2 full days (Thurs. & Fri)and 3 nights in LA. Mom, Dad, 17 & 19 year olds. All first timers in LA. Will be taking a tour of UCLA on the Thursday. Otherwise, daughter wants to have at least one lunch at a cool "maybe we'll see a celebrity" restaurant, maybe take a studio tour, see Rodeo Drive. We'll have a car.

Should we stay in Santa Monica (Ambrose - I know it's not near the beach, but we won't be spending time at the beach), or somewhere in West Hollywood?

Depending on your budget, think about the "W" hotel in Westwood, the Doubletree, or a suite at HilgardHouse.com

These are in the neighborhood of UCLA and you'll get a real feel for the surrounding campus. Nice hotels, too. And convenient to touring. Hop skip and a jump to West Hollywood to the east, or to Santa Monica to the west.

For a family of four visiting L.A. for the first time and choosing between staying in Santa Monica or West Hollywood, I would recommend Santa Monica. IMHO Santa Monica is more relaxed and laid back than West Hollywood.

The Ambrose would be an excellent choice, particularly since you will have a car. The Ambrose is close to the Third Street Promenade (many shops and restaurants) which would be a good place for an evening stroll.

Woody

Woody, although the Ambrose is a lovely hotel, calling it "close" to the Third Street Promenade is a little misleading. It's well over a mile away, although it's a straight shot down Santa Monica Blvd (well, actually a schlepp down Arizona Ave).

The location is combination residential/commercial (the neighborhood's main occupant is St. John's Hospital, so there are clinics and rehab facilities everywhere you look) and not geared to the tourist crowd. However, there's free parking, a London Cab to take you to downtown SM (and you'll spend a lot of time there), and a nice hotel for your return.

If you're touring UCLA, I'd be inclined to stay in Westwood, but hotels in that area are a little pricier. There's a not-bad Holiday Inn on Sunset, just off the I-405 at Church Lane (I think); rates are a bit high for the facilities, but the location is central to everything (if you can deal with a busy freeway outside your window). The Getty Center is just up Sepúlveda from there.

I posted a reply to your earlier question on which airport to fly into. Have you looked at UCLA's guest house? It is right on Campus and when we stayed there for a college visit (4 years ago) it had free parking too. Here's a link:

http://www.hotels.ucla.edu/

< Woody, although the Ambrose is a lovely hotel, calling it "close" to the Third Street Promenade is a little misleading. It's well over a mile away >

They will have a car. I did not suggest walking. I said:

< The Ambrose would be an excellent choice, particularly since you will have a car. The Ambrose is close to the Third Street Promenade . . . >

Woody, that is indeed true, and the Ambrose is indeed in Santa Monica. I'm only pointing out that the usual stuff of interest to visitors will be many blocks away (in the concrete case of the Promenade, 17 blocks down Arizona). Unless one wants to see a hospital with almost as much celebrity history as Cedars-Sinai (St. John's has had quite a few celebs rest, recharge, recuperate, retool and expire in its walls). And they have my appendix...!

I would look into esm's suggestion about staying on campus.

Unless you plan to spend time at Santa Monica Beach, I'd stay closer to UCLA and the other places you'd like to see.

Also in/near Westwood and probably more reasonable is the Doubletree Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard. It's located about one-third of the way from Westwood to Beverly Hills.

FYI, seeing a celebrity is very hit-or-miss. A splurge lunch with a high celebrity quotient is the Ivy Restaurant on Robertson Boulevard.