Tell me about Los Angeles!!
 

I am planning a trip to LA and wanted to know what I should see, what side of town should I stay on, any tips, etc. All the help/info would be very much appreciated! Thanks in advance. :)

It's a city in California

Re: Tell me about Los Angeles!!
 

Oh yeah! Nothing like La-La Land! :) Home of colossal traffic jams (makes rush hour on 410 in S.A. look like a piece of cake!).

Avoid eastern and south central LA at all costs -- gang central. Most of your big attractions are in the far-flung, spread out suburbs, though there are a few decent attractions within LA.

Of course, you have Hollywood. Check out Mann's Chinese Theatre, with its famous stars footprints on cement, the Stars Walk of Fame and the distinctive Capitol Records building on the corner of Hollywood and Vine (The red beacon on the top of the Capital Records building spells out H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D in Morse code at night.)

Even though there is a mass transit system, LA is infatuated with the automobile and you can't get from point A to B without driving a good distance.

Hope this helps...

I think the best parts of LA are on the coast. You need to check out the standard sites though...Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Sunset strip etc.. But make sure and get out to Malibu, Redondo/Manhatten Beach, Venice, Santa Monica, and maybe down to Orange County if you have time. Newport/Laguna Beaches are beutifful spots. If your looking to stay by the beach, I would find a hotel in Santa Monica or Manhatten/Redondo Beach area. There both fairly close to just about everything in the city. Theres a lot to do in this town, give me a pm if you need some more info.

Disneyland!!!

Now, I'm not sure if this is SATX*APhi's cup of tea, but what about stuff off the beaten track for tourists? For example, if you lived in LA, where would you go party during the weekend? What are the hot bars and clubs and restaurants, the ones locals know about but tourists wouldn't normally find?

Of course, this information may be classified ;) but if I were going to LA, that's what I'd want to know. :)

Isn't that in Anaheim?

Per Valkyrie's post--

Deep, Falcon, Red Rock, Sky Bar, Ivar, Whiskey at the Sunset Marquis, El Coyote (on 3rd), hmmmm will post more if i think of more....

Keep in mind, most of these places (Red Rock and El Coyote not included) are notoriously difficult to get into-- Esp Deep and Ivar. They use lists, and girls can sometimes get around that, IF you are dressed to kill.

yay for Disneyland!! I love it :) It is in Anaheim, but it's not that far away- and totally worth it :)

Thank you all soooo much! I really appreciate it.

valkyrie = awesome sister friend! :)

Re: Tell me about Los Angeles!!
 

Be sure that you make like Kelly and Donna on 90210 and go shopping at the BEVERLY CENTRE!! :)

I gotta go with SAE1955 on this one; he makes some great suggestions.

It might help if we knew what kinds of things you like doing on a trip/vacation: museums, historical sights, night clubs, nature, sports, amusements etc.

In LA renting a car is essential - getting the bus, train, taxi or subway just ain't gonna happen.

Do you want to stay in a hotel or a youth hostel? Give us a shout about which hotels you are considering and we can tell you if it's ok or not.

Disneyland, in Anaheim, is a popular destination and it's about 1-1.5 hours from LA Airport depending on traffic.

.....Kelly :)

Right back atcha girl!!! :D

:D

Ocean Water
 

When I lived in CA a couple of decades ago, I would go to Santa Barbara to go swimming. They have a beautiful campus and state park (I think I rem correctly) right on the beach.

I remember the ocean water being freezing!!!

Is the ocean water cold in LA?

Re: Ocean Water
 

Ocean IS freezing, even in summer.

You can't throw somebody from texas into these hot spots around LA...No offense SAT, but trust me it will seem like the most superficial group you have been around. Not only that but you will end up spending $50 before you even get into the door and then another 100 after your in. And the highlight of your night will be seeing erkel or Jean Claude Van Dam prancing around with there "bodyguards". Ive seen it. But anyway. Take a drive down PCH, go the the Getty Center, check out the gigantic homes and beutiful beaches in newport or malibu, walk down rodeo drive, rent some boards and try to surf in huntington, go to
"taco surf" in seal beach and take advantage of the $1 tacos and beers (my favorite), walk down the boardwalk in redondo, Id suggest checking out the bars there, its a laid back crowd and its right on the ocean. Thats just a locals perspective.

