What is the best way to get around town in San Diego?|146397

I am traveling to San Diego in October with my husband for a convention. We will be staying at the Hilton San Diego Resort in Mission Bay. I know it is very close to Sea World but I also want to travel over to the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park while my husband is working the convention. I don_t want to end up paying $50 to $100 for cab fares and I_m so unfamiliar with the freeway system of Southern California that renting a car would not be a good solution. Any good advice on economical and safe transportation for a female tourist?

The hotel should have info. Closest trolley is Linda Vista which is a stop away from Old Town, but I think a bus runs past the hotel, the hotel should have a shuttle and give you info.

Going to the zoo is only by bus or taxi. Same with Sea World, and most of the buses stop running after 9:30. There are a lot of transients at Old Town trolley stop and some of the downtown stops. Daytime is pretty safe to get around, but know the routes. The zoo and Sea World are on the costly side, but you_ll spend a full day doing things.

Amtrak to Union Station LA is 30 bucks each way. Unlimited subway is about 3 dollars, but there_s plenty to do in the area.

You can get a 3 day ticket at the trolley stop, which covers buses too.

Grayline tours was my ultimate solution. For $47.00, they came by the hotel to pick me up and provided me with a ticket so I wouldn_t have to stand in line. Then they picked me up at 4 pm.

RENT A CAR...NO CABS. IF YOU GET A CAB TO ALL THE EXCITING THINGS YOU WILL HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR A CAR RENTAL.

Renting a car seems to be the only option. If you are really worried about it, try to plan out your days (or at least the events/places you want to attend). Before you leave home, mapquest all of those locations with your hotel...you_ll know your way around before you know it.

Sorry, there_s no way around it...you NEED a car if you want to get around town in SD. That hotel is in a really inconvenient location for public transportation and it_s not really THAT close to Sea World either...you won_t be walking there. Don_t get me wrong....that property is great for walking at the bay - though....but Sea World is a little far. The best you could do is take a cab to Old Town and then take the trolley as far as it will go to Downtown or something....but really - you_d be better off with a car. Driving in Sd isn_t like driving in NYC or something....you can handle it the signs are good and most of the tourist attractions are easy to find. Honestly.....rent a car.

Rent a car. Just consider it a learning experience and go for it. San Diego is a lot easier to navigate than LA, so don_t worry much about it. But you need a car, it is So Cal after all.

Unfortunately there is no bus line that runs in front of that hotel so you kind of need to rent a car b/c of where you are staying. The closest bus stop would be at least a 10-15 minute walk away. Maybe your husband can drop you off at Old Town Transit Center and you can take the bus or Trolley to the Zoo. But driving is not that bad b/c you are so close to Balboa Park. I-5, which is the freeway that runs in front of the hotel, will take you to Balboa Park. Renting a car is really the only option other than a cab b/c there is nothing by that hotel, it_s surrounded by a park and a freeway.

You_ll find your way around - don_t worry! However, you MUST rent a car! I_m a San Diego native and it_s really the best and only way to get around. San Diego is a city built for the car. It_s also the safest way for a woman to get around. You_ll love driving around San Diego! That_s the best way to see it!

What`s the difference between promo and corporate discount coupons?|114289

Hi guys.. I`m brazilian and I`m going to travel to USA in the next weeks.. I want to rent a car while I stay there, so I went looking for discount codes on the internet.. I found a good one, that seems to work on Thrifty, but it`s a Corporate discount code, and I don`t know if anyone can use it.. Can someone help?

A promotion is just that, a promotional price which generally has an expiration date to use it. A corporate code is generally given to a specific company to use when they rent cars so the car rental company knows who uses it and what their arrangement is, what discount is offered.

I find that corporate codes aren_t any cheaper than renting it without a coupon because they tend to price their cars UP so the discount looks like a deal when it_s not.

What are the most interesting sights between San Francisco and Yosemite National Park?|100731

Also, what are the nest places to inside Yosemite itself? As a first time visitor to the region I don_t want to miss anything exciting!
Thanks everyone

Between San Francisco and Yosemite, I think the most interesting thing to do (if you enjoy history and old buildings) is to explore the gold rush towns. A few of these towns lie a short distance off the main highway. If you don_t get off the highway, you_ll never know they_re there.

There are different routes to Yosemite, and each passes near different gold-rush-era towns:

highway 120:
- Knights Ferry (off highway; old buildings, covered bridge open to pedestrians but not cars)
- Jamestown (railroad museum), Sonora (perhaps the largest of the old gold-rush towns). These towns are a small detour from the direct driving route to Yosemite.
- Chinese Camp (off highway)
- Big Oak Flat
- Groveland

highway 132 (not the usual route to Yosemite)
- Coulterville

highway 140
- Mariposa

There_s a nice museum just a couple of miles south of Mariposa on highway 49 -- the California State Mining and Mineral Museum.

