Travelling advice in Los Angeles

[Britboater]

Looking for a little help and advise from any forum colleagues who live around LA or anybody who has any info regarding the area, @Glassman @itsdgm @mpbassett44 maybe?

My daughter and her boyfriend are coming to the US for a road trip, they are flying into LAX and need somewhere to stay for two nights. Now I see the LA region is very large, so the info we need is what region/districts to avoid and which areas to look for accomadation, not necessarily close to the airport as they want to do a little sightseeing and tourist traps.
Any accommodation recommendations, not too pricey and what/who to stay away from.

She arrives on the 28th of this month, for two days then plans to leave for Las Vegas, I've told her I won't be happy if she's planning for Elvis to marry her . I thinks she's doing a loop around Nevada then back to San Francisco. Advise regarding these areas or what to do would be great too, I told her I'd ask the oracle that this this forum is .

 

[jlcj7]

I hear Compton is very nice this time of year...

 

[Bruce]

@Britboater, will she have a rental car?

What does she want to see in LA?

LA traffic is slow but public transport is limited. There are a few nice train services. In the U.K. everyone rides the bus but in the US busses are often less safe forms of transport compared to trains and subways.

I recommends staying along the coast with a preference for Santa Monica followed by Malibu then Marina Del Rey.

We were there a few weeks ago and made a similar trip to what your daughter is planning with Emma and Gavin for spring break. We happened to be in LA at the same time as the marathon that ends in Santa Monica so most places were full. We stayed at the M Malibu https://www.themmalibu.com/ which turned out to be a nice little place. They have free parking, nice clean, modern rooms, WiFi, a nice view, an upmarket grocer and a pizza shop next door. The Malibu peer is just down the road and is a nice place to eat.

 

[blackhawkpilot]

We just got back from there last weekend for the kids' spring break. I have to tell you - I've checked the block on visiting LA and have no intentions of going back. Too much traffic, too many homeless people, I felt like I got harassed while walking down Hollywood Blvd, etc.

We stayed here - http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxfr-fairfield-inn-and-suites-los-angeles-rosemead/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2 and it was VERY nice. Friendly, decent area. Plenty of shopping. Our first impression when we started driving around - stay away from Lynnwood and Inglewood. If anyone tells her that she needs to see the Watts Towers, tell her to pass on that "opportunity". It's smack-dab in the middle of Lynnwood and not a very nice place to be. The Griffith Observatory is a must see. We ate at some schwanky restaurant called Sur in Hollywood. Apparently, it's famous for a reality show that's going on right now called Vanderpump Rules - never heard of it myself, but my daughter knew all about it.

Universal City Walk was pretty neat, too - ate there one night. We didn't go into the amusement park, though. https://www.citywalkhollywood.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=GMB

Ate brunch in Marina Del Rey the morning we left. I would imagine anywhere along the coast between Marina Del Rey and Santa Monica would be OK, too.

 

[Bruce]

Are you or your daughter on Facebook? If so I will send you a link to our recent trip which may give her some ideas of places to visit. Emma (9) and Gavin (7) had big roles of planning our trip which was very busy with 7 hotels over 9 days and around three major stops per day.

Out route included drive to Dallas fly to Las Vegas drive to Hoover Dam drive to Lake Mead drive to Barstow, CA drive Route 66 to Victorville drive to Inglewood (LA) drive to Venice Beach drive to Malibu drive through LA, Hollywood, Rodeo, etc drive to Santa Monica Peer drive to Malibu drive up coast on highway 1 until blocked drive 101 to Pismo Beach drive to Monterey drive through redwoods to San Francisco fly to Dallas.

 

[Eric Ballard]

Looking for a little help and advise from any forum colleagues who live around LA or anybody who has any info regarding the area, @Glassman @itsdgm @mpbassett44 maybe?

My daughter and her boyfriend are coming to the US for a road trip, they are flying into LAX and need somewhere to stay for two nights. Now I see the LA region is very large, so the info we need is what region/districts to avoid and which areas to look for accomadation, not necessarily close to the airport as they want to do a little sightseeing and tourist traps.
Any accommodation recommendations, not too pricey and what/who to stay away from.

She arrives on the 28th of this month, for two days then plans to leave for Las Vegas, I've told her I won't be happy if she's planning for Elvis to marry her . I thinks she's doing a loop around Nevada then back to San Francisco. Advise regarding these areas or what to do would be great too, I told her I'd ask the oracle that this this forum is .

