workingonthebucket

We will be flying into Los Angeles for the primary purpose of attending the BCS championship game in January. We will have 3 full days, plus game day. We have never been to LA or the surrounding areas. There are still some hotels left in Pasadena, but they are expensive and just ok. My question is should I stay in Pasadena just to avoid the transportation hassle on gameday, then commute to Hollywood or LA for site seeing? Or is it best to stay in Hollywood where there's more to do, and commute to Pasadena just for the game? I'm not sure of the things I really want to see or do yet, and any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

WhereAreWe

Essentially you are asking if you should stay in one area that is close to one event and commute the other 3 days OR stay in another area close to things you want to see/do for 3 days and commute to another area one time.

I know I'm oversimplifying a bit but you get the point. Stay where you will spend the majority of your time and drive to Pasadena on game day. You will have all day to get there and wander around before the game.

Tomsd

Personally - I would rather stay closer to the beach (Santa Monica, etc) - and leave very early on game day to get to the Stadium. You might even check to see if they have buses going from somewhere near wherever you decide to stay - cause traffic can be a mess.

If there is no traffic (well - at least not as heavy as rush hour) - you can take Sunset from the beach/Santa Monica in to Hollywood in about 30-45 minutes - and it's a fun drive.

If you like Art/Architecture - be sure to get to the Getty Museum - at Mullholland and the 405 - just about 7? miles north of the Airport. http://www.islandpackers.com/

Tomsd

OOps - wrong cite/web address: Try: http://www.getty.edu/museum/

amwosu

I suggest spending some time in Manhattan Beach and walk The Strand from there to Hermosa Beach enjoying the beach views and the variety of beach house architecture along the way. Contrast that with the wholly different vibe of Venice Beach just a few miles north.

It is a drag to drive back to LA from the Rose Bowl after the game but I think that's the lesser of two evils in this case.
Ann Marie

maitaitom

If you stay around Pasadena, here are some places to see in the city and that general vicinity that, in my opinion, are much more worthwhile than wasting your time at Venice Beach (unless that's high on your priorities).

Hollywood's a mess, too, but I guess every visitor needs to see it (if you go, have a martini at Musso & Frank). I've also added a little about the Rose Bowl (I've been to 30 of them..and two BCS Championship games). If you have a car, all of these places can be reached within a half hour or so of Pasadena. The suggestion for the Getty is a good one, and is about a 30 minute to an hour from Pasadena area (depending on traffic...time of day).

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...4_Entry_1.html

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...9_Entry_1.html

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...7_Entry_1.html

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...an_Marino.html

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/..._Pasadena.html

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...2_Entry_1.html

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...Hollywood.html

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...s_Angeles.html

5alive

I'd have to second maitaitom's suggestions of the Huntington and the Norton Simon. Both astonishingly good. Would love to go back to both.

Jean

You need to decide what you want to see/do the other three days, locate those places on a map, and then decide where to sleep. If the game is the only thing taking you in the direction of Pasadena, then pick a hotel elsewhere.

But I love Pasadena and could easily occupy all of those days in/around the town with a day trip to Hollywood and/or downtown L.A. on the metro (or car if you prefer).

I dislike Hollywood and Venice, but I'm not a tourist here. And I don't consider Santa Monica an appealing base for L.A. because of the traffic between it and everywhere else, but, again, I'm not a tourist. There might be what we call "holiday light" traffic on the weekend before the game, but you can't count on it everywhere in L.A.

BTW, it's possible to get to/from the Rose Bowl by public trans. For Rose Bowl games, we've parked at Union Station in downtown L.A. and taken the Gold Line metro to Pasadena, then the shuttle bus to the stadium. You can take the metro from other points in the city to Union Station.

http://www.rosebowlstadium.com/visit...public_transit

http://www.metro.net/

Tomsd

If you have never stayed out by the Beach - I recommend you do it. Locals can get so blase about that.

And Santa Monica is not that far from Hollywood - but do go in when there is the least traffic - after morning rush hour - and return before evening rush hour - or have dinner and drive back later. As noted - there also is bus service and just check at the hotel for the times/routes.

Even if you drive in non-rush hour - you might still get some traffic - but so what. You are there to enjoy the new sights and scenery so just kick back.

