I'm a native Californian (born in L.A...on Hope Street!) and I cringe at "Cali". And "Frisco". And "The O.C."...what's up with that?

First-about calling California "Cali". I am not a native but have lived here 36 years. I never heard people say "Cali" and knew that natives were offended by it. Then just recently, my DD's friends (in their 20's) who are all natives but now live on the East Coast started saying things like "I can't wait to come home and hang with all the Cali girls." Or "The Cali girls are here to visit". Go figure-maybe a new trend!!!

emcash-You have lots of good ideas here. First off, if you are getting in late there is absolutely no reason to stay by the airport especially if you decide to stay in Santa Monica or even Beverly Hills. LAX to Santa Monica is only about 12 miles and late at night you would have a good chance of making it to the hotel in 20-25 minutes. Beverly Hills isn't much further. If you did decide to spend one night near Disneyland, you'd still get there much quicker than during the day. Onemoneygirl is right, The Grand Californian is very nice.

I know some people are fans of Santa Monica and others are not. I think being in Santa Monica would be more interesting for your 4 year old than Beverly Hills. Again though it depends on what you are going to do. If you want to take your 4 yr old to the La Brea Tarpits, Griffith Park, etc than Beverly Hills would be better. Getting from Santa Monica to the Beverly Hills/Wilshire area can take quite a while during rush hour.

Besides going to Disneyland, still a little unsure of what you want to do on this trip. You said you want to get a "feel" for the area so I am assuming you mean LA. However you also talk about relaxing at a luxurious hotel. If you are more intersted in relaxing than seeing LA, then onemoneygirl's idea about staying in Laguna is a great one. There are some amazing hotels in the Newport Beach/Laguna Beach/Dana Point area and you are much closer to Disneyland.

Thanks again to everyone who has posted such helpful replies. I have stayed in laguna at the Ritz before, and while I loved the area and the hotel, I have never been to LA and really want to see what it is like. I think at this point i will get prices on the hotels and consider them accordingly.

One further question, is it worth it for my DD to do a tour of the nickolodean studios or something like that? we have a family member who could probably arrange that for us? My DD is a seasoned traveler, and finds amusement pretty much anywhere we do. However, many of you are painting a very cool picture of Santa Monica.

The idea of going to disney for the first night sounds appealing aswell, though I do hate to switch hotels. But we will be so exhausted,and waking up at the park sounds wonderful. lots to think about!

And to hopefully not belabor the Cali point (though THANK YOU to those who came to my defense of such a senseless crime...) I am so used to texting these days that I shorten almost everything accordingly. I didn't even think twice, though in retrospect, i should have just said LA (less letters too).

Hey, emcash, you may have hit on the origins of Cali. It's the texting!

It doesn't sound like budget is a primary concern, so I think you should figure out what you want to do in your short time in L.A. before you pick your hotel location. For example, depending on the time of day and day of week, it will take 45-60 minutes to get from Santa Monica to Nickelodeon at Universal but less than 30 minutes from Beverly Hills. Other places like La Brea Tar Pits, Observatory, Zoo are also closer to Beverly Hills.

I don't think anyone has pointed out that you could easily spend more than one day at Disneyland.

The Bob Baker Marionettes have been a downtown L.A. institution for 50 years. http://www.bobbakermarionettes.com/

Just my two cents' worth, but I thought the La Brea tarpits were hugely disappointing. I majored in Anthropology, and went to see them expecting them to be really cool. But it's just a small patch of fenced in ground, less than a square block, and really boring. Your four year old would not be impressed! Don't go out of you way to take her there, is my advice.

I also like Pasadena and enjoy the hotel formerly a Ritz-Carlton there; I think it is called Langham now. It is in a beautiful neighborhood that I consider pasadena/san marino. I think it makes a nice base of operations to explore LA.

The Tar Pits may not be impressive, but IMO the adjoining museum is. Not to mention the LA County Art Museum right next door on Wilshire.

PeaceOut, did you go inside the Page Museum? Did you watch the work in progress in the Fishbowl Lab? For the past year or so, they've been excavating sabertoothed cats and kittens, turtles and other animals and preparing a nearly complete mammoth skeleton.

No, I didn't. This was many years ago, so I am probably out-dated with my info. Thanks for updating with the museum info.

We enjoy BH, Malibu or Santa Monica.
FYI, us Californian's do cringe at Cali, Frisco just so you don't get stink eye for it.
Great deals right now on 4* hotels on expedia and other travel websites.
Lots of great food options..do some of the great food trucks that are all around LA.
The Getty is stunning!

Aside to Jean - Did you see where the hotel Bel Air is selling off all of its furnishings?
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,5120865.story
Though why someone would want to buy a hotel-used mattress is beyond me. :)

emcash: You might also want to check out what is playing at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood (beautifully restored old theatre owned by Disney) when you are here. They usually play a Disney movie along with a live show and a behind-the-scenes interactive exhibit to go with it. http://disney.go.com/DisneyPictures/el_capitan/
There is also a Disney-themed ice cream parlor next door.

