We are flying into LA for 2 days in September. We do not want to rent a car. Where should we stay and what should we see. Travllady

What do you man LA? Somepeople mean LA when it is anything south of Santa Barbara? What do you like to do....Beach, shopping, museum hopping, sports, amusement parks?????
Need more information about what you like to do. Just curious, why are you going to LA without plans and why LA?

Los Angeles County is the size of Rhode Island. It has more museums than any city in the world, including both the largest encyclopedic art museum west of the Mississippi and the richest museum in the world. A California State Park runs through the middle of the County. L.A. is the center of the film industry in the U.S. and, by some measures, the world. World-class restaurants and every ethnic food you can think of. The Hollywood Bowl and the Greek Theatre. Thirty-plus miles of beaches.

Obviously, the possibilities for two days in September are numerous.

You should stay at a place that feels comfortable to you and you should see what you enjoy.

Well without a car and if you want to "see" anything, you may want to find out about various organized bus tours. Los Angeles is a hugely spread out city (where everybody drives cars!) it's not like some other cities where you can easily do your sight-seeing on foot in one central area.

I agree with Suze. If you only have two days and you don't have a car, organized bus tours are the only way to see anything.

Los Angeles is a unique travel destination, unlike any other city. It has no center. It really isn't a "place," but a sprawling and extensive collection of fascinating places scattered seemingly at random over a vast area. There's no central place that might serve as a base for exploring on foot or by reliable mass transit as you might do in other cities. No matter where you stay, you're going to be spending a lot of time on freeways.

All of Southern California has evolved to be completely dependent on the automobile. So if you don't have a car, getting around will be very difficult and inconvenient. If you rely on buses you'll end up wasting a lot of time standing on nondescript street corners waiting for infrequent and poorly-timed connections.

To make the best use of your very limited time, choose a major hotel from which bus tours regularly leave, or at least somewhere near one of those hotels. Use the Internet to identify tours that feature what you're interested in, and enjoy the numerous attractions of Los Angeles without the hassle of driving.

JB - Great description of LA. The city is so hard to explain to those who have never visited but I think you did a good job.

travllady - If you like more of a beach atmosphere, I would recommend Santa Monica. Another location would be either Beverly Hills or West Hollywood. Without a car, tours are your best option.