Hey guys, Mrs. Thabeet and I will be visiting Southern California in a couple weeks and I just wanted to get some advice on a couple things. We will be going for around 5 days and spending most of our time in LA, but may take a day trip to San Diego. I have our San Diego leg covered - zoo, beach, etc. But when it comes to LA, I am lost. We definitely want to visit Universal, Hollywood, the coast, possibly Disney and possibly a Lakers or Clippers game. I know that Universal and Disney would be at least 1 day each, so thats 2 days there. We may go to Big Bear or Mt. High for a day on the slopes as well. What other things should we definitely do in LA? And where in LA should we stay? From what I have been reading online, Hollywood may be the best place to get our hotel. Any other parts of town which are still close and not as expensive as Hollywood?
The Griffith Observatory at sunset was awesome (and free) Also the Getty Museum was gorgeous and pretty entertaining. Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach are a bike ride away from one another and are a load of fun. Also, it's probably too late but you may want to check out if you can get tickets to see Jimmy Kimmel. Conan O'Brien is overrated.
TBH, hollywood really kinda sucks.. its dirty, run down, not much to see and just full of tourists and weird people. Downtown LA/hollywood is only worth driving through.. maybe just walking through and spending half a day at most. 5 days is very short to cram all that you want to do. Universal can be a day trip like you said. I would go in the morning and you should be able to see everything by the afternoon. Maybe drop by City Walk to grab a bite and you can spend the evening at hollywood blvd so that only takes one day. Santa Monica beach/pier is probably the coast you want to hit up in LA. You can bike down to Venice Beach for a different flavor. This sounds like your relaxing/slow day so I would recommend you combine this with Griffith Park and Observatory if you want a nice view of the LA downtown Skyline and also explore some science stuff. If you stay in Hollywood, Griffith park is also pretty close by and is worth checking out before you go to Santa Monica Pier/Beach. You can swing back downtown and catch that Clipper game if you want. Disneyland is further from where you will be staying and will definitely take a whole day. For San Diego, if you only have one day definitely do the Zoo and Balboa Park combo and for the best beach check our Coronado Island/Beach/Hotel. If you want a nice dinner spot with gorgeous views check out C-Level Lounge on Harbor Island. La Jolla Cove is worth checking out in the day but dont think you will have time if you only have one day. Have fun and enjoy
Also keep in mind LA traffic sucks and avoid the major freeways during rush hour or else you will spend half your vacation sitting in your car.
Thanks, guys. I've heard others say the same about Hollywood - overrated. Where would you guys recommend I stay? For example, if someone was visiting Houston, I'd recommend they get a hotel in the Galleria area.
i 2nd these, we did both and had a great time. griffith is great, don't skip this one. great views and some cool history/science. fyi... the pier itself isn't great but rent bikes and just cruise up and down the beach/park. it's awesome. edit- we also did the hollywood thing and it was the worst part of our trip but maybe it's your thing.
Are you guys foodies? Do you like comedy? Music? Film History? Hiking? There is a lot to do in LA and you can kind of tailor it to your specific areas of interest. Hollywood isn't the best place to stay as others have said. Parts of Santa Monica can be a nice place to stay, but traffic there is kind of bad. The area around UCLA can be a really nice place to stay but it will be pretty expensive. If you want you can probably find a decent place in Burbank or Studio City, and you will be really close to Universal, and not too far from Hollywood, but a little further from a lot of the other places you want to go. I can recommend good food places, and other things if I knew what your main priorities are for your visit. I'll try and help as much as I can.
me and my gf went last summer. I would stay in San diego most of the time its easier to get around, beaches, gas lamp district for fun at night, and a lot to see. we travel a lot and SD is our fav in the states to visit, its perfect there. LA was fine, but we weren't impressed much, hollywood is something to see swing to vegas if you can flight is like $60-70 from SD and hotels are cheap if its no fight going on.
I'm not sure if y'all like amusements parks, but Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia is one of the best. It is considered to be the "Roller Coaster Capital of the World."
I'd second the Andaz to ATW (one of my fave posters) - it's a great hotel in both cities - if that's in your range. Both have a super nice rooftop pool bar and good restaurant. There is good eye candy at the pool - attractive young people . The one in West Hollywood is walking distance to a bunch of other famous hotels (the Standard, the Mondrian) and the Sunset Strip. We get Hyatt points and they do a lot of nice perks for you there - concierge, chocolate croissants, happy hour. You can check out a famous rock bar or funny show like Steel Panther or a comedy club on the Sunset Strip in walking distance. I took a car to Laguna Beach and would recommend that. It's really nice and quieter than some of the other beaches. I've stayed down there - some of the older hotels are quaint and affordable with beach access and you can have a romantic time. You don't need the fancy new ones. Skip the restaurants early in the day and go to the supermarket and make a picnic lunch - the Ralph's has fancy Whole Foods kind of stuff - Ahi poke salad and fresh veggies and fruit and so on -good for lunch or afternoon. There's a nice taco place on the beach walk just down from there too ...good for breakfast or afternoon. Dinner is crowded but there are some nice places to eat. You can always get your drinks earlier at the supermarket. I like spanish cava before dinner.
I'm in the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego right now. Awesome hotel right on the beach. I agree with Play07, San Diego has a lot to see and is much easier than LA and SF. Also went to the Blue Water Seafood Grill featured on Diner's and Dives, on India street I think. It a row of casual restaurants that are very good...call International Restaurant Row. Blue Water is a fairly small place, and now with the publicity expect a wait, but well worth it. No reservations.
Look up the addresses for OJ's house and Nicole's apartment. You will be surprised at how close they are.
All of this may be true...but they got a breakfast spot called The Griddle Cafe that is amazing. Plate sized french toast and huge stacks of pancakes. It's on Sunset. Go there OP, you won't regret it.
