# Los Angeles, San Diego or San Francisco



## Xue Sheng (Sep 30, 2010)

Which would be better to go to with the family?

I may be in one of those in December.


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## Bill Mattocks (Sep 30, 2010)

Xue Sheng said:


> Which would be better to go to with the family?
> 
> I may be in one of those in December.



San Francisco in December?  Brrr!  I mean, San Francisco is cold in the summertime!  I'd go for the high desert, but that's just me.


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## Xue Sheng (Sep 30, 2010)

Bill Mattocks said:


> San Francisco in December? Brrr! I mean, San Francisco is cold in the summertime! I'd go for the high desert, but that's just me.


 
I'm betting it is warmer than the Adirondacks of NY or Beijing


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## Bill Mattocks (Sep 30, 2010)

Xue Sheng said:


> I'm betting it is warmer than the Adirondacks of NY or Beijing



I have been to all three.  Trust me, San Francisco is no fun in the winter time.  But as you wish.


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## Flying Crane (Sep 30, 2010)

If you come to San Francisco, you could look me up!

SF ain't so bad in the winter.  We actually get our warmest weather in what is the autumn in the rest of the country, finally hitting some days in the 80s and even 90s.  IN the winter it's hit and miss, can be cold meaning 30s-40s, even the 20s overnight, but can be as warm as the 50s or 60s.  It can also be rainy, but we get some sun as well.  Not as much fog as permeates the spring and summer.


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## Xue Sheng (Sep 30, 2010)

Bill Mattocks said:


> I have been to all three. Trust me, San Francisco is no fun in the winter time. But as you wish.


 
In the winter?

I will never forget my first winter in the Adirondacks (I came for New England so I was use to winter) it snowed.... and snowed... and snowed and then after we had 3 feet of snow we got a few bouts of freezing rain and by the time that was all done we had about 2 feet of snow with a 1 inch thick sheet of ice on top and then....it was -20 for the next month. Temperatures below 30 and 20s are common single digits to below zero are to be expected and overnight it depends on if it is cloudy or not. And from what I am told of Beijing it is pretty much the same...minus the all the snow and rain add more wind.

Besides it really is not so much a vacation as a required trip to one of the 3. My wife needs to go to a seminar at one of those 3 areas and it is up to me to decide which. After that it all depends on if there are enough attendees. We have gone down this road before only to have the seminar cancelled.


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## Bill Mattocks (Sep 30, 2010)

Xue Sheng said:


> In the winter.



I'm sorry, what?


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## Xue Sheng (Sep 30, 2010)

Flying Crane said:


> If you come to San Francisco, you could look me up!
> 
> SF ain't so bad in the winter. We actually get our warmest weather in what is the autumn in the rest of the country, finally hitting some days in the 80s and even 90s. IN the winter it's hit and miss, can be cold meaning 30s-40s, even the 20s overnight, but can be as warm as the 50s or 60s. It can also be rainy, but we get some sun as well. Not as much fog as permeates the spring and summer.


 
If we end up there I plan on it, thanks


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## Xue Sheng (Sep 30, 2010)

Bill Mattocks said:


> I'm sorry, what?


 
Sorry I posted to fast and edited later the post has changed see above

again sorry about that


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## Bill Mattocks (Sep 30, 2010)

Xue Sheng said:


> In the winter?
> 
> I will never forget my first winter in the Adirondacks (I came for New England so I was use to winter) it snowed.... and snowed... and snowed and then after we had 3 feet of snow we got a few bouts of freezing rain and by the time that was all done we had about 2 feet of snow with a 1 inch thick sheet of ice on top and then....it was -20 for the next month. Temperatures below 30 and 20s are common single digits to below zero are to be expected and overnight it depends on if it is cloudy or not. And from what I am told of Beijing it is pretty much the same...minus the all the snow and rain add more wind.
> 
> Besides it really is not so much a vacation as a required trip to one of the 3. My wife needs to go to a seminar at one of those 3 areas and it is up to me to decide which. After that it all depends on if there are enough attendees. We have gone down this road before only to have the seminar cancelled.



