LA/Las Vegas ittinerary
 

Hi,

We are flying into Los Angeles next Friday (from Ottawa) and then driving to Vegas on the Sunday for 1 week. We are in our late twenties, couple, never been to either location


Friday - we arrive at 11h00 am. We will rent a car and drive to our hotel (sheraton in Santa Monica) then we were thinking of spending the afternoon visiting hollywood (i.e. walk of fame, etc) we also wanted to go to rodeo drive and see some of the nice houses, are the walk of fame/rodeo drive close?) Should we use the car or other transportation...I dont want to pay a forture on parking or spend the day looking for a parking spot...is the red line walking tours good?

Saturday - Universal Studios. We bought the front of the line passes. Any tips for someone who never been to Universals? Is the VIP tour in the same location? Is it inside the park or a different entrance? What are the hours?

Sunday - relax around Santa Monica, go to the Pier/Promenage then drive to Vegas in the late afternoon

Vegas - we are staying in a timeshare (worldmark las vegas on the boulevard) We also book the MGM for Thursday night as we wanted 1 night on the strip and the Hilton on the Saturday night as the timeshare is only good till the Saturday.

Activities:
Friday - "O"
Saturday - Celine Dion

The rest of the week is a bit in the "air" any tips? We were thinking maybe 1 magic show and maybe "love"

We were thinking of going to the grand canyon but mapquest says it's 4 hrs? Is this accurate...seems like a lot for a day trip!

Please comment on my plans and provide any advice.

You will have to use your car to get anywhere in LA. Public transportation is poor and slow. Friday afternoon traffic will be heavy. You may want to stay in the Santa Monica area on Friday. Stores are probably open 7 days a week, so you could do BH on Sunday.
I think you should really try to get to the Grand Canyon. Its like nothing you've seen before. The roads are good and driving easy. You can drive around the rim and have good views from many places. Spend the night there is you can. You could probably drop your car in Vegas and fly back to LA, if that is where you are flying out of. Southwest Air is fairly cheap.
You don't say what you are doing for the return. You'll LOVE the show "O"..

I am flying out of vegas on the return. Thanks for your comments. Any reason I should do SM on the Friday and BH/Hollywood on the Sunday (traffic..?) Is BH/Hollywood in the same area?

Sat & Sun traffic is much easier to deal with. I'd visit the "Walk of Fame" and Hollywood as a break-in-the-day during my Saturday Universal visit. Take a couple of hours, hop the quick 6 minute subway ride down to the center of Hollywood and back. There's really not that much to see. Friday I would stick to the west side, Bev Hills, Rodeo Drive, maybe make a reservation for dinner at the Getty Center. It's a don't-miss attraction and a great dining spot too.
You've got plenty of time in Las Vegas, so definitely take a day trip....GC is a bit much in one day but Zion National Park is fabulous and only 2.5hrs each way. Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, Lake Mead....lots to see and do.

thanks for the comments. What is the Getty?

also does anyone have info on my universal/studio tours questions?

Redline tours is great ... I was born here and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour of Hollywood when I went on it this past April. Both Philip and Tony are great guides. They also do a great tour of downtown Los Angeles ... very interesting!

I think you have too little time to see the more interesting things in LA, i.e. I second the Getty (gorgeous museum with a restaurant on a mountain and great day to spend your morning and lunch). Also, go to Malibu, Spend an afternoon in West Hollywood, go to Olivera St in Downtown, LACMA, the Grove, Sunset Strip, etc. There are so many things to do and great places to eat. You will need a car anywhere you go in LA, and parking is easy to find (if not free, then cheap. Park at the Hollywood/Highland Center when you go walk around walk of fame for $2 for example). Universal Studios will take you all day.

I would never drive to Vegas on a Sunday afternoon. The 4-5 hour drive can easily turn into 7-10. Also, there is absolutely nothing to do in Vegasa alone for a week. If you have to be there for a week due to timeshare requirements, I would spend 3 days of that week going to the Grand Canyon, which is only 4-5 hours away.

However, if it is possible to rearrange your itinerary, I would spend 3-4 nighs in LA and 1 nights in Santa Barbara before going to Vegas. You also don't need a car in Vegas if you're staying close to the strip and not going to the Grand Canyon. Flights to Vegas from LA are $50 (southwest, virgin america, etc)

Just remembered, also go to Venice beach boardwalk one day in LA.

I would never go to Vegas on a Thursday or Friday afternoon. I think Sunday you should be going against the flow of people coming back to LA. I know those timeshare presentations require prescheduling but if you are flexible Monday might be better.

If you've never seen Grand Canyon it is worth it. A week in Vegas is a long time. Maybe you could book a night in a hotel near the Grand Canyon. It's worthwhile to be there for sunrise and especially sunset. Check with xanterra.com, there are also motels just outside the park boundary.