Post: #1

Hey guys, just after some suggestions from you American Folks.

I’m visiting the states for three weeks, and I’m just sorting out the second half of my itinerary. Here are the places I have locked in already:
Austin, TX (really keen to check out this city)
Oklahoma City (catching up with an old buddy)
Las Vegas (meeting some Aussie mates there who live in the states (debauchery))

I’ve then got from June 14-25 (flying out of Houston) to do a couple of places on the West Coast. I’m definitely going to spend a couple of days in Los Angeles (have a couple of cousins who live in Santa Barbara) and San Francisco.

I’m traveling alone (happy to meet up with anyone!), and after Vegas will probably want a couple of ‘off’ days. So at the moment I’m thinking LA for the weekdays from the 14th and doing touristy things, and timing to be in SF for the following weekend. I prefer to be in bars rather than clubs so I can meet people easier as a solo traveler – this is my rational for being in SF rather than LA for the weekend. I HATE going to clubs solo – need a crew.

I then have another four days to kill before flying out. Would love any suggestions you have. I’m definitely a city person, but might consider wineries or something scenic but convenient. The lead contender at the moment is to fly up to Vancouver for a few days since I’ve never been there before….

Looking forward to any suggestions

Post: #2

Just checked out Austin recently, thought it was a cool town, although it didn't quite live up to my expectations, or rather I didn't have quite as good a time as I hoped. I can recommend a few things though, if you're motivated and good with day game go to Barton Springs (its a natural swimming pool) in the middle of Zilker Park near downtown Austin. I was lazy when I was there and only sparked up conversation with a few honeys, but this place is crawling with hot 18-30 year old women, who are mostly just chilling and tanning with their friends. Right outside (on the otherside of the fence) is a nice free area where Barton Springs flows into Lake Austin (?), here if you are bored/have recruited some cute honeys, you can rent a canoe/kayak to go out on the Lake, which isn't anything spectacular but kind of fun (I got really stoned and enjoyed checking out the turtles).

I was disappointed for the most part with the food in Austin, but I mostly attribute this to my friend who I visited having poor taste and not wanting me to treat him to places that he thought were "too expensive", although I did go to this one spot called the "South Congress Cafe" which is on a hip part of S. Congress St. which is bascially a "happening hipster" area, and it is a cool stretch, but really only one street. This South Congress Cafe spot was fucking good, and stacks up to a lot of the nicer California/New American/Gourmet restaurants I visit in SF. Aside from that I made the mistake of not going to this spot called "Rudy's" for BBQ, which is supposed to be one of the best, but I didn't go because it's a chain and I normally avoid chains.

All most all of the nightlife in Austin is centered around 6th St. in the downtown, and I guess it can be compared to Bourbon St. in New Orleans, where the whole street is pretty much nothing but bars and clubs the whole way down, and they shut off the streets to cars on the weekend. Lot's of hot sluts cruising around on 6th St., so many bars it's hard to know which ones to go into to, I'd say bounce around till you find the one with the hottest women or most fits your style. I didn't hit up as many as I should have, found a few of them to be filled with hot sororiety type stuck up white girls and preppy frat boy types. The place where I had the most fun was the club called "Pure" which seems like it's going for some NYC/LA/Vegas-esque type style/layout, there is a bar on the first floor, lounge on the second, and nightclub on the third floor. Within 2 minutes of walking up to the 3rd floor club area, I was making out and grinding with this really hot 9 who looked half white/ half Latina, until her friend came and whisked her away and I never saw her again. Oh yeah final not on Pure, much more of a mixed ethnic crowd there, with lot's of Asians, Latina, Indians, in contrast to a lot of other bars which appeared more white/preppy.

