margewilson

We are going to watch our beloved Black Hawks play the LA Kings 1-28-15 and the Ducks 1-30-14. Flying into LAX on 1-27 from Chicago and out of Orange County on 2-2-15. Staying at the LUXE on 1-28 and Ayers Anaheim on 1-29 and 1-30. Marriott Laguna Cliffs Dana Point on 1-31, 2/1. Hotels can change if I hear of something better. I'd like to take a walking tour of Hollywood Hills. Can anyone suggest an itinerary of the area that would be fun. Never been here before. Don't want to do Disney been to Disney World 20+ times. Should we do a different beach town on 1-29? I hear about the awful traffic. Suggestions anyone?

Jean

I assume you mean the Luxe in downtown L.A. near Staples Center... The one on Sunset Boulevard gets mixed reviews, and the one in Beverly Hills is far from Staples Center.

There is an event at Nokia Theater on Jan. 28, so L.A. Live will be very busy. If you want to eat in any of the restaurants in the area, make reservations before you arrive in L.A.

Depending on your interests, you might enjoy the Grammy Museum in the L.A. Live complex.

You haven't allowed yourself much time in L.A., and I don't know what else you wanted to see/do in the Anaheim area besides the game. I'd probably stay one more night in L.A. and only one night in Anaheim. Start the drive to Anaheim after 9:30/10:00a but not later than 2:00p.

I probably wouldn't go as far south as Dana Point (although I do like nearby San Juan Capistrano). I'd probably go to Laguna Beach (more interesting IMO), save about 20-25 miles of driving and be closer to the airport for the Monday departure. What time is your flight that day?

Jean

Forgot to add, "Go, Kings!" (Sorry.)

Momddtravel2

That is a lovely Marriott Property - There isn't another Marriott property as nice in Orange County area imo - if you are not locked into a Marriott - I agree with staying some place else. This is a rather beachy/fun property in Laguna: http://www.pacificedgehotel.com/ Friends have stayed there and I have been.

We enjoy the views from Las Brisas the food is not what you are paying for but it is good enough.

http://www.lasbrisaslagunabeach.com/

Walking around the Dana Point Harbor is nice if you enjoy that sort of thing.(if you end up in Dana Point) Ramos House Cafe is lovely in San Juan. http://www.ramoshouse.com/ for a brunch. You could walk to the Mission from there if you enjoy that sort of thing. I think it is interesting. http://www.missionsjc.com/

We live very close to SNA - about 5 minutes with no traffic - Newport beach is a great area if you want to stay a little further north. We recently stayed at the Hyatt Newport http://newportbeach.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html it has been remodeled (I think it is complete double check before you book) and it was very nice - not right on beach - no views - but you can walk/bike to Balboa Island from there. http://www.balboaisland.com/ and take the ferry over to the Balboa peninsula and walk/ride there. We do it often

IMDonehere

My don't you see if some of the retired Hawks live in SoCal and drop in on them.

margewilson

Thanks everyone, the only thing we're not flexible on are the hockey games. Yes, we're staying at the Luxe Downtown. Good to know about the event going on. So you think we should stay in LA the extra night, thanks I'll change that. From what I can see about Anaheim it's not really not somewhere you want to go unless like us it's just a place to stay close to the Honda Center. What restaurants do you recommend in LA, other activities in LA area. It pretty much seems everyone thinks Dana Point is too far, I looked at the link to the hotel in Laguna, thank you that looks perfect. Is Balboa Island close to that? What about Naples Island that looks pretty too.

Jean

Naples is in Long Beach which isn't close to the rest of your itinerary.

Balboa is in Newport Beach which is about a half hour up the coast from Laguna. It has 2 blocks of small shops (nothing special), and the rest is homes (very expensive but not enormous). There is a bridge to the island from Pacific Coast Highway and a ferry (car and pedestrian) connecting the island to the Balboa Peninsula. Parking on the island is usually difficult but probably not so much in January.

L.A. is huge and diverse. "Other activities" could take you a week or more, so you'll have to be much more specific about your interests and exactly how much time you have.

