HELP!! Los Angeles for 4 days
 

My girlfriend and I will be in Los Angeles from Wednesday to Saturday and are not sure what to do. Any recommendations for a surf school? Also how long does it take to get to Malibu and Santa Barbara and what is there to do there? How expensive is Universal Studios? We are not big museum people but love the outdoors. Any suggestions for places to eat? Thanks so much

Depends where you are in Los Angeles how long it will take (LA is one spread out city). Malibu is right up the coast beyond Venice and Santa Monica. The board walk at Venice Beach and the pier and pallisades at Santa Monica are unique spots to hang out. In downtown I get a kick out of the old Chinatown, Olvera Street, walk of the stars and the old theater, Hollywood Blvd, Melrose Ave, La Brea tar pits. No shortage of restaurants in any of these locations.

Doesn't Universal Studios have a website or toll free number to get the answer to that particular question?

We usually get in free to Universal or get discounted tickets at the grocery store (coupons), but I think it's around $50, not including the VIP pass (which we had this summer and was amazing!).

Malibu is about a 20 min. drive from Santa Monica, and Santa Barbara is about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on traffic.

Surfrider and Zuma both have good surfing spots, but I don't recall there being a surf school at either. Pacific Beach down in San Diego is your best bet for surf schools and rentals, and the surf down there is much easier to handle.

Hi. I'm an LA native. Lived here all my life. Just want to make sure that you know to get a rental car- the public trans is abominable. As for restaurants, Mama D's in Manhattan Beach, Natalee Thai in Beverly Hills and Culver City, Chaya Venice in Venice, Ca' Brea on the Eastside and Tantra in Silverlake are all phenomenal places. Most have websites so take a look at the menus. Cheers!

As far as places to eat, it depends on what you're looking for. Fancy schmancy?, which there are PLENTY of! Cheap, but good places? Tourist spots? Chinese? Japanese? Italian? Mexican?

Does anyone know how to post a reply to a certain member?

One question that hasn't been answered is: Where will you be staying in the LA area during those four days? As I often state, the greater Los Angeles area encompasses thousands of square miles and houses 10,000,000 people. There's a lot to do here. Literally <i>thousands</i> of things to do, see, experiences.

Surf school? Until you say where you'll be staying, it's pointless to recommend any. Besides, I know of some down in Orange County, but that won't help you if you're staying up in Santa Monica. And if you've got a hotel room in Norwalk or Pomona, surf school might be a bit pointless (since you'd be dozens of miles from the nearest beach).

Restaurants: There are 1,679 entries in the 2005 Los Angeles Zagat Survey, and it's already slightly out of date. There are thousands of unrated eateries in this area. And again, geography will play into our recommendations; I know some outstanding places in Long Beach (my hometown) and Santa Monica (where I work), but these cities are 32 miles apart; and what if you're in Hollywood, 14 miles from Santa Monica?

Universal Studios? Check this out:

http://themeparks.universalstudios.c...e/tickets.html

(The Internet is a marvelous thing.) By the way, unless you get the VIP tour, it's not very enlightening vis-&agrave;-vis the movie-making process; the base tour fills time to get you into the Theme Park. The Warner Brothers Tour is far, far better.

How old are you two? Will you have a car? Do you want Typical Touristy stuff, Edgy Hipster Touristy stuff, Weird &amp; Scandalous Touristy stuff, Elegant High-End Touristy stuff, what? And again-- where will you be staying?

Given how vast this area is, and how much there is to do, you'll have to cough up a bit more information.

And other than asking for other posters' e-mail addresses, there's no way to post user-specific replies on this forum.

go to my website - cubicvr.com, click on the California page, and read what I have to say about visits to LA, you'll like the advice.

On second thought - what the heck - the first thing you do is stop in the first store or drug store you can find and buy the cheapest styrofoam cooler you can get (because at the end of the trip you will be throwing it away or giving it away). Second thing is to buy a 12 pack or 24 pack of water, or pop if you prefer. Why ? Because a case of water is $4-5 bucks, but if you purchase a single BOTTLE of water it is routinely $2.65, if not over $2.

If you are 'movie tour' people I'd suggest Warner Brothers studios over Universal studios, you get much closer and get to go into several studios and sets.

RJW- I'd love it if you would someday post the perfect itinerary for a &quot;weekend in LA for native Californians!&quot; I need it! I've lived here all my life, driven through countless times, been to the highlights (Getty, Disneyland, Rodeo Drive, Venice, Descanso Gardens etc...) but not the rest!

I got this idea a few months ago when my son needed to be downtown at the UCLA Medical Center. I was driving around thinking... I didn't know LA had a &quot;real&quot; downtown!

Anyway, if you ever post it, I'll be sure to take you up on it!! :)

tommy, Fodors does not offer a way to send private message on this board. You can only send a private message if the person has included their email addy along with their author name.