lleeyy

My boyfriend and I are making the trip the LA in early June for a wedding from Wisconsin. We will be staying 7 nights and want to get the most out of our trip as I’ve never been there and he was there when he was really young. Ages are 21 and 25. We’re trying to make sure we see as much as we can while we’re down there. We are on a budget for the most part, but definitely willing to splurge a bit if there is something that is worth it.

I’d like to take some tours – the city of LA tour, a studio tour, and one that stops by a lot of the attractions (such as Grauman’s, the Hollywood Bowl, Farmer’s Market, the Tar Pits, etc) and would like to make some other stops such as the Wax Museum, Ripley’s, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what not to see/what to see? We did plan on the star’s homes tour, but quickly decided against it as it sounds like we could enjoy ourselves much more doing other things.

We will be flying in and out of LAX and renting a car. I’m looking for a cheap hotel that isn’t too run down. One of the best options I’ve found thus far was the LAX Travelodge. Does anyone have any reviews on this place? Or any other suggestions? We want just a place to sleep for the most part. We plan on filling our days with plenty to do so just a comfortable bed + a complimentary breakfast would be nice.

Beaches – What would be the best ones to go to in the LA area?

Restaurants – I have the Fodor’s and Frommer’s guides for LA with all of the reviews on restaurants and I have not fully read through them yet. I always like suggestions as to where to go so any additional ones people have would be great. We like all kinds of food so type isn’t an issue. Cheap and expensive places welcome as we plan on going to both kinds.

Shopping – Where are the best places to shop on a budget? We plan on at least taking a walk down Robertson and Rodeo, but I would like to do some shopping affordably. Any places to see shopping-wise would be great.

Any other suggestions would be great. Places to go, things to do, events to see, etc. It’s our first “real vacation” (one that’s more than 7 hours away from home) together so we’re taking all the tips we can get. Thanks in advance!

POlson

I sometimes find it easier to break each day into areas or activities and then build around them. I have suggested below some examples of days and similarly situated activities. By picking an area, you will reduce the amount of time spent stuck in traffic which will make your LA experience more enjoyable.
I've listed more days than you have and you probably have some wedding obligations but you can pick and choose, combine some, toss some out:
Day 1- downtown, Disney concert hall, Olvera Street or Chinatown for lunch, old theater tour, downtown museums
Day 2- Universal Studios, studio tour, Griffith Park, Hike Mt. Hollywood, Hollywood Bowl concert
Day 3 - Farmer's Market/Grove, La Brea Tar Pits, Hollywood & Highland, walk of fame, Sunset strip (see a movie at one of the historic Hollywood theaters, go bowling at Lucky Strike lanes, hit a club at night)
Day 4 - Day of luxury - Spa, shopping, splurge dinner - Shopping on Melrose, Robertson and Rodeo (maybe also Montana and 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica). Dinner in BH or Santa Monica. Drive around BH looking at the big houses.
Day 5 - Malibu - Zuma Beach, Getty Villa in Malibu, Gladstone's, Inn of the Seventh Ray, hiking
Day 6 - Pasadena, Huntington art gallery and gardens, shopping in Old Town, Norton Simon museum, catch a play at Pasadena Playhouse
Day 7 - a day at the beach, consider Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, surf lesson, rent bikes, watch the sunset
Day 8 - Disneyland

There are some great dining choices in LA. It might be easier to pick where to eat when you know where you will be each day. Or you can pick a few types of dining and ask for suggestions. There are some wonderful ethnic dining choices that are good for the budget and of course some wonderful splurges. A couple to consider (but do some more research, check chowhand, pick up Los Angeles Magazine):
Splurge: A.O.C., The Ivy
Italian: Pizzaria Mozza, Angelini Osteria
Burgers: The Apple Pan, Pie & Burger (a personal fav), In and Out

As for hotel - I would not recommend staying at the airport. To my mind it is a little further removed than you will want to be. Several posters have previously recommended Farmer's Daughter.

