LA 1st timer... HELP!!
 

Hi all, I'm a female solo traveller going to the US for the 1st time, not gonna rent a car so I'll depend a lot on public transport, shuttle (if any) and Uber/taxi.
I'll go to LA this summer, eta touch down LAX by 18th of July 2016 around 14.00pm. I want to go to Disneyland 1st from here so my would be itinerary is:
18July touch down LAX go straight to Anaheim (Hotel TBC, I wanna stay super near Disneyland, maybe Super8 Anaheim Maingate or Americas Best Value Astoria Inn & Suites, need advice on this)
19July play at the park
20July play at the park (is 2 and half days too long? I love Disneyland)
21July morning (10-11ish am) move to LA (need advice on transport, better to get Uber or any shuttle/public transport)
21July-26July free time in LA,
I wanna do Universal Studio, Six Flag Magic Mountain Santa Clarita (better just take Uber or via public transport??), Runyon Canyon Hike, Griffith Park/Obs walk, Hollywood touristy thing like walk of fame etc (but maybe can be done in like half a day?), take a stroll/sightseeing in Beverly Hills like rodeo drive, melrose ave, etc, Getty Villa in Malibu (how to get there without a car??), shopping, Maybe do a stroll Santa Monica-Venice via boardwalk (have no idea of what it is but some travel forum suggested it).

FYI I love walking and do sightseeing enjoy scene of the new place that I visit (so safety of the area is no.1), that's why I'm hooked with travelling alone all over Europe because I found it is convenient to walk/convenient public transport in Europe (I came from a city that is probably has the worst traffic in the world, so no driving in LA for me thankuverymuch). I don't do clubs, I love window shopping, and I love to eat.

Thus, my ultimate question is:
- Where to stay? Santa Monica, Hollywood or Downtown? (My budget's quite minimum so am pretty much down to option like USA Hostel Hollywood or Hostelling International Santa Monica, I never experience any stay in any hostel in any part of the world, so I also need a review or advice on those 2 hostels too, is it a bad idea? or I have another option of staying at Miyako Hotel Downtown)

27July super early morning like 6ish am depart LA (so going to LAX, gonna take Uber)

I heard that there'll be extension of subway rail going all the way to Santa Monica from downtown that'll be open somewhere this year (May'16 I heard), but it'll pass culver city etc, so is it safe? I need insight from locals.

I never use Uber in my life because where I live we all have cars and we drive and drive and drive all the way to heaven (thus the bad traffic), so I wanna know how convenient is taking Uber in LA? Is it okay to take Uber like at night 10ish pm or early morning like 6am?

Many thanks in advance to whoever reply with helpful advice and insights!

First and foremost, Los Angeles without a car will be an experience in frustration. There aren't that many cabs or Uber drivers. Public transportation can be iffy.

It's probably cheaper to get a car than to rely on Uber.

Here are a lot of Southern California things to do.

I have included both Gettys, Huntington Library, Griffith Observatory, the Broad, Farmers Market and dozens more.most in the L.A. area.

<B>http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/california-dreaming-1/</B>

Fern Dell to Griffith Observatory is a wonderful hike...you can go further from there if you like.

<B>http://www.simpsoncity.com/hiking/griffith/ferndell.html</B>

Feel free to ask me any questions. Have a great trip.

((H))

I'm from L.A. County. Good luck, without a car, to do all the things that you want to do.

Happy Travels!

Thanks for the reply, ok so, car matter aside, pls kindly advice which place I should stay like whether in Hollywood, Santa Monica or Downtown?
Also, I wanna ask about prepaid card for internet mobile, is it better to buy one or just rely on wifi in like Starbucks or shopping malls?

You very seriously need to reconsider getting a car. LA is not a city for walking like those in europe - or NY, Boston, SF or Chicago. It is really made up of a large number of connected suburbs with very limited public transit which could really limit what you are able to see and do.

While you might be able to get from A to B via public transit it could easily take one or more changes and 2 hours or more to do a 30 minute trip by car.

You say, "that's why I'm hooked with travelling alone all over Europe because I found it is convenient to walk/convenient public transport in Europe"

Los Angeles is NOT like that.
Look at a map of Los Angeles, and plot the places you want to visit. You will see a pattern: they are NOT clustered together.

Please take our advice on this. I have lived in southern California, my son lives there now. We have tons of experience there. We would not dream of trying to visit without a car. We even rent one when visiting our son, because he needs his car and we need a car-- it would not be realistic to expect him to drive us everywhere, as well as do his own work.

To be honest, I don't think LA traffic is all that bad. I just stay off the interstates, and go through the neighborhoods. It's more scenic and less stressful.