When are you going to Yosemite? If you go in the next few weeks, the waterfalls will be great, but the roads through the high country and to Glacier Point won_t yet be open. If you go late in the summer, the high country will be open but the falls will have lower volume (and Yosemite Falls will dry up completely).

Highlights of the park from now until fall are:

- Yosemite Valley. This is the most famous part of the park, and one of the most spectacular sights anywhere. There are flat trails along the valley floor. If you_re a good walker, the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall or Nevada Fall is fantastic. If you_re a really good walker, there_s a great trail to the top of Yosemite Falls -- well-maintained but strenuous. There are other trails also -- talk to the rangers or buy a map/guidebook.

- short trails in Yosemite Valley to Lower Yosemite Fall and Bridalveil Fall

- Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. This has beautiful giant sequoias in a grove near the southern entrance to the park. You can make a short trip to see some of the largest trees, or you can spend an entire day hiking through the grove. There are much smaller groves (Merced and Tuolumne) in other parts of the park.

- Tunnel View, at the lower end of the tunnel on the road from the Valley toward Wawona

If you_re there in the summer, additional highlights are:

- Glacier Point (on the south edge of Yosemite Valley)

- Tuolumne Meadows and the entire drive across the park on highway 120 to Tioga Pass (and continuing east to Lee Vining on highway 395). Lots of hiking trails take off from this road, particularly around Tuolumne Meadows. There_s also an incredible turnout (with a large parking lot) at Olmsted View.

Yosemite National Park is a big place, but you really shouldn_t miss the places listed above.

The other answer mentions Mono Lake, which is a good suggestion (provided you go after highway 120 is opened -- typically around Memorial Day). I could go on for more paragraphs about interesting things east of the Sierra, but that_s a whole different topic. There_s also more to see in the Sierra foothills (western Sierra) such as several caves open to the public, but they_re well out of the way of a drive to Yosemite.

---

one more tip:

If you belong to AAA, you should stop in an AAA office in San Francisco or the Bay Area before you leave, and pick up maps of Yosemite and the Gold Country. (They also have a map called _Mother Lode Guide Map_ that highlights points of interest in the gold country.) If you don_t belong to AAA, you might stop at a convenience store in the Sierra foothills and try to get a detailed local map. The typical statewide map of California that many tourists bring doesn_t have enough detail for real exploration.

If you have lots of extra time and a good map, almost any minor road through the Sierra foothills will take you through beautiful uncrowded country. (Not all are paved, however, and most have lots of curves.) They_re particularly nice in the spring, when everything is green. (examples: The roads through Merced Falls and Hornitos, or Ben Hur Road south of Mariposa.) The main highways to Yosemite have lots of traffic, and detouring onto the backroads gives you an entirely different way to experience the beauty of California.

many people drive str8 to yosemite for 4 hrs, you may stop by route 120/49 junction and check some gold rush towns around, and explore underground. jamestown for rail trip and lake don pedro.

in east yosemite, there is mono lake, very erotic style.

Whats the best travel site to book a hotel/flight through?|134444

Such as expedia, hotwire, priceline, etc, etc? What has the best deals in your opinion and no hidden costs. This is for a Disney trip and we_re buying the disney tickets separate from the flight/hotel.

priceline is what i love, name your own price

I find the best deals on Bookit.com. They do usually add a lot of taxes at checkout, but for trips I have taken it still works out to be cheaper than travelocity, expedia, hotwire. If you are a student, studentuniverse.com can have great deals sometimes (I found a flight to greece for 400 dollars round trip 2 years ago through them.) Also, next year disney is offering a special where you do one day of service through the handson program in your city and you get a free one day ticket to any of the 4 main parks. Its a great way to help out in your community and get a free ticket to Disney.

If this is a Disney trip I strongly recommend that you stay on-site at a Disney resort. They offer vacation packages that include hotel, dining, and tickets combined. If you stay on-site at Disney you will also have access to all the Disney resort amenities that include free transportation to all the parks, extra magic hours at the parks, and Disney guest services. Checkout their website:
http://www.disneyworld.com

You can compare hotel prices here

Hotels near Walt Disney World Resort

http://hotels.americacheaphotels.com/Cit��

There are many good sites which offers really good deals on booking. However you can look for Tripcart Travel destination site. This site is really good.