How should we spend our time in L.A.?
 

July 8th, 2010 we will be heading towards L.A. to board the Mariner of the Seas for a Mexican Riveria cruise. Since we don't need to be at the port for the ship till July 11th, we would like to spend a few days in L.A. and see the sights. How can we use our 3 days wisely seeing the sights?

L.A. is big and spread out with lots of attractions. What sights do YOU want to see?

You should visit the Getty. The scenery is worth the visit by itself.

You don't say where you are staying. What you don't want to do is spend three days sitting in the car, which is easy to do in LA.

I enjoy the beach paths in Redondo, Hermosa and Redondo. Nice communities with great California character.

Similarly, I like walking around Balboa Island.

If you've never driven across Mulholland Drive after dark, you should do so.

Go to Hollywood. Park at the Kodak Center. Walk around and look at the sidewalk stars. See the Chinese Theatre. People watch.

My favorite LA things:
Fairfax district, Farmer's Market & the Grove
Olvera Street & Chinatown
Walk of Stars & Melrose Avenue
La Brea Tar Pits
Venice, Santa Monica & Pacific Palisades

The Getty Villa in Malibu is a nice place to visit, great scenery and interesting exhibits. You could also stop in Santa Monica and walk the Promenade, either before or after the Getty.

I would choose some of these attractions, not knowing your budget or interests.

Farmer's Market: http://www.farmersmarketla.com/

Griffith Park Observatory: http://www.griffithobs.org/

Getty Museum: http://www.getty.edu/visit/

Hollywood Television Taping

La Brea Tar Pits and other Museums: http://www.tarpits.org/

Beach: Santa Monica or Malibu Area

A couple of fun meals might be at the Chateau Marmont outdoor patio for lunch, and at Cantor's Deli for a midnight (or anytime) snack. Both are fun for celebrity sightings (as is the Farmer's Market).

Here's a hotel I'm interested in, because it's in the former revolving skyscraper overlooking the freeway, and is near the Getty. http://jdvhotels37-px.trvlclick.com/

I also like staying at the Magic Castle Hotel http://www.magiccastlehotel.com/, and going to the Magic Castle http://www.magiccastle.com/, Yamashiro Japanese Restaurant http://www.yamashirorestaurant.com/info.html (amazing view and part of movie history). This is near the Hollywood Bowl, Grauman's Chinese Theater, and Hollywood Blvd. at its cheesiest.

Another cluster of sites, near the Union Station, is Olvera Street http://www.olvera-street.com/, The Disney Concert Hall http://www.laphil.com/, the new and dramatic cathedral http://www.olacathedral.org/

With three days, you could also base yourselves in Pasadena, which is lovely and relaxed, with good restaurants, hikes, and museums, as well as easy L.A. freeway access. The Langham Hotel is historic and beautiful http://pasadena.langhamhotels.com/en/

Some Pasadena sights are:

The Huntington Library and Gardens http://huntington.org/
The Norton Simon Museum http://www.nortonsimon.org/
The Pacific Asia Museum; http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org/
The Gamble House http://www.gamblehouse.org/index.html
Descanso Gardens http://www.descansogardens.org/site/

Kailani, the Angeleno Hotel overlooking the 405 has a penthouse lounge and restaurant, but it doesn't (and never did) revolve. It's an old Holiday Inn. The only revolving rooftop bar in L.A. is on top of the Bonaventure Hotel downtown.

The charming Balboa Island mentioned by stumpworks73 is about 40 miles (60 minutes) from L.A.

txlady42, as long as others are tossing out random ideas, here's a few more:

See a Dodgers/Cubs game at Dodger Stadium.

Go to the Hollywood Bowl and hear the H.B. Orchestra perform Beatles' classics, or go to the Greek Theater and see Chris Botti. "South Pacific" will be playing at the Ahmanson Theater in downtown L.A., and "In the Heights" will be at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood.

Hike in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Visit the Grammy Museum or the Museum of Contemporary Art, both in downtown L.A., or the Peterson Auto Museum and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, both in the mid-Wilshire area.

As a point of reference in revolving restaurants, while true the Bonaventure Hotel is the only one currently that revolves, the Hyatt downtown (7th & Flower) used to have one until it broke, about 10 years ago, and the Renaissance Hollywood (formerly the Holiday Inn) has a pretty spectacular revolving restaurant while still the Holiday Inn. Not that I'm keeping track or anything, but I loved those things!

As far as lodging, my husband travels a good bit, so we will hopefully be using hilton points.

A lot of great places have already been mentioned but I also recommend spending a leisurely afternoon in Pasadena looking at old books in their various used book stores (such as Book Alley on E. Colorado, and you can also get lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, which is always a plus), taking a drive up and down the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway, and make sure you stop and visit at least one abandoned beach you find along the way, great for taking pictures and walking in the surf), and trying the designer cupcakes at Sprinkles in Beverly Hills (be prepared for a long line). If you have any kids with you, or if you're really into movies, Universal Studios Hollywood is also a fun way to spend a day.

Griffith Observatory at dusk
Farmers market/The Grove
Huntington Library in San Marino