Things to prepare for the Zion trip:

excerpted from http://www.dankat.com/swhikes/equip.htm

hat with a brim
hiking boots that dry and drain quickly (so, waterproofs are not recommended)
Additional pair of socks for the case when you get out of the water
dry bag (you may rent one in the vistor center, i guess)

Zion Subway information

http://climb-utah.com/Zion/subway.htm

http://www.canyoneeringusa.com/utah/zion/subway.htm

Map: http://climb-utah.com/Zion/Maps/Subway.JPG

Zion information from Huiqiang

Hi, all

Some info about Zion in WENXUECITY.


http://web.wenxuecity.com/BBSView.php?SubID=travel_best&MsgID=212
http://web.wenxuecity.com/BBSView.php?SubID=travel_best&MsgID=211

http://web.wenxuecity.com/BBSView.php?SubID=travel_best&MsgID=516

http://web.wenxuecity.com/BBSView.php?SubID=travel_best&MsgID=547

Zion information from Hsin-ying's friend

here is a description for subway:
http://www.dankat.com/swhikes/subway.htm

here is a description for narrows:
http://www.dankat.com/swhikes/zion.htm

but do try this hike -- it is great!
http://www.dankat.com/swhikes/angell.htm

another link to northwestern parks
http://www.zionnational-park.com/zion-national-park-subway.htm

meeting briefing

zion park reservation: 1-435-772-0170

Tao Min: housing

Chang: treasurer

FL: chef/food

HY: nurse

XL: weather, maps, reservation, a backpack

HQ: prepare a backpack

Everyone:
1. hiking/wading shoes
2. coat for cold weather
3. personal medicine

Zion Subway

Lottery application:
https://zionpermits.nps.gov/lotteryapply.cfm

Currently, there are 142 applications (about a thousand people) for July
already. Most of them are trying to reserver Friday and Saturday -- so these
two days seem impossible (the maximum # of permits is 50 persons per day).
Sundays seem OK.

I guess we can do the following:
Friday: start from LA in the late afternoon, spend the night in Las Vegas
Saturday: To Zion, go around, camp at night
Sunday: Zion Subway, drive back to LV for the night
Monday early morning: drive back to LA

Such schedule can avoid traffic and accommodate the saturday crowd in subway.

Changes

According to gun's suggestion that we should avoid the theme parks in the holidays, I'd suggest the following changes:
Dec 21 pm: Getty Center (until 6pm)
Dec 22: Disneyland (8am ~ 12am)
Dec 23: Seaworld-SD (10am ~ 5pm)
Dec 24: SD-outdoors (anyway)
Dec 25: Griffith Park
Dec 26~Dec 30: SF
Dec 31: Universal Studio (9am ~ 9pm)
Jan 1st: Rose Parade
Jan 2nd: Las Vegas
Jan 3rd: Las Vegas / Grand Canyon

Things to prepare

1. Air tickets, Passport with I-94 slip, I-20, DriverLicense/Learning Permit

2. Credit Card / Debit Card (You can use it to get e-tickets)

3. cash (at least 50$ in case you cannot find me and take a taxi)

4. Telephone card / cell phone

5. Clothes:
The weather in San Diego and San Francisco is very different. LA's temparature is very different from night and day. So, prepare various clothes in different layers:

o a coat to protect you from the high wind in San Francisco and at LA's night (We will hang around into late night in Disneyland).
o a sweater for daily life in LA
o some short sleeves for the day life in SanDiego.
o You'd prepare something that is easy to dry. You may get partially wet in SeaWorld and Universal Studio.
(Anyway, you can also buy some clothes in LA.)

