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First trip to Los Angeles area
I'm planning my first trip to the Los Angeles area for the end of July. I would like to stay about 7 days and nights and then go either to San Diego for 2-3 days or to Santa Barbara for 2-3 days before heading back east.
I would like suggetions: Where should I stay in LA? Is 7 days to travel around the area too much or too little? What sights should I not miss? Any help would be greatly appreciated. |
Please, pardon my sarcasm- I just spent a day and night trying to get in and out of LA on a day trip from San Diego.
7 days will be fine if you have a minimal itinerary of attractions to visit because you'll spend 6 days in your car. Prepare yourself by exercising your sense of humor. You will need it. |
welcome to Fodors. Your questions are next to impossible to answer w/o more info from you.
What sorts of things interest you? What is your budget for accomodations? You are renting a car I assume?? The LA Basin is HUGE. You are going there for some reason - probably already have some ideas of your own, right? So, what research have you done? I'd start by clicking on DESTINATIONS above and get a basic idea of what you want. And then come back w/ a bit more focus. |
Gee, how friendly are the two of you. First of all, no problem with dealing with the traffic. I live in Manhattan. I'm familiar with traffic. Second of all, I just wanted some suggestions...throw out some ideas and I'll decide whether to reject or accept them. What would you recommend to a friend who has never been to LA area and wants to get the lay of the land and a flavor for the LA area. If you were planning a 7 day trip to LA for someone, what would you plan, where would you stay and what would you absolutely include? Is that too much to ask?
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"<i>Is that too much to ask? </i> yes.
I wouldn't plan a trip even for a friend unless I at least knew what sorts of things they liked. If you check we did not mention traffic - we mentioned SIZE. The LA area is huge, covers several counties and we need to know what sorts of things interest you before we can give you any sort of useful advice. |
Hi zago,
I don't think they meant their responses to be rude. It's just very difficult to suggest anything without knowing: 1) your age, 2) will you be traveling alone, w/friends, spouse, kids, 3) your interests--museums? beaches? theme parks? shopping? sightseeing? culture? 5) mode of transportation, 4) your budget. People can suggest places to stay that range from a few bucks a night to hundreds of dollars a night. To give you some perspective, I've lived in SoCal for almost 40 years. I still haven't seen some of the "recommended sights." And traveling between sights, well it takes me 1 hr & 45 minutes to drive to work in the morning (37 miles) during rush hour traffic. That's roughly the distance between Anaheim (Disneyland) to Beverly Hills. And don't let the term rush "hour" fool you. Rush hour, in the morning, is usually from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. LOL Here is a thread from another site which lists a few SoCal attractions. Take a look: http://www.frommers.com/cgi-bin/[email protected]^[email protected] Sorry, I don't know if the hyperlink will post properly...don't scream at me you fodorite pros. LOL |
I live in Manhattan. If someone who never visited Manhattan told me that they had 7 days to visit, I certainly could knock off 7 days of suggestions, all without knowing what sorts of things they liked to do. So Janisi, please refrain and restrain from replying. To everyone else, please throw out suggestions for me. I'd like to stay somewhere in the LA area for 7 days, preferably on the ocean, and do day trips around the City and the areas, north, south & east, to experience the lay of the land.
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7 hours would be too much LA for me but if you have 7 days you could see...
Hollywood Universal Studios Disneyland Santa Monica / Venice Beach Beverly Hills / Rodeo Drive Getty Museum Newport Beach / Laguna Beach You should stay in the Santa Monica area. Or maybe stay a few days in Santa Monica and a few days in Orange County for things like Disneyland, Laguna Beach, etc. I would personally take a day or 2 off and add it to San Diego so you had either 5-5 or at least 6-4. But I am biased. |
Thank you. Forgive me. I see your point. We are late 40 something straight couple, no children in tow. We plan on renting a car at LAX and keeping it for the entire stay. We are interested in beaches, sightseeing, museums, some shopping and NO theme parks. We would consider culture but it is not necessary. A friend works in the travel department of a large corporation and has suggested staying in the West Hollywood area at either Grafton, Le Montrose, Mondrian, Bel Age or Luxe on Sunset. All are within our budget. However, I am inclined to stay at the beach and the suggestions from our friend are Delfina Santa Monica, Doubletree Santa Monica, Le Merigot Beach Hotel, again all within our budget. Any recommendations based on our friend's suggestions? On the other hand, he says that the Ritz Carlton Huntington is a beautiful hotel in a beautiful setting and that it is nice to walk in the old town Pasadena.
