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Recs for Southern California (around Orange County)

Reynolds Woodcock

By Reynolds Woodcock
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Reynolds Woodcock

Reynolds Woodcock 4740

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Have to be in Orange County for "work" the morning of Wednesday January 8 through Sunday January 12. Will be staying at the Monarch Beach Resort with a rental car. Most of Thursday is booked with work stuff, and I may drive up to LA Saturday to hang out with friends, but otherwise have no plans and would like to get out and explore the area.

Outside of LA (ok, Venice Beach), I'm really unfamiliar with the area. What would you guys suggest? I don't mind driving at all. For example, is something like Joshua Tree cool (or too far)?  Frankly I'll just be happy to be out of the barren wasteland that is NYC in January.

Thanks in advance. 

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Party_Taco

Party_Taco 3728

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Joshua Tree is “doable” if you get up early and plan to spend the entire day out there, but I think you’ll find that it’s too far.

San Clemente has a nice pier/downtown area. San Juan Cap has Old Town which is worth checking out. Temecula is close if you want some decent wine. Laguna Beach is a wonderful place to walk around, eat/drink and scope the galleries.

Really just depends what you are into...

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otisdog

otisdog 365

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Joshua Tree would be a haul. It's not very scenic, and would be populated by rock climbers that have been driven from the Sierra by the weather. Plus, 29 Palms is a shithole. Surprised it didn't make Honorable Mention in 'the worst city' thread.  The Monarch ain't a bad base for day trips along the coast. Go north to Newport, rent a bike and ride the bike path on the boardwalk. 22 miles roundtrip, usually with a decent wind blowing down coast in the afternoon. Take the ferry to Balboa Island for the heck of it....

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mdleast

mdleast 8289

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Yeah I’m a huge nerd for California but agree we need some parameters on what you’re into/want to do to give better recs.

From just a driving around/looking at the scenery perspective, it sounds like you’re very close to two of my favorite (of many) in California: the San Clemente Pier area (and if I were there I’d feel compelled to stop for pizza and beers at Pizza Port) as well at Heisler Park and the nearby beach in Laguna Beach. You are also an easy drive down to North County San Diego areas like Del Mar and even down into La Jolla as well as more northern/Orange County favorites like Newport Beach/Huntington Beach, etc. (and of course even further north, L.A.-proper places are also easily doable)

Enjoy - my wife and I were in Malibu last January and that was a great time to get away from the (relative) winter here in Dallas.

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MalibuSheriff

MalibuSheriff 1090

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Just returned from business trip to OC/SD last week and tried a spot in Newport Beach called Bear Flag Seafood Company that was great.  They had fresh yellowtail and Opah on menu Thursday night that was tip top.

Marine Room is a cool bar in Laguna Beach and a great place to hike is Top of the World Park in the hills over Laguna.  If there’s snow on the San Gabriels in January, that spot’s view is unsurpassed.

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Reynolds Woodcock

Reynolds Woodcock 4740

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16 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

OP, there is so much to do in OC that it's impossible to make recommendations without guidelines.  For example, whale watching is great, if you're into that sort of thing. 

 

 

14 hours ago, mdleast said:

Yeah I’m a huge nerd for California but agree we need some parameters on what you’re into/want to do to give better recs.

From just a driving around/looking at the scenery perspective, it sounds like you’re very close to two of my favorite (of many) in California: the San Clemente Pier area (and if I were there I’d feel compelled to stop for pizza and beers at Pizza Port) as well at Heisler Park and the nearby beach in Laguna Beach. You are also an easy drive down to North County San Diego areas like Del Mar and even down into La Jolla as well as more northern/Orange County favorites like Newport Beach/Huntington Beach, etc. (and of course even further north, L.A.-proper places are also easily doable)

Enjoy - my wife and I were in Malibu last January and that was a great time to get away from the (relative) winter here in Dallas.

Thanks everyone for the responses and sorry for delayed response. Understand the need to try to narrow down interests. Just as an example, some things that I would be interested in include (i) driving around and seeing cool scenery (oceans, mountains, whatever), particularly if I can get out and walk around - my wife won't be with me and hates to do this shit, so I thought it would be a good time; (ii) hikes if relatively nearby; (iii) good beer and food, particular types that are local or otherwise not readily available in NYC. Probably not going to take the time to do something like Whale Watching or Vineyards in Temecula, but appreciate the suggestions.

I have been to (1) Newport Beach/Balboa; (2) Coronado Island; and (3) SantaMonica/Venice Beach. Otherwise, I am a total CA newb.   

