Los Angeles with Teens
 

Divorced dad taking my two teens, son 17 and daughter 14 to Los Angeles for a week in August. We were there for a few days about 3 years ago with their mom and did the touristy stuff at Hollywood and Vine, the Griffith Observatory and the beach.

We're staying in Santa Monica and and will go to the beach two or three times, probably Disneyland one day. My daughter wants to go shopping and eat at some fun, trendy restaurants. Looking for ideas for any other attraction that teens might enjoy, shopping and restaurant suggestions and I'm also thinking of taking an overnight somewhere in the area where we might perhaps get into some nature or somewhere less urban. I was thinking perhaps Catalina Island. Any other ideas? Are there TV tapings we can attend perhaps? Are movie studios a good bet?

Thank you so much for your help.

Well--Are they crazy for all things Disney? Otherwise, you might want to make new memories. If they like roller coasters, Six Flags in Valencia or Knotts Berry Farm would be great choices. But Universal Studios would also be really fun.

Venice Beach is right by Santa Monica and is a very different scene.

One thing that is fun in the evening is to see a movie. Los Angeles has amazing movie theaters with the latest sound and video systems.

Lacma, farmer’s market, I would want another day for Disney if they like it. I’m assuming they like it, if you’re going. I enjoy it, but the theme parks are the least interesting thing about LA to me.

maybe kayaking, or something else to do with water sports. The teen girl might like Santa Barbara- I went there for a few days and went on a sea cave kayaking tour at the Channel Islands. That was a blast.

really, they are old enough to help plan- I’d have your daughter make a list of shops she really wants to see, restaurants she really wants to eat at. I can shop and eat all day, but it’s hard to recommend stuff without knowing what she likes or (more likely) what’s trending on her social media accounts.

Hi,

We were in LA last summer with our two daughters (a tween and a teenager). We all enjoyed the Warner Bros Studio Tour - a lot of shows they watch were filmed there and they thought it was cool to tour the backlots and sets (Fosters, Full House, Pretty Little Liars, etc). So maybe check out a studio tour based on whatever shows they like?

They also liked biking from Santa Monica to Venice Beach and checking out the art walls and canals. There are some cool shops in Venice Beach. We stayed near the Grove - the girls liked that mall as well as the farmer's market. They also enjoyed La Brea Tar Pits. The highlight was seeing some famous You-tuber at The Grove mall (neither DH nor I had heard of him!). Also on their wishlist was going to a few restaurants featuring chefs seen on Food Network!

Have fun!

Bookmarking for good info.

August is a good month to do a whale watch cruise to look for blue whales. The gray whales get all the attention but there are also blues off shore.

In the LA area, Harbor Breeze uses custom built whale watching boats (not repurposed fishing boats). Their tours are narrated by Aquarium of the Pacific.

https://2seewhales.com/our-whale-watching-boats/

Often you can find a Groupon or other discount. Weekdays they go from Long Beach on the same boats as they use in San Pedro.

A couple of random thoughts...

- Head to Manhattan or Hermosa Beach and rent bikes for rides along the Strand, the beachfront pedestrian/bike path that runs for miles along some of the best beaches in the region. Have breakfast or lunch (breakfast is better) at Martha's on 22nd in Hermosa, then work off the calories along the Strand while you decide which bank to rob so you can afford a house there.

- Take a day (or better, overnight) trip up to Santa Barbara. Visit Refugio Beach, see the wonderful Spanish mission, enjoy the picturesque downtown area, see the wildlife refuge around the UCSB campus. Have them watch the (cute) movie Easy A and drive up to Ojai where it was filmed.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f5ebd62ea0.jpg

- Tour the Warner Brothers or Paramount studios. Have breakfast at Nate 'n Al's on Beverly Drive (plenty of Hollywood types - go on a weekday) then walk up the block to the Paley Center/TV museum.

- Go to a Dodgers or Angels game.

Most show tapings are on hiatus in August and resume after Labor Day more importantly most have age limits of either 16 or 18. Check the websites or seeing-stars.com.
The Warner Bros tour is a good idea.

Share this article with your kids and see if any of these sound interesting.

https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/attractions/essential-museums-to-visit-in-los-angeles

bookmarking

Thanks all for the tips so far. Still looking for ideas for an overnight away from Los Angeles to get away from the big city. Considering Catalina, up or down the coast, or the desert. We'd likely leave LA on a Thursday morning, drive a few hours to our destination to explore, spend the night and then return sometime Friday to an LAX hotel before heading home on Saturday.

The desert is brutally hot in August so I’d probably eliminate that choice. I think I’d jlike st stay in LA but at the beach -Hermosa or Manhattan would be great - the coast to a beach city.