Re: Re: Tell me about Los Angeles!!
 

I've never been to the Beverly Center, but my sister, who lives in L.A., said it's not all it's cracked up to be (but then again, this is the sister who's never impressed by anything). If I were you, I'd make a pilgrimage to the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. It's really not a bad drive at all: Get on the 405 South, get off at Bristol St., turn left on Bristol, and poof! They have a ton of designer shops, from Fendi to Armani to Dior, plus all the stores those of us making less than 6 figures can afford to shop at :)

Definitely do Disneyland, and take that trip to Laguna Beach down the Pacific Coast Highway. There is no better feeling in the world than driving down PCH with your windows down and your music full blast.

Re: Re: Re: Tell me about Los Angeles!!
 

Ack! Good suggestion, just don't take Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) all the way down from LAX airport or anything!! :) Not only is it an incredibly long and tedious drive through hundreds of stoplights, you'll have to drive through all the lame neighborhoods in Torrance and Wilmington. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all about the LBC, but North Long Beach might scare the tourists. ;) Taking PCH from Long Beach/Seal Beach/Huntington Beach to Laguna Beach is really what you're suggesting, right?

By the way, I'll put in a plug for Long Beach. The Shorline and downtown areas are pretty nice. Long Beach is the home port for the famous Queen Mary historical steamship (you know, like the Titanic only bigger). Ther's also the Long Beach Aquarium, nice jazz type clubs on Pine Ave in downtown, sailing/canoing and the Belmont Shore area which is really kick-back and is good for shopping and eating. If you're really adventurous, and into rap music, Long Beach has a long history of producing rap musicians such as Snoop Doggy Dogg - there are a few sites you might want to check out.

Long Beach also has some great art museums and music and beach festivals.

Uhm...just don't swim in the ocean at Long Beach though. Long Beach is a port. Port = icky things in the water. I recommend Seal Beach and anything southward for surfing and swimming.

Have fun in the LA area!

.....Kelly :)

Do the whole Sunset Strip scene... go to the Viper Room, Whiskey, House of Blues, etc...

Visit Rodeo Drive and pretend you're Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman." :)

I liked Moomba last time I was in L.A., but it was awhile ago.

Have fun! I'm jealous... hopefully I'll live there soon!

i was just out there in may and visited a few places. had to drive from ventura county. sucked major a$$ driving so much. i totally understand road rage now.
anyhow, i went to universal studios hollywood. fun and pretty much free. alvera strett. mexico central. that and downtown la. drove down to malibu,, absolutely incredible. drove the pch too. while in malibu we went to a little shack on the beach for dinner. it was great. there was a really windy road my friend took me up and i almost got car sick.
i was only there for a day and a half. got there friday afternoon and left sunday from san pedro on a cruise to mexico. met some guys on ship who lived in west hollywood (gay of course, j/k) and they said we should visit redondo beach. they were going to take us around when we got back into port since we had an extra day. we were suppose to go to the house of blues cuz they lived upstairs from there. and we were going to go to some art show on the beach. we couldn't go though. long story.
oh and yes, the water is freezing in malibu. it's even cold all the way down to cabo san lucas mexico.

shelley j
sigma k

Bump!!

My trip has finally arrived. I'll be going for spring break, the third week of March. As of now, we'll be doing the Disneyland bit and will be going to LA for a couple of days. What I'm really looking for is stuff to do with the family during the day and things to do with the 21+ crowd in the evening.

Thank ya much!

I think I'm going to be moving to LA in about a year, can y'all tell me about living there?

Thanks.

YOU ARE??? Where?!!!

I love california....its so gorgeous...Everyone has awesome suggestions about places to go!!!

Other suggestions......
(1) go drive through malibu...it is absolutely gorgeous there!
(2) Didi Reese's in Westwood is a must!! The cookies are soooo good!!!!!
(3) If you want coffee, you've got to go to Urth Cafe...I forget where it is, but its the funnest coffee shop EVER!!!

I really haven't figured out where...I was thinking of Culver City or Silver Lake since I probably could afford those areas.


This isn't set in stone, but I am seriously thinking of moving there.

I've also toyed with the idea of moving to NYC or Atlanta. But, I still haven't made my mind up yet.

