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Ideas for 1st time trip to LA/Santa Monica/Hollywood with 16 yr old

Ideas for 1st time trip to LA/Santa Monica/Hollywood with 16 yr old

Old Jul 25th, 2014, 06:05 AM
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Ideas for 1st time trip to LA/Santa Monica/Hollywood with 16 yr old

My 16 year old daughter is dying to go to Hollywood/Santa Monica/LA area. So I decided to take her on her fall break this September. She wants to do all of the 'touristy" things and shop. She loves shopping for clothes!

We will fly into LAX on a Saturday and fly out either on the following Wednesday or Thursday. We don't have our tickets yet. We will be renting a car and I was thinking of staying in Santa Monica for the entire time and just drive to everything. Good idea? Suggestions for hotels?

She wants to see the Hollywood sign, walk of fame, chinese theatre, SM Pier and everything else. She is not being very specific so I am having a hard time. I think we should go to Warner Brothers and possibly Universal Studios. Both?? We would love to go to a taping of a show. Not sure how to go about getting tickets though. Help! . Does anyone have suggestions on how we should fill our days to be the most efficient? We love to eat healthy and will try anything at least once. Any suggestions on restaurants? We don't mind walking to places. Any good show or theaters? Any suggestions will help. Thanks
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 07:19 AM
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You can google for tickets to tapings, but most shows require audience members be 18.

For shopping, you can go to the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, for the chain-type stores teenagers like. And Main Street Santa Monica for more funky boutiques. Or Abbott Kinney Blvd in Venice, for little gift shops.

Window shopping on Rodeo Drive is probably something your DD would enjoy.

We always stay in Santa Monica/Marina del Rey/Venice at the Inn at Venice Beach (funkier) or Jamaica Bay Inn (more traditional). Both Pacifica Hotel properties.
http://www.pacificahotels.com/innatvenicebeach
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 07:44 AM
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Wow. This is indeed as clean-sheet a trip as I can imagine.

Although the time you're allotting probably seems long to you, you'll need to adjust your thinking for the greater Los Angeles area, which is larger than many countries. You won't see everything that's of interest to tourists in three WEEKS, let along three or four full days (which is realistically what you'll have). That doesn't mean you can't try.

Let's get the well-known pieces of advice out of the way first:

-- Hollywood is STILL a pretty gritty area, and once you are actually there the charm of its cliché attractions fades quite quickly. Unless you have a LOT of time to really explore it and experience the offbeat boutiques, the exciting live theatre (lots of venues, generally stellar quality, sometimes you'll see a "BIG" name working hard in a 99-seat Equity-waiver house, sometimes you'll see a nobody that you'll see explode big in next year's hot sitcom), the funky record stores/art galleries, and everything else. You can combine the Walk of Fame, the Chinese, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (haunted!) and a view of the Hollywood sign in an hour and a half. If your girl likes that offbeat shopping I've described, you can explore Melrose Ave. east of Fairfax. Note that CBS Television City is right near there (as is the Grove, a stylish mall with all of the usual chain stores but a bit more cachet), so you might catch a taping.

Sites to look for tickets:
tvtickets.com
on-camera-audiences.com
1iota.com
tvtix.com
onsetproductions.com

As far as studio tours: Universal is a working TV and movie studio, but the tour will dump you off at the theme park afterward. Warner Bros.' tour is no-nonsense; it's a working studio, no more and no less, so I prefer it (if I don't feel like hitting rides). I can go to Disney or Knott's if I want rides (of course, I live closer to those parks than to the studios...).

-- Santa Monica is probably the most "LA" place you can stay and still have basically central location to greater LA's attractions. Note that Santa Monica is actually a separate city, surrounded by LA. If you stay in downtown SM (my preference), you'll have easy access to the ocean and other things like the Third Street Promenade (pedestrian street teeming with stores, restaurants and people), the Pier, Santa Monica Place (another shopping mall, albeit with high-end stores), etc.

What's your hotel budget? SM is not cheap at the best of times. There is a Best Western right on Ocean Avenue, maybe not the best place on the street but probably cheaper than the others. There are a couple of Art Déco historic gems: The Georgian and the Shangri-La (this one is a bit of a "Seen and Be Scene" place). The former would probably be the cheaper. The Miramar (a Fairmont Hotel currently) is historic and VERY nice (and the hotel restaurant, Fig, is a foodie favorite). There is a Loew's hotel right on the beach, as well as a JW Marriott. Casa del Mar and Shutters on the Beach are extremely deluxe. A block away, the Bayshore Hotel is a low-key motel that gets rave reviews. The Viceroy is not far away, and its vibe is (oddly enough) Brit Cool. Many of these properties are used for fashion shoots, so you'll see photographers and models in the halls.

