****Incomplete, will continue to update when I think of new things or when my brain is more awake***
So I get a lot of PMs about suggestions for visiting California. So I thought I make a thread and hopefully give you guys a starting point to plan any possible trips to California. I am in no way affiliated with tourist companies, I just live here and have been around the block. I'm making this based on the most common questions I've been asked. If you have anymore questions, feel free to PM me.
Los Angeles / Orange County Area
Traffic:
One thing I always tell people about LA is the traffic. The most common thing I hear from people who haven't been here yet, "Oh it doesn't seem that bad, Google maps says its only a few min." But in reality, it's pretty terrible. When Google maps says 30 min, in reality it is probably double due to traffic. Google maps does help so you can plan to avoid. But here is a simple way to determine traffic.
From 6 AM to 10 AM any traffic heading West or South is jammed. East and North are generally not as bad. From 12pm to 1pm, traffic is bad normally in the major freeways, 101, 57, 91, 405, 60, 10, 605. From 3pm to 7 pm East and North is terrible because everyone is off from work. This normally applies to Monday through Friday. Saturdays the traffic can get bad, similar to a weekday, but the duration is a lot shorter. Sundays it normally is clear, unless there is a large event somewhere, or there was an accident (even the tiniest accident will cause traffic) So plan ahead! Watch Google maps, it will help a lot!
Radio Stations:
93.1 Jack FM - Classic rock
97.1 AMP Radio- Top 40
98.7 987FM- Rock
102.7 Kiis FM - Top 40
103.5 Kost - Soft rock
104.3 My FM - Top 40
105.6 Power 106 - Hip hop/R&B
106.7 KROQ - Rock
Cellular Coverage, Realistically:
AT&T - Terrible in downtown LA. You get high data speeds, however that's if you can get a signal.
T-Mobile - Gets awesome coverage where you don't need it.
Sprint - CDMA, 4G speed is decent, good coverage
Verizon - CDMA. great coverage, but wait till iPhone floods it.
Car Rental Companies:
Avis www.avis.com
Enterprise www.enterprise.com
National www.nationalcar.com
Hertz www.hertz.com
Alamo www.alamo.com
Budget www.budget.com
Zip Car www.zipcar.com
Shopping Areas:
Victoria Gardens - Located in Rancho Cucamonga, it's a nice shopping area. You'll find some good brands here, and it's a common place to take a date. http://www.victoriagardensie.com/
Cabazon Outlets - Located in Cabazon, pretty much out in Indian reservations and it's right next to an Indian casino, Morongo. It's a nice place to shop outlet stores for high end brands. http://www.cabazonoutlets.com/
South Coast Plaza - Located in Costa Mesa, this is a high end shopping center, it's on the boarder next to Irvine, one of the top three cities to live in for United States. http://www.southcoastplaza.com/
Irvine Spectrum - Located in the center of Irvine, this is like a college hangout shopping area for UCI students. It's a nice place to watch a movie and get a bite to eat. http://www.shopirvinespectrumcenter.com/
The Grove LA - Located in the heart of LA, really nice area to go shopping. Known for celebrity sightings if you're into that kind of thing. Also it is linked with the historic LA Farmer's Market, where you can go to sample a ton of different foods.
http://www.thegrovela.com/
3RD Street Promenade - Located in Santa Monica, this is an awesome beach outside strip mall. It also has a brand new outdoor shopping center at the end called Santa Monica Place. Walking distance from LA's iconic Santa Monica Pier. A must go for any visitor. http://www.downtownsm.com/
Garden Walk - Located in Anaheim, a few minutes away from Disneyland Resort, this is a brand new shopping area. I been to it once, it was okay, but that was because it was still very new. http://www.anaheimgardenwalk.com/
Fashion Island - Located in Newport Beach, another high end shopping area for those with expensive tastes. http://www.shopfashionisland.com/
Paseo Colorado - Located in Pasadena, this is a great place to eat local restaurants. A lot of shopping and a lot of great LA culture can be found here. Definitely a good place. http://www.paseocoloradopasadena.com/
Rodeo Drive - Located in Beverly Hills. Iconic place as seen in many movies. High end shopping center for the rich. http://www.rodeodrive-bh.com
Weather
We have good weather for the most part. Winter we range from 32-60 Fahrenheit. Spring it's normally 60-80 Fahrenheit. Summer it is 80-125 Fahrenheit. Fall it is unpredictable, it can be 100+ one day, the next be 60. Fall is kinda like the season that has tourettes.
Theme Parks and Attractions:
Disneyland Resort - City of Anaheim. Two parks, and one downtown. http://disneyland.disney.go.com/
Universal Studios - City of Universal. One park, and one downtown. http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com
Knotts Berry Farm - City of Buena Park. One park and one big farm. http://tickets.knotts.com
Six Flags Magic Mountain - City of Valencia. One park, pretty far. http://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain/index.aspx
Aquarium of the Pacific - City of Long Beach. http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/
Queen Mary - City of Long Beach. Big ass boat for its time, docked hotel and haunted. http://www.queenmary.com/
LACMA - Los Angeles. This is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. I like this place, nice and relaxing. A haven for hipsters though, but is next to the tar pits.
http://www.lacma.org/
Huntington Library - City of San Marino. Big botanical gardens, and a library with some impressive collections. http://www.huntington.org/
LA Live - City of Los Angeles. Night life for the downtown life. http://www.lalive.com/
The Getty & The Getty Villa - Two locations one in Los Angeles and one in Pacific Palisades. I haven't been here for a while, but it is a great museum. http://www.getty.edu/
La Brea Tar Pits - City of Los Angeles. Famous tar pits that have lead to tons of fossils being discovered. It's a natural history museum. http://www.tarpits.org/
Griffin Observatory - City of Los Angeles. I went here when I was kid, then they closed it down for renovations. I thought it was boring, but some like it. http://www.griffithobservatory.org/
Discovery Center - City of Santa Ana. Cool place to take kids here, a family center. http://www.discoverycube.org
Norton Simon Museum - City of Pasadena. Art museum, been here a few times, it's a small museum, but not too shabby. http://www.nortonsimon.org/
LA Zoo - City of Los Angeles. Been here a few times, small Zoo, San Diego is way better, plus the crowd here isn't so great now. http://www.lazoo.org/
Seasonal Attractions:
Long Beach Grand Prix - City of Long Beach, happens every year and the track is the streets of Long Beach. Formula D also has their season opener during this. http://www.gplb.com/
Orange County Fair - City of Costa Mesa, family games, and a ton of eats. Can get expensive, but it is fun to check it out. Usually between July and August. Decent crowd. http://www.ocfair.com
Los Angeles County Fair - Same as Orange County Fair, but it's moved to the city of Pomona fair grounds. Usually September to October. Crowds can be a little sketchy. http://www.lacountyfair.com
LA Ocktoberfest - I've never been, but I've heard about it and apparently it's pretty good. Happens in the month of October. http://www.laoktoberfest.com/