Ah, now I understand.

I have lived pretty much everywhere.  The worst winter with regard to snow I ever experienced was in Omaha, Nebraska in 1986.  10 feet of snow, drifts to 15 feet.  Not kidding.

The worst winter I ever experienced with regard to temperature was Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1994.  A solid week of -20 F (not including wind chill).  That was followed, by the way, with a week of summer with temps over 100 F (many older people in nearby Chicago died of the heat).

However, San Francisco has a wind that is like Chicago's 'wind off the lake' in the winter time.  It will suck the very soul from your marrow.  And unlike Chicago, it's all hills.  Driving is always horrible in SF (I usually don't bother renting a car there, I take a van from SFO to downtown and stay at my club and then cab it wherever I want to go).  It's not the temperature or the snow in SF - it's the bloody lifesucking wind and ice that makes walking difficult.


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## girlbug2 (Sep 30, 2010)

San Diego IMO. The temps should hover around the 60s/70s there in December. You didn't mention the ages of your kids but if they're under 12 I bet they'd love Legoland, and the zoo is world class. Beaches are still nice in SD during the winter. It's as close to a sure bet as you'll get.


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## Flying Crane (Sep 30, 2010)

I'd bet the weather in southern California will be nicer during that time, sure I'll give it that.  The wind ain't so bad, I'd not say it's quite like Chicago, at least not Chicago in winter...

Yes, it's hilly, but it's a cool city.  One thing it's got going for it is that it's a compact city, not sprawled out.  It's easy to get across town, won't take all day just to get somewhere, even if the traffic is bad.

We've got Golden Gate Park with the California Academy of Sciences, a natural history and science museum that the kids ought to like, the Exploratorium, which is a hands-on science and tech museum for the kids.  Interesting neighborhoods, great dining.

Muir Woods is not far north of the Golden Gate Bridge, beautiful walks in the redwoods.  Mount Diablo is a modest drive into the East Bay, it's got some cool hikes on it as well.

We are a kung fu holyland in the US.  Lots and lots of schools around here, no shortage of that...


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## Gemini (Sep 30, 2010)

San Diego is nicer than anywhere, anytime, ever. Being only a few hours from LA, you can easily do both in the same trip. 

SF didn't impress me. No offense to Mr. Flying Crane.


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## Flying Crane (Sep 30, 2010)

Bill Mattocks said:


> The worst winter I ever experienced with regard to temperature was Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1994. A solid week of -20 F (not including wind chill).


 
having grown up in southwest Wisconsin, that pretty much sums up the experience.


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## Flying Crane (Sep 30, 2010)

Gemini said:


> San Diego is nicer than anywhere, anytime, ever. Being only a few hours from LA, you can easily do both in the same trip.
> 
> SF didn't impress me. No offense to Mr. Flying Crane.


 
To each his own, no worries.  Depends on what you want in a city.

Personally, from the day I arrived in San Francisco in 1994, I knew I had found my home.

I've had family and friends who felt that it's a great city to visit but DEFINITELY would not be happy living here.


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## Brian R. VanCise (Sep 30, 2010)

That time of the year Xue it is a no brainer.  San Diego win's hands down!


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## Flying Crane (Sep 30, 2010)

Hey Xue,

for how long would the trip be?


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## Bill Mattocks (Sep 30, 2010)

Flying Crane said:


> To each his own, no worries.  Depends on what you want in a city.
> 
> Personally, from the day I arrived in San Francisco in 1994, I knew I had found my home.
> 
> I've had family and friends who felt that it's a great city to visit but DEFINITELY would not be happy living here.



I love San Francisco.  My club is there.

http://www.marineclub.com/

I love the city in the summer time.  But it's cold.

