Hi again!

I think if you have always wanted to visit Disneyland then you will love it. One day is not enough ,contrary to what others have said. The summer is busy and you could spend half of your time waiting in the queues which would be a waste.

We go every year and get a 3 day pass but you might want to get a ticket for two days. Go to Disneyland early on the first day and do everything that you can. Then go to California Adventures the next day until 9pm when it closes. Then hop over to Disneyland until midnight to finish off what you didn't get chance to do or to see the fireworks or Fantasmic one last time.

Universal is fun too but in a different way. Grayline have a great deal on right now, if you book the trip with them you only pay for the park ticket, the transportation on the bus is free. I just booked it for our family in August. I would rather not jostle the traffic on the freeways and enjoy the ride.

You really can't compare Disney to Universal or Knotts.
Knotts is old and nowhere near as slick as Disney. We went once and that was enough. Great jam though!

Hotels: All the hotels/motels mentioned here are good but it seems that you want to splash out a bit on the last leg of your trip. As I said before, you can't go wrong with the Sheraton ( $125 )or Hyatt ( $160)or any of the Disney properties ( very expensive though).

For the rugby match you could get a taxi. I think it would cost around $60 or get the airport bus to LAX and then taxi to Venice as it is not far.

Sounds like you have had a fantastic trip so far, I'm sure this leg will be the icing on the cake!

I would do 3 days at Disneyland - and I really liked the Candy Cane Inn too. The Grand Californian is a terrific hotel, but the CCI has the free parking, also nice rooms, comfy beds, and the free continental breakfast in the morning. I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

You're right, not too much history in LA, but there is one organization in LA that seeks to bring visitors (and residents) to what little we have to offer:

http://www.laconservancy.org/

Wilees: A favorite spot of mine in the WORLD is the Getty Museum in the Hollywood Hills. It reminded me so much of the Parthenon in Greece, I could sit there for days. If you go to Universal Studios (also a fun theme park like disney), you'd go near it. A bit hard if you don't rent a car. But, in LA, without a car, you are like a fish without water. The kids, well...I bring mine and reward them with a theme park. We all end up happy.

Also, speaking of history, the La Brea Tar Pits dwarf the civilized world's short history -- but I'd only give them a brief hour or so, check out dinosaur bones and stuff. Still, it's the idea that might captivate the kids.

For more "cultcha", the Huntington Library near Pasadena is divine. I always felt like the smog wafted away when I entered the grounds, with 12 huge gardens, each with different themes and some of the world's greatest art (Blue Boy by, who was that... One of the few remaining Gutenberg Bibles).

But then, I know not everybody likes this stuff. Still the Getty is truly an amazing spot, especially for LA.