Hello,
Thanks guys, your help is fantastic.We are a Family of five(12B.,9B. & 5G.) arriving from australia, Staying in anaheim for 8 nights. 3day disney pass, 1 day universal. Hoping to drive to san diego and see leggo world and then return another day and see san diego zoo.
I would like some advice about what to see in hollywood, where to park the car what parts to walk and what bits to drive. Should i just pay the money and do a tour?
My husband is pretty keen on seeing Muscle beach?Is saturday a good day to see hollywood area from anaheim. Is it possible to do all in one day? So much to see so little time.
Can't Wait.
Thanks

Where to start...?

Hollywood, first of all, is one rather small neighborhood of Los Angeles, which is a sprawling city of nearly 4 million people. If you're going to use Anaheim as your headquarters, it is another town, in another county (Orange County), over 33 miles from Hollywood. To Venice Beach (and Muscle Beach), you are going to drive 40 miles. To Universal Studios, 36 miles. To Carlsbad (where Legoland is-- in San Diego County), it's 60 miles. And finally, to San Diego and the Zoo, about 92 miles.

That's a LOT of highway time. Just FYI.

Hollywood itself is worth maybe three hours of your time, tops. Park at the Hollywood/Highland entertainment complex, walk up and down Hollywood Blvd., grab a bite at Hollywood/Highland, get in your car and head somewhere else. Most people's concept of "Hollywood" is very elusive-- it's a state of being rather than a geographic location. And the greater LA area is much richer.

Fact is, given your itinerary so far, you have little time for anything other that Disney, Universal Studios and two day trips to San Diego. That's six days out of the eight full and two partial. It's a rather exhausting pace.

My 17 year old Goddaughter and I were in LA for 4 days last month. We also did Universal. It was fantastic! She's still talking about it daily! However, I thought it was impossible to wear out a teenager.....she was completely wiped out! So just a heads up....after 3 days in Disney, a day in Universal and a day doing the SD zoo AND Lego world! You are all going to be exhausted! I highly recommend putting something off for another visit, and giving yourselves some "down" time. Maybe do San Diego in the future. I know you are coming from Australia, but you have a lot of plans for 8 nights.

FYI, we were staying in Santa Monica and, of course, went to Venice beach to walk around and I was telling her all about "Muscle beach". Granted it was a Tuesday, but there was not one single person there. (at muscle beach that is, not Venice) But, your kids will probably LOVE Venice for the funky shops. Nearby in Santa Monica is the 3rd street promenade. It's about 8 blocks long, lined with stores and restaurants and ends in a huge mall. The road is closed to traffic, so it's fun to walk and people watch.

Oh, we also did Hollywood/Highland and saw the theater and the stars in the sidewalk. Found street parking without a problem only a block away. It was fun to see, but only took about an hour. The Kodak theater is there too, which is where the oscars are held. Lucy got a kick out of walking up the stairway that all her favourite stars walked up.

Again, you are really planning to do a lot! As someone else mentioned, Anaheim is a bit out of the way. You may consider staying there during your Disney days, then moving to Santa Monica, or somewhere a little more central for the rest of your trip.

Have fun!!!!
Andiamo

FYI: traffic is an event. We were in So. Cal. a few days ago, and tried to go to Malibu from Santa Monica--took 90 minutes at about 5mph! By the time we got there I was ready to pull out my hair. We just kept going. I underestimated the driving in LA. We spent more time in the car than anything else. Good Luck

Are your 8 days in Anaheim set in stone? If not, given your interests, it makes MUCH more sense to stay 2 nights in San Diego, 3 or 4 nights in Anaheim and the rest somewhere in western LA County like Sant Monica.

If 8 days in Anaheim stay is a must - then just be prepared to fully half of some of your days stuck in traffic.

I'm glad janis brought up the idea of NOT spending all eight days in Anaheim. I think that's a wise suggestion-- and not just because of traffic; there are just so many nicer parts of southern California where you can find lodging (Anaheim is pretty much suburban Generica outside of the Rathole-- er, Disney parks).

People from outside the area don't have an appreciation of the vastness of this region nor of the traffic that locals deal with (and learn to avoid) on a daily basis. I can tell you that, for every one route I choose to a given destination in a given day, I will have two to four alternate routes playing in my head depending on the traffic. Santa Monica to Malibu is a tough nut to crack (most outsiders can only imagine PCH as the route up), but there are dozens of ways to get there if PCH is tied up. They're just not as pretty (and mark my words-- it's a beautiful drive up there).

Muscle Beach is more of a weekend event, as andiamo can affirm. But Venice is a lot of fun, so just go.

I agree-do not stay in Anaheim your whole visit. There is nothing around there except Disneyland. Maybe do two days at Disneyland, then head out to San Diego for 2 days, then back to Los Angeles.

Saturday is a good day to drive from Anaheim to Hollywood, first, because there is less traffic, and secondly, because you do not want to go to Disneyland on a Saturday! You might want to combine that with the visit to Muscle beach on the Saturday. As for Universal, go during the week, just leave Anaheim early (like before 6:30 am) or late (like after 9am). You should not have a problem with traffic going back. San Diego is problematic. I would leave after 9. Weekend traffic is pretty bad headed south, I think I'd go mid-week. As you can see, traffic traffic traffic.

I don't see the problem with using Anaheim as a central base. It is cheap and centrally located. And the background level of traffic congestion on the westside is much much worse. If you want to visit a beach you are not far from Huntington, Newport or Laguna. (Of course, being from Australia it's probably not a high priority). You are probably used to being exhaused with three children in that age range!

Dear Gidday,
Hi! Just a quick but very helpful tip for Hollywood touring I wish Id had:
The night my husband and I flew into CA we drove straight to see the "Hollywood" sign b/c I just couldnt wait until morning! We circled for hours looking for those infamous white letters. Although this is probably painfully obvious to those that live there, I should inform you as a visitor that the sign isnt lit at night (at least not when we were there a few years ago). Ok, so we got a good laugh at it. Its like, who goes to Hollywood and CANT FIND the huge sign!? So, dont make the same mistake we did-go in the daylight Have a great time!