We will be in LA in July with a 10 and a 12 year old. I just read in a guidebook that the Getty Museum is actually a great place for families. Does anyone know if this is really true. I had originally crossed it off my list despite all I had heard about the building being so fantastic. What about other things to do with kids? So far I have Universal Studios, Mann Chinese Theater, and maybe Santa Monica promenade. We only have really 2 1/2 days there. Also is Mission Hills too far out to stay. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Take them to Venice Beach. Check out all the street performers. The Getty is family friendly in how it is laid out. But it is still an art museum and that may be uninteresting to your kids. The view is great though. If you go to the SM Promenade, check out the pier too. In July it will be HOT at Universal Studios. If the Mission Hills you are referring to is the resort in the Palm Springs area (Rancho Mirage?), then yes, it is too far.

I have kids about that age. The observatory at Griffith Park is nice. There are exhibits for the kids and the view from the balconies is fantastic. There is also a place called "La Brea Tar Pits"--fossils and things from prehistoric mammals that got stuck in the tar. It's on Wilshire near La Brea. Venice Beach (message above) is not to be missed. Best time to go is Saturday or Sunday late morning/early afternoon.

Pat,

My friend took his son and daughter, same age as your children, to the Getty last year and they enjoyed the place. He went early in the morning to avoid lines
and stayed for about an hour or so. Exposure to the arts, in small manageable doses, isn't a bad idea for children. I say , go.I would also recommend Olvera Street , the original pueblo from which the city was founded, downtown. Colorful area to walk around...

the relatively new Long Beach Aquarium is fascinating for kids & grown ups alike. The waterfront area may also be worth a quick visit (Queen Mary, etc). (however, I'd put the LB Aquarium a notch below the Monterrey aquarium).

It's about 20 miles southeast of LA airport; depending on traffic & time of day, it could take 30 minutes or 90 minutes. Avoid the weekend or July 4th weekend, if possible.

Once you get there, it would take about 2-3 hrs to lesiurely view the aquarium.

Thanks much for the great ideas! I think we may skip the Getty as we are going to be spending the previous 2 nights doing mostly scenery along the coast. In the interest of balancing kid-friendly with adult interests maybe we'll stick with the kid things for LA.
And the Mission Hills I was referring to
is in San Fernando Valley, the motel says 15 miles from Hollywood. It's a Best Western and only $67 a night. Since we will be spending more money in San Francisco and along the coast for hotels, I'm trying to save a little in LA. The only other option seems to be
near LAX/ Culver City, and that doesn't
seem as nice.

The Mission Hills Best Western appears to be in the North end of the San Fernando Valley. It will be HOT there, over 100 degrees. I am not that familiar with that area of the valley so I don't know if that is a good or bad area. I would really recommend spending a few bucks more and finding something on the west side though. Culver City can be hit and miss also in regards to safe neighborhoods. The Furama hotel in Westchester may be a good compromise. It is in a very safe neighborhood near the airport, across the street from a park and a local pool (and a bowling alley down the street). A low cost option would be the Hacienda hotel in El Segundo. It's a very safe neighborhood, and the freeway access is good (105 & 405). Not much for ambience but well located. I don't know the low price hotel options in Santa Monica.

The Valley will be HOT and inconvienent.

There is a Best Western on Sunset in West Hollywood/ Beverly Hills. I would investigate that as well as the suggestions offered by John. I would not stay in the Valley in July for anything.

I wouldn't avoid the valley because of the heat in July--it's almost as hot in the basin although Westsiders like to think otherwise. The reason I would avoid Mission Hills is that 15 miles in Los Angeles can take an incredible long time to drive. Follow some of these other suggestions or look into Sportmans Lodge in Studio City on Ventura Blvd. It's very kid friendly--nice pool and just minutes to Universal Studios. You can get to it easily from the Hollywood Fwy and then the Ventura Fwy exit at Coldwater Canyon, go left to Venture and it's right on the corner. An old fashioned low rise hotel--we've recommended it to many bringing children. I certainly would take the kids to the Getty--we always take our nieces ages 8, 10 and 13 whenever we go down to LA. There's even a kid's book which is a guide to the Getty--look at Amazon.com. Venice Beach is a good suggestion--you can combine that with the Sta. Monica pier. If the kids are boys, there is an Automobile Museum on Wilshire that they would like and you can see the La Brea Tar Pits in this area as well. I personally don't see the appeal of Mann's Theater, but if you do it's worth a short stop. Think it would take too long to go down to Long Beach. They'll want to see the surfers in Malibu--go to Zuma Beach for an hour.

Pat, the book I was thinking of is "A is for Artist," but it might be too young for your kids. There's a new one coming out in March for kid 9 and up based on "keeping a journal" about the museum. They should have it at the Getty Museum bookstore. One other thought--eating at the museum is extremely expensive with kids. I suggest you feed before or after but not there.

Again, lots of great input. I looked at the Sportsmens Lodge but I think the rates were about $104 a night. Same for the hotels in Santa Monica. At almost $40 a night more, it starts to add up. We're flying in from the East Coast and staying two weeks in CA so I'm trying to cut costs where I can. (A lot of doughnuts, and lunches from the cooler I think- no food at the Getty I guess.) I will definitely check out all the hotels mentioned. One more question, is the heat a dry heat or a moist heat? (Yes, I know either way it's still hot.) We live in the Northeast and get humid 90's often. After months of cold, I am a Summer lover so heat doesn't concern me too much (or maybe I am just naive). I am especially appreciative of the feedback on La Brea tarpits. I had read some mediocre reports, but my son is a science/dinosaur fan so I think it's a thumbs up. Thanks!

