California Getaway Help Needed!!

amother

Amethyst

Sun, Apr 23 2017, 8:00 pm

Hi California Ima Mothers! Looking for advice here. My family will be spending shevout in Los Angeles and would like to stay in a nearby city a week prior to the holiday. Which city would you recommend that has A) nice attractions suitable for little kids B) Kosher amenities such as food and minyan?
(We have done La Jolla, San Diego already...so now we want a change)

Thank you 😊

amother

Coffee

Sun, Apr 23 2017, 8:33 pm

Outside of la but still In Southern California there are not lots of kosher restaurants- there's a fish grill in Malibu, pizza place in agoura, fancy restaurant in Oxnard, and pizza place in Redondo. You can go to Northern California, but that's not very close to la, or vegas, also not very close, but I'm not sure what other areas would have a minyan and kosher restaurants.

doctorima

Sun, Apr 23 2017, 8:37 pm

There really aren't too many cities near LA that have minyan and kosher food other than San Diego. There are several suburbs of LA and little coastal towns along the way from LA to SD, but that's about it. You could look into Palm Springs, but I don't know if they have a reliable weekday minyan. The next closest large Jewish communities are quite far away - San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.

amother

Amethyst

Sun, Apr 23 2017, 8:44 pm

amother wrote:

Would the places you mentioned, Malibu, Agouta, Oxnard or Redondo have interesting attractions for children? What about shuls?

Thank you to all the ladies that responded

amother

Brown

Sun, Apr 23 2017, 10:38 pm

I would highly recommend Vegas instead. Much more reliable minyanim, a lot of kosher food, family friendly.

As for Redondo, Malibu, Oxnard having activities? Lots of beach-related activities: boating, biking, sitting at beach.

If you travel between Oxnard, Malibu, and Redondo, you'll do a lot of driving... May as well fly into Vegas, stay there, and then right before Shavuot, do all that driving down to LA.

amother

Amethyst

Sun, Apr 23 2017, 10:50 pm

amother wrote:

Thank you, would you know how long the drive from vegas to LA is? Also, it is child friendly?

amother

Firebrick

Mon, Apr 24 2017, 2:03 am

Disneyland and sea world are the biggest attractions. Universal studios also.

doctorima

Mon, Apr 24 2017, 10:16 am

Las Vegas is about a 4-hour drive, depending on traffic. While there are things you can do with kids there and the casinos are cool (fountain shows, gondola rides, etc.), it's not exactly known for being child-friendly, or even frum-friendly. There's a ton of schmutz and immodesty there that can make even adults extremely uncomfortable. You could try staying somewhere like Calabasas, where there's minyan and a couple of kosher options, and then day trip to Santa Barbara and Oxnard (the best kosher restaurant in the US).

amother

Amethyst

Mon, Apr 24 2017, 10:18 am

doctorima wrote:

Thank you. Are there any child friendly activities in Oxnard or Santa Barbara besides the beach

Iymnok

Mon, Apr 24 2017, 10:33 am

The Bay Area has a few communities and restaurants. It's a beautiful drive with nice stops along the way. If. You make a mini road trip out of it, it can be really nice. Travel books are a great resource.
Pack up food before if you want to stay at a regular motel on the way.
What type of attractions? There are many beautiful hikes and nature places as well as interesting historical sites. San Francisco has lots to see. Alcatraz, ghiradelli square, a trolley ride, others I'm sure.

doctorima

Mon, Apr 24 2017, 11:26 am

Santa Barbara is beautiful, and we had a lovely time just walking around and exploring, even with a child. You also have the Reagan Presidential Library about 30 minutes from Calabasas, which has a real Air Force One and some other things kids could enjoy, depending on their ages. Frankly, even though you've done it, it sounds like San Diego is your best option. Have you done the zoo, safari, Legoland, and SeaWorld? Even if so, the kids would love to do them again.

amother

Amethyst

Mon, Apr 24 2017, 11:31 am

doctorima wrote:

From what my options are it seems that returning to San Diego is the best. Frankly my kids would love to go back, it's just that I would like a change

Iymnok

Mon, Apr 24 2017, 11:36 am

amother wrote:

From what my options are it seems that returning to San Diego is the best. Frankly my kids would love to go back, it's just that I would like a change

Did you stay in La Jolla? This time stay in the college area. There are so many things to do in the area there. And if you want a lazy day, go to montezuma beach or Balboa Parks.
Though there's not the same quantity of restaurants as LA, there are enough to relieve you of dinner duty.
You can even make a day trip to Tiajuana, over the border.

tichellady

Mon, Apr 24 2017, 11:41 am

I'm actually not sure there are any kosher restaurants open in San Diego right now.

Santa Barbara has botanical gardens and a really great family zoo

amother

Amethyst

Mon, Apr 24 2017, 12:39 pm

tichellady wrote:

I'm actually not sure there are any kosher restaurants open in San Diego right now.

Santa Barbara has botanical gardens and a really great family zoo

Thank you

tichellady

Mon, Apr 24 2017, 2:25 pm

I think Las Vegas is a good option. Rent a house with a pool and you don't have to go to the strip at all, if you are not comfortable with that. There are some museums, great hiking, good kosher restaurants, the Hoover dam, lake mead, valley of fire, mount charleston.

You can go to Joshua tree on the way to la if that interests you, there are lots of short walks you can do there with kids to see the cool landscape.

amother

Amethyst

Mon, Apr 24 2017, 2:48 pm

tichellady wrote:

Thanks but I will stick to California