L.A. trip report
 

Thanks everyone who helped me with info for my L.A. trip.

We covered so much in a week--Hollywood (El Capitan show, Disney Soda Shoppe, Kodak Theater tour, Mann's Chinese and Walk of Fame), Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive (including the trolley), Malibu beaches, Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel, Third Street Promenade, scooter on Venice Beach, La Brea Tar Pits/Page Museum, Getty Museum, American Girl Place (cafe, theater and two dolls), Universal Studios, CityWalk, Olvera Street, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Sunset Boulevard cruise, Pink's Hotdogs, Farmer's Market, the Grove, that sandwich dip restaurant, etc.

It was fun. Thanks.

thanks for the in depth report...

Anne , what hotel did you end up staying at and how was it?

How long did it take you to tour Malibu beaches, Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel, Third Street Promenade and Venice Beach?

We ended up staying at the Sportsmen's Lodge because of the price. My husband liked the price and the pool; my kids loved the pool--it was the big selling point for them. I personally didn't care for the fact that the hotel is old and faded, but the beds were comfortable and the rooms were more spacious than usual. It seems like my family liked the hotel more than I did. Also, I could see now why people were saying that distance-wise, it would be closer to sights if we stayed in L.A. as we did drive back and forth over the hills. We did have a car, so it was okay. The Sportsmen's Lodge is on Ventura Boulevard, which has a lot of restaurants, including California Pizza, which is a celebrity-spotting site. Also, it's across from Ralph's Supermarket and Starbucks--great for supplies, coffee. Next time, I will try the Farmer's Daughter, which is in L.A. itself and is next to the Grove and seems newer looking.

We did both Santa Monica (pier and Third Street Promenade) and Venice Beach one day. We basically just did one ride at the pier, the ferris wheel for the ocean views (because we already went to Universal Studios earlier that week). The kids rode their scooters along Venice Beach. And we ate dinner at Third Street and Promenade. We didn't hang out at the beach in Santa Monica, just walked through it.

However, we spent a whole day in Malibu. We went to Paradise Cove Beach, ate at the restaurant and played at the beach for a couple of hours. Nice family spot. Then we went to Zuma Beach to walk around and get coffee at the Malibu Starbucks.

Back to Sportsmen's Lodge--my husband says he would go back, I say I won't. The kids would go back for the pool.

If there's a next time, I would probably try Farmer's Daughter, as I mentioned, or the Hollywood Orchid Suites, because the Hollywood area didn't seem as seedy as some people said it would be... but then again I grew up in San Francisco, so I'm used to big cities...

Highlights for my kids--

1. The American Girl Place--they loved getting their dolls, watching the American Girl Musical Revue and eating in the cafe with their dolls.

2. Universal Studios, of course

3. Disney El Capitan Theater and Soda Shoppe--they liked watching "Underdog" in the fancy ornate theater, watching the live pre-show dog act and organ music and eating at the soda shoppe.

4. Malibu Beach--surf, sand, a cove to explore--everything a kid loves.

5. Olvera Street--they liked buying pink folding fans and looking at the Mexican jumping beans

Highlight for my husband was the Getty Center--he was impressed. Low on his list was the American Girl Place--he thought we spent too much money on that one place, he, he...