[combat_boots]

The Getty museum. A drive by the natioinal forest north of Malibu. The mission at Santa Barbara.

[Publius]

For four years in the mid-Nineties I lived across Madera Rd. from the library in the Wood Ranch section of Simi Valley.

I would recommend staying in Simi Valley or Thousand Oaks.

At the library, enjoy the view of the valley from where the piece of Berlin Wall is displayed. And say a prayer at the gravesite.

[avital2]

don't forget that Reagan's Air Force One is there now and i understand the installation is something to see. don't miss it. i also would recommend staying in Westlake Village/Thousand Oaks just a few minutes away and very pleasant.

[Ben Mugged]

We just went last Saturday and had a wonderful time. Take a digital camera but they will not allow flash inside the Museum or any sort of photography inside Air Force 1. The grounds and rose garden replica are a must see. Spend time in the oval office and do not rush through it. Do not get there right after opening or the lines for tickets will be long. They are shorter after they have been open for an hour or so. Use the Docents, they are very helpful. The upper parking lots fill up very fast and you end up having to park outside on a hill. The walk from there looks daunting. Don't plan to take large bags, portable seats, or backpacks inside. If the wind is coming from the ocean it can be rather cool.

[Who dat?]

http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/hours.html I recently traveled from Irvine station to San Diego (main Santa Fe station – not “Old Town”) via AMTRAK.

I liked the trip, but I like any trip where I can look around and not drive.

Problem is that it costs $16/per each way – so costs $64 for travel alone for two people round trip… plus parking is a b!tch at Irvine station. [Go to Tustin and ride MetroLink to Irvine, would be my solution, if you’re going that direction…]).

The link has the address and hours. You *can* get there via public trans, I understand. But it’ll be expensive and you might just want to bite the bullet and drive up. That’s just my opinion though.

[VOA]

A side trip to the town of Ventura is nice...small-town feel, you can
walk on the beach, see the lights of about 5-7 off-shore oil derricks after
sunset, even has a nice hotel on the beach (even if it's a bit pricey).
And it's the hometown of Earl Stanley Gardner, the lawyer who created
the character Perry Mason.
Ventura is just a nice, lowered blood pressure escape from the over-stimulation
of a place like Los Angeles.

[deport]

Santa Barbara isn't more than an hour away. Also take them along the Pacific Coast Hwy for a stretch maybe from Malibu up to Oxnard and then across some of the farming country. We spent the night just a couple of weeks ago at a little motel in Ventura on the beach with the room facing the Pacific Ocean maybe 100 yards away. It was nice to leave the sliding glass door open on the balcony, listen to the waves rolling in and enjoying the breeze.

[Hootch]

Greetings South40,

I live about 5 minutes away from the Library. My kids first grade class was the first class to get to tour the new exhibit even before it opened to the public. The new Air Force One exhibit is spectacular!!!

As several others have suggested, I would suggest staying in Thousand Oaks or Westlake, it is just a little nicer than Simi Valley. If you live in Simi, please don't slam me. It is getting much nicer I admit but as for accomodations for out of towners it just isn't quite as comfortable... ;)

If you want to stay a bit cheaper look at the Holiday Inn in Newbury Park (adjacent to Thousand Oaks) if you want to stay in a nicer place the Westlake Hyatt is very nice and close to lots of food and shopping. In either case the 101 makes it easy to get just about anywhere and either place would give you about a 10 minute drive to the Library...

Have a great time and I hope you enjoy the Conejo Valley!!

[Bernard Marx]

If you want to be near the ocean consider the Ventura/Oxnard harbor areas. There are some very nice places like the Mandalay Bay Beach Resort (fairly pricey) and others that are less so. The Mandalay has the best Sunday brunch in the county and a great view of the Channel Islands as well as a direct beach location. There are many excellent restaurants in the area. The drive to the Library from there should be well under an hour.

The drive to/from Santa Barbara, while short in miles, can be time consuming and frustrating because of traffic. From the Mandalay you can head down Highway One toward Malibu/Santa Monica (lots of beach access) or head up the 101 to S.B. when you have more time.

I can practically see the Library from my house and will be happy to assist you with driving directions, places to see, whatever. Just Freepmail me with questions/needs.

[Steven W.]

Santa Barbara + San Luis Obispo are both too far north for your travel considerations, most likely, so focus your trip on the LA area. You can do the typical touristy stuff & go to Hollywierd, Chinese Theatre, etc. + Universal Studios. Allow a good portion of a day to see the grounds of the library though, then sleepover to combine other activities. If you live in SD (as I btw) then you can skip all of the other coastal LA / OC stuff as it's not much different or better than quality stuff down here (just don't have the Queen Mary or the quality mountains, if there's snow, you can joke about how that's our novelty here)