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hookem2010

hookem2010 2624

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Bump, although a slightly different area. Didn't feel it warranted a new thread.
Heading to Santa Monica area for a week in mid-August with the wife and bro/SIL and looking for things to do. We have spent about 16 hours in LA before, enough time to eat at Sugarfish, which was delicious. Our must-do's so far are a day trip out to Channel Islands NP, one of the theme parks and Korea Town. We may also take in a Dodgers game.
Other things we would probably be interested in would be hikes (if doable in mid-summer heat), possible day trip to SD, food and booze (particularly Asian food and breweries), cool events that time of year and touristy things that aren't really Hollywood-centric (walk of fame, Rodeo drive, etc.). We are all late 20's/early 30's. Recs?

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105139

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3 hours ago, hookem2010 said:

Bump, although a slightly different area. Didn't feel it warranted a new thread.
Heading to Santa Monica area for a week in mid-August with the wife and bro/SIL and looking for things to do. We have spent about 16 hours in LA before, enough time to eat at Sugarfish, which was delicious. Our must-do's so far are a day trip out to Channel Islands NP, one of the theme parks and Korea Town. We may also take in a Dodgers game.
Other things we would probably be interested in would be hikes (if doable in mid-summer heat), possible day trip to SD, food and booze (particularly Asian food and breweries), cool events that time of year and touristy things that aren't really Hollywood-centric (walk of fame, Rodeo drive, etc.). We are all late 20's/early 30's. Recs?

I've mentioned this on other threads about the LA area, but a few years back, we went to the La Brea tar pits, which I'd been reading about since I was 4.  They were even cooler than I expected.  Seriously, just an amazing thing.  If you're at all into that sort of thing.

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hookem2010

hookem2010 2624

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Well, BBC's early 2000's Walking with Prehistoric Beasts blew my mind as a teenager, so I'd be way into it. The things that walked the earth before us, and even as we first evolved, are fucking insane. Thanks for the rec. I've heard of it but don't know anyone who has been.

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conVINCEd

conVINCEd 21469

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2 minutes ago, hookem2010 said:

Well, BBC's early 2000's Walking with Prehistoric Beasts blew my mind as a teenager, so I'd be way into it. The things that walked the earth before us, and even as we first evolved, are fucking insane. Thanks for the rec. I've heard of it but don't know anyone who has been.

It’s walking distance from where I stay when in LA.  It’s pretty fucking cool.

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mdleast

mdleast 8289

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Speaking of “hikes” one thing we were going to do on our Spring Break 2020 trip that was cancelled was hike those trails around the Hollywood sign. In Santa Monica, one of my favorite things I’ve done there is rent a bike and ride along the boardwalk from Santa Monica down to Venice Beach. Also just walking that same area and hanging out around the skatepark and checking out all the merchant vendors set up on tables (which always reminds of the tables that would be set up around the Coop in Austin). Also nearby are the Venice canals.

Speaking of Santa Monica and food/beer, I love Father’s Office there to get an Office Burger and grab a Pliny the Elder to drink. Right around the same area of Venice Beach near the skatepark is a restaurant called Larry’s. Breakfast-wise, if in the area, I always try to eat at one of the Roscoes Chicken and Waffles while out there (current menu favorite is the Obama Special….no CR).

Brewery-wise, El Segundo Brewing is right there next to LAX. Monkish makes great hazy IPAs. Beachwood down in Long Beach is a personal fave. If you take a day trip to San Diego as you mentioned that opens up a ton of options. One of my favorites is Pizza Port (multiple locations). I like their San Clemente location the best and it’s also the most northerly so you could work that even if you don’t go all the way down to SD.

I could go on and on….

California trip nerd out.

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conVINCEd

conVINCEd 21469

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23 minutes ago, mdleast said:

Speaking of “hikes” one thing we were going to do on our Spring Break 2020 trip that was cancelled was hike those trails around the Hollywood sign. In Santa Monica, one of my favorite things I’ve done there is rent a bike and ride along the boardwalk from Santa Monica down to Venice Beach. Also just walking that same area and hanging out around the skatepark and checking out all the merchant vendors set up on tables (which always reminds of the tables that would be set up around the Coop in Austin). Also nearby are the Venice canals.

Speaking of Santa Monica and food/beer, I love Father’s Office there to get an Office Burger and grab a Pliny the Elder to drink. Right around the same area of Venice Beach near the skatepark is a restaurant called Larry’s. Breakfast-wise, if in the area, I always try to eat at one of the Roscoes Chicken and Waffles while out there (current menu favorite is the Obama Special….no CR).

Brewery-wise, El Segundo Brewing is right there next to LAX. Monkish makes great hazy IPAs. Beachwood down in Long Beach is a personal fave. If you take a day trip to San Diego as you mentioned that opens up a ton of options. One of my favorites is Pizza Port (multiple locations). I like their San Clemente location the best and it’s also the most northerly so you could work that even if you don’t go all the way down to SD.

I could go on and on….

California trip nerd out.