Pat, It's always a dry heat at that time of year and the hotter it gets, the drier it is (thus the brushfires that you've probably read about) Sorry Sportmens has become so expensive, it's a great old place for kids. So, I would suggest you look near LAX or in Burbank/Glendale for lower price rooms. Culver City, as someone else has said, can be rather iffy. Even if you stayed in Pasadena (lots of motels) you would be better than in Mission Hills. If you are there on a weekend, you could possibly get a good rate at a downtown hotel--such as the Bonaventure or Hilton etc. Don't forget to factor in our gas prices here in California which are currently +/- $2.00/gallon for regular unleaded. You can burn up a lot of gas sitting in dreadlock on the freeways, plus the kids will be moaning and groaning. Combine the La Brea Tar Pits with the Automobile Museum and perhaps a Mexican lunch at El Cholo or visit the Farmers Market on Fairfax and eat from there. Eating inexpensively in LA is quite possible. I would pay extra for the location of the hotel and skimp on the food prices. Do take them to Venice Beach, however. Have you looked for Motel 6's and Days Inns in the LA area? If you find some, post them here and we'll give you input as to area. It's a big city with incredible traffic. Thankfully, dry heat, but there's the commute time to deal with from the Valley.

Pat, just one more thought.... did you ask Sportsmens for a AAA discount? Can't believe it's become that expensive, but it's been 6 years since we moved from LA. Try the Carriage Inn in Sherman Oaks on Sepulveda Blvd. I know all these recommendations are confusing, but I'm thinking about driving times. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Here's another one to try in Studio City ( very near Universal, great freeway access), Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn. It might be over your price range, but it's worth a look. Mission Hills is fifteen minutes from Hollywood if you take a helicopter. I checked with my sister who lives in Hollywood and works in the north end of the valley....45 minutes with traffic and there is always traffic. Burbank or Glendale are other good spots to check. I am sure there are Best Westerns or maybe even a Motel 6 in one of those cities. I wouldn't skip the Getty, either.

OK my head is still spinning. I have been checking out motels all over the West LA area. So far I have come up with a number of options. The cheapest options are probably around LAX ranging anywhere from $70-$90 including Furama and the Wyndham. There are also other choices including: Safari Inn-Burbank, BW-Sherman Oaks, BW Golden Key and Eagle Rock in Glenside all in the $80-$90 range. There are also a number of motels that are reasonable in Hollywood including: Hollywood Magic Hotel, Beverly Laurel Motor Inn (W of Fairfax on Beverly), Econolodge (3400 W 3rd), and Days Inn (7023 Sunset). (I waited too long on BW in Hollywood- all rates available are around $107 with AAA). Question: is the Hollywood area safe, I have read mixed things. Can anyone delineate which areas might be seedier than others. (Whenever I read "secure parking" in a hotel description it sets off warning bells.) So, all my LA experts, opinions please. I think our
itinerary will include Universal Studios, Venice Beach, Getty Museum, La Brea Tar Pits- as time permits. Thanks again for your indispensable help!

Pat,
I'm getting in on this late becuse we are getting ready to leave for England but we have stayed at the Furama a couple of times and will again this week the night before we fly out of LAX. It's a decent hotel, quite large and the neighborhood is fine. It's very close to Marina del Rey and the beach areas of Venice, Santa Monica, etc. I'm from LA and I like being near the beach whenever I can without paying beachfront prices! The Furama is not on top of the airport either, it's a couple of miles north of LAX. Incidentally there is a Ralph's Grocery right down the block from the Furama and it makes it convenient for picking up some goodies (necessary when traveling!). Definately go to the Getty, it's wonderful. The cafeteria up there is like most cafeterias everywhere but the views from the hilltop are stunning. I'd stay on the west side of LA if you are interested in seeing the Getty, Venice, etc. - traffic is horrible most of the time in LA and if you are not familiar with "alternate routes" you can really get stuck. Secure parking may not be as bad as it sounds - I'm not sure where you are from so words mean different things to different folks. It could mean that it's a gated lot - many hotels have that. You need a card to get in and out. Sometimes there may be security patrols - which is good - even the best of places in Beverly Hills are not completely safe anyway. We got a AAA rate at the Furama for $79 and that's a upgrade to the higher floors in the "tower" (special deal thing). They have a decent pool there as well. Several different airline crews use it when in LA too. Have fun in LA!

I would avoid Hollywood--it's just not what you expect. The Furama sounds good to me, although I don't know it personally, the area sounds safe and well located, between LAX and Marina del Rey--convenient for the Westside. Other one I would investigate is the other suggestion in Studio City. That would be freeway convenient to the Getty, Santa Monica and Venice and surface street convenient to Universal. Also you don't want to be pennywise and pound foolish and ruin your enjoyment for $20-30 or so. Have a great trip.

After doing some final consulting with a friend who spent a year and a half living in Studio City, it looks like we're going to stay at the Sherman Oaks Best Western. Thanks again kind citizens for your most excellent help!