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Hi Zago
Love the East coast ATTITUDE. Manhattan is about 23 square miles The LA area is about 10 times that. Anyway go to the Beach you could go one each day Manhattan Beach, Long Beach, Venice Beach, The Beach at Santa Monica, Newport Beach, Malibu beach. Go see the dodgers, go to the LA zoo, Hollywood, Disneyland, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive Universal Studio. My guess is you'll fit right in in laid back LA. Have Fun GP |
At the end of July, Santa Monica is likely to be experiencing overcast and fog, aka June Gloom. Also, the water is colder than you would expect. So my inclination is to recommend the Pasadena location. But the standard response on this forum is Santa Monica.
Museums: Without even mentioning the Contemporary Museums or the County Museum of Art, I can think of the following: West side: The Getty, the Getty Villa (Malibu-needs reservations), Peterson Automotive Museum, Museum of Tolerance, Fowler Museum of Archaeology at UCLA, Hammer Museum at UCLA. Pasadena: Norton Simon, the Huntington (library, art collection, and gardens). Downtown LA area: Autry Museum of the American West, Japanese American Museum (the two MOCAs are also downtown). I'd also recommend a walking tour of Downtown LA. |
If you can't recommend that somebody stays near/at the beach in July in So. Cal when can you?
End of July is great beach weather. |
Without any regard to what anyone likes but me, here are my recommendations:
Getty Museum Farmer's Market (Saturday am) Driving up in the canyons/around Mulholland Driving up the PCH as far as you feel like, then heading back Get tickets to the taping of a TV show - any show One thing that I was totally unaware of, but soon became obvious to me, was that it's quite a "thing" to congregate on the beach at sunset to - watch the sunset. Don't miss it! |
"<i>So Janisi, please refrain and restrain from replying</i>" :D
That is just sooooooooo silly. I did NOT say one rude word - I simply asked what you liked. And then after sniping at me you climbed down off your NY high horse and actually provided what I asked you. go figure??? have a great trip . . . . . |
Definitely won't have June Gloom at the end of July. It will be hot at the beach and hotter inland. The perfect time for So. Calif beaches.
If you read the recent thread titled something like "If you arent't at the GTG in Pasadena, you're missing out", you find some great tips on the Pasadena area. I grew up in So CA and was amazed at how nice it is there. Lots of great dining and entertainment, many historical sights, etc. San diego is a great town to relax in. Stay in the GAslamp quarter or in Coronado. Rent a bike and cruise coronado or walk on their long beautiful beach. Take a pedestrian ferry, see the Star of India, do a lot of eating & drinking in the Gaslamp, stroll through La Jolla, see the sea lions at the cove, visit Old Town, the museums at Balboa Park, and of course the Zoo. |
Other ideas:
The Tonight Show – Burbank Hollywood Bowl www.hollywoodbowl.com The Greek Theatre (outdoor music) www.griffithobs.org Griffith Park Observatory www.griffithobs.org Watts Towers http://www.misterpants.com/library/wattstowers/ Santa Monica Pier Shopping Areas: Rodeo Drive (Beverly Hills) Prada, Armani, Gucci, Versace, Hérmes Melrose (West LA) contemporary, funky, and vintage style clothing, jewelry, shoes, and accessories. Montana Ave (Santa Monica) Upscale chic, linen shops, clothing stores, and jewelry vendors Hotel Bel Air (for a drink; gorgeous place) 701 Stone Canyon Road (off of Sunset) http://www.hotelbelair.com/ Will Rogers State Historic Park: Around the corner from Hotel Bel-Air. Picnic or hike; also the original home. If you drive to San Diego – make time for Laguna Beach. Sit on the deck at the Laguna Beach Hotel (overlooks the ocean/beach) – have lunch or late afternoon cocktail. Laguna is also a cute town. ((h)) |
I think the La Brea Tar pits and the Page museum are interesting, and right across the street from the Peterson Auto museum...close to the art museum too. I think its fun to see the Santa Monica 3rd St. walk st..lots of people watching... and Venice beach. Rent a bike and ride a while. The Santa Monica farmers market is beatiful..don't remember what day its on. L.A. is interesting...you'll probably spend most of your time West of Beverly Hills... Then I'd go south to San Diego rather than Santa Barbara.
