Suzy

I've used this forum before with excellent results, so I'm hoping you guys will come thru again. My husband and I are going to be visiting LA for three days in late November (over Thanksgiving week), and need to know if Santa Monica is a good place to stay. We are interested in seeing the sights in LA, like the Getty, Griffith Park, maybe Universal Studios, good restaurants, Hollywood,The Natural History Museum, comedy clubs, and some theatre (like plays, not movies.) We love the beach, so we thought that SM would be a good choice. We are thinking of staying at the Channel Road Inn, as well. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

michele

Suzy,
Santa Monica is a good location for visiting the beach and the Getty. Universal, Griffith Park, and Hollywood are on the other side of town. The Natural history musuem is closer to downtown. As Los Angeles is spread-out you won't be able to stay in one place that is close to all of the attractions.You just have to drive.
There are lots of restaurants and small theatres in Santa Monica and if the weather is good (should be) you are near the beach.
Channel Inn has an excellent reputation.

Hope that helps.

tom o

I only had a one-day stopover in LA this summer and stayed at a holiday inn on 405 near westwood--it's pretty balnd but centrally locatd and right next to the getty (and has a shuttle)--as I recall the getty just changed its rules so I don't think you need a parking pass after 6 or so--so that might be another way to go there--but santa monica is great--a number of hotels near the 3d street promenade

Gary

Suzy:

Santa Monica is a great place to stay. Just keep in mind that you'll be doing some cross-town driving to visit some of the places you mentioned. But route-planning and time-of-day planning should make the drving experience relatively pain-free.

Doubtless, you've already looked at a map. You might want to combine Hollywood, Griffith Park and the Natural History Museum into one excursion. If it were me, I'd take the 10 from Santa Monica to the 405 North to Sunset Boulevard and head east. That will take you past Bel Air, UCLA, and through Beverly Hills, including the intersection with Rodeo Drive and past the Beverly Hills Hotel. The next town is West Hollywood. Along this stretch, Sunset Blvd. is filled with cafes, music clubs, Tower Records, the Comedy Store (the Improv is one major block south on Melrose), and House of Blues. Mann's Chinese and the Walk of Fame are one major block north on Hollywood Blvd. After that, Griffith Park can be reached by continuing down Hollywood to Los Feliz. The park is a great place for a picnic, and, if you're lucky, somebody will be filming something that day (lots of TV and movie scenes are in Griffith Park). Don't miss the Observatory. After that, you could head past downtown L.A. and visit the Natural History Museum. Note that if it's a school day, parking will be difficult--USC is across the street. I also recommend a walk through Exposition Park (the museum is park of the park complex); visit the Rose Garden and the Peristyle end of Memorial Coloseum.

One other suggestion, though it doesn't conform to the post's title: friends of mine who recently visited got a great deal at a downtown L.A. hotel. They stayed at the Wyndham Checkers, but I've also heard there are good rates at the Biltmore and the Wilshire Grand. You wouldn't be near the beach, but would be more centrally located to some of the things you mentioned, including theater--the Music Center (Mark Taper Forum has drama) is within walking distance of the downtown hotels, as are some excellent restaurants.

Gary

Suzy:

Forgot to mention the obvious in my previous post: If you do stay in Santa Monica, Third Street Promenade is a great place to visit at might--lots of restaurants, clubs, and there are theaters, including the Santa Monica Playhouse. There is a web site:

http://thirdstreetpromenade.com/

BillJ

I did this once, but it disappeared, so here it is again.
Suzy, we stayed at Channel Road Inn in Santa Monica about a year ago. They have a web site I'm sure you've checked out. A very fine B&B, nice breakfast, nice folks, only a block or so from the beach. They have bicycles you can use, and bike along miles of paved bike path on the beach. Rooms are very nice, and we decided we would stay there again.
The staff can tell you the best place to park for Getty. You cannot drive to the museum. You park in several designated areas scattered around the area. Shuttle buses serve the parking lots and take you to the bottom of the hill. From there, you ride a tram or bus up the hill to the museum. It is truely incredible. You will love it. Plan about a full day. We got there by 10 or so, and by 4 we had seen it, but other folks need longer. There are several food alternatives available, and some great views of the LA basin.
The shopping and restaurants are great in Santa Monica, in a very compact area. Star sightings are not unusual. We saw Gary Shandling.
I think you'll really like the B&B. Have fun!