Los Angeles Virgin!

Hi all,

I am travelling to LA for the 1st time in March, and would love to know what I should not miss....anything from studio tours to bars....nightlife....best way to get around...any info you may have!!

Thanks in advance!!!

Paul

Best way to get around: Rent a car

Best studio tour: Warner Bros.

How much time do you plan to spend in LA?

Splinter,

I am going to have 3 full days in LA!

Any suggestions would be great!

Cheers!!

Seriously, a few years ago they took a survey & the favorite tourist attraction in LA was ..... San Francisco, 400 miles away.

From my limited knowledge definitely visit Malibu & UCLA in Westwood.

I am actually goin to San Fran along with Vegas, so any advice there would be fab....places to visit...nightlife etc!!

Plan to rent a car. LA is not "rapid" transit friendly.

Some things I would recommend to see:

Malibu & Santa Monica (you may want to stay in Santa Monica)

Hollywood (at least Mann's Chinese Theater) just to say you have been there. Walk down Rodeo Drive (actually west of Hollywood) and do a little window shopping.

The Getty Center (art & gardens)

Westwood (shopping, clubs, dining, movies)

Olvera Street (downtown LA) for a flavor of our Hispanic past (and present)

Consider a studio tour (see above)

Other options:

LA County Art Museum (esp. if there is a special show that interests you). You can combine this with a visit to the La Brea Tar Pits and museum and have lunch at Farmer's Market.

Pasadena, esp. if you like Craftsman style architecture, which you can combine with a trip to the Huntington Library & Gardens

Have a hot-dog at "Pink's"...one of the best options for celebrity sightings if you hit it right.

When we returned from a cruise last month and had an extra day in LA, we took a great bus tour with VIP Tours of California. It lasted 6 hours and cost $49 per person. The bus picked us up at our hotel. We saw Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Farmer's Market, Hollywood, the Chinese Theater, The Walk of Fame (with the stars of many famous people embedded in the sidewalk), Sunset Strip, Fisherman's Wharf, Santa Monica Pier, and Venice Beach.

The concierge at the hotel helped us make the arrangements.

You might want to consider something like this so you can see lots of places, and those that interest you, you could return on your own to explore more fully.

Take an afternoon and stroll down Venice Beach. It is so "LA" it is almost a parody. Don't miss it. There isn't any other place like it, anywhere.

Where is Bruin Steve or CJW? :confused: This is their favorite kind of question.

I'm guessing that your trips to San Francisco and Vegas won't count as those few days. Else, you'll be spending much of your time waiting in airports or on the road.

Where is Bruin Steve or CJW? :confused: This is their favorite kind of question.

You are crackin me up!:D

I literally posted an entire paragraph of info here last night, and it all got lost to the wonderful Cruise Critic White Screen Of Death!!!:mad:

So, I'm going to try again...:eek:

Splinter,

 

I am going to have 3 full days in LA!

Any suggestions would be great!

 

Cheers!!

Three days is GREAT!

I'll give a few quick links to get your thoughts going...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=517205

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=511653

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=500138

It all really depends on who YOU are and what kinds of things you want to see!

SO much to do and see in LA, but you could do a GREAT trip here in 3 days!

Budgets, time frames, etc.

What kind of clubs, nightlife, etc. do you like?

There's a few months to plan here, so get back to us...

(PS Best studio tours that are less "touristy" and a little more "real"...

Sony in Culver City, then WB in Burbank area would be my second choice...)

Thanks for all the help so far guys......I am in LA for 3 nights, San Fran for 2 nights and Vegas for 4 nights (all around the 7 night Mexican cruise)!

My friend and I are both 24/25 and enjoy nice modern bars, also pubs (Irish etc) and clubs that are worth visiting.....nothing could be excluded when in LA!! It sounds like Westwood is a good area for bars, is this correct or are there specific areas for different types of bars?

We will be renting a car whilst here, so we can get to as many places as possible.

Also like theme parks (any good rollercoasters??), like down in Busch Gardens etc...

Are there any maps you can get to look at famous peoples houses...i.e David Beckham and the film stars?

Are there any places you can go to where famaous people may be? or film sets?

I like going to the beaches but it may be a little too cool in March, even for us English boys!!

We are currently booked to stay at the Wilshire Grand Hotel, Wilshire Blv'd, would you recommend this hotel to stay in for getting around easy, or would I be best to stay around Santa Monica??

Thanks again for all your help!! I wish it was sooner than March!!

