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HELLO

So, some friends and I were planning a trip to the US this year for a proper (non-gaming) holiday. I thought's I'd combine it with some gaming fun, because the timing is do damn good. I'm looking for not only travel advice, but also maybe a few games... Here's my plan...

August 21st - San Francisco, pick up a hire car, have a few days to geek before....
August 23rd - Pick up some friends at SFO and spend the next 4/5 days on the coast slowly making our way down to LA
August 28th - Fly to DC and the NOVA OPEN
September 1st - Catch up with the same friends in NYC for a week before heading home.

So, I'll have a few days in the bay area to kill, and I'll have my army with me for NOVA. What should I do? Anyone wanna game? I was thinking of trying to pop to Frontline - how far is that? Maybe I should trawl old Independent Characters podcasts for secret information?

Also, any (non-gaming) recommendations for where we should stop on our drive down the coast would be much appreciated. We want to see gigantic trees and laze around on beaches.

Thanks!

Maybe send yakface a PM as he lives in LA and would probably enjoy meeting you if time allows. If anyone knows the LA gaming scene it would be him!

Darn, I am local to D.C. but am actually going out of town the weekend of the Nova Open, or else I'd love to meet you!

One note on "giant trees"- it is very easy to get to the tall coastal redwoods, but the closest location to San Francisco (Muir Woods) is extremely crowded / touristy, and these are actually only the tall trees, not the wide ones!

Personally, even though it's not on the coast, I would want to venture a little further in and see the giant sequoia trees- these are the really wide ones that you can drive a car through. They don't grow as tall, but they look more impressive because of how wide they are. I did not realize the distinction last time we were out there, and we only saw the tall ones! Next time we go, I've vowed to see the giant sequoias... whether in Yosemite or one of the other places they grow. Since you'll be there in the summer, you can access them.

I guess just see whether you're sick of beautiful coastline by that time and decide whether to make the trek to the mountainous areas or not

I live in the Bay Area and am always looking for a good game.

You will have to go at least an hours drive to see any good trees or forest from the Bay Area. As for beaches, I would have to suggest taking yourself a bit south to more the Santa cruz/Monterrey area for beautiful beaches.

Well if you are looking for a game or two please feel free to drop by our group on Sunday the 24th in Sunnyvale which is south of SFO. https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/Legends40k/ There is always a big group of us there and would be happy to throw down. While in the area I would recommend the Winchester Mystery House as a popular place to visit. If you into the tech industry you could go to Google, Yahoo, and Apple Headquarters in just a few miles of each other. Just be warned as the new 49er stadium in Santa Clara will be holding a Pre-season game that Sunday so there might be traffic to and from the area. When you leave the south bay I suggest then making your way to Santa Cruz to visit the Boardwalk right on the beach. Lots of stuff to do around there and you can take Highway 1 down south to LA as it’s a beautiful drive along the coast. You can stop at the Monterey Bay Aquarium as well as you make your way to LA.

Hope that gives you some ideas while you are in NorCal. I’ll let others tell you what to do as you head further south.

Well being in the LA area id be down for a game.

 ArbitorIan wrote:
I'm looking for not only travel advice, but also maybe a few games... Here's my plan...

August 21st - San Francisco, pick up a hire car, have a few days to geek before....
August 23rd - Pick up some friends at SFO and spend the next 4/5 days on the coast slowly making our way down to LA
August 28th - Fly to DC and the NOVA OPEN
September 1st - Catch up with the same friends in NYC for a week before heading home.

So, I'll have a few days in the bay area to kill, and I'll have my army with me for NOVA. What should I do? Anyone wanna game? I was thinking of trying to pop to Frontline - how far is that? Maybe I should trawl old Independent Characters podcasts for secret information?

Also, any (non-gaming) recommendations for where we should stop on our drive down the coast would be much appreciated. We want to see gigantic trees and laze around on beaches.

Thanks!

I'd offer a game, but I perennially lose games, and then head for a pub across the street. I'm certain you don't want *that* experience.

Instead, I'll answer the Travel Agent part of your request:

Wanna hike or stroll through Endor? Gigantic trees?
Instead of taking the 101 Fwy out of SF, take highway 17 towards a city called Santa Cruz. Googlemaps from there to get to the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Not the exact location of Lucas's filming for ReturnoftheJedi, but still a great hike & recharge of MotherNature in a fern floored redwood forrest. As it's a Calif. State Park, it should not cost much.

