LA to SF road trip

[JTG51]

I don't know when, but sometime in the future I'm going to drive from LA to SF to play poker. I'd like to break up the drive with a couple of stops. Are there any card rooms between the two cities worth visiting?

[J.A.Sucker]

I think if you drive up the coast, then there probably are some little card shacks strewn about where they play some tiny-limit draw games when the regulars aren't passed out at the bar. Maybe worth seeing if you like that sort of thing, but not really much poker worth.

It's only 5 hours from Commerce to Bay 101 up I5. If you want to make a stop, make it at Casa de Fruita and get some dried apricots and pistachios. Granted, it's only an hour from Bay 101, but it's still worthwhile.

[JTG51]

Thanks. Sounds like poker stops are out.

Anyone else have any suggested non-poker stops along either the coast or I-5?

[offTopic]

[ QUOTE ]
If you want to make a stop, make it at Casa de Fruita and get some dried apricots and pistachios. Granted, it's only an hour from Bay 101, but it's still worthwhile.

[/ QUOTE ]

OMG, a plug for Casa de Fruita...I've now seen everything! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Tilty McTilterson]

You can get a list of all California cardrooms and Indian casinos from the California Gambling Control Commission website:

http://www.cgcc.ca.gov/

It'll take some digging to find out which cardrooms are on your way, and not all Indian casinos will have poker, but I bet you can find a couple places to play. And don't expect a lot of action -- I've heard a lot of these places are just one or two tables in an Elks lodge, so definitely call ahead to make sure they are up and running and to find out what kind of games they spread and when. And if you play at one of these places, write a report.

As for non-poker activities, my favorite place to stop along the coast is the Madonna Inn, off the 101 in San Luis Obispo. Bizarre theme rooms, a tacky bar with pink leather couches, and the world's most fascinating urinal in the basement. Trust me, you will be telling your friends about this urinal.

http://www.madonnainn.com/

[nbb]

There is nothing to see on I5. That is possibly the most boring road (from Grapevine to Tracy anyways)in California.

If you bring a gas mask, you can always visit the cattle feedyards. I don't remember what town it's near, but you'll start smelling it 5 miles away. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[MtnDave]

If you drive up 101 (the best way), you can stop off at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez ( 5-10 miles off 101), and in Atascadero at the Outlaws cardroom (right off the freeway). There might be more, but these are the ones I am familiar with. If you stop at the Chumash during the day, expect rock city. At night, there are some UCSB students and it may be better.

[balt999]

Bay 101 in San Jose, CA is a must stop..Played there a few weeks back..NEver seen so much action in my life!

[WillMagic]

Well, there is one ok room along the way, at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez. To get to it, you need to take the 101 to the 154 in Santa Barbara. 154 is actually kind of a shortcut - while the 101 kind of takes an L-shaped route up the coast after hitting Santa Barbara, the 154 cuts the corner. Depending on traffic, it might very well be faster.

Anyway - the room has about 15 tables or so. Mostly 2/4 games are running, but I went twice, once on thursday and once on saturday, and both times I got into the 6/12 relatively quickly. 6/12 is the biggest game in the room. The game is soft, with a half-kill after someone wins two pots in a row. It's a pretty nice room - calm and serene, and the food isn't half bad, but I wish they had 10-20 and above.

But that's basically it for the trip...but on the bright side, I'm pretty sure it splits the middle of the trip from L.A. to S.F.

Good luck and have fun. And, if your some reason you need a place to stay, pm me and we may be able to work something out (I live in Cupertino, about 15 minutes west of San Jose and 45 minutes south of S.F.)

Will

[Phantom]

Well when you finish the leg in SF, I would recommend Artichoke Joe's in San Bruno (very close to the SFO airport).

I can guarantee you will see some wacky players, very loose players which translates into big pots. Need to play this room at least once.