From Santa Monica to the Rose Bowl is also not that far as the crow flies - but on game day - suggest you plan on going very early and tailgate on the beautiful lawn/golf course by the Rose Bowl and then do the same after the game - chilling while the traffic slowly files out.

maitaitom

I will respectively disagree with tomsd on locals being "blasé" about the beach. There are miles of beautiful beaches in Southern California that I love to visit. Venice is NOT one of them. It's a pit, unless you like a bunch of vendors selling crap and like watching body builders.

The Santa Monica Pier is wonderful if you want to ride a Ferris Wheel and play Whack-A-Mole.

Go to a restaurant with an ocean view in Malibu. Head down and have lunch at The Fisherman in Huntington Beach. I haven't lived in Manhattan Beach for decades, but I always liked it down there.

I'm just offering an alternative to the constant drumming that the ONLY place to stay and have fun in L.A. is Santa Monica. I even love downtown now. There is plenty to do from the Walt Disney Center to Grand Park to dining at some pretty great restaurants. Try Church & State in the Warehouse District...one of the best restaurants in Southern California.

I'm jut trying to expand the horizon a little bit. By the way, Pasadena and areas like Silver Lake have lots of terrific places to dine. Just my thoughts.

Jean

Ditto maitaitom's comments.

But you need to decide what YOU want to do and how much time you're willing to spend in the car.

Maybe if you told us your hotel budget... In some areas of the city, overnight parking charges can be a budget-breaker for some.

Tomsd

BTW mait: Constant Drumming? Hey - I was just suggesting/recommending Santa Monica - not the "hip" canals of Venice - and no idea where that came from

BTW - my wife is staying at the Doubletree right now in Santa Monica (on a Biz trip) - and she likes it. They even drove over to Pasadena last night for a dinner meeting and back - without much trouble. She has a luncheon meeting in beautiful Malibu later today.

From this Doubletree (and there are other lodging options in Santa Monica) - - you can pop onto the 10 freeway if you want - or take surface streets - such as Sunset - to get over to the Getty, etc. http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hot...CDT/index.html

Oaktown9

I hesitate to post since to op has not replied in a couple of days.

That said here are my thoughts.

As an avid NCAA football/basketball fan, I wonder why you are not taking in all of the activities associated with this epic game?

I also can not imagine you not being a big fan since the cost of these tickets, per ticket, is equal to a one month mortgage payment for a low cost California home.

Pasadena is where you should stay. The rest is for another trip.

Game day traffic is going to be a royal nightmare--as will parking. Having attended many many events at The Rose Bowl, I can tell you that unless you have a package that includes parking, your parking cost will be close to if not over $50 and you will have a very tough time securing that.

Maybe look into an upgraded package from wherever you got your tickets. This early purchase concerns me when no teams have been named just yet.

One additional word on staying in Pasadena. You still have to get to the game from your hotel. Hopefully you booked something already as no hotels in Pasadena that I would stay in are available.

Finally, the BCS travel boards are where you will get additional information about all of what is going on with the BCS Championship events, etc.

Have a good time.

clarkgriswold

You could stay in downtown L.A. and ride the gold line to Pasadena, the Red Line to Hollywood, and the Expo Line to the Science Center/Museum of Natural History.

You wouldn't have to rent a car, just ride the Flyaway Coach back and forth from the airport.

3 days isn't much of a stay, so I'd decide first what exactly you want to see and do, then figure out if you'll need a car and where would be the most convenient location for lodging.

Jean

I agree with clarkgriswold that you could stay in downtown L.A. and see several things by public trans plus take the Gold Line from Union Station to Pasadena for the game (alight at Memorial Park station and follow the crowds, fare is $3 r/t unless you're a senior).

But if you stay in Pasadena, you don't have to spend $50 for parking. There will be parking in the structures and surface lots adjacent to the Parsons Corporation (100 West Walnut @ Fair Oaks Ave.), and the charge will be perhaps $20. The shuttle bus to the stadium from there is free. We've even walked from Parsons to the stadium and back again after the game. It's about 1.5 miles.

If you took the Gold Line from Union Station to the Memorial Park Station and walked to the shuttle bus, you would spend all of $3 per person to get to the stadium.