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Hi Zago,
I live in Orange County - grew up in San Diego. I would not spend 7 nights in L.A. - I would cut it in half and do the rest in San Diego. Can you fly back from S.D.? It would make it more pleasant. On where to stay in L.A. I noticed you had listed the Double Tree S.M. as an option - I would pass. I recently stayed there when we took our girls up to see Wicked. I used points - so it was not that big of a deal for me. It is RIGHT on the 10 freeway - I mean RIGHT - I would personally cross that off my list unless it is free. When in Santa Monica - I recommend you and your dh have dinner at BOA - we love it there and go whenever we are in Vegas (they have one there) or Santa Monica :-) I would suggest Wicked..but since you are from NYC - I suppose seeing a show is not on the top of your list. Spend a few hours at 3rd Street promanade - it is a fun outdoors shopping area in Santa Monica... |
I disagree about June gloom at the end of July...I have lived here my most of my 39 years and the end of July is usually nice..at least by 12:00 noon <grin>.
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Zago,
Have you considered a few nights in L.A. then a few in O.C. and then onto San Diego? The Surf and Sand in Laguna is wonderful, if you can afford the price tag a few nights at the Montage or St. Regis are to die for :-) |
Ok everyone, there were some words exchanged and apologies as well. I've found this site and others invaluable in planning my trips. It can be very frustrating planning a trip to a location you've never been. Let's please continue exchanging constructive info.
Ok, now for my 2 cents: I would stay in Beverly Hills. LOL But if that's not in your budget, then I guess it depends on your lifestyle. Personally, I love the beach--cold weather/hot weather, it doesn't matter. Santa Monica--love 3rd St. Promenade. I also love the drive up & down PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). On the other hand, old town Pasadena has a lot of charm & I love the Ritz. But keep in mind that it's about 25 miles from the Ritz in Pasadena to Santa Monica beach. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. It may come down to what you will do with the rest of your time. If you will be doing a lot of sightseeing, you may want to situate yourself closer to those attractions. As for museums, wow, MLJB gave you a great list of them. I think I've been to only 5. I do like the Getty--very nice view as well as a nice museum. I still haven't been to the Huntington library. It's next on my list. I think you can make reservations for tea or lunch or something in the gardens. It's supposed to be very lovely. I would also recommend Farmer's Market--many different types of food "shops." Yum, making me hungry. It's adjacent to the Grove where you can do some shopping at the outdoor mall. As for the zoo, well, I love the zoo. But if you're going to San Diego, I'd have to choose their zoo over the LA Zoo. Good luck. |
Dawn, lived here for 37 years, me too! Although I'm not 37.
Yes, it should clear by noon, June gool means morning overcast clearing by noon. July at the beach is nice for a cool down as compared to inland, which can be very warm. |
June GLOOM
I like September for Beach Weather, the crowds disperse after Labor Day. |
Mlgb,
I agree with you on Sept...I like Sept/much of Oct. for our beaches :-) |
Thank you to everyone for all of the suggestions and comments.
Janisj, please accept my apology. Unfortunatately I was very frustrated by your first 2 posts and lashed out at you which I shouldn't have. I should have given you more information so that you could have helped me. Please understand that planning this trip is very overwhelming for me. As I've said, I've never been to this area of the country and since I know that there is alot of ground to cover, I just needed help in getting started. I should have been more clear. I just wanted some suggestions not perfection. I do hope that you will consider participating here. If not, well, it's my loss. I accept that. Thank you to each and every one of you who shared your suggestions, recommendations and observations. I will digest the information and plan, taking into account all of what has been shared and all that I have researched on my own. If anyone wants to contribute anything else, please feel free. I think I will cut the number of days in the immediate LA area down and include San Diego on the trip to the West Coast. Again, thank you! |
Zago - because you are from a city - you might really enjoying staying in La Jolla during your stay. As someone just said on another thread - there is only one La Jolla in the world :-)
Have lunch on the roof top at Georges of the Cove - it is a must do. July is a busy time here - so you might consider booking your rooms sooner then later. (I assume you know that). When you decide - post a topic with San Diego as the subject - there are some great posters with a lot of knowlege of the area. I hope you enjoy the west coast as much as I love living here! |
Thought I'd pop in to apologize for sending this post spiraling off axis. I certainly meant no criticism of the original question. I've been traveling and just returned to view it.