Southern California is a food lover's paradise for many reasons:

-- EVERY world ethnicity is represented in the local food scene
-- You can eat extremely well at a lower price point than most world cities
-- Our produce is fresh and local 365 days a year (although, with the drought, it's getting more expensive)

LA is well-known for superb Mexican, Japanese (especially sushi), Thai, Korean and (in the San Gabriel Valley) Chinese. And of course, "California cuisine"; one of the first places known for that style of food in greater LA is Michael's, on Third St. in Santa Monica. The Los Angeles forum on Chowhound is one of the most active (and the participants are very passionate about the LA food scene), so you should get lots of ideas.

Still, we need a LOT more from you. Ask your daughter what she REALLY wants to do, and bear in mind that you will need to drive to get there. And we haven't even made a scratch on the surface of greater LA. Will she want to stroll around the shopping mecca of Beverly Hills? How about Griffith Park and the Observatory (and more views of the Hollywood sign and the LA basin)? The architecture and gardens of the Getty Center (and, if you're lucky, some good exhibitions)? The splendor of the old Getty Villa heading up toward Malibu? The funky charm of Venice Beach (overlook all the medicinal marijuana stores)? LA's great museums? The beautiful college campuses (UCLA's is great-- hell, even Cal State Long Beach has a gorgeous campus!)?

--For the best theatre listings, I'd consult the LA Times or LA Weekly websites. And remember: Greater LA is huge, so pay attention to the location of the theatre.

You don't have a lot of time, so start focusing your lists as soon as possible.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 10:00 AM
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Suggest that SHE look at some of the guide books - she's well old enough to do trip planning (our DDs helped from the time they were 11 or 12) so she has bought into the game and it' not up to you to entertain her the whole time.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 10:26 AM
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Good suggestion, nytraveler. And it will also give her some food for thought as to where her real interests lie. She might start in on a guide book and change her "theme" from "shopping" to "the LA art scene" (there are some killer art galleries throughout the region) or "LA crime history" (oh there are some FUN tours centered on LA's sordid history!), or any number of cool themes on which one can base a visit to a large city.

Like New York City (a city I love). Or San Francisco (another great town). Or Chicago (I wanna go back!). Or....
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 11:52 AM
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Just because the OP asked the question of Fodorites, doesn't automatically mean the daughter isn't involved, hasn't been consulted, isn't helping choose itinerary.

I recommend you visit the Getty Center or the Getty Villa. Great museums, gorgeous properties, beautiful views. Free entrance, but parking is paid. Make a reservation on-line.

For a really nice lunch, sitting beachside, go to Coast, at The Shutters hotel. They have a wonderful covered patio overlooking the water.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 12:44 PM
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You've gotten some good information on what's available to see and do in L.A. As you can tell, there's more to see and do that you will ever have time for, so you'll really need to have a plan of what you want to focus on during this trip.

Last time I went to visit my daughter in L.A., we did a Chocolate Tasting Walking Tour of Beverly Hills which was a LOT of fun. Here's a link to the company, but my daughter got the tickets on Groupon or Living Social, so you might sign up for both of those to see if you can snag some discount tickets for this tour (or some other attraction). After the chocolate tour, we walked around Beverly Hills and had a blast window shopping at the big name boutiques and even going into some of the stores. Even though we clearly weren't buying, the staff in the stores were accommodating.
http://www.greatfoodtours.com/gft/ch...rly-hills.html

An evening activity y'all might enjoy is Second City Hollywood. The incredibly funny shows take place in an intimate theatre, last about an hour and tickets are only $10. (We got even cheaper tickets with Groupon, Living Social or Goldstar--I can't remember which.) The theatre is right down the street from Graumann's Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, so you could combine them into one visit.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 01:30 PM
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Chocolate tour?? I'm putting that on my bucket list, longhorn!

When you're in the area, stop by the Sprinkles cupcake vending machine, near Rodeo Drive. It's open 24/7.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 01:32 PM
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http://www.sprinkles.com/cupcake-atm
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 01:46 PM
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I love the classics in Los Angeles, to me those include: Walk of Stars, Hollywood Sign, Melrose Avenue, Farmer's Market/the Grove, Chinatown, Olvera Street, Griffith Park, the La Brea Tar Pits.

In Santa Monica I love the Pacific Palisades maybe a drive up to Malibu. Definitely the Venice Beach boardwalk.

I agree, give the girl a guidebook and let her plan the trip!!
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Old Jul 26th, 2014, 07:18 AM
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Thanks everyone! These are some great tips. I will talk with my daughter some more but she is an easy go lucky type girl. We travel frequently and has never been involved in any planning but has loved everything we do. She does not like museums of any type. I checked out all of the sites for free tickets and there are none available for our time frame and minimum age of 16. Oh well, plenty of other things to do. I would like to spend no more than $350 per night. I checked at a few and the cheapest I found so far is Bayside but I am concerned about parking. I don't like how it states "if available". I love the idea of the chocolate tour. This is something I have not seen on any website I have searched. Please keep the suggestions coming. Thanks!
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Old Jul 26th, 2014, 07:55 AM
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$350 is plenty. We've never paid that much at the Pacifica properties we like. Jamaica Bay Inn charges for parking, about $20/day, but sometimes you can wangle a free breakfast deal. Inn at Venice Beach includes a continental breakfast, and parking is about $8/day.
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Old Jul 26th, 2014, 08:02 AM
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https://gc.synxis.com/rez.aspx?Hotel...=&group=&iata=

Out of curiosity, I looked at Inn at Venice Beach for Sept 12- 15. It's $100 less than your budget per night. We last stayed in the Loft Suite, which gives you two TVs, an upstairs bedroom, and a queen sofa sleeper. It's a nice amount of space for mother/daughter.

