[TMA] California

[Straight Hustlin]

Quick question about travelling around: how expensive is it to hire a car? Most of the group will be under 25, apart from myself, but I don't drive. How good is the public transport system getting to places like Yosemite and further outside of the city itself?

Do you mean to rent a car for a few days, or hire a driving service? Renting a car isn't too pricey but it all depends on what size car you rent.

If you want to hire a limo service its going to be expensive, especially with something like a day trip to Yosemite.

I don't recall any 'public transit' per se to Yosemite, but there are plenty of coach companies that do trips there & the tickets are resonable. Just don't get sucked into a tour package; Yosemite & the surrounding areas are flat out amazing & are much better enjoyed at your own pace.

Personally I would recommend renting a car, assuming someone in your party can drive. There is a ton of amazing places you can hit on the drive up to Yosemite; Mono lake, Mammoth National Park & The Devils Post Pile, Grand Sequoia National Park; and than you can head back following the PCH down the coast & hit some other nice places like Monteray Bay.

No the plan is to rent a car for us to drive. We have just heard that it's quite expensive if you are under 25 and trying to hire something. Would only need something to fit 4 people and some luggage. We are doing a field class around Monteray Bay so probably looking to go elsewhere in the area.

ahh yeah, how under 25 are we talking? Basically; if you are under 21 you cannot rent a car. If your 21-25 you can rent one but they will likely charge you an additional fee. There are also restrictions on what you can rent; basically no sports cars or moving vans on that front.

http://www.budget.com/budgetWeb/html.../agePopUp.html some info on rentals from Budget.

[Mythago]

Quick question about travelling around: how expensive is it to hire a car? Most of the group will be under 25, apart from myself, but I don't drive. How good is the public transport system getting to places like Yosemite and further outside of the city itself?

Do you mean to rent a car for a few days, or hire a driving service? Renting a car isn't too pricey but it all depends on what size car you rent.

If you want to hire a limo service its going to be expensive, especially with something like a day trip to Yosemite.

I don't recall any 'public transit' per se to Yosemite, but there are plenty of coach companies that do trips there & the tickets are resonable. Just don't get sucked into a tour package; Yosemite & the surrounding areas are flat out amazing & are much better enjoyed at your own pace.

Personally I would recommend renting a car, assuming someone in your party can drive. There is a ton of amazing places you can hit on the drive up to Yosemite; Mono lake, Mammoth National Park & The Devils Post Pile, Grand Sequoia National Park; and than you can head back following the PCH down the coast & hit some other nice places like Monteray Bay.

No the plan is to rent a car for us to drive. We have just heard that it's quite expensive if you are under 25 and trying to hire something. Would only need something to fit 4 people and some luggage. We are doing a field class around Monteray Bay so probably looking to go elsewhere in the area.

ahh yeah, how under 25 are we talking? Basically; if you are under 21 you cannot rent a car. If your 21-25 you can rent one but they will likely charge you an additional fee. There are also restrictions on what you can rent; basically no sports cars or moving vans on that front.

http://www.budget.com/budgetWeb/html.../agePopUp.html some info on rentals from Budget.

Think we are 21-23, so shouldn't have a problem hiring it. Just wondering how much more expensive it would be. Might still end up being cheaper than getting public transport around, and way more flexible

[Cue1*]

just rent it under your name. You have ID right? Your ID with someone else's DL works I think.

If not, when I was 22 I rented a car, cost me an extra 25 bucks. v0v

[lucian]

just rent it under your name. You have ID right? Your ID with someone else's DL works I think.

If not, when I was 22 I rented a car, cost me an extra 25 bucks. v0v

Typically $27-30 extra fee per day, no second drivers allowed, must have valid credit card, proof of insurance, and you'll only be allowed to rent compact cars. Fees vary by city and company; some locations won't rent to under 25s period.

[Tellenta]

Step one stop asking us nerds.

Step two look up car rental locations see what you want.

Step 2.5 figure out what you need to legally drive in the us, you can probably find out from the rental company or maybe government website. do that.

Step three make a reservation.

Step four drive vehicle off a cliff ( preferably without you in it) and flee the us.

