LA area trip... help

[rh71]

We're hitting LA for 3 days in late September. Need to know a good hotel AREA to stay at. Should we stay just outside the city itself? I hear it ain't all that great there in terms of cleanliness/crime and just want to visit (since we're from the East Coast) - we're ok with driving into the city daily instead.

I read from previous posts that the Chinatown there sucks too... and there was a better one in a city just outside... should we stay in a hotel there instead ?

We'll be arriving from a few hour drive from LV on a Wednesday afternoon... staying through Friday night.

Plans are to hit the Universal Studios / Hollywood... and whatever other attractions are over there...

 

[amnesiac]

My suggestion is to hit Hotwire.com -- You can usually get pretty sweet deals there.

Do you want just a good, solid hotel or do you want something interesting? What's your budget?

If you want something romantic and NICE try Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica. Beautiful, beautiful place.
If you want something....interesting, try W Hotel downtown or [/b]The Standard[/b] in Hollywood on Sunset. Sunset Blvd. is a happenin area on the weekends.
Lots of good hotels downtown, like the Westin, Omni, Hyatt Regency, Millennium Biltmore, etc.

If you want a 50% off ticket (up to 6 people) to Magic Mountain PM me your address and I'll send you one.

Things to see / do:
- Santa Monica Pier / 3rd Street Promenade
- Universal Studios / Citywalk
- Six Flags Magic Mountain
- Sunset Boulevard at night
- Rodeo Drive
- Disneyland / Knott's Berry farm (if you go late sept. you might be able to get preveiw tix for KNott's Scary Farm)
- Museums up the wazoo (MOCA, Getty, etc)
- Hermosa Beach Pier, Manhattan beach, Redondo Beach /Hollywood Riviera
- Silverlake / Los Feliz
- Downtown (museums, bunker hill)

There's more, just say what you like to do. For movies, DEFINITELY check out these theaters: Arclight, Grauman's Chinese, Vista Theater

If you want driving tips and stuff I Can get you those too.

 

[amnesiac]

Oh, and LA's reputation for being "unsafe" is really a bunch of bulldonkey. Just don't wander into the wrong areas and you'll be fine. I'd recommend buying a good map or getting very good directions before you go anywhere.

 

[SuepaFly]

Originally posted by: amnesiac
Oh, and LA's reputation for being "unsafe" is really a bunch of bulldonkey. Just don't wander into the wrong areas and you'll be fine. I'd recommend buying a good map or getting very good directions before you go anywhere.

I agree. My mom came to visit and she only knew LA from TV. She was really surprised. The car jackings and stuff only occur because there are bad people in every city, more people->more bad people.

 

[rh71]

This will be a family trip with a couple of my (cool) uncles/aunts. My fiance will be going with her family a few weeks before me so it won't be anything of the "romantic" sort.

I think our budget is < $80/night considering we'll just have left Vegas. I guess my biggest question is IF there is a nicer place just outside the city to stay... an area/town/city... name it pls.

About crime... I understand what you're saying,... NYC is right here and tourists probably hear the same thing about it - but it depends on the specific area. Though I think it speaks volumes when my friend who lives in Tustin, CA says she hates the actual city itself because of the above stated reasons.

 

[all168]

I don't suggest to stay in south or central LA, you don't see many motel or hotel in chinatown either. BTW, what is your budget? how much do u want to spend per night? I think those hotel in downtown cost $200+ depend on the arrival date. do you have any specific place you wanna to go? Disney, Knott's, magic mountain, hollywood? Santa Monica, and you may have to consider you need to stay in the hotel close to the attraction.

 

[EvilYoda]

Lucky you...I'll be in LA August 21-24th (possibly longer), and I don't think I'll have a day free to do what I want and sightsee...it's my grandmother's 80th bday so everyone from my father's side is getting together. And then my sister's getting a tour of the UC colleges by our cousin, so there go 2 days.

bah.

On another note: how feasible is it to find a place to learn to surf? I just want to try it. once. pleeeeeeease.

 

[all168]

Tustin is next to Irvine, about 1 hour drive from downtown LA, pretty nice area to stay, but far from most of the attactions.

 

[all168]

If you are going to LV, plan ahead and go there from Sun to Thu, you will able to get a good hotel for big discount, ex. $300+ for Fri & Sat and $100 for Sun to Thu.

 

[amnesiac]

$80 a night?

Definitely look up Hotwire. Stay at a 3+ star hotel and you should be set. Be warned that you can't change your reservation.

Good, quieter areas outside of LA usually a pain to get to/from. Maybe try Torrance. There's quite a few hotels there, like a Hilton, Marriott Residence Inn, along with a couple others. A bit south of LA (~ 30 minutes to either West LA or downtown) but as long as you don't hit the freeways during rush hour you'll be fine.

 

[Corporate Thug]

get a hotel in beverly hills

 

[vegetation]

Try priceline if you're trying to save money. There's excellent hotel values in LA there. Just try to narrow down what you want to see, so you can stay near those areas.

 

[neovan]

if you want to visit the new chinatown, i suggest monterey park, san gabriel, alhambra area. they are all relatively close to everything. old town pasadena is about 15 mins. away. the actual chinatown is about 20 mins. universal studios is about 25-30 mins. 3rd st. promenade is about 40 mins. and the beaches ranges depending which one. venice, manhattan, santa monica, huntington.

there's not many hotels in the san gabriel valley, more like motels but there is a really nice ritz carlton but then again its the ritz carlton.