Give yourself A LOT of extra time when picking her up and dropping her off. There is lots a crazy construction going on and it's a mess fir sure!

 

[Bruce]

@Britboater, my biggest suggestion would be to start in Vegas and end in San Fran driving up the California coast. It is much more interesting than Nevada unless she has a specific interest in Nevada. She should be able to find cheap flights from LA to Vegas.

 

[Scottintexas]

if this will be one of her only visits to California and she likes nature she CAN NOT miss Yosemite National Park, especially in the spring when the water falls will be crazy.

It will probably be out of her way but it's so worth it.

 

[Britboater]

Thanks for all the info so far, knew I could rely on the jetboat fraternity.

Yes @Bruce she will have a rental car so the accommodation needs parking too, I did look at google earth, like I always do before travelling, and thought most of the coast resorts look ok, Marina del ray, Redondo beach, long beach etc but when looking at accommodation in Santa Monica it looked a bit dodgy.

Her flights are already booked, into LA departing Vegas, I know, how's San Fran fit in, I let her and the boyfriend organise it all and only help like I am now, when they finally ask .

I know the hoover dam is on their itinerary and I think I've heard Havasu falls??? She's actually going to Vegas to see Celine Dion, a life long ambition due to her having the woman constantly on in the car when she was young from her mother , poor lass .

Ahhhh, yes @Scottintexas that'son their agenda too, I've heard her mention that.

 

[Bruce]

I would stay north of Marina Del Rey. Traffic is heavy in Santa Monica. There is plenty of beach parking near the Santa Monica Pier which is walking distance to lots of places to stay.

My opinion is that most of the worthwhile LA experience is in Santa Monica (the pier), Beverly Hills, LaBrea Tar Pits, Hollywood (the sign), Sunset (the Roxy), Rodeo Drive from Santa Monica BLVD to Wilshire, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, the Malibu Hills. Basically an area north of Marina Del Rey, West of the 101 and south of Mulholland Drive. All the Ritzy LA star stuff can be seen in a couple of hours of driving. Taking Benedict Canyon Drive out to Mulholland is a nice scenic drive through the hills.

How many days does she have? LA -> San Fran -> Yosemite -> Vegas is 17 hours of driving taking the highways.

@Rana has lots of pictures of our trip on her Facebook profile but you need to be logged into Facebook to see them https://www.facebook.com/rana.ward

 

[Britboater]

Thanks @Bruce I will pass ranas link onto my daughter, she's only there for two days giving her a full day sightseeing. She's looking for accommodation and mentioned it's expensive, I did tell her she won't do LA on the cheap, do you think Motels are an option for them, always think there a bit seedy but I haven't a clue really.

 

[Bruce]

Thanks @Bruce I will pass ranas link onto my daughter, she's only there for two days giving her a full day sightseeing. She's looking for accommodation and mentioned it's expensive, I did tell her she won't do LA on the cheap, do you think Motels are an option for them, always think there a bit seedy but I haven't a clue really.

The M Malibu was a relative bargain at I believe it was $165 a night booked through Priceline. https://www.themmalibu.com . When traveling for work I normally stay at hotels in Century City.

The Zephyr in San Francisco was "trendy" with a nice location right on the wharf with Pier 39 to the East and lots of inexpensive crab and lobster available on Taylor Street to the West. http://www.hotelzephyrsf.com . We booked through Amomo.com who had discounted rates. For work travel I typically stay out in Sunnyvale.

 

[swatski]

if this will be one of her only visits to California and she likes nature she CAN NOT miss Yosemite National Park, especially in the spring when the water falls will be crazy.

It will probably be out of her way but it's so worth it.

@Britboater if that doesn't work maybe at least something like Muir Woods which is a short trip from SF.

I personally kind of like parts of downtown LA, and if they find themselves over there - some of the best Korean bbq joints anywhere.

--

 

[itsdgm]

@Britboater doing LA in 2 days is tough. Any of the theme parks like Disneyland or Universal Studios are popular of course and would eat up an entire day each. Sports wise there are the Dodgers, Angels, Clippers @ Lakers. Not sure what they're schedules are though.

For a day at the Beach, The Malibu pier area is a nice short walkable beach. Im pretty sure they could rent a paddle board, kayak or surfboard. However, the ocean bottom where most of the surf breaks is an all rock bottom and very shallow at low tide.