No offense to you zago. And no offense to you LA. I had intended an evening in and out of LA to view a Dodgers game from our 5 days in San Diego. We always try to plan a baseball game or two if possible when traveling. It turned out to be an absolute fiasco and was very fresh on my mind when I saw your post. I will always remember my LA trip in '73 as quite possibly my best vacation ever. It has changed dramatically and I might never visit again. I would agree that San Diego would be my preference. Many of the above suggestions- La Jolla, George's, The Gaslamp, The Island of Coronado its town and beaches, Seaport Village, etc were all part of a much more enjoyable trip than the traffic gridlock that sucked up so much of our time. I wish you the best trip ever zago. |
JRP,
Have you gone to the new Padre Stadium? We love it there... it is one of the best stadiums we have gone to - get a room at the gaslamp Marriott walk on over..it is fantastic :-) |
I have read all of the above with interest. My wife and I will have just a single day - a Saturday - in LA between flights at the begining of August. We have never been there before. We will be staying close to the airport. We don't really want to do a whirlwind city tour and I had in mind spending the day in or around Santa Monica -- my wife has in mind doing some shopping. We are in our 60's and quite like walking but, obviously, we won't have a lot of time to work our way around aimlessly. Can I have some suggestions as to what we might do to get a reasonable sample of the area, please? (Not forgetting the shopping, of course!)
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zago, I vote for staying in Santa Monica. Although its not centrally located (not really possible in Los Angeles), it is a good area for night life and walking round after a day of touring. It is definetly a good place for people watching, but unfortunetly there are still many homeless people who hang out on the Santa Monica outdoor mall. It doesn't seem to stop the tourists. Adequate police presence there. End of July will not be foggy. It is just now the beginning of June gloom, which followed May Grey. Of all the suggestions of things to see, I would also suggest Venice Beach. I don't think there's anything like it in New York. If you have to choose between Santa Barbara or San Diego, I would choose San Diego. More to do there. Have a good trip.
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You might also think about Malibu and going to Getty Villa and Adamson house. If you go to Getty Villa you have to get a reservation for parking (can be done on line). It is best on Saturday less traffic. Also have you thought about Avalon on Santa Catalina Island? We were there a few days before fire but Avalon was not damaged by fire. Also agree with Huntington Libary and gardens in San Marino and Getty Center. If you want to avoid traffic southbound to San Diego you could go to Santa Barbara gardens, mission and red tile tour and courthouse, Solvang, San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, Paso robles wine area, and Hearst castle in San Simeon just to name a few.
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Hi zago,
I find the back-and-forth within this thread hilarious. :-) You might want to check out http://www.la2day.com for alternative ideas of things to do/see/eat in the LA area (once you are finished with seeing the "major" tourist spots). Enjoy the trip!! |
zago -
My husband and I went to L.A. for 3 days a few months ago (I have been very late in getting up my trip report). We had a blast and thought that we could have just used 1 more day. So, I would suggest 4 days. We really enjoyed L.A. and ran into very little traffic. Here was our itinerary: Saturday - Universal Studios. We did the VIP tour, which was very fun. Yes, it is a touristy experience but is a fun way to see a very nicely put together studio tour. I would suggest spending the extra money and doing the VIP tour. Sunday - Downtown L.A./Mulholland Drive/Hollywood - We walked around downtown L.A. and Hollywood by ourselves. Did the 1 hour double decker bus tour which I would NOT recommend. Then did the beautiful ride up through Mulholland Drive. Monday - Rodeo Drive/La Brea Tar Pits/Santa Monica beach - This was a fun day, just walking through Rodeo Drive, then stopping at the La Brea Tar Pits and hitting the beach for an hour before dinner (but it was March so it was too chilly to spend time at the beach itself). Things that I wanted to see but wasn't able to: Getty Center and Paramount Pictures studio tour and Japanese Museum of Art (but we are going to San Fran at the end of this month so I think we will probably hit the Asian Art museum there, which is supposed to be nicer). San Diego is wonderful. If I were you, I would start your trip by driving straight up to Santa Barbara, and wind your way down through L.A. to San Diego --- so spend 2 to 3 days in Santa Barbara area visiting the wineries, etc., then head to L.A. for 4 or 5 days, then head to San Diego for 2 or 3 days. I think that would be a wonderful trip and you would get a great mix of city versus natural beauty. In San Diego, if you have any interest in nature, you should check out the tide pools --- very cool and you get great views of the city. |
Universal can be covered in one day??? We are planning a trip in August with my 18 yr old. Will be doing other events in the 4-5 day stay-- Just curious is Universal could be covered and really enjoyed in 1 day! !?? Thanks!!! Lisa W Mississippi |
Absolutely, it can be done in 1 day |
More than 1 day in Universal would be boring. We saw EVERYTHING including every show and rode several of the rides twice at Universal --- got there around 10:00 and left at 7, I believe. You could absolutely skip some of the shows or rides and be out of there much earlier.
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VIP Studio tour...is it part of the admission to Universal??
Is it at the same location as the park or I have to go somewhere else? Same entrance? |
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