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Things to do in and around Los Angeles (1 Viewer)

Michael Brown

Michael Brown

Footballguy
West coast trip in September with the wife. Gonna be in LA for a couple of days, then off to San Diego and eventually Vegas.

We'll check out a Dodger game one night in LA but other than that what recommendations do you guys have for day and night time activities? We're not totally against touristy stuff, but really just looking for a great meal and maybe a cool bar at night, and preferably beaches during the day. Also...Any suggestions on great beaches or must-see spots to hit up on the drive from LA to SD?

Hotel will probably be in Beverly Hills/West Hollywood as that's where other friends recommended. We're looking at Chateau Marmont and Andaz so far. Any other suggestions, feel free to throw em out there. I did a search for Los Angeles but didn't see an ***OFFICIAL*** thread, so apologies if there already is one. Thanks!

 
If you have two days in LA and want beach time, spend one day at Santa Monica beach and the next at Venice. Manhattan/Hermosa beach area is also very nice, so go there if you end up doing SM and Venice in one day. Getty and LACMA are good museums. Getty is an incredible building and view. La Brea Tar is interesting for an hour (and real close to LACMA). See if there's an event at The Hollywood Bowl, because that's a nice venue.

 
For the Dodger game, make sure you show up during the 3rd inning and leave in the 8th or you'll look like a tourist.

 
Michael Brown said:
West coast trip in September with the wife. Gonna be in LA for a couple of days, then off to San Diego and eventually Vegas.

We'll check out a Dodger game one night in LA but other than that what recommendations do you guys have for day and night time activities? We're not totally against touristy stuff, but really just looking for a great meal and maybe a cool bar at night, and preferably beaches during the day. Also...Any suggestions on great beaches or must-see spots to hit up on the drive from LA to SD?

Hotel will probably be in Beverly Hills/West Hollywood as that's where other friends recommended. We're looking at Chateau Marmont and Andaz so far. Any other suggestions, feel free to throw em out there. I did a search for Los Angeles but didn't see an ***OFFICIAL*** thread, so apologies if there already is one. Thanks!
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http://www.citywalkhollywood.com/

Universal City Walk might be worth a night. Movie theater, shops, various places to eat

 
I'd do Santa Monica or Malibu for the day. Malibu and further up pch have some cool seafood shacks to stop in. Neptunes net is great. Buy a 6 pack and chow down on some fresh seafood. :thumbup: across the road is a beach.

 
I'd recommend Lawry's in Beverly Hills for dinner. For brunch, Bottega Louie downtown.

Before head out to Dodgers game, could do Bottega for brunch, then check out LA Live/Staples Center and then take the metro expo line train to the Expo/USC station, where all next to each other you can see USC, the Rose Garden, the space shuttle Endeavor at The California Science Center, the Coliseum and the Natural History Museum.

You could go to a late-night show, Kimmel or Ferguson.

 
They opened up a new Mastro's Ocean Club on PCH in Malibu. If you're in LA I'd have to recommend 1 night in that area. Beach, Malibu, dinner, then could walk around Santa Monica pier and go to 3rd street Promenade. Always gotta recommend a night in Hollywood. Lots of cool places to eat on Melrose. Go to the Improv. Walk around and enjoy the freak show.

 
We just spent 4 nights in LA and stayed at Le Parc Suites hotel in W. Hollywood. Nice place, pretty good location. Sounds like it is popular with music industry people for some reason. When we were checking in a guy from Marilyn Manson's band was checking in. Also sounded like some PR woman was delivery swag bags for Chris Martin one day.

If you are into Batman and/or Harry Potter memorabilia, the Warner Bros. studio tour is pretty good. They have a building that is sort of like a museum with lots of Batman stuff (costumes from movies, props, etc.) on the 1st floor and similar stuff (including a talking sorting hat) from Harry Potter movies on the 2nd floor. Then in another building they have a good number of the vehicles used in various Batman movies.

If you want to order way more than you can possibly eat for breakfast one day then visit the Griddle Cafe on Sunset Blvd.

 
take a tour of Van Nuys & North Hollywood. hire someone to carry your bags around for a day at Home Depot. grab a bite at Applebee's or Olive Garden. enjoy the scenic drive on the 405 at 5PM.

 
roarlions said:
We just spent 4 nights in LA and stayed at Le Parc Suites hotel in W. Hollywood. Nice place, pretty good location. Sounds like it is popular with music industry people for some reason. When we were checking in a guy from Marilyn Manson's band was checking in. Also sounded like some PR woman was delivery swag bags for Chris Martin one day.

If you are into Batman and/or Harry Potter memorabilia, the Warner Bros. studio tour is pretty good. They have a building that is sort of like a museum with lots of Batman stuff (costumes from movies, props, etc.) on the 1st floor and similar stuff (including a talking sorting hat) from Harry Potter movies on the 2nd floor. Then in another building they have a good number of the vehicles used in various Batman movies.