If you absolutely will not get a car, then you might consider the train:
https://www.amtrak.com/pacific-surfliner-train

"Connecting San Luis Obispo and San Diego through Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, the Pacific Surfliner offers a unique vantage on the Southern California seascape. . . .

Starting at the southern end of the route, you'll find an almost endless list of attractions in the sun-splashed city of San Diego. Take in a thrilling aquatic show at SeaWorld®. Stroll by the many shops and restaurants of the Gaslamp Quarter. Or take a sandy step back in time at the grand old Victorian beachfront Hotel del Coronado.

Heading north, the route takes you directly through Anaheim, making the Pacific Surfliner your ticket to a worry-free trip to Disneyland® and Disney California Adventure® Park."

This option would keep you by the ocean, and you could rent bikes at different stops to get around closeby. The cities you could visit are great ones.

Where are you coming from?

For what you want to do (which sounds mostly like going to amusement parks), as a solo traveler without a car, the proposal just screams book a tour for Los Angeles. And by that, I mean an "all inclusive" type of tour that will book you into hotels, drive you around, and take you to all of these places. And you won't be alone. And you'll be safe. And it will probably end up costing you a lot less than doing it yourself by yourself.

I say this because:
(1) I've been going to all of the theme parks in the Los Angeles area for over 50 years; and
(2) Know the great distances between the theme parks in the area, which, except for Universal, can only be reached by car (or a tour bus).

DISNEYLAND:
Uber, while now plentiful and are allowed to and from the airport, will not work to get you from LAX to Anaheim . . . much too expensive. There are buses that will take you from LAX to one or more hotels at Disneyland. Alternatively, there is, as Tabernash2 noted. One is public transport via taking a shuttle at LAX to the Metro Green Line, but getting to Union Station involves using 3 Metro Lines (the green, the blue, and the red or purple) and with luggage, forget it!). There is also a flyaway bus to Union Station (best bet). Now the Surfliner travels from Union Station to Anaheim (where Disneyland is located) about once an hour or so. It takes about 50 minutes to get there by train. However, once you are at the Anaheim station, you need to find your way to your hotel, which will mean uber, more public transport, or taxi. All in all, anticipate 3 hours to get there from LAX, wait time included.

See link below options getting to Union Station:
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/amtrak-lax-39890.html


MAGIC MOUNTAIN:
Magic Mountain is way the heck north of mid-city LA on I-5, and really only accessible by car, not by public transport. I'm located at the I-405 in West Los Angeles, and it takes me a good 30 minutes with NO TRAFFIC to drive to Magic Mountain. While that may have happened 25 years ago, you're living in Fantasyland if you think you can make it there these days in 30 minutes. Double that time. Again, depending on where you stay in LA, I don't think anyone would be willing to UBER you to and from Magic Mountain, unless you paid a LOT of money to make it worth their while. You'd probably spend less hiring a limo for the day!

UNIVERSAL:
Universal is really the easiest to get to by public transportation, since it is located on one of our Metro subway/light rail lines. The thing is, it drops you off at the bottom of a steep hill, and Universal Studios is at the top of the hill. I suspect there are shuttles to Universal from the station, but because I drive up there, I'm not sure.

Your question about hotels:
Either the hostel in SM or one of the 2 in Hollywood would work fine for you. I would check with each of them in terms of: (1) availability, and (2) what amenities they offer. For example, some hostels have tour trips you can join that goes to Magic Mountain or Universal, which would be perfect for you. Also mind the reviews of each of the hostels, since one might be more of a party atmosphere than you'd like. From a single woman safety standpoint, I'd feel safer at the Santa Monica location than the Hollywood ones. The one on Schrader south of Hollywood is probably a little safer than the one on Hollywood Blvd. itself, but Hollywood as a whole, is fairly mixed. I would not venture north of Hollywood Blvd. alone at night unless you are walking on a major street like Highland.

Something strange here - the OP expects to stay in hostels and take cabs all over ? Must be a troll.

Rethink the car.
From Hollywood, which has halfway decent public transport to Six Flags takes 1 metro and 2 buses and will take 90-120 minutes ONE WAY.
From Hollywood to Getty Villa will take two buses, one of which is a local with many stops, and will take 60-90 minutes ONE WAY.
Disneyland is great, but is in another county an hour drive south of Los Angeles so good you will stay there for your visit.
LA is just not a walking city and although our public transport is getting better it still has a long way to go. We just cannot compete with Europe and places like New York. LA was based on the car.