Don't have much first hand advice on LA, but defintely check out Santa Barbara, I swear I have seen the highest percentage of hot women there, more then anywhere else in the U.S. and top 5 in the world (in my opinion), there are hot women ranging from 18 yr. old college girls to 45 year old trophy wife milfs. Santa Barbara is a big town/small city so don't expect the most raging nightlife, but it can be fun. All of the nightlife is centered on State St. which is basically the coolest/most interesting/beautiful part of town. Most of the bars/clubs will be on southern State St., while the middle and northern sections are mostly stores/restaurants, I recommend spending an afternoon scoping out the whole street. As far as specifics, I'm not the expert but the Sandbar is a Mexican restaurant/bar that tries to do the crossover into nightclub thing at night, it's not really my scene per se, but there are always tons of hotties there when I've been, right across the street there is a chill more dive-ish bar called the "James Joyce" that is kind of Irish Pub-esque, and has the chillest vibe/coolest people, but unfortunately dramatically less attractive women then what you will find at other places. Good places to eat (all on State St. are: Pierre La Fond for breakfast, Pascucci an Italian place for lunch/dinner, or Opal a contemporary California cuisine for lunch/dinner. Another good economical lunch spot and also possibly good for day gaming is the Lazy Acres organic super market (always full of hotties).

I don't have much club info. on SF, but I can recommend a few live music venues (the Independent, the Fillmore, Elbo Room, Slims), in the Mission neighborhood Zeitgeist is a cool chill-out dive bar, but not great for pick-up, also in the Mission, Elbo Room which has live music upstairs always seems to have a good crowd with some fly women, the Marina neighborhood has the hottest women and a bunch of bars/clubs/lounges, but unfortunately its less my crowd, more rich white yuppie/preppy. I do recall getting drunk and dancing with some hot women at this one bar in the Marina ( I think it's called Matrix), there were definitely a bunch of fine women there. Restaurant roll call in SF: Kokkari Estario (Greek), Mission Beach Cafe (organic contemporary cali. cuisine), Pizza Delfina (woodfire pizza), Borobudur (Indonesian), Luna Park (contemp. cali), Farmer Brown (organic soul food) and Papalotes in the Mission for possibly the best burrito anywhere.

Post: #3

Austin- Never been

Oklahoma City- Never been and will probably never go. I never plan on ever visiting the midwest unless I have to (Unless you consider Colorado the midwest).

Las Vegas- One of the best places on earth (I grew up in Vegas, I might be a little bias)

LA- Only been briefly. I didn't do much in the ways of partying. I'm sure it's probably a pretty cool city though, but you might want to check out some surrounding areas as well.

San Fran- Awesome city.

One suggestion I have is to check out the rockie mountains in Colorado. Denver kinda sucks, the mountains are where it's at, and CO isn't too far from OK.

Post: #4

awesome info, thanks heaps! anyone recommend something on the west coast over Vancouver?

Post: #5

Vancouver is a great call.

Santa Barbara is where the best blondes are.

San Diego has tons of beauties.

San Francisco is a cool city. Best girls are in "The Marina"

LA is great if you know where to go. I love the Hollywood scence.

I say you should go to Vancouver, things are easier up there.

Post: #6

http://matadortrips.com/what-not-to-do-in-los-angeles

Post: #7

I wont actually be staying with my cousins (just visiting), so would it be better to stay in Santa Barbera or more LA proper?

is it a scenic trip from LA to SF? I'm thinking of maybe taking a bus to check out the coastline a little cause I'm flying everywhere else...

I might book my flight from Las Vegas to LA, and play the rest by ear... with a tentative plan to slowly work my way to SF and Vancouver...

Post: #8

damok,

you can't forget about San Diego. It might be the best city on the West Coast. I say you should fly from Las Vegas to San Diego and then drive up the coast from there. Stop off in LA of course, then drive 5 hours north and stop in Monterrey/Big Sur and Santa Cruz (must see Cali beach towns). Then of course, up to San Francisco. You can drive all they way up to Vancouver or you can fly from SF. If you come to California, don't forget about San Diego and Santa Cruz .

Post: #9

(05-19-2010 08:28 PM)damok Wrote:  is it a scenic trip from LA to SF?

Usually, but the coast can be very foggy depending on time of year.

Quote: I'm thinking of maybe taking a bus to check out the coastline a little cause I'm flying everywhere else...

Car would be best, but there's also a coastal train called the Pacific Surfliner and another one called the Coast Starlight. http://www.amtrak.com

Post: #10

The train is actually pretty dope from SD to LA.

