I am goign tobe spending a long weekend in the LA area at the end of MArch with my parents who are in their seventies. We are staying at the Furama (visiting my daughter at LMU). Any suggestions for things to take them to see? Disneyland and Universal are not their cup of tea....how about local missions? Good restaurants? We will be in the area for four days. I appreciate any suggestions!

One suggestion is to visit the Getty. Parking reservations are not required with a valid student I.D. - $5.00 parking fee gets you in.

Paula,
Olvera Street downtown is colorful and historic and easy to walk. TRAXX in Union Station is a great spot for lunch or dinner and is in the same area.

There's a lot to do besides Disneyland and Universal so you shouldn't have trouble.

Paula,
Definately do the Getty Museum, it's fabulous. They might enjoy some time in Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive is not too long a street so walking (if they have any problems with that) should not be too bad & it's fun for tourists. Actually riding around some of the streets in BH might be fun for them as well. A few miles south of your hotel (assuming it's the Furama just north of LAX) is Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo Beach. Each has a pier and places to eat, etc. If you are not from a beach area they may enjoy walking along the beach (there is a sidewalk that runs for miles). Just to the north of the hotel is Marina del Rey and Santa Monica, again beach areas they may like seeing.
A bit further up is Malibu. Off hand I can't think of any missions in LA proper and I've lived in CA for years, but if you want to take a ride down the coast (start after rush hour) you can go to San Juan Capistrano - it's really lovely. You could make a day trip out of it and have lunch down there.

Thanks for the suggestions....and keep them coming! My parents are physically able, as far the walking goes...just not in too long stints. I appreciate the input.

Dear Paula:
Both San Fernando and San Gabriel Mission are closer to where you are staying than San Juan Capistrano. If you visit San Gabriel Mission, you should also stop at the nearby Huntington Library (and Arboretum). It's much more spectacular than the overblown Getty (which does, however, appear to be the current fad of the "in-crowd" right now--probably because it's new).

Thanks to all who contributed to the success of our trip. My parents were tired puppy dogs trying to adjust tot he time difference (we are from the East coast), but we did take them to Mission San Fernando del Rey, which was beautiful and just the right pace for them. It was a treat to see their expressions at Universal City Walk and Santa Monica and Marina del Rey just topped it off!