There are several restaurants along the coast for lunch and dinner. Dukes & Gladstone's come to mind. Malibu has a few hot spots for fancy juices and take out. Sometimes you can find "famous" people waiting for their $15 coffees or smoothies after a "workout"

I really couldn't help with accommodations because I've never needed them.

LA is so spread out, so it really depends on what type of entertainment they're into. Sight seeing vs a theme park for instance.

The Getty Museum is pretty nice. The Griffith Park Observatory is popular. You can hike to the Hollywood sign (or close to it). Tons of Movie and Film history of course. The Museum of Television and Radio (now named "The Paley Center for Media"). Or they could probably get into a tour at a studio if they set it up ahead of time. Seeing a performance at the LA Philharmonic or Hollywood Bowl would be incredible. However the timing of a show would be tough.

Anyway, good luck to them. Im sure they'll have a great time. Hit me up if they need a witness for a Vegas wedding. Im cheap and I take good (decent) pics too

 

[Britboater]

Cheers for that @itsdgm I'll pass on your info, except the witness part .

They're steering away from the theme parks and realise the scale of LA now, and last night we were all looking for accommodation and found the Hollywood area to be the best value, we've short listed a few so all good now, I think . No beach time for them, just sight seeing etc, I think LAX worked out to be the best flight times and wasn't really on their agenda, she's since told me she's stopping on a ranch somewhere and horse riding/camping plus also hiking in Yosemite, so the big cities aren't really her thing.

@Bruce Ranas Facebook link doesn't seem to be working, I don't have Facebook but my daughter does so I'll pass your details to her, if she hooks up her name is Megan Elvins.

 

[CrankyGypsy]

looks like she already has plans, but i'll add anyways. i have a friend that lives in the LA area and she is a great host (we avoid the crumby stuff).

- paddleboard out to the Pacific from a rental shop at Marina Del Ray.
- hike along the coast of Palo Verde Peninsula to the wreck of the SS Dominator (free).
- hike the San Gabriel Mountains and bungee off the Bridge to Nowhere (long hike with varied terrain - great if into hiking).
- check out Venice Beach, but don't get too close to the store fronts (aggressive sales), for an interesting walk around Muscle Beach, the ball courts, and the skate park.
- LACMA.

like @swatski mentioned, DTLA has some pretty cool places: The Last Bookstore, eggslut (breakfast) at Grand Central Market, Little Tokyo (food and shops), The Edison (incredibly decorated nightclub. check Google Images). you could spend a good part of the day walking around and enjoying the sites. there's a big difference between LA and Hollywood ...she reluctantly drove me down Hollywood Blvd - i was turned off by the "touristiness" and never got out (as she expected). she also reluctantly drove me down Skid Row where she used to volunteer.

 

[mpbassett44]

So much to do, in so little time!! Old Town Pasadena, Manhattan Beach, Downtown Disney area, Downtown L.A. are just some of the places you can stay and not have to drive around. You can park your car at the hotel, and there is plenty to do...Even if you don't want to go to Disneyland, the Downtown Disney area is nice, plus you can pick up an Angeles or Ducks game all with in a couple miles. Downtown L.a. has a lot to do. Some of the area is a little shady. Same with Hollywood!!......I think people sometimes under estimate L.A.'s Metro system. It has light trains that will get you from L.A./Santa Monica/ Hollywood/Universal City Walk/Long Beach. You can definitely plan 2-3 days just using the metro and it will take you to see most of the tourist areas. I think it's $7-$8 per day...http://www.discoverlosangeles.com/blog/go-metro-and-go-everywhere-la. GoodLuck!! I hope they have fun!

 

[mpbassett44]

As a side note....Burbank/Bob Hope airport has limited flights, but if possible fly into there. I always try to avoid LAX. That place is horrible!

 

[Scottintexas]

since they are going to Yellowstone tell them they have to hike to the top of half dome if it's open, the last 1/2 mile is bare rock that you have to hold a cable to get up, it's dangerous but worth it, but just the hike up the valley wall past the waterfalls is a good one,

 

[GTBRMC]

If she is flying into LAX, it's worth noting that LAX can catch even seasoned international travellers by surprise. Make sure she allows for up to two hours to clear customs & immigration and get into her rental car and out of the airport. LAX is one of the worst US airports on that front, and US airports are certainly not world class in efficiency in those areas.

She will get through without issues (presuming she is not violating anything and knows the general drill), but she needs to allow for enough time.

I am sure your daughter will have a great trip!