Assorted SoCal questions: Los Brisas, LA bus tours, beaches
 

I will be in Long beach end Aug thru Labor day.
1. Los Brisas restaurant--how pricey? Can a toddler go there (not alone!) for lunch? Reservations way in adv.?
2. Best beaches for natural beauty and is parking a problem?
3. Thinking of a bus tour to Getty and or LA sites--which cos give best tours and which are best ones, ie, Hollywood v. Downtown
4. Can I take the long beach train to an LA hotel? IOW, go by train to start of a bus tour. WIll have car but prefer not to use if possible.
5. Just an avg bicyclist--how tough is the bike path by the beach
6. For a day trip on Labor day wkend, where to? SD? SB? Laguna?
Thanks! SO much to do! Fun to plan though.

You can take the train to LA, best bet is probably to Hollywood. At Hollywood & Highland metro station, you just walk outside to the Renaissance Hotel, or over to the Chinese Theatre (Walk of Fame tourist attraction/footprints) and I believe Grayline Tours has a desk outside the theatre.

From Long Beach park near Catalina Terminal or Aquarium of the Pacific. You take a short shuttle bus to the Blue Line Metro Station, ride north to LA, switch to the red line and get off at Hollywood & Highland. The ride is close to 90 min however. But it is pleasant and a mini-tour of it's own.

Transportation info on www.mta.net, click on Metro Trip Planner and just plug in your starting and ending points.

1. You mean Las Brisas restaurant in Laguna Beach? It's not too pricey but there are better restaurants (but without the view). Toddlers should be okay at lunch there.
2. Natural beauty is nice at the Laguna beaches too (try those on the north side of town). They are small and protected by cliffs, as opposed to the typical LA beach which is an expanse of sand that runs from the ocean to the real estate. Parking for Laguna beaches is not tough either -- weekdays are easiest.
5. Bike path is fine for all skill levels. Just stay to the right so the speedy ones can pass you.

Have fun!

I live close to LB and can help with some of your questions:

2) The best beaches for natural beauty closest to LB are probably down south in Orange County. I suggest Laguna.

3) Long Beach Transit has regular "Getty Express" bus service from the downtown LB transit mall to the museum.

4) From LB, you can take the MTA blue line up into LA. It runs from the downtown LB transit mall to the area just south of downtown near the Staples Center. From there, you can catch the red line subway which can take you to Downtown LA proper, or Hollywood, or points beyond to either Universal City towards the northwest or to Pasadena towards the northeast pending the gold line extension which should be open by the time of your visit.

5) The LB bike path is flat as a pancake and very easy. It runs approx 5 miles from the downtown/port/marina area to the Belmont Shores area.

6) Labor Day. I'd think that Laguna would be wonderful... and packed. San Diego is really nice, but the LA to SD freeway, Interstate 5, is one of the most congested in So Cal most especially on weekends in the summer. It is the West Coast version of Cape Cod's Bourne Bridge... backed up! Given the popularity of Labor Day travel, it would be a very long and congested drive, unless you make the trip in the ungodly hours of very early morning or late night. Same with Santa Barbara, but in addition to the intercity commute, you have to drive completely across Westside LA which is also a very slow drive on holiday weekends. Given this, I think SB would be a bit far to even consider for a "day" trip unless you planned on spending a night there. Might be worth it for a change of scenery for you. Santa Barbara is quaint and naturally beautiful.

Or how about catching a ferry to Catalina for Labor Day weekend? That would save you from a lot of driving and you could enjoy another atmosphere entirely.