My west coast mini-tour

[mikrowave]

OK, so in August I am heading over to the vast blue/smog-ridden skies of LA for a whirlwind tour of the parks in & around Anaheim. As of yesterday my flights are booked & my itinerary looks to go something like this: Day 1: Arrive morning, relax, do random things Day 2: Disneyland & DCA (will have 3 day park hopper) Day 3: DL & DCA Day 4: Knotts Day 5: Universal Studios Day 6: DL & DCA (my birthday, I'll probably be the only 24yo wearing an "Its my Birthday" sticker, trying to score bday bonuses ) Day 7: Day off, more random stuff Day 8: SFMM Day 9: SFMM Day 10: Day off. Fly home that night I havent been to DL, UniStudios, or Knotts since 97, & I havent been to SFMM since 2000, so theres quite alot of new attractions I am looking forward to. (I havent been to DCA at all). I can imagine the crowds will be quite large as it is their summer, but I'm hoping, being late August, it won't be too bad (well as bad as mid July anyway). Has anyone been there at late August & if so how were the crowds? (last time I was there in November & most rides were walk-ons). If anyone knows good places to get deals on park passes or whatever then please let me know, but as of now I am thinking I will leave it till I get there, & source some deals at the hotel or wherever. Also if anyone has any good hotel recommendations that aren't super expensive, feel free to let me know. I'm looking at staying just near DL & DCA for most nights, but then head to Valencia for a few nights for SFMM. cheers (In 2005 the plan is to hit the East coast, funds permitting of course )

[Richard]

I don't know how familiar you are with LA, so sorry in advance for just taking the safe option and assuming you know very little. The SoCal CityPass isn't a bad deal if you can squeeze a day at San Diego in. Its possible to easily do SeaWorld and San Diego Zoo in a day, probably slipping in a ride on the Belmont Park Giant Dipper which is just down the road from SeaWorld. I know it's not on your itinerary, but if you're into animals then consider it. San Diego's an easy city to get to - I-5 straight down from wherever you are, only about 60 minutes if I remember correctly, and I think even the LA Metro system extends all the way down with regular trains, and the city has some of the best public transport for getting around if you're not driving. They say that supermarkets surrounding Knott's often have discount coupons, but you'd have to check with Westcoaster.net's forums to find out which specific shops to go to etc. to get them. They'll also be good for directing you to discounts for the other parks. Probably the cheapest hotel you'll find in all of Hollywood is the Motel 6 which is in Whitley Ave. - about 20m from Hollywood Boulevard and then a further four blocks or so west to the Vine St Metro station which will take you to Universal Studios for something like $0.75. It's an absolutely basic motel, but if you're like me and can live with just a bed and a huge lock on the door then it's fine, especially for the $40 or so per night you'll pay.

[mikrowave]

Yeah I'm not one for expensive hotels; when I'll be spending the majority of my time at parks, all I really care about is whether the room has a semi-comfy bed or not Thanks for the heads-up in regards to the socal citypass, I probably won't be heading down to San Diego at this stage, but if I change my mind then I'll definitely give the pass a go (I may wanna try out Atlantis at Seaworld if it's open by then). Do you know if SFMM still has twickets? Last time I was there I bought a twicket to return for another day at a small cost. (similar to Dreamworlds 'second day' offer). I'll be at SFMM 2 consecutive days, so hopefully I'll be able to buy a return twicket on the first day, then use it the next day.