6. Some music CD/mp3 CD-ROM for the road trip:)

Arriving at LAX

1. Let me confirm the flight#:
laputa's flight: Dec 18 noon; United Airlines # 111 from ORD Terminal 7
lc's flight: Dec 21 noon;United Airlines # 111 from ORD Terminal 7

2. When you arrive LAX, I should be waiting for you in the baggage claiming area. If you cannot find me, stay calm. You can do the followings:

o Make sure if you are in the baggage claiming area for your own flight.

o Wait for a few minutes. If you cannot find me, use your telephone card and call me from the airport's telephone (there are telephones near the baggage claiming area) My phone #: 626-818-0562.

o If you cannot see me after an hour, you can take your own action: go out of the baggage claiming area, find a SuperShuttle representative (they are wearing blue coat with yellow label in their back). Tell him/her that you want to get a share ride to Pasadena. It takes 25$ and probably an hour to get there.

o If you have difficulty to find Supershuttle, get a taxi and come to Pasadena. It's about 50$ ~75$. Discuss with the driver to see the price.

(laputa: I suggest you stay longer in airport waiting before taking a shuttle/taxi since you are alone.)

Whenever you get a phone, give me a call to make me sure where you are.

My home address: 195 S. Wilson Ave, Pasadena, 91106. Cross Street: Cordova St.
My apartment #: 15.
My neighbour's apartment #s: 26, 28, 16 (manager). Tell any of them that you are David Wei's friends and need urgent help. They will let you in or at least give me a call.

Some other contacts:
Ling Li (Ice): 626-688-5787
Chang Yuan (ycchar): 323-633-7698

X'mas trip for SD, SF and LA

See http://www.beachcalifornia.com/ for more possible scenic points (We are virtually going along all these beach cities).

Just a tentative plan
Dec 18: laputa arrives at noon; laputa goes to concert at night.
Dec 19,20: laputa: as you like (maybe hiking or somewhere around pasadena -- Hungtington library or etc, or go to some beaches)
Dec 21:
13:23: lc arrives (13:23)
have a late lunch
Go to Griffith Park and Hollywood Blvd?
(have a dinner with friends in USC and etc?)

Dec 22:
SeaWorld (they open from 10am to 5 pm, ticket 35$)
http://www.4adventure.com/seaworld/ca/default.aspx
we may go to Mexico boarder and do some shopping at night (open by 8pm in weekday)
http://entertainment.signonsandiego.com/profile/91404

Dec 23: San Diego (Beaches, Balboa Park, Coronado Island, old town SD)
We may go with Ansel and Biao (or more people like Ryan)?

Dec 24: Universal Studio (ticket $32; open 9am-7pm)
http://themeparks.universalstudios.com/hollywood/website/index.html

Dec 25: Disneyland (ticket $49; open 8am-midnight)
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/

Dec 26: From LA to San Simeon via Pacfic Coast Hwy, visit Hearst Castle (ticket $20, ) in San Simeon
http://www.hearstcastle.com/

Dec 27: From San Simeon to Monterey via Pacfic Coast Hwy, visit Big Sur (a famous light house), 17-mile scenic drives, and etc. Arrive Bay Area at night (maybe we can have a dinner with friends in Sillicon Valley?)
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/17mile.html

Dec 28: A bike tour in SF city ($25 for each bike rental)
http://www.baycitybike.com/ ($15 for 24'')

Dec 29: Napa Valley to taste wine (ticket $10) (have a dinner with friends in Berkeley?)
http://www.robertmondaviwinery.com/
http://www.napavalley.com/

Dec 30: Muir wood national park ($3) (to see those high high sequoia) and beaches. (We can drive back to LA at night, or we can drive back to LA on Dec 31 morning).
http://www.nps.gov/muwo/

Dec 31: Getty Center, Griffith Park (the Hollywood sign) and Hollywood; Walt Disney Hall and other spots in LA downtown?
http://www.getty.edu/

Jan 1: Rose parade in Pasadena;
have dimsum with Ice, ycchar if they are around?
http://www.tournamentofroses.com/

Jan 2: buffer (visit friends? shoppings and etc?)
Jan 3: buffer (Actually, we can go to Las Vegas on Jan 2 and Jan 3, if you want. it is not so expensive.)

Jan 4: laputa departs in the morning. lc: I will show you guys to Walt Disney Concert Hall? :)

For many of these locations, you can go to my website http://www.cs.caltech.edu/~weixl/quicklink.html and find their links (see the "So-Cal Life" and "Sports&Outing" and "Poem&Music&Photograph" in the lower right corner)