What you need to know to get from Los Angeles to Magic Mountain 6 Flags - http://www.santaclaritatransit.com/s...agic-mountain/
My grandkids live in Stevenson Ranch and they only go 3 times a year.

>><i>Thanks for the reply, ok so, car matter aside,</i><<

Please don't put that 'aside'. Reality check -- the Los Angeles Basin isn't some ancient, walkable European city. It is almost <u>5000 square miles</u> and the areas you want to visit are spread over more than half the region . . . so no it isn't realistic to try this by public transport or uber.

Some people certainly can manage a trip to LA w/o a car, but not visiting the places on your list. You will either have to take tours or rent a car -- OR change the wish list.

Or take the train

Thank you all for replying and being helpful, I understand that LA is not walkable etc. But I also kinda put off by having to drive during my holiday (I know what am talking about)
I also know that public transport in LA is somewhat meh, so am asking a lot of things wanna hear about options like Uber or shuttle or tour bus (It is exactly why I kinda hold back on spending much on accommodation because I know I might spend more *either in terms of bucks or time* in transportation mode as I know I wouldn't wanna drive)

@surfergirl thanks for your helpful comments and now am like 78% sure that I shud just book by a tour company (the tour company is the one that said I will stay at Miyako Inn Downtown, near Union Station).
For Disneyland, I think I will take Super Shuttle from LAX, what do you think of this company?
For Magic Mountain, I found starline tour company that provides return shuttle to some hotels + park ticket, so I think I'll go by that.
My only concern is just how to get to Getty Villa, am now researching about bus from Santa Monica to Getty Villa.
Am flying from Indonesia by the way, I grew up in Singapore but now practically living in Jakarta and Bali (back and forth due to work).

I just googled it and found that UberX from LAX to Disneyland is about $40, and from the Santa Monica Pier to Santa Clarita (where Magic Mountain is) is about $100.

Here's an Uber fare estimator:

http://uberestimate.com/costs.php

One more question guys, I think might need a prepaid SIM card for internet mobile access. Which company is the best (like the best plan/package)?

I also would encourage you to consider some kind of packaged deal.

Staying in hostels and trying to do everything you list somehow solo and without driving a car is simply not practical.

suze, born & raised in LA

@suze you mean like a package tour?

Yes, either a packaged tour or several different tours you hook together on your own to get your transportation to the things you want to see & do.

Since you have never been to Los Angeles I just think you really don't have a realistic picture of how spread out everything is, and how car-dependent the culture is there.

What you propose, as you have proposed it, is simply not practical.

@suze pls advice which part of the itinerary that you think is a killer without a car?

I might stay in Santa Monica, I wanna do:

Getty Villa (bus 534 from Santa Monica)
Universal Studio (Metro red line)
Six Flags (this one sorted out by hiring tour bus, Starline company or something)
Beverly Hills (maybe this one I just take a cab and walk around the area or maybe I'll research on buying one of those hop on hop off bus ticket)
Hollywood, Runyon Canyon and Griffith Park (either hop on hop off or via the new Expo Line from Downtown Santa Monica, I hope it's open by the time am there, change Red Line to Hollywood)

As for Disneyland, I'll take Super Shuttle from LAX directly to my hotel (either super 8 or anaheim astoria), from Disneyland to Santa Monica I think I will just try my luck with Uber.

What do you think?

>>which part of the itinerary that you think is a killer without a car?<<

If you stay in Santa Monica most of it will be killer . . .

For the distances you are talking about uber will cost a fortune. You really need to get a handle on the vast area you want to cover.

The entire itinerary is what I think will be "killer without a car" especially if you stay in Santa Monica.

I see you have another thread started more recently about joining a Contiki tour instead of doing it on your own?

For Getty Villa:
Access by Public Transportation

Metro Bus 534 stops at Coastline Drive and Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) directly across from the Getty Villa entrance. Passengers exit the bus at PCH and Coastline Drive. You must have your Villa admission ticket hole-punched by the driver before exiting the bus in order to enter the Villa.

Get complete route information from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO): 323-GO-METRO (323-466-3876), or use the METRO Trip Planner at www.metro.net. Metro buses require exact change.

Note that bus 534 does not run all that frequently.

SuperShuttle will take you to Disneyland area hotels but it is a shared shuttle so may make some other stops en route.
Look into a closer motel than the ones you are looking at, the two closest to the park are Best Western Plus Park Place Inn and Park Vue Inn.

I agree that you do not comprehend how spread out the greater LA area is, especially some of the far flung places you want to visit.

Let's have a bit of a reality check here.

Leaving aside the other itinerary points (they're not impossible, but will take a good chunk of your day in travel time), let's focus on the Disneyland to Santa Monica jaunt.