And frankly, I can only take it in small doses.  I used to be a smoker, and fat (fatter, anyway, I still ain't slender).  I'm sure you know what I mean when I say you can walk another man down the street wearing a diaper and holding onto his leash like a dog and you won't get a sideways glance; but light up a cigarette on the street or be fat in their precious image-is-everything town and you'd think the devil had just shown up in person to fart brimstone on all the widows and children.  Like I said, small doses.  When my patience runs out for being seen as an evil man, I just leave.  But yes, it is a fantastic city, very beautiful and much to do there.


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## Xue Sheng (Oct 1, 2010)

Well, thanks for the responses about San Diego but as things go with this type of stuff, less than 24 hours and San Diego is out.

So it is now down to LA and SF.



Flying Crane said:


> Hey Xue,
> 
> for how long would the trip be?


 
Sadly it will be rather short, about 3 days, mainly for my wife's seminar stuff. And to get our daughter introduced to a flight that is not as long as a flight to China before we go there next summer.

To be honest I am leaning towards San Francisco, I possibly get to meet the head of Xuefu west and a very good friend of mine retired a few years back and moved there to be closer to what he called the next best thing to China. He lives near Chinatown and it is much easier and cheaper for him to go home to South China from there than it was from NY.

As for wind; I tend to like wind and my wife is use to Beijing wind in the winter which is rather heavy, nasty, cold and occasionally loaded with sand. Think air temperature between 20 to 30 and throw in high wind. I am told you now have some idea of what Beijing is like all winter long.


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## Xue Sheng (Oct 1, 2010)

OK San Diego is back and may be where we are going, but in a different area anyone know about the Sail Bay/Mission Bay area?

This is typical with these things, they change, and even though I have been told it is up to me, as per usualit is not :uhyeah:


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## Flying Crane (Oct 1, 2010)

Bill Mattocks said:


> I love San Francisco. My club is there.
> 
> http://www.marineclub.com/


 
I know right where that place is.  Before my offices moved a year ago, I worked just a couple blocks from there.



> I love the city in the summer time. But it's cold.


 
yeah, I wouldn't mind a few more hot days and a bit less fog in the summer.



> And frankly, I can only take it in small doses. I used to be a smoker, and fat (fatter, anyway, I still ain't slender). I'm sure you know what I mean when I say you can walk another man down the street wearing a diaper and holding onto his leash like a dog and you won't get a sideways glance; but light up a cigarette on the street or be fat in their precious image-is-everything town and you'd think the devil had just shown up in person to fart brimstone on all the widows and children. Like I said, small doses. When my patience runs out for being seen as an evil man, I just leave. But yes, it is a fantastic city, very beautiful and much to do there.


 
You are right about the smoking bit.  You can hardly smoke outside on the sidewalk anymore, it's banned in city parks.

I don't think SF is a image conscious as LA, at least not as superficial.  There are a lot of heavy people about, I'd be surprised you might get funny looks for being more than slender.  

As far as the diaper and dog leash goes, yes in some neighborhoods it can seem like Halloween every day of the year.


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## Xue Sheng (Oct 1, 2010)

Flying Crane said:


> You are right about the smoking bit. You can hardly smoke outside on the sidewalk anymore, it's banned in city parks.
> 
> I don't think SF is a image conscious as LA, at least not as superficial. There are a lot of heavy people about, I'd be surprised you might get funny looks for being more than slender.
> 
> As far as the diaper and dog leash goes, yes in some neighborhoods it can seem like Halloween every day of the year.


 

but... but...

I don't smoke... and due to this wonderful series of injuries which cover more than a year I am most certainly not slender... and I don't ever OWN A dog


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## Flying Crane (Oct 1, 2010)

Xue Sheng said:


> but... but...
> 
> I don't smoke... and due to this wonderful series of injuries which cover more than a year I am most certainly not slender... and I don't ever OWN A dog


 
Oh, you could BE the dog...or pony....or whatever you want...in the right neighborhood...


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## Xue Sheng (Oct 1, 2010)

Flying Crane said:


> Oh, you could BE the dog...or pony....or whatever you want...in the right neighborhood...


 

I'm currently thinking of a line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail...



> Well, on second thought, let's not go to Camelot -- it is a silly place.