Have a great time!

Great idea! The El Capitan was wonderful but it has been a long time since we went.

Regarding La Brea.... you may not see any action at the Pit, because their most serious work starts in the summer. Last summer they were going to work on Pit 91 but had not started yet in mid June. In the museum, we had a smart yet funny guide who let the kids hold some bones. If your guide is boring, I'd leave the tour and just wander with your child. Watch Ice Age before going on your trip and your child will be fascinated. Mammoths, saber tooth cats all to see up close and big.

I did not suggest that emcash stay two days at Disneyland because she didn't even consider staying one night there until I suggested it. I hate to cross that line between suggestions and disregarding the original poster's intentions entirely.... If,however, you decide to add time to Disneyland, be sure to add one of the shows at California Adventure (Aladdin) or a parade.

We did used to live there and made the morning drive from Los Angeles to Anaheim, about two hours in traffic. Coming straight from LAX, your child will probably sleep in his/her carseat.

lvk, I saw that article this morning and almost jumped in my car! A mattress? No, thanks. Probably no towels either. But tables, lamps, upholstered furniture, art, tchotchkes! I'm in!! Where are my car keys....

More La Brea Tar Pits... Pit 91 is currently closed to excavation. They're concentrating on Project 23 which is the stuff they found at the LACMA construction site. Sabertooth cats, kittens, turtles, etc., and the mammoth skeleton. Anyway, I think watching them work in the Fishbowl Lab is more interesting than the pit.

Before reading any threads, my answer would have been: Santa Monica-- if you can swing Shutters then that's it. Many years ago stayed in Pasadena Ritz Carlton for several Februarys, lovely location but not where it's happening. See the Getty if only for the architecture & landscaping and the tar pits for sure.

Arriving late the first night makes the trip to Disney a breeze without traffic. Enjoy Disney your first full day and then spend a second night there. This way you have the option of returnig to your room mid day to rest. If not you will have to drag your daughter around the park until late to avoid rush hour traffic commuting to your next hotel.

For the last two nights stay closer to the action. I too would have suggested Terranea if you were looking for a restful vacation in a drop dead gorgeous location, but have to admit it is a drive from the places you mentioned wanting to see. LA is huge, distances are great and traffic is thick, making commute times long, especially during rush hour. March is usually beautiful clear crisp weather, not warm enough to lay out or swim at the beach but always fun for a 4 year old to play in the sand. Enjoy your visit!

I like onemoneygirl's idea idea of "breezing down to The Mouse", regardless of when you arrive in LA. There is really no point in staying near the airport, as several posters have noted.

Staying close to Disneyland for your visit there would be a smart thing to do. It takes time to get into the car, drive to the parking lot, and park, so the closer you are, the better.

I haven't been to Disneyland for years, but we went we would go really early (not many lines for the rides) and do several hours, then return to the hotel to rest for a few hours (may even swim a bit), then go back to Disneyland for the rest of the afternoon and early evening. It helped to split up the visits as the little ones would not get so tired.

It does appear that to meet both objectives - one for the little one and one for the adults - you will have to split up your stay.

As a totally separate consideration - if you are willing to give up Disneyland, then I'd suggest spending all your time in San Diego where there's also plenty to do for little kids. Hotel del Coronado comes to mind.

Thanks everyone for your replies. DH and I discussed this and we've decided to take DD to disneyworld in Fla this year for her birthday, so we're probably going to scrap the disneyland idea for the CA trip. That said, I was thinking, what about splitting the trip in 2-- 2 nights at shutters and 2 nights in beverly hills. Any thoughts?

It's only about 7 miles between SM and BH. Granted, driving those 7 miles can easily take 20 minutes... But what's your final itinerary for your 3/4 days here?

If you were splitting time between Anaheim and BH - an argument could certainly be made for that. It would be my choice.

But since you have dropped the Disneyland idea, moving between Santa Monica and Beverly Hills really doesn't make sense. Why pack and move such a short distance - but again, we really don't know what you plan on doing.

I do think you are using "LA" to describe a city . . . "See LA", "Drive to LA from the airport" etc. In general, when we talk about 'LA' we don't mean the bits inside the actual city limits, but the entire LA basin -- which is nearly 500 sq mi. That is sort of why we're trying to pin you down on what you want to see.

I'd like to suggest the Four Seasons at Beverly Hills (hoping I haven't missed this suggestion already).
Find a preferred travel agent to book for you and breakfast will be included.
They are really great with kids amenities. There are always many children at the pool when we stay there and there's quite a pool "scene". Very worthy of the LA you're looking for! They also have a great hotel car that will take you within a few miles of the hotel, complimentary. And their spa is fantastic!
Look at the Four Seasons website for more info. Their pool is far superior to the Beverly Wilshire.