The Family Traveler’s Jen, her husband, and their 16-year-old twins (girl and boy) from Philadelphia went to California over spring break for 10 days and the trip did not disappoint!  They were looking to do something different than a typical beach holiday and wanted to explore and add some sense of history, culture, and geography to their trip, but still have some time in the sun and hit the hot spots.  They flew non-stop to San Francisco, stayed with family and picked up a rental car in town. Three busy days were spent in and around San Francisco visiting all the top tourist spots and some of the more obscure ones.  In particular, they loved Muir Wood, riding the cable car, exploring Pier 39 and watching the sea lions, and running the Golden Gate Bridge.  Their tour of Alcatraz was also really interesting.  In addition, they had wonderful meals, including authentic dim sum, deliciously fresh seafood, and sushi.  They explored many different neighborhoods going up, down, and around the steep and windy streets that bisect the city.  San Francisco is a fun place to drive through not so fun to find a parking spot! They left the Bay Area and drove south to Monterey. The drive is spectacular and they were charmed by Carmel-by-the-Sea.  From there they hopped on the Pacific Coast Highway.  Initially, they were not sure that spending over a day in the car driving the PCH was a good use of their precious vacation time and they wondered if their teens would be bored.  It turned out to be a highlight of the trip.  No wi-fi, no radio stations, just the most amazing views over cliffs at every turn and places to stop for photos and to see animals frolicking by the coast.  It is not a drive for the faint of heart and the children loved it.  Overnight in San Luis Obispo was at a La Quinta and then onward to Los Angeles. Their stay in Santa Monica at Le Merigot – a JW Marriott Hotel was chosen due to its relatively central location and proximity to the beach.  They took two rooms and especially enjoyed the hotel’s amazing valet service, pool, and vibrant lobby bar. Determined to see everything they could in LA, they almost succeeded.  They spent a day in Anaheim at Disneyland, toured UCLA, drove out to Malibu and lunched at Malibu Farms, and took the tour at Warner Brothers Studios.  They weren’t sure they wanted to take one of those “cheesy” Hollywood bus tours, but they succumbed and it was great.  The allure is in the stories the tour guide tells. The commentary was polished and hilarious, providing the family with a lifetime of family jokes.  Splurging on some over-the-top LA restaurants including Katsuya and Ivy proved definitely worthwhile, but they also ate at a few fast food options not available on the east coast.  They also walked Venice Beach and watched the skateboarders and weightlifters, did some mother/daughter shopping, and went south to Redondo Beach and swam in the Pacific Ocean.  Overall a wonderful California vacation with two teens who were happy to be traveling and were up for anything!