Catalina would be great IMO. They will have had a lot of beach time -- but out on the island you can zip line, and kayak, and do the glass bottom boat and/or flying fish cruise, explore the island -- just lots of fun. If budget isn't a big issue you can take the ferry one direction and helicopter the other.

My feeling is that driving for "a few hours" round trip on a Thursday and Friday amounts to spending more than a few hours in hellish traffic. You know what I'd do? I'd fly to San Jose, get a car, and drive to Santa Cruz. Round trip airfare in August (LAX - SJC) is around $100 - $120 (under $100 to San Francisco - SFO - but that would involve more driving) but you might help reduce the total cost by having cheaper accommodations.

Anyway, I'd drive from SJC (or SFO) to the Henry Cowell or Big Basin redwoods for a quick immersion in a remarkable natural environment, then stay somewhere in Santa Cruz so you could visit the Beach Boardwalk, an old-fashioned amusement park. Or, if you don't mind driving a little farther, drive down Hwy 1 around the Bay and visit Cannery Row in Monterey (maybe see the terrific aquarium) or continue south to Point Lobos, one of California's crown jewels. Map of these various locations - https://goo.gl/maps/79DybkqNhXP2

Note - skip the Monterey/Carmel option if the travel is around the week of Aug. 20 as that's when Monterey Car Week takes place, when accommodations become nigh on impossible to secure.

For an overnight trip, I recommend Big Bear Lake.

https://www.bigbear.com

Nothing against Catalina/Avalon, but it's just Santa Monica lite.

Bookmarking.

I love the Catalina idea! I think that would be fun to get out on the water like that.

But then I like the old-timey stuff that's been around Los Angeles since I grew up there... Chinatown, Olvera Street, the Farmer's Market, LaBrea Tar Pits.

A trip to any of the historic Spanish missions is interesting, if that fits with your plans.

>>Nothing against Catalina/Avalon, but it's just Santa Monica lite.<<

Not at all like Santa Monica IMO. Nothing about them are similar except there are beaches.

I pretty much agree with everything said so far. You definitely will be able to find good food wherever you go. As far as Santa Monica (where I used to work), where will you be staying? If you're going to be dining close to the downtown area, a new spot with plenty of good buzz is Native, Nyesha Arrington's new joint (she's an alumna of Top Chef and Chef Hunter). The menu is pure "multi-culti", with strong pan-Asian touches (Nyesha's grandmother was Korean):

https://www.eatnative.la/

Not cheap, but squarely on-trend.

Water Grill is right on Ocean Avenue. It's an upscale branch of the venerable King's Seafood Company empire (whose first eatery, 555 East in Long Beach, opened way back in 1982), and this outpost is great (if pricey):

Home

The same crew operate Meat on Ocean, just a block down the street:

Meat On Ocean

Of course, the greater LA area is a world's worth of awesome dining of every cuisine and price point, so be adventurous!

The Petersen Automotive Museum just might appeal to your son, depending on his gearhead proclivities. I happen to love looking at classic cars:

https://www.petersen.org/

August is a busy time in general, and Catalina will be crawling with visitors. Still, it's a fun step back in time from the mainland and much slower-paced. One hour on the Catalina Express and you're there, and you can explore the island's natural treasures or just hang out in Avalon, play an ancient miniature golf course (absolutely a hoot), hit one of the beaches, visit the Casino (maybe see a classic movie).... Simpler pleasures. Look for lodging NOW, and check out specials on Groupon as well on the trip over as well as on rooms. Dining choices are less-trendy and basic, but you'll have a lot of fun (be sure to stop by El Galleón for the karaoke show-- gruesome laughs).

Although it may be late to get good tickets, I would be remiss if I didn't mention two unique ideas: Hollywood Bowl and the Pageant of the Masters down in Laguna Beach. You could make Laguna your overnight trip (only in the greater LA area can a 62-mile schlepp feel like a cross-country ordeal); it's a beach community that has a completely different feel from Santa Monica (in fact, its vibe is much closer to Avalon than SM). The Bowl is a really LA experience; get a bus from SM there, get dinner (last time we went, we catered it from one of the onsite eateries), settle in and watch Grade-A++++++ entertainment (our last time out was to see the rock group Heart, who put on an AWESOME show; Ann Wilson still has just about the best rock pipes in the business).

Just random thoughts.

IF you do score tickets to the Pageant of the Masters consider staying in Dana Point. There is a DoubleTree across from Doheny Beach. Laguna Beach is terrific but can be really pricey, and REALLY pricey during the Pageant/Art Show/Summer. Dana Point is about 10 miles from the Pageant grounds. Of course staying IN Laguna is better if there is availability and it fits in the budget.