Juldie

Hello, I am going to be in L.A. spending time in the 5800 West Olympic Boulevard area. Can you tell me what this area is like, very congested, more residential? I will have a car. I would love to stay at the beach and it seems as though Santa Monica is a fairly reasonable distance. Is there a lot of traffic going back and forth? Is there another area close to the water that might be less expensive than Santa Monica, not far from 5800 West Olympic Boulevard?

I am a Marriott elite member so I may end up staying in a Marriott. Any suggestion of where to look since I don't want to be far but I also would prefer not being in a downtown area? Beverly Hills? Thanks!

marvelousmouse

What's your price range for hotels? It took me about 30-45 minutes to drive everywhere from Santa Monica, but I mostly drove on the local streets- no freeway. I'd rather stay in Santa Monica and have parking than stay elsewhere and find parking in Santa Monica, but I'm not sure that's helpful.

J62

According to google maps (www.google.com/maps) it is 10 miles. If you want to see what the area is like you can use the google maps street view - give it a try.

What time of day/day of week are you talking about? There is always traffic in LA. Saturday morning 7am it may take you 15-20min. Weekday rush hour, it could take you 45min or more.

Jean

Can I ask what the magic of that location is? Do you want to be closer to the ocean or closer to that address?

There's a Residence Inn at West Pico and South Beverly Drive, about 3 miles west of 5800 West Olympic.

clarkgriswold

It's about 10 miles to Santa Monica and you'd probably want to allow about an hour each way, including getting in and out of the parking lots on each end etc. Yes it's a very trafficky commute. No there is no beach that's closer or any easier.

The Residence inn that Jean mentioned would be a good choice partway between the beach & Olympic. It would depend on just how often you have to make your way to 5800 Olympic and whether or not you have to be traveling there during traffic hours.

Jean

I don't know that it would take an hour each way, but then I'm a local so I know where I'm going, where to park, etc. Parking in downtown SM is very difficult on Wednesdays until about 1:00pm because of the farmers market. There are other markets on weekend mornings too, but Wednesday is the biggest. It's amazing if you're into markets, but you'd need a lot of patience to deal with the parking that day.

Jean

Beach parking is not impacted by the farmers markets, as they they are not within a reasonable walking distance to the downtown shopping area.

sf7307

the JW Marriott Le Merigot in Santa Monica is according to a friend of mine very beautiful.

jamie99

Le Merigot would be very nice if you can afford it or have enough points. There is a nice, remodeled Residence Inn in Manhattan Beach on Sepulveda, about a mile or less from the beach, free parking and free hot breakfast.

Juldie

Thank you for your responses. I anticipate going back and forth to the West Olympic Boulevard area at least daily. Our son will be there working and we will be picking him up and meeting up with him maybe for a meal, and be available depending on his availability to get together.

The JW Marriott Le Merigot in Santa Monica looks beautiful but $450 is the going rate, and that's definitely over budget. I am looking at a Beverly Hills new Marriott that took over another brand. I will look at the Residence Inn in Manhattan Beach for sure.

My husband just got off the phone from a childhood friend who lives in the L.A. area and he affirmed the area we are looking to go back and forth (west olympic boulevard) is definitely the city; there's no getting around this being an urban visit. To stay in Santa Monica or Manhattan Beach, the unpredictability of the traffic and time it will take is tough to figure. It may be just too much of a hassle if we want to be available more on a whim to see my son. I've got a lot more research to do I see.

Jean

If you anticipate going to the West Olympic address often, do yourself a favor and don't stay too far away.

The "Beverly Hills Marriott" is a former Ramada Inn. It's basically across the street from the "Residence Inn Beverly Hills." It's a good area for mid-range restaurants.

There is a "Courtyard Los Angeles/Beverly Hills Marriott" a little bit farther west on Olympic Boulevard from the two properties mentioned above. It's a good area (close to the Westfield Century City Shopping Center), but the hotel itself is a bit isolated. Rooms facing Olympic might be noisy.

I live in Manhattan Beach and work in Beverly Hills. I wouldn't want to drive to the West Olympic address every day. That drive would most definitely take an hour or more each way at almost any time of day.

Juldie

Jean, what you are saying makes sense. I know i am trying to accomplish a lot that the individual pieces don't seem to all work together. The trip from the east coast is multi purpose, including our other son who happens to also be in L.A. at the same time (in a different area) woking and we are going to celebrate a milestone birthday for him and participate in both sons' work endeavors while there.

So the point of my post is to see if its possible to not be based in the city while doing what we are coming to do, since we are a lot more comfortable out of the city. And you have been very helpful in your clarity in guiding me away from Santa Monica and coming to the city. When we look on Google maps and see the mileage I don't think we can imagine that the drive will be as long as you say; I believe you!

Jean, since you work in Beverly Hills, besides shopping which we are not interested in, what are the attributes of Beverly Hills? Are there parts to the city that are open space, parks, quaint, or anything of natural beauty?

clarkgriswold

a vrbo rental or airbnb apartment might work best for you. There are some nice residential areas within a mile of that address. Parks to walk to, lots of restaurants and shops, LACMA and several other museums, La Brea Tar Pits etc.

You would use your car for day trips to Santa Monica, the beaches, Topanga Canyon etc instead of using it to get back and forth to your sons. This way you could avoid the traffic hours and get to Santa Monica in 25 mins instead of an hour.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3240639

Jean

Open space, parks, natural beauty... Griffith Park, the enormous Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the even larger Angeles National Forest plus, of course, the coastline are the big open spaces in L.A. There are small, neighborhood parks scattered around but not worth making a destination. Barnsdall Park and Art Center would be the exception, especially if the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright interests you. Griffith Park (not far from Barnsdall) would be the closest and most diverse in terms of activities, including the Observatory.

http://www.laparks.org/dos/parks/griffithpk/gp_info.htm

Quaint is in the eye of the beholder, so I'm reluctant to suggest. I'm not a fan of Santa Monica overall, but even I like the strolling/shopping/dining on Montana Avenueand Abbott Kinney Boulevard and, to a lesser extent, Main Street. Tourists seem to like strolling the Venice Canals, but it's mostly looking at homes. Pasadena/San Marino is a nice destination for the Huntington Library and Gardens, the Gamble House and shopping and dining on Colorado Boulevard. The Vermont/Franklin area near Barnsdall is a nice neighborhood, as is the Larchmont/Beverly area.

Attributes of Beverly Hills? Overpriced parking (although you can park for free one hour in city lots), overpriced shopping (although chain stores are creeping in), lots of dining options, pristine streets and sidewalks, nice landscaping (although you'll see affects of the drought), a couple of art galleries and beautiful retail window displays.

I'm not an AirBnB fan, but the one clark linked above looks charming and very well priced. However, its location is east of the West Olympic address, so not closer to Santa Monica. If you'd consider AirBnB, there are properties within blocks of the West Olympic address. The first link below is very close to the address, and the second is in the Century City area so a bit closer to the beach. If you search on your own, you'll find loads of others in a wide price range.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/80714?c...uests=2&s=3XyR

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2171504...uests=2&s=BmZj

clarkgriswold

If you do happen to consider doing a rental instead of hotel in that area, make certain that it lists parking as an amenity.

Juldie

Jean, I so appreciate you taking the time to write; it's all very helpful. My husband and I are actually airbnb hosts and have rented ourselves. We are looking into all of these ideas. Clarkgriswold, thank you as well.