Look up scenic drives. I live in Southern California, and as long as you can be patient and observant, you should be able to handle the traffic. If you drive PCH, it won't be exactly like it is on the movies, but it's still very nice and beautiful scenery during certain sections, and not so much at other parts. There will be times that it moves fast and times it stops dead. The image of a couple driving PCH from start to finish on a road trip where they are the only car on the road and have a view of the beach the whole time is not accurate. For city driving in LA and SD, I would reccomend getting a car with GPS if available. Type the location of your hotel and save it, then drive around exploring and getting lost. When you want to go back, just input your hotel address and you're good. There are places that will be pretty sketchy and I'd reccomend avoiding, but again, the movies exaggerate the concept of turning down a wrong street and then instantly getting shot. I'd recommend looking up areas to avoid. You'll get a decent idea of where not to go not just for safety reasons, but also based on what roads are broken, un-scenic, and just frustrating due to confusing throughways or traffic.