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## Flying Crane (Oct 1, 2010)

Xue Sheng said:


> I'm currently thinking of a line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail...


 
Oh, it can be a silly place alright.  The interesting thing is when you reach a point where you don't even blink twice when you see it.  It's all just part of the landscape.


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## clfsean (Oct 1, 2010)

Hmmm... 

Grant Ave.... check
Pacific Street... check
Waverly Place... check
Walter Lum Place... check

Yep... solved for me... 

San Fran!!


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## Xue Sheng (Oct 1, 2010)

clfsean said:


> Hmmm...
> 
> Grant Ave.... check
> Pacific Street... check
> ...


 
but they speak devil talk there


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## Nomad (Oct 4, 2010)

Xue Sheng said:


> OK San Diego is back and may be where we are going, but in a different area anyone know about the Sail Bay/Mission Bay area?
> 
> This is typical with these things, they change, and even though I have been told it is up to me, as per usualit is not :uhyeah:



Mission Bay area is a great neighborhood.  Close to downtown, very close to Seaworld and lots of amenities.  Nice beaches to walk, not so great to swim (want to be on the ocean side, not in the bay to avoid pollutants), but in winter, you probably don't want to do more than dip your toes in the ocean.  The weather, as most days in San Diego, is very likely to be "nice", but the water will be cold.


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## Xue Sheng (Oct 4, 2010)

And the winner is...at least for now

San Diego.

However now my better half has me so busy I am not sure I will have time to sleep. I will need to get back to work to have a rest


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## clfsean (Oct 4, 2010)

Xue Sheng said:


> but they speak devil talk there



Yeah... I know... bliss!!!!


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## Brian R. VanCise (Oct 4, 2010)

Yes you will be very, very busy Xue.  Let's see Zoo, aquarium, beach, food, etc., etc.  However, I am betting that it will be a great time!


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## Gemini (Oct 4, 2010)

...and don't forget Balboa park


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## Xue Sheng (Oct 5, 2010)

clfsean said:


> Yeah... I know... bliss!!!!


 
Well, isn't that special...who would say something like that...Oh, I don't know, could it be.... 

*SATAN!!!!!!*


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## Xue Sheng (Oct 5, 2010)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> Yes you will be very, very busy Xue. Let's see Zoo, aquarium, beach, food, etc., etc. However, I am betting that it will be a great time!


 

Yup, My wife will be in seminars all day and I get to out and play 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 And my youngest has already been asking what is there and already given me a list and the Zoo and Aquarium are right on top and we have requested that Disneyland be moved there too


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## VegasM4 (Oct 5, 2010)

Las Vegas!


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## Xue Sheng (Oct 5, 2010)

VegasM4 said:


> Las Vegas!


 

Thanks but I can only think of two reasons to go to Vegas

1) see my Aunt
2) stop by and see Brian at IRT


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## Blade96 (Oct 5, 2010)

Xue Sheng said:


> Which would be better to go to with the family?
> 
> I may be in one of those in December.



Los angeles for me, the other 2 have no nhl teams =[


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## Xue Sheng (Nov 8, 2010)

Well I was in San Diego last week, of course it was very hot the first few days (unseasonably so) and one day apparently broke the record and went to 100 degrees and I am not a real fan of heat so I didnt like that part but overall San Diego was a pretty cool place and I wish I had more time to spend there. It was the first place I have ever gone that when it came time to go home I thought I wanted to stay longer. Generally I cant get on the plane fast enough to get home.

My wife was in conferences the entire time we were there so I played Mr. Mom, but I did get to sea world and the San Diego zoo, both which were pretty neat.

I also got to the emergency room of a local hospital because my cold turned into a sinus infection. Saw a lot of surfers and I Have to tell you that every single time I was on Grand street (Or is that boulevard) I heard this in my demented little noggin It just made me think of Miami Vicewhich I do realize is in Florida, not California I think it was the rows of Palm trees... and I was on Grand street a lot.

 Overall it is a nice place and we may go back there next year.


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