This hotel is about 2 blocks from the Venice pier and boardwalk.
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Old Jul 26th, 2014, 11:29 AM
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Might want to read up a bit on Venice, it has gotten kind of run down from how it used to be, at least that was my impression 3 months ago, lot of drug culture there these days, mostly MJ.
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Old Jul 26th, 2014, 01:39 PM
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I used to live in SM and am surprised a 16 yr old girl even knows about the SM pier, although I know times have changed since I lived there (which is why I left, too many tourists). Venice being run down cmpared to what it used to be is funny to me, but I remember the 1970s-80s.

In any case, I don't know what RJW means about how Santa Monica is the most LA place you can stay in Los Angeles and be central. It isn't that central at all to many areas, if you stayed in W Hollywood or Fairfax area, Wilshire, around Beverly Center, etc. it would be more central. I just don't get that at all.

I've sent friends who wanted a central area in LA to the Elan hotel and they really liked it and stayed there again on their next trip. It is much more reasonable than Santa Monica hotels, you can get double rooms for about $200 and including parking for only about $15 more. Of course a budget of $350 is pretty high by my terms. It's on Beverly Blvd near La Cienaga and is very close to Farmers Market, the TV studios, Hollywood, etc.
http://www.elanhotel.com/
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Old Jul 27th, 2014, 07:49 AM
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There's always a debate about Venice. I don't mind its grittiness, but I also don't spend a lot of time on the boardwalk. But a teen probably wants to see it and say she's been there. One walk through will do.

From the Venice pier, we like to walk to Marina del Rey, and drool over the houses. Or get a bike and ride the paved beach path there, or up to Santa Monica pier, and beyond.

Walk around the canals, which are peaceful, with lovely homes.

Lots of shops (not the ones on the boardwalk) which a teen would like, on Washington.

Eat at the patio of C&O Trattoria, for inexpensive and tasty Italian, with free garlic knots. It was our go-to place for entertaining groups of college kids.

Some people don't like the vibe at Venice Beach. We think it's part of the LA experience. That's probably why the Inn at Venice Beach is less expensive. But it was recently completely renovated, service is always friendly, roms are large and spotless, and breakfast is free.
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Old Jul 28th, 2014, 08:30 AM
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Just saw a HuffPost article, selecting the top ten boardwalks in the US.

Venice Beach is named #4:
"Where: Los Angeles You'll certainly have plenty to look at when you take a stroll along the Venice Beach Boardwalk, as a host of colorful characters, performers, illusionists, and buskers line the path. Muscle men and women populate the famous Muscle Beach, where gawking is encouraged. Indulge in a funnel cake and deep-fried Oreos as you people watch with a view of the Pacific Ocean. Once dessert is over, rent some Rollerblades and go for a roll. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Venice Beach Guide"
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Old Jul 28th, 2014, 12:44 PM
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The best way to see LA is the GrayLine Hop on/Hop off bus... they pick you up at the hotel... stop at dozens of the Tourist sites and you can get off and spend as much time there as you please... you also get a history and local flavor narrative from the drivers and you eliminate all driving and especially the parking hassles...
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Old Jul 29th, 2014, 07:30 AM
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Christina, of course you're right; Santa Monica is NOT particularly central on a geographic basis. WeHo/Beverly Hills would be perfectly centrally-located, absolutely.

However, outsiders think of "LA" and think of The Beach. The only shore-front city with reasonably convenient access to the rest of LA Metro, real beaches and a bit of that LA sheen would be-- wait for it-- Santa Monica.

Marina del Rey is fine, but the beaches are a little meh. Venice-- well, I happen to love it, but let's be real, you can't swing a bong without hitting a medicinal pot shop, and on its best days the citizenry is, er, colorful.

I agree with you: WeHo and Beverly Hills would be great places to stay, and if the OP doesn't mind having the beach a handful of miles away, a place like the Elan would be pretty wonderful. And the location is pretty great too.
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Old Jul 29th, 2014, 08:00 AM
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I also agree that not staying in Santa Monica might be a better choice. Other than on the grounds of the nicer hotels, the ambience is a bit carnival like, not any better than Venice and in some ways worse. There are homeless people and vagrants all along the beach/bluff tops, so Hollywood doesn't have any special claim on them.
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