Hi, David...
> I was wondering if anyone could advise us on:
> (a) which sites offer the best deals for short car rentals;
Hertz has a number of small city offices called HLE (Hertz Local Edition or
something like that). My own experience is that they are cheaper than
renting at the airport, but you get older cars. www.hertz.com
> (b) what would be a good pick up point in SFO (we intend to drive out
> from downtown if possible - and do the 49-mile drive around the city
> before we head out to Palo Alto;
The 49-mile drive is beautiful, but parts of it wind thru extremely
congested areas of San Francisco. Best time (IMHO) is right after sunrise
on a Saturday or Sunday.
> (c) from Palo Alto (Stanford in particular) to LAX, which route would
> be the better one to take (we want a scenic one) and approximately how
> long the drive would take.
Highway 1 along the Pacific is breathtaking, but it will add several hours
to your drive because of all the twists and turns. Also, there was a rock
slide on Highway 1 north of Pacifica (20 miles south of San Francisco) a few
weeks ago, and the highway is closed in both directions. Traffic thru Half
Moon Bay is a nightmare (really), so avoid Highway 92. From Palo Also you
might take 280 south to Silicon Valley, then pick up 17 to Santa Cruz.
(Avoid 17 during afternoon rush hour.) There you can pick up Highway 1 and
go as far south as you wish. Monterey and Carmel are very nice. If you get
tired of all the turns in the road, you can cut back over to 101 if you
wish.
Safe travels.
Dan L.
San Francisco, CA
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