Los Angeles - 2 Days
 

Our family of five (children are adults) will be in Los Angeles for two days. Already have planned one day for Santa Monica, Warner Brothers and Griffith Observatory on Saturday. Would appreciate some feedback on other must see places for Sunday and some casual/not so formal dinning recommendations.

We were debating on taking a tour (not interested in the celebrity homes), but we will have a car and will be able to explore. Not sure if a tour would be a better option to avoid parking and parking costs. We are open to suggestions.
We will be staying near Warner Brothers (I think) at The Garland.

Thank you.

How old are your kids?

Never mind. I see that the children are adults. Hollywood has a lot of movie-related memorabilia, Walk of Fame, restaurants, TCL Chinese Theater. You could spend a whole day there.

It's fun to see a live taping for a TV show. Google on-line and see what's available. There are age limits, but if everyone's an adult, you're good. We went to see Johnny Carson once, and Jay Leno once. It's fun, but it can take up a lot of time to get the tickets day-of. Maybe you can get some in advance, with this much time.

We like L.A., with it's myriad collection of little neighborhoods. Have never taken any type of paid tour.

The Getty Villa and Getty Center are great places to visit, if you have any time.

In Santa Monica, we alway make a point of enjoying a special beachside meal at Coast, in Shutters on the Beach.
https://www.shuttersonthebeach.com/dining/coast

It's not cheap, but it's not a rip-off, either. The location, view and service are worth it. (The lunch isn't much cheaper than dinner.) You can sit on their open air patio, with full-on view of the water. Some booths inside have great views, too.

Olvera Street, Chinatown, LaBrea Tar Pits, Walk of the Stars, Hollywood sign, Farmers Market/The Grove.

Thank you all for the feedback and providing the information on the different neighborhoods etc... Love the idea of catching a taping.

AFAIK, there are no show tapings on weekends.

If your visit is in summer, getting in and out of Santa Monica and finding parking will be difficult and time-consuming.

As suze says above, LaBrea Tar Pits. They are located off Wilshire's "Miracle Mile", next to LACMA, amid blocks of fun little restaurants, shops, theaters. It's walkable L.A.

If in Hollywood, for real old Hollywood atmosphere, check out Musso & Frank's grill. Do not expect great service, though, unless you're a celebrity. And the food is mediocre. But it would be fun to stop in for a signature drink, and look at all the old photos.

It's not too hard to find parking in Santa Monica on weekends if you get there early enough. Or you can drive up to Malibu, head further north, usually plenty of parking at Zuma.

I recommend the Grayline tour of LA... It makes lots of stops and you can choose the contained tour or hop on/hop off option... This eliminates all of the driving, parking hassles, and takes you right to the attraction... Big discount for Auto Club members and aarp.... Picked us up at our hotel... It sounds goofy, but gives you an easy day to enjoy the family... Plus the drivers give you history and fun facts...

Hop on/hop off is a good idea. Had not heard of that in L.A. I'd check it out.

We live here and whenever there's a band playing on their outdoor theatre, we get tickets to Jimmy Kimmel, located on Hollywood Blvd. (entry in the alley just south), east of Orange.

Free tickets available at http://1iota.com/Tickets and they give very discounted parking in the parking structure on Orange, just south of Hollywood Blvd.

You'll be in North Hollywood . . . closer to Universal than Warner Bros. I don't know too many places near there other than the Federal Bar on Lankershim that is a good, lively place to unwind and has decent "gastro pub" styled food, as well as later in the evening music or comedy in the back room. A place where young hipsters congregate, but their parents don't feel out of place. Can get packed, so always good to make reservations, especially with a family of 5.

If anyone in your group likes music, and you're here in late summer, early autumn, the Hollywood Bowl and Greek Theatre should be considered, as well as a walk along Sunset Strip with stop ins at the Whisky or the Roxy. Lots of new little restaurants along the strip, again most of the gastro-pub style, or you can get great pizza at the Rainbow and check out the aging musician wannabes that hang out there.

Downtown..Grand Central Market, Central Library, City Hall, Disney Concert Hall, New Cathedral, Little Tokyo, MOCA, JANM, Olvera, Union Station.

You could try the French Dip at Philippe's or go to one of the places inside Grand Central (I love the name Eggslut).

I think the Conservancy does private walking tours in addition to their regular weekend ones, but you can find lots of free info on the net.

"Downtown..Grand Central Market, Central Library, City Hall, Disney Concert Hall, New Cathedral, Little Tokyo, MOCA, JANM, Olvera, Union Station."

I'd add The Broad Museum (right next to Disney Concert Hall), Pershing Square, Jewelry District, old architecture around 7th and Broadway, and CLIFTON'S CAFETERIA (quite possibly the most unique place I've seen in downtown).

Sgvdomer, last time I was there, Clifton's was closed. Not sure if they were remodeling, or just closed permanently. That was a year ago. (I wanted to see it because I remember my mother saying she'd gone there in 1945)

sf7307, Clifton's was probably undergoing renovation at that time. I visited this place 3 weeks ago and it is absolutely beautiful on the inside with lots of European and South American tourists. The exterior probably looks the same as it did decades ago though.

Where are you staying? One of the aims I'd suggest is to pick an area or areas that won't entail long drives to/from. Your previous day, which involves Santa Monica, Burbank and Griffith Park, is frankly - just IMO - NOT the way to go about things; you'll be spending too much time bouncing between your destinations.

I like the idea of "old LA" - like downtown - Olvera Street and the Pueblo, Union Station, Phillipe's, Grand Central Market, Clifton's..

Or Fairfax/Beverly Hills - Farmers Market, Museum Row and the tar pits, Rodeo Drive (overrated but still good for people watching) Paley Center, breakfast at Nate 'n Al's, or a late night martini and music or comedy in the Kibitz Room at Canter's on Fairfax...

Or completely different, the South Bay. Breakfast at Martha's in Hermosa Beach - http://www.yelp.com/biz/marthas-22nd...-hermosa-beach - then walk the calories off along the Strand while you decide which bank to rob so you can afford one of the beachfront houses. Walk out the Manhattan Beach pier to watch the fishers and surfers, then drive around the Palos Verdes peninsula to Pelican Cove and Wayfarers' Chapel (Lloyd Wright, Frank's son) https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...alifornia.html This is especially convenient if LAX plays into your plans - Manhattan/Hermosa are very close to the airport.

Good ideas, Gardyloo, to avoid frustration of sitting in traffic and trying to visit sites too far apart.

Also, when I visit DS in LA, I use WAZE GPS, and I turn off freeway options, whenever I can. There are many cute little neighborhoods in LA, that are much more pleasant than being on the freeways. I'm talking between Venice Beach, where I usually stay, and Wilshire's "miracle mile" neighborhood. Venice Blvd, etc. If that traffic is slow, I still prefer it.

Wow - Great information all. Thank you so much for all your feedback. We will certainly take all these into consideration. Much appreciated.