Best Places

Best places to vacation without a car on the west coast?

I'm from Las Vegas, and I am planning to travel during the summer. I don't have a car right now so I won't be driving. What do you guys think are the best places on the West Coast that have a good and reliable transportation system so travelling without a car is a breeze? I ask this because here in Vegas, the bus system is really messed up and if I'm a tourist, I wouldn't want to ride the buses to get around. Thanks.

Public Comments

1. Portland is great, you can pretty much get anywhere using a bus or train. Also, there is a town directly west called "Seaside" that is perfect, if you like truly beautiful beaches. There are things to do and lots of social interaction.
2. Los Angeles is pretty easy. You can take a cab, the bus, or the metro all of which can take you from downtown LA (yuck) to the beaches and from the beaches to the valley. I lived in L.A for about 15 years and I go back at least once a year to visit my family. I fly into LAX and take the bus to the valley (saves me about 150 on air fare). I usually get around on the bus when I don't have my car with me. FUN TRAVELS!!!
3. San Francisco would by far have the best public transit anywhere west of the Mississippi River. The city is so small and compact the public transit covers every square inch of that city that you will not be more than a 1/4 mile from a bus or train stop. San Diego is also not that bad to get around on public transit if you are a tourist. The buses and Trolley go places most tourists would go so its easy to get to all the best attractions.
4. Washington D.C. or New York City, because they both have metro and subway.
5. I can think of several places you can visit on the West Coast where you would not need a car to see quite a bit of the area: 1. San Francisco. In fact, having a car is an advantage there! They have a wonderful public transportation system and the cable cars are fun! But even walking around most of the city is the best way to see it - but wear comfortable walking shoes as there are a lot of hills to walk up and down! Also, in San Francisco there are other things to do, such as take the tour to Alcatraz. You can get there down by Fisherman's Wharf and again don't need a car. 2. Seattle. This city has a lot you can see by walking and taking the monorail system. Also, you can always take a boat to Victoria, Canada, from Seattle and walk around there, too. 3. San Diego. While most people think you need a car there, you don't if you can find things to do downtown - and there are a lot of things to do! You can stay in a hotel downtown and walk to the Gaslamp Quarter, which is a great place for nightlife and restaurants. The big shopping center (Horton Plaza) is downtown and easily within walking distance. One of my favorite places there is Seaside Village - again within walking distance of everything I previously mentioned. You can take the metro trains (small trains that run throughout downtown and nearby communities) to various places, too. San Diego also has many festivals throughout the year, so be sure to check their Chamber of Commerce before/if you go to see what is happening. 4. This place is not quite a large as the other cities I mentioned, but is a wonderful place to visit and not drive - Laguna Beach, California. You can walk around for days in this cute little artist town. It is right on Pacific Coast Highway and there are art galleries, restaurants, bars, shops, theaters, and Main Beach is a great place to either sunbathe, play volleyball, go bodysurfing or boogieboarding or just people watch! I believe there are also places where you can rent beach equipment there so you don't have to bring any - just your bathing suit. One must-see thing in Laguna Beach is the Sawdust Festival - Pageant of the Masters. Both of them can be accessed via walking, so that is not a problem. The Sawdust Festival is open both in the winter and summer and you can get tickets at the gate, but the Pageant of the Masters is always sold out early, so if you want to see it be sure to get your tickets well in advance. NOTE: The one place I would NOT recommend without a car is Los Angeles as one previous answer suggests. Nothing is close and within walking distance of another place - for example, you could not walk from Hollywood to Beverly Hills easily - nor could you get to the beach easily. Yes, you could take a taxi, but with the traffic as bad as it is in Los Angeles it would take a long time and would cost quite a bit to do often. And there are places I would never want to (or feel safe) walking in Los Angeles. There is no good public transportation system there, although they do have a small subway system now. However, if you do want to visit Los Angeles and are staying somewhere like Laguna Beach or San Diego, you can always rent a car for a day and go to Los Angeles! Those are my suggestions - if I think of any more, I will add them later!