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[Kingdom of ZION]

San Diego... it didn't burn. Otherwise, Malibu would have been better, but now it would be very sad to see all the devastation!

[David13]

Well, for 44 years I resided right in the areas of which you post.
And I always vacationed somewhere else. Somewhere far away. Or at least 100 or 200 miles away from those locations if it was just a weekend, or long weekend.

San Diego has some a little bit good areas, and miles of bad areas. Wall to wall cars, people and crime.

Long Beach and most of Anaheim are cesspools. Wall to wall people, cars and crime.

Santa Monica and Santa Barbara and just so pathetically crowded, it's just ugly.

Yosemite is nice, so is Sequoia. But you have to go at off times, otherwise it's wall to wall cars and people. And frequently crime.

Malibu? Blah. Don't even ask me. One road thru' basically, and it's wall to wall traffic.

So that leaves ... UTAH!
dc

[brianj]

Nobody can answer for you. Each city has different things worth seeing and visiting.

I really like San Diego. Balboa Park, Mission Bay, Coronado, Sea World, and a lot of other places are really worth visiting. And you have to take the trolley to the border, walk across, and find a restaurant on Revolution Avenue to enjoy some Mexican food in Mexico.

Anaheim... Do you like theme parks? The Angels?

Long Beach... I'm not sure what I could say about that area. Take a day trip to Avalon on Catalina Island.

Santa Monica... That's where the Los Angeles temple is. You're right between Hollywood and Malibu so you can visit all of them.

I would be curious to visit Santa Barbara and see how it's recovering. There's a good restaurant on the beach, near the airport, called Beachside Bar Cafe. The last time I was in So Cal, I rented a plane from Whiteman (just north of Burbank), flew to Santa Barbara, and walked to the Beachside Cafe. Great way to spend a dinner.

If you really want an opinion without discussing your interests, I would say Santa Monica simply because you're within two hours of every other city listed.

[BeNotDeceived]

REDWOODS

[gkearney]

San Diego is nice the weather is generally good, part of it are very busy just as with any city but other parts are worth going to such as Coronado and La Playa, also the beaches at La Jolla are nice and visit to the Birch Aquarium at Scripps is worthwhile. The drive north of La Jolla is nice too with several state beaches. Father north is Oceanside which has a nice town and is right on the beach.

IF your willing to go further afield then drive north on CA 1 the coast highway starting at Morrow Bay and continue. CA 1 is stunning and has little traffic. you will reach Cambria an nice little town to get a mean or stay overnight. San Simeon is the next town to the north and has Hearst Castle, a monument to one man ego to be sure but worth the visit. North of that is a long, long stretch of road with no towns and some of the most spectacular scenery in the state if not the county. You will be amazed at how wild and undeveloped this part of California is. There is the tiny town of Big Sur and then it is into the Monterey Bay area. If I was going to live in California this would be where I would want to live. You are now of course well beyond Southern California.

[Thinker]

Probably SanDiego...
Depending on how much time you have, go to the beach (I’m more familiar with Huntington), hike out in the desert (I think it was “Coachella Valley Preserve - Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve” that had an Oasis as part of the hike), & spend some time in the mountains like Big Bear/Lake Arrowhead or SanJacinto mountains.

CA used to be more beautiful before everyone came to enjoy the beauty.
So, I try to limit my time in crowded areas. I guess I’m an introvert in that way.

[LdsMarco]

San Diego
Santa Barbara
Long Beach
Santa Monica
Anaheim
Malibu

San Diego is good
Not sure about Santa Barbara
DON'T GO TO LONG BEACH
Not sure about Santa Monica
Anaheim is okay.
Malibu? For what? LOL

[eddie]

None of them, go to Coeur d'alene Idaho.

[abijah]

San Diego
Santa Barbara
Long Beach
Santa Monica
Anaheim
Malibu

I love san diego, but I may be biased since I have family there and good memories. I think I remember there being an interesting Mormon battalion exhibit.

