I have read every thread I can find and have posted a couple of my own and I still do not know what to do.

We will be in LA a late night Friday, one full day Saturday, and leave for the Port of LA on Sunday, still cannot choose where we want to stay. Right now, from suggestions?

Are you flying in to LAX? I'm guessing you are going on a cruise. What is your budget? There are nice hotels in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, both close to the airport and not that far from the LA Harbor. Another option might be in Long Beach. There is a lot t do there. I wouldn't stay in San Pedro or near the Port unless I had to.

What do you want to see in L.A. on Saturday?

Have you narrowed it down from the advice given to you on your previous thread?

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=35114788

We are going to rent a car, but no, I cannot decide where to stay. We will not stay close to the port, but I can't decide whether it is worth it to me to stay in Hollywood or Beverly Hills, or to stay on the coast somewhere. We cruise a couple of times a year so it does not matter to me if we don't make it to the ship for lunch I, am determined to do the whole Hollywood tourist thing, if I never do it again. I am also interested in the beach thing, but realize we can't do it all in a small amount of time. Just trying to figure out the best way to do it...

Well, if you are determined to do the Hollywood/LA thing, I can certainly understand, since I was born in Hollywood.

Since you'll be on a cruise, skip the LA beaches this time.

You will not be dealing with traffic late Friday night.

Perhaps you can stay at The Chateau Marmont. http://www.chateaumarmont.com/ I have seen many movie stars there. The building is fantastic, and there is a wonderful pool area. You can walk down Sunset Boulevard and shop.

Farmer's Market is about 2 1/2 miles away. Alternatively, you could stay at the Farmer's Daughter which is walking distance. You can see the tar pits, a museum or not, and walk/drive around Hollywood Blvd.

Other Hollywood Hotels might be the Roosevelt, or as I mentioned before, The Magic Castle.

Check out what is happening as far as night life. The Hollywood Bowl is great, comedy clubs are fun, or just see a movie and have dinner.

Then, Sunday, maybe the Getty Center. I've never been, but I hear it's fantastic. Then, leave from there to go to San Pedro.

Try plotting all your destinations on Google Maps. You can add multiple destinations, and the times are with and without traffic.

I'm not sure what you mean by "the whole Hollywood Tourist thing". Hollywood itself --Hollywood Blvd, Walk of Fame Grauman's Chinese, Hollywood & Highland mall, Hollywood sign, etc.-- warrants about 2 hours, IMO. If you want to see Beverly Hills/Rodeo drive -- another hour or so. You can do this on your own or take a Starline tour.

What do you want to do with the rest of your time? That should be the deciding factor in choosing a place to stay, not just the 3-4 hours you will spend in Hollywood/BH.

"You will not be dealing with traffic late Friday ngiht." If you go anywhere near Hollywood or West Hollywood, there will be lots of traffic.

You got a TON of advice/recommendations on your other thread. You'll get many of the same recs on this one.

The "whole Hollywood tourist thing" is pretty underwhelming. Hollywood is worth 2 or 3 hours at most and then you'll want to see/do other things. I for sure would not choose my hotel just because it is convenient to Hollywood.

Maybe the real problem is the idea that there is a "best" choice when a good choice will more than suffice.

In other words, it sounds like the difficulty is in making the decision, not lack of info. Unfortunately no one can really help you with that part of the process.

The whole Hollywood tourist thing is a blast and don't let anyone talk you out of it. You will enjoy yourself very much.

As ivk mentioned above, try a whole day Starline Tour. Go to their web site and pick out an all day tour that covers LA, Hollywood, movie stars homes.

A nice place that I have stayed is the Coast Hotel in Long Beach. It is right by the Queen Mary. Water views and a very nice place. Great restaurants near by. And you could visit some of the tourist attractions in Long Beach/Queen Mary when you are not doing the Starline tour. Have fun.

With a rental car, there's no reason you can't do your own Hollywood & downtown tour, plus hit Santa Monica and Venice Beach in one full day.