1) My friend and I are both 24/25 and enjoy nice modern bars, also pubs (Irish etc) and clubs that are worth visiting.....nothing could be excluded when in LA!! It sounds like Westwood is a good area for bars, is this correct or are there specific areas for different types of bars?

 

2) We will be renting a car whilst here, so we can get to as many places as possible.

 

3) Also like theme parks (any good rollercoasters??), like down in Busch Gardens etc...

 

4) Are there any maps you can get to look at famous peoples houses...i.e David Beckham and the film stars?

 

5) Are there any places you can go to where famaous people may be? or film sets?

 

6) I like going to the beaches but it may be a little too cool in March, even for us English boys!!

 

We are currently booked to stay at the Wilshire Grand Hotel, Wilshire Blv'd, would you recommend this hotel to stay in for getting around easy, or would I be best to stay around Santa Monica??

 

Thanks again for all your help!! I wish it was sooner than March!!

1) Westwood is a college town (more or less) as it is next door to UCLA. Bruin Steve is likely an expert on Westwood. I am surprised he has not posted on this thread. There are as many bars as a college town can support (which I assume would be a lot - I don't drink that much).

2) Renting a car is a good idea. Just remember, we drive on the other side of the road. You don't want to get into a head on collision.

3) The big three of the theme parks is, Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and Magic Mountain. Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm are just south of Los Angeles and open every day. Magic Mountain is just north of Los Angeles and in March is likely only open on weekends. As for the best rides, Magic Mountain has the best, then Knotts and finally Disneyland (Disneyland, which is very family friendly has rather tame rides).

4) Yes, you can get maps, but I don't know how accurate they are. Nonetheless, most stars lived in gated communities. Unless you live there too, you'll need permission to enter. Even if you find a star's home, they are not going to be standing outside waiving at the people driving by.

5) Studio tours (including Universal Studios - which has a few thrill rides) are possible. Also, if you can find a filming location, you (and several hundred others) could go there. However, the stars will be protected and the general public cannot just walk up to them. Also, there are places (mostly in Santa Monica) that are well know as stars hangouts, but I don't know that you can guarantee to see one by going there.

6) Even though southern California is known as sunny California, and even though the beached can get crowded, even on a warm spring day, you need to understand that the water next to the beach is imported from Alaska, and it is cold. A lot colder than the water you are used to in England, which comes from the much warmer Gulf Stream.

Well, others will likely provide you with additional information.

I don't believe it, I had just typed something similar to what I am going to do now, and the screen went and crashed:mad:

Anyway,,,,,you dont have to worry about there being a crazy english driver over in LA, as most of the countries I go to visit "drive on the wrong side of the road" for some reason!!!!

No seroiusly, I've had a fair bit of experience in Europe and the usa, but the most challenging of all, was by far, new york! What a crazy place to drive round.

There is no chance I would ever swim in the waters around england, they are just not appealinh to me at all....I would rather do anything but that!!

As the exchange rate for us english is great at the minute, I would like to buy some designer clothes...do you have any recomendations on malls?? I notices another thread, but not specific to designer clothes.

We arrive into LA on a Thursday afternoon, and board our cruise ship on the Sunday afeternoon, but I am starting to realise that this may not be long enough!! Will have to come back some time.

If I was to stay in Santa Monica, and went to Westwood for bars (if its worth going) how much and far would it be in a taxi? Is it worth staying in Westwood??

What would you recommend doing on a Thursday afternoon after a 16 hour journey from Liverpool-LA apart from sleep to save wasitng precious time??

When is Spring break next year, is it around the middle of march? Does LA go any quieter during spring break?

Cheers!!!:D

I don't believe it, I had just typed something similar to what I am going to do now, and the screen went and crashed:mad:

Anyway,,,,,you dont have to worry about there being a crazy english driver over in LA, as most of the countries I go to visit "drive on the wrong side of the road" for some reason!!!!

No seroiusly, I've had a fair bit of experience in Europe and the usa, but the most challenging of all, was by far, new york! What a crazy place to drive round.

There is no chance I would ever swim in the waters around england, they are just not appealinh to me at all....I would rather do anything but that!!

As the exchange rate for us english is great at the minute, I would like to buy some designer clothes...do you have any recomendations on malls?? I notices another thread, but not specific to designer clothes.

We arrive into LA on a Thursday afternoon, and board our cruise ship on the Sunday afeternoon, but I am starting to realise that this may not be long enough!! Will have to come back some time.