Goes along the beach.

Post: #11

I'll put in my quick 2 cents here...

Santa Barbara in the end of June is good timing because that's the first week for summer classes at the University. If you like pretty..and I mean friggin' pretty, young things walking around looking to drink, hit up the Goleta / Isla Vista area. It's a college community atmosphere.

Hit up State St. Santa Barbara if you want more of a downtown feeling. It's a fairly small street so you can bar/club hop til you find a good place.

Los Angeles in June is a good time also. The tourist start to come in and all of the wannabe actresses start coming to town. Man, there is so much, but it's kind of like going fishing...you need to find the school of fish.

So I'm going to try to bring out some primo info for you -
playing the odds where the girls are Hollywood hot AND APPROACHABLE.

The Standard Rooftop Pool Parties - These are only on Sat or Sundays outdoor bar atmosphere with a dj spinning some beats...the girls are hot and friendly.

The Bars in Los Feliz and Silverlake - Dresden and Griffin - it's kind of hit or miss but cool laid back crowd.

Hollywood Bowl on KCRW nights (there are a couple in the end of June) -a sea of cute and friendly girls just wanting to drink wine, smoke pot and listen to music and meet people.

And the biggie is Geisha House on Hollywood Blvd. Saturday nights has the best odds. This place everyone knows but no one really takes advantage of. If you want to try your luck with model and actress types, come here around 10pm..it's very hollywood but no cover, no dress code, no attitudes...stay downstairs at the bar and just wait. The setup of this place makes it easy to strike up a conversation for some reason. The girls here have their guards down because they're just waiting for their table or just hanging out before their night out. I could write a whole data sheet on this place.

Post: #12

Well I think I've made up my mind, and I'm going to be doing a road trip from San Diego up to San Francisco.

Will hire a car in San Diego (seem quite cheap), will spend a few days there followed by Santa Monica/LA for a while. I've heard Santa Barbara would be good for an overnight stay heading up to San Francisco.... thoughts?

I've only got 11 days in total, so this should fill it nicely.

Post: #13

damok,

Can't go wrong with that plan. You certainly see pretty much all of CA.

Only thing you miss is Mex.

Post: #14

I would say definitely do 1-2 days in both Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz, both towns are equal in my book for different reasons. Also, this will split up your drive nicely, although S.B. is only 2 hours from L.A., and S.C. 2 hours from San Fran. The wild card if you want to split up a day's drive more concisely would be to check out San Luis Obispo, although I haven't really kicked it there, it sounds like they got some cool shit going on.

Post: #15

Well, after looking at flights - my plans have changed a little. Instead flying into San Francisco then out of LA... will probably hire a car in LA to head down to San Diego and to get around generally....

should be good!

Post: #16

(05-18-2010 11:24 PM)damok Wrote:  Hey guys, just after some suggestions from you American Folks.

I’m visiting the states for three weeks, and I’m just sorting out the second half of my itinerary. Here are the places I have locked in already:
Austin, TX (really keen to check out this city)
Oklahoma City (catching up with an old buddy)
Las Vegas (meeting some Aussie mates there who live in the states (debauchery))

I’ve then got from June 14-25 (flying out of Houston) to do a couple of places on the West Coast. I’m definitely going to spend a couple of days in Los Angeles (have a couple of cousins who live in Santa Barbara) and San Francisco.

I’m traveling alone (happy to meet up with anyone!), and after Vegas will probably want a couple of ‘off’ days. So at the moment I’m thinking LA for the weekdays from the 14th and doing touristy things, and timing to be in SF for the following weekend. I prefer to be in bars rather than clubs so I can meet people easier as a solo traveler – this is my rational for being in SF rather than LA for the weekend. I HATE going to clubs solo – need a crew.

I then have another four days to kill before flying out. Would love any suggestions you have. I’m definitely a city person, but might consider wineries or something scenic but convenient. The lead contender at the moment is to fly up to Vancouver for a few days since I’ve never been there before….