Edit: also to minimize confusion, you hire a vehicle when the will be driving for you (cabs, limos, tour buses), you rent a vehicle when al you get is the vehicle and you are responcible for driving it and paying for fuel. A minor thing but it will save you a few confused looks.

[AmaNutin]

Quick question about travelling around: how expensive is it to hire a car? Most of the group will be under 25, apart from myself, but I don't drive. How good is the public transport system getting to places like Yosemite and further outside of the city itself?

Getting to Yosemite is less easy, but there's some routes.

Also, there's "hired drivers" called Lyft who have a giant pink moustache on their car bumper. You can also look at ridesharing on craigslist for smaller groups.

[erichkknaar]

I missed this thread the first time, I guess.

Monterey and Santa Cruz are great. Aquarium, Santa Cruz pier, both nice. See if you can drive up Highway 1 to San Francisco. It's awesome. Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero is a great place for brunch. Artichoke soup and Olallieberry pie are something else. You can't taste this anywhere else. San Gregorio general store is a pretty trippy place to get a coffee. Some cool stuff to see as well in Halfmoon Bay, explore.

North of San Francisco, Muir Woods is a must. You just don't get how big those trees really are until you see them (same with the Sequoias in Yosemite). If you want to make a day trip out of it, Bolinas, (basically, the last of the real hippies) and Point Reyes (considering you are from the U.K., and Geography students, and this is where Drake landed) are highly recommended.

Yosemite is a must. Definitely see some Sequoias and Glacier Point (best view in the world, imo). Protip: There are a lot of campgrounds, lodges, etc outside the park that are way cheaper to stay and you can rent a cabin that will easily sleep four for way less than it will cost you to stay in the park. I recommend something on the Tuolumne River side.

If you have time, There is some stuff on the peninsula that is kind of neat as well. Castro Street in Mountain View and University Ave in Palo Alto both have great food, and are kind of the hubs of the next facebook, or the next google. Up Page Mill road in Palo Alto is Los Trancos where you can see a lot of stuff left over from the 1906 earthquake, including a fence that basically got split in two and each side moved. Pretty eye opening. I highly recommend getting lunch at Alices in La Honda if you go up there, and the drive along highway 35 (Skyline) is actually another great way to drive up to San Francisco with stunning views in places of both the Pacific and the bay.

Feel free to ask interest specific questions. I'm an immigrant to the bay (and the U.S.) so I don't have a jaded view of this place. Its a fucking magnificent part of the world, really.

[ValorousBob]

Monterey and Santa Cruz are great. Aquarium, Santa Cruz pier, both nice.

The Santa Cruz Boardwalk is fucking janky and the beach right there kinda sucks. Go a few miles east to the Capitola Beach, it's wayyyy nicer. It's got a bunch of fire pits, beach volleyball courts, etc. When I was a student at UC Santa Cruz, there was a power outage on campus one evening so we drove down to Capitola. We had a nice bonfire with some beer and some bud, it was pretty great.

North of San Francisco, Muir Woods is a must. You just don't get how big those trees really are until you see them (same with the Sequoias in Yosemite). If you want to make a day trip out of it, Bolinas, (basically, the last of the real hippies) and Point Reyes (considering you are from the U.K., and Geography students, and this is where Drake landed) are highly recommended.

Yosemite is a must. Definitely see some Sequoias and Glacier Point (best view in the world, imo)...

Unfortunately there are no sequoias in Yosemite. There's huge fucking trees everywhere, but they're technically not sequoias. Redwoods are pretty close, and there's lots of places with redwoods.

[Cortess]

Just get a gun, wait at a traffic-light with your group for a suitable vehicle, force driver at gun-point to drive you whereever you want.

No extra fees and you don't have to drive yourself.

Cu in 20 years.

[DevilDude]

Monterey and Santa Cruz are great. Aquarium, Santa Cruz pier, both nice.

The Santa Cruz Boardwalk is fucking janky and the beach right there kinda sucks. Go a few miles east to the Capitola Beach, it's wayyyy nicer. It's got a bunch of fire pits, beach volleyball courts, etc. When I was a student at UC Santa Cruz, there was a power outage on campus one evening so we drove down to Capitola. We had a nice bonfire with some beer and some bud, it was pretty great.

ah capitola, it's like the hookup capital of northern california.