Santa Barbara is nice I suppose, I've never had much reason to go there though.

Long Beach might be fun if that's you're thing, it's often really crowded and polluted.

Santa Monica - don't know really, only driven through.

Anaheim - Besides Disneyland, I avoid this place at every opportunity.

Malibu - Not sure what there is to do here really. Beaches are alright.

[gardener4life]

Which of these cities on the plains of Sodom and Gomorrah would be great to visit and vacation in?

OK just kidding...

But might help if you say if its an individual thing, or with kids or things that you are looking for a family to see or not. Or if its only adults. I would suggest instead to go see Hopewell Indian ruin sights back east. But maybe that's not an option.

Good luck.

[abijah]

Yeah I don't really prefer the south to be honest. Most my family live in the middle on the coast, Monterey area. Great if you like quaint coastal villages and beautiful natural scenery.

I also prefer the Bay area to the South, it may truly be Babylon but I've always loved San francisco.

[brianj]

I've thought more about this, and here's the best single bit of advice I can give you:

It doesn't matter which city or cities you visit. If you want to go, then go! Save money as best you can, set a goal, set a date, then get out of town. If you road trip, you can get to any West Coast city and back in a week long trip for under $1,000. Find someone or some people to join you, split costs, and you can do it for far less. Unfortunately airfare is quite expensive right now, so trips to Texas or east of the Mississippi will be far more expensive. But you can still plan, save, and go.

[gkearney]

Seattle , the take the Cascade (a train) to Portland of Vancouver or take the ferry to Victoria.

[brianj]

If your schedule permits, try going in mid-April. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is about an hour's drive north of Seattle and is great if you like tulips and daffodils.
http://tulipfestival.org/

If you fly out, I would suggest flying into Portland for a visit, take the Amtrak Cascades train to Seattle, then drive to Anacortes for a ferry to Victoria.
http://www.amtrakcascades.com/
https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/infodesk/faq/victoria/

On the other hand, if you drive out I would suggest Portland, visiting Mount St. Helens enroute to Seattle, the San Juans and Victoria, then take highway 2 across the mountains to Leavenworth before heading home.
http://leavenworth.org/

If you like flowers and gardens, Butchart Gardens north of Victoria is also worth a visit. If you drink herbal tea, I also highly recommend high tea at the restaurant in the gardens.
http://www.butchartgardens.com/

[Fiannan]

Why not LA? If you are American you can visit a 3rd world country without obtaining a passport.

[Thinker]

None of them, go to Coeur d'alene Idaho.

I’ve heard of that but never been.
What’s good about it? Sell it...

[Thinker]

Instead of going to california I'm changing my mind and want to visit the pacific northwest. So the question is now Seattle, Washington or Portland, Oregon?

Seattle & Mt. Ranier, loved both.
However, I’ve heard Olympic National Park (WA) and Victoria (Canada) are awesome!

[eddie]

None of them, go to Coeur d'alene Idaho.

I’ve heard of that but never been.
What’s good about it? Sell it...

It's right on a beautiful lake, very safe, actually about 50 lakes in the area. Nice resorts, plane rides, paddle boarding and excellent food. About 1 hour to Canada, Creston is right across the border with farmers markets everywhere. About an hour from Glacier National Park, maybe more. And it's beautiful!!

[Fiannan]

A friend of mine just went on a trip to Los Angeles. She said it was like visiting a 3rd world city, and she has family background in such countries. She said she and her friend encountered massive numbers of homeless camped in tents and so they had to hire Uber drivers as they were terrified to walk outside very far. And now that many of California's middle class are getting out while the getting is good the situation will deteriorate.

[Robin Hood]

None of them are in Yorkshire, so I wouldn't bother if I were you.

[Fiannan]

None of them are in Yorkshire, so I wouldn't bother if I were you.

I guess as long as you avoid Savile. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... dents.html

[Gage]

I have a relative that went out there last year, somewhere around San Diego I think. The pictures looked like she was in Honduras.