That is a drive of about <b>seventy</b> km. Out of Orange County into Los Angeles County. At 3 AM that drive will take you about 50 minutes. During the day you're looking at one to two <b>hours</b>.

If you find an Uber driver who will tackle this trip, please come back here to post how much it cost you. You may have to find a real driver service for such a big journey.

I work up the street from the HI Hostel in Santa Monica. It looks nice (and lots of young kids stay there, so be prepared for rowdy tourists!), but I don't think they have air conditioning, which in July might be a big deal, especially if it's unusually hot this summer (right now it's a warm 24C/77F, which is unusually warm for winter). If the Expo Line opens the Santa Monica extension on time (May 20...?), the stop will be a short walk from the hostel. You'll catch most buses on Ocean Ave. (one block west) or Santa Monica Blvd. (one block north) or Wilshire Blvd. (three blocks north). Dining choices in SM can be pricey, so be prepared.

Do you REALLY have to do Disneyland AND Universal AND Magic Mountain? I think the last one should be struck off your list, given the logistics involved in getting there and back (way up there in Valencia/Santa Clarita, which incidentally is about <b>sixty</b> km from that hostel. That drive can set you back an hour-- or two or three hours. Yep, traffic can be (and often is) THAT bad.

For that matter, I'd give a pass to the Getty Villa. The grounds are lovely, but if you're there for life-changing, thrilling art, forget it. For that matter, the permanent collection at the Getty Center in West LA is IMHO a big "meh", but it gets wonderful visiting exhibitions, and the facility itself is superb, so I might suggest substituting the latter for the former. If you want some time with world-class art, you're better off going to LACMA or the Broad or the Norton Simon.

Before one comes to this area, one generally can't picture the vast distances between points of interest, nor the varied topography (from coastal plains to mountains within an hour's travel), nor the microclimates (a little chilly in Santa Monica? Go inland a few miles, it should be 3-5C hotter). I would focus on a handful of absolute must-sees, then leave the rest for another visit. You'll be back.

If you want some time with world-class art, you're better off going to LACMA or the Broad or the Norton Simon

And while you're in Pasadena for the Norton Simon, do not miss the Huntington Gardens and Library.

The Getty Villa has art antiquities, and a classic setting with gardens. We enjoy that. We also like the Getty Center's more contemporary approach. Both Getty's have beautiful views.

With the advice you are getting, you can make a realistic, fun and do-able itinerary. But probably also cutting out a site or two. And allow downtime to walk the beach.

Thank you all for your valuable reply to my post, I need to know which attraction/places that locals suggested as 'must' see for 1st timer.

I like scenery, shopping, and thrill rides.

As for renting a car, I've look at Hertz and Avis web, the economy car option (like ford fiesta or something) plus GPS will set me back almost USD 60 a day? Like one day rent for 8am to 6pm (this I think as a fun option to try outdriving in LA). Please advice which rental company is the best according to locals (but this is kinda tough question as I believe the locals never rent a car, you guys buy your car). And if I happen to drive in LA, that would be like the 1st time ever for me to drive on the other side of the road. Any smart tips of driving in LA safely, not pulled over by the police, etc? Which area is good for parking, I don't wanna get a ticket.
(do understand why I ask like this because if u drive in Jakarta, you WILL get pulled over by the police if you don't know what you are doing, even locals sometimes doesn't know the so called traffic regulation here in some unfamiliar areas. As for how I don't understand how vast LA seems to be, trust me guys, I understand. I'd done googling and mapping and all that and for me kinda doable with public transport just spare an hour or 2 each way and I'll be on my way to my destination. I understand your suggestion of having a car, my friend said that situation in LA, traffic/public transport wise, is kinda same with Jakarta and Bali, it's not that frequent, you have to really know which bus to take and literally standing on the bus stop breathing CO2 from other vehicles passing and get in to the bus hoping for the best you don't get mugged or kidnapped or raped or killed or all that, on the other hand, driving here for 1st time tourist from Europe or US is not advisable because the traffic will just kill you, that's that, not only traffic jam, but parking wise, road regulation, and getting your way to your destination aka not get lost is a real bitch here, but thankfully everything is cheap here so in Bali you can just rent a car+driver and off you go, and as for Jakarta, nobody visit to do tourism so it's mostly biz trip and your company will just rent you a limo plus driver for a mere USD300/12hrs or if your company is cheapskates or you are not that important enough, you get a nice town car plus driver.)

@suze no, the contiki or trek america tour I'm asking on other subject is like additional trip on the top of this one week+ in LA.

