cali, cheese curds if you can find them, Philly Cheese steak, Barbeque anything, idk what you Brits eat tbh but idk if you guys have Hot Dogs or not, any kind of Mexican cuisine is probs worth checking out esp in Cali
I don't remember what highway/freeway we were on, but it went through and past a lot of orchards, which is something pretty unique to Cali, and they usually sell fruit straight from the orchard on the roadside or the entry to their driveways, and the fruit is extraordinary when it's that fresh. The plums we had were 3x the size of the ones we get in the grocery store here in Wisco and just so good.
San Fran will be cold this time of year, especially if it's a foggy day (it was only 54 F in July when I was there) so bring warm stuff if you aren't already.
I think Hollywood is worth a day trip, we didn't do any of the bus tours or anything so I don't think we really got around to seeing everything but it's not like it wasn't worth the trip.
Places to eat: In n Out Burger, any one of Church's/Popeyes/KFC, Hooters (overrated overall but it might be different in Cali), any of Pizza Hut/Dominos/Giovanni's
Things to eat: Clam Chowder bread bowls since you're in Cali, cheese curds if you can find them, Philly Cheese steak, Barbeque anything, idk what you Brits eat tbh but idk if you guys have Hot Dogs or not, any kind of Mexican cuisine is probs worth checking out esp in Cali
As a Philadelphian, I disagree. Pretty much most places outside of the Philadelphia tri-state area messes up at least one part up compared to the tried and true whether it's the roll or the type of meat or the ratio of meat to cheese to roll. It's probably similar to the whole "NYC makes the best pizza" thing in that there's like literally one thing that makes a huge difference in taste.
On the other hand, as a fat American who obviously knows his way around food, I suggest eating at small local diners a lot. They all have their own unique ways of making things and the cuisine is totally Americana.
Everything not squash or apples is out of season right now. Farmers in california rotate their crops often to take advantage of the very fertile soil and mild climate. These highways you're talking about are probably highway 99 and interstate 5.
Wow, finally, I can brag about my home state!
We drove up to San Fran last year. We left the car at the hotel for two days and took Lyft (similar to Uber) or the BART everywhere and it saved us a ton of time. Try to catch a Giants game (baseball sucks but baseball games are super chill). May as well check out Golden Gate Bridge as it's a world-famous landmark.
On the way down, we took the 1 (Pacific Coast Highway). It took 12 hours, so be ready for a LONG drive. You will be twisting and turning along cliffs overlooking the ocean (either a thick blanket of fog or beautiful blue), punctured by random mountainous camping areas. If you do take PCH, make sure to stop at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and if you have time for a whale-watching tour, TAKE IT! Every time I have taken a whale watching trip out of Long Beach (south of LA), I see grey whales breaching out of the water and have seen the flukes (tails) fly up in the air like they do in movies. Wear a jacket though, it is much colder out on the ocean than on the mainland.
Once you get to So-Cal, definitely do the Hollywood thing. Don't take the bus tours, those are outrageously expensive. If you're a music fan, I highly, highly, highly recommend going to Amoeba records on Sunset Blvd. There is one in San Fran (been) and one in Berkeley (never been). However, the Hollywood one is about three times the size of the San Fran one. It has three rooms on the bottom floor (Jazz/Religious/Classical/OST, Rock/Pop, and Rap/Hip Hop), and an upstairs area with movies, shows, and some books. The whole building is comparable in size to a Best Buy, so it's not just some small mom&pop record store. Still has that homely feel to it though. I have found very rare / impossible-to-find albums there, and I'm pretty sure every time I've gone to Amoeba I pick up a Radiohead EP or single that I didn't have before -- usually to the tune of $3 or less -- in the enormous Used section. There is a ton of out-of-print stuff there as you can imagine. I got both of Hum's albums there which I haven't seen anywhere else except iTunes.
Universal Studios is fun too, plus you are forced to walk through Universal City Walk to get there, which has a ton of restaurants and shops. Disneyland / California Adventure are pretty expensive these days but you may as well go while you're in town -- definitely get the park hopper as CA Adventure is finally worth going to. DL is really one of those places where you can put reality on hold for 10 hours and just enjoy yourself. Tomorrowland is the best part, and if you're even mildly interested in Star Wars, then you'll really enjoy StarTours. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters is like 10 feet away so try that too. In Frontier Land you can check out my favorite rides, Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean, complete with several animatronic Johnny Depps and a town completely up in flames with a candelabra supposedly inspired by the famously anti-Semitic Walt Disney (doubtful). If you plan on going to Disneyland, bring your own food. The food there is expensive and overrated at best.
Other random tidbits: The Inland Empire, about 40 minutes east of LA in decent* traffic (my home, the 909) is a strange (sub)urban area of like 4 million people yet it's stereotyped as hickville USA. It's basically one of those places that the LA and OC folk pass through on their way to Las Vegas. The only touristy thing out here is the Mission Inn in Riverside -- one of the old Californio missions that has been converted to a very ritzy restaurant and hotel. Everybody else has said In-N-Out and I agree with them. Any chance you're going down to San Diego? The San Diego Zoo: Safari Park (on a separate property from San Diego Zoo about 30 minutes away) has tram tours that take you very close to herds of wild animals and has other cool attractions. My favorite is the Cheetah run, where they put a piece of raw meat at the end of very long strip of land (330 feet) and you watch the Cheetah bolt toward it in about four seconds. It's over quickly but it's just so cool to watch.