Looking forward to any suggestions

Your going to have a great time in Las Vegas. I live in Los Angeles and grew up in the Santa Barbara area. If your going to be in LA then you need a car. There is a lot to see in LA. I have been here for 15 years and still haven't seen it all. If you only have a weekend just play it safe and see Hollywood, Venice Beach, Santa Monica Pier, and maybe Beverly hills. Hit the bars off sunset blvd, or hollywood blvd. Stay away from Santa Monica Blvd. unless your into the gay thing. Santa Barbara is nice, but only stay 1 night or you will get bored real quick. Then just drive up the coast to SF.

Post: #17

(05-22-2010 11:18 PM)3am Wrote:  Hollywood Bowl on KCRW nights (there are a couple in the end of June) -a sea of cute and friendly girls just wanting to drink wine, smoke pot and listen to music and meet people.

Hollywood Bowl is an incredible place and no L.A. experience is complete without it, however I'm not sure it's the place to game. There's not much of a gathering place to talk to girls unless they happen to be sitting right next to you. Everyone is mainly looking at the concert.

Post: #18

(05-28-2010 02:42 AM)speakeasy Wrote:  

(05-22-2010 11:18 PM)3am Wrote:  Hollywood Bowl on KCRW nights (there are a couple in the end of June) -a sea of cute and friendly girls just wanting to drink wine, smoke pot and listen to music and meet people.

Hollywood Bowl is an incredible place and no L.A. experience is complete without it, however I'm not sure it's the place to game. There's not much of a gathering place to talk to girls unless they happen to be sitting right next to you. Everyone is mainly looking at the concert.

It's a gem of a place to game. Show up an hour before the show starts with food and wine...everyone is socializing. The key is to walk around after the show starts and invite some chicks over to your spot for food and drink...also everyone is smoking pot up in the area in the back. We used to buy extra tix...post them up for sale on craigslist and look up the girl on myspace or facebook from her email addy to see if she was hot enough. And for KCRW nights...it's like Coachella.

Post: #19

(05-28-2010 02:53 AM)3am Wrote:  

(05-28-2010 02:42 AM)speakeasy Wrote:  

(05-22-2010 11:18 PM)3am Wrote:  Hollywood Bowl on KCRW nights (there are a couple in the end of June) -a sea of cute and friendly girls just wanting to drink wine, smoke pot and listen to music and meet people.

Hollywood Bowl is an incredible place and no L.A. experience is complete without it, however I'm not sure it's the place to game. There's not much of a gathering place to talk to girls unless they happen to be sitting right next to you. Everyone is mainly looking at the concert.

It's a gem of a place to game. Show up an hour before the show starts with food and wine...everyone is socializing. The key is to walk around after the show starts and invite some chicks over to your spot for food and drink...also everyone is smoking pot up in the area in the back. We used to buy extra tix...post them up for sale on craigslist and look up the girl on myspace or facebook from her email addy to see if she was hot enough. And for KCRW nights...it's like Coachella.

Hell, I'm always late for the show and the bands have started by the time I get there. I should try showing up early one day!

Post: #20

I just got back from San Diego.

If you like to party on the beach, this is the place to go in California. I stayed in Ocean Beach. The culture there is a little too "druggie/hippie" for my taste. My girl and I rode our bikes north up to Mission beach and Pacific beach. Cleaner and classier then "OB". Clubs and Bars right on the beach, blasting music throughout the day. I love partying at 2pm on a saturday, in a outdoor club.

I guess it reminded me of Jersey Shore but West Coast Style.

My advice:

rent a beach bungalow somewhere along the beach.

get your beach "look" right, High End Surf clothing is really cool, if you can pull it off.

Don't drive a car, too much traffic and cops, just ride bicycles up and down the beach.

Also, girls are very freindly and approachable, especially for people from another countries. This has to be one of the top 3 places to experience "California".

Post: #21

well after a 16.5 hour flight, 2.5 hours being held up at border security - for what turned out to be a mistake(!!) - I've arrived in Austin Texas.

Looks like now I will be doing a road trip from San Francisco to San Diego.... thanks for all the great info above.

Anytips for a great Saturday night in Austin? Anything happening on Sunday/Mondays? So far I've got 6th st and the nightclub 'pure' as recommended on the first reply.