@rjw_lgb_ca thanks for ur reply! yes, I know, the aircon thing kinda concern me a bit so actually right now my plan is either am channeling my tropical island girl inside me and stay at the beautiful Santa Monica in HI and stay longer (because it's so damn cheap for the location) like 6nights or so to really soak up the city.

or

Book myself a room in Crescent Beverly Hills, gritted my teeth and shorten my stay in LA (like maybe down to 4days 3 night in beverly hills plus 3 days 2 night in Disneyland, so like I will have to scratch some of my itinerary, however can't decide which one!).

Another option is to book a 'package' from tour company but I will stay near Union station (Miyako Inn), but I've read in some forum that saying in downtown is not that nice.

What do you think?

Some of my friends that had stayed in LA previously for study or work also insisted that I stay either in Beverly Hills or Santa Monica (they said might as well blow my bank since I'll fly almost 10.000 miles away from home).

For food, I don't mind if it's cost me more in Santa Monica as long as it's good, I don't eat that often anyway when am travelling (I like to eat local snacks to fill me up rather sitting down and have a proper meal 3 times a day in a restaurant).

On that note, of course if I decided that like the city of LA and will visit again next year, I might wanna rent a car next time (after familiarising myself with the situation there).

just a quick comment -- overseas visitors can get better rental car rates all inclusive of insurance/mileage/and usually drop off fees. There are several brokers that specialize in renting to foreign visitors and offer better deals than what you can get booking directly.

Now that I know you are a left-side-of-the-street driver, I would highly recommend you NOT rent a car in LA!!

>>Now that I know you are a left-side-of-the-street driver, I would highly recommend you NOT rent a car in LA!!<<

Why not? I have many friends from the UK/Ireland and a couple from OZ and none have had any trouble driving in CA or in LA specifically (and I have no trouble driving in the UK/Ireland)

I like downtown Los Angeles a lot. Of course it's quite different than Santa Monica or Beverly Hills (more upscale residential areas).

As far as places/attractions, I personally like some of the old-timey Los Angeles places. On that list I'd include: Olvera Street, Chinatown, Walk of the Stars, Hollywood Sign, the Grove/Farmers Market, La Brea Tar Pits, Griffith Park observatory to name a few.

If you're in downtown LA, a really good and very moderately priced Italian restaurant is Maccheroni Republic, behind the Central Market (which is also worth a visit).

Janis, this poster doesn't want to drive in LA at all. She'll have no time to get used to driving on the right. Add to that LA traffic and I think it's a disaster waiting to happen.

I also take back my car rental suggestion since she doesn't know how (has no experience) driving on the right hand side of the road.

The freeways of Los Angeles are NOT the place to learn!!!

I <i>know</i> she doesn't <i>want</i> to. That is fine - but then she'll have to modify her plans/wish list. That's all.

Just for a point of reference - none of my friends from Australia had ever driven on the right before hitting LAX or SFO for the first time. Some (maybe most) of my UK friends had driven on the continent before diving in the States for the first time -- and most <i>claim</i> it is easier for them here than in Europe.

If you do decide to rent a couple of points:
Standard rental cars have automatic transmissions so no worries about shifting gears.
People from overseas can usually get good rates using a third party broker such as rentalcars.com who will provide a rental car with all insurance included.
Parking is plentiful since LA is a car culture. Prices vary, Universal is about $15-16, Disneyland is $18, MM not sure. Hotel parking is much more expensive than motel parking.
You may want to wait to decide to rent when you get here, or rent next time whatever you are comfortable with.
Police do not stop people unless they have committed a violation, in which case they give you a ticket or the court sends it to the car rental company who will pay the ticket and rebill you with a fee for their efforts.

I see...

@suze one of my friend who did live in LA for a while said the same thing like 'LA is not the place for u to learn how to drive on the other side of the road!'

Maybe I should learn to drive on the right side somewhere else 1st. Just to ensure so I wudn't bother the local with 'stupid-tourist-driving-style' LOL

Just a quick question:
I might want to buy a prepaid SIM card for Internet Mobile + the plan, which company you guys recommend? Do u have any suggestions on which plan I should buy? And where to buy, direct in the states or online before my trip?

Long time ago, I tried the tours who come to pick you up at the hotel and bring you to the main attractions. I suppose they still exist (check leaflets in lobby).They were good: en route, we would stop, let us say at Farmers market, Hollywood and would be dropped at Universal with plenty of time to enjoy.
Because I would agree : terrible with public transport and need to get used to driving around (even if there are places much much worse !)

@rouelan thank you for sharing. I can't wait to share my 'survival' story in LA without a car! It's kinda excite me a lot LOL