North of San Francisco, Muir Woods is a must. You just don't get how big those trees really are until you see them (same with the Sequoias in Yosemite). If you want to make a day trip out of it, Bolinas, (basically, the last of the real hippies) and Point Reyes (considering you are from the U.K., and Geography students, and this is where Drake landed) are highly recommended.

Yosemite is a must. Definitely see some Sequoias and Glacier Point (best view in the world, imo)...

Unfortunately there are no sequoias in Yosemite. There's huge fucking trees everywhere, but they're technically not sequoias. Redwoods are pretty close, and there's lots of places with redwoods.

[teds :D]

just rent a car. i assume you're from europe, in which case doing anything in america is fucking hilariously cheap.

[lucian]

Monterey and Santa Cruz are great. Aquarium, Santa Cruz pier, both nice.

The Santa Cruz Boardwalk is fucking janky and the beach right there kinda sucks. Go a few miles east to the Capitola Beach, it's wayyyy nicer. It's got a bunch of fire pits, beach volleyball courts, etc. When I was a student at UC Santa Cruz, there was a power outage on campus one evening so we drove down to Capitola. We had a nice bonfire with some beer and some bud, it was pretty great.

ah capitola, it's like the hookup capital of northern california.

North of San Francisco, Muir Woods is a must. You just don't get how big those trees really are until you see them (same with the Sequoias in Yosemite). If you want to make a day trip out of it, Bolinas, (basically, the last of the real hippies) and Point Reyes (considering you are from the U.K., and Geography students, and this is where Drake landed) are highly recommended.

Yosemite is a must. Definitely see some Sequoias and Glacier Point (best view in the world, imo)...

Unfortunately there are no sequoias in Yosemite. There's huge fucking trees everywhere, but they're technically not sequoias. Redwoods are pretty close, and there's lots of places with redwoods.

Yeah...just going to leave this here.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/sequoias.htm

Also, Santa Cruz is where poors and trash go for their beach days, and Capitola isn't much different...hippy shitheads everywhere, but with nicer beaches. Go visit Carmel instead. Way fewer homeless dudes hitting you up for weed money.

[erichkknaar]

Yeah...just going to leave this here.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/sequoias.htm

Also, Santa Cruz is where poors and trash go for their beach days, and Capitola isn't much different...hippy shitheads everywhere, but with nicer beaches. Go visit Carmel instead. Way fewer homeless dudes hitting you up for weed money.

Was literally going to go wat, as having spoken to several actual ranger type people and having a huge conversation of Sequoias vs. Baobabs. They are real sequoias, but I guess American geography class cannot into tree growth.

Ignore the above advice about Santa Cruz. It is a shit hole but you should totally see it.

[Lowa [NSN]]

+rep on thread and advice so far. Going to SF late May/early June for work but aim to take some days off.

Last time I did SF the pier, made a sea lion cry (no, not really) and watched Alcatraz from a distance. Had decent food at...forgotten the name.
Did Muir Woods which was awesome, it throws you a bit when you see the time line counted in rings matched to great events in the world. :P
Spent a day in Napa which for a wine lover is like getting a bj every one mile. Was so drunk at the end I almost felt embarrassed but that went away with another glass.
Stopped in Sausalito for lunch, I thought it was very nice place. Ate at Bar Bocce, not an amazing food experience by any means but a very nice place with good view on the sea. And a few cute girls too.

[ValorousBob]

Yeah...just going to leave this here.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/sequoias.htm

Also, Santa Cruz is where poors and trash go for their beach days, and Capitola isn't much different...hippy shitheads everywhere, but with nicer beaches. Go visit Carmel instead. Way fewer homeless dudes hitting you up for weed money.

Was literally going to go wat, as having spoken to several actual ranger type people and having a huge conversation of Sequoias vs. Baobabs. They are real sequoias, but I guess American geography class cannot into tree growth.

Ignore the above advice about Santa Cruz. It is a shit hole but you should totally see it.

Wow wtf, I've been to Yosemite like half a dozen times, how did I forget those things are there?

[Amantus]

I hired a car recently in Florida and had to pay a young driver charge of something like $20 a day on top of the rental fee.

You will have no problem renting a car but just be aware of the extra charge.





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[Amantus]

poo brainz