I'll be looking at colleges with my daughter at the beginning of March. We'll (probably) go see UCLA, Occidental, Chapman, USC, Claremont schools, and maybe go to UC Santa Barbara as well.

Any good ideas for a hotel for the LA portion of the trip? We'll have a car, so will need to be able to park. We won't spend a lot of time in the room, so anything clean and quiet is fine -- no frills necessary.

One friend suggested we stay in Santa Monica -- is this a good plan? If so, recommendations? Thanks so much.

There are several hotels in Culver City that are close to LAX (Radisson, Marriott and Sheraton). They have good freeway access for getting to Occidental, Chapman, UCSB and Claremont. You can take the freeway or surface streets to get to UCLA and USC. The hotels are likely to be cheaper than Santa Monica, and will definitely meet the clean and quiet criteria.

I can't give you specific hotel recommendations, because I live in the area and seldom stay at a hotel. But if I were visiting the colleges you mentioned, I would not stay in Santa Monica. It's far to the west of all of them except UCLA, which wouldn't be a bad drive. Get out a map and plot out their locations and you'll see what I mean.

There isn't one central place that is going to be convenient to all of those.

What I might do is stay in the community near the college which is your #1 choice just to get a feel for it.

For USC, the hotel would be the Radisson. For UCLA, there are a number of places in Westwood, the Hilgard House is worth looking into.

Hilgard House, around the corner from UCLA, is fine. Smaller place and parking is included in the rate. Nice safe neighborhood, casual dining etc within walking distance, student neighborhood. They usually post "special" rates about 45 days ahead...not sure what early March will bring but keep an eye on the "reservations form" page of their website.

If you stay here in Westwood or out in Santa Monica, be advised that Claremont, Occidental etc are way east on the other side of the traffic mess. So don't plan any early morning appointments out that way if you can help it. Try to get there and back between 11am and 3:30pm whenever possible.

Three central places we like to stay in Los Angeles are Le Parc Suite Hotel, Hotel Le Petit, and Le Montrose Suite Hotel. They all have large rooms, convenient parking, and they are all in residential neighbors.

HTTY

happytrailstoyou has suggested three hotels in West Hollywood. This is not a convenient location to any of these colleges, and is not especially freeway close. You will be struggling wth surface traffic (and parking) to no advantage.

Santa Monica is a very nice area but people usually recommend that for vacations, yours is more a 'business trip'. As others are getting at one way or the other you'll be doing some driving. I agree with the idea of staying close to your #1 choice, and go from there.

Wow -- thanks for so much advice! This will really help.

Now, in addition to seeing the schools, I hope we'll be able to include some fun sightseeing so the trip doesn't feel like all "work" (and therefore the schools will feel more fun). If we stay by a campus, I know there will be a lot of stuff we can easily do in the evenings. Is there anything to do if we were to stay in Culver City? (I really don't know LA at all!) And is there anything we should be sure to add to our itinerary for fun? (Daughter doesn't like museums too much, and the party/bar scene wouldn't be right either.)

Thanks again.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...el-Los_Angeles

Best base for me with a car for local flavor vibe

avoid the rooms in the addition too small...

www.betterbidding.com for best price bidding priceline.

Happy Hunting,

Culver City has upgraded their little pedestrian-oriented downtown area nicely, so you could look at galleries, stores, etc. But as far as "things to do" it is really only the Sony Studios tour which is during the day.

We know what your daughter doesn't like, but what does she like?

Fun thing to do at night would be Griffith Park Observatory.

At Culver City you aren't all that far from the beach. You could go to Venice Beach (or Santa Monica).

For "fun things to do" in Los Angeles I think of more downtown, like going to the old Chinatown, Olvera Street, the Farmers Market/the Grove, Melrose Ave, walk of the stars, La brea tar pits, Griffith Park, etc.

Hilgard House is lovely, and Westwood is a nice area to wander around and shop. The three hotels that I mentioned are close to a decent shopping mall (Westfield Culver City). Downtown Culver City has lots of nice restaurants and a movie theatre, and the beach is close by. If you want to add another university, Loyola Marymount University is close by, in Westchester. Santa Monica is also pretty easy to get to. I don't think there is as much to do around USC at night.

Thanks -- room booked at Hilgard House (which means my daughter should be able to spend extra time with her friend).

Griffith Park is on our list, and hopefully we'll have time to walk around some of the more interesting neighborhoods (though we'll have more time in the evenings if our days are spent on school tours). What does my daughter like? Funky shops (she buys all her clothes from Goodwill and similar shops and loves "found art"), film and TV (looking at screenwriting majors as one possibility), technology, and I think she might enjoy Venice Beach, although it seems like that's something we should do during daylight hours.

I've been looking at film and TV studios; do any of them have tours in the evenings? I couldn't find anything on my internet search?

Thanks again!

No visit to Loyola Marymount U.?

Its school of film and television is consistenly ranked up there with UCLA, USC and NYU, and its professors are closely tied into the industry.

It is one of the few colleges that offers a degree in Recording Arts. I

n case your DD is interested in those areas. It's tough to get into the Film and TV program, though. And I'm not sure we would have paid the tuition for just their liberal arts degree, to be honest.

Funky shops used to mean Melrose Blvd., but the recession has hit there pretty hard and there are more and more vacant storefronts. Here's a rundown of LA shopping areas: www.losangeles.com/shopping/

She might enjoy "It's a Wrap", a 2nd hand store that gets the wardrobe & props from the movie/tv studios. Each piece has a tag on it indicating which show it it was used on. www.itsawraphollywood.com/store-info.htm

I don't know of any studio tours in the evening, but some TV show sitcom tapings take place at 5pm. Check www.tvtickets.com

If she is interested in shopping as opposed to just looking, recommend the Out of the Closet thrift store chain and the larger Salvation Army thrift stores. The one in Santa Monica is good.

If there are no evening studio tours, then we'll schedule a daytime tour. Any preference as to the most interesting one? I'm sure this varies by person! We're more interested in seeing the workings of a studio than celebrity spottings. Any advice?

There's actually some cool "funky" clothing shops in Westwood Village that cater to UCLA students, most on Westwood Blvd. just south of campus by the clock tower. In fact, I got a very cool pair of faux leather platform boots for $15 I wear with jeans about 2 weeks ago. There's second hand shops in the Village as well.

Melrose remains relatively trendy w/that punk blend, but can be pricy, depending on the store.

There's also some good shops, and just a great walking pedestrian street at the 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica. Same for Main street SM, especially as you near Rose Ave.

I'm glad you're staying in the Village. We were just there this evening for a bite at California Pizza Kitchen and a drink and sports watching at Barney's Beanery. There, you can also visit the two historic movie theatres: the Fox Village, and the Bruin, both now owned by the Regency group. The inside of both theatres are stunning, but especially the Fox Village. Students get a good discount (any student i.d. works). Actually, I used my UCLA alumni card and got in at the student rate! Even if you don't want to see a movie, ask if they'll let you in to take a look at the inside, if they are between shows. My favorite movie theatre in the area, however, is the Magestic Crest on Westwood, just south of Wilshire. At night it's all lit up with sparkly neon lights, and inside there's murals of the Village from the 40's and 50's painted so that it lights up under black light. And stars shoot across the ceiling. Incredible!

Sounds great, surfer girl. Thanks also to you and others for "validating" my hotel choice!