Momddtravel2

If you are staying in Laguna Beach I do not recommend going to Balboa Island. I was saying if you are staying in the Newport Beach area (like at that Hyatt) it is nice to rent bikes and ride through Balboa Island, take the Ferry over to the peninsula and ride along the beach. I would not do that if I was staying in Laguna. There are plenty of options of what to do to enjoy time in Laguna.

Jean

I agree with Momdd about Balboa. It's not interesting as a stand-alone destination but is fun as part of a larger excursion. I'm not sure I'd plan on bike riding in late January, but that's something you could play by ear. We often have wonderful coastal weather at that time of year.

november_moon

I don't have anything constructive to add, but I hope your Blackhawks beat the tar out of both the Kings and the Ducks The Blackhawks beat our beloved Sharks a few days ago, so they should give the same treatment down south. We play you guys a couple more times this season though, so there is time to settle that score

Sue_xx_yy

Marge

Those hiking tours aren't that difficult to do on one's own. We drove up to the Griffith observatory (park where you can) and hiked around in that vicinity (from which you can see the Hollywood sign.) That and a quick nip into the observatory (worth doing) can easily take half a day. The 'Hollywood hills' is in my recollection a pretty large area. From Griffith to the Groves overlook on Mulholland drive is about 20 miles. So unless you're in a lot better shape than I am I would suggest a 'car hike' - going on four wheels and stopping en route as time and inclination direct.

You are right about the traffic. Leave lots of time to get to the games. Use Google maps to help you with route planning and timing.

The Fodors 'destinations' section can help you with your itinerary, and with restaurants. Just remember to be flexible and to prioritize, as traffic conditions, finding parking etc can take more time than even Google maps suggests for a route.

margewilson

Thanks Sue for the suggestions and November moon, always fun to play the sharks either way. I still love my Anti Niemi and Adam Burrish.

margewilson

What do you think of doing this trip without a rental car, LAX via car service or shuttle to downtown LA. Car service to Annaheim, then car service to Laguna Beach then car to Orange County Airport. It seems that the Laguna Beach part would be the place we would need a car the most but it also seems all within walking distance or trolley. Let me know what you all think. I'm just thinking since the traffic is so bad and we don't know where we are going shuttles may be better and cheaper in the end.

Jean

Sounds expensive.

Alternatively, you could take the LAX Flyaway shuttle bus to Union Station (downtown L.A.). Taxi from there to your hotel.

http://www.lawa.org/FlyAway/Default.aspx

Then take the train from Union Station to Anaheim. (Search LAX to ANA.) I don't know if there would be taxis waiting at the station in Anaheim. Ask the Ayres Hotel if they have a pick-up service from the train station; otherwise, it's a half mile walk.

http://www.amtrak.com/home

After this, I'd want a car, but you could certainly use car services if that's your preference. If you just want to explore the town of Laguna Beach and not drive up/down the coast at all, you could get by without a car.

clarkgriswold

Get a quote from Zippy Shuttle on car service from LAX to downtown, Downtown to Ayers Hotel, and maybe a 4 hour tour while you are downtown. Once in Anaheim you'll probably want to pick up a car for Sat and Sun. Traffic is lighter on weekends and you'll have more freedom to explore the coast...Hertz or Avis or Enterprise will pick up at your hotel and you should be able to return the car to SNA. If you arrive in Anaheim and decide that driving looks too ambitious, you can always cancel the rental car.

jamie99

I'd rent the car, easy enough to avoid LA rush hour traffic for the most part.

Jean

If you rent a car on arrival at LAX, I would get one with GPS. Navigating to and around downtown L.A. can be frustrating with the numerous one-way streets. Also, ask the rental agency if the car comes with a transponder that allows you to use the toll lanes on the 110 freeway (part of the route from LAX to downtown L.A.). The one-way toll could run $3-5 but could be less depending on the time and level of traffic congestion. Without a transponder, you must drive in the 'regular' lanes.

Also, know that there will be fairly high overnight parking fees at the Luxe. Parking at the Ayres is most likely free, but there could be a charge at whatever hotel you choose in Laguna Beach.