I second the Father’s Office recommendation. 

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mdleast

mdleast 8289

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14 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

I’ll piggy back on here…any San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Beach recs?

In San Clemente, I love just hanging out around that pier.  Beer-wise, in addition to the PIzza Port there, Artifex Brewing is also great.

Dana Point has some trails overlooking their marina with a great view.

Laguna Beach has one of my favorite spots - Heisler Park.  It's a multi-tiered park on a cliff by the ocean and which provides access down to tide pools there.  Tons of plants, trees and flowers throughout. You walk through that and over/down to the beach located by their downtown area.

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25957

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The Restaurant on the pier in SC is good to great for happy hour drinks, particularly if you like oysters. 

Dana Point has a terrific little french breakfast spot called Bonjour Cafe.   Dana Point Harbor is a cool hang; half-dozen bars and restaurants there, all of which are pretty good. If you like Mai Tais, "Wind and Sea" is a must.  Fuck, even if you don't like Mai Tais it's cool.  

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Upgrayedd

Upgrayedd 5812

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23 hours ago, hookem2010 said:

Bump, although a slightly different area. Didn't feel it warranted a new thread.
Heading to Santa Monica area for a week in mid-August with the wife and bro/SIL and looking for things to do. We have spent about 16 hours in LA before, enough time to eat at Sugarfish, which was delicious. Our must-do's so far are a day trip out to Channel Islands NP, one of the theme parks and Korea Town. We may also take in a Dodgers game.
Other things we would probably be interested in would be hikes (if doable in mid-summer heat), possible day trip to SD, food and booze (particularly Asian food and breweries), cool events that time of year and touristy things that aren't really Hollywood-centric (walk of fame, Rodeo drive, etc.). We are all late 20's/early 30's. Recs?

Do not day-trip down to San Diego heading south on Friday or Saturday unless it’s real early or you like traffic 

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25957

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Also, San Juan Capistrano is blowing the fuck up.  Crazy shit happening downtown, and it's becoming something of a foodie destination.  The train (amtrak and metrolink) stops right in the middle of downtown for easy access to all the place offers.  You can take the train down from L.A. or up from San Diego.  It runs along the beach in San Clemente and down to Oceanside.  Pretty ride. 

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4th&Five

4th&Five 41551

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47 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

The Restaurant on the pier in SC is good to great for happy hour drinks, particularly if you like oysters. 

Dana Point has a terrific little french breakfast spot called Bonjour Cafe.   Dana Point Harbor is a cool hang; half-dozen bars and restaurants there, all of which are pretty good. If you like Mai Tais, "Wind and Sea" is a must.  Fuck, even if you don't like Mai Tais it's cool.  

Any late night spots you know of in DP? We’re going for Ohana Fest and will probably need a place to chill and wait for crowds to die down before grabbing an Uber. 

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Carl Spackler

Carl Spackler 3483

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On 6/18/2021 at 10:43 AM, hookem2010 said:

Bump, although a slightly different area. Didn't feel it warranted a new thread.
Heading to Santa Monica area for a week in mid-August with the wife and bro/SIL and looking for things to do. We have spent about 16 hours in LA before, enough time to eat at Sugarfish, which was delicious. Our must-do's so far are a day trip out to Channel Islands NP, one of the theme parks and Korea Town. We may also take in a Dodgers game.
Other things we would probably be interested in would be hikes (if doable in mid-summer heat), possible day trip to SD, food and booze (particularly Asian food and breweries), cool events that time of year and touristy things that aren't really Hollywood-centric (walk of fame, Rodeo drive, etc.). We are all late 20's/early 30's. Recs?

Santa Monica -- go to Bay Cities Deli.  Order the Godmother.  

Father's Office is a good rec.  Ye Olde King's Head for a British pub experience -- skip the food, though.  Daily Pint is a good bar that is located on Pico away from the beach, so it doesn't get a lot of tourists.

Museum:  The Getty (great views as well)

Check out the Pier.  Kitschy, but it's a fun walkaround if you're looking to kill a little time.  

Rent bikes and head south on the strand through Venice and Marina del Rey.  At MDR, you have to go inland a little bit, but you can pick up the strand again south of there and bike all the way down through Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, South Redondo, etc.  

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25957

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41 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

Any late night spots you know of in DP? We’re going for Ohana Fest and will probably need a place to chill and wait for crowds to die down before grabbing an Uber. 

Henessey's is the busy bar in town, they have a patio, and will probably have live music. Probably a 1/2 mi. walk from the Harbor, but it's up the hill.  Stillwater is also right close to Hennessey's, and they also have live music and a patio.

 

There's also a couple of bars inside the harbor that will be open late.    Turks is one. 

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25957

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30 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said:

Santa Monica -- go to Bay Cities Deli.  Order the Godmother.  