 

[joe678]

make sure u leave LV with plenty of time...

 

[all168]

If you don't mind to stay in orange county, Irvine, Tustin or costa mesa are good places to stay, part of theHollywood isn't a good place to stay, santa monica is nice but pricy. You probably look for small motel instead of big hotel. I seen some motel in Arcadia is very nice. BTW, do u have any idea which part (E, W, N, S) do u want to stay? And where do u want to go?

 

[all168]

Originally posted by: joe678
make sure u leave LV with plenty of time...

It was a post few days ago said she took like 8 hours from LV to LA while an accident happened. I think the normal time travel from LV to LA is about 6-7 hour on Sun and about 4-5hr for other days.

 

[Harvey]

While you're in L.A., if you want some really great Mexican food and absolutely the best margarita in North America, head for El Chavo. It's on the east end of Hollywood.

4441 W. Sunset Drive (near where Hollywood Bl. crosses Sunset Bl. at Hillhurst Ave)
Hollywood, California

For something different, try the scallops enchilada or, if they have it that night, the red snapper. Really different is lengua (tongue) in mole sauce. They have only one kind of margarita (no strawberry, peach, etc.), and your only choice is with or without salt. If you're borderline on that, go for no salt. They have an exquisite citrus flavor that has all the tang you need.

$20 per person should cover dinner, one margarita and a good tip. Definitely worth it.

Restaurant reviews for El Chavo.

 

[Ylen13]

Originally posted by: amnesiac
Oh, and LA's reputation for being "unsafe" is really a bunch of bulldonkey. Just don't wander into the wrong areas and you'll be fine. I'd recommend buying a good map or getting very good directions before you go anywhere.

u know that is so untrue. Los angeles is really unsafe even if u go to beverly hills you can get your cat stolen. As for hotels u can stay in santa monica or in beverly hills

 

[conjur]

I stayed at The Georgian in Santa Monica in the fall of 2001. Nice hotel...maybe a bit pricey but the stay was comfortable.

 

[DrVos]

Hit up biddingfortravel.com and find out what people are paying for 3-Star hotels in the area that you are interested in. Then go to Priceline.com and enter that amount as your bid. I managed to snag a two night stay (Friday and Saturday night) at the Anaheim Marriot (2blocks from Disneyland) for $50 a night that way.

 

[Ophir]

If you've never been here before, here's something you must keep in mind: LA is HUGE. I'm talking 75 X 75 MILES (including OC). Driving anywhere past 20miles may be unreasonable.

I would definitely suggest staying at different hotels.

1. On the westside, like Santa Monica. This will give you easy access to PCH to the north and all the beaches south, also to the Getty, Beverly Hills, and Hollywood.

2. Downtown. This will give you central access from here you can easily head off to Pasadena (definitely make a trip to the Huntington Library & Gardens), Chinatown, and Olvera Street.

3. OC. Gives you access to Disneyland, Newport Beach/Balboa island, Long Beach, Laguna Beach.

If I were visiting for 3 days (w/o kids) I would stay 2 days on the westside, and one in downtown.

 

[conjur]

Download travelaxe, too.

 

[amnesiac]

Originally posted by: Ophir

If I were visiting for 3 days (w/o kids) I would stay 2 days on the westside, and one in downtown.

Why?

All the attractions can be reached within 1 hour of driving regardless of where in LA you're staying.
I live as far as possible from any major tourist attraction (Palos Verdes Peninsula) and it takes 35 minutes downtown, 45 minutes to Irvine, 40 minutes to Anaheim, 35 minutes to Santa Monica, and an hour to the Valley.

If they stay on the Westside their farthest drive might be about 1 hour to get to Orange County, but that's about it. 30 minutes to downtown, 40 to Universal Studios (less if no traffic), etc.

 

[amnesiac]

Originally posted by: Ylen13

Originally posted by: amnesiac
Oh, and LA's reputation for being "unsafe" is really a bunch of bulldonkey. Just don't wander into the wrong areas and you'll be fine. I'd recommend buying a good map or getting very good directions before you go anywhere.

u know that is so untrue. Los angeles is really unsafe even if u go to beverly hills you can get your cat stolen. As for hotels u can stay in santa monica or in beverly hills

You can get your car stolen in Buttfvck, Missouri too. Just don't park your car in a dark parking lot or in a sketchy area and you'll be fine. I was referring to the general perception that LA is the murder / carjacking / rape capital of the US. It's not.

Just stay out of any area with the word "Park" in it and any place named after a president. Also, Rampart, Central LA, and Compton aren't savory areas. But truthfully, I've driven through all of those several times and as long as you're not alone at night, it's usually fine.

 

[Ophir]

Originally posted by: amnesiac

Originally posted by: Ophir

If I were visiting for 3 days (w/o kids) I would stay 2 days on the westside, and one in downtown.

Why?

All the attractions can be reached within 1 hour of driving regardless of where in LA you're staying.
I live as far as possible from any major tourist attraction (Palos Verdes Peninsula) and it takes 35 minutes downtown, 45 minutes to Irvine, 40 minutes to Anaheim, 35 minutes to Santa Monica, and an hour to the Valley.

If they stay on the Westside their farthest drive might be about 1 hour to get to Orange County, but that's about it. 30 minutes to downtown, 40 to Universal Studios (less if no traffic), etc.

All those numbers are not accounting for traffic. PV is far away, but it's just about equally far from everything. Driving from Santa Monica to Pasadena can be a serious pain in the ass if there's any traffic.

Read: Leave early, come back late.