Hi Guys,

I am always amazed by the wonderful people on this forum who share their valuable knowledge and guide others.

I am trying to figure out what is the best way to enjoy LA in 2 full days (my second trip) with my wife (2 adults). I have shortlisted some of the places but I am confused which one to cover in the morning or evening.

1. Walt Disney Concert Hall (luckily I am staying downtown)

2. Disneyland Park ( I have seen the Calf. Advanture last time)

3. Beaches: Venice, Long, and Laguna beach ( I saw Santa Monica and malibu last time so I want to go south this time)

4. A drive on Sunset strip/Sunset blvd

5. Getty Center

Please let me scheduling my itinerary for the above places. Any new places, comments, suggestions are always welcome.

Really appreciate your kind help on this.

~Thanks a ton
Yogi

You have picked places spread over an area the size of some states and only have 2 days. Disneyland is a full day trip -- so you only have 1 day free. And you are staying downtown so everything you want to see is a long drive. Getting to and touring the Getty is about 4 hours if you eat there too.

You will edit to edit a bit

I think you can easily do drive out Sunset, Venice Beach, Getty Center, and Disney Concert Hall in one day. I would do it in that order, except check the schedule for Disney to be sure there is something that you can get a ticket for. You can only see the actual concert hall during a performance, otherwise it is a walk around the outside and the lobby areas. I would agree that Disneyland itself is a full day. I live in Long Beach and would skip it. Laguna is quite far from downtown and probably best saved for another trip.

Which two days of the week? Getty is open until 9pm on Saturdays, and you can have dinner there, too.

Two full days is indeed too short for all the things you list. The most manageable plan in general is mlgb's. The only thing you'll have time to see south of LA will be Disneyland. I also live in Long Beach and think that you can happily skip it. There are some cool things there, but not so incredible that you should squeeze them in (besides, they do take a bit of time to see and appreciate). Same thing for the beaches of Orange County.

Just to add to the day of week issue, Saturday is by far the worst day to go to Disneyland!

Thank you so much guys for your advice. I really appreciate that. Based on your inputs I am chaning my itinerary.

You can hit Disneyland, NOT stay all day there, then drop down to Newport Beach/Huntington Beach areas.

Or further up, visit Redondo/Manhattan/Hermosa beaches.

Getty Museum MIGHT be closed on Mondays ???? I'm not sure but check it out first.

Two days just isn't much time at all, you need at least 4, if not 5 days.

Also consider the Peterson Auto Museum if staying downtown.

Peterson Auto museum isn't downtown?
But Japanese American National museum is (janm.org).

Check Disney's website. If they are having the fireworks it is MOST worthwhile to be inside Disneyland, in the Main Street area to see them. The music and special lighting effects inside make the show 10x better than what you can see from outside the park. Therefore if you are not spending the entire day at Disneyland (which considering how much it will cost, is foolish), be there for the evening.

You can take a tour of the Disney Concert hall that gets you inside the actual hall if there are no performances. If you are an architecture buff, I would also walk two more blocks and see the new Catholic Cathedral.

I'd skip Disneyland; it's the one oddball and out-of-the way part of the whole trip.

Well, last year when I asked about the public tour, they said it NEVER goes inside the concert hall because it is also used for rehearsals. So I would check that fact out.

Maybe my situation was unusual. I paid for the $15 tour and went into the Concert hall. I even have the pictures to prove it. <g> There wasn't a rehearsal or performance going on.

FYI on Disney Hall, you can always call to confirm this from their on-line brochure:

Tour information: 213.972.4399 or musiccenter.org
Tickets are available at the lobby box office. Due to near constant rehearsal
and maintenance schedules, the auditorium is not included on tours.

Even without going inside the actual concert area, the audio tour of the WDCH is worth while. The structure itself and the public areas, such as the garden are very interesting. Second the recommendation re the Cathedral IF you go inside--the interior is what makes it interesting in my opinion.

I agree with SAB. The Concert Hall is a modern architectural masterpiece and the inside of the Cathedral has some of the most beautiful contemporary tapestries I've ever seen.

Personally, I would skip Disneyland and spend your two days in L.A. Disneyland is out of the way (an hour south of L.A.) and will take a full day. My recommendation:

Day 1: Downtown
Tour Disney Concert Hall and the Cathedral. Other sights to consider: L.A. Public Library, MOCA, Hotel Figueroa. If it's not a weekend (when it's way too crowded/crazy), end your day with a cocktail on the rooftop of the Standard Downtown.

Day 2: Westside
Drive from Downtown to the Getty Center via Sunset Blvd. It's a long drive, but you'll get to see many different parts of the city this way. Tour the Getty Center. Head to Venice Beach for dinner & sunset views. I'd recommend C&O Trattoria, right near the beach. You might have to wait a bit for a table, but it's a fun environment.

Good luck!

MikeT--Those tapestries are amazingly beautiful--they are the major reason I recommend a visit.

Thank you all again for the overwhelming reply to my questions. I respect this cumulative intelligence of the internet which is surely a wonderful way of communication in the internet world.

Appreciate your kind suggestions!

~Yogi

I wonder what is SAB referring to the beautiful tapestries ? Where are they located?

MikeT posted that the Catholic Cathedral--proper name the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels-- near WDCH has some of the most beautiful contemporary tapestries he has ever seen, I was agreeing.