Places to avoid:Mexico, unless you plan on driving WAAAY south to some of the nicer cities on the baja peninsula. The main border town is Tijuana and it sucks. You can get legit Mexican food all throughout LA or San Diego -- don't cross the border for it, as it takes like 3 hours to get back over.
Enjoy your stay!
*Be prepared to face a ton of LA gridlock traffic. But if you're with your friends and don't have a strict schedule, you'll still have a blast.
We drove up to San Fran last year. We left the car at the hotel for two days and took Lyft (similar to Uber) or the BART everywhere and it saved us a ton of time. Try to catch a Giants game (baseball sucks but baseball games are super chill). May as well check out Golden Gate Bridge as it's a world-famous landmark.
On the way down, we took the 1 (Pacific Coast Highway). It took 12 hours, so be ready for a LONG drive. You will be twisting and turning along cliffs overlooking the ocean (either a thick blanket of fog or beautiful blue), punctured by random mountainous camping areas. If you do take PCH, make sure to stop at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and if you have time for a whale-watching tour, TAKE IT! Every time I have taken a whale watching trip out of Long Beach (south of LA), I see grey whales breaching out of the water and have seen the flukes (tails) fly up in the air like they do in movies. Wear a jacket though, it is much colder out on the ocean than on the mainland.
Once you get to So-Cal, definitely do the Hollywood thing. Don't take the bus tours, those are outrageously expensive. If you're a music fan, I highly, highly, highly recommend going to Amoeba records on Sunset Blvd. There is one in San Fran (been) and one in Berkeley (never been). However, the Hollywood one is about three times the size of the San Fran one. It has three rooms on the bottom floor (Jazz/Religious/Classical/OST, Rock/Pop, and Rap/Hip Hop), and an upstairs area with movies, shows, and some books. The whole building is comparable in size to a Best Buy, so it's not just some small mom&pop record store. Still has that homely feel to it though. I have found very rare / impossible-to-find albums there, and I'm pretty sure every time I've gone to Amoeba I pick up a Radiohead EP or single that I didn't have before -- usually to the tune of $3 or less -- in the enormous Used section. There is a ton of out-of-print stuff there as you can imagine. I got both of Hum's albums there which I haven't seen anywhere else except iTunes.
Universal Studios is fun too, plus you are forced to walk through Universal City Walk to get there, which has a ton of restaurants and shops. Disneyland / California Adventure are pretty expensive these days but you may as well go while you're in town -- definitely get the park hopper as CA Adventure is finally worth going to. DL is really one of those places where you can put reality on hold for 10 hours and just enjoy yourself. Tomorrowland is the best part, and if you're even mildly interested in Star Wars, then you'll really enjoy StarTours. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters is like 10 feet away so try that too. In Frontier Land you can check out my favorite rides, Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean, complete with several animatronic Johnny Depps and a town completely up in flames with a candelabra supposedly inspired by the famously anti-Semitic Walt Disney (doubtful). If you plan on going to Disneyland, bring your own food. The food there is expensive and overrated at best.
Other random tidbits: The Inland Empire, about 40 minutes east of LA in decent* traffic (my home, the 909) is a strange (sub)urban area of like 4 million people yet it's stereotyped as hickville USA. It's basically one of those places that the LA and OC folk pass through on their way to Las Vegas. The only touristy thing out here is the Mission Inn in Riverside -- one of the old Californio missions that has been converted to a very ritzy restaurant and hotel. Everybody else has said In-N-Out and I agree with them. Any chance you're going down to San Diego? The San Diego Zoo: Safari Park (on a separate property from San Diego Zoo about 30 minutes away) has tram tours that take you very close to herds of wild animals and has other cool attractions. My favorite is the Cheetah run, where they put a piece of raw meat at the end of very long strip of land (330 feet) and you watch the Cheetah bolt toward it in about four seconds. It's over quickly but it's just so cool to watch.
Places to avoid:
Enjoy your stay!
*Be prepared to face a ton of LA gridlock traffic. But if you're with your friends and don't have a strict schedule, you'll still have a blast.
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Go to http://www.museemecaniquesf.com in San Fran. Probably my favorite thing there. A tour of Alcatraz is very cool too.
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Seconding Alcatraz, that's my favorite San Fran attraction. Can't believe I missed that.
Ninahaza?...
LOL that's good
Yea, it sounds like it. Was trying not to sound like that but honestly, gay bars are awesome lol
Also, if you're a smoker, NEVER refer to cigarettes as "f.ags". That will likely get you either scornful looks, beat up, or accepted by the wrong crowd.
Preserve the water in the California drought.
Visit the San Diego zoo, it's really fascinating. I'll give recommendations on Venice beach once I'm finished there today
Update
So Venice Beach was decent in my opinion, not very polished but if you're into surfboarding I suppose it's right crowd. The little Venice Canal was amazing, about a block away but very nice scenery.
Santa Monica pier was nice and the mall was stunning. Friendly people from what I saw. A few demonstrations that had me irritated after a while, some people wanted me in a march or something, but overall cool place
Visit the San Diego zoo, it's really fascinating. I'll give recommendations on Venice beach once I'm finished there today
Update
So Venice Beach was decent in my opinion, not very polished but if you're into surfboarding I suppose it's right crowd. The little Venice Canal was amazing, about a block away but very nice scenery.
Santa Monica pier was nice and the mall was stunning. Friendly people from what I saw. A few demonstrations that had me irritated after a while, some people wanted me in a march or something, but overall cool place
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all excellent suggestions! I also just realised I will be spending Halloween over there which I'm excited about as Americans seem to take it more seriously than here. Any suggestions specifically on this? Bearing in mind I am a young attractive single male with an accent that Americans seem to love...