My friends and I (3 girls) will go to LA, stay at Santa Monica for 5 days in July.
I have read some "Must Do" in LA.

I would like to ask about "Don't" in LA.
e.g. place don't go, bad attractions, etc.

Thank you

From LAX you can go south or north to the beach areas, but don't go east into the city areas as they can be dangerous at night.

If you go sightseeing in Beverly Hills, don't walk into the stars' homes, they don't like that.

The Ripleys Museum on Hollywood Blvd is not very good in my opinion. And four girls , well , don't go with anyone who tells you they are a famous talent agent and that they are going to make you into a big star.

Stick with the main freeways--know your driving route. If you try to take a shortcut through the city, you might end up in some unpleasant neighborhoods.

Don't, if you can help it, use the Greyhound terminal. It's in a depressed part of town, and the terminal itself is pretty terrible. At night, don't use it under any circumstances.

Try not to breath! You'll be glad you didn't.

Native

Native, are you really the same troll as GHASPer that always comments on Houston?

As ex-mayor Sam Yorty said, "I hate breathing air I can't see."

Don't stay in the downtown business area. At night it's virtually deserted except for people you don't want to meet. I love LA and never had trouble with the smog in six years of living in Pasadena. Over in Santa Monica it's even cleaner. The worst smog year in the history of LA was in 1957--it's been getting better since.

Downtown LA actually has a growing population of artists, media and professionals. Lofts are popping up everywhere. There's always filming going on in the downtown area. The Staples Center is a popular destination, so there have been a number of great restaurants popping up as well. The new Downtown Standard Hotel has an awesome bar for people watching and scenic views. Don't under estimate downtown if you haven't been there in some time. There are restaurants, museums, hotels, theaters and a sporting arena and a really easy to use public transportation system.

Maybe xx's info is more current. While we've been back to LA a lot since we moved 8 years ago, we really haven't been downtown. Glad to hear it's getting better down there. It used to be a real wasteland with homeless people in paper boxes across the street from the Biltmore. Sounds better now--that's good.

Dear it'sme,

I would have to warn you to stay away from The Standard unless you are really just wanting to people watch.

We just returned from a two night stay there. The lobby is definetly something to see. Wall to wall carpets, funky furniture, and on the weekends they have a real live person aquarium. But don't stay there. The rooms are like Motel 6, but with a $210 a night price tag.

Have fun!!

Hello..

I've lived here pretty much all my life, and like to visit all different parts of the city. My vote goes to stay out of downtown. Even if it's better than I last saw it (couple of years ago), there are so many better places to stay than downtown!

I completely disagree with Mina. I, too, have lived in LA all my life, I would not recommend staying out of downtown. There are lots of interesting things to see there. You may be better off staying somewhere else but some areas of downtown are certainly worth a visit.

Bob, you misunderstood (or, most likely, I was not clear). I mean stay out downtown, as in BASE your stay somewhere else. People were saying stay in a hotel in downtown, and I strongly disagree there.

You way overpaid for the Standard - everyone I know has been paying around $100-$125 per night. You need to learn to haggle.