Father's Office is a good rec.  Ye Olde King's Head for a British pub experience -- skip the food, though.  Daily Pint is a good bar that is located on Pico away from the beach, so it doesn't get a lot of tourists.

Museum:  The Getty (great views as well)

Check out the Pier.  Kitschy, but it's a fun walkaround if you're looking to kill a little time.  

Rent bikes and head south on the strand through Venice and Marina del Rey.  At MDR, you have to go inland a little bit, but you can pick up the strand again south of there and bike all the way down through Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, South Redondo, etc.  

Chez Jay's. 

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25957

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53 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Oh, right across PCH from Doheny State Beach is "Sunsets", which is a cool bar.   Near that is "Olamendi's", a cool mexican restaurant where Nixon used to eat regularly. 

Forgot to add:  The train tracks run right along PCH, so there's a pedestrian overpass you can use to get you across the street.   

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Foosters

Foosters 17856

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On 6/18/2021 at 10:43 AM, hookem2010 said:

Bump, although a slightly different area. Didn't feel it warranted a new thread.
Heading to Santa Monica area for a week in mid-August with the wife and bro/SIL and looking for things to do. We have spent about 16 hours in LA before, enough time to eat at Sugarfish, which was delicious. Our must-do's so far are a day trip out to Channel Islands NP, one of the theme parks and Korea Town. We may also take in a Dodgers game.
Other things we would probably be interested in would be hikes (if doable in mid-summer heat), possible day trip to SD, food and booze (particularly Asian food and breweries), cool events that time of year and touristy things that aren't really Hollywood-centric (walk of fame, Rodeo drive, etc.). We are all late 20's/early 30's. Recs?

I'm going to push the recs inland a bit - invariably LA recs focus on the beach cities, but that's a small slice of the LA experience. If you are looking for some authentic Asian food, you must head to the San Gabriel Valley (which includes Pasadena, San Gabriel, Arcadia, Monterrey Park, etc.). 

Check out Mian, Szechuan Impression, Beijing Pie House, Mama Lu's, Din Tai Fung (local chain), Chengdu Taste, Golden Deli (Vietnamese). While in the area, I'd suggest spending a few hours at the Huntington Gardens. There are also some pretty great hikes in the San Gabriel Mountain, with views all the way to the ocean. One hike along the Sam Merril Trail takes you to the ruins of an old mountaintop hotel that burned down over a hundred years ago.

Closer to midcity, you should check out the Griffin Observatory, with great hikes nearby as well.

Finally, although downtown has grown grimier over the pandemic, I'd suggest checking out The Broad Museum (tickets are free but should be reserved in advance). Downtown and the neighboring arts district have some great food options as well. 

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MoJames

MoJames 8244

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On 6/19/2021 at 9:25 AM, mdleast said:

Brewery-wise, El Segundo Brewing is right there next to LAX. Monkish makes great hazy IPAs. Beachwood down in Long Beach is a personal fave. If you take a day trip to San Diego as you mentioned that opens up a ton of options. One of my favorites is Pizza Port (multiple locations). I like their San Clemente location the best and it’s also the most northerly so you could work that even if you don’t go all the way down to SD.

Ok, looked up Monkish and it appears the Foggy Window and Foggier Window (hazy IPAs) are not on their menus anywhere, are they seasonal?

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mdleast

mdleast 8289

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5 minutes ago, MoJames said:

Ok, looked up Monkish and it appears the Foggy Window and Foggier Window (hazy IPAs) are not on their menus anywhere, are they seasonal?

They put out new beers each week  (and bring back prior favorites regularly) so I'm sure they'll have that again at some point.  I had the Foggy Window on a trip back in 2017 (believe that was Texas at USC?) and can confirm it was tasty to quite tasty.

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Superhero

Superhero 8830

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On 6/18/2021 at 2:43 PM, Brisketexan said:

I've mentioned this on other threads about the LA area, but a few years back, we went to the La Brea tar pits, which I'd been reading about since I was 4.  They were even cooler than I expected.  Seriously, just an amazing thing.  If you're at all into that sort of thing.

Very cool, but getting there is a bitch since there are no nearby freeways. But once you're there, there's also the Petersen Automotive Museum, the Academy Museum of Motion Arts Pictures. My company tore down parts of LACMA and is rebuilding it so there aren't as many exhibits, but the Japanese Pavilion is still open and very cool. After the museums, head to the Grove for lunch, or pick some of the Ethiopian restaurants in the area.

Skip Venice Beach. It's a fucking drugged up homeless infested dump. You can head up the 405 and visit the Getty Museum. 

Griffith Observatory is a good one with great views. We hiked around there last weekend to get a good pic of the Hollywood sign. From there, you can head down the hill to see Mann's Chinese Theater and the circus around the area.

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