If I was to stay in Santa Monica, and went to Westwood for bars (if its worth going) how much and far would it be in a taxi? Is it worth staying in Westwood??

What would you recommend doing on a Thursday afternoon after a 16 hour journey from Liverpool-LA apart from sleep to save wasitng precious time??

When is Spring break next year, is it around the middle of march? Does LA go any quieter during spring break?

Cheers!!!:D

Anyway,,,,,you dont have to worry about there being a crazy english driver over in LA, as most of the countries I go to visit "drive on the wrong side of the road" for some reason!!!!

 

No seroiusly, I've had a fair bit of experience in Europe and the usa, but the most challenging of all, was by far, new york! What a crazy place to drive round.

 

As the exchange rate for us english is great at the minute, I would like to buy some designer clothes...do you have any recomendations on malls?? I notices another thread, but not specific to designer clothes.

 

We arrive into LA on a Thursday afternoon, and board our cruise ship on the Sunday afeternoon, but I am starting to realise that this may not be long enough!! Will have to come back some time.

 

If I was to stay in Santa Monica, and went to Westwood for bars (if its worth going) how much and far would it be in a taxi? Is it worth staying in Westwood??

 

What would you recommend doing on a Thursday afternoon after a 16 hour journey from Liverpool-LA apart from sleep to save wasitng precious time??

 

When is Spring break next year, is it around the middle of march? Does LA go any quieter during spring break?

 

Cheers!!!

Well, if you are used to driving on the wrong side of the road, then it should be no problem. There is someone where I work who is from England and he goes back home every year or so. So far I haven't noticed any dents in the front of his car.

The distance from Santa Monica to Westwood is the width of a 10 lane freeway (more or less). The two are next door neighbors. I'm going to send an e-mail to Bruin Steve. We need his input on this one. Thing is, I really don't know where the hot spots in Westwood are (I went to CSUN, which is in the Valley, about 15 miles north of Westwood).

What time does your flight arrive? I think the flights from Europe generally arrive at LAX around noon. My suggestion would be to check into your hotel and grab a two hour nap. Then go to the Santa Monica Pier ...

and watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean ...

The above are all Pacific sunsets (I pasted the Carnival Pride into the photo later). As you can see, the Santa Monica Pier has some fun places. Then when the sun goes down it is about 10-15 minute drive to Westwood, where you can hit whatever bars are recommended (by the way, the Santa Monica Pier has a few drinking spots also - though I don't know how "hot" they are - I don't drink that much).

At any rate, after a long flight, a short nap and a stroll along the pier (and perhaps even a ride or two) while watching the sunset should help you get ready for a little bar hopping.

Spring break varies by school, and generally runs through March and April. Most schools will be off the week before or after Easter Sunday.

If the writers' strike is continuing too much longer, there may be less filming going on in March (even if films are in pre-production, if there's still re-writes needed, those films may be placed on hold). I'm kinda out of the loop (used to work for an industry support company until I decided to become a full time mommy goddess) but there's gonna be fewer of those trailers parked in neighborhoods here and there with off-duty cops sampling craft services. In the meantime, one can often meet up with a celebrity quite by accident in just regular places, or by going to the fancier eateries.

The studio tours would probably still be going on (Warners, NBC, etc.) whether the strike is still continuing or not.

Out of the loop too about Westwood. I imagine the places I went to as an UCLA student are out of business by now, except for the movie theatres. You might want to check out some of the Brit bars in Santa Monica (a big British community there).

As for weather, despite the adage "It never rains in Southern California," we may still get some rain during our brief rainy season (November thru March). And we may get some hot weather too if the Santa Ana winds are blowing. For example, yesterday we had temperatures in the high 80s in the San Fernando Valley (northwest section of Los Angeles), because of the winds. Tomorrow night is scheduled to be a wet one, with daytime temps in the 50s. By the coast, the weather is much more milder, but farther inland, we can get colder weather too, and even snow.

Just looked up the Wilshire Grand. That's in downtown LA, which is an area I advise against staying. There's really nothing to see downtown (we did go there a few Saturdays ago to the Central Library...and it took us longer to get a few blocks to the library, then the 30 miles to go from Northridge to downtown). Santa Monica, Long Beach, and other places referred to on some Western Destination threads will be much better for you as a base of operations.

And now, I'm gonna copy and paste so as to avoid the Dreaded White Screen of Death!

Hey Paul!