2nd recommendation for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, as Panzer1944 suggested. On the way from H.C.Redwoods.

After that, you have a long-assed drive, either on Pacific Coast Hwy 1 (*not* one I recommend for UK visitors) or cut back inland a bit and get back on the faster 101 Freeway. There's a lot of pretty driving to be done in that mid-Calif section, but it is about 2.5 hours+ on PCH 1, and it gets monotonous. I've done it a few times.

Hearst Castle: William Randolph Hearst, newspaper mogel and sbuject of movie Citizen Kane. The tour is pricey ($36) but a cool thing to see lavish riches spent without an upper limit. I visited the UK 10 years ago, and although the Crown's castles were lavish, it was all old world spending. Jewelry and paintings and walls. Pff.

Hearts built pools, and pool tables. A lot of the cool stuff was the back ground the docents gave regarding which movie stars would visit, etc.

*caveat* Hearst Castle (also called San Simeon): It's a big cut back from Hwy 101 to PCH to get to Hearst Castle, but that's Calif driving for ya.

Is that the kind of touristy stuff you're looking for? Want more?
Disneyland? Universal Studios theme park? Once in LA, these are do-able.

Oh, I'm a Calif native. 44 years old.

I live in DC, I'll be going to the NOVA open, but just to chill. If you need a guide around DC & VA/ride etc send me a PM. Maybe we can even play a game, I know pretty much all the spots.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 ArbitorIan wrote:


Also, any (non-gaming) recommendations for where we should stop on our drive down the coast would be much appreciated. We want to see gigantic trees and laze around on beaches.

I just came back from a trip to Las Vegas >> LA >> SF.

SO...

In SF the warf is cool, and pier 39. You can also drive down Lombard street in SF. Also, Muir Woods ( http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm ) is about 30/40 minutes north of SF across the golden gate bridge (which you can stop and take pics at on the way). This is a redwood forest where they filmed the endor scenes in starwars, super cool, I went and thought it was magnificent. Get sushi, mission burritos, and pretty much any japanese food in SF. Skip table pizza that gak sucks.
Costal highway to LA takes about 10hrs and if anyone with you has motion sickness even remotely AVOID THIS lol. I recommend just driving down part of it to like half moon bay then heading the rest of the way south.
In LA, I recommend Venice Beach/Santa Monica for that nutty murica hipsterness, but I like Long Beach too. However, be careful in LA traffic can get ultra gakky. Hollywood is the biggest disappointment EVAR. Eat fish tacos or korean food while in LA.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Just realized Brothererekose hit the nail on the head b4 me. DOH

Thanks for all this guys, and apologies for the late reply! Trip now thoroughly filled with stuff!

Panzer1944 wrote:Well if you are looking for a game or two please feel free to drop by our group on Sunday the 24th in Sunnyvale which is south of SFO. https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/Legends40k/ There is always a big group of us there and would be happy to throw down. While in the area I would recommend the Winchester Mystery House as a popular place to visit. If you into the tech industry you could go to Google, Yahoo, and Apple Headquarters in just a few miles of each other. Just be warned as the new 49er stadium in Santa Clara will be holding a Pre-season game that Sunday so there might be traffic to and from the area. When you leave the south bay I suggest then making your way to Santa Cruz to visit the Boardwalk right on the beach. Lots of stuff to do around there and you can take Highway 1 down south to LA as it’s a beautiful drive along the coast. You can stop at the Monterey Bay Aquarium as well as you make your way to LA.

Hope that gives you some ideas while you are in NorCal. I’ll let others tell you what to do as you head further south.

On Sunday we'll be heading out to Monterrey for the first leg of our trip. I don't suppose there'a anywhere in the area you'd recommend for pickup games on the 21/22/23rd?

legoburner wrote:Maybe send yakface a PM as he lives in LA and would probably enjoy meeting you if time allows. If anyone knows the LA gaming scene it would be him!

Desubot wrote:Well being in the LA area id be down for a game.

Gah - and now there's so much to do on the coast, it looks like I'm actually going to be arriving in LA and immediately flying to DC. :/