If you want to order way more than you can possibly eat for breakfast one day then visit the Griddle Cafe on Sunset Blvd.
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I have stayed at Parc Suites, I agree good call.

 
roarlions said:
If you want to order way more than you can possibly eat for breakfast one day then visit the Griddle Cafe on Sunset Blvd.
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It's always fun to see the uninitiated's faces when their pancakes arrive, then watch them eat one-quarter of them and sit there staring at the rest. I go there and share pancakes with my girlfriend, and we ALMOST get through with them.

 
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I'll be there first weekend in October, looking for things to do as well, preferably as non-hollywood/touristy as possible. I've heard Griffith Park is great for hiking/running/people watching and the Getty is pretty cool too. Any other ideas of places to see that involve a little culture or nature?

 
chauncey said:
I'll be there first weekend in October, looking for things to do as well, preferably as non-hollywood/touristy as possible. I've heard Griffith Park is great for hiking/running/people watching and the Getty is pretty cool too. Any other ideas of places to see that involve a little culture or nature?
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There is the Ronald Reagan Library about 30 miles from L.A. I personally have no desire to visit it, but some people do.

 
If you want to relax, be by the beach during the day and have a nice dinner and chill at a nice bar I would recommend staying at a hotel closer to the beach. Try Santa Monica, Manhattan, or Hermosa. Lots of great restaurants and bars to enjoy there ad then you wake up and are where you want to be. Then your only real drive is to dodger stadium.

 
Ended up booking andaz. Looks like a cool spot. How far a drive is it from there to the good beaches? I know i can use the google but i mean realistically at like 9 am on a weekday

 
Michael Brown said:
Ended up booking andaz. Looks like a cool spot. How far a drive is it from there to the good beaches? I know i can use the google but i mean realistically at like 9 am on a weekday
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That's right in the middle of everything. Great restaurants, but tons of traffic. You can follow sunset all the way to the beach. Or take the 405 to the 10. It'll take about 30 minutes?...depending on traffic as always. Once u hit pch from sunset u can go left for Santa Monica or right to Malibu
 
Headed to LA with Mrs. Karpis next week for a 4-night, work-related trip. I have a conference in downtown LA for part of two of our days there, but we've decided against staying downtown. Mrs. Karpis will be sightseeing during the day while I'm in the conference, so I'd rather our base be a little closer to the center of things rather than the eastern edge. She's going to do a studio tour one day, and we have tickets to a Kimmel taping on Thursday. When the conference is over, we'll probably take a car out to Santa Monica/Venice Beach on Saturday.

I'm looking at a few different places in and around Hollywood and West Hollywood. My thought is to take the Red Line from Hollywood/Highlands or Hollywood/Vine into downtown in the mornings for the conference and leave the wife with the rental car. Anyone familiar with LA that can give me a little insight on the area these places are in and whether any stands out as a better option than the others in terms of location? I've google mapped street view, so I have a decent idea of safety issues, etc., but as a first-timer, LA overwhelms me.

West Hollywood studio

Duplex between Sunset and Hollywood Blvd.

Restored apartment north of Hollywood Blvd. (Mrs. Karpis' favorite)

House in Los Feliz (with hot tub)

Hollywood loft apartment

 
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I think I've reconsidered and am going to split the trip with 2 nights in Hollywood and then 2 nights on the coast.

Which area would you recommend? Santa Monica, Redondo Beach, Malibu, etc. We have an early Sun. a.m. flight, so we'll be driving into LAX that morning. Otherwise looking to spend a Friday evening/Saturday around the beaches, eating fresh seafood, bike riding, etc.

 
Ray Karpis said:
I think I've reconsidered and am going to split the trip with 2 nights in Hollywood and then 2 nights on the coast.

Which area would you recommend? Santa Monica, Redondo Beach, Malibu, etc. We have an early Sun. a.m. flight, so we'll be driving into LAX that morning. Otherwise looking to spend a Friday evening/Saturday around the beaches, eating fresh seafood, bike riding, etc.
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We've stayed at this place based on positive reviews on TripAdvisor. It's small and nothing fancy but it won't break the bank either--rates are pretty comparable to the chains near LAX. But the Seaview is a beach motel with a completely different vibe than a businessman's special. It's a three block walk to a quiet stretch of Manhattan Beach and there are a number of bars and restaurants even closer. The hotel does free rentals of beach bikes, towels, umbrellas, chairs and boogie boards which is very convenient. It's also a very short hop to LAX.

 
For the beach stay it sounds like Manhattan Beach or Hermosa Beach would probably be the best fit for the experience you describe. Laid back, casual, relaxing with lots of small restaurants, nice beach and great bike riding / walking along the strand. And it is very close to LAX.