Have a wondeful trip.

suze

Hotels around LAX are OK I guess but not very centrally located and kind of dismal area.

I mwould do more research to try to find something more centrally located. Santa Monica would be so much nicer. Or the Farmers Daughter as mentioned above nearish the Farmers Market.

Beach... I'd go to both Venice Beach and the Santa Monica pier and pallisades, and maybe up to Malibu.

Shopping... Melrose Ave is pretty fun.

Farmer's Market
Olvera Street
Chinatown
LaBrea Tar Pits
walk of stars
Venice Beach/Santa Monica
...are my personal favorites

MBnancy

The LAX Travelodge is a great budget choice for you. It's located just south of the airport, in safe El Segundo and near the new El Segundo Plaza Shopping Mall. It's only a few blocks from the entrance to the 105 freeway & 405, and you will be able to connect with all your activities, most 30 min. away. Disneyland 45 in the other direction.

Lots of budget and expensive restaurants around the Motel, when you are not visiting in another part of town.

You asked for beaches, just a few miles south is Manhattan Beach, a popular beach, with a pier to walk out on, surfers, volleyball players, and bike path that runs 22 miles.

When some of the posters think of LAX hotels, they are thinking of the name brand ones on Century Blvd.
There is not much to do there, but good if you are flying out early the next morning. There is a trolley from those hotels to Manhattan Beach, as that's where cute shops, bars and restaurants are at the beach. You might want to try Mama D's, popular inexpensive Italian place.

lleeyy

All of the responses were great! Definitely helps me get a handle around how we should be planning things. Any more are still appreciated.

After seeing some of the comments about the hotel situation, I talked to my boyfriend and we decided we may want to get the full experience out of the trip by staying closer even if it means paying a bit more. I did take a look at the Farmer's Daughter and it looked very nice, but somewhat on the expensive side. We'd really much rather spend our money on entertaining ourselves than the extras at hotels. However, it is one that I plan on keeping in mind.

One hotel we considered was the Beverly Laurel Hotel on Beverly Blvd. The only bad thing I saw about this hotel was the parking. Has anyone heard anything on this place or stayed there? Or have any other hotels around this area that they would reccomend? I love the idea of being in walking distance to the Farmer's Market and the Beverly Center so it's location was dead on when we decided to change our plan.

kleroux

You are right on about staying closer to the center of things. Staying near LAX or near El Segundo and South, means having to use the 405 Freeway which is ALWAYS bumper to bumper. You'll waste a lot of time driving being so far away. You would be better off locating somewhere between Melrose and Santa Monica. Maybe Price line or one of those sites can get you a cheap rate for a good hotel on the "west side" of LA.
June is usually not good beach weather in LA. Dress in layers since it can be over cast and chilly until at least noon, esp. in Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and Malibu. Cute fun shopping that is not a mall would be along Montana Ave.(from about 7th to 15th street) in Santa Monica. Lots of little stores (and restaurants) with great stuff.

dmlove

Cute fun shopping that is not a mall would be along Montana Ave.(from about 7th to 15th street) in Santa Monica

Also Melrose Avenue.

travisblue

I haven't stayed at the Beverly Laurel, but I very close to there. Are they charging for parking? You'll have to pay what the hotel asks for parking because everything around there is metered from 8-6 except Sunday. What about the Elan hotel, it's on Beverly near La Cienega. But I beleive they also charge for parking.

lvk

For tours, try www.viptoursandcharters.com or www.starlinetours.com

My standard suggestion is taking a ride or skate along the beach bike path. This was already covered by others, but I wanted to highlight it as one of the quintessential California experiences. www.labikepaths.com/SoBay.html
www.scc.ca.gov/Wheel/lapage/2_smb/bike.html

You might also enjoy watching a TV show being taped. It is free, check www.tvtix.com or www.tvtickets.com to see what is taping while you are here. The schedule only goes out 30 days, so you need to keep checking.