Ok i am your sister and oh my gosh...I LIVE in so california and you didnt ask me... ahhh i am hurt! hehehehe


If yoru going to disneyland that is great i have have a yearly annual pass to get in.

Family during the day: 3rd street in Santa Monica (great shopping, can walk down to the pier, go to the mall or catch a movie if you want a break). You might want to catch lunch at 'Ye Ole King's Head (a Pub with the BEST fish & chips outside England) (also a great night spot). You can drive up PCH and check out Pepperdine (and meet some great A Phis), stop at Neptune's Net (the coolest biker bar with fresh seafood right on the water up by LA/Ventura County line -- there are a lot of families there during the day & trust me, the steamed shrimp, french fries and beer cannot be beat). From Neptune's Net you can go a few miles up the road to Camarillo and do some outlet shopping or keep driving and head up to Santa Barbara.

A few more places to visit: The Getty Center, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the new Disney Concert Hall (if you are lucky enough to get tix), check out the UCLA Live! Website if you are interested in theatre and concerts on campus while you are here. There is usually a lot going on.

21+ at night: the newest "hot" club is Cinch. I haven't been yet but it is the "in" thing. Another Amy didn't mention is the Standard downtown (really cool bar on the top floor of the hotel).

A few you might enjoy that are less "scene like" are Finn McCools (a Pub in Santa Monica), Tiki Ti (a Tiki bar in Silverlake), Lava Lounge (a Tiki bar in Hollywood), Father's Office (micro brew house in Santa Monica), Dublin's Irish Pub (on Sunset strip), or Saddle Ranch Chop House (very touristy but fun -- you can ride the bull and make smores).

In the Redondo/Hermosa/Manhattan Beach areas there are a ton of fun night spots for you and your friends. You'll love the pier -- you can visit Sharkey's, Hennesey's and many more and there are tons of UCLA, USC and LMU recent grads and seniors everywhere.

If you want to go out in Westwood I would hit the usual suspects: Maloney's on Campus, the Westwood Brewing Company or for something more upscale Palamino (best martinis in town). For Brentwood I'd check out Q's (great pool tables and fun crowd).

If you let me know what part of town you're interested in visiting I can give you more information about your choices. You can PM or email me. You should also check out citysearch best of LA.

Regarding moving to LA, what do you want to know about living here? I am sure Amy and I can provide you with lots of scoop.

Good luck!

Wow! Thanks so much, Laura!

Wow bruinaphi! You covered everything that I was going to suggest...it must be the amazing intellect of a Bruin!

Definitely agree on the Standard...and if you want a classy but expensive cocktail...the W in Westwood. Lots of celebs...saw Mike Tyson there while having my pre-graduation drink with the girls from the house.

Woohoo! My first post! Anyways, just the usual spots to hang out in LA. If you want to spend a whole day on a weekend day, try a trip over to Catalina Island. Lots to do there but just costs a lot of money. Then there are the amusement parks such as Universal Studios (a must see when you're in LA along with Disneyland), and Magic Mountain. I hear the night club Le Prieve in downtown LA (spell check) is pretty good. Some famous people stop by there. There's a place called Sharkey's in two locations by the beach areas. For foods, gotta try Pink's (hot dog joint in Hollywood), Red Robin's (gourmet burger place with endless basket of steak fries), Lawry's (have yet to go there myself) and most of all IN-N-OUT. All people in LA HAVE to try an In-N-Out burger, unless you're a vegetarian, but they have vegetarian burgers too.

For a bit of culture, there are the endless museums. The most well known ones being The Getty (also referred to as the John Paul Getty Museum), Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), La Brea Tar Pits, Natural History Museum, etc. I highly recommend The Getty.

I love the clamstrips there, soooo addictive - you can't just have one!

Beware that this place is notorious for $13 drinks

I live in Hermosa and I'd agree that this area is great, check out 'Beaches' nightclub in Manhattan Beach, it has a good mix of people,

When considering living here, you have to first determine the area where you're working. Limiting the amount of time you have to commute each day is going to affect your feelings about living here. A 45 min drive on a good day might be 2 hours on a bad day. Otherwise, I love living here, best decision I've made.

been to neptune's net. it is great. that's the first place i ever tried clam strips and you're right, they are great. (and i don't like seafood!)

shelley j
sigma k