Hollywood Area where to stay
 

I'm going to be visiting with friends and want to go to Universal Studios for a day. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to stay for a night? We will probably drive in on a Monday and half a day to site see and then the next day Universal. That is why we were thinking somewhere near Hollywood. I know areas can be seedy and or expensive. We would like to stay around $160 or under and possible walking distance to things. I was thinking only the night we drive in within the Hollywood-ish area and then we might move closer to the beach areas for another 2 nights. Any input would be appreciated

There are plenty of moderate priced hotels in that area, they are not either seedy or expensive, but I suppose that depends on your dates somewhat, and if you think anything over $160 is expensive, perhaps--that is a pretty low budget at many times for one night.

I used to work in Hollywood and hung out in W Hollywood a lot and that's where I would stay -- West Hollywood or Melrose area or West West Hollywood near Pacific Design Center/the Troubadour, etc.

For one night it doesn't really matter that much, one moderate hotel I recommend (and a friend really liked it) was the Elan near the Beverly Center, a fairly convenient central location. It may be more like $200-225, though. If you are going before Christmas, it is cheaper, closer to your price.
http://www.elanhotel.com/

I'd suggest Mama Shelter as a hip budget hotel, you should be able to get that for more like $180 a night. It's near the Chinese Theater, it's a fine location for one night.
http://www.mamashelter.com/en/los-angeles/rooms/

It's not "seedy".

Hollywood Celebrity Hotel is slightly above your budget at $169 but it does include breakfast and onsite parking.
When are you visiting? Prices vary depending on dates and whether it is during the week or on weekends.

Orchid Suites or The Celebrity if you are with friends, since you'll have more room.
In Manhattan Beach you might look at TheSeaViewInn.com, anything in Santa Monica would probably be twice as expensive.

LA's public transportation suffers in comparison to other cities -- BUT -- Hollywood and Universal Studios are both on a metro line. (Universal Studios runs shuttle buses back and forth from the metro stop, which is at the bottom of the hill, and the top.)

This is all a way of saying, that if you want to see Hollywood and you want to see Universal Studios, that you don't need to stay at either one as long as you stay near a metro stop.

The red line runs from North Hollywood to Downtown. Too bad you're not coming on the weekend; a lot of Downtown hotels drop their prices on the weekend, a lot. My sister has stayed at the Biltmore for $150 a night!

But, near the North Hollywood station is a Holiday Inn Express, North Hollywood. I've never been but the reviews on TripAdvisor look pretty good. (4.5 stars in 187 reviews, #42 of 347 hotels.)

Thank you all for taking your time to respond and offering great suggestion. It is much appreciated!