As for Hollywood all the spots you picked are okay. The Los Feliz location is probably the best for stuff within walking distance. Vermont has a bunch of restaurants and shops a block or two away. The other location are all pretty much drives to go do anything. The one north of Hollywood BLVD may have some traffic as Highland can get very congested and that is pretty much your main route to most places. The Loft one is probably the crummiest location but close to the 101 if you are taking the freeway to get to any destinations.

 
This_Guy said:
For the beach stay it sounds like Manhattan Beach or Hermosa Beach would probably be the best fit for the experience you describe. Laid back, casual, relaxing with lots of small restaurants, nice beach and great bike riding / walking along the strand. And it is very close to LAX.

As for Hollywood all the spots you picked are okay. The Los Feliz location is probably the best for stuff within walking distance. Vermont has a bunch of restaurants and shops a block or two away. The other location are all pretty much drives to go do anything. The one north of Hollywood BLVD may have some traffic as Highland can get very congested and that is pretty much your main route to most places. The Loft one is probably the crummiest location but close to the 101 if you are taking the freeway to get to any destinations.
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Thanks for the input. I'm leaning toward the Los Feliz...should have easy access to Griffith Park, etc. and can walk about 10 minutes to the Red Line to get me downtown. Also think we've again changed plans and are going to wait to drive toward the coast until Saturday. Going to drive to Santa Monica, eat seafood in Malibu, visit the Getty Villa, and then head back toward Santa Monica/Venice area to stay one night before our early flight on Sun.

Pulled a short straw on our Kimmel taping - Geena Davis (hello 1995?) and a mini-concert by Cobra Starship (who?). Oh well, should be fun anyway. Julie Bowen :wub: is the guest on Wednesday - wish we were getting there early enough to see her.

 
Ray Karpis said:
This_Guy said:
For the beach stay it sounds like Manhattan Beach or Hermosa Beach would probably be the best fit for the experience you describe. Laid back, casual, relaxing with lots of small restaurants, nice beach and great bike riding / walking along the strand. And it is very close to LAX.

As for Hollywood all the spots you picked are okay. The Los Feliz location is probably the best for stuff within walking distance. Vermont has a bunch of restaurants and shops a block or two away. The other location are all pretty much drives to go do anything. The one north of Hollywood BLVD may have some traffic as Highland can get very congested and that is pretty much your main route to most places. The Loft one is probably the crummiest location but close to the 101 if you are taking the freeway to get to any destinations.
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Thanks for the input. I'm leaning toward the Los Feliz...should have easy access to Griffith Park, etc. and can walk about 10 minutes to the Red Line to get me downtown. Also think we've again changed plans and are going to wait to drive toward the coast until Saturday. Going to drive to Santa Monica, eat seafood in Malibu, visit the Getty Villa, and then head back toward Santa Monica/Venice area to stay one night before our early flight on Sun.

Pulled a short straw on our Kimmel taping - Geena Davis (hello 1995?) and a mini-concert by Cobra Starship (who?). Oh well, should be fun anyway. Julie Bowen :wub: is the guest on Wednesday - wish we were getting there early enough to see her.
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That area is not bad assuming you have a car. For your beach trip Santa Monica is really fun and close to LAX airport for your departure although you cannot go wrong with hermossa or manhatton beach. The traffic on weekends getting to manhatton can be a PIA. I like Santa Monica because you can spend an entire day near the http://www.yelp.com/biz/third-street-promenade-santa-monica promenade. Plenty of food options, shopping and people watching. If you are into professional soccer, hockey or volleyball manhatton beach is for you. Most of the kings, galaxy and pro beach tour players live and hang out in that area. Have fun, should be perfect weather.

 
Pulled a short straw on our Kimmel taping - Geena Davis (hello 1995?) and a mini-concert by Cobra Starship (who?). Oh well, should be fun anyway. Julie Bowen :wub: is the guest on Wednesday - wish we were getting there early enough to see her.
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87 million views.

:lmao:

 
cstu said:
Pulled a short straw on our Kimmel taping - Geena Davis (hello 1995?) and a mini-concert by Cobra Starship (who?). Oh well, should be fun anyway. Julie Bowen :wub: is the guest on Wednesday - wish we were getting there early enough to see her.
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87 million views.

:lmao:
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I have no idea who they are either....can't listen from work computer...will check this out tonight and report back....

 
cstu said:
Pulled a short straw on our Kimmel taping - Geena Davis (hello 1995?) and a mini-concert by Cobra Starship (who?). Oh well, should be fun anyway. Julie Bowen :wub: is the guest on Wednesday - wish we were getting there early enough to see her.
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87 million views.

:lmao:
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I know, I know....

I looked up their biggest songs...never heard of any of them...neither had my 13-year-old daughter. Clearly not very mainstream....me, not the band.

 
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