Okay, so I'm going to just keep adding a bunch of info here and there, as I think I'm best equipped to advise twentysomething English guys, and what you are looking to do here (trying to think of most bang for your buck so to speak in your time frame)...

I'm also going to post bits here, so as not to lose things...

Designer young guys shopping...

Considering your trip and time frame...

Actually save this for Vegas...

There is a mecca of great young men's designer stores in Vegas for prices equal or less to what you can get in LA/Beverly Hills...

Caesar's Palace Forum Shops:

http://www.simon.com/mall/directory.aspx?ID=224

Hugo Boss, Kenneth Cole, John Varvatos, Armani, Dolce & Gabanna, Marc Jacobs! to name a few...

Then over at Planet Hollywood's Miracle Mile:

http://www.miraclemileshopslv.com/storedirectory.php?cat=Men%2527s%2BApparel

Ben Sherman (UK, yes), Carlos Ferre, H & M, True Religion, and check out Stash!

So do your designer shopping there, you have more time...

Boards are being very slow...

First check out this link (please) to give you some perspective on my advice...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=511653

Okay then...

For you Paul, and the context of your time frame, and loking for a lot of LA/Hollywood cool things for 25ish UK guys...

I think your best bet is to "home base" somewhere that's good for Thursday and Friday (Friday will be so much traffic you won't want to go or drive far), then you are free and clear to drive further and explore Saturday all day, and Sunday on your way to the port...

Totally agreeing with Crusin' Chick, cancel, ixnay, forget whatever your Downtown LA Wilshire Grand reservations...

I'm going to give you a bunch of info here, before it's lost, and I'll give details later...

And SO much of this is location-wise to maximize everything you want and are looking for...

If I were you guys...

I'd home base in Hollywood, ideally in one of my recommended Sunset Strip Hotels...

My favorite boutique:

Grafton on Sunset:

http://www.graftononsunset.com/

Second choice (undergoing construction, but still good):

Hyatt:

http://westhollywood.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

And to give you a perspective, here's a picture from the front of Grafton, and you can see The Hyatt off to the left on the other side of the street...

Location location!

The reason for these...

You've got TONS of cool bars and clubs all within walking distance...

Comedy Store, House of Blues, Viper Room...

Then cool restaurants...

Chin Chin's, Mel's Diner, Roadhouse, etc...

(I'll give links and details later)

But, then you are close to driving to Universal, Hollywood and Highland, and right down Sunset Blvd. to PCH and Santa Monica for Saturday...

(Everyone cool and young in Hollywood/LA only do things during the week - Thursday, Friday is pretty good, Saturday, everyone is recovering, so no clubs, have brunch, and take your time to relax and drive around)...

Second option area...

Close and cool in a different way...

Farmer's Daughter Hotel...

http://www.farmersdaughterhotel.com/contact.htm

Cool, hip, close to lot's of things...

Right close to some cool hangouts on Fairfax

Canter's Deli (24 hours, late night for celeb sightings), and even better on Thursdays The Kibbitz Room right next door.

Also right across from CBS Studios, so if you get there early enough you can get a tour, or even better get tickets to the BEST young college age talk show Craig Ferguson (and yes, he's from the UK!)...

Still also close to drive around to the things mentioned above on Saturday or so...

That's it for now, for you guys I think these are the Prime options, I'llve give you Santa Monica or Marina Del Ray/Venice options later (can be cool, but I'm second choicing those for your specifics right now)

PS, God Bless them all, but if you want Hip and Hollywood, no one is hanging out in Westwood (for 20 something guys) except the local college students, and if you happen to be here in September (which you're not) for the Westwood Film Festival...

Gotta go, I'll check back later...

Hey CJW,

Thanks for the info....I am just waiting for my travel agent to get back to me regarding the hotel change and where they have available, so I am pretty restricted as far as changing the hotel at the minute!

When you say most people go out during the week, does anybody go out Saturday night? Over here, the best nights to go out are Thurs, Fri, Sat, and sometimes mid-week.

You mentioned Planet Hollywood for shopping in Vegas - that is actually where I am staying!! Any info on the hotel and what it is like? It seems like they have a few shops anyway!!!

I never thought there was soooo much to do in LA otherwise I would have left the UK a day earlier! I will need to start making notes on what to do each day, get it properly planned out beforehand!

Do you know how long it takes to get from West Hollywood/Santa Monica down to San Pedro (RCCL cruise terminal)?? I need to return the rental car before 12noon (as they close at noon on Sundays!!).